People & events

Men involved in abortion may also need counselling help. Although research on abortion’s effects on men is largely anecdotal, a 1984 study by Arthur B. Shostak of 1000 men in abortion waiting rooms found that 75% had a hard time with their partner’s abortion. Warren L. Williams, founder of Fathers & Brothers Ministries International in Boulder, Col., has counselled many post-abortive men and written an 8-step Bible study for them called Fatherhood Lost.

—Christianity Today

Upbeat reporting characterized the MCC Saskatchewan annual meeting at Laird Mennonite Church Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Ten Thousand Villages now has 4 stores in the province, including new stores in Regina and Saskatoon. Redevelopment of the Saskatoon office, a controversial subject earlier, has been cost-effective and reflected the vision of Saskatchewan delegates to become “a stronger, more effective witness” in the community. Speakers included Mennonite Central Committee director Ron Mathies and Middle East directors Rick and Jan Janzen.

—Canadian Mennonite

Are you a TCK? A TCK, or third culture kid, is a person who has spent much of their developmental years in a culture that is not their parents’ culture and feels a part of all of the cultures, “while not having full ownership in any.” The designation comes from David C. Pollock, who is director of Interaction, a resource for kids of internationally mobile families such as missionaries. For more information visit Interaction, Inc..

—Missionary Messenger

Ricardo Esquivia, church leader and peace activist in Colombia, appears to be under threat from Colombian authorities on falsified grounds that he is a member of a guerilla group. He is national coordinator of the Commission for Restoration, Life and Peace, of the Evangelical Council of Churches of Colombia (CEDECOL). The Colombian Mennonite Church is appealing to North Americans to write government officials asking for Esquivia’s safety and right to non-violently work for peace.

—Mennonite World Conference

Bruce Wilkinson, author of the bestseller The Prayer of Jabez and founder of Walk Thru the Bible, has relocated to Johannesburg, South Africa to focus on “spiritual and social renewal around biblical teaching” on that continent. AIDS orphans are a focal point of his new organization, Global Vision Resources. He says the HIV/AIDS pandemic is the worst catastrophe to befall the human race since the biblical Flood.

—Christianity Today

Bluffton, Ohio is the best town in America, according to journalist Joe Schriner, author of America’s Best Town: Bluffton, Ohio 45817 and the Mennonite community there “adds tremendously” to its quality of life. The book frequently refers to Bluffton College, which not only teaches about peace and social justice but requires cross-cultural experience of its students, and First Mennonite Church, with its mental-health ministries and projects like building high-quality but inexpensive wooden caskets.

—Mennonite Weekly Review

The annual meeting of MCC BC in South Langley MB Church Nov. 1, 2003, featured Gladys Oyat from Uganda who shared about the theme “Around God’s Table.” Although life is difficult in Uganda, Oyat praised MCC for participating with the church to bring hope. Others told stories of the work of Mennonite Central Committee in Nicaragua and Jamaica. Business included the official separation of MCC Social Housing Society from MCC BC.

—MCC BC

MCC Housing in B.C. celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2004 and will change its name to More Than a Roof (MTR) Mennonite Social Housing Society. MTR has grown to management of over $20 million in assets, more than Mennonite Central Committee BC can be responsible for, so traditional ties with MCC BC have been concluded and a separate constitution written.

—MTR release

Canon Michael Patterson is the first director of evangelism in a Canadian Anglican diocese. The new position is in the diocese of Niagara, Ontario. Acknowledging that few Anglicans embrace “aggressive proselytizing,” Patterson recently hosted an information session called “Day on Evangelism for Frightened Anglicans.” Evangelism, he emphasizes, means “good news.”

—Anglican Journal

Some two-thirds of American teenagers closely agree with their parents’ religious beliefs, according to a research project of the National Study of Youth and Religion (NYSR). The study refutes the “storm and stress” stereotype of youth. It also found that black youth feel more positive about religion than whites or other races, girls were more likely than boys to “desire more social influence for churches,” and Baptist and Mormon youth appeared “least alienated from organized religion.”

—Evangelical Press News

The top selling non-fiction book of 2003 was Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life (Zondervan, HarperCollins), with more than 11.5 million copies sold. It held the number-one spot on the The New York Times’ bestseller list 7 times in 13 months. Some 11,000 churches in North America joined The 40 Days of Purpose campaign, based on the book’s 40 chapters.

—Globe and Mail

Burgers and Bible verses: responding to complaints about religious overtones at their restaurant, Reuben and Donna Drebenstedt, Jewish Messianic Christians who own an A&W franchise in Colorado, say they have First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, including posting Scriptures on their outdoor sign and leaflets and plaques that identify them as Jewish Christians. The Anti-Defamation League claims Messianic Jewish Christians’ real goal is “to convert Jews to Christianity.”

—Evangelical Press News

A South-Korean Presbyterian Church has announced plans to donate some $830,000 worth of construction material to build a church in North Korea, where the communist government closely watches religious activity. Although still waiting for North Korea’s approval, they see it as an opportunity to renew national unity between the North and the South. They hope to begin construction next March.

—Evangelical Press News

A new history of MCC Ontario, The Transforming Power of a Century by Lucille Marr, was launched at the organization’s annual meeting in Markham, Ont. Nov. 14–15. Provincial executive director Arli Klassen said the year’s highlight was “so many volunteers who care.” Among the reports were thanks from Chief Theresa Hall of James Bay for MCC’s work there. Material aid contributions more than doubled the previous year’s.

—Canadian Mennonite

Muslims in Cairo are responding to Christians who display the fish symbol on their cars with bumper stickers of “fish-hungry sharks.” Although relations are generally calm between Egypt’s majority Muslim population and Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 percent, the competing symbols are a small reminder of tensions between the groups.

—Evangelical Press News

Pornography business transformed: Michael Braithwaite of Putney, Kentucky burned his $10,000 inventory of pornographic materials and opened a Christian bookstore instead when he converted to Christianity. Despite his conversion, business has been slow, as many seem reluctant to trust the authenticity of his conversion. Braithwaite says he is trusting God to meet his needs.

—Evangelical Press News