God's heartbeat sends Mennonite Church USA to reach
people with healing, hope.
by Laurie L. Oswald
From left, Beryl Jantzi, senior pastor of Harrisonburg
(Va.) Mennonite Church chats with Darlene Landes during
a Wednesday evening fellowship meal at the church. (Photo
by Laurie L. Oswald)
NEWTON, Kan. (MC USA) -- Across Mennonite Church USA, congregations
and area conferences are asking anew what it means to join
God's work in the world. The answers vary, but the heartbeat
is the same: God sends us beyond our church walls and historical
roots to reach new people with the healing and hope of Jesus
Christ.
Denominational leaders witness to this fresh search to find
God's path for Mennonites in the 21st century. And the word
"sent" appears often in their testimonies. This
sending means that all parts of the denomination will integrate
being and doing -- living in God's heart so that the church
can follow where God's heartbeat sends it.
Asking what God is doing in the world and then becoming people
who can join God is more a shift in focus than adding more
programs, said members of Mennonite Church USA's churchwide
missional church team. The team, begun in 2002, is helping
the denomination to fulfill its missional priorities. The
team isn't prescribing a longer "to do" list but
is encouraging the church to prayerfully consider God's agenda.
Focus shift, not program addition
Area conference leaders and pastors who are members of the
missional church team said this shift of focus is changing
people more than programs. Jane Roeschley, associate pastor
of Mennonite Church of Normal (Ill.), said that this shift
is helping her congregation to risk more messy experiments
and to worry less about perfect outcomes.
"This new focus is causing me to help my congregation
to export the good news of Jesus Christ and his healing and
hope into our communities, and that can be messy sometimes,"
she said. "It's just plain hard to move from a 'country
club' mentality into a meaningful and connecting ministry
context.
"My job as a leader is to tend the messiness and disappointments
and false starts. We often begin new outreaches with great
ideals, but then discover that unforeseen challenges require
that we change and grow in order to make something work.
"God doesn't call us to the American model of success
that says we must get it 'right' the first time. Instead,
we are called to be faithful and to build relationships. That
can mean that we try and try again until our ministry style
better connects with those we serve."
For example, she cited how three Caucasian men from the congregation
volunteered to coach African-American boys in a basketball
program. "The cultural shifts were a challenge and there
were some hard knocks," she said. "One of the coaches
said he'd never do that again, but then he ran into two of
the kids one day. He was overwhelmed with 'high fives' from
one boy, and the other boy introduced him to his mother.
"We learned that sometimes just showing up ... is enough
to make an impression. We're realizing that it's okay to ask
help from others in the community. Next time, we hope to invite
an African-American man from another church to partner with
us in these efforts."
Passion, not programs
Along with promoting a flexibility and humility in congregations,
pastors must also affirm existing passion for ministry and
not micro-manage programs or push personal agenda, said Beryl
Jantzi, senior pastor of Harrisonburg (Va.) Mennonite Church.
"In my role, I am not called to do everything but to
support others in what they feel God is calling them to do
and to be," Jantzi said. "That means helping people
tap into the fire in their bellies. We need to tap into the
energy and excitement that our people already have about areas
of ministry."
For example, because members of the congregation have a passion
for being more welcoming, the church hosts an end-of-the-summer
neighborhood block party with food, games and entertainment.
Some churches work at ministry to children through preschool
and day care programs, he said. But this event targets entire
families hoping to make a connection and build lasting relationships.
"People will connect with us when we connect with them,"
Jantzi said. "That means that we must break through our
sense of being the 'quiet in the land' and strive to be better
neighbors who speak in ways that people can 'hear' our love.
...If we care about their needs for having a place to gather
as a neighborhood, then they are going to be more likely come
back for some of our Sunday morning programming."
Prayer shapes passions
Prayer and spending time in God's presence help people prepare
to join God's work and agenda, Jantzi and Roeschley said.
"This congregation has taught me the importance of prayer
in reaching out," Jantzi said. "The passion for
being a welcoming place is rooted deeply in prayer and spiritual
disciplines." For example, the congregation held a 28-day
prayer and fasting event to become more attuned to God's will
for the congregation. "We have a prayer committee that
helps to keep us praying on a 24-7 basis," he said. "This
is so important for supplying the vision and strength to try
new ministries."
Roeschley agrees: "Shifting into this new focus on joining
God's mission is not only about doing or only about being,
but it's about both -- a both/and thing," she said.
"If all you do is go out and try new things all the time
without anchoring them in spiritual practices, your congregation
will burn out. God uses both the inward and the outward in
shaping us as a missional people. We are formed by the practices
of worship, Bible study and retreats.
"Then, from out of the depths of prayer, we reach out.
And in reaching out, we are also changed and shaped by God.
Both the inward and outward help us to become more like Christ
and to be more a part of God's mission."
Equipping, not maintaining
Area conference ministers as well as pastors see how a shift
in focus is changing people's attitudes, their expectations
of leaders and the way they worship, said Jim Lapp, missional
church team member and leader of Franconia Mennonite Conference's
ministry team.
"This shift means that we will evaluate our pastors not
on whether they are maintaining the congregation but whether
they are moving the congregation beyond itself, developing
new leaders and equipping people for ministry," he said.
"It also means that we will ask new questions about our
worship styles, including: 'Can new people understand the
language we are using? Do we act as one big, happy family
reunion and exclude newcomers?"
Lapp is also concerned that area conferences and congregations
find evangelism tools that fit Anabaptist theology, including
a focus on discipleship to Jesus and community. "I tremble
a little when I look around at all the possible models for
evangelism and realize that some of them may not be best for
us as Anabaptists," he said. "Maybe we start there.
But let's not give up on creating or finding resources that
grow out of who we are."
No matter what method is used, Roeschley believes congregations
are already equipped to allow God's healing and hope to flow
through them to their communities. In Deeply Woven Roots,
a book she's studied by author Gary Gunderson, she's learned
that the local congregation is one of the main tools God has
for building "shalom" -- peace and wholeness --
in communities.
"The congregation lies at the permeable boundary between
God's kingdom and the world, and because of that, there is
a lot of osmosis that can happen," she said. "God
has already provided congregations with resources to offer
the world, and it is just a matter of scales dropping from
our eyes so we can see what those are."
Jim Schrag, executive director of Mennonite Church USA, and
Stanley Green, executive director of Mennonite Mission Network
-- the denomination's mission agency -- believe scales are
dropping from the eyes of Mennonites, as they respond to who
they are as God's sent people. The two leaders are co-chairs
of the missional church team.
"In decades past, we asked who God was and then asked
what God wanted us to do," Schrag said. "But with
this shift in focus, we're turning that around. We're asking
what God is doing in the world and then asking who we need
to become. This is not just another new methodology. It is
a renewal movement, and it has a lot of potential for transforming
our self-understanding."
Green said, "I'm excited that in the 21st century in
Mennonite Church USA, we're recovering our identity and are
being revitalized to be missional people who engage our world
with the good news of Jesus Christ, both at home and around
the world."
Laurie L. Oswald is news service
director for Mennonite Church USA.
Jesus' 'river of life' flows through a congregation
in Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference
by River of Life members
Gary Hooley, pastor of River of Life Fellowship in
Sweet Home, Ore., works with Richard and Michelle Micklewright
on the congregation's leadership team. (Photo by Laurie
L. Oswald)
SWEET HOME, Ore. (MC USA) -- Sweet Home is a small town in
the foothills of the Cascades. It lies on the fringes of the
Willamette Valley and, in many ways, on the fringes of society.
Decades of a struggling timber-based economy have left a legacy
of brokenness and need among many of the families here. It
is a setting where the need for God's healing can be very
visible.
God does a new thing
In 1993 a small group of Mennonite families felt that God
was asking them to do something new in Sweet Home. Gary Hooley,
a member of this group, had felt God's call for a number of
years to leave his vocation of 20 years as a logger and become
devoted to full-time ministry. Receiving confirmation from
many sources, the group stepped out in faith and, affirming
Hooley as their pastor, founded River of Life Fellowship (ROL).
For several years the new congregation shared a facility with
the Sweet Home Seventh Day Adventists. In 1996, with a strong
show of commitment and faith, and with the help of a mortgage
from the Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference (PNMC) and
a 'Tenth Man' grant, ROL moved into its new home in the center
of town, across the street from the Sweet Home High School.
A heritage of brokenness
Today ROL is a congregation of more than 200 people and exists
"to help people find a meaningful relationship with Jesus
Christ." Although it is a member of the PNMC, it does
not look very much like a typical Mennonite church. The congregation
is a mixture of people from a wide variety of backgrounds,
many of whom have never before been involved with a church.
Instead of the 'heritage of faith' so common in Mennonite
congregations, ROL is more likely to exhibit a heritage of
broken families, broken homes and a people searching for healing
and restoration.
God's love and acceptance is found through spirit filled worship
and prayer
Sunday morning services at ROL are characterized by a sense
of openness and acceptance. A spirit of worship and a group
of very musically gifted and devoted worship leaders has blessed
the congregation. The worship service is typically a mixture
of contemporary music, some gospel choruses and occasionally
a few traditional hymns.
The presence of the Holy Spirit during worship helps the congregation
to experience an awareness of God's love and acceptance. This
allows a time of sharing when members feel comfortable to
share their struggles in a very open and humble way. A group
of four couples, selected as congregational leaders, rotate
as facilitators of this time of sharing and prayer.
People experience a sense of hope as they surrender to God
their need for physical healing, freedom from addictions,
restoration of relationships and deliverance from economic
hardships. Answers to prayer are shared and lifted up as praises
to God in a way that builds and strengthens the faith of everyone.
Sharing the gospel out of the strength of Christ
Some people come to ROL to experience the worship; others
come for the sharing time, or for the fellowship that follows
the sharing. But many come week after week to listen to Hooley's
teaching. Preaching from his own personal relationship with
Christ, rather than from a background of religious teaching
or seminary training, helps him to present the gospel in a
way that is interesting, challenging and welcoming to the
diverse congregation. A personal devotion to prayer and seeking
the Holy Spirit ensures that he is preaching out of the strength
of Christ, rather than his own.
A spirit of outreach
Over the years there has been a spirit of outreach at ROL
that has been supported and encouraged on an individual, rather
than a corporate level. Community programs have included involvement
with the Hope Center -- a women's shelter; Set Free -- a faith
based addiction support group; and the Rez -- a gathering
place for youth. There have also been many overseas mission
involvements in places like the Philippines, Guatemala and
Northwest Mexico. When an individual feels motivated to become
involved in an outreach project, the Holy Spirit has led the
congregation to be involved in support.
The location of ROL in the center of town, and the open, welcoming
atmosphere have helped to make high school youth group an
important outreach ministry. For the past several years, even
though there are only a handful of teenagers in the congregation,
the youth group has a consistent attendance of 25 or 30. Most
of the youth are from broken homes and are often the only
member of their family to profess a belief in Christ.
The river flows and changes
ROL's ministry is focused on helping people work through the
disappointment, pain, resentment and guilt that people collect
as they move through life. That helps them become more aware
of the love and acceptance of God. This awareness can bring
great personal freedom to move closer and deeper into a relationship
with Christ. As this happens, lives are often changed in very
visible ways. The reward of watching the life-changing power
of the Holy Spirit is one of the greatest blessings at ROL;
but with it comes the challenge of allowing people the freedom
to change and to move on.
The vision of the leadership is not to transform individuals
into lifelong, contributing members of the congregation but
to welcome them in as members of the family of Christ. As
people are enabled and encouraged to change their personal
lives, so the congregation itself at ROL is constantly changing.
Often people will come for a season and then move on, hopefully
-- but not always -- into a deeper relationship with Christ
in another congregation. The Holy Spirit changes one person's
life and, as we watch, that person goes out and impacts several
others. Photos available.
River of Life members wrote
this story for Mennonite Church USA news service.
Hesston presidential search committee announces candidate
of choice
by Cheryl Zehr Walker
Howard Keim
HESSTON, Kan. (MEA; Hesston College) -- Dr. Howard Keim is
the Hesston College presidential search committee's "candidate
of choice," committee chair Norm Yoder announced to the
campus community Sept. 3.
Yoder of Henderson, Neb., and Arlan Yoder, chair of the Hesston
College board of overseers of Hesston, provided information
about Keim, currently vice president of academics and student
development and associate professor of communications at Tabor
College in Hillsboro.
Keim visited campus Sept. 7-8 to meet with groups and individuals.
The search committee will review input from this process and
make a final recommendation on Keim's candidacy early this
fall. Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) appoints the president
with the recommendation of the Hesston board.
"MEA represents Mennonite Church USA and is a partner
with the Hesston College Board in both the search process
and presidential appointment," said Carlos Romero, MEA
executive director.
Rosalind Andres, MEA board chair of Essex Junction, Vt., expressed
appreciation for this partnership. "Discerning gifts
in college leaders who can help our campuses meet the educational
needs of Mennonite Church USA today and tomorrow is a highly
important task," she said.
"We on the MEA board are most grateful to the search
committee for its dedicated and vigorous work to this end,
resulting in a candidate of Dr. Keim's qualifications and
experience. We look forward to his visit with the Hesston
College community and the discernment that will follow there,
with Vice President Keim, the search committee and the Hesston
College Board."
Alan Yoder said, "The search committee has served the
board and Hesston College very well through a diligent and
thorough process. The committee's candidate of choice is an
excellent, seasoned leader with a significant personal understanding
of Hesston College and its mission."
Keim, who lives in Hesston, received a Ph.D. in communication
studies from the University of Kansas in Lawerence; a master's
degree in interpersonal and public communication from Central
Michigan University; and a bachelor's degree in speech and
dramatic arts from the same institution. He also has studied
at the University of Iowa in and is a 1972 graduate of Hesston
College.
His wife, Tami, graduated from Hesston and has directed its
early childhood education program since 1987. They have two
daughters: Talashia Yoder is a Hesston graduate and Tonya
Bartel directed its theatre program for one year.
Keim has been a professor and administrator at Tabor College
since 1996, except for one year as field services director
for Communities in Schools of Kansas. He taught at Hesston
from 1987-1996, including directing its Pastoral Ministries
Program. He was pastor of Kalona (Iowa) Mennonite Church from
1979-1987 and youth minister at Fairview (Mich.) Mennonite
Church prior to that.
Tabor College is a four-year liberal arts institution owned
and operated by the Mennonite Brethren Church. In his current
role, Keim has facilitated reorganization of Tabor's academic,
student development and athletic areas. He also has worked
with faculty to enhance the college's academic achievement
and was selected to give the Tabor College Faculty Lecture
in 1998.
Keim has served his congregation, Whitestone Mennonite Church
in Hesston, as an elder. He is a former moderator of South
Central Conference of Mennonite Church USA and now serves
on the conference ministerial commission.
"Howard has demonstrated a clear and compelling vision
for Hesston College to be the two-year college for all of
Mennonite Church USA," said Jeff Wright, search committee
member of Pasadena, Calif. Wright is a conference minister
for Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference and the parent
of a Hesston student.
"Howard also has administrative savvy and a pastor's
heart. All of that together makes him, from my point of view,
a compelling choice to further the mission of Hesston College
as its next president," Wright said.
Norm Yoder said, "I believe Dr. Keim's experience as
an academic dean, teacher, pastor and director of Hesston's
Pastoral Ministries Program gives him valuable leadership
experience. His collaborative leadership style would serve
Hesston well. Hesston College has a great future and Dr. Keim
has the vision to help good people do great things."
Photo available.
Peter Wiebe has served as Hesston's interim president since
July 2003. Photo available.
Cheryl Zehr Walker, associate
director for MEA, wrote this story for Mennonite Church USA
news service.
Interim president appointed for Goshen College
by Goshen College and MEA staff
John D.Yordy
GOSHEN, Ind. -- In times of change, there is both challenge
and opportunity, said Virgil Miller, chair of the Goshen College
board of directors. Taking on an immediate challenge, the
board's executive committee and Goshen College president's
council, with the support of Mennonite Education Agency (MEA),
have planned for the college's presidential transition following
the resignation of President Shirley H. Showalter.
Under the authorization of the college board, plans have been
made for providing direction and managing campus affairs while
the search for a new president takes place, Miller said. He
announced that John D. Yordy has accepted the invitation to
serve as Goshen College's interim president.
The Goshen College board met Aug. 18 to confirm the appointment
of Yordy, Goshen College's provost and executive vice president
since 1997, as interim president. In consultation with MEA,
the board also established a search process. The process will
include forming a search committee. The board also affirmed
the plan of the president's council for distributing responsibilities
for seamless leadership.
"We are confident that John Yordy, who is a well-respected
administrator and is known for his commitment to the Mennonite
Church, will continue to serve Goshen College well in leading
the president's council and, by extension, the entire institution,"
Miller said. "There is excellent support within the president's
council, which is a strong group of professionals. This interim
leadership structure will carry the vision of the college
forward, addressing immediately issues and moving ahead in
positive ways."
Showalter named Yordy as provost for Goshen College prior
to her inauguration as president of the 110-year-old institution.
Yordy's duties included overseeing and coordinating the offices
of the academic dean and dean of students, supervising the
college budget offices and information technology and managing
strategic planning processes. As provost, he also served as
CEO in the absence of the president.
A 1967 Goshen College graduate, Yordy worked as an industry
research chemist and received his doctorate in organic chemistry
from Michigan State University in 1974. He belongs to many
state and national academic and scientific organizations.
He is the recipient of a Sears and Roebuck award for excellence
in teaching. Yordy has spent significant time abroad, working
for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and Heifer Project International
for two years in Mexico, and teaching in Nigeria, from 1967
to 1970. During a teaching sabbatical, he was a visiting professor
of chemistry at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. With his
wife, Winnie, he has led Study-Service Term units in Honduras
and the Dominican Republic. They are parents of three adult
sons, all Goshen graduates, and are members of College Mennonite
Church in Goshen.
Miller said that the interim leadership team, led by Yordy,
evolved out of the current leadership structure -- a process
that went "very smoothly." The president's council
includes William J. Born, vice president for student life
and dean of students; Andrea Cook, vice president for institutional
advancement; Jim Hisand, vice president for finance; and Anita
Stalter, vice president for academic affairs and academic
dean. Miller said that all members of the president's council
are experienced in their positions and currently have key
roles in administrative leadership.
"There is excellent support within the president's council,
which is a strong group of professionals," Miller said.
"They will carry the vision of the college forward in
this interim time, moving ahead in positive ways."
Yordy, who has served on the Goshen College faculty since
1977, said, "I am confident that this leadership team,
which had been assembled by President Showalter, will continue
to work collaboratively with the campus community and constituents
in our mutual commitment to educate students for leadership
and service in the church and the world."
He expressed appreciation for Showalter's leadership and for
the skills and abilities of each president's council member.
Miller said announcements will be made soon in regards to
events to publicly thank Showalter for her nearly eight years
of service to the college, which will include a farewell event
Sept. 20. Showalter will officially end her term by the end
of September; she will join Fetzer Institute of Kalamazoo,
Mich., as vice president for programs. Photo available.
MEA's Fund for Peoplehood Education welcomes proposals
by Cheryl Zehr Walker
GOSHEN, Ind. (MEA) -- Mennonite Education Agency invites proposals
for grants from its Fund for Peoplehood Education, a donor-restricted
term endowment. The fund supports initiatives that promote
the distinctive features of church-sponsored education and
encourage strong ties between Mennonite Church USA and its
schools.
The fund achieves this purpose by supporting:
* Interpretive projects that advocate church-sponsored schools;
* Innovative ways of calling and orienting gifted members
to the teaching ministry;
* Orientation programs for teachers, administrators and trustees;
and
* Action-oriented research that enhances church-school relationships.
Priority is given to projects which strengthen church-school
ties and interpret the distinctive features of Mennonite-Anabaptist
education and that cultivate educational leadership among
younger members of Mennonite Church USA.
Deadline for submission of proposals is Sept. 30, 2004. For
fund policies and an application form, contact: Mennonite
Education Agency, 63846 County Road 35 Suite 1, Goshen, IN
46528-9621; info@MennoniteEducation.org; 574-642-3164.
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calls us to be followers of Jesus Christ and, by the power of
the Holy Spirit, to grow as communities of grace, joy, and peace,
so that God's healing and hope flow through us to the world
