Menno Amongst Us – one perspective
February 5, 2006
Jana Schmidt
When I was 14 years old, I realized for the first time that I didn’t want to be Mennonite.
Well, no – not exactly. I strongly believed in the values – I was a devout pacifist (without being able to precisely explain why). I was eagerly anticipating my own personal choice to be baptized. I worshipped on Sunday mornings within a wonderful community. I had a great respect for my many mentors in the Mennonite Church, a strong work ethic, and a desire to live out my faith in the routine aspects of my life. These things, for me, were decidedly “Mennonite”, and I welcomed this culture in which I was raised.
And yet, did I oppose other faiths? Surely my Lutheran friend was loved by God. Surely there is something to be learned from a Buddhist monk, or a Baptist pastor. Surely God uses so many faiths in His great plans. I was feeling the pull between the community I grew up with, and the things that seemed so God-centered, and yet not part of the Mennonite world that I knew.
I had an illogical desire to switch faiths. I saw this conscious change in my life as the ultimate search for God. I knew how difficult it would be, how I would have to overcome disappointment from friends and family. I would have to put all of my faith into something less familiar, less easy than my Mennonite life. I searched, I listened, and I worked to determine how I personally interpret God’s will, and where I fit into a faith, a religion, and a denomination.
Today, this morning, and at this point in my life – after never really leaving the Mennonite faith – I am returning to it.
I see the rootedness in God as the focus for all decisions. I see a community of people willing to face issues and work through them on both a congregational level and on a personal level. I see advantage in terms like discernment, social justice, voluntary service, and conflict resolution. I experience what happens when a people consciously work through God’s Word in real situations. I see what it means to be Mennonite outside of the cultural comforts and setbacks that I knew. I see an intentional faith seeking God’s voice and God’s truth.
What does it mean for me to be a Mennonite?
February 5, 2006
Shadel Permanand
Being a Mennonite is woven through the fabric of who I am on a number of levels.
Culture and Heritage
Let me first talk about the level of culture and heritage: I am a fifth generation Canadian who comes from a Russian-Mennonite heritage on my maternal side.
As Mennonites in the 19th century trekked from country to country seeking liberation from participation in war, they picked up little bits of culture from the places they occupied. Mennonites eventually settled in and prospered in what is now the Ukraine.
In the 1870s there was a migration of Mennonites who came to Canada, in part to preserve their culture, language, and views on education. Mennonites were very suspicious of further education that threatened to distance their young from the faith, religion and culture. My ancestors arrived to Canada during this migration.
One generation later, the community was split and churches split on the very issue of education. It was my Great-Great-Grandfather Johann Funk who was part of the then progressive Bergthaler Church in Manitoba and instrumental in starting up the on of the first Mennonite educational institutions – what we now know as the Mennonite Collegiate Institute. So, from that point on further education was stressed in my family (even if that meant a commitment finishing at least grade 8 for the farm boys in the family J), as was the notion of pacifism. My Grandfather was a conscientious objector in the Second World War and this heritage of peace-making is central in our notion of who we are in my family.
The experience in the Ukraine was obviously a vivid memory and pieces of that culture were kept alive. I knew I was Mennonite growing up because I had a Grandpa who was a Funk and a Grandma who was a Schroeder. My Grandma made sommer borscht, rollkuchen, kielka and verenike. I knew my family was Mennonite because my grandparents spoke low-German and told jokes that always sounded funnier because they were told in low German, even if I couldn’t understand them. I visited my grandparents monthly in a small Mennonite town where people had a southern Manitoba accent. I went to a Mennonite church where most of the people shared this same heritage, I went to a Mennonite school where Mennonite history, German language and pacifism were underlined, and continued on to a Mennonite college that also highlighted this Mennonite history and where the concepts of peaceful resistance and showing y
our faith through works and social justice were part of what it meant to be a Mennonite.
My heritage as a Mennonite, respecting my ancestors pacifist struggle and all of those borrowed cultural things like borscht, quilts, and low-German are part of my ethnic identity as a Mennonite. I’m sure many of you can identify with this definition of what it is to be a Mennonite.
This is only one part of what it means to be Mennonite for me. I have a problem with this being a closed definition of what a Mennonite is. I would compare this kind of Mennonite to that of a Jewish person who may or may not be a practicing Jew, however their heritage and culture is Jewish. Likewise, these kind of Mennonites may or may not be believers. It is fully possible to have a Russian Mennonite heritage, but not participate or identify any longer with the Mennonite church or faith. Being Mennonite in this case is a kind of ethnicity that may also include the Mennonite faith.
Faith
In terms of faith, another definition of what it means to be Mennonite, and a far more important definition in the context of being in the church is one’s faith and participation in an Anabaptist tradition.
Another important part of my heritage is having Indo-Caribbean roots. My father grew up as a Hindu and converted to Christianity and became a Mennonite. My Dad represents to me what being a Mennonite is. My Dad represents a larger demographic of converted Mennonites world-wide. Being Mennonite in this case has nothing to do with borscht and low-German. In this case, being Mennonite has to do with a vibrant faith in Christ Jesus and God, believers baptism, a theology of peaceful resistance, servant-hood, simple living, and social justice.
My grandfather is one of the last German lay-preachers left in Southern Manitoba. He is an evangelical man with a gracious and progressive heart. He is an example to me and has had a positive impact on my faith journey as a Mennonite believer. On my Grade Twelve graduation he bestowed these words on me:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the Man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:14-17.
Even though my grandfather’s belief in the biblical texts is more literal than mine, I do believe that the substance of the text is holy. The most important aspect of what it means to be Mennonite for me today is carrying on the theological line of thinking that stresses peace and social justice.
Much of the work I do is a manifestation of my Mennonite beliefs. I believe in conflict resolution, restorative justice, anti-oppression, and service. I definitely believe that works are important in witnessing your faith to others. Being Mennonite in this case is a part of what it means to be Christian. My personal interpretation of Christianity is that central to the gospel, both the outer word and the inner word is Love. “Love bears all things, believes all things, and endures all things.” “Love your neighbour as yourself.” For me, Love incorporates striving for peace. When Jesus tells the Sermon on the Mount, one of the things he says is “Blessed are the peacemakers”. This always felt like a validation of sorts of the peace position.
In John he says:
Peace I leave with you my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
So what does being Mennonite to me? Part of it is my ancestry and ethnicity. I believe that celebrating our ethnicity is important, but not when it becomes exclusive within the church environment. In Church and faith it is not about being Swiss or Russian Mennonite, or having the name Reimer, Brubacher or Koop. People like my Dad, People like Bok Ki Kim are excellent examples of what it is to be a Mennonite. In the Church, the most important part about being Mennonite is a theology of peace and justice, and adult baptism into the faith.
Where is Menno?
February 5, 2006
Bock Ki Kim
The Bible is filled with questions that relate to identity.
Jesus asks questions about identity in Matthew 16. “Who do you say that I am?”
John, the Baptist, asked Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”
TUMC too question its Mennonite identity. The question I am asking this morning is: Where is Menno Simons and does he know any Koreans?”
I would like to ask another question: questions: “Who do you think Korean Mennonites are?” “And, how do you see other ethnic Mennonites in the world?”
Do you see me – Bok Ki Kim – as a wanna-be Mennonite?
I was asked to try and tell you what I think defines a Mennonite. For me there are three identity points:
1. The first reason is the one integral body of Christian life – the belief in Jesus Christ.
The Christ-centered theology of the church as a faith community. One that prays together, one that is accountable to one another; a community that discerns together and experiences Salvation and Grace through faith. A faith community that seeks peace through non violence.
I was so very hungry for such a church. God guided me to the Mennonite world, first through books and then through my mistakes and experiences to these doorsteps.
I did not come from Russia or Germany or Switzerland. I came from Korea.
2. The second point for me is the Mennonite sense of community
Living together in a faith community is not for all people but it is for me. This community treasures its common story and remembers what its ancestors experienced in 16th century.
Mennonites remember Michael Sattler, George Blaurock, Conrad Grebel, Balthasar Hubmaier, Felix Mantz, Dirk Willems, and Menno Simons –
did I do a good job of pronouncing those names?
You remember too Harold Bender and his Anabaptist vision that focused on Discipleship, Peace, and Community. We recall John Howard Yoder and his focus on Jesus and a revolutionary gospel filled with subordination.
All these Anabaptist leaders dedicated themselves to building a faith community based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.
3. The third reason is the Mennonite way of practicing Mission and Evangelism.
Personally, I often think that Mennonites are not good at evangelizing people. It might be paradoxical for me to say that Mennonites are not good at evangelizing people while I say that Mennonite are good at serving as Jesus’ disciples.
I am serious when I say that I believe this to be true.
We live in a world that is changing very rapidly. The mission field in not over there anymore, it is right here.
I don’t think the Mennonite church knows how to treat other ethnic brothers and sisters. We know that Mennonite mission work is far reaching and wants to embrace all ethnic groups and their cultures, and languages. But it is not that easy to embrace everyone and we have much to learn. More importantly – we have to want to learn.
Let’s me give an example. Mennonite missionaries are sent to over 50 countries. These missionaries are willing to go to places that are far away where they work to make life better for others and build relationships with people in a different culture.
But when brothers and sisters from other countries are among Mennonite churches in North America, the church leaders and people do not know how to build the relationship, how to get to know each other more.
Mennonites in North America seem to have difficulty walking together as a Jesus’ disciples in this changing world.
The mission field is not only over there, – it is right here.
The Mennonite community does makes room for those who live an alternative way of life. Can we not make room for those who bring a different ethnicity and culture to the church?
Why do we separate our mission and evangelism work from our daily life, what does our mission and evangelism mean to us? Do we just do mission and evangelical work “over there”?
Although the style of Mennonite evangelism is not like the mainstream churches, it is very important to invite people to the world of our faith community. Because the core of evangelism is the church, we would like to take full responsibility for caring for each other in the church. If we believe that we have a great faith community, we should not hesitate to say “come and see.”
In closing let me ask you:
• What is our common memory? How can we walk together as Jesus’ disciples? What is our vision given by God?
• As a wanna-be Mennonite from Korea, I have the same questions you have.
• Do you think my journey can be the same as your journey. Are we not all going the same way?
• Do you think that I have the same vision you have?
• I am a Korean Mennonite. Can I not walk with you?
Tolerance – Verdraagzaamheid
February 6, 2005
Pieter Kool
When Pepper Parr asked me to say a few words from a “Senior’s” perspective, I was certainly flattered and somewhat amazed. Am I a senior? Time has certainly flown by when you have fun.
Let’s picture this presentation.
I would like to give a brief review of the history of:
• The Dutch Mennonite Church, the way I understand it.
• My family background
• How I joined the church
• What the Church means to me
A brief history of the Mennonite Church in Holland.
The saying goes: “When you have two Dutchman you have a church. When you have three, you have a schism”. Nothing is closer to the truth than with the early Dutch Anabaptists in the Netherlands. In the Seventeen century there were numerous Anabaptist Churches in Holland, each banning the other, each professing to be the one and only the true church. You had the Waterlanders, High-Germans, the Frisians, the Old- Frisians, the Flemish, the Old-Flemish, and you guessed it, the Young Flemish, Liberal Flemish (Zachte Vlamingen), Groninger Old-Flemish, Dantziger Old-Flemish, Huiskopers, let’s have the church who is opposed this idea, the Contra-huiskopers, Jan Jacobs-gezinden, Vermeulensvolk just to name a few. You get the picture. There was little tolerance of each other or little “verdraagzaamheid”.
This could not last. Although, it lasted longer than expected. Efforts are undertaken to unit these fractions into a single church organization. Finally, and of necessity, after some 150 years, in 1811 the ADS was formed. De Algemeene Doopsgezinde Societeit. General Mennonite Society. Today it is still the organization of the Mennonite Churches in Holland. To my knowledge there are no other Mennonite type of churches. (visit www.ads.nl )
The fact that you had to accommodate different points of view, from the strong conservative to liberal opinions, necessitated a willingness to be tolerant of each other. We use the word tolerant in the Dutch language. However the Dutch word “Verdraagzaamheid” describes the feeling more precise and is the word we use. The English translation could be: “expressing respect / honour for another opinion-idea. This has been one of the pillars of the Algemeene Doopsgezinde Sociteit.
My family – How I joined the Church
My family has belonged to the Mennonite church since the seventeenth century. Originally they attended the church on the Singel gracht in Amsterdam, where my aunt is still a member of that congregation. Later the family moved to Beverwijk, and Alkmaar, and where they were members of the local churches as well as members of the Rhijnburgers Collegiate.
My father was baptised on confession on confession of faith. My mother was Lutheran. Because your family is Mennonite does not imply that the children should be Mennonite.
From my home of five brothers two joined the Church in Haarlem upon confession of faith. At 23 I was baptised.
The process at that time was not made easy by any marketing slogans or fast track process. After an instruction of about a year, (I must have been a slow learner) followed by an exam I was asked to write a lengthy article, “Why I wanted to join the Church”. This process was followed by an elder of the church questioning me.
What the Church means to me.
As a community of faith the church has been a wonderful place for my family and me. Yes, you can pray in solitary and be just as good a Christian without going to church,
but I am of the opinion that the church, its community, despite its short-comings is a wonderful place to get involved and a place to have your family grow-up in.
In September 1968 I arrived as an immigrant from Holland. The lady with the red hat, as Anne Dyck, welcomed me in a very charming way. Members of this congregation invited me to their homes and made me feel welcome. I met my wife in this church. For my family many of the members here have been surrogate family to us and my three daughters, as Edith’s family lives in Winnipeg and mine in Holland. The congregation had confidence to elect me to the Board. I got involved with the building the St. Clair O’Connor housing project. Both positions offered great challenges, rewards and opportunities. In summary getting involved in the church gives a person excellent opportunities to grow.
You may say not so fast brother. A counter argument can be made that one can receive similar experiences belonging to a club, sailing club, golf club etc.
I would agree, with some differences. A club is often a pre-selected social group, of a certain means. The church is open to all believers. As members of this church we all agree on certain basic principles and beliefs. When we get together we expect the other person without question to adhere to these principles. That’s why for me the Church community is a big family. As in a family there is love, there is kindness, trust and sometimes misunderstanding and squabbles that’s we why we have to be “verdraagzaam”.
During the Sunday after the service Victor Wong added the following which he wrote into his Palm Pilot while listening to the service. What would our 16th century Brethren think of our being able to do that?
Hello earthlings, we come in peace.
If this sounds like the greeting of an alien, you may be forgiven because it is. Yet it should sound rather familiar, because it’s also what I see as an example of a Christian, no -a Mennonite greeting.
I am not a citizen of the world; I, like the Son of Man have no place to rest my head, I wander from place to place; seeking peace.
Sound familiar? Many Mennonites should know what wandering for the sake of peace is. It’s also the Chinese-Canadian story. I have no home, neither here nor there. For in Canada, I am discriminated against on the basis of the color of my skin and my culture, whereas in China I am discriminated against by my culture and the absence of the ability to speak Chinese.
I am indeed, a wanderer eternal with no past. I am always seeking the same thing. Peace.
I am not alone in that endeavour. What does it mean to be a Mennonite? What does it mean to be a Christian? How does one create peace? In order to be the greatest, what does it mean to be the least? In order to be known as disciples of God, what does it mean to love one another? Does the disavowal of power, of which the refusal to bear arms is but one example amongst many, lead to these things? If so, what different forms of power are there to disavow?
We all want to feel that we have completed our journey, to have reached the omega-point: To feel that we are home, to embrace familiar surroundings, to lose ourselves in the comfort of predictability and especially; to not be the wandering alien. It gives a feeling of security, and hand in hand with security is power. After all, all wars, present ones not excepted, are done in the name of security.
If, in our attempt to stop wandering, we place sole dependence of who we are in our traditions or heritage, we lose sight of a choice: A choice located in the present to take responsibility for the future. When Mennonites conscientiously object to the participation in armed conflict, they are directly making a choice in the present. They are choosing, with great deliberation to wander, to depart from the comfort of the status quo in order to hope for a better future. Knowing of course, that the true rest, the true reward, and perhaps even the true peace will not be found on earth.
I believe that it is these choices that make Mennonites who they are, not history. The past is not, and should not be an end in itself, but was a result of choices such as the choices made by those that came before us. While we must study our past in order to understand our present, we must also determine what we want future Mennonites to be.
The Son of Man has no place to rest his head, and while we are in the world, but not of the world, perhaps neither do we.