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.)

Focus on God in worship

My mother recently sent me a copy of Christopher Alsruhe’s letter (Letters, Feb. 4) in which he explains why, after due consideration, he could not join the Mennonite church.

His reasons resonated with me, though in my case they explain why I left the Mennonite Brethren Church. He hit the nail on the head when he wrote, “People in many denominations are fleeing to Anglican or Anglican-type services because they are discerning that we are leaving God out of our worship . . .” That is also the reason I left my MB church of 20+ years to become an Anglican. I simply got tired of an amorphous, every-Sunday-is-different-service that was more about meeting the needs of those in attendance than it was about focussing on God as the priority of our worship.

I come from a line that traces its association with the Mennonite Church to 1702. Several branches on my family tree show the name of prominent Mennonite Brethren. I sometimes wonder if they would approve of my decision to leave their church. I suspect they would, for the church I left bears little or no resemblance to the one in which they laboured so faithfully and diligently.

Robert J. Peters,
Delta, B.C.

Tithing needs to be taught

Truth be told, I’m a little disappointed in the last MB Herald (Feb. 25). Tithing was not once mentioned in an entire issue devoted to the topic of money. The closest link is Alf Huebert’s explanation of the 10–10–80 rule.

The Bible is chockfull of teaching about money and yet in today’s modern church we’re lucky if we get one sermon a year about financial stewardship and about a Christian’s financial obligations towards their church, their neighbours, and their God (i.e. tithing).

Are we so afraid of offending the people in the pews that we avoid teaching about tithing? Is tithing such a ”bad” word that we have to find other euphemistic and soft terms to describe Christian charitable giving?

While you’re pondering that, consider that approximately one-third (80 out of 250) of MB churches are stiffing the national conference over the conference fees (see Editorial) which provide things like the issue of the Herald you are reading right now.

Kind of embarrassing, isn’t it. Maybe some teaching on tithing is just what the doctor ordered.

Derek van Nes,
Winnipeg, MB

Articles impressive

Several articles in the “Talking about money” issue (Feb. 25) impressed me. Alf Huebert’s article and sidebars on stewardship were lucid, concise, specific and excellent. One increasingly relevant issue he did not address, likely deliberately, was stewardship in funeral arrangements. I encourage you to have someone address the theological, financial and social issues involved.

Clarence Rempel’s emphasis on the concept of “enough” was worth reading more than once. I appreciate the choice of material from other (non-MB) sources. I find this helpful in maintaining perspective and balance. Finally, the excerpts from Wendelin Mann’s sermon, including the illustration, were also short and to the point. Wendelin occasionally preaches at a personal care home where Herman Lenzmann, a former pastor, teacher and conference leader resides. On such occasions Mr. Lenzmann has sometimes remarked to me, “That brother doesn’t thresh straw.”

Frank Penner,
Winnipeg, Man.

NYC04 What’s it all about?

I want you to know what the National Youth Conference at Toronto meant to my husband and me. We attended the first youth conferences held in Banff in the early 70s and that experience was not forgotten. It was a chance to meet youth from across Canada, hear inspiring speakers, and go skiing in the beautiful mountains of Alberta.

Fast forward 30 or so years to this past December.

After countless fundraisers, car washes, lunches after church, 31 youth and 6 sponsors from Newton (Man.) Community Fellowship Church flew to Toronto to attend NYC’04 (see photo). Spending three days in downtown Toronto was an exciting adventure for all of us. Living in rural Manitoba is a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the largest city in Canada. Our group chose to take part in the Urban Mission adventure, which was a two-day missions trip in downtown Toronto organized by the YMI Leadership team. We helped at soup kitchens, did prayer walks, did public acts of Christ, heard testimonies of recovering prostitutes and homeless people, and got a taste of what the street culture is all about. The experiences were amazing for all of us and helped to dispel some of the pre-conceived ideas we had about poverty and life on the streets. The evening sessions were fantastic with Starfield leading us in worship, TFK in concert, and Dave Overholt as the speaker who challenged us to make our faith real.

The lasting effect of this conference was felt this past month at our youth group. Not only do we have great memories and countless pictures, but since the conference two of our youth accepted Christ. That is worth it all! I believe that the conference had a great effect on their personal decision to follow Christ.

Thanks for having these conferences and we hope that they continue.

Vi Siemens,
Newton, Man.

Kudos to leadership

Thanks for the great magazine. We attend a Baptist church and the MB Herald has been our connection to roots, to heritage, to church activities, and to the way God is moving among “our” people. What I notice, especially since attending the Baptist church, is how interested “we MBers” are in what God is doing in churches right across Canada. I also notice the humility of our conference leadership who allow God to lead them through experiences, opinions and insights of the ordinary church attendee. This puts the responsibility of the health/growth of the church and conference into the hands of every believer who is willing to get involved and share their heart.

Rose Dueck,
Edmonton, Alta.

No compromises

Re Janice Voth’s letter about the head of Buddha in the Ten Thousand Villages shop (Letters, Feb. 25).

I suppose that item is now gracing someone’s fireplace mantle in an area home. The homeowners are congratulating themselves on their excellent find, while at the same time laughing at Janice and me for our narrow-minded views. As a people we have become very tolerant of any new influences; we accept everything.

I’m not familiar with any Christians who have come out of Buddhism, but I do know Christians in Nepal who left Hinduism. When they became believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, they made a complete break from their old way of life. They did not bring any mementos, statues or little Vishnus along with them. There were no compromises. Perhaps that was why many were beaten, imprisoned or even deported. I took up their cause in my heart and suffered along with them while I lived in Kathmandu. Persecution of Christians has eased in that country, but we hear of persecution in other places. We stand in solidarity with them, as the Apostle Paul did (1 Corinthians 8) and will have nothing to do with the gods and goddesses that entrapped them.

Martha Janzen,
Winnipeg, Man.

A mistake

There was a mistake in Les Stobbe’s letter (Feb. 25). It was Heinrich Voth, not N.N. Hiebert, who came to evangelize the Mennonite immigrants in Manitoba and was responsible for the first MB church in Manitoba. He was my grandfather.

Sara (Voth) Isaac,
Winnipeg, Man.