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As a result of ongoing aftershocks in El Salvador, over 5000 psychological consultations for earthquake-related depression and nervous disorders have taken place. Stress-related symptoms among children include headaches, stomach aches, nausea, lack of appetite and behavioural problems. In March, Mennonite Central Committee sponsored a workshop entitled “Accompaniment and Comfort in Tragedies” at SEMILLA, the Guatemalan Anabaptist Seminary. The workshop presented a theological framework for understanding tragedy and loss and provided participants with skills to counsel those who lost family members or homes to the earthquake. – MCC
Sanitation is a serious concern in rural Bolivia. Mennonite Central Committee is promoting a dry (“ecological” or “fertilizer-making”) latrine as a cleaner, safer alternative to the conventional pit latrine in rainy zones and areas with high water tables. After 10 years of MCC promotion through one-at-a-time construction in volunteer homes and through small community projects, demand for the latrines is growing. Bolivia’s rural sanitation ministry, PROSABAR, has agreed to fund 385 dry latrines for four communities north of Santa Cruz. The material and labour cost $65 US for the brick compartments of each unit. Each family must construct its own latrine house on top of the compartments and provide eight hours of labour to help with the masonry. MCC recently handed over the manufacture of the components for the latrines to several neighbour families who fabricate the concrete parts on MCC’s property in Santa Cruz. MCC continues to serve as a consultant in the projects. Nestor Pérez, MCC appropriate technology coordinator, meets with community and city leaders, assesses projects and educates people about the dry latrine. The dry latrine came to Bolivia by way of Central America, where it has also been promoted by MCC in several countries. The number of latrines constructed is now reaching into the thousands. – MCC
Bike the Whiteshell is a fundraising bicycle tour for Mennonite Central Committee, June 23-24. This 160-km ride takes cyclists through the scenic, hilly Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba. Participants also have the option of signing up for only the second day, a 60-km ride. A $25 fee for two-day cyclists covers transportation from the MCC office to the ride’s beginning, lodging, meals, mechanical and sag support, first aid and a barbecue. For one-day cyclists, the $15 fee covers refreshments and the barbecue. One-day riders must provide their own transportation to the park. Participants are asked to raise additional pledges for MCC. More information can be obtained by contacting Paul Friesen at (204) 261-6381; e-mail pmf@mennonitecc.ca. – MCC
Tyndale College and Seminary in Toronto has reduced its debt from $6.3 million to $900,000. In summer 1995, the institution, then known as Ontario Bible College and Ontario Theological Seminary, experienced a financial crisis and laid off all its staff and faculty, and Brian Stiller, then executive director of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, became the school’s president. That fall, classes resumed. Trustees arranged an agreement with creditors to pay 50 cents for each dollar the institution owed, to be paid over a five-year term. The final payments of those terms were issued in December 2000. Tyndale had a 10% increase in enrollment this academic year over last year, has hired seven new professors, is planning a major fundraising campaign for expansion, and is seeking university status with the provincial government. Currently, 1100 students attend the institution, a full-time equivalent of 900. – Christianweek
The Canadian office of Christian Peacemaker Teams has released a report examining the issue of the fishing rights of lobster fishers from Esgenoôpetitj First Nation at Burnt Church, N.B. “Gunboat Diplomacy: Canada’s Abuse of Human Rights at Esgenoôpetitj (Burnt Church, New Brunswick)” cites 22 incidents in which the rights of the Esgenoôpetitj “were violated by Canadian officials” during the 2000 fishing season. Christian Peacemaker Teams is an international organization made up of Mennonites, Brethren and Quakers encouraging nonviolent means of resolving conflicts. – Christian Peacemaker Teams
Goshen College, a Mennonite liberal arts school in Goshen, Ind., is currently engaged in a $24-million US music building project. It covers a 62,500 square-foot area and includes a 70-foot-high concert hall and a 50-foot-high recital hall. The project is scheduled to be completed by June 2002. The school’s Web page (www.goshen.edu) features a live Web cam through which online visitors can watch the building being built. – Goshen College
Pro-Life Communications, a long-distance telephone company and Internet provider in the US, donates 100% of its net profits to life-affirming organizations. Joe and Jane Dalton founded the company in January 1999. They hope the company will generate $14.8 million US for pro-life causes over the next three years. The company charges a flat rate of 8.9 cents a minute for long-distance calls. – Pro-Life Communications
Eighty-four per cent of evangelical Christians voted for George W. Bush in the last US general election, according to a survey of 2363 adults conducted by the University of Akron for the Ethics and Public Policy Center. The survey also found that 88% of Mormons, 65% of mainline Protestants and 57% of Roman Catholics supported Bush. On the other hand, 96% of Black Protestants, 77% of Jews, 76% of Hispanic Roman Catholics, 67% of Hispanic Protestants and 72% of people from other Christian groups, 65% of secular voters and 80% of people from non-Christian religions voted for Democratic candidate Al Gore. – Sightings
Keith Price, author of Thirsting After God (Christian Publications, 2000) and a long-time contributor to Faith Today magazine, died Jan. 28 after a year-long struggle with cancer. Noted for his outstanding expository teaching, he was a speaker at hundreds of events and churches throughout Canada. He worked for 35 years in ministry, including a number of years with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. – Faith Today
In a health ministry survey of 90,000 women in India, 56% said domestic violence was justified on at least one of six grounds: if the wife neglected the house or children, went out without telling her husband, disrespected her in-laws, was suspected of infidelity, brought too small of a dowry, or served bad cooking. The survey also found that 20% of the women had been physically mistreated since age 15, most commonly by their husbands. – World Pulse
The plight of Arab women has been improving in the last few years. In Oman, five women now serve on the 48-member state council, which advises on economic, social and political policies. Jordan gave women the right to vote in 1989, Oman in 1994 and Qatar in 1999. – World Pulse
New Zealand’s government is considering giving homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual married couples, making it the third country in the world to approve of same-sex marriage, after Denmark in 1989 and the Netherlands in September 2000. – World Pulse
All but four of 96 suspects on trial for a riot in El-Kosheh, Egypt have been acquitted, including seven defendants who had eluded arrest. A total of 57 Muslims were being tried, 38 of them for murder. The most serious charges against the 32 Christian defendants were looting, arson and attempted murder. The acquittals were partly blamed on inadequate police investigation, insufficient evidence and contradictory testimony. Four Muslims were found guilty of lesser crimes; one received 10 years for possession of an illegal weapon; two were given one-year terms and one a two-year term for burning a truck. Between Dec. 31, 1999 and Jan. 2, 2000, 21 Christians were killed and 260 of their homes and businesses destroyed or looted in El-Kosheh and surrounding villages. The only Muslim killed in the incident was shot accidentally by another Muslim. The judge blamed three Coptic Christian clergy for not stopping the violence and urged church authorities to discipline them. The El-Kosheh massacre was Egypt’s worst clash in 20 years between the country’s predominantly Muslim citizens and Coptic Christians, who make up at least 10% of the population. It was preceded by a controversial murder investigation in the same village 16 months earlier, when police were accused of mistreating and torturing 1000 Coptic villagers to force confessions implicating a Christian as the culprit. – Compass Direct
A survey conducted by Leadership magazine found that 89% of pastors have access to the Internet. Of these, 6% said they visited a pornographic Web site a couple of times a month or more, 21% a few times a year, 9% once in the past year and 7% not for over a year; 57% said they had never visited such a site. While the percentage of pastors who have visited a pornographic site is similar to the percentage of the general population who have done so, pastors visit such sites less frequently. Fifty-one percent of pastors said Internet pornography is a possible temptation for them, and 37% admitted it is a current struggle. Pastors who struggle with Internet pornography are more likely to have preached on the dangers of the Internet. Only a quarter of pastors use filters on their family computers. Seventy-five percent do not make themselves accountable to anyone for their Internet use; of the 25% who do, two-thirds rely on their spouses, and the remainder seek help from a fellow pastor, staff member or accountability partner. The survey is based on the responses from 564 pastors who subscribe to Leadership and Christianity Today. A total of 1000 questionnaires were mailed out. – Leadership
MCC news photo by Bruce Hildebrand |
Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace is a Web site offering information on peace, including articles, a list of upcoming events and a who’s who of peace organizations. Robert Stewart created the site (www.peace.ca) in 1998 and has established an annual Canadian Peace Award presented in a number of categories for Canadian achievements in building a culture of peace and non-violence. Mennonite Central Committee was the recipient of the 2000 Canadian Peace Award in the civil society category. – MCC
The median salary of senior pastors in Protestant churches in the US in 2001 is $38,214 US, up 9% from last year, according to a study by Barna Research Group. The median church budget rose from $110,000 a year ago to $115,000 in 2001, an increase larger than the rise in the cost of living. The median number of adults attending Protestant churches in the US is 90, the same as last year. – Barna Research Group
The remains of atheist leader Madalyn Murray O’Hair and two family members may have been found. An FBI Team unearthed three skulls and a metal artificial hip Jan. 28 at a ranch in Camp Wood, Tex. O’Hair, who disappeared at age 77, was best known for her successful court battles in the 1960s to ban government-sponsored prayer and Bible reading in US public schools. O’Hair disappeared in 1995 along with her son Jon Garth Murray and her adopted granddaughter Robin Murray O’Hair. Officials believe the O’Hairs were kidnapped, forced to withdraw money from various atheist organizations they controlled and then murdered. At the time of her disappearance, there was speculation that O’Hair had fled the country to avoid tax problems and was living in New Zealand. The remains and the ground around the discovery site were charred, indicating a fire. The metal hip may have belonged to O’Hair, who had a hip replacement operation several years before she disappeared. Investigators hope to confirm the identity of the victims through DNA tests, dental records and the serial number on the metal hip. One suspect in the murders, David Roland Waters, is already in custody. Bill Murray, O’Hair’s son, was a public school student in Baltimore in 1960, when his mother filed suit on his behalf, claiming the school’s religious activities violated his rights. He is now a born-again Christian and an evangelist. He chairs the Religious Freedom Coalition, which promotes abstinence, adoption and family values. – Evangelical Press News Service
A youth ministry conference was held Nov. 3-5 at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg. Keynote speaker Kenda Creasy Dean, assistant professor of youth, church and culture at Princeton Theological Seminary and co-author of The Godbearing Life: The Art of Soul Tending for Youth Ministry, emphasized spiritual growth and building relationships over traditional youth programs. About 160 pastors, youth leaders, mentoring coordinators, Sunday school teachers and students attended the conference. A variety of workshops were also conducted, including “Paying attention to God: Prayer in the youth group”, “Empowering youth in leadership”, Youth ministry in small congregations” and “What parents need to hear from youth leaders”. In four sessions, Dean encouraged leaders to be “God-bearers” instead of program directors; to put their ministry ahead of themselves; to involve youth in the entire mission of the church; and to help youth look at life through God’s eyes after having a mountain-top experience (such as at summer camp, on service assignments or at youth conventions). – Canadian Mennonite University
Bienenberg Theological Seminary in Switzerland now offers a Master of Arts degree in pastoral ministries through the University of Wales. Founded in 1950 as the European Mennonite Bible School, it is now the academic arm of Bienenberg Study and Conference Centre. Every year, over 200 students take courses offered in German or French. The master’s degree program is designed as a three-year, part-time program consisting of four three-week sessions of lectures and seminars followed by 12-15 weeks of private study and related church work. Students write a dissertation in their third year. Faculty members in the master’s program are Helmut Doerksen (pastoral counselling), Tim Geddert (New Testament),Waldemar Janzen (Old Testament), Hanspeter Jecker (church history), Alfred Neufeld (mission and culture), Arnold Neufeldt-Fast (systematic theology) and Bernhard Ott (practical theology). Bienenberg Theological Seminary also offers a three-year bachelor of theology degree (recognized by the European Evangelical Accrediting Association), a discipleship training school, and a church-seminar extension program. Currently, there are 27 students enrolled in the undergraduate program and 11 students in the master’s program. – Bienenberg Theological Seminary
A retired Mennonite pastor who officiated at a covenant ceremony Sept. 2 for a lesbian couple, has been reprimanded, but will be allowed to continue ministering. Loris Habegger, 82, of North Newton, Kan., was reprimanded in a letter sent Dec. 12 by the Western District Conference ministerial committee of Mennonite Church USA. While the committee acknowledged that there are differences within the Conference in how people interpret the issue of homosexuality in the Bible, and there are no clear guidelines for discipline in such cases. However, by officiating at the covenant ceremony, Habegger violated the proposed Mennonite Church USA membership guidelines, which forbid pastors to perform same-sex ceremonies. Habegger, who had a 40-year career in ministry, was commended for his years of service and for his openness in sharing with the committee throughout the process. The letter concluded, “We hold our pastoral calling and credentials in trust from God and the church. In all things we are called to build up the church, for the good of the whole body. Our prayer is that we may continue to strive toward that end.” – Mennonite Weekly Review
Pope John Paul II handed over a simple wooden cross symbolizing international World Youth Day to 47 Canadians at a ceremony Apr. 8 in Rome. Five Inuit drummers then led a procession of Canadian and Italian youth carrying the four-metre cross through the streets of Rome. The cross will be taken on a 16-month tour of Canada leading up to World Youth Day 2002, which will take place July 18-28, 2002 in Toronto, culminating in a speech by Pope John Paul II on July 28. Up to 500,000 youth from around the world are expected to attend. – World Youth Day
The rate of premature births (babies born before 37 weeks in the womb) in the US rose from 6.8% of all births in 1986 to 11% in 2000. One of the causes may be the widespread practice of abortion. A study conducted by Dr. E. Papiernik and Dr. G. Breart found that the risk of very premature birth (less than 33 weeks in the womb) increased by 86% for women who had previously had an abortion in their first trimester, and by 267% for women who had previously had a second trimester abortion. Premature babies have a higher risk of dying before age one and of developing physical and mental handicaps such as cerebral palsy. – RTV Bulletin
Canadians who attend religious services every week are 50% more likely than other Canadians to have a third child, according to Statistics Canada. – Faith Today
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Last modified June 4, 2001.
© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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