Letters to the editor

Mennonite Brethren Herald welcomes your letters on issues relevant to the Mennonite Brethren Church, especially in response to material published in the Herald. Please keep your letters courteous, brief and about one subject only. We will edit letters for length and clarity. We will not publish letters sent anonymously, although we may withhold names from publication at the request of the letter writer and at our discretion. Publication is also subject to space limitations. Because the Letters column is a free forum for discussion, it should be understood that letters represent the position of the letter writer, not necessarily the position of the Herald or the Mennonite Brethren Church. Send letters to: Letters, MB Herald 1310 Taylor Ave. Winnipeg, Man.  R3M 3Z6 or send via e-mail. (Please ensure that your postal address is included in your e-mail correspondence.)

Why send kits?

As someone who has travelled a bit, I have in years past visited several of the places that were hit by the tsunami. After all the media attention to the need for money and not direct aid like blankets, clothing and toothbrushes, I was quite surprised when I saw on the Web that Mennonite Central Committee now is doing precisely what I was led to believe they would not do – send relief kits. Why?

During my travels to that part of the world I found already a few years ago that virtually every product imaginable is made there. While I know villagers along the shore have lost everything, and I certainly think we should help them financially, I fail to understand why we as Mennonites are being asked to make relief kits in Canada with products made in those very same countries – sometimes within miles of the devastation areas – and then use our donated money to ship those products right back. Does it not make more sense to buy the materials locally and save the shipping costs?

I hope the directors of MCC will reconsider.

Jacob Dyck,
Winnipeg, Man.

Response from MCC:

The very questions this writer asks were thoroughly considered. In this case, the Mennonite churches of Indonesia requested MCC to provide relief kits as a reflection of solidarity among Mennonite churches in Indonesia, North America and Europe. The Indonesian Mennonite churches were invited to put together the entire shipment of 22,000 relief kits using funds from MCC to purchase the items locally. In response they indicated that they would be able to produce only 2,000 and invited the North American and European Mennonites to “join hands together to relieve the suffering” and to complete the shipment. Free shipping has been provided for the kits from Canada. The great majority of funds donated to MCC for the Asia Earthquake Fund has been, and will be, spent in the affected countries.

Don Peters,
Executive Director, MCC Canada

More great MBs

Re. “Eight great Mennonite Brethren” (Dec. 17). I heartily approve of your list as a sampling. I considered A.H. Unruh the finest teacher and preacher I knew at the MB Bible College, and he became a personal friend when H.F. Klassen asked me to be founding editor of the Mennonite Observer. I served with C.A. DeFehr on the church council of Elmwood MB Church and he was chairman of the board of Christian Press when the decision was made to found the Mennonite Observer. He had the grace to interview me on why I was leaving the Press, and saw to it that some of the improvements I suggested were implemented.

I would personally add G. W. Peters, who founded the Western Children’s Mission while teaching at Hepburn Bible School, founded what is now Fresno Pacific University, helped start the MB Biblical Seminary, and then became head of the missions department at Dallas Theological Seminary. Also J. B.Toews, president of the Seminary for years, but always a marvellous supporter of missions and church development.

Finally, I think I ought to add David Ewert, who challenged us as students of Greek, Isaiah and books of the New Testament, went on to Eastern Mennonite Seminary, then MB Biblical Seminary, and returned to MB Bible College. I knew him not only as a demanding teacher but also as a neighbour for two years.

I notice you do not have a single pastor, and the MBs have had a few really great ones. And travelling evangelists, like N.N. Hiebert and C.N. Hiebert. I think it was N.N. who was responsible for evangelizing the Mennonite immigrants in Manitoba in the late 1800s out of Mountain Lake, Minn. and was responsible, as I remember it, for the first MB Church in Manitoba. We should not forget the home missionaries.

Les Stobbe,
Tryon, N.C.

Culture or religion?

Shortly before Christmas a friend and I walked into the Ten Thousand Villages shop in Niagara on the Lake, Ont. It was interesting to see handicrafts from all around the world. Ten Thousand Villages is providing needed income for hard working families in many poor, developing countries around the world and deserves our help and support. In my 11 years as a missionary with Operation Mobilization I’ve seen a lot of poverty and suffering and I’m glad this ministry helps so many people.

On the other hand, I was shocked to see the carving of a Buddha head. Many shoppers might think this is just a nice carving of an Asian face but after living in India and Thailand I know it is a Buddha head.

Part of the Ten Thousand Villages mission statement is to “offer handicrafts that reflect and reinforce rich cultural traditions.” I think a Buddha is not just a “cultural tradition” but a religious one. There should be a difference between Ten Thousand Villages stores and the new age store down at the mall, not only in their profit margin but in what they choose to sell.

I wrote to the head office of Ten Thousand Villages. I appreciate that the executive director, Marvin Frey, took time to respond to my letters. He said, “It is a real challenge to determine what affirms culture and is compatible with Christian values and which are not compatible with our values. For this reason, we need to depend very much on our overseas partners to make these decisions as they are much closer to the local cultural and religious context.”

I have seen the local cultures and religions and know Buddhists, Hindus and new-age practitioners who have come to faith in Christ. They do not keep their Buddha statues, idols, paintings, etc. They come from that background and know these things are not compatible with Christianity. It would be interesting to know what our Indian, Korean and Chinese members think.

Janice Voth,
St. Catharines, Ont.