Farewell

I am leaving the Conference; no, not the institution, but the office. I have been involved in Conference-related work for most of my adult life – as secretary for the Christian Education department when it was first formed in the early 1960s; as a high school teacher in a Mennonite high school in California; as a secretary in an MB church in B.C., as an administrative assistant in the evangelism department of the U.S. MB Conference; on staff at Bethany College; as administrative assistant in Manitoba Missions and Church Extension; and then for more than 20 years in the Canadian MB Conference offices in Winnipeg in the Christian Education, Evangelism, Conference Minister, Kindred Press and MB Herald offices.

It’s been a great ride – most of the time. I have seen the MB Conference restructure itself in order to minister more effectively, and then have seen the process repeated a few years later when new insight was gained.

I have seen expansion – of offices (moves to two new offices) and of staff (when I came in 1964 there were just over a dozen persons, now there are three times as many). I have seen growth in the number of churches and the number of members (from about 23,000 in 1964 to about 33,000 now).

I have seen joy in the faces of colleagues as they have served the Lord; I have seen hurts, disappointments, and good, as well as poor human resources management; I have been at the graveside of a number of wonderful conference leaders and staff.

I have seen staff people come and go and learned to know many dedicated people in the process. I have been challenged in my walk with the Lord by many of them. There have been fun times; there have been tears, but always there has been the conviction that the grace of God is sustaining me.

What have I learned in these 20-plus years?

• Just because one works in a Christian, church-related office, not everything goes smoothly.
• One needs to be reminded frequently that what we are doing is Kingdom work, even though it may be mundane.
• It is delightfully refreshing to find that the work we do is being used by God to encourage people and help them along in their walk with the Lord.

What has annoyed me over the years?

• Members of the MB Conference calling up and asking, “How often does your magazine come out?” Remember, it’s our magazine.
• Receiving invoices addressed to Manitoba Herald, when I have asked them to be sent to MB Herald (MB is the mailing abbreviation for Manitoba).
• Constituents who ask to have their names removed from the mailing list because they want to “save the conference money.” Yes, there is a few cents savings, but they are also losing out on the value of being connected to the rest of the conference. It’s a small price to pay even though not everyone at that home reads everything in the Herald every time.

What would I want to see for the future?

• A moratorium on restructuring so that the work of the conference can get done.
• Local churches realizing the value of conference, supporting the work done together and encouraging their members to be supportive and involved as well.
• Pastors and conference staff leading by example in following the Confession of Faith and the polity of the church. (eg. encouraging women to take leadership positions in both the local church and as conference staff, or teaching the meaning of true discipleship).

Now comes retirement. Retirement is a scary thought. It conjures up ideas of aging, of no longer being of much use. I don’t want to think of the next phase of my life with that mindset. I want to go on being productive, and serving where I have opportunity.

Many people have asked, “So, what’s next?” At this point, I have no firm plans except to spend more time with family. We hope to find other areas of ministry to become involved in, as time and health allow.

Conclusion

My husband and I have been impressed with Inukshuks ever since we first saw them in the Canadian Shield area of Manitoba and Ontario some years ago. When we inquired what they were, we were told they were a means of communication – where the next cache of food could be found, which way to go for safety, and so on. My husband has started collecting rocks during our travels and builds them into Inukshuks when we get home.

So, even though I don’t know what lies ahead, I know the Inukshuks of God will be there, pointing in the next (and right) direction.

Thank you for giving me the privilege of serving, and for the many encouragements that have come along the way. I wish the new editor and continuing Herald staff much joy as together they continue to minister to the members of our constituency.