12 Behind our carols 16 Christmas moments 18 Coordinated ... · 12 Behind our carols 16 Christmas...

12 Behind our carols

16 Christmas moments

18 Coordinatedcommunication

32 A church inrecession

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G R A C E A N D T R U T H

2 TheMennonite December 16, 2008

The Mennonite is the official publication of Mennonite Church USA. Ourmission is to help readers glorify God, grow in faith and become agents ofhealing and hope in the world. The Mennonite (ISSN 1522-7766) is normal-ly published on the first and third Tuesdays of each month by the boardfor The Mennonite, Inc. Periodical postage paid at Goshen, IN 46526. Sub-scription rates for one year: $43.95 to U.S. addresses and or $51.45 USD toCanadian addresses. Group rates available. Scripture references are fromthe New Revised Standard Version unless otherwise noted. The viewsexpressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the official posi-tions of Mennonite Church USA, The Mennonite, or the board for TheMennonite, Inc.

Postmaster Send form 3579 to:The Mennonite1700 S. Main St.Goshen, IN 46526

Editor: Everett J. [email protected]

Associate editor: Gordon [email protected]

Assistant Editor: Anna [email protected]

Advertising, subscriptions: Rebecca [email protected]

Bookkeeper: Celina [email protected]

Editorial Assistant: Nora MillerDesign: Dee Birkey

Web site: www.TheMennonite.org

Offices:1700 S. Main St.Goshen, IN 46526-4794phone: 800-790-2498fax: 574-535-6050

722 Main St., P.O. Box 347Newton, KS 67114phone: 866-866-2872fax: 316-283-0454

801 N. Negley Ave.Pittsburgh, PA 15206phone: 412-894-8705fax: 412-363-1216

TheMennonite Vol. 11, No. 24, December 16, 2008

N ora was born of Jen and Nick. Serena wasborn of Kathy and David. Benjamin wasborn of Celia and Jon. All these new babies

came to us within the past few months. And ourchurch has two more on the way: Rebecca is duethis week and Martha a few weeks after her.These pregnant women display the profounddepths of hospitality. Martha and Rebecca havemade room for new lives to form in their bodies.They have become spaces where another cangrow.

Pregnancy and birth are also the rhythms ofthe Christian life. We are like expectant mothers,surrendering our lives so that we may bear God’snew life in the world. We offer ourselves as spaceswhere God can birth good news. We bear Christ’spresence through our hospitality to God, surren-dering our bodies to the movement of the HolySpirit.

Advent is our chance to remember the firsttime someone made room for Jesus. The angelGabriel brought a word from God to Mary: “Youwill conceive in your womb and bear a son, andyou will name him Jesus,” he announced to Mary.“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and thepower of the Most High will overshadow you”(Luke 1:31, 35). How did Mary receive thisstrange and wonderful news? She replied, “Heream I, the servant of the Lord. Let it be with meaccording to your word” (v. 38).

Mary shows us how to extend hospitality to God,which is simply what it means to be a disciple. Shemade room for God’s life within her own. Sheopened her life, her very body, to bring Jesus intothe world. Through the power of the Holy Spirit,the Son received life in Mary’s womb. In herwomb, Mary bore the One who is good news in a

world full of bad news. The light of the world camefrom her womb. She shared her flesh with God.Mary’s faith made room for God to move in herlife, and through her life into the world.

In a chapter of his book The Contagion of Jesus,Sebastian Moore offers Mary as an example of dis-cipleship. Too often we give the impression thatdiscipleship is a masculine endeavor because theGospels follow the bumbling path of Jesus’ 12 malecompanions. Although Mary is a marginal charac-ter, her faithfulness encompasses the life of Jesus.She is the first to give her life for Christ’s sake.And she follows Jesus to the foot of the cross.

The silent presence of Mary whispers thesecret of discipleship. She does not seek to be thegreatest in the kingdom, as some of the other dis-ciples do. Mary sits with the humble. She does notseize opportunities to change the world with effec-tive displays of discipleship. Instead, Mary revealsthe passive power of surrender to God—“I am theservant of the Lord. Be it done to me according toyour word.” The Most High comes to rest in theweak.

God desires people who offer their lives asspaces where good news is born. Mary’s hospitalityto God, Moore writes, shows the kind of surrenderthat leads to “the forming of Christ in us as in herwomb.” When we surrender ourselves to God, theHoly Spirit overshadows our body and begins toform Christ’s presence. Christians are weak peoplewho make room for God. Discipleship is ourunceasing struggle to welcome God into ourmidst, as Mary does, so that something unspeak-ably new and wonderful may be born in our world.

With Mary, we pray: “We are the servants ofthe Lord. Be it done to us according to yourword.” TM

Pregnant with God

Isaac Villegas ispastor of ChapelHill (N.C.)MennoniteFellowship.

This article isavailable as apodcast atwww.TheMennonite.org

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C O N T E N T S

December 16, 2008 TheMennonite 3

8 Guiding angels and Rachel’s tearsReflections on Matthew 2:12-23 and Christmas from the daysimmediately following—David A. Stevens

12 Behind our carolsWhere did our Christmas carols come from?—KarenSutherland

15 Christmas and tomatoesSometimes the simplest things are the most memorable.—Katie Martin

16 Christmas momentsWe can learn from those who witnessed Jesus’ birth.—MatthewYoder

19 MC USA leaders visit two Congo groupsCongolese leader: ‘The best process is one that … providessufficient resistance.’

20 Top 10 stories for Mennonite Church USA in 20082008 meant changes for Mennonite Church USA: one-boardmodel proposed and then deferred, executive directors leave,health-care access plan accepted—Anna Groff

22 MCC braces for coming economic storm

D E P A R T M E N T S

2 Grace and truthPregnant with God—Isaac Villegas

4 Readers say

6 News digest

18 LeadershipCoordinated communication—Marty Lehman

28 For the record

30 MediacultureProfits vs. truthtelling—Gordon Houser

32 EditorialA church in recession—Everett J. Thomas

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Cover: “Flight to Egypt” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. Amsterdam, 1627 | www.WikimediaCommons.org

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R E A D E R S S A Y


We can be self-critical without disdainI was much interested in the several paragraphs inthe Nov. 4 editorial “What Good News?” onMennonite “self-loathing.” I have occasionallyseen references to Jewish “self-hatred.” I don’trecall seeing “self-loathing” identified as aMennonite malady before. In this editorial, EverettThomas is on to an important topic.

I have wondered whether the disdain that some“progressive” Mennonites have for conspicuouslyconservative sisters and brothers represents akind of self-loathing. I have also wonderedwhether the dropping of the Mennonite label bysome congregations represents a similar “lack ofself-confidence.” The label change sometimes rep-resents a strong desire to be missional—withoutrecognizing that all labels, including “Christian” or“nondenominational,” also have difficult baggage.Former Mennonites sometimes express such dis-appointment with their past history, which appearsto be a form of shame.

Thanks for calling attention to this weakness inour self-perception. If there is to be a continuingMennonite identity in the 21st century, we need tofind meaning in our tradition, its uniqueness andsignificance clearly articulated and affirmed. Wecan be self-critical without being disdainful. TheMennonite ought to work on defining a meaningfulidentity that is more than self-promotion and self-congratulation.—John A. Lapp, Akron, Pa.

Are other Christians Mennonite?I just finished reading James Schrag’s column,“Add Words to Deeds” (Nov. 4), and I appreciatedwhat he said. But it also raised a question for methat I have been thinking on for a long time. AreMennonites Christians, or are ChristiansMennonites?

That is, do Mennonites have the firmest graspon the Christian faith, or do we just operate within

a system that we judge how “Christian” someoneis by using Mennonites as a measuring tool? Touse Schrag’s example of the farmer who came tohelp: If the farmer was of another faith and did hisgood deed because his faith system prompted him,would we say he was being Christian or he wasbeing Mennonite?

Growing up entrenched in the faith that used tobe called Old Mennonite, I assumed that allChristians practiced their faith—in word anddeed—the way we did. Later, I learned there areall types of Christians who live out their faith inmore ways and varieties than I had imagined. Now,as I look back on my early years and see and readhow Mennonites are presenting themselves to theworld at large, I can see even more clearly how theperspective of my early years was formed. This isnot a criticism or critique of how Mennonites arebut a realization that looking out from “inside” theMennonite faith is like wearing glasses that areground to a Mennonite “prescription.” Maybe weneed to do that in order to retain what is unique toour faith. But the danger is that we view and dis-cern what we see using the Mennonite prescrip-tion instead of one that is unfettered by the past,our present and where we see ourselves going inthe future.—Carole Boshart, Eugene, Ore.

A seat at the tableAs a young adult, I appreciate Justin James King’s“modest proposal” for intergenerational table talk(“A Seat at the Table,” Nov. 18). However, theissue is not whether we young adults have beeninvited to the table but whether or not we value orunderstand the table to which we have alreadybeen invited. Often the structures and processesin which we have been invited to participate do notleave us feeling empowered or heard, and I daresay it is not unique to the young adult situation. Iventure to guess our racial-ethnic brothers and sis-ters have the same frustration, with good reason.However, I do not think the responsibility is orshould entirely be left to the denomination toresolve.

We young adults should move beyond our frus-trations and engage the structures we have. Weare here to serve with the church (warts and all),not to be served by the church. If we want change,then we have to endure the suffering of laboriousconference meetings and budget discussions longenough to make ourselves known and heard.—Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg, Bryan, Ohio

Involve young adults this month“A Seat at the Table” (Nov. 18) by Justin JamesKing deserves immediate attention by all congre-

I N T H I S I S S U E

O ur cover illustration, Rembrandt’s “Flight to Egypt,” wasradical in his day for using beggar figures to depict theHoly Family (www.a-r-t.com/rembrandt/remessay.htm).

And our cover story (page 8) shows that the first Christmaswas not the sentimental one we often celebrate. KarenSutherland (page 12) offers stories behind some of our carols.Katie Martin (page 15) shows how Christmas and tomatoesmay go together. Matthew Yoder (page 16) presents lessonsfrom those who witnessed Jesus’ birth. We’ve reflected on thetop news stories in the past year (page 20). And we offer thanksto the many generous readers who donated to The Mennonite in2008 (page 24). May your Christmas be joyful.—Associate editor

This publication welcomes your letters, either aboutour content or aboutissues facing theMennonite ChurchUSA. Please keepyour letters brief—one or two para-graphs—and aboutone subject only. Wereserve the right toedit for length andclarity. Publication isalso subject to spacelimitations. Send [email protected] or mail toReaders Say, TheMennonite, 1700 S.Main St., Goshen, IN46526-4794. Pleaseinclude your nameand address. We willnot print letters sentanonymously,though we may with-hold names at ourdiscretion.—Editors

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R E A D E R S S A Y


gations. He rightly calls for youth and youngadults to have an active role and “seat at the table”in our congregations and life of the denomination.Why not? I find it unthinkable that a 22-year-oldseminary student needs to bring this issue to ourattention.

Young people being involved in church coun-cils, committees, worship services and variousgovernance posts should be a given. King says heis “merely calling us to begin a conversation tofind a way to give young adults a reason to remainactive in the church.” Rather than a time-consum-ing “conversation,” let’s have the pastors andchurch councils take action at their next meetingto correct this serious oversight. The vibrancy ofyouth and young adult perspectives and gifts willenrich your congregation. As the apostle Paulwrote a long time ago, “Let no one despise youryouth.”—Lee M. Yoder, Harrisonburg, Va.

Mennonite church is not EvangelicalThe use of “Evangelical” in the title of MattFriesen’s excellent article (“An Evangelical Peaceand Justice Church,” Nov. 18) raised an immediatehorror in my mind at the idea of MennoniteChurch USA being described as Evangelical. Myhorror dissipated upon reading the article, thoughI continued to be concerned about the use of theterm Evangelical. The author is actually writingabout evangelism. Both words come from theGreek word translated into English as “gospel” or“good news.”

Much confusion has developed in the media aswell as in popular discourse about what the wordevangelical means. It is both a noun and an adjec-tive. As an adjective it describes a set of doctrinesor beliefs as well as organizations that adhere tothose beliefs. As a noun it names a person (likemy former self) or people (e.g. The NationalAssociation of Evangelicals) who adhere to thosebeliefs. Evangelism (noun) refers to the proclama-tion of that good news and entails the making of

followers of Jesus. What separates Anabaptists andMennonites from Evangelicals is the understand-ing of what is the gospel and how a disciple lives.A better title could have been “An EvangelisticPeace and Justice Church.”

Please do not ascribe to Mennonite ChurchUSA either the noun or the adjective “evangelical.”Due to differences between the NationalAssociation of Evangelicals’ doctrinal statementand our Mennonite confession of faith, I cannotthink of the Mennonite Church USA as beingEvangelical.—Robert V. Clausen, Greenville, Ill.

What kind of denomination?I am pleased to receive The Mennonite in my mail-box more so than any other news magazine thatcomes to my door. The Mennonite church attract-ed me because it seems to be both evangelical andwith a heavy leaning toward Jesus’ message ofpeace and justice. However, hardly an issue goesby when I wonder to what sort of organization Ibelong. Whether I read that Mennonite VoluntaryService workers are part of a UniversalistUnitarian Church (“MVS Heroes Fight Male-Pattern Violence,” Aug. 19) or that the YoungAdult Fellowship discusses including new reli-gions into the denomination (“Young Adults SetOwn Agenda at Retreat,” Nov. 18), I feel myselflosing interest in the hope our denomination ini-tially gave me.

Are we a religion with theological practices, ahistory of white-knuckle Christian living and ahope in our King Jesus? Or have we caved into thepressures of being so justice-oriented that we mustlose our religion and lose Jesus, to speak the mes-sage of peace? We must remain a Christ-focusedpeople.

To see the sorts of remarks that seem to sayotherwise in recent issues of The Mennonite with-out much explanation, I begin to wonder “Whatkind of denomination or, I daresay, religion, do Ireally belong to?”—Tim Baer, Baltimore

Pontius’ Puddle Joel Kauffmann

O N L I N E P O L LR E S U L T S

Because of theeconomic reces-sion, I plan to:(54 votes)

Spend less thisChristmas (56%)

Spend the sameas last year (30%)

Spend more thanlast year (13%)

Not sure (2%)

Check out the newpoll question atwww.TheMennonite.org

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N E W S D I G E S T

Online registration soars for Columbus 2009NEWTON, Kan.—More than 2,600 people regis-tered for Mennonite Church USA’s 2009 conven-tion within 24 hours of the opening of online regis-tration for next July’s event. It took a month fornumbers to soar this high for San José 2007.

Online registration opened at 8 a.m. EST onDec. 1 at www.MennoniteUSA.org/convention.Paper registration will open Jan. 2, 2009. Onlineregistration became an option for convention goersin 1999 and is now the most widely used methodof registering for Mennonite Church USA conven-tions.

By 8:05 a.m. EST Dec. 1, 100 people had com-pleted registration forms online. By 9 a.m. thesame day, that number rose to 1,292, and the firsthotel was sold out. Jorge Vallejos, director of con-vention planning for Mennonite Church USAExecutive Leadership, is hesitant to say whetherthese early registrations are a useful benchmarkfor determining overall registration numbers.

“There’s still a long way to go, and there arestill a lot of people who haven’t decided whetherthey’re coming to Columbus,” Vallejos said. “It’sjust encouraging to see so many people who makeregistering early a priority.”—Mennonite ChurchUSA

Vietnam Mennonite Church legalizedHO CHI MINH CITY—Upon the VietnamMennonite Church’s fulfillment of all requirementsfor full legal status, the Vietnam National ReligiousAffairs Committee approved the church’s request

to organize its first official general assembly(the second general assembly according to thechurch’s historical records). The assembly washeld Nov. 15-17 at a guest house and conferencecomplex in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi MinhCity.

With full legal status, the church can now holdcorporate title to real estate, establish a Bible insti-tute for training pastors and leaders, forge relation-ships with other denominations to sponsor jointprojects, serve as an official partner withMennonite Central Committee in relief and com-munity development work, extend and accept invi-tations for international conferences and more.—Mennonite World Conference

CPT begins three-month project in CongoCHICAGO—Christian Peacemaker Teams isbeginning a three-month project based in the east-ern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma.A team of four CPTers was scheduled to arrive inearly December. Groupe Martin Luther King, aGoma human rights organization, has invited CPTto join them in their work. The initial CPT fieldteam will consist of Cliff Kindy (NorthManchester, Ind.), Wendy Lehman (Chicago),Rosemarie Milazzo (Maryknoll, N.Y.) and JaneMacKay Wright (Providence Bay, Ont.).—CPT

MCC launches Seed program for young adultsAKRON, Pa.—In January 2009, Mennonite CentralCommittee (MCC) will launch the Seed program,a two-year program for young adults aged 20-30.The program, composed of international teams,will focus on the components of service, reflectionand advocacy. It will begin in Colombia, thenexpand to other locations.

The program development and vision havebeen a collaborative process with IMCOL, theMennonite Church of Colombia, the MennoniteBrethren Church and the Brethren in ChristChurch in Colombia. MCC is exploring expandingthe Seed program to the Democratic Republic ofCongo as well as locations in the Middle East, Asiaand the Caribbean. Any questions may be directedto Daniel Leonard at [email protected].—MCC

ADNet taps associates for special ministriesGOSHEN, Ind.—Anabaptist Disabilities Networkassociate Christine Guth was licensed by CentralDistrict Conference on Oct. 12 for specialized min-istries with people with disabilities throughADNet. Guth serves on staff as program associatefor ADNet, a Goshen-based national advocacy min-istry on behalf of people with disabilities and men-tal illness.

I N B R I E F

Priest facesexcommunicationMaryknoll FatherRoy Bourgeois, alongtime pacifistwho is known widelyfor his opposition toU.S. military policy,faces near-certainexcommunicationfrom the Catholicchurch for his out-spoken advocacy ofwomen’s ordination. Bourgeois was noti-fied Oct. 21 by theVatican’s Congre-gation for the Doc-trine of the Faiththat he had 30 daysin which to recanthis position or beexcommunicated.Two weeks afterreceiving the notice,he responded, say-ing he could notrecant what he con-sidered a matter ofjustice and con-science. In mid-November, he wasstill awaiting finalword from the Vati-can. Bourgeois isknown primarily asthe founder of SOAWatch, a group thatbegan staging annu-al protests at the U.S.Army School of theAmericas in FortBenning, Ga., in1990.—NationalCatholic Reporter

How to deal withterrorists• Percentage of 648terrorist groups thatended between 1968and 2006 becausethey entered thepolitical process: 43 • Percentage of 648terrorist groups thatended through po-lice work and intelli-gence gathering: 40• Percentage of 648terrorist groups thatended due to mili-tary force: 7—Yes!magazine

New academic center opens at Lancaster schoolLancaster (Pa.) Mennonite School students and teach-ers moved into the Lancaster campus’ newly completedRutt Academic Center on Dec. 2. Helping cut the rib-bon, left to right, are board member Harold Mast, stu-dent Jewan Dawkins, Lancaster campus principal MilesYoder, student Lauren Fueyo and Lancaster MennoniteConference moderator Keith Weaver.—LMS

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N E W S D I G E S T

Christy Weems, a student at Bethel College inNorth Newton, Kan., has been named a studentassociate by ADNet for the 2008-09 academic year.

Weems is a junior elementary education majorat Bethel and a native of Topeka, Kan. She is car-rying out a project in cooperation with the Con-ference Resource Library in North Newton toinclude among the library’s resources materials toaid in teaching Sunday school students with devel-opmental disabilities. The library serves theWestern District and South Central conferences ofMennonite Church USA. Weems’ project will alsocontribute to ADNet’s work in providing resourcesfor families and churches throughout the countryas they work to include people with all types of dis-abilities in congregational and community life.—ADNet

Dock Woods, Souderton homes affiliateLANSDALE, Pa.—The board of directors for thenew parent company of Souderton (Pa.) Menno-nite Homes and Dock Woods Community,Lansdale, announced the affiliation of the two com-munities. The new parent company will be calledLiving Branches. Together the communities that

comprise Living Branches serve more than 1,350residents and employ 600 team members on cam-puses in Souderton, Lansdale and Hatfield, Pa.—Dock Woods Community

Mennonite Women USA plan retreatNEWTON, Kan.—Mennonite Women USA isengaging in a process to discern the best way tomeet the needs of Mennonite women in the UnitedStates in the future through a strategic planningretreat designed to elicit new ways for MW USA tohelp women connect, share and serve together ina postmodern world.

Becky Drumm of Mennonite Foundation willfacilitate the strategic planning process that MWUSA will convene at Amigo Centre in Sturgis,Mich., March 27-28, 2009. MW USA is seekingwomen of color to represent 25 to 30 percent ofparticipants, and women age 30 and younger torepresent 10 to 15 percent of participants.—Mennonite Church USA

Founder of radio ministry dies at age 93HARRISONBURG, Va.—Ruth Wenger BrunkStoltzfus of Harrisonburg, Va., a pioneer inMennonite media projects andmany other arenas, died Dec. 2,at Virginia Mennonite Retire-ment Community, Harrisonburg,at the age of 93. Stoltzfus startedthe long-running Heart to Heartradio program in 1950 as a fami-ly enterprise independent of anagency or church. She was direct-or and speaker on the broadcast for eight years and shepherded itinto partnership with Mennonite Broadcasts Inc.,and Mennonite Board of Missions, predecessoragencies of Mennonite Media and MennoniteMission Network. She turned the program over toElla May Miller in June 1958. Miller died on Oct.26, also at the age of 93. Stoltzfus was the firstknown Mennonite woman on the airwaves with aregular program.—Mennonite Mission Network

Hershberger ordained for Christian ministryHESSTON, Kan.—Michele Hershberger wasordained by South Central Mennonite Conferencefor Christian ministry in Mennonite Church USAon Nov. 16. Hershberger, who is chair of the Bibleand Ministry Division at Hesston College, joinedthe faculty in 2000. She has been a frequent speak-er and playwright for Mennonite youth conven-tions, a youth pastor, an author and more.—Hesston College

—compiled by Anna Groff

Lowell Brow

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I N B R I E F

Winning speech onantiracism

Josh Chittum’sspeech “PeacefullyConfronting the Wallsof Racism” took firstplace in the C. HenrySmith OratoricalContest administeredby Mennonite CentralCommittee. Chittumis a student at BethelCollege in North New-ton, Kan. Anna Yoder,a Bluffton (Ohio) Uni-versity student, wonsecond place with“Extending the Table:Blessing the Alien inour Midst,” and LeahReesor of Conrad Gre-bel University Coll-ege, Waterloo, Ont.,took third place with“Giving andReceiving: Exploringthe Spirituality ofService.”—MCC

Peace advocatesawarded by MMADave and Krista KingPowell received the2008 MMA JourneyAward Nov. 23 at theirchurch, SpringdaleMennonite Church inWaynesboro, Va. Thecouple was chosenbased on their holisticstewardship. Theyserved as coordina-tors for VirginiaMennonite Confer-ence’s Peace Commit-tee the last five years.Dave was the firstorganizer of theHymn Sing for Peace,held annually for thelast 10 years in Wash-ington. Krista hashelped facilitate stew-ardship education atSpringdale as churchtreasurer.—MMA

Laurelville draws artists to spirituality and art retreatPhilip Hosler, Goshen (Ind.) College student, creates a natural artinstallation as part of Laurelville Mennonite Church Center’s“Beyond Words: Imagining a Visual Spirituality” a new retreat onspirituality and the visual arts held Oct. 24-26 at Mt. Pleasant, Pa.—Laurelville Mennonite Church Center

Ruth WengerBrunk Stoltzfus


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Guiding angels

Joseph is a righteous man. But clearly being a righteous person serves us in life; it doesn’t save us from it.

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o you know how many automobile accidents there were onChristmas Day, how many house fires, how many car bombings,how many children succumbed to preventable diseases? All those things happened. But do we have to hear about them

now? Doesn’t that sound more like the news than the Good News? Frankly, that’s how this Scripture passage strikes many people. It’s

about murder and refugees. Does that sound like the Good News or justthe news?

Matthew 2:12-23 is a hard passage to hear, especially on the days rightafter Christmas. Can’t we bask just a little longer in the giving and good-will and glory? Give us our reality check next week. Does the text haveany Good News for us at all?


and Rachel’s tearsReflections on Matthew 2:12-23 and Christmas from the days immediately following

by David A. Stevens

Continuedon page 10

Well, to start with, there are angels all around.One of them says to Joseph, “Don’t be afraid.” Sohe gets over his fear and marries Mary. What hegets for his obedience and act of mercy is, first, achild not his own, and second, fleeing for his life.Joseph is a righteous man. But clearly being arighteous person serves us in life; it doesn’t saveus from it.

The astronomy club from Iraq arrives bearinggifts—gifts that are king-friendly, not baby-friendly.Then the astronomers pack up their telescopes.And just like Joseph, they are warned in a dreamand do not report back to Herod about where thechild is. Herod is not amused with the guys fromthe east, just as Pharaoh was not amused with themidwives who saved the Hebrew boys in the daysof baby Moses. It’s déjà vu all over again.

Then once more an angel appears to Joseph:Take the child and his mother to Egypt. Isn’t thatinteresting? Right after Jesus is born, the task ofthe angels changes from praising his birth to sav-ing his life. The Savior isn’t safe. The Savior must

first be saved. Matthew does not protect us from aSavior who needs protecting. But there are angelsall around. In this world of death and displacementGod is guiding his people. The light shines in thedarkness.

So Joseph enacts the witness protection planfor Jesus and God’s own Son becomes a refugee;God’s own Son runs from Herod’s death squadlike a Sudanese villager; God’s own Son wanderslike the Amazon Indian on the streets of Rio; God’sown Son is homeless, like an abused woman inMoundridge, Kan. God’s own Son understandsrefugees; he’s one of them. Jesus is not God-with-us in some superficial way but all the way. That’sGood News.

What do you think? Was there a family downthere along the Nile River that took Jesus and hisparents in, that gave Joseph a job building decksand taught Mary Egyptian as a second language,and a little friend who showed Jesus how to bal-ance a basket of onions on his head? God pro-vides. Isn’t it true? Wherever there is a robbery,w

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Continuedfrom page 9

there is a Good Samaritan; wherever there is aHerod, there are magi; wherever there is aPharaoh, there is a Pharaoh’s daughter who opensthe basket and gives the crying baby a home. Inthe world of death and displacement, God gives usfriends in unexpected places. That’s Good News.

While Jesus is away, Herod kills. Matthew saysHerod kills out of fear: “He was frightened, and allJerusalem with him” (Matthew 2:1-3). I’ve won-dered about that. How did Herod’s personal fearbecome everybody’s fear?

Is it possible that Herod turned fear into publicpolicy, turned fear into a strategy for governing, away to control the citizens? Is that how everyonecame to be afraid? If so, Herod was not the lastruler to use fear as a strategy for governance.When the people are afraid they get compliant. It’samazing what a citizen body will let a ruler getaway with when they are afraid, and all becauseHerod had a personal score with those guys fromthe east. But friends, amazing things happen; wecan’t count anyone out. Luke 8:3 says that the wifeof an accountant who worked for Herod’s familybecame an important follower of Jesus. The lightshines in the darkness.

Herod kills and Rachel weeps. Rachel is theancestress of the endless lineage of grieving moth-ers. Her tears are never dried, not even onChristmas, because the Herods of history take noholiday. When I was little, I used to climb on a can-non in the town park, but where is the statue thathonors Rachel? Matthew says the Christmas choirincludes praising angels and grieving mothers.

Some time later, Jesus comes back from Egypt,but it’s not the same. Can you ever really go back?While he was away, Jesus’ preschool in Bethlehemfell victim to an early Columbine. Sixteen yearslater, at his graduation, there will be lots of emptyseats and unwritten diplomas. Jesus comes back,but not really. He is David’s son, born in David’scity, but he can’t grow up in David’s city becausehe isn’t safe.

His family relocates to Nazareth—a tiny,insignificant village where everybody knows yourname. Angel’s guidance notwithstanding, theyrelocate. What would it have been like for Maryand Joseph to stay in Bethlehem and face theother parents when yours is the kid that livedbecause you were out of town when the terroristscame? Can you imagine? That’s why some familiesleft Littleton, Colo. That’s why the secretary in theNorth Tower who called in sick on Sept. 11 sits inthe therapist’s office week after week and stareswith nothing to say. It’s not easy being a survivor.Jesus understands. He’s one of them. That’s GoodNews. The light shines in the darkness.

Matthew says nothing more about Jesus’ child-hood. After this passage, Matthew skips ahead 30years. Christmas is over abruptly, even in theBible. That’s reality; just like traffic accidents andRachel’s tears and fear as public policy.

But friends, there is Good News for us, evenafter Christmas. In this world of death and dis-placement, we can’t count anyone out. Jesusknows. God gives friends in unexpected places.Jesus knows. Sometimes our biggest accomplish-ment is to grieve our losses, move on and simplysurvive. Jesus knows. The Bethlehem that shouldbe your perfect fit, won’t always work out. Butthere is a Nazareth where you can start over.Jesus knows. And friends, God does guide us inthis world. Jesus knows. He is the light that shinesin the darkness.

David A. Stevens is pastor of Eden MennoniteChurch, Moundridge, Kan.

Herod was not the last ruler to use fearas a strategy for governance.

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The giftby Sean Lause

The day my mother dropped a netof oranges on the kitchen tableand the net broke and the orangesrolled and we snatched them,my brother and I,peeled back the skin and bit deepto make the juice explode with our laughter,and my father spun one orange in his palmand said quietly, “This was Christmas, 1938,”and he said it without bitterness or anger,just observing his lifefrom far away, this tiny worldcupped in one palm,I learnedI had no way, no vision, no rightto comprehend an orange.

Sean Lause lives in Bluffton, Ohio.

Photo illustration | Dee Birkey

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by Karen Sutherland


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e was a descendent of the original Pilgrims, a graduate ofHarvard Divinity School, a clergyman of some renown. He wrotereligious books and was coeditor of a magazine called Monthly

Religious Magazine (1859-1871). In 1849, Edmund Hamilton Sears wrotea poem called “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” It was published in theChristian Register. In 1850, Richard Storrs Willis, a Yale graduate whohad studied in Germany with Felix Mendelssohn, wrote the tune.

When I was a small child, we celebrated Christmas in our home onChristmas Eve. Our Swedish smorgasbord was followed by the singingof carols. We each had our favorite. For my grandfather it was “VarHalsad Skona Morgonstund” (“All Hail to Thee, O Blessed Morn”), ahymn he learned in Sweden as a boy.

“Morgonstund” was based on an old German hymn of the 1620s. It wasrewritten by Johan O. Wallin in 1819. Ernst W. Olson translated thehymn into English in 1901. Music for the hymn was written in 1599 byPhillip Nicolai.


Where did our Christmas carols come from?

Continuedon page 14

What would Christmas be without the singingof carols? In shopping malls, caroling door-to-dooror in church services (like the Julotta of my child-hood), Christmas carols express the message ofChristmas. But when did we start caroling? Wheredid the custom come from?

Most of us assume the first carolers were theangels who sang to the shepherds on a hillside inBethlehem. The oldest known carol was written inthe fourth century by St. Ambrose around thetime the Catholic Church made December 25Christmas Day.

After that, almost 1,000 years passed beforeother carols were written. In fact, the oldest knowncarol in the English language—still sung today—is“The First Nowell.” This popular song came in theearly 1500s from Cornwall, England. No oneknows who wrote it.

The word “carol” originally meant “rounddance.” In Greek, it was called “charos.” In oldEnglish it was “kyrriole,” in French “carole.” Astime went on the carol became a joyful religious

song. Now it refers to a song sung exclusively atChristmas.

Other songs from the 1500s-1600s include“Deck the Halls,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentle-men,” “I Saw Three Ships” and “O Tannenbaum”(“O Christmas Tree”), just to name a few.

One of these carols would have been long for-gotten if it had not been for England’s QueenVictoria. In 1846, she established the custom ofthe decorated Christmas tree. When the Germanscontributed “O Tannenbaum” to our catalog of car-ols, it had only one verse. Then, because of QueenVictoria’s Christmas tree, two verses were addedby German poet Ernst S. Anschutz.

The oldest known carol was written inthe fourth century by St. Ambrosearound the time the Catholic Churchmade December 25 Christmas Day.


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One of the most powerful rulers of the 16th cen-tury was King Philip II of Spain. He is known forthe Spanish Armada of 1588 and the establishmentof the Douai College in France. Douai College wasimportant because of the Douay Version of the OldTestament. But Douai is also known as the birth-place of one of the most popular carols of all time.

During the 18th century, an Englishman movedto Douai to teach music and make calligraphiccopies of ancient hymns. John Francis Wade’sbeautiful hymn copies were carried all overEurope. Sometime in the 1740s, Wade composedhis own hymn in Latin. The four stanzas werecalled “Adeste Fideles,” but because of his reputa-tion as a calligrapher, no one believed he had writ-ten the song himself.

It was attributed to many different composers,but there was no good answer. In the 1780s it wasbrought to England and introduced in the chapel

at the Portuguese Embassy. A clergyman,Frederick Oakeley, translated it into English. Itwasn’t until 1947 that researchers discovered thatWade was indeed the song’s composer—wordsand music.

The 19th century in America brought many morecarols. In 1885, in the Lutheran churches of thePennsylvania Dutch country, a song came intobeing that was attributed to Martin Luther andoften called “Luther’s Cradle Hymn,” but it wasnot; it lacks his musical style. Most musicresearchers say James Ramsey Murray composed“Away in a Manger,” but as late as 1980 some stillinsisted it was Luther’s song.

Phillips Brooks was the most talented preacherof the 19th century. He held his congregationsteady during the Civil War. He gave the sermonin honor of Abraham Lincoln’s funeral. Toward theend of his life he became the Episcopal Bishop ofMassachusetts. But his fame comes from writing asong, one most of us sing every Christmas. Afterthe war, his church sent him on a sabbatical, andhe traveled all over the world. He spent Christmasin the Holy Land and returned to America with“Palestine singing in his soul.”

When he returned he composed a hymn andasked his friend, organist Louis Redner, to writethe music. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” was intro-duced to the world in 1868 by the Sunday schoolchildren of Brooks’ congregation.

On Christmas Eve 1818, a pastor sat at his deskpreparing his Christmas sermon. It wasn’t goingwell, so the pastor was upset when he heard a per-sistent knocking at his door. He opened the doorto find one of the poorer members of his congrega-tion. He asked the pastor if he would please comeand visit a brand new baby and her mother.

Putting on a heavy coat, the pastor followed theman up into the foothills of Oberndorf, Austria. Hewas ushered into a crude hut and spoke a word ofblessing to a lovely mother and her new baby.Trudging back down the path he was calmed bythe beauty of twinkling stars and snow-coveredmountains.

The visit he had just made somehow brought hismind back to the original Christmas story and thatinfant and his mother. As he walked on, the wordsin his head kept turning into rhyme. By the timeJoseph Mohr reached his desk he had formed thelines of a simple poem. Hurriedly he scribbled thewords onto a sheet of paper.

Again his coat went on, and out into the dark hewent. He brought his poem to Franz Gruber, theother educated person in the town. The two weregood friends. Gruber served as the town’s school-master and as the organist for the little St.Nicholas Church. However, the mice had been atthe organ, and it was out of commission. Mohrasked Gruber if he could write music to go withthe words. So he wrote the music for two voicesand a guitar.

On Christmas Day 1818, the congregationheard for the first time a carol that would be lovedwherever Christmas is celebrated:

“Silent night, holy night,all is calm, all is bright.”

Karen Sutherland is a member of College Church in Wheaton, Ill.

By the time Joseph Mohr reached his desk he had formed the lines of asimple poem. Hurriedly he scribbled the words onto a sheet of paper.

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ou may find it strange to talk aboutChristmas and tomatoes, but let me tell

you my story.We knew it was going to be a hard

Christmas. My therapy of three to fivetimes per week was absorbing all ourincome and then some. It would be hardfor me to get therapy over Christmas. Thatwould make the pain almost unbearable. Itwould also make it hard for me to sit, standor even breathe. Even with my husbandbeing off, we knew it would be rough.

There really wasn’t anything either of usdesperately needed or wanted, so we decid-ed not to buy presents for each other. Thatway we’d have enough money for therapy.

We also bought few presents for anyoneelse. Hoping no one would mind, we putthat money toward therapy as well.Although my spouse didn’t mind, it

bothered me that he didn’t have anybrightly colored presents under the tree tounwrap. The more I thought about it, thesadder I felt.

Before I could get to the pity-partystage, the phone rang. It was one of ourneighbors. He said he had been thinkingabout us and thought he had something wemight like to have for Christmas.In the course of the conversation, he

explained. As we knew, he had a large gar-den that summer. The tomatoes had donewell, except for the ones the deer had eaten.

Toward the end of September, aroundfrost time, he took the last of the greentomatoes off the vine. Then he wrapped

each one carefully and stored it in hismother’s basement.According to the neighbor, the tomatoes

were ready—perfect for our Christmas din-ner. We got in the van and drove to pick upthe tomatoes and, after visiting awhile,drove home.

We came in the warm house, plugged inthe Christmas tree and turned on theChristmas music. There, as we sat by thetree and in front of the wood stove, wecounted our blessings. We were gratefulfor all the usual things such as food andheat and a place to call home. Before wewere done, we realized how blest we truly were.

The list grew and grew. Finally, weadded Christmas and tomatoes.We may not have had everything this

Christmas, but we learned that sometimesthe simplest things are the most memo-rable. That is why I will always rememberthis Christmas and the gift of the tomatoes.Katie Martin lives in Danbury, N.C.

by Katie Martin

Although my spouse didn’t mind, it botheredme that he didn’t have anybrightly colored presentsunder the tree to unwrap. Then the phone rang.

Sometimes the simplest things arethe most memorable.

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he Christmas season is an opportunity forus to think about and celebrate the firstChristmas. Our Christmas tradition includes, inthe lighting of the Advent candles, a celebra-

tion of love, joy, peace and hope. This year, as Ithought about that first Christmas, my mindturned toward hope. And not just any hope but thedivine promise of fulfilled hope. I remembered thatthe hopes fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ hadtheir origins hundreds of years before the adventof the Messiah, among the children of Israel.

Israel, as God’s chosen people, was a proudthough not always obedient people. Because ofIsrael’s disobedience, God showed sovereigntythrough the strength of Israel’s enemies rather

than through Israel. First the nation of Israelbecame a nation divided in itself between thenorthern kingdom of Israel and the southern king-dom of Judah. Not long after, the northern king-dom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrianempire, and portions of the Israelite kingdom weredeported and redistributed among the Assyrianterritories. The northern territory of Israel thusbecame known as Samaria.

The southern kingdom of Judah also soon fell.Finding themselves caught between the twogreater powers of Egypt and Babylon, the peopleof Judah decided to ally themselves with Egyptrather than with God. Since Egypt was the weakerpower, both soon fell to Babylon. Jerusalem, theheart of the Judean kingdom, was conquered, andthe most important part of Judah’s relationshipwith God, the Temple, was destroyed. The rulersand artisans of the Judean kingdom were also

deported and redistributed among the empire ofBabylon, which had grown to swallow even theAssyrian empire to the north.

Not long after the devastation of the Babylonianexile, the Persian Empire conquered and subduedBabylon. The Persian king, Cyrus, allowed Jewsexiled during Babylonian rule to return to theirhomeland and rebuild the Temple. However, Judahcontinued to struggle with political conflict andeconomic hardship. Soon the Persians were con-quered by invading Greeks, led by Alexander theGreat, and occupation of the land of Israelchanged hands yet again.

Although the later Maccabean revolt temporari-ly expelled the crumbling and conflict-weakened

Greek establishment in Judea, the subsequentJewish Hasmonean dynasty was eventually con-quered by the expanding Roman Empire.

Israel experienced a long history of division,subjugation, deportation and occupation, first atthe hands of the Assyrians, then the Babylonians,then the Persians, followed by the Greeks andfinally the Roman Empire. During this period, itwas not Israel’s kings but its prophets who ledIsrael toward obedience to God. The prophetsmediated God’s word to the people, warningagainst faulty alliances and hope in sources weak-er than God. Conversely, the prophets also mediat-ed the desperate hopes of a conquered and brokenpeople to God through prayer and supplication.

Also during this period, different groupsemerged within Judaism, each with hopes forGod’s deliverance uniquely placed. The Jewish rul-ing class, the Herodians, placed their hope in asuccessful alliance with the powers of Rome. TheSadduccees, a class of Temple priests who did notbelieve in the resurrection, placed their hopes inall the power and prestige that can be gained inthis life. The Pharisees’ hope was in a kingdom ofGod established on the wholly and correctly inter-preted Mosaic laws. The hope of the Zealots lay inmilitant rebellion and guerrilla warfare. TheEssenes withdrew to the wilderness in hopes that

The hopes fulfilled in the birth of JesusChrist had their origins hundreds ofyears before the advent of the Messiah,among the children of Israel.

We can learn from those who witnessedJesus’ birth.

by Matthew Yoder

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God would send both a political king and a spiritu-al savior who would establish God’s kingdom onearth together.

It was under the terrifying force of the PaxRomana and the watchful eye of the RomanCaesar’s vassal, King Herod of Judea, that thehopes and fears of all those years were finally metone starry night in Bethlehem.

But Israel’s hopes for deliverance were not metin a way anyone expected. Suddenly, those whothought they were within the inner circle of God’skingdom found themselves on the edges, andthose who had been abandoned to the edges ofthe kingdom found themselves in the center of it.The weak were cared for, and the Herodiansmissed it because their hope was in the power ofRome. The poor were blessed, and the hungry fed,and the Sadducees missed it because their hopewas in the comfort of this life. The sick and lamewere healed, and the Pharisees missed it becausetheir hope was in the purity laws of Moses. Peacecame to Israel, and the Zealots missed it becausetheir hope was in the sword. The kingdom of Godburst forth in our world, and the Essenes missed itbecause they had withdrawn to the desert.

As I thought about all the people who missedthe miracle of Jesus’ birth, I grew weary and sad.Then I remembered that the miracle was not total-

ly missed, that those who did make it toBethlehem caught a glimpse of hope fulfilled. Ahandful of shepherds were there because theycame obediently when called. A few foreign schol-ars made it there because they patiently studiedand obediently followed the signs God provided. Ialso remembered that the miracle was not a one-time deal. I realized the kingdom of God, inaugu-rated on that special night, continues to pierce thefabric of our time and space in little Christmasmoments wherever the foreigner is welcomed, thesick are healed, the hungry are fed and the needycared for in Christ’s name.

Every year the holiday season provides anopportunity to reflect on these Christmas

moments and to ask ourselves, each other and ourchurch if we are missing these Christmasmoments because our hope is in the governmentor in the opulence of this life? Is our hope mis-placed in the law, the sword or sectarian withdraw-al? Or are we present to bear witness to and partic-ipate in these Christmas moments because wecome obediently when called? Because weobserve and obediently follow the signs that Godprovides?

Matthew Yoder is a student at Fuller TheologicalSeminary in Pasadena, Calif.

Every year the holiday season provides an opportunity to reflect on these Christmas moments and to ask ourselves, each other and our church if we are missing these Christmas moments because our hopes are elsewhere.

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L ast February’s Executive Board action hasreceived considerable press—with much of itbeing less than favorable. It has also occupied

the conversations of many denominational staff. Ithas even hurt relationships, as people have takenopposing positions.

Much about the action is not always fully under-stood, though. The action has also asked for amore coordinated communication and develop-ment function across the church, which includesmarketing, news, church relations and conventionplanning. The Executive Board is calling for us towork together in new ways—in ways that willallow our communication to congregations to bemore coordinated.

Thirty-five people from 11 churchwide organiza-tions* came together Nov. 18 at Clinton FrameMennonite Church in Goshen, Ind., to begin con-versations about how we can work together in newways. We spent the day worshiping, getting toknow each other and planning our work betweennow and the Mennonite Church USA Conventionin Columbus in July 2009. (We also ate some reallygood food.)

The suggestions that came out of this day areamazing and exciting. There were many ideas ofways we could share our calendars—so our mail-ings can be more coordinated, for example. Therewere ideas of using the highlighted Scripture fromour conventions as a focus throughout bienniums.

As the person charged with leading this team,I’m excited to be involved in this process, to seepeople work together in new ways and to see themany good ideas we generate together.

During that day, I invited people to develop anew working culture, to do the following:

• Move away from holding information tootightly and sharing it as needed. Information canbecome power—and as Mennonites we think wehave no power—and if we withhold helpful infor-mation, it becomes a power issue.

• Hold each other accountable. Get away fromour traditional passive-aggressive nature and talk

to each other when we disagree or feel others arenot carrying through on their responsibilities.

• Be mindful of the two greatest command-ments Jesus left for us to follow—to love God andlove our neighbor as ourselves. If we concentrateon mastering these two commandments, it willtake care of all the other issues we may have.

• Have fun working together. I invited peoplenot to take themselves too seriously, to take careof each other and themselves and make work fun.

While many unanswered questions remain aswe begin to work together as a team, we are com-mitted to working together in new ways. We are allcommitted to thinking beyond our specific organi-zation and about our work in a more holistic con-text. We are committed to carrying out the mis-sion of our specific organization but doing thatwhile being more mindful of what our sister organ-izations are doing.

Why should you, a member of MennoniteChurch USA, care about this? My hopes:

• Our churchwide communication to memberswill be improved and will be more organic. We willcommunicate not only from our own organization-al perspective but from a broader denominationalviewpoint.

• We will put a higher priority on the needs ofour members than the needs of our organizations.(This may mean one print piece rather than threeor four.)

• You’ll see a difference, see a more coordinat-ed communication, development, church relationsand marketing approach.

• We will be faithful to our calling and ourassignment, will carry out the mission of ourorganizations and the mission of MennoniteChurch USA.

If you have ideas you’d like to feed into thisprocess, let me know. Contact me [email protected] or 866-866-2872. Inthe meantime, we welcome your prayers as wecontinue dreaming of new ways to strengthen thecongregations and witness of Mennonite ChurchUSA.

*Participating organizations included MennoniteEducation Agency, Mennonite PublishingNetwork, Mennonite Church USA ExecutiveLeadership, Mennonite Mission Network, TheMennonite, MHS Alliance, MMA, MennoniteWomen, Mennonite Men, Indiana-MichiganMennonite Conference, Central DistrictMennonite Conference.

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Coordinated communication

Marty Lehman isdirector of com-munications anddevelopment forMennoniteChurch USA.

I N T H E N E X T I S S U E

• Of Mennonites and hobbits—Greg Albright

• Praising God with our diversity—Linda Oyer

• I finally read Menno—Lawrence E. Ressler

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Two Mennonite Church USA leaders returnedto Congo Nov. 11-24 to follow up on a churchdelegation visit of more than a year ago. They

found resistance but concluded that the resistancewas good because it provided the tension neces-sary to make progress in relationship building.

Mennonite Church USA moderator SharonWaltner (see photo at right) and associate execu-tive director Ron Byler traveled to Kinshasa andMbuji Mayi to strengthen church relationshipswith the two conferences: Communaute Menno-nite au Congo (CMCo) and CommunauteEvangelique Mennonite (CEM).

In Kinshasa, Waltner and Byler participated inthe Mennonite World Conference (MWC) Forum,a three-year process bringing together youth,women and pastors with leaders of the twoMennonite conferences and Mennonite Brethrento talk about how they relate to each other and toMennonites in other parts of the world.

“The best process is one that bothers us, onethat provides sufficient resistance to enableprogress,” said Toss Mukwa, the facilitator of thegroup. He cited electricity and gearshifts as exam-ples of how resistance brings forward movement.

Mukwa encouraged participants to think aboutthe future and the gifts each member has to share.

“How do we engage all our members in thework of the church, not just this small group?”Mukwa asked.

Tim Lind, MWC staff, is assigned to work withCongo and Mennonite Church USA leaders. RodHollinger Janzen is director of Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission (AIMM). Waltner and Bylerreturned with the two men to Mbuji Mayi. Theyhad visited the area 500 miles east of Kinshasawith a delegation in early 2007.

In Mbuji Mayi they met with BenjaminMubenga, CEM president, Mathieu Shimatu, vicepresident, and more than a half dozen women andmen who are key church leaders. Leaders of thetwo churches talked about the opportunities andchallenges of being faithful churches in theirrespective cultural settings.

Leaders of CEM showed their incredulity at therealities of church life in the United States. Howcan the church community be the church when itonly meets on Sunday morning, they wondered?In Mbuji Mayi, women, youth and other groups inthe church meet at least weekly to support eachother and to be involved in their communities.

“We help each other in times of difficulty, andwe seek peace,” said Marie Claire KamwanyaMeta, national director of women’s work for CEM

who is currently studying theology. “We encour-age families to be self-sufficient.”

CEM and Mennonite Church USA leaders com-pleted an agreement committing themselves in thefuture to the mutual sharing of gifts, face-to-facevisits and responding to each other’s needs. Theagreement calls for special attention to workingtogether to train pastors, nurture women’s leader-ship gifts, increase youth involvement in thechurch and exchange experiences in church plant-ing and peacemaking.

After meeting with the CEM leaders, MC USAchurch leaders met with several CMCo leaders inKinshasa, including president Komuesa Kalungaand vice president Birakara Ilowa. The exchangeremained formal until Birakara said, “Our peopleknow that a U.S. delegation came earlier, and whathas happened since then?”

Leaders acknowledged that relationships hadnot yet developed to the point where tangibleprogress was obvious.

“Your first visit turned a page for us,” saidKomuesa. “When we get to know each other, wecan build relationships much more easily. We wantto find new ways for north and south to worktogether, including our congregations.”

Byler presented a book of letters and drawingsfrom children at San José 2007 to children inTshikapa. The children’s offerings in San Joséwere for AIMM for medical supplies for hospitalsin Tshikapa.

CMCo and Mennonite Church USA leadersagreed to work with MWC on a process that willresult in an agreement when they meet inParaguay for the MWC global gathering in July2009.—Mennonite Church USA

MC USA leaders visit two Congo groupsCongolese leader: ‘The best process is one that … provides sufficient resistance.’

Celebrating theirhopes for womenin church leader-ship (from left):MennoniteChurch USA mod-erator SharonWaltner; MarieClaire KamwanyaMeta, nationaldirector forwomen’s work forCommunauteEvangeliqueMennonite (CEM);Florence Nsumbu,women’s presi-dent for CEM, andJosee MbomboBintu, women’ssecretary for CEM.

Photo provided

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1. Businessman freed in AfghanistanAl Geiser, a Mennonite businessman, was freedafter being captured by armed men and held for 56days in Afghanistan. Hidden among the rocks inthe mountains, the guards forced him to lie all dayand all night on a plot of earth the size of his torso,his feet extended over a pile of rocks. He wastaken down the mountain and indoors after 52days. The Associated Press reported Oct. 22 that“U.S. Special Forces soldiers freed a kidnappedAmerican … during a nighttime mission [the pre-vious] week—a rare hostage rescue in a countrywhere ransom abductions have become increas-ingly common.” The Mennonite learned from sev-eral sources that Al Geiser was the unnamed sub-ject of the Associated Press report. Geiser, Kidron,Ohio, had worked in Afghanistan developinggrass-roots hydroelectric projects since 2000,along with Gladys, his wife, who taught in a Kabulschool. (See Nov. 4 and photo at left.)

2. EB proposes, then defers one-board modelIn a meeting March 16-17, the Executive Boardshared its vision for a reformed and integratedchurchwide organization. The EB called for a uni-fied churchwide communication and identity sys-tem, a cohesive funding system and the develop-ment of one integrated board of directors for thedenomination that would replace individual boardsfor each agency. On June 22, the EB adopted astatement, “We are ready to defer the model of oneleadership board, provided that we can find analternative route for integrating our churchwidepriorities.” (See April 1 and July 8.)

3. Lancaster Conference ordains womenOn May 16, the Lancaster (Pa.) MennoniteConference Board of Bishops approved a creden-tialing policy that will allow for the ordination ofwomen. The new policy lodges all LMC credential-ing decisions with the board of bishops and arecently formed Conference CredentialingCommission. Previously, LMC did not allow ordina-tion for women, and a bishop board proposal to doso did not pass in a January 2007 vote by confer-ence leaders holding ministerial credentials.

Linford King, bishop for the Lancaster city dis-trict, ordained two women in the churches heoversees in 2007 and 2008, even though confer-ence policy did not allow for the ordination ofwomen at that time. Consequently, the confer-ence’s bishop board felt compelled to deal withKing because he “broke covenant” with the bishopboard. To address this dilemma, the board hiredmediators Marcus Smucker and David Brubakerto lead several conversations with King. (See Feb.5, March 4, June 3, Sept 2. )

4. MCC cosponsors meeting with AhmadinejadAbout 300 international religious and political fig-ures, including Iranian president MahmoudAhmadinejad, attended a dialogue at a Manhattan,N.Y., hotel Sept. 25 to discuss the role of religionin responding to global challenges and buildingpeace and understanding among societies.

The dialogue was sponsored by MennoniteCentral Committee, American Friends ServiceCommittee, Quaker United Nations Office,Religions for Peace and World Council ofChurches in consultation with the PermanentMission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to theUnited Nations. (See Oct. 7.)

5. Health-care access plan for proceedsDuring a meeting Sept. 18-20, the Executive Boardgave its OK to a plan to provide health insurancecoverage for all Mennonite Church USA pastors.The plan, called the Corinthian Plan, is to be com-municated to Mennonite Church USA members inthe coming months and must be approved by theDelegate Assembly at the Columbus 2009 conven-tion next summer. If that happens, the plan shouldbegin on Jan. 1, 2010, said Keith Harder, directorof the Health Care Access Project.

The costs for the plan have three components:the insurance itself, mutual aid (guaranteed insura-bility) and access (the mission or justice compo-nent). (See Oct. 7.)

Top 10 stories for Mennonite Church USAin 2008 include rescue, student deaths

1. Al Geiser

6. The bandSecondhandPants performedat the “People’sSummit” on July9. Band membersare Curtis Wiebe(left) and MarlonWiebe.

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Compiled by Anna Groff

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6. Few MC USA members attend summitThe Mennonite Church USA and MennoniteChurch Canada binational convention, “At theCrossroads: Promise and Peril,” was held inWinnipeg, Man., July 8-10. Five-hundred and sev-enty people attended the summit—56 from theUnited States. Jim Schrag, executive director forMennonite Church USA, acknowledged the lownumber of U.S. Mennonites in attendance.“Usually the ratios are different than they aretoday,” Schrag said. “There are far moreCanadians here today than there are Americans.That presents a good deal more promise thanperil.” (See July 22 and photo on page 20.)

7. Goshen, EMU students die in accidentsDeanne Binde, a junior at Goshen (Ind.) College,died in a tragic automobile accident when she wastraveling home to Lake Park, Minn., at the end ofthe school year on May 22. Deanne, a communica-tion and theater major, was the daughter of Daleand Debbie (Saunders) Binde. She volunteeredwith Goshen’s Meals on Wheels and La Casa andregularly attended St. John’s Catholic Church,Goshen. (See June 17 and photo at right)

Matthew R. Garber, a 2008 graduate of EasternMennonite University, Harrisonburg, Va., died bydrowning in Costa Rica on July 1. Garber, 22, ofElizabethtown, Pa., was swimming with a group ofyoung people in a cove that was not known to bedangerous. A riptide caught several of the swim-mers; all but Garber managed to return safely toshore. He was spending the summer in Costa Ricaassisting a missionary family and learningSpanish. (See July 22 and see photo at right.)

8. Changes at Mennonite Mutual AidIn June, 18 months after becoming president ofMennonite Mutual Aid in Goshen, Ind., LarryMiller unveiled a new administrative structure forthe stewardship agency of Mennonite ChurchUSA. The new team will lead streamlined opera-tions via four departments instead of the six cur-rent departments—each with its own senior vicepresident. The four new departments are: corpo-rate services, finances, sales and distribution,products and services. The new team took theremainder of 2008 to develop each department.One current senior vice president was named to anew role: Rod D. Diller, senior vice president fortrust and foundation services, will lead the salesand distribution department. (See June 17.)

9. Schrag, Byler to leave Executive LeadershipOn Oct. 19, Jim Schrag, Mennonite Church USA’sexecutive director, made official his plans to retireon Nov. 30, 2009. Schrag’s plan to retire will coin-cide with his 65th birthday and will conclude 35years of ministry.

In July 2007, associate executive director RonByler made known to the Executive Board hisdecision to complete his employment with Menno-nite Church USA between July and December2009. He has not yet determined the exact date hisresignation will become official. (See Oct. 21.)

10. Vietnamese church made officialAfter the Vietnam Mennonite Church fulfilled allrequirements for full legal status, the VietnamNational Religious Affairs Committee approved itsrequest to organize its first official general assem-bly (the second general assembly according to thechurch’s historical records). The assembly washeld Nov. 15-17 at a guest house and conferencecomplex in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi MinhCity. (See page 6)

2008 meant changes for Mennonite Church USA: one-board model proposedand then deferred, executive directors leave, health-care access plan accepted

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M ennonite Central Committee is preparingfor leaner times but remains optimistic thata faithful constituency and diverse sources

of income will lessen the impact of the economicdownturn.

In Canada, MCC is anticipating that incomefrom donations, designated giving, thrift shops,MCC’s account in the Canadian Foodgrains Bankand government grants will make it possible forMCC to meet financial commitments approved inits 2008-2009 financial plan.

In the United States, executive director RolandoSantiago projects an overall budget shortfall ofapproximately 5 percent.

MCC’s international program is currently facinga budget shortfall, says Jerry Shank, interim direc-tor for these programs. There are three main rea-sons: the declining value of the Canadian curren-cy; decreased income from investments and thepossibility of a decline in giving as is happening atmany other charities. MCC has a rainy-day fund tohelp cover unexpected expenses or a sudden dropin income. A portion of this fund will be used tocover the initial budget shortfall. However, furtherreductions may be required in the new year if con-tributions to MCC are lower than anticipated, saysShank. —MCC

MCC braces for coming economic stormMennonite Central Committee’s international program faces budget shortfall.

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M ennonite Economic DevelopmentAssociates has launched a new program totake senior-level corporate human resource

expertise to microfinance institutions (MFIs)around the world. MEDA was to host six partici-pants from around the world Nov. 30-Dec. 3 for thefirst Human Capital in Microfinance FellowsProgram. Through MEDA’s consulting work inhuman resources with MFIs worldwide, it hasidentified some basic challenges that impact thequality and reach of MFI services, including a lackof fundamental HR systems and a dearth of man-agement skills. But beyond that, the microfinancesector also faces a shortage of skilled consultantsto address these challenges and a lack of broadknowledge sharing within the industry.

“The MF Fellows Program will provide HR pro-fessionals with specialized training and practicalskills to work directly with leading MFIs,” saysJulie Redfern, MEDA’s director of microfinance,“and help them improve their HR functions sothey can continue to deliver highly needed finan-cial services to poor and underserved clients inAfrica, Asia, Latin America and elsewhere.”

Mark Alexander, who has 30 years of humanresources management experience, will be part ofthe first class of MF fellows.—MEDA

MEDA expands service for microfinanceMennonite Economic Development Associates offers corporate HR expertise.

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Airing Jan. 4–Feb.14 on ABC-TV stations

As of Dec. 9, the organiza-tions and indi-viduals listed onpages 24-27made a financialcontribution toThe Mennoniteduring the current fiscalyear. In addition,255 contributorsmade contribu-tions and elected not tohave theirnames listed.

Record contributions for The MennoniteReaders donate $75,293 since March 1, nearly double previous year’s total.Academia Menonita Betania

Merlin & Kathleen Aeschliman

Alfred & Miriam Albrecht

Alvin Alderfer

Brent & Deirdre Alderfer

Russell & Gladys Alderfer

Sanford & Evelyn Alderfer

Wilmer & Lois Alderfer

Beatrix Amstutz

Cliff & Lois Amstutz

Mark & Jacquie Amstutz

Harlan & Jean Anders

Marvin & Grace Anders

Robert & Barbara Army

Don & Martha Augsburger

J & Elizabeth Augspurger

Elda Bachman

Mary Elise Baer

Floyd Bartel

Karl & Evelyn Bartsch

William & Donna Baum

Albert & Katherine Bauman

Ruth Bauman

Howard & Phyllis Baumgartner

Lewis & Alice Beachy

Vernon & Nora Beachy

Caprice Becker

Duane & Deanna Becker

Katie Beiler

Michael & Alice Bender

Paul & Leona Bender

John & Barbara Benner

Millard & Lura Benner

Ruth Benner

Maurice & Cecelia Berkey

John & Evelyn Bertsche

John & Dee Birkey

Glen Birky

John & Rebecca Bixler

Nelson & Peggy Blosser

Stanley & Anita Bohn

Regan Bonato

Ellis & Ruby Bontrager

Warren & Annabelle Bontrager

Bertha Born

Dave & Mary Bowen

Claude & Mary Boyer

Stanley & Marylin Boyer

Milford Brandt

Robert & Lovina Brandt

Willis Breckbill

Clair & Donna Brenneman

Clair & Faye Brenneman

Grace Brenneman

Robert & Rachel Brenneman

Wally & Millie Brenneman

Michael & Lena Brown

James & Carley Brubaker

Mabel Brunk

Emma Buckwalter

John & Miriam Buckwalter

Judith Buckwalter

Richard & Deborah Buckwalter

Richard & Sara Buckwalter

Bruce & Meribeth Buhr

Arlin & Maretta Buller

Beatrice Buller

Kenneth Burk

Arnold & Phyllis Burkey

Galen & Nancy Burkey

Sarah Burkhalter

Paul & Miriam Burkholder

Timothy & Sharon Burkholder

Thomas & Kristina Burnett

Russell & Janet Buschert

Mary Butts

Sue Byler

Darren & Maria Calderon

James & Faith Carpenter

Mahlon & Elizabeth Cassel

Julio & Marta Castillo

John & Terry Cender

Jonathan & Rhoda Charles

Alfred & Gladys Claassen

Lavonda Claassen

William & Marshall Clarke

Hulda Classen

Mike & Melody Clymer

Paul & Esther Clymer

Bill Cockerham

Cathy Conrad

Irvin & Margaret Cordell

Lewis & Mary Coss

LaVerna Couey

Daniel & Emily Coyne

Frederick & Georgia Cress

Larry & Virginia Cress

Denton & Mary Croyle

Philip Croyle

Paul & Lois Dagen

Donald Davison

Adam Deckert

Kenneth Deckert

Lee & Ruth Delp

Byard & Betty Deputy

Florence Detweiler

Roy & Virginia Dick

Clayton & Inez Diener

Darrel & Leona Diener

Menno Diener

Calvin & Johnnie Doerksen

Kevin & Wanda Dorsing

Lois Drawbond

Edward Driskill

Kathleen Dudek

John & Sheila Duerksen

Joseph & Mary Lou Duerksen

Daniel & Elizabeth Dunmore

C J & Wilma Dyck

George Dyck

Peter Dyck

Myron & Geraldine Ebersole

Alma Eby

Paul & Marcella Ediger

John & Mary Eicher

Orlin & Ina Eigsti

Joseph Eigsti

Jacob & Lillian Elias

Royce Engle

Carl & Ruth Epp

Robert Epp

Walter Epp

Earl & Etta Esch

Larry Esmonde

Robert Ewy

Fairview Mennonite Church

George & Priscilla Falb

Jon & Gina Fiebelkorn

John & Pauline Fisher

Robert & Rachel Fisher

Melvin Flickinger

Jacob Flisher

Jean Flores

Roger Flueckiger

Calvin & Janet Franks

Harvey & Grace Freed

Lucille Frey

Mary Frey

Robert & Joyce Frey

Robert Freyenberger

Donald & Eleanor Friesen

Jacob & Lola Friesen

Ruby Friesen

Walter & Carol Friesen

Harry & David Froese

Charles & Marjorie Gautsche

Donald & Ruth Gehman

Marlo Gehring

Douglas & Dawn Gerber

Harry & Elaine Gerber

Robert & Fran Gerber

Ben & Florence Gerig

Kevin & Beth Gerig

William & Lucille Gering

Paul & Arlene Gingerich

Simon & Mary Gingerich

Paul & Ann Gingrich

Ervie & Mary Glick

Maggie Glick

Allen & Donna Gnagey

Emil Goering

Gladys Goering

Hilda Goering

Kevin & Sheryl Goering

Paul & Wilda Goering

Vernon & Marna Goering

Victor & Elizabeth Goering

Hilda Goering

Alice Goertz

Albert & Jane Good

Carl & Lois Good

Edwin & Betty Good

Ernest & Ellen Good

James & Dorcas Good

Vernon Good

Charles Goodling

Daniel & Mary Graber

David & Bonnie Graber

Harry & Kathleen Graber

Joseph & Cora Graber

Lorene Graber

Randall & Shirlyn Graber

Sam & Adeline Graber

Vern & Lorene Graber

Meryl Grasse

Merlin & Mary Grieser

Peter & Frances Grill

Amos Groff

Anna Groff

Marlin & Sue Groff

David Groh

Marjorie Gunden

Opal Gunden

Steven & Deborah Gunden

Barth & Betty Hague

Kathryn Hamsher

Willard & Mary Handrich

Bruce & Kathleen Harder

Martin & Mary Harder

Milton Harder

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In one year, almost $70,000 was given to Mennonite congregations at giving.MennoniteUSA.org. How much went to your churc

Take your giving online togiving.MennoniteUSA.org

Continues on page 26

Record contributions from readers for The Mennonite in 2008Ruth Harder

Nancy Hardin

Chad & Denise Harshbarger

Dwight & Pearl Hartman

Peter & Marilyn Hartman

Pearl Hartz

Esther Hartzler

Richard & Hazel Hassan

Roger & Donna Haun

Mary Lou Hayes

Melvin Headrick

Rebecca & Todd Helmuth

Dwight Hershberger

Edgar & De Elda Hershberger

Gladys Hershberger

Jim & Ann Hershberger

Lotus & Judith Hershberger

Patricia Hershberger

Truman & Diana Hershberger

Hiram & Mary Jane Hershey

Kenneth & Joanne Hershey

Larry & Evelyn Hershey

Mervin & Reba Hess

Owen & Elna Hess

Dale & Ursula Hess

Mervin & Nora Hess

Wilbert & Selma Hieb

Elda Ruth Hiebert

JohnHiebert

Donna Hildebrand

Harley & Margaret Himes

Robert & Rachael Hochstedler

Orlin & Lores Hochstetler

William & Rosemary Hochstetler

Clyde & Carolyn Hockman

David & Paige Hodo

Elizabeth Hoover

Leon & Carolyn Hoover

Lester Hoover

Lowell & Velorous Hoover

Laurence Horst

Raymond & Ruth Ann Horst

Daniel & Tere Hostetler

David & Sarah Hostetler

Grace Hostetter

Stanley Hostettler

Gordon & Jeanne Houser

Harold Huber

Gerald & Annabelle Hughes

George Hurst

Lawrence & Thelma Hurst

Luke Hurst

Carl & Lorena Hyde

Marjorie Isaak

Elizabeth Jacobs

Melvin & Joann Jantz

Vernon & Dorothy Jantzi

Melvin Janzen

Elizabeth Jeschke

Dewayne & Carolyn Johns

Loren & Rachel Johns

Mary Johnson

Robert & Juanita Johnson

Titus & Rose Jost

Walter & Mary Ann Jost

David & LouAnn Kanagy

Max & Norene Kanagy

Dale Kauffman

Maxine Kauffman

Paul & Bertha Kauffman

Ray & Tina Kauffman

Ruth Kauffman

Joel & Nancy Kauffmann

Bernice Kaufman

Brian Kaufman

Geneva Kaufman

Leroy & Dawn Kaufman

Ruth Kaufmann

Daniel & Priscilla Keeler

Ruth Keeler

Bob & Rhoda Keener

Leo & Martyne Kempel

Wayne & Esther Kempf

Arthur & Lois Kennel

Dale & Faye King

David & Debra King

John & Evelyn King

John & Kelli King

Ruth King

Velma Kingsley

Kinzers Mennonite Church

Loyal & Bertha Klassen

Marie Kleinsasser

John Melvin Klotz

Tom & Catherine Klug

Robert & Linda Koch

Roy & Martha Koch

John & Dorothy Kratz

Donald Kraybill

Elvin & Esther Kraybill

Rudy & Roberta Krehbiel

Alan & Eleanor Kreider

Elvin & Maribeth Kreider

Evelyn Kreider

John & Betty Kreider

Lester Kropf

Cora Kurtz

Stephen Kurtz

Gregory & Ellen Lacher

Warren & Janice Lambright

Anna Mae Landis

Jeffrey Landis

Omar & Sara Lapp

James & Alma Larrew

Ivan & Mary Ellen Leaman

Robert & Nancy Lee

Elwin LeFevre

Celia Lehman

David & Lois Lehman

Dennis & Romaine Lehman

Elton & Phyllis Lehman

Esther Lehman

Freeman & Eileen Lehman

Grace Lehman

John & Margaret Lehman

Mabel Lehman

Marion Lehman

Milton & Lois Lehman

Paul & Mary Alice Lehman

Richard & Colleen Lehman

Willis Lehman

Bruce Leichty

Melvin & Lois Leidig

Glen & Jean Lengacher

Ron & Elaine Lengacher

Norman & Vicki Lichti

Lynn & Doris Liechty

Russel & Marjorie Liechty

Clifford & Hope Lind

Leonard & Shirley Loganbill

Kenneth & Nancy Long

Leonard & Judith Long

Charles & Barbara Longenecker

Daniel & Catherine Longenecker

Elmer Longenecker

Oliver & Patricia Lugibihl

Lester & Leota Mann

Ken & Mary Mannes

Marion Mennonite Church

Laurel Martens

Daryl & Karen Martin

James & Ethel Martin

John & Audry Martin

John & Flora Martin

Mary Alice Martin

Ruth Martin

Sheldon & Naomi Martin

Weaver & Kathryn Martin

Kenneth & Yvonne Martin

Walter Massanari

Jon & Rhoda Mast

LeRoy & Sherry Mast

Moses & Sadie Mast

John & Lucretia Mattson

Elmer Maust

Wilfredo & Marilyn Mayer

Monte & Beth McIntyre

Wilma McKee

Deloris Meiners

Donald & Alta Mellinger

Mennonite Mutual Aid

Mercersburg Mennonite Church

Eugene & Jean Metzler

Everett & Margaret Metzler

Dean & Doris Meyer

Larry & Pat Meyer

Tom & Erika Meyer

Milford Mennonite Church

Arnold & Carol Miller

Clyde & Helen Miller

Edwin & Joann Miller

Edwin & Mary Jane Miller

Jeffrey & Kaylene Miller

Lawrence & Marjora Miller

Leo & Dorothy Miller

Lois Miller

Maxine Miller

Michael & Lois Miller

Richard Miller

Robert & Ellene Miller

William & Phyllis Miller

Ronald & Sally Milne

Donald & Martha Minter

Angel & Lora Miranda

Mary Mishler

Richard & Doris Morgan

John & Mary Moser

Charles & Carolyn Moyer

Harold & Rosemary Moyer

John Moyer

Phillip & Betsy Moyer

David & Joanna Moyer-Diener

Robert & Judi Mullett

Lorraine Murphy

Michael & Denise Murphy

Audrey Musselman

Pauline Musselman

Freida Myers

Andrew & Ruth Nafziger

Calvin Nafziger

Eldon & Laverne Nafziger

Marvin & Edith Nafziger

Roger & Laurie Nafziger

Donald Taft Nair

Stanley & Ruth Naylor

Elmer & Lavera Neufeld

Herb & Lilly Ann Neufeld

Harold & Joanne Neumann

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Record contributions from readers for The Mennonite in 2008Roger & Luetta Neumann

Jerry & Barbara Newcomer

Wesley & Betty Newswanger

John Nighswander

Lowell & Miriam Nissley

Wayne & Mary Nitzsche

Miriam Nofsinger

Delmer & Lauretta Nofziger

Myrl & Phyllis Nofziger

Rebecca Nolt

Susan Nolt

Wilmer & Doris Nolt

Marion Nunemaker

Ada Nussbaum

Donald & Faye Nyce

John Oberholtzer

Donald & Mary Oesch

Lila Osborne

Millard & Joyce Osborne

Evan & Eileen Oswald

Paul Oswald

Eli Otto

Mary Oyer

Ann Pasnick

Elam & Nancy Peachey

Laban Peachey

Leroy & Lois Peachey

Charles & Anna Mae Pellman

Richard & Betty Pellman

Gustav Penner

Lauren & Twila Penner

Luella Penner

John & Sara Peters

Anna Marie Peterson

Lena Pettiford

Brian & Lynette Plank

Amy Pollock

David & Karen Powell

Michael & Darlene Powers

Christine Purves

William Todd Rainey

Heber & Cheryl Ramer

Richard & Velma Ratzlaff

Don & Barbara Reber

Harold & Barbara Reed

Stanley & Janet Reedy

Gareth Rees

Clarence & Ruth Reeser

Arnold & Mary Regier

Edwin & Ella Regier

Anne Reichenbach

Richard & Lois Reimer

Daniel & Cleta Reinford

Merle & Ruth Ann Reinford

Loren & Peggy Reusser

James & Mary Rhoade

Richard & Laura Rhodes

Dennis Rice

Elmer & Eunice Richard

Dennis & Shirley Ries

Troy & Donna Risser

Joanne Rivera

Earl Rohrer

Ella Rohrer

John & Betty Rohrer

Earl & Marilyn Rose

Henry & Charlotte Rosenberger

Edward Roth

Herbert & Darlene Roth

Jay & Anne Roth

Jean Roth

Paul & Caroll Roth

Carl & Ruth Rudy

Marlin Rupp

Richard Rush

Paul & Corinna Ruth

Carl & Lovina Rutt

Clarence & Helen Rutt

Glenn & Pauline Rutt

John & Rebecca Rutt

Virginia Ryan

Arlene Saner

Martha Sangree

Delmar Sauder

Ronald & Susan Sauder

Ronald & Leanne Schertz

Daniel & Margaret Schipani

Laverne & Carol Schirch

Elmer Schmidt

Howard & Marilyn Schmidt

Milferd & Marilyn Schmidt

Randolph & Meribeth Schmidt

Vera Schmidt

Homer Schmucker

Bradley & Mindi Schrock

Twila Schrock

Ivan & Marian Schwabbauer

Richard & Susan See

Kathryn Shantz

Virginia Sharp

James & Esther Shaum

Elizabeth Shelly

Maynard & Griselda Shelly

Donald & Jewell Shenk

Jerome & Leila Shenk

Michael & Margaret Shenk

Kirk & Mary Ann Shisler

Donald & Ila Shoemaker

Loren & Vesta Shoemaker

Gerald & Karen Short

Art & Velma Shoup

Brian & Lisa Showalter

Samuel & Janice Showalter

Harold & Alma Mae Shultz

Carl & Dinah Siebert

Marvin & Katherine Siebert

Merle & Florence Siebert

Anthony Siegrist

Silverwood Mennonite Church

Women in Mission

Monroe & Beatrice Slabach

Robert & Margaret Smith

Muriel Smoker

Amos & Velma Smucker

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Record contributions from readers for The Mennonite in 2008George & Barbara Smucker

Mark & Vicki Smucker

Anne Smucker Jantzi

Allene Smucker-Klassen

Ray & Sylvia Snader

Susan Sommer

Elvin Souder

Ruth Souder

Wayne & Joanne Speigle

James & Carol Spicher

Marlin & Alice Sprunger

Wilma Srof

Milo & Viola Stahl

Bruce & Neva Stambaugh

James & Ruth Stauffer

Ray Steider

Edgar Stevanus

Barry & Ingrid Stoltzfus

Daniel & Rosalie Stoltzfus

George & Mae Stoltzfus

Richard & Elaine Stoltzfus

Ruth Stoltzfus

Sara Ellen Stoltzfus

Victor & Marie Stoltzfus

Stoner Heights Mennonite Church

Hulda Stucky

Keith Stucky

Phyllis Suter

Earl & Margaret Sutter

Lela Sutter

Dale & Beulah Swartzendruber

Melvin & Mary Swartzendruber

Ruth Ann Swartzendruber

Thelma Swartzendruber

Warren & Jackie Swartzendruber

Melvin & Gladys Sweigart

Everett & Barbara Thomas

Steve Thomas

Darrell & Mary Ann Thompson

Sarah Thompson

Irene Troyer

Ora & Mary Troyer

Patrick Turner

Dale & Ruth Umble

Ethel Umble

George & Dorothy Unger

Norman & Mary Vercler

Isaac Villegas

Paul Von Gunten

Elmer & Winifred Wall

Harris & Christine Waltner

Vern & Judy Warkentin

Richard & Carolyn Watkins

Barry & Marjorie Weaver

Dale & Deborah Weaver

Doris Weaver

Joseph Weaver

Richard & Margaret Weaver

Robert & Anna Mae Weaver

Robert & Jean Weaver

Sara Weaver

Elvin & Ruth Weber

Russell & Ellen Welty

Anna Grace Wenger

Chester & Sara Jane Wenger

Lowell & Marlene Wenger

Martin & Diane Wenger

Robert & Lena Wenger

Joe & Phyllis Wengerd

Robert & Esther Wert

David & Almeda Whitton

Louise Wideman

Glen & Helen Widmer

JG & Helen Widmer

Margot Wiebe

Gordon & LeAnna Wiens

Linda Wiens

Clifford & Dianne Witmer

Thelma Wolgemuth

Dale & Geneva Wyse

Eldon & Pauline Wyse

John & Norma Wyse

John & Deborah Yeakel

Allen & Marie Yoder

Annabelle Yoder

Arlan & Ila Yoder

Byard & Judy Yoder

Carroll & Nancy Yoder

Darvin & Martha Yoder

Delvon & Shirley Yoder

Earl & Peggy Yoder

Ed & Theo Yoder

Esther Yoder

Everett Yoder

Helen Yoder

John & Esther Yoder

Leo Yoder

LeRoy & Martha Yoder

Marcus & Vonna Yoder

Marvin & Neta Faye Yoder

Nelson & Patricia Yoder

Norman & Linda Yoder

Paul & Anita Yoder

Ray & Jane Yoder

Robert & Dorothy Yoder

Ronald & Shirley Yoder

Russel & Charlene Yoder

Wayne & Belinda Yoder

Paul & Daisy Yoder

Daryl & Marlisa Yoder-Bontrager

Alan Yordy

Lloyd Zeager

John & Betty Zehr

Marvin & Florence Zehr

Wesley & Carolyn Zehr

Joe & Beverly Zerger

Richard & Betty Zimmerman

John & Jeanne Zook

Wilmer & Margaret Zook

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W O R K E R SBurdette, Rob, began a term as transi-tional pastor at Hively Mennonite Church,Elkhart, Ind., on Oct. 22.

Gascho-Cooke, Susan, was ordained aschaplain at Atlanta Mennonite Fellowship,Atlanta, Ga., on Nov. 2.

Hartzler, Rachel Nafziger, was ordainedas pastor at Pleasant Oaks MennoniteChurch, Middlebury, Ind., on Nov. 23.

Miller, Daniel Z., ended a term as transi-tional pastor at Clinton Brick MennoniteChurch, Goshen, Ind., on Nov. 16.

North, Emily, was ordained as pastor atShalom Mennonite Congregation,Harrisonburg, Va., on Nov. 16.

Rhodes, Heidi Siemens, was licensed asco-pastor at Assembly Mennonite Church,Goshen, Ind., on Nov. 30.

Schlegel, Sarah, was ordained as pastorat Howard-Miami Mennonite Church,Kokomo, Ind., on Nov. 16.

B I R T H S & A D O P T I O N SChappell-Lakin, Quinn Emerson, Oct. 31,to Mark and Katie Chappell-Lakin,Marietta, Ga.

Gerber, Connor Samuel, Nov. 27, toShawn and Rachel Springer Gerber,Goshen, Ind.

Good, Alexa Lea, Nov. 16, to Neal andJessica Rumer Good, Lima, Ohio.

Jaberg, Kiara Jane, born Oct. 28 in SouthBend, Ind., received for adoption on Nov. 3by Kevin and Tonya Miller Jaberg, Goshen,Ind.

Knight-King, Ginger Elizabeth, Nov. 19,to Zachary and Kelsey Knight-King,Portland, Ore.

Leaman, Ryan Elizabeth, Nov. 27, toPatrick and Kris Marchalonis Leaman,Sinking Spring, Pa.

Lemley, Elliot John, Oct. 28, to Todd andKristen Simpson Lemley, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Nafziger, Gage Daniel, Nov. 13, toLincoln and Jen Varner Nafziger, Wauseon,Ohio.

Neufeld, Sawyer Daniel, Nov. 21, toAnthony John and Sara Johnson Neufeld,Fayetteville, Ark.

Reichenbach, Niles Josiah, July 13, toNeil and Renea Roth Reichenbach,Wayland, Ind.

Rinner, Emily Marie, March 5, to Tye andDiane Stille Rinner, Wayland, Iowa.

Rinner, Malachi Swift, July 2, to Troy andRachael Graber Rinner, Wayland, Ind.

Rissler, Peter Winifred, Nov. 14, Jamesand Christina Burnham Rissler, Atlanta, Ga.

Stamm, Garrett Edward, Nov. 4, to Jaredand Emily Lange Stamm, Archbold, Ohio.

Wagner, Sydney Ruth, Sept. 26, to Ericand Kimberly Huston Wagner, Paoli, Pa.

Wyse, Callie Lynn, Nov. 18, to Neil andJamie King Wyse, Wauseon, Ohio.

M A R R I A G E SEschmann/Nance: Erich Eschmann,Washington, D.C., and Jessie Nance,Washington, D.C., Oct. 11, at Kern RoadMennonite Church, South Bend, Ind.

Pacha/Rinner: Edward Pacha, Brighton,Iowa, and Alicia Rinner, Wayland, Iowa,Aug. 2, at Wayland Mennonite Church.

Steadman/Thomas: Michael Steadman,Wayne, Pa., and Rachel Thomas, Oaks, Pa.,Nov. 8, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church,Phoenixville, Pa.

D E A T H SGoshow, Ruth Moyer, 87, Souderton, Pa.,died Nov. 20. Spouse: Ezra M. Goshow.Parents: David D. and Mary Lizzie AllebachMoyer. Children: John, Ronald, RuthanneGoshow, Mary Jane Yoder, Linda Derstine,Laurel Moyer; 16 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren. Funeral: Nov. 25 atFranconia Mennonite Church, Franconia,Pa.

Marner, Eunice Lenore Reber, 93,Wellman, Iowa, died Nov. 2. Spouse: OraMarner. Parents: George and Sarah KreiderReber. Children: James, Loris Miller; eightgrandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; sixgreat-great-grandchildren. Funeral: Nov. 6at Lower Deer Creek Mennonite Church,Kalona, Iowa.

McDermott, Patrick Michael, 64,Lansdale, Pa., died Nov. 16 of cancer.Spouse: Barbara Schttig McDermott.Parents: James Francis and MargaretKetrick McDermott. Children: Michael A.,

Deirdre M. Smith, Tricia Gibney, Kyle; twograndchildren. Funeral: Nov. 22 at GraceMennonite Church, Lansdale.

Schmidt, Wilhelm G., 92, Archbold, Ohio,died Nov. 7. Spouse: Vera NafzigerWilliams Schmidt. Parents: Wilhelm andAdele Schmidt. Children: Rosa Sommers,Gretchen Ursisi; four grandchildren; twogreat-grandchildren. Funeral: Nov. 12 atCentral Mennonite Church, Archbold.

Smucker, Daniel Martin, 91,Harrisonburg, Va., died Nov. 19. Spouse:Frances Yoder Smucker (deceased).Parents: Dan and Verna Mast Smucker.Children: Gary, Jean Smucker Fisher, KarenSmucker Shelly, Elwood, Helen JoSmucker; three grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; two step-great-grandchil-dren. Funeral: Nov. 22 at LindaleMennonite Church, Linville, Va.

Stahly, H. LaMar, 90, Nappanee, Ind., diedOct. 24. Spouse: Pauline Lois Weldy Stahly.Parents: Harvey and Nellie McGowanStahly. Children: Terry, Dennis, Bruce,Steve, Kirby; 11 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren. Funeral: Oct. 28 atHoldeman Mennonite Church, Wakarusa,Ind.

Stamm, Walter E., 88, Archbold, Ohio,died Nov. 21. Spouse: Martha Jane EicherStamm (deceased). Parents: Fred andHulda Aeschliman Stamm. Children:Edward, Roger, Dale, Pat Bondi, KarenWyse; 19 grandchildren; 27 great-grand-children. Funeral: Nov. 25 at CentralMennonite Church, Archbold, Ohio.

Weaver, Paul Alvin, 33, Millersburg, Ohio,died Nov. 25. Parents: Robert C. and KathyMiller Weaver. Siblings: Nathaniel,Matthew, Robert C. “Robbie” II. Funeral:Nov. 29 at Walnut Creek MennoniteChurch, Walnut Creek, Ohio.

F O R T H E R E C O R D

“For the Record”is available tomembers ofMennoniteChurch USA. Tosubmit informa-tion, log on towww.TheMenno-nite.org and usethe “For theRecord” button toaccess our onlineforms. You canalso submit infor-mation by email,fax or mail:

•[email protected]

•fax 574-535-6050

•1700 S. Main St.,Goshen, IN46526-4794

800.222.6695 www.mennohaven.org Menno Haven is committed to providing equal housing for all.

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Western Mennonite School seeks a director of advancement tolead the advancement team and support the future growth ofWestern’s mission. Responsibilities include: building communityrelationships, directing annual and long-range planning, directingand implementing fund-raising efforts and promoting Christ-cen-tered education from a Mennonite faith perspective. Westernoffers Christ-centered education for grades 6-12 and is located on45 beautiful acres outside Salem in the Willamette Valley of thePacific Northwest. Position will remain open until filled. ContactDarrel Camp, 866-343-9378 or [email protected].

Mountville Mennonite Church (Lancaster MennoniteConference) is seeking full-time associate pastor for youth min-istry with training or experience in youth ministry and disciple-ship, commitment to Anabaptist core values and passion forreaching unchurched youth. Starting summer 2009. Applicationsrequested by March 1. Contact: Jim Herr [email protected]; 717-285-2153.

Hesston College seeks applicants for a head women’s softballcoach. As a part of the athletic department, the person in thispart-time position will be responsible for all aspects of the soft-ball program, including recruiting, scheduling, managing a budg-et, travel arrangements, etc. Qualifications include experience andknowledge of fastpitch softball, the ability to teach the skills andstrategy of the game to college student-athletes, recruiting skills,love for students and commitment to Mennonite higher educa-tion. This position will be open with duties commencing February2009 and continuing into the 2009-10 school year and beyond.Review of applications begins immediately and continues untilthe position is filled. To apply, send resumé, application and faithstatement as found at www.hesston.edu/employment to ArtMullet, Athletic Director, Box 3000, Hesston, KS 67062. EOE

Trissels Mennonite Church (www.trisselsmc.org) in Broadway,Va., is currently accepting applications for a full-time lead pastor.Qualifications include a commitment to the theology and prac-tices of Mennonite Church USA, seminary training and experiencein the pastorate. Candidate must have a passionate sense of call-ing to the ministry. A strong emphasis in youth ministry is desir-able. Interested people may submit their resumé [email protected] by Dec. 31, 2008.

Director of Denominational Ministry for Mennonite ChurchUSA: Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership is inviting can-didates or suggested candidates for the director ofDenominational Ministry for Mennonite Church USA. The directorwill give overall leadership to denominational support for areaconference ministers and provide missional church inspiration forall parts of the church. The director will lead the current team ofdenominational ministers while giving leadership to a process ofdiscernment with area conferences and churchwide agencies forhow Executive Leadership and churchwide agencies can betterequip conference ministers in the future. For additional informa-tion see the employment opportunities listed in the “About us”section at www.MennoniteUSA.org. Application review will beginimmediately and will continue until the position is filled.Executive Leadership is an equal opportunity employer andencourages women and racial/ethnic people to apply. Mail yourapplication to: Executive Leadership, Attn: Human Resources, 722Main St., P.O. Box 347, Newton, KS 67114; Toll-free: 866-866-2872;email: [email protected].

Landis Homes, a ministry serving aging adults, is seeking a direc-tor of gift planning. Responsibilities of this full-time positioninclude planning and implementing fund-raising activities,including annual appeals, planned giving, capital campaigns andspecial events. Prefer candidate with at least two years experiencein fund-raising, a bachelor’s degree, effective communicationskills, ability to lead a team and an understanding of and appreci-ation for the Mennonite faith. Send resumé to: Human Resources,Landis Homes, 1001 East Oregon Road, Lititz, PA 17543; fax: 717-581-3899 or email: [email protected]. Learn more aboutLandis Homes at www.landishomes.org.

Mennonite DisasterService works withlocal communitygroups in disasterlocations to connectyour church with afamily that needsa home.

Bring onemore familyhome

Your church can build a home for a family affected by disaster

partnership home program

Canada 866-261-1274 U.S. 717-859-2210

Your church funds, providesmaterials, organizesvolunteers andbuilds the house.

One more family goes home.

Find out more about the MDS partnership home program

MennoniteDisasterService

www.mds.mennonite.net

C L A S S I F I E D

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M E D I A C U L T U R E

Two recent viewings have reinforced for me agrowing problem in our mediaculture that hasdire repercussions. Though I’ve touched on

this before in this column (e.g., Feb. 18, 2003, andApril 19, 2005), it bears further reflection.

Earlier this fall, I watched the fifth and final sea-son of “The Wire” on DVD. Many consider thisHBO show one of the best shows ever on TV. Iconcur, though its gritty realism and language indepicting life on the streets and among the politi-cal and judicial powers of Baltimore may offendmany viewers.

The final season focused on the city’s newspa-per, The Baltimore Sun, and revealed a trend thatis occurring across the United States: the downsiz-ing of newspaper staff, particularly reporters, inorder to satisfy the wishes of corporate owners,whose main concern is profits for shareholders,not truthtelling.

Corporate ownership of U.S. newspapers hasintensified to the point that nearly all are owned bya handful of corporations. (According to the MediaReform Information Center, for example, the num-ber of corporations that control a majority of U.S.media went from 50 in 1983 to six in 2004.) Thus,in “The Wire,” the Sun is owned by the Tribunecompany, whichshows little con-cern aboutinvestigating

crimes in Baltimore unless the coverage somehowbrings in money.

Certainly media must make money in order tofunction, but when concern for profits outweighsconcern for learning the truth about what is hap-pening in our communities, we all suffer. Invest-igative journalism requires allocating resources,sometimes months of reporters’ time in order togain enough information to write truthfully aboutan issue.

Now to the second viewing. I rewatched Allthe President’s Men on DVD in November. Thispowerful film from 1976 tells the true story ofWashington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and BobWoodward uncovering the details of the Watergatescandal that led to the resignation of PresidentNixon in 1974.

Among the special features on the DVD arecommentaries by various people, several of whompoint out that such a story could not be written intoday’s media climate. Among other things, news-papers don’t have the resources to commit to sucha story unless there’s a clear sign it will reveal amajor revelation, which this one initially did not.

Also, government officials have learned ways toavoid truthtelling and repel reporters’ inquiries.One necessary element to such reporting is theuse of anonymous sources, which governmentofficials have tried to curtail if not eliminate out-right.

Another aspect to our mediaculture thatreduces the chances of learning the truth aboutwhat is happening behind events is the politicalpolarization that infects much of our society’s con-versation. People tend to gravitate toward mediaoutlets that reflect their own point of view, andmany media outlets are eschewing a more objec-tive analysis of events and reporting of facts in theinterest of promulgating a certain viewpoint.

This seems to be especially true for Internetusers, which is becoming the majority of readers.Such users often look for opinions that reflecttheir own viewpoint rather than searching forsources that report actual news.

Such reporting exists, but its ability to investi-gate issues is being strangled by this culture ofpolarized opinions and the appetite for continualentertainment. In our rush to consume, we seemto have lost our desire to pursue truth.

Christians especially should be interested inpursuing truthtelling, which is at the heart of ourfaith. “The truth,” Jesus said, “will make you free”(John 8:32). TM

Profits vs. truthtelling

Gordon Houser


F I L M SRachel Getting Married (R) bringstogether a dysfunctional family over aweekend to celebrate the wedding ofRachel, the good sister. The film focus-es on the problems of Kym, the blacksheep, who gets a weekend pass froma nearby rehab center, and the power-ful story that lies behind the family’sconflicts. Debra Winger shines in therole of the sisters’ mother and bringsthe conflict to a head in a stunningscene.—gh

Happy-Go-Lucky (R for language) is acheerful, colorful British romanticcomedy about Poppy, a single, 30-year-old schoolteacher whose sincerehappiness touches everyone aroundher—whether they ask for it or not.But when Poppy, well-acted by SallyHawkins, is confronted with an angryperson who misreads her intentions,she must make a decision. The dia-logue is fresh and believable. It’s hardnot to smile throughout.—Anna Groff

B O O K SStates of Exile: Visions of Diaspora,Witness and Return by Alain EppWeaver (Herald Press, 2008, $18.99)asks if return for one people mustresult in the exile of another. In aca-demic language that unfortunatelymakes the book less accessible,Weaver develops a theology of exilethat is “shaped by ‘not being in charge’[and] nurtured by the practice ofbeing receptive to provocations fromGod’s word from outside its orbit.”This important book has implicationsbeyond Palestine-Israel.

The Purple Crown: The Politics ofMartyrdom by Tripp York (HeraldPress, 2008, $18.99) covers some ofthe same themes while arguing thatthe church’s ultimate act of witness-ing, martyrdom, is a political act. Yorklooks at the history and meaning ofmartyrdom. Two of many insights inthe book are that martyrdom requirestraining and that the nation-state triesto take over the salvific role of thechurch. The church, he writes, “mustpractice her own politics rather thanadopt the politics of those that sur-round her.”

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E D I T O R I A L


A church in recession

F or Mennonite Church USA, the year 2008 hashad parallels with the developments withinthe United States. As our editorial staff

reviewed the top news stories for the year (seepage 20), we discovered some striking similarities:

• We now know that the U.S. economy formallyentered a recession in December 2007. About thesame time we were learning through the work ofConrad Kanagy that Mennonite Church USA wasin a period of contraction.

• Through a wearisome election season, U.S.voters opted for a change in leadership inWashington. In the middle of the primary elec-tions, Mennonite Church USA’s Executive Boardsignaled it also wanted major changes for thestructure of our denomination.

• With President-Elect Obama selecting electedofficials for his cabinet and staff, there are twohigh-profile positions open in the Senate, one seatin the House of Representatives and the governor-ship of Arizona. In the last three months we havealso learned of four high-profile positions to befilled within Mennonite Church USA in 2009.

A church in recession: In February 2007, weintroduced the church to the findings from a 2006survey of Mennonite Church USA members. It

took about a year for those findings to wend theirway into the concerns and actions of leadersacross the church. We noticed increasing attentionto those findings in 2008.

Released as the book Road Signs for the Journey(Herald Press, 2007), the “signs” point toward anaging membership, increasing cultural assimila-tion, increasing political identification and declin-ing church attendance. The good news: Member-ship in growing racial/ethnic congregations isyounger than in white congregations. Never-theless, Mennonite Church USA is in a kind ofrecession similar to our country’s.

Calling for change: In March, the ExecutiveBoard stunned most leaders in churchwide agen-cies and their boards of directors by announcingthat our denomination’s vision and call “is not ade-quately supported by our present relationships,behaviors and organization.” This assessment wasfollowed by a proposal to do away with the Exe-cutive Board itself and the boards of directors forMennonite Mission Network, Mennonite Educa-tion Agency, MMA and Mennonite PublishingNetwork. In its place would be a new “LeadershipBoard” responsible for the programs and staff ofall Mennonite Church USA agencies.

Although the Executive Board deferred theplan after a June meeting, the signal was unmistak-able: Our current course as a denomination isuntenable; radical changes are required to getwhere we want to go.

Positions open: Four high-profile positions with-in Mennonite Church USA structures will be filledin the next year. We learned of these openings inthis order: J. Nelson Kraybill, president of Assoc-iated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart,Ind., will leave his post next summer. Jim Schrag,executive director for Mennonite Church USA willretire in November 2009. Ron Byler, associateexecutive director for Mennonite Church USA willleave that position some time in late 2009. Thenext moderator-elect (who will follow current mod-erator-elect Ed Diller) will be selected next sum-mer by the Delegate Assembly in Columbus, Ohio.

Just as the downturn in the economy causes usto rethink our priorities, so does the downturn inpeople’s commitment to Mennonite Church USA.Both presidential candidates called for change.The Executive Board also determined that manypeople in our church want change. We are calledin both cases to reflect on our basic commitmentsand how best to serve God with our resources.

As we wind down an eventful—perhaps water-shed—year, uncertainties remind us that our realsecurity is in the providence of God. For a peoplethat assumes too often that we are in control ofour own destiny, this reorientation becomes thesoil in which seeds of change are planted.—ejtwith Gordon Houser and Anna Groff

Everett J.Thomas

Just as the downturn in the economy causes us to rethink our

priorities, so does the downturn in people’s commitment to

Mennonite Church USA.

The next issue ofThe Mennonitewill be dated Jan. 6, 2009.


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