Filling and fulfilling feasts Page 10 HRISTIAN EADER That...

H R I S T I A N E A D E R

November / December 2019

Filling and fulfilling feasts 0

That’s a wrap Page 17

Ready, set, launch Page 22

The magazine of U.S. Mennonite Brethren

July 21 - 25, 2020Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference CenterIndependence, Missouri (northeast Kansas City)

w w w. u s m b. o r g

USMB National Pastors’ Conference and National Convention

2 christian leader | november / december 2019

christianleadermag.com | christian leader 3

in this issue

4 EditorialCONNIE FABER

8 FrontlinesJ.L. MARTIN

9 TestimonyLUDWIG HOHM

26 Mission & Ministry

27 Vantage pointTERRY HUNT

31 From the national directorDON MORRIS

DEPARTMENTS COLUMNS

November / December 2019

5 The news

7 5 minutes with...

17 Body Life■ That’s a wrap■ Church provides school supplies

for city’s elementary school■ International student ministry

builds friendships■ Ready, set, launch

28 Church news

FEATURES: HOSPITALITY

What defines your home during the holidays?

14 Home for the holidaysDARA HALYDIER

God wants us to celebrate aroundthe dinner table

10 Filling and fulfilling feastsDENNIS FAST

Lessons in hospitality from weirdoson the highway

12 Roadside AssistanceMELANIE A. HOWARD

When distance is difficult

16 ConnectionBEN AND CAITLIN FRIESEN

FIND MORE ONLINE: Hoping for more stories? Find these and more

online at www.christianleadermag.org

• Blue Christmas LISA KEITH

• God’s Christmas graffitiTIM NEUFELD

The Christian Leader (ISSN 0009-5149) is agathering place for the people, passions and

mission of U.S Mennonite Brethren. The Chris-tian Leader is published bimonthly by the U.S.Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. However, the opinions expressed here are not

necessarily those of the church as a whole.

COPYRIGHT: The articles printed in the Christian Leader are owned by the CL or by

the author and may not be reprinted without permission. Unless noted, Scripture quotations are from the

New International Version.

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Connie FaberEDITOR

Janae RempelASSISTANT EDITOR

Shelley PlettGRAPHIC DESIGNER

Vol. 82, No. 6November / December 2019

Christian Leader is published by

H R I S T I A N E A D E Reditorial

The upcoming holidays are a time to celebrate God-with-us by giving special attention to hospitality, to

making our homes welcoming places for others so that peo-ple—those who know our Savior and those who don’t—will experience Jesus in our midst.

My mom regularly practiced hospitality. She frequentlyinvited people—extended family, friends and guests ornewcomers at church—over for meals, especially Sundaydinner. She would serve delicious, plentiful meals, oftenpreparing some of the dishes on Saturday while also super-vising my sister and me as we thoroughly cleaned the houseand set the dining room table with her best dishes. I en-joyed the meals, but I wasn’t sure the house needed to bequite as spotless as my mom insisted upon. Looking back,I realize that having a house that was both clean and free ofthe clutter of books and toys was part of her effort to makeour home a welcoming place.

Mom also hosted her family well. Her children andgrandchildren were treated to tables decked with table-cloths and seasonal centerpieces and abundant mealsserved on her best dishes. Soon after Mom was diagnosedwith Parkinson’s disease, the days of preparing elaborateholiday meals were over and my sister and I began to helpwith the meals. Eventually, we prepared the meal and sheset the table, something she could do over several days.

My mom died in March 2019, having lived the last twoyears of her life in nursing care and doing what she could to“host” us in her small room. After her death, one of her grand-children noted her gift as a conversationalist, something I had-n’t fully appreciated while she was living. It wasn’t just a tidyhouse and good food that people enjoyed when they came toher home for a meal. It was also my mom’s ability to giveguests her full attention, her questions that kept the conversa-tion from lagging and placing a higher value on what othershad to say than in her own anecdotes or ideas.

While Parkinson’s eventually made much of daily life a chal-lenge, it didn’t stop my mom from being a conversationalist.She couldn’t always find the right word or remember namesand sometimes reality got mixed up with her “dreams,” but myvisits with her always involved visiting. She asked questionsand listened to my replies. I miss our conversations.

Several of the writers in this issue mention the importance of conversation in nurturing hospitable homes for the holidays.I want to be a better conversationalist at Thanksgiving andChristmas gatherings this year, and I wish for all of us the opportunity to affirm and practice the gifts of hospitality and conversation as we celebrate with family, friends and even strangers.◗

Connie Faberhas served as

editor of ChristianLeader since 2004.

She and her husband,David, are members ofEbenfeld MB Church,

Hillsboro, Kan.

The gift of conversationHospitality and dinner table conversations

U.S. Conference ofMennonite Brethren Churches



the news

USMB Gathering 2020slated for July

USMB Gathering 2020, the newname for the USMB National PastorsConference and National Convention,will be held in Independence, Mo.,July 21-25, 2020.

The name “USMB Gathering” waschosen by the convention planningteam to be easily recognizable andconsistent when referring to the Na-tional Pastors Conference and Na-tional Convention. It will be used forthese biennial national events movingforward.

USMB Gathering 2020 will be heldat Stoney Creek Hotel and Confer-ence Center, 18011 Bass Pro Drive inIndependence, Mo., a suburb ofKansas City providing easy access toall the city has to offer. A lake, water-fall, park and 2-mile walking trail pro-vide a beautiful backdrop for the hotel,which with its large wood beams, out-door themes and modern rustic décorhas a lodge-type feel. The conferencecenter, located at one end of the hotel,is on one level. The special room rateof $112 for one to four people includesa complimentary breakfast buffet, cof-fee, wireless Internet and parking.

Save the date and make plans to at-tend USMB Gathering 2020, whereyou will experience community, sup-port our national MB family and beencouraged, challenged and re-sourced. For more information aboutthe location, visit www.stoney-creekhotels.com or call 816-908-9600.—USMB

Celebrate 2019 explores living purposefully

Over 220 boomers, builders andempty nesters from 13 states met inOmaha, Neb., Sept. 27-29, to discover

how to live purposefully in the lastthird of life. Sponsored by MB Foun-dation, the conference was held at Em-bassy Suites by Hilton Old Market.Attendees heard from Ray Pritchard,president of Keep Believing Min-istries, and Amy Hanson, author ofBaby Boomers and Beyond. They alsoenjoyed times of worship, the magic ofDavid Gerard and the musical gifts ofthe Foto Sisters.

The theme of Living with Purposewas carried throughout the event.Three couples shared personal testi-monies of ministry after retirement.Gordon and Karen Wiebe, Reedley,Calif., shared about serving throughmission trips and camps. Larry andElaine Nikkel, Wichita, Kan., volun-teer at Tabor College and have col-lected and distributed computers andtextbooks to a college in Tanzania.They spoke about the opportunity tobuild relationships while they serve astravel tour guides or work out at theYMCA. Bob and Lynette Ewert,Mountain Lake, Minn., minister byopening their home to men andwomen to detox and young mothersthat have experienced spousal abuse.

They challenged attendees to “get offthe shelf” and “open your curtains.”

Celebrate is held every two yearswith this being the third such gather-ing. Celebrate 2021 will be in Califor-nia with the exact location to beannounced. —Dara Halydier

USMB ends churchplanting partnershipwith Multiply

The USMB Leadership Board hasannounced its decision by unanimousvote to end its formal partnership withMultiply for church planting in theU.S., effective immediately. The an-nouncement, made Sept. 11, indicatesthe decision was made following Mul-tiply’s decision to release its NorthAmerican church planting element for-merly known as C2C. A USMBChurch Planting Task Force has beencreated to help determine next steps,structures and support for USMBchurch planting. The task force hasmet twice.

In an email announcing the deci-sion, Don Morris, USMB national di-rector, and David Hardt, USMBLeadership Board chair, say, “Withsignificant changes anticipated, pleasebe assured that we (USMB national,along with district and MB agencyleaders) view church planting just ascrucially important as ever before. Al-

John and Helen Quiring, Hampton, Neb., share with Phil and Judy Glanzer, Sioux Falls, SD,during the final session as people gathered in small groups to share what had impacted them

during the weekend and pray for one another. Photo by MB Foundation

the news

though final determinations about howto move forward have not yet beencompleted, it’s likely that districts, localMB churches, USMB national andother MB agencies will all have a vitalrole in this collective vision and in thework of birthing new MB churches.”

Regarding Multiply, Morris andHardt say, “As Multiply shifts to re-focus on MB global mission, which in-cludes North America, USMB standscommitted to supporting and champi-oning that mission and our interna-tional missionaries. In the U.S., it isour understanding that Multiply willnow focus on assisting in cross-cul-tural ministry with immigrant dias-poric churches, as well as continuingshort-term mission training programsthrough invested local MB churches.USMB leaders support this functionaland practical application of Multiply’scross-cultural expertise.” —CL

MWC observes Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday

Mennonite World Conference(MWC) has invited Anabaptist-relatedchurches around the world to observeAnabaptist World Fellowship Sunday(AWFS) on Jan. 19, 2020, a day to ob-serve a common theme in a worshipservice as an act of solidarity. AWFS istypically observed on the Sunday clos-est to Jan. 21, the date in 1525 whenChristians in Zurich, Switzerland, helda baptismal service that launched therenewal movement known today asAnabaptism.

The theme for AWFS 2020 is “JesusChrist: Our Hope.” Each year, differ-ent churches which are part of theglobal MWC community prepareguiding material that can be used forAWFS. This year, material has beenprepared by churches in the U.S. and Canada and contains biblical texts, prayers, song suggestions, ser-mon ideas and stories. Resources maybe found at www.mwc-cmm.org/awfs.—MWC

Support USMB on Giving Tuesday

Individuals and churches will haveopportunity to support USMB onGiving Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019. GivingTuesday is a global day dedicated togenerosity that falls on the first Tues-day after Thanksgiving, Black Fridayand Cyber Monday.

All donated funds will be used tosupport USMB mission and ministryand may be designated to fund threespecific ministry options: church mul-tiplication and evangelism, leadershipdevelopment or ethnic integrated min-istries such as gatherings, training andtranslation projects.

“We’re still in the game for churchplanting,” says USMB national direc-tor Don Morris, adding that LEADinitiatives are ongoing and more gath-erings for USMB’s growing ethniccongregations are anticipated.

In the five years USMB has beenpart of Giving Tuesday, donors havecontributed more than $148,000, in-cluding $15,851 last year.

“I want to express my great appreci-ation for those who have donated forpast Giving Tuesday campaigns,”Morris says. “The funds have beencrucial for us as we seek to serve ourMB pastors and churches. Withoutthese funds, USMB would not be ableto provide these services. So, I’m un-abashedly asking for past and newdonors to help us raise significantfunds for mission and ministry for thisnext season. Please give generously—all funds will go to ministry, not tooverhead costs.”

For more information aboutUSMB’s Giving Tuesday campaign,visit www.usmb.org/GivingTuesday.USMB invites donors to use the hashtag #increasingkingdomimpact.—USMB


Fresno Pacific University is celebrating 75 years of God’s faithfulness to the university, theCentral Valley and beyond during the 2019-2020 school year. Four anniversary eventswere held this fall, beginning with Gather 2019 on Sept. 5. Gather 2019 began with a

worship service in the Special Events Center on the main campus. Then around 850 family and friends swarmed the University Green for food trucks, music and magic

(photo above). The second step was seven weeks of prayer for select professions in whichalumni have made an impact in their communities and special honored alumni in each.

The professions were health care, education, nonprofit/youth, business, ministry/humanservices, international relations and public service. The universit hosted a birthday party

the afternoon of Sept. 18, the actual birthday, and an anniversary gala will be held Nov. 2 at the Special Events Center on the FPU Main Campus.—FPU


minutes with...USMB hosts summits

The USMB National Strategy Teamrecently hosted two summits to furtherconnections between the national con-ference and congregations comprisedprimarily of African immigrants.

The first summit, held Aug. 16-17 inCincinnati, Ohio, brought together 13USMB leaders and 52 leaders from 20churches comprised of immigrants fromDemocratic Republic of Congo, somewith roots in the Congolese MennoniteBrethren church. Two of the Congolesechurches present are members ofUSMB and many of the other 18 areconsidering membership. The summit,funded by USMB, Central DistrictConference, MB Foundation and Mul-tiply, was intended to help the congrega-tions in the discerning process.

The second summit was the first timethe 14 USMB Ethiopian congregationsgathered as a group for fellowship andorientation. A representative of a 15thcongregation that is considering joiningUSMB was also present. This secondsummit, funded by MB Foundation,was held Sept. 12 in Atlanta, Ga., and in-cluded 17 Ethiopian leaders and sixUSMB leaders.

“Our immigrant churches need our attention,” says Don Morris, USMB national director. “We haven’t done a very good job of engaging our immi-grant churches.... Several ideas evolvedfrom these (summits) as to how to enhance this.”

Morris anticipates that Congolese andEthiopian leadership events will be heldagain, but no specific follow-up gather-ings are currently on the calendar. —CL

Interview by Kathy Heinrichs Wiest

Jason SalazarJason Salazar is chief of police in the

city of Visalia, a community of 138,000in California’s Central Valley. He and

his wife, Christy, and their two daugh-ters have been part of NeighborhoodChurch in Visalia for 18 years. Thoughhis days are full with managing a staff

of 251 and listening to the concerns ofpeople in his community, Jason took a

few minutes to talk about his role.

Ethiopian pastors pray for USMB leaders.Photo by USMB

You came to your role from withinthe ranks of the Visalia Police Department.Yes, I’ve been serving with the department for 26 years. I like to learn and grow and have taken promotions along the way. In Febru-ary it will be 5 years that I’ve beenserving as chief. I feel fortunate to beable to stay here and serve here in myhome community.

Many communities in the U.S. areexperiencing great conflict withtheir police departments. What hasbeen your experience in Visalia?We are blessed with a communitythat supports us. Our focus is to becommunity-oriented, working withother partners to ensure public safety.We have a role to enforce laws andfight crime, but our role is much big-ger than that. We work closely withother community partners likeschools and hospitals on long-termsolutions rather than just enforce-ment, focus on quality staff and de-veloping strong communityrelationships.

How does Neighborhood Churchconnect with your work?At least 10 officers in my departmentattend Neighborhood. The church’svision is to be FOR Visalia. About10 years ago, the city was experienc-ing a great deal of gang violence.Some of the Neighborhood staff ap-proached me and asked about the

needs of the community in a particu-lar area. We talked about the impor-tance of impacting the lives of ouryouth, and the church ran with it.They adopted a local elementaryschool, and because of their work andother community partners, we’veseen drastic reductions in gang vio-lence there.

What role does your faith play inyour work?This can be a difficult job, both inmy current role and also for officersat the line level. You see the difficultrealities of life and society. My faithkeeps me rooted in the fact thatthere’s a God out there working forthe good. That reality corrects mycourse to focus on what we are for,not what we’re fighting against andalways helps to keep perspective.

What can Christians learn frompeople working in law enforce-ment?You’ve got to get out of the pews tomake a difference. For example,churches might hand out meals tothe homeless, but officers who dealwith homelessness day in and day outknow that it’s about relationships andbuilding a community of supportthat truly makes the difference.To hear the testimony of a Christianofficer on Chief Salazar’s homeless-ness team, go to Facebook https://www.facebook.com/visaliapd/videos/661078677701861/

frontlines

God's gentle whisperThe Holy Spirit empowers, equips us to share

Does God still speak today? Peo-ple throughout church history

have answered this question differ-ently. As I think about how I wouldanswer, I am reminded of one of myfavorite Bible stories about Elijahfrom 1 Kings 19:11-12 which speaks ofthe Lord’s “gentle whisper.”

This whisper has become more realto me over the last few weeks. Ishould begin by saying that as I prayin groups, God often brings words orScriptures to mind, and I then sharethese. Until a few weeks ago, I hadnever considered that these words orScriptures might be for specific peo-ple. As I was sharing this with BradBurkholder, lead pastor at HesstonMB Church, he encouraged me to let the Holy Spirit lead me as I usethis gift.

This brought about a series ofevents over three days that I’ll sum-marize by saying God spoke wordsand Scriptures to me for six differentindividuals or families which I thenpassed on to them. After each time, I thanked God for the gift and for theopportunity to encourage, edify, comfort and strengthen his people,the church.

As I was reflecting on these threedays, I asked myself—and probablyGod—this question: “What happensif God speaks in this way with some-one I do not personally know?” All ofthe situations above involved peoplethat attend my church or that I know.God answered my question within afew hours.

I was sitting and reading at the localcoffee shop when my attention wasdrawn to the door. A woman opened

the door, and I heard in my heart,“Matthew 6. Share this with her.”

I don’t have Matthew 6 memorized,so I opened my Bible. While I amlooking for Matthew 6, all of thesethoughts come to mind: “She is goingto think I’m weird. God, are you sureI need to share this? I am afraid. God,am I hearing you correctly? What doI tell her from Matthew 6?”

With my Bible open, I was drawnto these words that are repeated threetimes in Matthew 6: “Your Fatherwho sees what is done in secret, willreward you.” I knew this was what Iwas to tell her.

When she came to pick up her cof-fee, I said, “You don’t know me, but Iam a pastor at Hesston MB.”

“Are you Brad?” she asked.“No,” I replied. I then shared

my name, and she knew my wife from work.

“As you came in, God spokeMatthew 6 to my heart and he wantsme to share these words with youtoday,” I said.

After I finished, with tears in hereyes, she said, “Thank you, I neededthat today,” and then she left.

I share this to encourage my fellowintroverts, because if you know me,you know this whole situation wasout of my comfort zone. But becausethe Holy Spirit empowered andequipped, I was able to speak thesewords so that God gets all the glory. Iencourage each of us to pray thesewords, “Speak, for your servant is lis-tening” (1 Samuel 3:10). And then beready because God loves to answerthis prayer.◗


J.L. Martinis pastor of children and

family at Hesston MBChurch in Hesston,Kan. He is also the

USMB social mediacoordinator.

When I think about how the rainyweather has affected the farming

community, a lot of items “flood” mymind. Flooding has been in the news fromKansas to South Dakota since springtime.Yet in the midst of excessive moisture andhardship, I have found hope in Jesus.

Our weather story in east central SouthDakota started last year (2018). The cropssuffered all summer because of drought,and grass in the pastures was short.

We had a nice fall, but in January 2019,the weather turned for the worse. Churchwas cancelled a number of times becauseof snow and cold. Never have I welcomedspringtime as much as I did this year. Itseemed like it would never warm up. Butwhen the snow did begin to melt, it startedto rain. The ground was still frozen, andculverts were not yet open, so waterflooded the roads.

The snow returned in late April—24inches in one storm. It came during calv-ing, stressing humans and livestock to themax. The blizzard conditions meant manynewborn calves did not live long—whether from exposure to snow and windor from being trampled by the herd. Whenthe snow melted, we found calves that wedid not know had been born.

The weather also affected our crops.With the late spring and continuing rain,we could not put crops in the ground in atimely manner. All across the cornbelt,farmers were a month or more behind inplanting. The rain totals kept climbing—we are now at 300 percent of normal—andstress levels rose as we waited to do whatwe love: plant the seed.

South Dakota had the highest amount ofpreventive planting in the country. Manyfarmers only seeded 25-50 percent of theircrops. The adverse weather also left the in-frastructure, like roads and bridges, need-ing serious repair.

The weather has not only affected farmers but also businesses providing seed, fertilizer and herbicides. A high percentage of seed was returned to dealers.Fertilizer, chemicals and equipment pur-

chased last winter were not being used.Uncertainty reigned.

The weather has not been the only stressculprit. Prices for the commodities havebeen equally stressful. Tweets about tariffshave sometimes caused market prices tofluctuate more in an hour than they did ina year.

One early Saturday morning, a hailstormand high winds caused damage to ourcrops. We had hail on every field exceptone, and the wind blew so hard that cornstalks snapped off below the ear of corn.

As I drove around after the storm, I felt alittle dejected and sorry for myself. I toldGod, “I know the crop is yours, but I amhappy to do the harvesting.” Then I drovepast the farm of a family who was drivingtwo and a half hours daily for radiationtreatment. That helped put my troublesinto the right perspective.

Farmers are not the only people whohave stress in their lives. Everyone is prob-ably dealing with items in their daily walkthat are almost unbearable. So, where isthe hope that we so desperately long for? Itdefinitely isn’t in crops or livestock or salesor teaching or doctoring or trucking orhomemaking or cooking or well… the listgoes on.

Hope just happens to be my favoriteword. Not the hope that “I sure hope my car starts” or “I hope that I pass mytest,” but rather the hope that comes fromthe words of a hymn: “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ, myrighteousness.” If somehow we can havethis type of hope, then hardships can be-come bearable.

God gave us his son, Jesus Christ, to beour hope. When circumstances flood mylife, hymns like this one remind me of thehope I’ve placed in Jesus: “What a day thatwill be, when my Jesus I shall see. When Ilook upon his face, the one who saved meby his grace. When he takes me by thehand and leads me to the Promised Land,what a day, glorious day that will be.”

That is exactly what hope is to me.◗


testimony

Ludwig Hohmis from the Huron,

S.D., area and attendsBethel MB Church in

rural Yale, S.D. Hegraduated from James

Valley ChristianSchool in 1972 and re-

ceived his bachelor’sdegree in agronomyfrom South Dakota

State University,where he met his wife,

Julie, during a Biblestudy. Hohm farms

corn, soybeans, wheatand alfalfa, has a cow-

calf operation and doescustom farming andhay grinding. He is

blessed with great em-ployees that allow him

to be on variousboards, including the

Huron Chamber,Bethel MB Churchelder board, CentralDistrict Conference

church plant commit-tee and USMB Lead-

ership Board.

Hope in uncertain timesWeather brings hardship to farming communities

Godwants us to celebratearound the dinnertable


Here we go again—all those Thanksgiving and Christmasdinner gatherings! While there are the unfortunate few wholong to be part of just one holiday feast, I’m guessing manyof us have a difficult time fitting all the dinners into ourschedule. There is the church dinner, the immediate familydinner, the grandparents’ dinner on both sides and then

those on your spouse’s side of the family. Oh, and don’t forget the company dinnerparty and the time for just “us friends.” It can spill over past the official holiday sea-son.

And what’s with this change of “capacity” as I grow older? The disparity be-tween youth and age doesn’t seem fair. I recall with some gastronomical pain thedays of my youth when I had the ability to “eat until I was sick” but not get sick.Oh, the wonders of those growing years!

Now, in my 70s, I take much greater care in planning my portions. I’m no longerat the head of the line as I calculate marshmallow covered yams, gravy-drenchedmashed potatoes, soft butter rolls and mounds of turkey, ham and sausage before Ireach the over-loaded dessert table. I know I’ll pay for it later if I fail to exercise agood deal of restraint, but then I weigh that momentary regret against the pleasureof a deep-sleep coma fueled by tryptophan. Oh, the joy of feasting!

Here’s the beautiful thing: Feasting and gathering around tables can be a greatopportunity for engagement in spiritual things—eating can be a significant act ofworship!

I’ve been reading Timothy Keller’s Prodigal God in which he looks at the Luke15 parable of the two sons from some fascinating new angles. In that discussionKeller also observes that eating/feasting is a powerful spiritual metaphor. In fact, itis more than a metaphor; it is a biblical reality. Jesus ate with many people and didsome of his best teaching over meals. We shouldn’t miss the fact that the story ofthe prodigal son ends with a feast, just as the story of human history in Revelationends with a feast—the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19).

How significant that Jesus left us the Lord’s Supper (Eucharist) as the sign of hissaving grace for all who will believe. I have at times told our congregation thatsomething is not quite right when we offer those little communion cups as symbols

By Dennis Fast

of God’s saving grace. His grace is abundant and over-flowing! His blood was poured out for us and then weonly take a small sip of his grace at the communion“feast.” What if we had large beakers of juice/wine andlots of bread to truly symbolize the abundant blessing wehave received?

At a recent Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary campusgathering, Professor Lynn Jost pointed out that one of thekey words in Deuteronomy is “celebrate” which, headded, can be linked to the word feast. God, in calling to-gether a people to reflect his glory and character, invitedthem to celebrate with numerous feasts.

Psalm 23 declares that our Shepherd will “prepare atable (feast) before us (even) in the presence of our ene-mies.” And let us not forget that Jesus, not long after feed-ing the 5,000, stood and declared himself to be the “Breadof Life” (John 6:35). Something about eating together notonly brings people together, it also points us to the natureof God and becomes a sign of his presence with us.

Could that happen for you and your families during thisseason of feasting? Here are a few simple suggestions forenriching your feasts.

Make sure you are present. I need to admit that Ioften fret about the details. My default in most situationsis to ensure that everyone is comfortable and cared for.While not a bad quality in itself, when taken to the ex-treme I can spend more time on things than on people.When I do, I miss great opportunities to connect withthose I love.

For feasting to be fulfilling I need to remember that peo-ple are more important than the food or the seatingarrangement. I need to be there with my eyes and earsopen to others. Being present is more than a physical ap-pearance—it is a choice to really “be there.”

Include a guest. One thing that has given greatermeaning to a number of our holiday gatherings over theyears has been to include individuals or families thatmight be feeling alone for one reason or another. Somefamilies don’t live near their relatives and find it difficult toget “home” for the holidays. Having experienced brokenrelationships often brings renewed sadness that is intensi-fied around family times.

Offering hospitality and including others in our gather-ings has been meaningful, an example to our own chil-dren and grandchildren and fulfilling. I can recall a few ofthese that included a bit of difficulty such as guest chil-dren “running wild,” but looking back I believe we woulddo it again as the rewards outweighed the demands. Wetrust that we were a blessing as we were being blessed.

Create a memory. Something that has added meaningto our gatherings has been simple activities around thetable, often just before we stop to give thanks and as wefind our seats. At our feasts it has been common to havewide age ranges represented, from infants to the elderly.

And one way we have found to bridge these age gaps is toplan a simple activity around the holiday theme.

At times we have prepared place cards with a Scriptureverse to be read. At other times there has been a questionto answer in a sentence or two, while at other settings wehave invited those who can (or want to) to share a blessingfrom the past year.

There are many more ideas and each family typicallyhas someone that enjoys creating an activity that can bringeveryone together in spirit and help make memories forthe future.

Invite Jesus. Jesus performed his first recorded miracleat a wedding feast (John 2:1-11). A bridegroom’s futurewas in jeopardy after the wine ran out in the middle of theparty. The part of the story I like, among other things, isthat John records in verse 2, “Jesus . . . had also been in-vited to the wedding.” Jesus’ presence made the differenceand turned a near tragedy into a triumph as the groom waslater commended for “saving the best for last.”

Similarly, Jesus’ presence at our family gatherings canturn an average meal into a spiritual feast. We invite Jesusto our feasts when we take time to pray and read Scrip-ture, to acknowledge the food being part of his provisionand welcoming him as the “unseen” guest at each table.When conversation is directed to thanksgiving and spiri-tual blessings our Lord is welcomed and honored.

Someone has to take the initiative on this or the conver-sation will stay at the level of weather, sports, the kids’ lat-est achievements or Aunt Franny’s recent medicalprocedure. Feasting is fulfilling when Jesus is welcomedand celebrated.

Savor the food. Of course, there is no feast withoutfood—lots of food. Here in the West we are blessed withnot only an abundance of food but with an almost limitlessvariety. In our community we live alongside a number ofethnic groups, each one having a taste for unique dishes.Learning to enjoy this variety adds to the joy of our meals.

While we do well to remember those who have lessthan they need, we need not hold back in celebrating theabundance we enjoy as God’s good gift to us. In this lifeour appetites will only be satisfied temporarily, but we canmake our feasting fulfilling by adding thought and mean-ing to these gatherings, remembering that they are only aforetaste of that great feast still to come: “On this moun-tain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food forall peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meatsand finest of wines” (Isaiah 25:6).

Dennis Fast is associate pastor of Hope Kingsburg, Kings-burg, Calif., and the MB Foundation church relations direc-tor. He is a graduate of Tabor College and Fresno PacificBiblical Seminary. In addition to serving the local church ina variety of pastoral roles, he has served on the Multiplyboard and as the USMB conference chair. He and his wife,Connie, have three adult children and 12 grandchildren.



Ilove the 2006 comedy film RV starring RobinWilliams. The film tells the story of Bob Munro(played by Williams) taking his family on a cross-country roadtrip in a giant recreational vehicle. While

on the road, the Munros become the recipients of unlikelyhospitality from an odd yet close-knit family, the Gornickes.Although the Gornickes seem quite strange compared to thesupposedly “normal” Munro family, they practice a brand oftraveling hospitality that is simultaneously humorous andheartwarming. Even as they demonstrate the nuances ofhandling sewage, it is ultimately these weirdos on the waywho emerge as exemplars of hospitality.

Hospitality in Acts 8:26-40The roadside assistance in RV might seem like a strange

way to begin thinking about hospitality in the Bible and inour own practices. However, the hospitality depicted in thefilm is not so different than the hospitality that appears inActs 8:26-40 where a “weirdo” on the road offers hospitalityto an “insider.”

This text describes an encounter between the apostlePhilip and a traveler on the road from Jerusalem. Promptedto go along a deserted way, Philip meets another journeyer,an Ethiopian eunuch in a chariot who is reading from ascroll. After Philip asks the traveler if he understands whathe is reading, this unlikely “host” invites Philip to join himin the chariot to explain the text (8:30-31). Following Philip’sproclamation of the gospel, the traveler points out a body ofwater, and Philip baptizes him before being snatched off bythe Spirit to another location (8:36-39). Though brief, this

story depicts a brand of hospitality that contains wisdom forus today.

Although the passage begins with attention to Philip andhis call to the wilderness road, the text shares far more detailsabout the Ethiopian than it does about Philip. TheEthiopian is traveling from Jerusalem where he had gone toworship; he is the official treasurer of Queen Candace, andhe is a eunuch. All of the details that the text provides to de-scribe this person combine to paint the picture of someonewho is radically different than the insider, Philip. In almostevery way, the Ethiopian could have seemed strange to Philip.

Intended for a Christian audience, this story’s readers(both ancient and modern) might be inclined to identifywith Philip. Christian audiences of the story might resonateclosely with him as the Christian who promulgates thegospel and thus seems most familiar. Where the details ofthe Ethiopian eunuch serve to paint him as an “outsider,”Philip appears as the obvious “insider.” Furthermore, as aportion of the book entitled “Acts of the Apostles,” onemight anticipate that the hero of the story would be theapostle Philip.

Given modern assumptions about how stories work, wemight also expect this story to be about how “our” guyPhilip offered kind hospitality to this stranger who is reallydifferent from “us.” In fact, we might even pat ourselves onthe back a little because of what this suggests about howgreat “our” people are. But that’s not the story that we have here.

By the time we reach this episode’s conclusion, it becomesclear that Philip himself does very little. It’s the Ethiopianeunuch who actually drives the story’s action. There is onlyone invitation made, and it is an invitation from theEthiopian eunuch to Philip, inviting Philip to join him in thechariot instead of running alongside of it (8:31). TheEthiopian eunuch is the host. Philip is the recipient of hospitality. The Ethiopian asks questions to extend the conversation (8:34) and suggests something to do, namely,

Lessons in hospitality from weirdos on the highway

By Melanie A. Howard


get baptized (8:37). Philip largely takes his lead fromthe Ethiopian.

In short, the hospitality that the Ethiopian eunuch offersmay at first look all wrong. It’s hospitality that is coming froma weirdo. It’s hospitality that is happening away from home,and it’s hospitality that doesn’t let us pride ourselves on doingsomething “nice.”

Like the Gornickes’ hospitality in RV, the Ethiopian eu-nuch’s roadside assistance may not be quite the model thatwe have in mind when we imagine exemplary hosts.

A weirdo’s lessons in hospitalityIn these last months of the year, we are approaching the

holidays and their seasonal emphasis on being the “perfecthost.” Magazines explode with tips for hosting parties, andwebsites offer an array of recipes for the perfect appetizers.We might read this advice and imagine that we have all of theanswers for practicing holiday hospitality. However, if weallow ourselves to enter into the story of Acts 8, we might dis-cover that the Ethiopian eunuch offers two very different les-sons in hospitality.

Lesson 1: Practice hospitality on the way.When I imagine practicing hospitality, it’s almost always in

the confines of my own space. I think about inviting peopleto my home, cleaning up my guest room and cooking in mykitchen. However, as the Ethiopian eunuch demonstrates,hospitality can take the form of roadside assistance along theway. The Ethiopian eunuch is not at home when he issues aninvitation to Philip. Both are in the process of traveling toother lands.

Likewise, the holiday season often finds folks in grocerystores, boutiques, airports, train stations and roadside reststops. None of these places are home, and all of them have anair of impermanence as they discourage lingering for too long.What does hospitality look like when it is practiced in thesetransient spaces? Yielding our spot in line? Paying it forwardat the drive thru? Giving up a ticket when seats sell out?

The Ethiopian eunuch doesn’t give precise advice forbringing his principles of hospitality into the 21st century, buthis practice of welcoming another, even in transitory spaces,offers a new take on hospitality that allows all to be able topractice it.

Lesson 2: Accept hospitality from weirdos.It’s only natural to see ourselves as the heroes of our own

stories. So, we might be readily inclined to act as hosts, evenhosts in transit. However, the Ethiopian eunuch’s lessons inhospitality are not just for hosts; they are also for prospectiveguests. This story, as well as the story in the film RV, suggeststhat the warmest welcome may come from the wackiestweirdos.

Not only was the Ethiopian a stranger to Philip, but he mayhave even posed a threat to Philip on the grounds of culticpurity. Deuteronomy 23:1 includes precise instructions aboutthe exclusion of men with certain physical characteristics.

The Ethiopian’s status as a eunuch would have fit himsquarely within that category. So, if Philip were to have prior-itized cultic purity over relationship with this traveler, hewould have missed out on an important opportunity to sharethe gospel. Instead, though, Philip took a risk and allowedhimself to be welcomed by one he may have initially deemeda threat.

Philip’s acceptance of hospitality from a stranger can serveas an inspiration for us to be willing to accept hospitality fromthose that we might deem “weirdos.” Who are the folks thathave invited us to share life in a way that looks different fromour own? What are the new activities that we might need totry in order to relate to someone else? What off-putting foodmight we need to taste in order to build a relationship with a stranger?

Accepting the hospitality of weirdos can take us far beyondour comfort zones. However, if the Ethiopian eunuch in thebook of Acts or the Gornicke family in the film RV have any-thing to say about it, then sometimes receiving hospitalityfrom weirdos on the way can produce transformative and life-changing results. As we approach the holiday season, may wetoo be on the lookout for weirdos and the hospitality that theymight have to offer.

Melanie A. Howard is assistant professor and program direc-tor of biblical and theological studies at Fresno Pacific Univer-sity. She is a graduate of Messiah College, the University ofNotre Dame and Princeton Theological Seminary. Along withher husband, Jeremiah, Howard is an active member of WillowAvenue Mennonite Church, Fresno, Calif., where she serves asthe chair of the Worship Commission and a member of thechurch council, among other roles.


By Dara Halydier

What defines your home during the holidays?


Iwas so looking forward to our first Christmas as a marriedcouple. Decorating our apartment, shopping for gifts, bakingmy favorite Christmas goodies and learning to bake his and

celebrating Jesus’ birthday for the first time in a Christian home.The day surpassed my expectations as we were welcomed intomy husband’s family home for the holiday. Granny, his parents,his little sister and we all gathered by the tree in anticipation. An-ticipation of gifts, yes, but more than that, anticipation of whatmy father-in-law wanted to share with us from the Bible.

That first Christmas lesson was on the presence of God beingthe place of joy. I have never forgotten those new ideas that werepresented to me that morning 34 years ago. I have found that joyin serving my own growing family through the years. Now wesettle down to Christmas at our house with the joy of laughter,shared friendships and lots of food and fun.

Growing up, joy was not part of Christmases. Christmas usu-ally started with my dad yelling at my sister. We were ushereddown to the tree where gifts awaited us. It was all about the pro-duction and whether we appreciated the love that went into thegiving. More recently, after a hectic Christmas with new babies, anew house, new jobs and exhaustion, my parents told my daugh-ter-in-law that she would not be receiving any more presentsfrom them because she had not sent a timely thank you note. Al-ways a string attached.

What defines your home for the holidays? Even if you are fortunate to have Christian parents and in-laws, there can still be personality battles, control issues, disrespect, expectations and disappointments that leave you wondering where the joy ofJesus is.

And yet, it seems, our hearts do draw us home for the holidays.Our unfulfilled hearts seek family blessings that we will never get.We go back year after year hoping that it will be different thistime. Maybe Dad won’t drink his Christmas cheer quite somuch. Maybe Mom won’t groan and gripe over the work ofpreparing the big feast. Maybe sister or brother will be grateful foryour present rather than resentful.

Commercials, movies and songs romanticize being home forthe holidays. Idealistic dreams become our expectations, whetherreal or imagined. The unfulfilled need for a blessing from our parents makes us ripe for disappointment and frustration. Thereis a solution. Get your needs filled up by your heavenly Fatherbefore the holidays. Go to him for the blessing, your joy, yourcontentment, your peace. Then when the holy night is not sopeaceful, you can smile inwardly remembering the Father’s greatlove for you.

Here are some helpful ideas for keeping your expectations incheck and enjoying your home or another’s for the holidays.

Make Jesus the center of your celebration. Ideas include abirthday cake for Jesus, reading the nativity story, hiding babyJesus for the kids to find or a short devotional around the tree. Ifthat is not accepted in your birth family’s home, then have yourown celebration at a different time including what is important toyou and your marriage family or friends.

Remember that memories are never 100 percent accu-rate. We all tend to exaggerate the good, the bad and the ugly ofour memories based upon our immaturity and feelings at the timethe memory was made. If it’s healthy to talk with your birth fam-ily about your memories, do so with an open mind, realizing thatyou all may remember the same event very differently.

Decide what is important, what is necessary and whatyou can let go. Last December, I had a spinal fusion one weekbefore Christmas after moving from Texas to Kansas December 1.I had the presents bought and wrapped, but I left the tree for the

kids and their families to assemble and decorate. I made twokinds of cookies, and everyone added their own favorites fromhome. I planned the main meal for Christmas Day, but the grownkids and their families supplied and cooked the rest. We all re-laxed and had a grand time.

If you are expected to go to a parent’s house there are afew things to remember. You can always leave. Even thoughthey are your parents, you are no longer a child. You are an adult. Respect, trust and truth should reign. You are still in charge of your own children. You might be able to relax a littlebut keep vigilant to the entertainment and relationships amongthe children.

Remember “My house; my rules. Their house; theirrules.” If Dad wants to smoke at your house, you have the rightto ask him to do it outside. If Dad wants to smoke in his house,you have the right to leave the room. There are some nonnego-tiables such as television programming, movies, games and conversation from which you have the right to excuse yourselfand your children. You can always suggest an alternative or take the kids to another room and get them involved in a whole-some project.

If things didn’t work out last year, try something differ-ent this year. Instead of someone ruling because the celebrationis at their home, try a destination Christmas. This tends to puteveryone on equal footing. If a week together is too long, try pop-ping in just for the day or a couple of days. If you would ratherhave Christmas morning at home with just your marriage family,then arrange to meet with parents, siblings and in-laws at anothertime. We have had Christmas the day after because that waswhen everyone could get together.

Do what you enjoy. If you love to decorate, then decorate. Ifyou love to bake, bake. If you love to sing, go caroling. It’s yourholiday, too. It’s important to include traditions and activities thathave meaning to each person that is attending if at all possible. Ialways ask my daughters-in-law and sons what they want us toinclude each holiday season. This makes them want to keep com-ing back for more.

If going home or having family in is not an option, then findothers to share your holiday cheer with. Don’t sit home alone and mope. The holiday season is the time of the year when more people commit suicide than any other. Don’t give into de-pression and loneliness. Do something about it. Ask your pastorif there are any others in your church who are alone during theholidays and invite them over or to meet out for a meal or activity.Decorate your space. Make your prayer time and Bible reading a priority.

Serve during the holidays. This keeps your mind off ofyourself and encourages others. You can serve within your ownfamily by making your gifts, making a meal or dessert or leadingout in a play or singing. You might make cards for those who arein nursing homes, visit a shut-in or shop for someone who hasrun upon financially difficult times. Serving is the best way to liftyour mood.

No matter where you celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas orNew Year’s, find family, church family or others to serve, andmake your heart home for others during the holidays.

Dara Halydier is married to Tracy Halydier and lives in Hills-boro, Kan. They have enjoyed raising five boys and are loving get-ting to spoil eight grandchildren. Halydier is the executive directorof Abiding Truth Ministry, Inc. (www.abidingtruthministry.com).She is the author of eight books including the Practical Proverbs series for children, teens and women.


“We wish you a merry Christmas,we wish you a merry Christmas.”

Our television sang out the endingto another Hallmark holiday movie. Iwas too busy addressing our Christmascards to know how the film ended, al-though I suspect it wrapped up withan elaborate marriage proposal. Ilooked over at Ben, hunched overhis laptop preparing his nextsermon of the Advent sea-son, and sighed. AnotherFriday night on the couchtrying to navigate ourlong Christmas to-do listand missing our out-of-town family.

In the wet winter sea-son, we are a five-hourdrive from the Friesens inOklahoma and a long day inand out of airports to get to theBairds in Fresno, Calif. We knew when God called us to Topeka, Kan., that we would be further away from our family and have come to realize how difficult that distance is. We miss our family and our growing-up traditions, especially at Christmastime.

Holidays can be an isolating time for people like us, faraway from home and trying to learn new local customs.We are blessed to be part of a community who recognizesour struggles and helps us navigate this season with funand connection. Others may not be as fortunate to findpeople that reach out to include them.

God consistently calls us to connect—connect withGod and with others. Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians5:14 to “encourage the disheartened, help the weak, [andto] be patient with everyone.” We can apply his teachingsthis holiday season:

If you are far from home, it is OK to miss familyand friends and talk about those who are not pres-ent. It is wonderful to want to continue holiday traditionsand be close to people you love. Don’t let your longing forwhat is familiar make you miss what’s going on now. Ex-plore new opportunities, connect with people, be presentin your experiences and be patient with yourself and oth-ers as you adjust.

For those of us who are deeply rooted in our com-munity, take some time this season to reach out

and encourage those who aren’t. Even small actslike sharing baked goods or telling newcomers someof your favorite things to do around town can helpconnect someone struggling to find their place.Your engagement can make a difference to thosestuck sitting on their couch on a Friday night.

I searched for our next holiday distraction on theTV and heard a noise in our apartment complex

parking lot: singing. Ben put down his computer, andwe both went to open the door. Our friends were stand-

ing in the cold evening fog along with a dozen adults andchildren bundled in their winter coats. They handed us a tinof homemade cookies and continued to sing carols at thetop of their lungs. Our neighbors opened their doors and weall sang along.

“We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merryChristmas.”

Ben and Caitlin Friesen are part of the family at Corner-stone Community Church in Topeka, Kan. Ben’s favoriteholiday tradition is eating cherry pie for Friesen Thanksgiv-ing, and Caitlin enjoys walking Christmas Tree Lane inFresno. They both love spending time with family—espe-cially their nieces and nephew—any time of the year. TheFriesens are creating new holiday customs in Topeka andlook forward to this year’s Christmas banquet at church anddriving with friends through TARC’s Winter Wonderlandlight display.

When distance is difficult

By Ben and Caitlin Friesen

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That’s a wrapChristmas packing partyconcludes yearlong projectbenefitting foster care

How many wrapping supplies doesit take to prepare Christmas gifts

for 375 children? Volunteers fromNorth Oak Community Church(NOCC) in Hays, Kan., are about tofind out.

This Christmas season, NOCC will help Saint Francis Ministries(SFM), a foster care agency servingchildren in several states, wrap Christ-mas gifts for children in SFM’s westernKansas district.

“We desire the child welfare workersto have the time and energy to focus onthe joy of giving without the addedstress and business of carrying this loadon their own,” says Stephanie Burk-holder, a member of NOCC’s 2018 Advent Conspiracy planning team. “It is truly more blessed to give than itis to receive.”

Specifically, NOCC will donatewrapping supplies and money for partyrefreshments and provide volunteers tohelp with wrapping. It’s the final act ofNOCC’s yearlong 2018 Advent Con-spiracy project intended to bless thefoster care community in Ellis County.

More presence, less presentsBegun at NOCC in 2009 by then

pastor Ken Ediger, Advent Conspiracyis a ministry project the church adoptseach year.

“The whole premise is to give more‘presence’ and less ‘presents,’” Burk-holder says. “Our goal is to take thebusyness and commercialism out ofChristmas and replace it with meaning-ful interaction and worship.”

For the past 10 years, the church has alternated between supportinglocal and international projects. Thefirst, in 2009, involved sending waterfilters—and a team—to the DominicanRepublic.

“Each year’s project is approved by the church elders and then the plan-ning is taken care of by a team,” Burk-holder says.

NOCC collects a special offeringduring the Advent season from whichto fund the current project.

Supporting foster careIn 2018, NOCC decided to serve the

local foster care community. The idea began to take shape in sum-

mer 2018 when Burkholder met withJess Albin, a licensed social worker andNOCC’s CarePortal point person, tobrainstorm ways to bless the foster carecommunity. CarePortal is a technologyplatform that connects churches with

needs of local children and families.“We both saw the intense need for

support in this area of our community,”Burkholder says. “From foster children,foster parents, foster care workers, tobiological families, we wanted to blessthis entire population.”

While numbers fluctuate monthly,Burkholder says there are about 100children in foster care in Ellis County,and about 25 foster families.

“We have seen the ratio of children tofoster homes become worse as fewerfamilies are becoming foster parentsand more children are being removedfrom their homes,” she says.

By choosing to serve the foster carecommunity for its 2018 Advent Con-spiracy project, NOCC embarked on a yearlong journey involving multipleprojects.

For example, NOCC made 50 “bedpackages” for foster children throughCarePortal. Each bed package included

In July, 30 foster families listen to the keynote address during NOCC’s “Fostering Growth in Foster Families” training event. Attendees earned continuing education

credit for foster care licenses at the event, which included speakers, an expert panel, chair massages, gift bags and two meals. Photo by NOCC


a headboard, mattress, mattress pad,sheets, pillow and an age-appropriateBible packaged in a duffel bag.

Albin describes delivering a bed pack-age to a single mother of two who wastrying to make ends meet. When thewoman’s sons discovered the children’sBible and asked what it was, the motherfumbled to answer, Albin says.

“I was surprised there were childrenin Hays, Kansas—in the Bible Belt ofAmerica—who really had never heard of the Bible,” she says. “This was suchan impactful moment for me. It drew my attention back to one of our mainpurposes of CarePortal and the

Advent Conspiracy project: to makeJesus known.”

Church hosts multiple eventsIn July, NOCC hosted 30 foster fami-

lies and more than 80 children for a“Fostering Growth in Foster Families”training event, which included speakers,an expert panel, chair massages, giftbags and a continental breakfast andcatered lunch. Attendees earned contin-uing education credit for foster care li-censes, and childcare was provided,with older children traveling by bus tothe local recreation center to play gamesand eat pizza.

This attendee’s response was printedin NOCC’s September newsletter:

“Tonight we are tired but happy,weary but encouraged, typically over-whelmed but hopeful. Thank you for anexcellent, positive experience. Thespeakers were good, the panel discus-sion was excellent, the food was deli-cious, and the childcare was brilliant....It was obvious that a lot of people hadput a lot of time and energy into makingthis a great day for all of us.”

For another project, Albin facilitated asupport group for Saint Francis Min-istries employees, and the church pro-vided coffee and breakfast, as well as asmall gift and card, for participants.

“The purpose of this group was to rec-ognize the impact of secondary trau-matic stress (STS) on those working inthe child welfare system and to build re-silience to mitigate the risk factors forSTS,” Burkholder says.

The church also hosted an Octoberlunch for the child welfare agency’s of-fices in Hays. In addition, NOCC re-mains actively involved in CarePortal.

Community wrapping parties The Christmas wrapping party, a

project headed by Michele Eiland, willbe the culmination of Advent Conspir-acy 2018.

Last December, Eiland helped SaintFrancis Ministries wrap gifts for chil-dren, an event she described as “last-minute” and “pretty chaotic.”

“When I heard NOCC was workingwith foster care services in our commu-nity, I instantly knew one way we couldhelp, but it would take some planningand community effort to pull it off,” Eiland says. “Starting in August 2019,we have been working with Saint Fran-cis Ministries to streamline their Christ-mas project.”

As part of the new system, SFM re-quests gifts be unwrapped when do-nated so child welfare workers canoversee the gifts.

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“We are planning on picking up pre-tagged gifts and having wrapping partiesin the community,” Eiland says. “Thiswill give volunteers of all ages—adultsand kids alike—an opportunity to love on these kids, pray over their giftsand bring the foster care needs out in the public.”

A generous responseThe NOCC congregation has been

helpful and supportive of the AdventConspiracy project, Burkholder says.

“Everyone has been very generous,not only with the Advent Conspiracyproject, but with CarePortal in general,”she says. “There have been some fami-lies from our church who are interestedin becoming foster parents. One of themost important impacts is that it hasbrought the needs of the foster care com-munity to light.”

The 2019 Advent Conspiracy project,while still being chosen, will be an inter-national project this year, Burkholdersays. It will be NOCC’s 10th year toparticipate in Advent Conspiracy. —Janae Rempel

Church provides schoolsupplies for city’s elementary schoolMBF legacy gifts provideneeded funds for project

For one evening in mid-August,school supplies instead of meals

filled cafeteria tables at Hillsboro (Kan.)Elementary School (HES).

Around the tables, members of theParkview MB Church (PMBC) congre-gation sorted supplies into boxes byclassroom. Tubs brimmed with scissorsnext to stacks of folders and compositionbooks. Pencils were piled high alongsidehighlighters, crayons and boxes of glue.

Handwritten notes for teachers provideda personal touch.

Using funds provided by legacy giftsand contributions from the congrega-tion, PMBC purchased school suppliesfor every HES child in kindergartenthrough fifth grade for the 2019-20school year.

Facebook sparks projectThe project was the brainchild of Tami

Driggers and Linda Dyck, who say aFacebook post sparked the idea. When amutual friend and former PMBC at-tendee posted a thank-you to the Empo-ria (Kan.) United Methodist Church forproviding school supplies for her boyslast year, Driggers says her thoughtswent to her own community.

“The thought of someone taking thatburden off parents in Hillsboro reallyresonated with me,” she says. “I alsoloved the idea that all the kids in schoolwould have the same supplies. A studentwith a $0.97 pencil box wouldn’t have tocompare himself to one with a $10 box.”

Driggers received advice from DanaRoemer at Emporia UMC, who over-sees the purchase of school supplies forEmporia students in kindergartenthrough 12th grades.

“She was extremely helpful and reallygave us encouragement and confidenceto try to get this going in our church,”Driggers says.

Next, Driggers and Dyck presentedthe idea to church elders, who agreed toadopt the project.

“I think the driving force behind ourdecision was simply a desire to serve thecommunity,” says senior pastor Tom By-ford. “Since I started at Parkview a yearago, multiple people were saying, ‘Wewant to do more for our local commu-nity.’ So, this idea was a great way to ac-complish that.”

Driggers and Dyck gathered a com-mittee, including teachers Rachel Win-ter and Debbie Allen and bargainhunters Dorothy Broce and DelorisHiebert. Equipped with lists from eachteacher, the committee purchased school supplies for 310 students, which included enough for five extrastudents per grade.

“Our committee split up the list ofitems, so each of us was in charge offinding a good bulk deal on six or sevenitems,” Driggers says. “We were able topurchase supplies locally in Hillsboro, insurrounding area stores and online.”

Delores Hiebert, Linda Dyck, Tami Driggers, Rachel Winter, Debbie Allen and Dorothy Broce(not pictured) spearheaded Parkview MB Church’s efforts to provide all elementary

students in USD 410 with school supplies. Photo by Michael Klaassen


Packing, delivery and prayerOnce the committee collected the

school supplies, more than 60 peoplegathered at the HES cafeteria Aug. 15 to package and deliver them to eachclassroom. The evening ended with aprayer walk, led by Byford, throughschool hallways.

“The way the congregation ralliedaround (the project) and wanted toknow how they could help and get in-volved felt like the essence of commu-nity,” Driggers says. “The contributionsfrom members that have left a legacythrough the MB Foundation added aneat element of how giving can go onbeyond our years here on earth.”

Legacy gifts keep givingIn all, PMBC spent more than $7,000

on the project, or $22.72 per student. In addition to gifts from the congrega-

tion, Parkview received funds from en-dowments managed by MB Foundationand provided for by legacy gifts.

A legacy gift is a charitable gift madeafter an individual or couple passesaway—a last act of stewardship, saysMB Foundation planned giving advisorAndy Shewey. The gift may be used tobless one or more charities or ministries.

Several individuals or couples in-cluded legacy gifts in their estate plansto benefit PMBC, Shewey says. By es-tablishing endowments—invested fundsthat provide an ongoing payout to a

charity or ministry—at MB Foundation,these donors provided a gift that keepson giving.

MB Foundation invests and manages the endowments and sendspayouts to PMBC, which used undes-ignated funds to help pay for the school supplies.

“When Tami presented the idea to theelders this spring, we knew we didn’thave a lot of time to get the work done,”Byford says. “The greatest benefit of theundesignated endowments was that weknew we had enough money on handand coming in soon that we could ap-prove the project.”

In addition to contributions from thecongregation and legacy gift funds, thechurch received more than $800 fromofferings collected when PMBC andEbenfeld MB Church partnered for ajoint vacation Bible school.

“When Tami presented the idea to theelders this spring, we knew we didn'thave a lot of time to get the work done,”Byford says. “The greatest benefit of theundesignated endowments was that weknew we had enough money on handand coming in soon that we could ap-prove the project.”

In addition to contributions from thecongregation and legacy gift funds, thechurch received more than $800 fromofferings collected when PMBC andEbenfeld MB partnered for a joint vaca-tion Bible school.

Project made a differenceResponses to the project have been

positive, both for the givers and the re-cipients of the gift.

“Personally, it has been a fun time, ablessing and joy,” Dyck says. “I haveheard from many people that (this is) agreat thing.”

Byford, too, has received words ofthanks.

“I've been overwhelmed by the grati-tude of so many parents,” he says. “Wedidn't do this to hear people say, ‘Thank

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This service is provided in partnershipwith the MB Foundation.

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you.’ But, the extreme amount of appre-ciation tells me that we made a differ-ence in their lives.”

HES principal Evan Yoder wrote athank-you, printed in PMBC’s bulletin:"Now that school has started and thesupplies have all been distributed, it istime to deliver a huge thanks for allyou've done.... Your entire congregationproved that it was possible for a smallgroup to do great things! Whether theysaid so or not, I know many familieswere able to breathe a sigh of reliefwhen school start-up bills were paid dueto your tremendous efforts. Again, we(students, teachers, staff and parents)thank you from the bottom of ourhearts!"

Ultimately, the project is about serv-ing the Hillsboro community and issomething Driggers says the churchplans to continue.

“The best outcome of this projectwould be for the community to knowthat the church cares about their needs,”Driggers says. “And not just Parkviewchurch. There are many churches in thiscommunity that have such a heart andpassion for God’s work to be done, andthe more we make ourselves a resourcefor Hillsboro and the surrounding com-munities, the more others will see theface of God.” —Janae Rempel

International studentministry builds friendshipsVolunteers support interna-tional students in Bakersfield

For a group of volunteers in Bakers-field, Calif., engaging in cross-cul-

tural ministry doesn’t involve crossingoceans.

Jerilyn Stewart is the coordinator of aministry serving international collegestudents on two campuses in Bakers-

field. Stewart, who attends LaurelglenBible Church, has been involved inministering to international students formore than 20 years.

Her desire to minister arose after shetook a class through the U.S. Center forWorld Mission that focused on the history of missions and effective ways to minister.

“[The class] showed you Godthroughout the Bible and his heart forthe nations,” Stewart says.

Stewart talked with her husbandabout getting involved in internationalmissions, but with children at home andtheir own business, she decided to lookfor ways to be involved in her homecommunity.

Stewart began by hosting interna-tional students, but after a couple ofyears she wanted to get more involved.About 18 years ago, she began volun-teering part-time with International Students Incorporated (ISI). The organization trained her and helped her launch the ministry in Bakersfield.She was also joined by others fromBridges International, the international

student ministry arm of Campus Cru-sade for Christ.

ISI is a national organization, presenton more than 670 campuses across theU.S., that has been training Americansto meet international students’ needssince the mid-1950s, according to theirwebsite. They equip volunteers, calledFriendship Partners, to help these stu-dents adjust to American culture whileintroducing them to the gospel.

These Friendship Partners work todevelop relationships with studentswhile meeting practical needs such asrides to and from the airport, shoppingtrips for dorm supplies and opportuni-ties for English language learning.Many volunteers also invite studentsinto their homes for meals or take themout for coffee.

The ministry relies on the generosityof its volunteers, but Stewart says it’s “avery cost-effective way to do cross-cul-tural evangelism.”

For the last 12 years, Stewart has beenvolunteering full-time as a MinistryRepresentative. She now coordinatesthe pairing of students with Friendship

International students attending college in Bakersfield enjoy a weekend excursion to thebeach as part of a ministry program coordinated by Jerilyn Stewart through International

Students Incorporated. Photo by Jerilyn Stewart

Partners and plans group excursions,which have included trips to the moun-tains, the beach and to visit California’sgiant sequoia trees.

Stewart is typically on the campus ofCalifornia State University, Bakersfieldfour days a week. She also works withstudents at Bakersfield College.

On Tuesdays, Stewart hosts TuesdayTalk Time, an opportunity for the stu-dents to gather and learn about eachother, American customs and other cul-tures while practicing their English lan-guage skills.

Stewart says a particularly special ac-tivity for many students is when theywork together with their FriendshipPartner to prepare a meal from theirhome country.

“It’s the most labor-intensive thing wedo, but it’s also one of the best things,”Stewart says.

Currently, Stewart estimates there arearound 50 volunteers or volunteer fami-lies involved. They reach around 200students, although the involvement lev-els of those students differ. Some comeregularly to events and meet one-on-onewith Friendship Partners, while othersmay only attend an event once or twiceduring the year.

She says some students can be suspi-cious or wary at first, so they start by at-tending a group activity or meeting withtheir Friendship Partner on campus. Sheorganizes a welcome party at the begin-ning of each year for students to get toknow each other and the volunteers.

Providing a safe placeStewart promotes the ministry by

word of mouth and is always looking fornew people who may be interested inbefriending a student. She regularly hasvolunteers from several churchesthroughout Bakersfield, including five to10 from Laurelglen Bible Church.

Julie Smaby, who attends The BridgeBible Church, is one of the FriendshipPartners recruited by Stewart. She firstheard about the ministry years ago

when she attended Laurelglen withStewart, but at the time wasn’t sureabout getting involved.

Then Smaby lived for three years inLos Angeles, where she was exposed toa multicultural work environment.When she moved back to Bakersfield,she realized she missed the diversity sheexperienced in LA and decided to getinvolved with the international studentministry. In the last year, she has devel-oped relationships with students fromJapan, China and Korea.

She and her husband have hosted stu-dents in their home for a few days at atime; other times they’ve simply takenstudents out for coffee to learn moreabout them.

This fall, Smaby has been paired witha student in her mid-20s from Germanywho works for an international account-ing firm. Smaby is an accountant herself;she says that Stewart does a good job ofpairing students with volunteers withwhom they share an interest or otherway to connect. Smaby says many of thestudents are adventurous, and the min-istry helps provide them with a safeplace to experience their new cultureand develop friendships.

“They’re very brave and courageous tocome,” Smaby says. “They have a needfor connection and a place to be andknow that they’re safe.”

Stewart provides training for Friend-ship Partners at the beginning of theschool year that focuses in part onawareness of cultural differences andtechniques for building friendships and sharing faith effectively. She is also available throughout the year to an-swer questions and provide help withspecific situations.

Volunteers share; God convictsStewart emphasizes the relationship-

building aspect of the ministry. Whilethe heart of the ministry is to shareGod’s love with the students, she says itis important for volunteers not to forceconversations about their faith, but to in-

stead build a friendship and offer the op-portunity to discuss faith if the studentsare interested or have questions.

The two Korean students who stayedwith Smaby and her husband for a fewdays were interested and attendedchurch with them. Smaby shared withthem what she believes and simply gavethem the opportunity to think on it.

“Our priority is to tell about the Lord,and God’s part is to bring it about andconvict them,” says Smaby. “We don’thave to convince them, just share whatwe believe and who God is.”

Stewart says, “This type of ministry isa great way to evangelize students fromclosed countries where it is impossibleto do traditional missionary work.”

Smaby has found it fairly easy to build relationships with the internationalstudents.

“People are people in any culture,”she says. “You can always find a connec-tion.” —Jessica Vix Allen

Ready, set, launchCommitment, connectionkey when starting new church

Backyard barbecues in Utah. Base-ment Bible studies in Minnesota.

S’mores in South Dakota. Not all church plants start the same, grow thesame or look the same. While each location provides a unique set of circum-stances, challenges, strategies and rates of growth, in each case success ismeasured not in numbers, but in lifetransformation.

What does it take to launch a church?According to USMB’s three most recentchurch planters, Christian Kohs, PhilWiebe and Jon Fiester, that list includesthe commitment of a core group of be-lievers, personal invitations and a senseof connection for everyone who attends.

The beginningsChristian Kohs launched Redemption


body life


body life

Church in Owatonna, Minn., on Sept.9, 2018, having spent three years learn-ing the culture and meeting people.Owatonna, a city of about 30,000 peo-ple, has Lutheran and Catholic influ-ences, he says.

“In a day and age where there are somany choices, a new church is just an-other choice,” Kohs says. “Oftentimespeople say, ‘Why another church?’ Butnot everyone in our city goes to church,so why not?”

What started as a Bible study in Kohs’basement grew to Sunday morninggatherings in April 2018 as Kohs and hiswife, Erica, gathered a core team.

It took about five months to launchRedemption, says Kohs, who spent thattime raising money and connecting with people.

Phil Wiebe and his wife, Melissa,launched Lakeview Church in Stans-bury Park, Utah, on Easter Sunday,April 21, 2019. Wiebe spent the 10months leading up to the launch hosting Bible studies, barbecues, vision-casting meetings, pilot services andpractice services.

Lakeview is the only Christian churchin Stansbury Park, a city of 19,000where about 85 percent of people aremembers of the Church of Jesus Christof Latter-day Saints (LDS).

“For us to go there was just a matter oflike, Jesus wants to take ground, let’sgrow where the battle is ripe,” Wiebesays. “It’s dry, and we’re watching Jesustake ground quickly.”

Most recently, Jon Fiester and hiswife, Michele, launched Renewal MBChurch in Rapid City, S.D., on Sept. 8,2019. Starting with a core group of eight,the Fiesters held their first official meet-ing as a church in July 2018. In the 13months after, the church grew to capac-ity in its meeting space and secured alarger space in the Dahl Arts Center forits launch.

The Fiesters are attempting to reachthose who have been hurt by the church

or have little interest in it.“Our city has many gospel-teaching

churches meeting the needs of tradi-tional churchgoers,” Fiester says. “Wehave a desire to bring a church that ispresenting the gospel in a neutral loca-tion in our city that is comfortable forpeople who are skeptical of faith.”

Pre-launch ingredientsAny church launch requires certain el-

ements to be in place. Gathering a coregroup of believers is key, a sentimentshared by the three planters.

“The most important resource wehave is a group of people committed tothe mission God has given us,” Fiestersays. “Without an awesome teamaround me, this would not be possi-ble. One person alone cannot handle the stressors of starting something brand new.”

In order to gain traction and spreadthe word, Kohs, Wiebe and Fiesteragree that having a website and socialmedia presence are vital. Having spaceis also an important component, al-

though that looks different in all three locations.

Renewal MB meets in the Dahl ArtsCenter, Lakeview gathers in a space at alocal strip mall, and Redemption rents abuilding from another church.

Kohs says it takes effort to make Re-demption’s space feel like home, and ifgiven the chance to do it again, he’dhave secured his own building at thestart in order to have space for during-the-week gatherings. One thing Kohswas glad to have in place prior to launchwas a church staff.

Spreading the word Knowing just two families when he

moved to Stansbury Park, Wiebe con-nected over lunch meetings with friendsof friends. He started three home Biblestudies in the four months following aninformational barbecue in June 2018.

When it came time to advertise Lake-view’s launch, Wiebe sent out a county-wide mailer to 27,000 residents. Goingdoor-to-door was not an attractive op-tion.

Worship leader Kali Schae sings with the congregation during Redemption Church’s firstbirthday celebration Sept. 8, 2019. Photo by Redemption Church.


body life

Going door-to-door was not ideal forKohs either, who, after his initial Biblestudy grew to Sunday morning gather-ings, advertised Redemption’s launchin the local newspaper.

“Church planting is most effectivetoday via word of mouth,” Kohs says.“Personal invitation is still the most ef-fective way to get someone to church.That, and Facebook.”

Fiester, too, relied on social media to advertise Renewal’s launch and continues to engage people on those channels.

He’s found it takes less talking andmore doing, though, so every thirdSunday, Renewal serves its commu-nity—meeting needs, praying for peo-ple downtown, offeringcomplimentary s’mores and water—and follows these “Give Sunday” proj-ects with a communion meal.

“We always have the opportunity toengage people and bring them a glimpse of the joy Jesus puts in ourlives,” Fiester says. “People are seeingsomething different and they are curi-ous about what would lead a group of

people to give up the time and re-sources simply to make someone else’sday better.”

All hands on deckWhether in Utah, Minnesota or

South Dakota, preparing for launch re-quires a commitment from the coregroup.

“The church is the people, and ourpeople owned their church,” Wiebesays. “They all jumped in with settingup chairs (and) prepping kid’s min-istry, to hanging mirrors and papertowel dispensers in the bathrooms.”

The church launches themselves un-folded differently with highs and lowsin each location.

In Rapid City, 80 people attendedRenewal MB’s launch, Fiester says.

Kohs admits launch day at Redemp-tion was disappointing in terms ofturnout—20 people attended—but theevent was significant in solidifying histeam’s commitment.

“The core group of people who hadput so much time into the day felt asense of purpose and energy from it,”

he says, adding that Redemption hassince more than doubled in size.

In Stansbury Park, Wiebe credits asmooth launch with 223 people in at-tendance to the pilot services held at agolf course clubhouse once a monthfrom October 2018 to February 2019,as well as weekly practice services inMarch. But if he had to do it overagain, Wiebe says he would recon-sider the timing.

“Launching into summer isn’t thebest idea,” he says. “Things are wind-ing down. People are in and out oftown. Our core was going differentways for vacations.”

Wiebe says Lakeview continued togrow over the summer, and the churchhad summer interns courtesy ofUSMB, the Pacific District Confer-ence and MB Foundation funds for fu-ture leadership.

Next StepsWith the launches behind them,

Kohs, Wiebe and Fiester are lookingto encourage sustainability.

Wiebe says he is focusing on foster-ing connection, whether through aweekly church barbecue at his houseor encouraging people to join small groups.

“You have to make a place for peopleto get connected—fast,” he says.“They need a place to belong even be-fore they believe.”

For Kohs, too, follow-up, connect-ing on social media and saying thankyou continue to be important.

“I write thank you cards to guestsand the people that serve at the churchevery single Monday,” he says, addingthat he prints invite cards for people tohand out during the week. Redemp-tion is adding staff and elders this fall.

For Fiester, personally acknowledg-ing people who attend has encouragedthem to return.

“People in our culture want to feelnoticed and remembered,” he says.

“We launched (Lakeview) with a core team of 45 adults,” says Phil Wiebe. “We had a fully staffed kids ministry, a full band, ushers, greeters, a staffed guest booth,

coffee and cookies. The best part was, it felt like we had done it all before thanks to the practice services.” Photo by Lakeview Church

“We have found that to be true ofanyone attending Renewal.”

All about Jesus After having 80 in attendance on

launch day, Renewal MB saw 75 thefollowing Sunday, Fiester says.

“We measure success by howmany unchurched people God con-nects us to that continue to comeback,” Fiester says. “The most re-warding part of Renewal has beenseeing God work in people’s lives,bringing them to a place of surrender and submission tohis power.”

In the year since its launch, Re-demption Church has grown to anaverage of more than 50 people eachSunday. The church has baptized 23people in 2019.

“We measure success in a fewways, one of which is how manypeople are reading their Bibles, howmany baptisms (and) how many peo-ple are serving,” Kohs says, addingthat sometimes the slow growth canbe challenging.

Since its Easter 2019 launch, Lake-view Church baptized three adultsAug. 4 and a week later began hold-ing two services. The church aver-ages 170 people including children.

“I measure success by life-changetoward Christ,” Wiebe says. “Indi-vidual stories. A crowd is good, but apersonal life story that Jesus hasgrabbed ahold of, that is the biggestwin I get to be a part of.”

So what’s next? The mission for all three remains to tell people aboutJesus, a conviction expressed thisway by Fiester: “I have learnedthroughout this process that peopleare the most important part of anychurch. God’s purpose for any of us is to seek his lost people. He loves people and we cannot lose that focus of giving them hope.” —Janae Rempel


Learn more at mbfoundation.com/cga

[email protected] www.mbfoundat ion.com

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Renewal MB Church launched services in September. “Our desire is to intentionally meetpeople where they live and show them the love and kindness Jesus brings to our lives as a

church body,” says Jon Fiester, church planter. Photo by Renewal MB Church


mission & ministry

Task force considersfuture of church plantingUSMB leaders discuss funding, strategy

An ad hoc task force was assembledto process a path forward for

USMB church planting following therelease in September of Multiply as aU.S. church planting resource. Thetask force first met Aug. 9 in Fresno,Calif., and an expanded group met Oct.2 in Phoenix, Ariz.

The group processed at length theneeds expressed by district churchplanting boards. These needs includedassistance with church planter assess-ments, training, coaching, project man-agement and developing moreleaders/planters.

Funding for future projects was alsodiscussed. Without a funding threadfrom Multiply, there is a continuingneed for local USMB churches and in-dividual donors to help fund churchplanting going forward. Districts willcontinue to be significantly involved ininvesting in local plants. USMB com-mitted to helping and partnering withchurch planter gatherings, training andsupport services, likely provided byflagship churches that continue to havea passion for developing and resourcingplanters as well as funding churchplants themselves.

Districts will be heavily involved inthe process of planting new MBchurches and will most likely initiateplants within their districts, assistingwith funding and providing supportand connection. Cross-district “pollina-tion”—church plants receiving assis-tance from churches outside of theplant’s geographical district—was atopic that garnered significant attention.

For instance, in the past churches in theCentral and Southern districts have re-sourced plants in the Pacific district.The task force desires to see more ofthis as a national vision to enhance theoverall mission of planting MBchurches in the U.S.

The concept of churches plantingchurches will be an integral part of U.S. church planting going forward.The task force acknowledges the needfor local churches to become even more invested in planting daughterchurches and making this a priority, not only with their resources butthrough relationships and tangiblehands-on assistance.

The ways in which we support andchampion church planting among His-panic and other ethnic groups was dis-cussed. Although style of planting maybe a little different, the attention given to these plants must be intentional and consistent.

A subtask force was created to pro-vide a written path forward for consid-eration by the USMB LeadershipBoard. That plan is expected to becompleted by year-end.

“Why do we plant churches?” saysDon Morris, USMB national director.“Luke 19:10 says, The Son of Mancame to seek and to save what was lost.People need Jesus. Millions of peoplein the U.S. are headed for an eternityseparated from God. That should breakour hearts. That should cause an unre-lenting burden and passion for tellingthem about Jesus. Church plants are themost effective way to reach new areaswith the gospel. We must plant newchurches and at the same time do thosethings which will renew and enhancethe ministries and evangelism of our ex-isting churches.”

The USMB Church Planting TaskForce consists of district ministers TimSullivan, SDC, Rick Eshbaugh, CDC,and Terry Hunt, NCDC; districtchurch planting board chairs BrianWiebe, PDC, Dan Strutz, CDC, and

Jeremy Jordan, SDC; Jon Wiebe, CEOand president of MB Foundation; pas-tors with church planting experienceincluding Fred Leonard, MountainView Community Church in Fresno,Calif., Paul Robie, South MountainCommunity Church in Draper, Utah,Brad Klassen, Copper Hills Church inPeoria, Ariz., and Josh Shaw, Light-house Church in Denver, Colo.; cur-rent church planters Christian Kohs,Redemption Church in Owatonna,Minn., and Phil Wiebe, LakeviewChurch in Stansbury Park, Utah; cur-rent MB pastor Tim Thiessen, BirchBay Bible Community Church, inBirch Bay, Wash.; David Hardt,USMB Leadership Board chair; XavierPiña, chair of the PDC HispanicCouncil; Cristobal Aleman, PDC His-panic Council; and Don Morris,USMB national director. USMB staffmember Lori Taylor took extensivenotes. —USMB

Jeremy Jordan, chair of the Southern Dis-trict Conference church planting board,

and Josh Shaw, pastor of LighthouseChurch in Denver, were part of the USMBchurch planting task force that met Oct. 2.

Photo by USMB


Terry Hunthas served as the

North Carolina Dis-trict Conference min-

ister since 2005 andpastor of The LifeCenter since 1985.

He is member of theUSMB Leadership

Board, NationalStrategy Team and

U.S. Board of Faithand Life. He is mar-

ried to Kathy andthey have four

daughters and sixgrandchildren.

Someone once said that the seven lastwords of a dying church are: “We’ve

never done it that way before.” For leaderswho are dreamers and visionaries, thesewords can be a dream-killer and candampen vision.

I have been on a spiritual journey re-tracing the roots of the North CarolinaDistrict Conference, which once included13 churches in North Carolina and Ten-nessee. What intrigues me most aboutthis journey is how this work all cameabout thanks to a wonderful, spirit-filledlady by the name of Emily C. Prudden. Ithought I knew all about Miss Pruddenfrom hearing stories from the Hortons,Hattons and Lipfords and from readingthe 1984 book written by KatherineSiemens Richert, Go Tell It on the Moun-tain, which is no longer in print.

A few weeks ago, pastor Larry Smith ofWest End MB Church and I decided todrive up to Elk Park, NC, to see if wecould find the two schools built by MissPrudden, which were the birth place ofthe Krimmer Mennonite Brethren mis-sion work here. After we found the loca-tion and the remains of the foundation,we headed back to Lenoir. About halfway back, we ran across a historical roadmarker in Blowing Rock, NC, that read:“Emily Prudden 1832-1917 Missionary.Founded 15 western N.C. schools includ-ing Pfeiffer College forerunner. Her Sky-land Institute stood here.”

It seemed to both of us that this was thefirst time we had ever seen this historicalroad marker—until Peggy Goertzen re-minded me a few days ago that I was withher when she took a picture of this markerin 2006.

Well, my wheels began to turn. Wherewere the other 13 schools? Just who wasthis Emily Prudden? How could I findout more about her? So, I googled “EmilyPrudden Elk Park” and found several websites with a wealth of information,

including her birth place, that she openedher first school in Gaston County in 1884and two schools in Elk Park, one whiteand one black. Another school in Hud-son, NC, only a few miles from Lenoir,was her most successful school. It relo-cated to Misenheimer, NC, and becamePfeiffer College.

This was truly intriguing, but what en-couraged me the most, especially after allof our conversations around women inthe ministry, is the fact that the one per-son used by God to start the MB work inNorth Carolina was a missionary and ed-ucator named Emily Prudden. A womansent by God with a dream and a visionthat was unstoppable, even when peopletold her, “We’ve never done it that waybefore.” These words no doubt motivatedher to keep going and not to give up.

After reviewing a policy that was af-firmed in 1999 that stated that women beencouraged to minster in the church inevery function other than the lead pas-torate, The Life Center Church was com-pelled by the Holy Spirit to do somethingthat has never been done here before: or-dain the first woman as associate pastorand the first husband and wife team asyouth pastors. As with Emily Prudden,The Life Center Church and NCDC de-cided just because something had neverbeen done here doesn’t mean that it can’tbe done.

Thank you, Emily C. Prudden, forbeing obedient to the Spirit of God andusing your giftedness to become a pioneermissionary and educator in North Car-olina. We belong to this great family ofChrist followers because of men andwomen who refused to give up or give into adversity in spite of the cost. That iswhy I refuse to allow the work of theMennonite Brethren to lose its momen-tum in North Carolina. God is on themove here today as he was in 1898.◗

Past leaders inspire our futureCelebrating Emily C. Prudden’s work in NC

vantage point

church news


MILESTONES

BAPTISM/MEMBERSHIPKelly Dugger was received as a member atParkview MB Church, Hillsboro, Kan.,Sept. 29.

Jim Rodriguez, Yamilette Rodriguez,Pleashett Davis, Bounkhong Channita andBounmy Channita were received as mem-bers at Butler Church, Fresno, Calif., Sept.29. Pleashett Davis was baptized.

Stacy DuPont was baptized and received asa member at Grace Community Church,Sanger, Calif., Sept. 15. Cindy Cairns wasalso received as a member.

Tyler Reich, Lindsey Marx, Daniel Reichand Stephanie Greensdale were baptized atRedemption Church, Owatonna, Minn.,Sept. 8.

Ryan Lee and Amanda Lee were receivedas members at Parkview MB Church,Hillsboro, Kan., Sept. 1. Brielle Loewenwas received as a member Aug. 18.

Evan Betz, Dakota Maier and Judah Riglerwere baptized at North Oak CommunityChurch, Hays, Kan., Aug. 25.

Luke Letorneau, Doug Cook and ScottWright were baptized at South MountainCommunity Church, Lehi (Utah) Campus,Aug. 25.

Raquel Nelson, Ethan Nelson, Faith Nel-son, Emily Wedel, Courtney Shumaker andJosalyn Wipf were baptized at BethesdaChurch, Huron, S.D., Aug. 18. Ben Cardonawas baptized Aug. 4.

Marri Tillema and Courtney Thompsonwere baptized at Laurelglen Bible Church,Bakersfield, Calif. Paige Rogers and Shan-dreka Shelton were baptized Aug. 4.

Sarin Rhodes, John Gossett and DavidWiebe were baptized at Bethany Church,Fresno, Calif., Aug. 11.

Tristen Hunt, Dorothy Oswald, AshleySaxey, Gina Monibi, Leane van Biezen,Jason van Biezen, Daniel Herrera, CooperBeers, Alexis Southard, Monica Knight, Ja-colin Herrera, Jory Rives and Lisa Zvin-gowanisey were baptized at SouthMountain Community Church, Draper(Utah) campus, Aug. 11.

Asher Griffin and Brooke Griffin were re-ceived as members at Enid (Okla.) MBChurch, Aug. 4.

Holly Gwynn, Jennifer Stewart and Chris-tine Morehead were baptized at LakeviewChurch, Stansbury Park, Utah, Aug. 4.

WORKERSDylan Nelson began serving as high schoolpastor at Neighborhood Church, Visalia,Calif.

Brian Ross began serving as interim teach-ing pastor at North Fresno (Calif.) Church.

Mike Shields began serving as interim pas-tor at Hillsboro (Kan.) MB Church, July 22.Reuven Isaac began serving as interim di-rector of worship and technology Sept. 1.

Luke LeViere was installed as lead pastorat Good News Fellowship Church, Fern-dale, Wash., Sept. 1.

Kevin and Jennie Strope began serving asinterim pastoral couple at Salem MBChurch, Freeman, S.D., Aug. 26.

An installation service for associate pastorAndrew Wuerffel was held Aug. 25 at ZoarMB Church, Inman, Kan., with pastors TimSullivan and Russ Claassen officiating. Acelebration meal followed the service.

David Brown began serving as worship andyouth pastor at Lakeview Church, Stans-bury Park, Utah, Aug. 16.

John Dube began serving as associate pas-tor at Rosedale Bible Church, Bakersfield,Calif., Aug. 13.

DJ Toelle is serving as youth pastor at Ko-erner Heights Church, Newton, Kan.

DEATHSAltona, Mary, Custer, Wash., member ofGood News Fellowship Church, Ferndale,Wash., March 27, 1934—May 9, 2019. Par-ents: Eldon and Bessie Hunt. Spouse: TedAltona, deceased. Children: Sharon Karber,Randy, Dale, Dan, Anthony; 10 grandchil-dren, 16 great-grandchildren.

Boley, Darold Dewayne, Newton, Kan.,member of Koerner Heights Church, New-ton, June 14, 1940—Sept. 29, 2019. Par-ents: Russell Lee and Doris Louise(Richardson) Boley. Spouse: Alice LouiseMills, deceased. Children: Tayna McCloud,Darold II, Jon; seven grandchildren, ninegreat-grandchildren.

Davidson, James “Craig”, Hillsboro, Kan.,member of Parkview MB Church, Hills-

boro, Jan. 10, 1955—Sept. 3, 2019. Parents:William F. and Marilyn Lea Madsen David-son. Spouse: Janice Unruh. Children:Christopher, Camilea Davidson, Cameron,Jamie, Jeremy, Joshua.

Ediger, Esther S., Hampton, Neb., memberof Henderson (Neb.) MB Church, Oct. 1,1922—Aug. 17, 2019. Parents: Abrahamand Agnes (Kliewer) Goossen. Spouse: Ed-ward Ediger, deceased. Children: Ivan,Donna Dreblow, Ruth Peters, Dewayne; 13grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren.

Ewell, Rubena, Reedley, Calif., member ofReedley MB Church, Aug. 9, 1924—July 28,2019. Parents: John and Helena (Johnson)Gunther. Spouse: Charles Ewell, deceased.

Faul, Evelyn (Good), Harvey, N.D., Corner-stone Community Church, Harvey, N.D.,July 28, 1939—Feb. 18, 2016. Parents:Jesse W. and Alice (Putney) Good. Spouse:LeRoy Faul, deceased.

Feil, Jona Lee, Bakersfield, Calif., memberof Rosedale Bible Church, Bakersfield,March 20, 1933—Aug. 15, 2019. Parents:Samuel and Bertha Feil. Spouse: Mary Lou(Penner) Feil. Children: Wanda Bishop,Darrell, Karen Heinrichs; 10 grandchildren,one great-grandchild.

Franz, Joan Elizabeth, Corn, Okla., mem-ber of Corn MB Church, May 24, 1935—Sept. 26, 2019. Parents: John and Pauline(Stobbe) Gossen. Spouse: Archie Franz (de-ceased), Roland Schmidt (deceased). Chil-dren: Tim Franz, Richard Schmidt, PhilipSchmidt, Russell Schmidt, Rita Williams,Lori Kliewer; 21 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren.

Schmidt, Irvin, Arapaho, Okla., member ofFirst Mennonite Church, Clinton, Okla.,Sept. 11, 1933–Aug. 9, 2019. Parents: A.P.and Hilda Schmidt. Spouse: Pauline(Muno) Schmidt, deceased. Children: PaulaHayen (deceased), Melody Johnson, IrvingSchmidt, Leslie Schmidt, Katherine Fordand Holly Stratton; 12 grandchildren, 25great-grandchildren.

Steinhorst, Ruby Seibel Faul, Denton,Texas, member of Cornerstone CommunityChurch, Harvey, N.D., Dec. 9, 1925—Aug. 2,2019. Parents: Ben and Ella (Faul) Seibel.Spouse: Linden Steinhorst, deceased;Wilbert Faul, deceased. Children: JuneHalbrock, Cheryl Sartain, Bruce; fivegrandchildren, nine great-grandchildren.

Stout, Kelly, Bakersfield, Calif., member ofRosedale Bible Church, Bakersfield, Nov. 8,


church news

1964—Sept. 13, 2019. Parents: Cory and PatSumner. Spouse: Tom Stout. Children:Denny, James, Romy.

Thiessen, Arlene, Inman, Kan., member ofZoar MB Church, Inman, April 27, 1931—Aug. 25, 2019. Parents: Leora and Ruth (Hen-derson) Algrim. Spouse: Harold C. Thiessen.Children: Beth Jones, Ellen Dick, CarolThiessen; six grandchildren, one great-grandchild.

Wiebe, Raymond Francis, Hillsboro, Kan.,member of Hillsboro MB Church, Nov. 29,1926—June 17, 2019. Parents: David Vincentand Martha (Frantz) Wiebe.

REACHING IN DISCIPLESHIPLighthouse Church, Denver, Colo.,hosted a panel of Christian professionalsin the fields of psychology and philoso-phy to speak about mental health Sept.1.

FELLOWSHIPRosedale Bible Church, Bakersfield,Calif., started two new ministries: LEADFor Life, a men’s ministry encouragingmen to be committed to leading theirfamilies, the church and the communityinto the fullness of Christ; and SharingWith Another Person, a women’s min-istry focusing on prayer.

The Bridge Bible Church, Bakersfield,Calif., hosted its annual family campingtrip at Carpinteria State Beach Oct. 25-27.

At Zoar MB Church, Inman, Kan., themen’s fellowship hosted a Sept. 15 trapshoot and the Sisters ladies’ ministryheld a kick-off event Sept. 22.

Valleyview Bible Church, Cimarron,Kan., hosted a “Bouncy House Bonanza”with a pulled pork dinner and a bouncehouse to kick-off its Awana programSept. 4.

WORSHIPCross Timbers Church, Edmond, Okla.,held a hymns and ice cream night Sept.29.

Laurelglen Bible Church, Bakersfield,Calif., hosted a worship night Sept. 29.

CELEBRATIONSEbenfeld MB Church, Hillsboro, Kan., dedi-cated its newly-remodeled schoolhouse foryouth ministry Sept. 22.

Lighthouse Church, Denver, Colo., cele-brated a grand opening at its new locationSept. 15 with tacos and inflatables after eachservice.

REACHING OUTLOCALLYCornerstone Community Church, Topeka,Kan., hosted a fall festival Oct. 12 with abounce house, obstacle course, fall gamesand a food truck.

Neighborhood Church, Visalia, Calif., hosteda Business Breakfast Tour Oct. 11. Guestspeaker Jeff Henderson discussed two ques-tions to leverage to create professional andpersonal growth.

Zoar MB Church, Inman, Kan., hosted a BBQand drive-in movie Sept. 28.

Youth from Henderson (Neb.) MB Churchcleaned community areas during a “LoveHenderson” event Sept. 18.

Enid (Okla.) MB Church hosted 40 bikers forits Sept. 15 service and a meal. The eventraised more than $1,600 for Mennonite Dis-aster Service. Oklahoma director Jay Bloughattended to highlight the work of MDS.

Mountain View Church, Fresno, Calif., heldits fall kick-off Sept. 8 with a tri-tip mealafter each service.

church news


Local Church Openings Pastor of Worship/Family Ministries: ShafterMB Church is currently in the search processfor a full-time pastor of worship and familyministries. The community of approximately20,000 is located in the southern San JoaquinValley of California, 10 miles northwest of Bak-ersfield. Responsibilities include overseeingand implementing blended worship servicesas well as family ministry programs. A full jobdescription and additional information is avail-able at www.shaftermb.org/pastoralposition

Children’s Ministry Director: Reedley (Calif.)MB Church, a Christ-centered church in theheart of California’s Central Valley, seeks achildren’s ministry director. This team mem-ber gives vision and leadership to all children’sministries through volunteer managementand oversight, training and resourcing volun-teers and parents. Responsibilities include allchildren’s ministries (birth-6th grade). For afull job description and to apply, please go tohttp://www.reedleymbc.org/employment

CelebrationSave the date! Sunday, March 29, 2020,Fairview MB Church, Fairview, Okla., will becelebrating in worship and praises 125 yearsas a congregation. Everyone is invited to at-tend this event.

CLEARINGHOUSE

Stony Brook Church, Omaha, Neb., held acommunity SHRED-Fest and outdoor concertcelebration Aug. 23, providing documentshredding, a bounce house for children, foodand live music.

Lighthouse Church, Denver, Colo., filled back-packs with school supplies Aug. 15 for stu-dents attending Summit High School acrossthe street.

With help from surrounding communities,Adams (Okla.) MB Church held vacation Bibleschool for 32 children in July. Students raised$254 for the Children’s Hunger Fund, providing1,061 meals.

GLOBALLYBethesda Church, Huron, S.D., assembled 49school kits, 15 sewing kits and one hygiene kitfor MCC.

Salem MB Church, Freeman, S.D., collected250 school kits for MCC.

Women at Bethel MB Church, Yale, S.D., as-sembled 97 school kits for MCC.

Students attending vacation Bible school atNorth Oak Community Church, Hays, Kan.,raised $3,518.52 to purchase school uniformsand picnic tables for children at Abundant LifeHome in Thailand.

Dinuba (Calif.) MB Church packed school sup-ply kits for children around the world.

Willow Avenue Mennonite Church, Clovis,Calif., celebrated Peace Sunday Sept. 22, withpart of its corporate worship filling 300 schoolkits for MCC.

A free biweekly digest of breaking news, CL updates and stories from USMB schools and partner agencies.

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from the national director

Don Morrisbegan serving as

the USMB nationaldirector Aug. 1, 2016.Prior to accepting thisnew position, Morrisserved as the USMB

interim executive director for two yearsand as the director ofMission USA since

2004. He and hiswife, Janna, live in

Edmond, Okla.,where they attend

Cross TimbersChurch.

Many Americans have a distortedview of things we Mennonite

Brethren consider irrefutable. I’ve come tothis conclusion thanks in part to an inter-esting article in the Jan. 7, 2019, issue ofFacts & Trends called “19 vital stats forministry in 2019,” that shares statisticsabout Americans’ beliefs. It is an interest-ing read, but more so troubling in a lot ofways.

For instance, the 2018 State of TheologyStudy from Ligonier Ministries and Life-Way Research reveals that seven in 10Americans believe there is one God inthree persons, but 57 percent say God cre-ated Jesus, and 59 percent say the HolySpirit is a force not a personal being. Iwonder—kiddingly—if perhaps StarWars has something to do with this beliefabout the Holy Spirit?

Those of us who identify with the GreatCommission and strive to live according tothese words said by Jesus just before hisascension as recorded in Matthew 28might find it hard to believe that over halfof all churchgoers say they’ve never evenheard of the Great Commission. Anotherquarter say they’ve heard of it but can’t re-member the meaning. Only 17 percent saythey’ve heard of it and know what itmeans. Whoa!

Equally troubling is the statistic indicat-ing that two-thirds of Christians and halfof all evangelicals in the U.S. believe thatmany religions are a pathway to eternallife. Really? Didn’t Jesus say, “I am theway and the truth and the life. No onecomes to the Father except throughme”(John 14:6)? It is unfathomable to me that half of all evangelicals would saythat a religion like Buddhism or Hinduismcan lead to eternal life. We have work todo, folks.

One thing in the article surprised me alittle: Among Protestant churchgoers,church attendance has remained steady

over the years, at least percentage wise as45 percent say they attend church on aweekly basis. Protestant church atten-dance has been consistent since the 1950s.In 2017, 45 percent attended weekly. In1955, it was 42 percent. Even amongProtestant 20-somethings, a higher per-centage attend today than did in the 1960sand 70s.

But there are fewer American Protes-tants than in previous generations. In1955, 71 percent of Americans were Protestant. That number has fallen to 47percent. Protestants are as faithful tochurch as they ever were, but there arefewer around to be faithful.

According to the article, LifeWay Re-search found that 49 percent of Americanswith evangelical beliefs say they read atleast a little bit of Scripture every day and63 percent of evangelicals say they readthe Bible at least once a week. That’s goodnews. The Bible is still the most read pieceof literature in human history (GuinnessBook of Records, 1995).

So, what does this all mean? These arejust statistics, right? Do these numbershave any relevance? Well, to me it pro-vides a glimpse into the minds of believers(and otherwise) in America. I would saywe need to do a better job of educatingthose in our pews if half think other reli-gions offer a place with God for eternity.

It means that many people are swayedby common thought rather than by thetruth in God’s Word. I’d prefer that 100percent of evangelicals knew the GreatCommission and were living accordingly.I know that’s not realistic. But this articlewas written to reveal trends, some ofwhich I feel are quite disturbing. Can wehelp to improve these trends? Might thiscause us to shake off the cobwebs and col-lectively say, “Wait a minute! We need toset the record straight and investigate whatGod says is true!”◗

Americans really think—what?Statistics reveal surprising views on Bible, theology

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