Manitoba convention focuses on poverty issues

Seminar seeks common ground with poor

Harry Lehotsky

The Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba met at McIvor MB Church, Winnipeg, for their annual convention Feb. 27–28. The subject of poverty was particularly explored in a pre-convention seminar on Friday, at which Harry Lehotsky, a Baptist minister who lives in Winnipeg’s inner city and works with the poor, spoke first. He founded New Life Ministries as well as Lazarus Housing, which provide housing for the poor. The buildings, which often need major renovations at the time of purchase, act as symbols of what is wrong in the community, Lehotsky said, but also of the transformation that can take place in the lives of the people among whom he lives and works.

Lehotsky outlined five “dangerous perspectives on poverty”: romanticizing, idealizing, politicizing, utilizing, and ignoring or resenting the poor. People tend to blame the poor for their condition, without acknowledging the causes of oppression and calamity. He challenged Christians to go beyond acts of charity. Christians need to live in the same neighbourhoods as the poor, he said, to effectively work toward community development.

Nathan Rieger

Second speaker Nathan Rieger spoke on “the gospel and the poor.” Growing up in Winnipeg, he said, “I didn’t know the third world was less than two miles from my house.” Our society, he said, has an “architecture of separation.” Using five stories from Mark 2–3, Rieger showed how Jesus refused to live this architecture of separation. Rieger challenged his listeners to work toward common space with the poor. Common ground with the poor can be created by connecting our middle-class addictions with the addictions of the poor, recognizing that the same basic needs lie behind both. He challenged his audience to see the poor apart from the cultural symbols of poverty, and to see in them the face of Christ. Rieger also noted that Jesus got personal with the poor; He entered into dialogue with them.

Fred Stoesz

Fred Stoesz, long-time urban minister with World Impact and church planter in Kansas, spoke on “doing the work of God in our towns and cities.” Stoesz compared the church to a football team that gathers for a huddle and then goes back to the bench to talk about it. He asked, “How do we take the things we’ve heard and begin to put them into action?” Stoesz encouraged prayer-walking in neighbourhoods. From the story of the Good Samaritan, he derived three ways to give sacrificially – things, time and touch. “Ministry,” Stoesz said, “is ultimately about life touching life.”

Each speaker was well received and lively “table-talk” discussions followed. It was recognized that Mennonite Brethren tend to focus more on evangelism than on social justice. One issue raised was involvement at the corporate level. Some felt it is too easy to simply “ask the Conference to do the things we are not quite willing to do.” Others saw the role of the Conference in terms of passing on information and empowering churches and individuals. Two people reminded the audience with regret, that the Manitoba MB Conference had once been doing ministry connected to the inner city, but had left that behind. “We’ll have to trust the Spirit to stimulate a new thing,” Ken Neufeld said. John Bergen summed up the seminars: “I have learned today that I need to change.”

—Fiona Kamphuis

Manitoba continues funding options

Although the decisions made at the Manitoba MB Conference convention were far-reaching, discussion was not very animated.

Assistant moderator Barry Dyck

The Saturday morning business session began around tables, after presentations by moderator Don Petker and Conference administrator Dan Block regarding the “Ownership, Decision-making & Mission Agencies” document.

This harked back to a decision made at last year’s convention which was to be brought to final decision at this year’s convention. The recommendation deals with the mission agencies of the Conference, and how they can continue to do their ministry with minimum financial support and guidance from the Conference, but still allowing the Conference to maintain ownership.

The three agencies affected are Family Life Network, Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute and Canadian Mennonite University. Together their budgets are close to $15 million. Of that, the Conference funds approximately 4%.

The Ownership, Decision-making and Mission Agencies document spelled out a commitment to ownership, and defined the nature of ownership through responsibility factors which would need agreement by both the agency and the Conference. These would include the agency’s mission statement, strategic operating principles, board members, bylaws of governance, CEO and partnerships. The Conference, in turn, would commit to affirmation and encouragement of approved mission initiatives and financial support on an ongoing but programmed basis. The agency would present to the Conference shifts related to the responsibility factors to the Conference; report regularly on its programming; seek approval of budgets and capital development; and, develop, as appropriate, a broad governance base outside the Conference.

In addition, there was discussion about the Conference Support Fund. Delegates at a previous convention had decided that of the $181 designated for Conference support, $90 would go to the budgets of Missions and Church Extension, the Conference minister and to the administration of the Conference. The other $91 would be allocated to the support of the above mentioned mission agencies. Congregations could distribute this among the agencies as they wished. This will come into effect in 2005.

The discussion included questions about a possible shortfall and why the Conference should be able to control what these agencies do when they are given only minimal financial support. In the end, the recommendation passed.

In his moderator’s report, Don Petker stated that the former Concord College building and grounds had been sold; that the Manitoba MB Conference office would be relocated to the proposed Canadian MB Conference building; that MBCI is involved in a lawsuit which hopefully will be resolved shortly; and that the Evangelical Anabaptist Seminary program has a one-year certificate program in place.

He also referred to the Leadership and Gender issue that was voted on at last year’s convention, stating that Canadian Conference Board of Faith and Life would be conducting provincial study conferences on the issue. Manitoba’s will be Oct. 30.

Later in the discussion a delegate challenged the executive to push the BFL to provide leadership on this issue, saying, “Women just want to be faithful to their calling,” and to consult with women who are currently in ministry.

Growth and decline

Three new Winnipeg churches were introduced: FaithWorks, with Cal Bergen and Mary Reimer as church planters; Christian Family Centre, Elton De Silva, pastor; and L’Eglise Communautaire de la Riviere Rouge with Mario Buscio and Sonia Blanchette giving leadership.

Another good news story is the restart of a church in Carman. The previous church closed last spring. This January (see MBH, Feb. 6) a new church, Friends Community Church, was begun with Dale and Marge Warkentin leading.

On the other side is Christian Centre Fellowship in Snow Lake, which is declining due to the downswing in the mining industry.

Business

One issue the Conference has been working on for a number of years is the Safe Place Policy for Childrens Ministry. It is designed to make sure the church “is a safe place for all who attend our ministries,” not just to meet insurance policy requirements. The policy continues to be tweaked and adjusted. Leroy Unrau, chair of the Personnel Committee, stated that putting together such a policy takes much time and effort and is “a good example of what the Conference can do for churches.”

Finances

Irwin Wiebe, chair of the Board of Management, reported that even with more than 90% of the budgeted conference support received (up from 84.7% in 2002) there was a shortfall of $57,000 of revenue over expenses. Unexpected costs included the closure of Carman Gospel Light Church and a course correction in the payment of the payroll tax. He also stated that the beneficial ownership of the Concord College property has been sold and the assets applied to the Concord/CMU renovation loan.

A budget of $1.094 million was approved, with $181 per member for the Conference Support fund.

Other decisions that were made:

• Approval of a revised constitution
• Approval of a sabbatical study guideline
• Approval of a CMU mission statement

Workshops

Workshops highlighting the various agencies of the Conference were held after lunch. Highlights from these include:

MBCI:

• half the students are on the honour roll
• a middle school is being projected
• expansion building plans are being developed, particularly using the former Concord College property

Family Life Network highlighted three new initiatives:

• Connecting Points for Kids – an intergenerational opportunity to talk about spiritual values
• “V2live” – music assemblies in inner city high schools and First Nations reserves, focussing on the social issues of drugs and gangs, eating disorders and low self-esteem
• Media training – a program which cooperates with MBCI to provide training to students

Canadian Mennonite University

CMU is now one of the largest Mennonite educational institutions in North America, with some 1700 students.

Staffing needs – CMU is looking for a vice-president, academics. Administration is seeking to fill positions with a balance from MC Canada and the Mennonite Brethren Conference.

Several possible new study programs include music therapy, business and some social programs plus a graduate program in conflict resolution.

The $150,000 from the Manitoba MB Conference covers the costs of the Outatown program. CMU president Gerald Gerbrandt expressed appreciation for the financial support but is concerned about the new budgeting process for the Manitoba Conference.

Evangelical Anabaptist Seminary Program

“An organization lives or dies by the leaders it has,” said Pierre Gilbert, Academic Dean and coordinator of the Evangelical Anabaptist Seminary Program. The Manitoba Conference is a partner with four other Mennonite denominations and four denominational schools in developing a local seminary program with “strong evangelical and Anabaptist values.” MB Biblical Seminary is taking the initiative in its development.

The initial phase – a one-year certificate – has gone well, Gilbert said, and further stages are on track. New MBBS president Jim Holm also participated in the workshop. He was later introduced to the larger delegation, and prayed for in his role. His formal inauguration will be April 25.

Missions and Church Extension (MCE)

Director Ray Klassen interviewed two members of the Chinese MB Church, a bilingual (Cantonese and Mandarin) church that attracts adults and university students and also has a strong ministry to children in the area of the church.

Klassen also used the interview format to acquaint workshops delegates with several MCE churches. Leaders shared outreach efforts, challenges, and the stories of people touched by their churches.

Several churches in Manitoba are considering the parent/daughter model of church planting, a move that MCE strongly supports.

The business session was closed with an invitation from Elm Creek MB Church for next year’s convention.

—Susan Brandt

Worship service inspires The highlight of the Manitoba convention for many delegates was the opening worship service Friday evening, Feb. 27. For those who had attended that day’s seminar on poverty, it was a climax to what they had already been hearing. For those who had not, it was a moving introduction to the convention theme: “My Name is Daleestedees.” Welcoming new churches The strange word “Daleestedees” was explained in a monologue performed by Dan De Bruijn. It told of a young man, newly arrived in Chicago to study, who encountered a “street person” in a rough neighbourhood. The man greeted him, but fearing trouble, the student kept his head down and walked on without answering. The man called after him, “I’m Daleestedees.” It was an odd name, the student thought; it sounded Greek. He thought about him at various times through the day. The next day he encountered the man again, and this time, unable to avoid him, spoke to him, using the odd, Greek-sounding name. The man laughed and said his name was Albert. What he had said the day before was part of a Bible verse, “What you do to da leasta deez my brethren, you do to me” (Matthew 25:40). Nathan Rieger, a minister at the Winnipeg Centre Vineyard Church, gave the keynote address. The message from the poor is often crude, he said, no more than “can you spare a loonie.” But beneath the surface, he said, their cry is “you’ve gone ahead of us; won’t you turn around and come back to us?” Rieger wove together the beatitudes, the biblical story of Bartimaeus, his boyhood memories of nearly losing sight of the boys ahead of him on a hike, and stories from the streets of Winnipeg where Rieger’s church is located. “I hope you hear the cry of the poor and Jesus through them,” he concluded, “be with me; be with me.” Three new Winnipeg congregations were welcomed into the Manitoba Conference: FaithWorks in River Heights; Eglise Communautaire de la Riviere Rouge, St. Boniface; and the Christian Family Center, Elmwood. The leaders and people of these congregations massed at the front of the church for prayers of blessing upon them. Conference minister Herb and Doris Kopp, and Mario Buscio and Sonia Blanchette, leaders of the Eglise Communautaire de la Riviere Rouge, led the communion celebration in English and French. Celebration and inspiration also figured in the business sessions of the convention on Saturday. Alfred Neufeld, dean of Facultad de Teología de la Universidad Evangélica del Paraguay, brought greetings and told of “exciting and difficult” challenges for the MB church in Paraguay. Gerry Hildebrand of MB Mission and Service International reminded delegates that 80 percent of MBs globally live outside North America and introduced Dave Sinclair-Peters, who shared his family’s experience with Team 2000 in Thailand. Fred Stoesz, an MB minister who has planted churches in Los Angeles and Kansas and is now in Winnipeg with World Impact, gave two meditations. In the first he issued a call to model Jesus’ incarnational approach, as described in Philippians 2. In the second, Stoesz drew lessons from the story of Zacchaeus. What the delegation heard over the weekend “begs for a response,” he said. An opportunity to respond immediately was offered at the end of the convention. Delegates were invited to take one of the lunch table centrepieces – bags of water bottles, beans, or macaroni and cheese – and personally deliver them to someone in need. —Dora Dueck