11:7,6 - The Mennonite

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IN BRIEF McLaren tells Mennonites to ‘stop being quiet’ Nine days after the shooting of Amish school children in Lancaster County, Pa., and the immediate forgiveness extended by the Amish, Christian author and speaker Brian McLaren told a Goshen (Ind.) College audience Oct. 11, “I don’t think anyone has ever done a better job of sharing the message of the gospel; the Amish’s behavior mystified the world.” In public lectures on the Goshen campus Oct. 11-12 and in classes and small group settings with students and local pastors, McLaren called Mennonites and Anabaptists to stop being the “quiet in the land” and share more loudly and broadly the distinctives that formed and shaped the faith since its beginnings 500 years ago: peacemaking, community and discipleship. “We so desperately need, as we move into this emerging culture, to learn to live a life of Christ instead of just going to church,” McLaren said. “You need to let your knowledge rub off on others.”—Goshen College Chuck Gehring NEWS DIGEST Intercultural relations director named NEWTON, Kan.—Iris de León-Hartshorn will become the new director of intercultural relations for Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership, effective Jan. 18, 2007. She has served as director for Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Peace and Justice Ministries for 10 years. Prior to that she was co-pastor for 10 years at Houston Iris de León-Hartshorn 6 TheMennonite November 7, 2006 (Texas) Mennonite Church, where she was ordained for ministry by Western District and South Central conferences. She also has worked as hospice and hospital chaplain and special events coordinator for Houston Habitat for Humanity. De León-Hartshorn will work from Lancaster, Pa., at least for the first several years and will be traveling throughout the church in her new role. She will begin her work by attending the Executive Board meeting in Meridian, Miss., in January 2007. She is married to Leo Hartshorn, minister of peace and justice for the Mission Network.—Mennonite Church USA Detweiler named acting MCC director AKRON, Pa.—Lowell Detweiler has been named acting executive director of Mennonite Central Committee in the wake of the Oct. 23 resignation of Robb Davis, MCC executive director since June 1, 2005. Detweiler is a longtime MCC staff member and former director of Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS). Baptism class reunion Seventeen members of a catechism class of 25 baptized in 1958 in Eden Mennonite Church, Moundridge, Kan., got together on Sept. 23 and shared stories of their spiritual pilgrimages. MCC executive committee approved Detweiler’s appointment during the weekend of Oct. 28. It is viewed as a short-term position while the committee seeks an interim executive director. The MCC executive committee has asked MCC staff to continue moving forward key initiatives Davis had begun work on, such as changes in the MCC governance structure, network facilitation, international program initiatives, a salary review and human resources initiatives. Detweiler and his wife, Ruth, began service with Lowell Detweiler MCC in 1959 as teachers in Newfoundland. With their two children, they served with MCC in Tanzania from 1968 to 71. Detweiler served as director of the MCC personnel department from 1971 to 82 and MCC East Coast from 1982 to 86. Currently he is interim director of the MCC human resources department.—Mennonite Central Committee EMU honors alumni for achievements, service HARRISONBURG, Va. - The Alumni Association of Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) honored two of its graduates Oct. 15 for their work in reflecting the school’s vision, mission and values. Catherine R. Mumaw, a 1954 EMU graduate and veteran educator from Corvallis, Ore., received EMU’s 2006 “alumna of the year” award, presented annually to a graduate who has been recognized for significant achievements in their profession, community or church. Claude Good of Lansdale, Pa., also a 1954 graduate, received the “distinguished service award,” which recognizes graduates who have demonstrated in notable ways the Christian service and peacemaking emphases of the university. Mumaw, a home economics graduate, returned to teach courses in that discipline at her alma mater, 1957-1974. She earned a master’s degree in 1958 and a doctorate in 1967 from Penn State University. She was professor and chair of the home economics department at Goshen (Ind.) College, 1974-1986, and served as associate professor in human development and family studies at Oregon State University, 1987-1995. Mumaw retired early from her work in Nepal. From 1995-99, through Mennonite Central Committee, she was an education adviser for Kathmandu University School of Education. There she and her colleagues worked to improve education especially in Nepal’s primary schools.
Living with HIV, singing to the Lord A choir of people living with HIV performs in churches in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ethiopia is home to one of the world’s largest HIV-positive populations, with up to 1 million people infected. The choir’s songs reflect the importance of their faith and how it feels to live with HIV and AIDS.—Mennonite Central Committee Good and his wife, Alice Longenecker Good, also a member of the class of 1954, lived among the Triqui Indians in Mexico for 25 years while translating the New Testament into their language. With intestinal worms a major medical problem among the children they served, Good looked for ways to treat malnutrition caused by roundworms that can devour 25 to 30 percent of the food eaten by a child each day. His investigations resulted in the “Worm Project” (www.fmc-online.org/wormproject), a medical treatment that, for about two cents a pill, can eradicate most parasitic worms in a child for up to six months.—Eastern Mennonite University Blogging as spiritual discipline HARRISONBURG, Va.—When East Coasters are sleeping, Will Fitzgerald is brewing morning devotionals. Fitzgerald, who blogs based on Third Way Café’s daily “Sip of Scripture” passages, is Third Way Café’s first known regular blogger and a computer scientist who commutes weekly between his Sarah Adams NEWS DIGEST home in Kalamazoo, Mich., and his job in California at a start up company called Powerset. Fitzgerald, 50, has been voluntarily writing a daily blog—or Web log—since January called “a simple desire,” offering commentary on the daily Bible verse chosen to reflect Anabaptist teachings and emphases. Third Way Café seeks to put a public face on Mennonites. Fitzgerald is a first-generation Mennonite whose blog grew out of his desire to see more writing on the Internet from a Mennonite perspective. “One way to see that happen is to write some of it myself, as someone who has, relatively late in life, come to identify the way I seek to follow Jesus as Mennonite,” he says.—Mennonite Mission Network COMB Management Team reviews progress NEWTON, Kan.—The Covenant Mutual Benefit Plan (COMB) Management Team recently met to review its experience thus far for 2006 and set rates for the 2007 fiscal year beginning Jan. 1. COMB provides health insurance, disability and life insurance for congregational employees for 10 participating area conferences within Mennonite Church USA. Mennonite Mutual Aid (MMA) representatives at the meeting reported the trend increase in the health industry for the past year is 15.5 percent. Because of COMB’s good past year and the financial strength COMB is experiencing, it will be able to offer a rate for 2007 considerably less than would otherwise have been required and less than the industry experience. COMB has also been able to bring its reserves up to the MMA recommended level. A survey of COMB participants conducted through MMA showed that overall, 74.4 percent reported being very satisfied or satisfied with the COMB plan, and 71.9 percent reported their congregation sees COMB as an expression of mutual aid. Further, 85.9 percent said they personally see COMB as an expression of mutual aid. A decision was made one year ago to secure Highmark, an affiliate of Blue Cross/Blue Shield, to handle COMB claims through its network of Preferred Provider Organizations. The COMB Management Team reports this decision has contributed to its positive claim experience this past year, which has resulted in an ability to offer a more competitive premium rate for next year. According to the survey, 70.8 percent of respondents report this to have been a positive change in the quality of service provided, and 76.6 percent reported not having noticed any difference in their health-care providers.—Mennonite Church USA —compiled by Gordon Houser IN BRIEF Europe volume of Global History Series released Testing Faith and Tradition, the history of European Mennonite churches, has been released as part of the Global Mennonite History Series. A project of Mennonite World Conference, this second volume in the series tells the story of Mennonite churches coming into being across Europe, endeavoring to remain faithful through nearly five centuries. Testing Faith and Tradition: Global Mennonite History Series, Europe is available in the United States from Good Books (GoodBooks.com), 800-762-7171. —Mennonite World Conference Fasting for peace For the past 24 years, Emmanuel Charles McCarthy, a 65-yearold Melkite priest, has fasted from July 1 to Aug. 9 (40 days) for the conversion of Christians to nonviolence. Christ’s rejection of violence is the clearest of New Testament teachings, he says, yet for most Christians “nonviolence is a nonthought.” He ends the fast on Aug. 9 to mark the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, the most Catholic city in Japan. —National Catholic Reporter November 7, 2006 TheMennonite 7
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Page 9 and 10: Photographer: Rjlerich | Dreamstime
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Page 15 and 16: use the Bible Indeed our minds have
Page 17 and 18: Anna Groff lace’ The First job: S
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Page 21 and 22: Larry Miller named new MMA presiden
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Page 25 and 26: Global mission fellowship meets aga
Page 27 and 28: RAD teams bring love and reconcilia
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Page 33 and 34: MARRIAGES Baker/Martin: Andrea Bake
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