Pastors’ Orientation fosters community

The ice was still on the lake, but the warmth of spring was in the air April 6–9 at Camp Crossroads near Torrance, Ont., the site of this year’s Pastors’ Orientation. The 30-some people who gathered at the Ontario MB Conference camp soon also felt the warmth of family connection, as they learned about the ministries, history and confessional values of the Mennonite Brethren denomination.

Ralph Gliege, Saskatchewan MB conference minister (left), with two young Saskatchewan pastors, Mark Trew (middle) and Justin Klassen.

“I found people I identify with,” said one participant.

Another, who had come into the MB church “by convenience,” said what he has discovered so far is that “MBs know how to do community.”

Each morning of the retreat began with an hour of devotions, using a life journalling approach introduced by Ewald Unruh, director of evangelism for the Canadian MB Conference. In this method, up to four chapters from different parts of the Bible (organized to cover the Bible in a year) are read, then reflected on in four steps (SOAP: a Scripture, an observation, an application, a prayer). After people had done this individually, they shared their findings in groups.

Other highlights of the event were the overview of history presented by MB Biblical Seminary professor Bruce Guenther and the introduction to the Confession of Faith by Manitoba conference minister Herb Kopp.

“People come here with apprehension,” Guenther said, “that it will be the Menno Simons inoculation shot.” Guenther soon disarmed his audience, however, by his personal enthusiasm for a denomination he joined by choice and his engaging narrative of a dramatic story that spans 500 years.

Miriam and Scott Tollhurst of South Abbotsford MB Church, with Brian Wiens of Parliament Community Church, Regina, Sask.

Kopp described the process of writing the Confession, in which he participated. The Confession, he said, is “a summary statement of what we believe about the topic,” descriptive rather than prescriptive.

“Our Confession has a bias,” he continued. “We are unabashedly Christological.”

Kopp explained that in biblical theology, “every text is legitimate and stands as the Word of God.” He encouraged the pastors to let the “tensions” between texts stand, and to preach all the texts of the Bible.

Various ministry leaders of the Canadian Conference and MB Mission and Service International led the group through the conference vision, and its ministries in the areas of church health, leadership development, reaching out, and finances.

Although disappointed at the relatively low attendance, event organizer David Wiebe, executive director of the Canadian conference, noted the “strong” atmosphere of the event. Participants became acquainted with the denomination’s story, ethos and programs, but more than that, he said, “we got to actually express ourselves in community together.”

—Dora Dueck