About this issue
Celebrating our seminary, and a new series
This issue, highlighting 50 years of seminary education for Mennonite Brethren in North America, is a joint one with the Christian Leader, our counterpart in the U.S. It has been a pleasure to put it together with Leader editor Connie Faber. We appreciate too the work of president/professor emeritus Elmer Martens in providing an informal and informative walk through MBBS history, of current professor Jon Isaak in articulating a rationale for the Seminary’s role in the MB church, and of those recent and past alumni who shared their experiences. In addition, MBBS’s own “In Touch” newsletter is an insert in this issue.
I was reminded, by Jon Isaak’s presence in this issue, of the years early in our marriage when my husband and I were volunteer youth leaders at McIvor Ave. MB Church, Winnipeg. I wasn’t particularly thinking of our involvement, however, but rather of those young people, Jon and his wife Mary Anne among them, and three others who are now my Canadian conference co-workers, and many others too who are contributing to society and church in good ways. How typically teenage they all were and yet how remarkable, even then. I think too of the generation after them – our own children’s, that is – and how they actually grew up, got educated, and have begun to step into places of service and leadership.
It’s surely the same story in every congregation. We do our best with the kids in our midst, cajoling or pushing or praying them into the Kingdom (or just praying when they won’t be persuaded), and in God’s remarkable mercy, they get through their teens and many of them get on board with the church. It’s amazing!
Then, with a sigh of hope and relief, we send them to schools like our seminary or Bible colleges or other training institutions. There, they get loved and chiselled at and equipped some more, and eventually they come back, to help us, to lead us. Church and school form a circle of hand-in-hand effort and God’s grace. We wish all of our schools God’s strength and blessing for their task this year.
Fittingly, in this year of celebration, two MBBS professors have contributed the Herald Bible study features. Last winter, New Testament scholar Tim Geddert wrote on Luke. In this issue, Pierre Gilbert, associate professor of MBBS at Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, begins a six-part series on Isaiah. He will explore the provocatively-named theme, “the violence of God,” in that great prophetic book. Gilbert earned his PhD from Universite de Montreal. He and Monika have three children, and attend Fort Garry MB Church. We trust you’ll enjoy reading his “argument” through all six parts. | 
