Church retreat 2011 — a fun weekend for all ages

Number 14, March 2011
Church retreat 2011 — a fun weekend for all ages
The annual church retreat was held on February 12 and 13
at Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp. Approximately 59
people attended on Saturday (38 adults and 21 kids) while
about 45 attended the service and lunch on Sunday.
The purpose of the retreat is to help build community by
providing an opportunity for people in the church to get to
know one another better in an informal, intergenerational
setting. The demographic profile on Saturday tilted
towards families with young children but the ―geezers‖
also were represented by your faithful reporters, among
several others.
Saturday morning was somewhat blustery but by late
morning when most people had arrived, a nice winter day
was shaping up. Following a hearty soup and sandwich
lunch, participants settled in for an afternoon of indoor and
outdoor games. Running around, exploring the facility, is
always a popular activity for the younger set.
I (Brian) was taken to school in a game of cribbage by my
former Sunday School student Nathan Shantz. I‘m not a
card player. I attribute that to growing up in a generation
when cards were discouraged in the Mennonite
community. But times change and Nathan was happy to
teach me the ins and outs of cribbage. ―Nate the Great‖
seems to possess math skills well beyond his grade two
education as he had very little difficulty adding up
numbers that totalled 15 or 31 which I now know are key
numbers in cribbage.
Others assembled jigsaw puzzles, played crokinole or
other board games. Outdoor activities included walks,
playing in the snow and skating on Lake Laverne, named
after Dan Lichti‘s late father who provided the land for the
camp. The ice was not in great shape but the fresh air was
welcome. Ben Unger, experiencing his first time on skates,
took to it like a duck to water. His mother Carla says he‘s a
natural athlete and he seemed to demonstrate that.
Kathryn Weber, Ruth Charette and Mary Brubaker-Zehr
reading the scripture. In background: Ben Unger, Cam
Dingman, Rachel Weber. More pictures, pages 19, 20.
Following supper, a sing-along, a ping-pong tournament,
more puzzle assembly and good old-fashioned visiting
occupied people‘s time.
Approximately 45 people attended the service on Sunday
morning. The theme was: ―One body, many members,‖
based on I Corinthians 12:12-26. This scripture was read by
Mary Brubaker-Zehr, Ruth Charette and Kathryn Weber.
Jen McTavish led the energetic singing, including ―Head
and shoulders, knees and toes‖, relating to the theme!
Mary Brubaker-Zehr led an activity in which we tossed a
ball of yarn to each other until all of us were linked in one
large web. Each person, prior to tossing the yarn ball,
noted something about the recipient that they appreciated.
Scott Brubaker-Zehr then led the congregational prayer.
Lunch, cleanup and departure followed the service. The
retreat met its objective and was declared a success. All
who participated extend a big THANK YOU to Sherri
Wideman and Jen McTavish for organizing it. — Brian
Hunsberger and Lewis Brubacher
Pastor’s column — A midwinter lament
As I was clearing the snow off
the car after our recent film
night, my thoughts turned to
spring. The weather man hadn‘t
said anything about snow that
Saturday, but it turned out to be
more than the much predicted
―snowpocalypse‖ earlier in the
week. It just keeps coming. I‘m
tired of shovelling snow! I‘m
tired of chipping at those frozen chunks of slush that get
wedged between the tires and the wheel wells. I‘m tired of
the cold! I must say, it does feel good to complain
sometimes. Of course in the grand scheme of things, these
frustrations are insignificant. Nevertheless, it still feels
good to vent from time to time. Midwinter is an especially
good time for this.
In a recent evening sermon at Fairview Mennonite Home
I reflected on Psalm 44, a fine example of biblical venting.
Unlike other Psalms of lament, this one is left unresolved at
the end. Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our
affliction and oppression? I like the fact that the poem is left
unresolved. It feels real to me. How often in life are things
finally resolved? This Psalm is a good example of honest
speech, transparent speech in the midst of pain and
disillusionment. I find it refreshing that this is included in the
Bible. So often we try to keep this type of speech private.
Psalm 44 makes a case before God by laying out two
narratives side by side. You could imagine it as a
courtroom scene. But in this case, the judge is on trial!
The people are taking God to task. The Psalmist recounts
how things had been going well and how the people had
kept their part of the covenant. And then he describes how
everything has fallen apart — through no fault of their
own. We could substitute our own stories. Life was good,
things were going well, and then something happened.
Maybe it was a diagnosis of illness. Or news of an
accident. Maybe it was the loss of a job. Suddenly
everything has changed. And there is no explanation for
this suffering. What did we do to deserve this?
The Biblical text lays out the tragedy next to the good
times and asks the penetrating questions…How can this
be? God, how can you allow such a thing to happen? What
sort of God are you anyway? Why do you hide your face?
It shows a lot of nerve to speak like this. Usually we
reserve such rawness for the ones we are closest to. We
speak honestly to the ones we love. Speaking our laments
to God also requires love and trust. Walter Brueggemann
talks about the costly loss of lament in Christian worship
2 March 2011/Rockway News
today. Polite and
guarded speech betrays
a lack of deep
engagement. He also
refers to psychological
and sociological
perspectives. In
marriage and friendship,
if there is no room for
honest challenge and
complaint, there is not much intimacy. In society, when
there is no room for protest, social justice is subverted.
Economic and political systems inevitably develop to
benefit some at the expense of others. Leaders naturally
hope that the citizenry will put up with the injustice.
We‘ve just witnessed a dramatic example of this in Egypt.
Fortunately the people overcame their fear of lament and
now there is a good chance that greater justice will prevail.
God hears the cries of those who suffer. Lament is part of
life. It is an integral part of worship, friendship and justice.
— Scott Brubaker-Zehr
What conservation steps have you taken?
Several households in our congregation have taken
steps to reduce their energy use, and decrease their
carbon footprint — installing solar panels, adding
insulation, replacing furnace with a heat pump, turning
down the house temp in winter, etc. We want to collect
this information for an article in the next newsletter. If
you have done something along these lines in recent
years, please send the details to Lewis Brubacher, at
lbrubacher@sympatico.ca by April 15.
Rockway News is published triannually by Rockway
Mennonite Church, 32 Weber Street West, Kitchener,
Ontario, N2H 3Z2. Back issues are stored in the member
area of the church website, www.RockwayMC.ca., and a few
hard copies are available from Lewis Brubacher.
Managing editor: Lewis J. Brubacher [LJB]
Advisory group, feature writers, proofreaders:
Mary Burkholder
Betti Erb
Brian Hunsberger
Margaret Loewen Reimer
David Willms (overseas correspondent)
We welcome letters to the editor and
suggestions for articles. Contact Lewis at:
519-884-3072; lbrubacher@sympatico.ca
Happy events
By Mary Burkholder
Births
Anniversaries
Several people in our congregation have recently
welcomed new grandchildren.
Pastor Scott and Mary Brubaker-Zehr are looking
forward to celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary,
April 26, 2011.
Howard and Pauline Bast welcomed a new grandson,
Emerson Michael Lumsden Bast, on October 4, 2010 —
born to Michael and Janet Bast of Waterloo. Two-year-old Gisele is happy to have this baby brother.
Chris and Rob McSavaney received an early Christmas
present on December 12, 2010, with the arrival of their
first grandchild, Avaney Kate Brown, daughter of Kim
McSavaney and Dave Brown of Kitchener.
Arlene and John Groh had a special Christmas gift this
past year as they celebrated the birth of their first
granddaughter, Elisa Arlene Shantz Piccini, born to
Laura Shantz and Greg Piccini of Vancouver on
December 25, 2010. Elisa is a niece to Lisa and Marcus
Shantz, and a cousin to Timothy, Nathan and Martin.
Jack and Anne Wall marked their 60th wedding anniversary October 21, 2010. Granddaughter Alexis Barkman,
daughter of Betsy Wall, describes their celebration:
―On October 24, 2010, an open house was held in the
Great Hall at Luther Village, where Jack and Anne
reside.The hall was beautifully decorated with white linens
on the tables and softly lit candles with diamond white
roses and purple lisianthus in tall crystal vases dotted
throughout the room. Over one hundred relatives and
friends came to wish Jack and Anne their best and enjoyed
refreshments that included a chocolate fondue fountain and
a three-tier cake to match the stunning flowers. Thank you
to all who came; we hope you enjoyed the time as much as
Jack and Anne did. They love and appreciate you all!‖
Elly and Ron Harder are delighted to welcome their first
grandchild, Hugo Daniel Harder, born to Matthew and
Rebecca Harder on January 28, 2011, in Winnipeg. Baby
Hugo was able, at the age of eight days, to attend the
funeral of his great-grandmother, Agnes Koop, in Virgil.
Lorna Sawatsky joins daughter Lisa Sawatsky and Neal
Prabhu as they welcome their second child, Theodore
James Sawatsky Prabhu, born February 5, 2011, in
Toronto. One-year-old Olivia appears to be delighted with
‗baby Theo‘. Lorna says that Lisa is exhibiting incredible
patience being at home with their young family, and adds
that she herself is enjoying everyone immensely.
Birthdays
Gerry Musselman celebrated his 80th birthday on
February 10, 2011.
Engagements
Lynda and Dale Mieske are pleased to announce the
forthcoming marriage of their son Joel to Lauren King of
Waterloo. The wedding will take place on October 29,
2011 at the church.
Anne and Jack Wall wedding picture, October 21, 1950.
Rockway News/March 2011 3
Awards and honours
Maggie Dyck to receive lifesaving award
Maggie Dyck is being given the
St. John Ambulance Lifesaving
Award. Maggie performed CPR
on her daughter, Kristine Dyck,
on August 30, 2009, when Kris
unexpectedly went into cardiac
arrest. The ICU staff at Grand
River Hospital are convinced that
Maggie‘s prompt ministrations
during the time it took for the
paramedics to respond to the 911
call saved Kris‘s life. Howard writes: ―We continue to be
grateful for Kris‘s miraculous recovery as well as for the
strong support we experienced from the Rockway community during that difficult time.‖ Maggie is very pleased to
be given the award. As she puts it: ―The greatest reward is
to see our daughter hale and hearty, going about her work as
a professional woman and mother. I‘m also happy that the
St. John Ambulance Award is one way of emphasizing the
importance of knowing basic lifesaving techniques.‖
Ernie Regehr given Pearson Peace Medal
On January 21, 2011, Ernie
Regehr received the Pearson
Peace Medal for international
dialogue on disarmament and
peace. Awarded by the United
Nations Association of Canada,
the presentation was made at
Rideau Hall in Ottawa by
Governor-General David
Johnston, former president of the
University of Waterloo and
someone Ernie has known for several years. In an article in
the Waterloo Region Record, January 21, 2011, Ernie says
of the award, ―It is a good affirmation of the work we have
been doing for a long time.‖ He adds that to be given the
award by a man he knows and admires ―adds a very nice
touch.‖ Previous recipients of the Pearson Peace Medal
include Stephen Lewis and retired general Romeo Dallaire.
Ernie‘s website and blog is at http://disarmingconflict.ca.
We note, belatedly, that Ernie was named an Officer of the
Order of Canada in 2003. His Order of Canada citation
(see http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=9533&t=12) reads:
―His is one of Canada‘s most prominent and respected
voices on international disarmament and peace. [Long-time]
Executive Director and co-founder of Project Ploughshares,
4 March 2011/Rockway News
Ernie Regehr is known for his sound judgment, balanced
views and integrity. … A dedicated humanitarian, he has
made a significant contribution to Canada‘s international
reputation as a leader in peacemaking.‖
Paul Tiessen receives WLU Teaching
Scholar Award
Paul Tiessen will be receiving
the Faculty of Arts Teaching
Scholar Award at Wilfrid Laurier
University at a ceremony in
March. ―Dr. Tiessen‘s
contributions as a scholar have
shaped the studies of Canadian
modernism, Mennonite literature
and culture, and Malcolm Lowry
studies,‖ said the January
announcement. Paul started the
Film Studies program at Laurier and chaired it for 22
years. His colleagues praised not only his professionalism,
but also his generosity and good humour. Students said
that a class with Paul ―is like no other,‖ combining
knowledge, enthusiasm and ―a humility that values
students‘ contributions.‖ Paul is retiring from teaching this
spring and will be donating $1,000 to a scholarship or
bursary fund for students.
Brice Balmer honoured by Renison
Renison University College, part
of the University of Waterloo,
installed Brice Balmer as an
Honorary Senior Fellow on
January 15, 2011, during its 51st
Founders‘ Day Convocation. The
citation notes that this designation
recognizes Brice‘s ―many
accomplishments emphasizing the
creation of safer and healthier
communities for all peoples. He is
a strong advocate for those living in poverty, using
advocacy with integrity, and bringing the realities of
poverty and life on the margins to the political system.‖
The Waterloo Region Record also paid tribute to Brice. In
a January 22 editorial it points out that our local politicians
listen when Brice talks. Why? ―The reason is respect, the
political currency Balmer, 66, has earned while following
his faith by advocating for the poor and marginalized in
this community for more than 30 years. … He brings to
each cause a passionate but measured voice that is difficult
for even the most stubborn cynic to tune out. … It is good
to see his persistence recognized, as it was [by Renison].‖
(See http://www.therecord.com/opinion/article/476568--atribute-to-balmer.)
Emily Brubaker-Zehr receives essay award
Emily Brubaker-Zehr won the
inaugural MSCU Peace in Action
Essay Award last summer. Our
belated congratulations!
Sponsored by the Mennonite
Savings and Credit Union, this
$1,500 award is part of MSCU‘s
new Stewardship in Action
program, which focuses on
advancing peace, social justice
and mutual aid. Emily‘s essay,
entitled ―The Power of Education‖, illustrated how simply
foregoing a new banquet dress meant that 12 girls in a
Kenyan refugee camp would receive solar lamps to use to
study at night. When she shared her idea with other girls at
Rockway Collegiate, they raised enough money to buy 175
lamps. ―Because of her experience, Brubaker-Zehr‘s views
on cross-cultural connections, and the value of education
for girls around the world, changed dramatically,‖ says
MSCU on their website, https://www.mscu.com/Busin
ess/AboutUs/NewsandCommunications/PressReleases/Jul
y262010/, where you can read Emily‘s essay. Ω
The other James Reimer
Last September, shortly after Jim died, the Toronto School
of Theology forwarded me an email that had been posted
on their website. It was from a Marlene Reimer in
Manitoba who said she had been following my husband‘s
life online for the past five years. It started ―quite by
accident,‖ she said. Her son, also James Reimer, was
building his career in various cities, and whenever she
would google him, this other James Reimer would come
up. ―And because I am interested in history in general and
Mennonite history in particular, I have read some of Mr.
Reimer‘s work and accolades online.‖ She was shocked to
notice that he had died and thought it ―strange that I would
feel loss over someone I had never met…. I wish I had
gotten to know him. He sounds like a man who changed
his world by sharing his passion and living fully.‖ Marlene
offered her condolences to our family and then added,
―Our son is not a theologian…he is a hockey player
(goaltender) in the Toronto Maple Leaf system.‖ I im-
Book notes
Persistent Poverty: Voices from the Margins is a new book
by Brice Balmer, along with Jamie Swift and Mira Dineen.
In 2010, Interfaith Social Assistance went to 26 communities
in Ontario to talk to individuals about their experiences of
poverty as well as how to help people reach sustainable
livelihoods. The book weaves together their stories about
Ontario Works, Ontario Disability, hunger, low-wage work,
rural poverty, education, and other topics. This was not an
easy book to write, nor to read, because one encounters the
suffering of the 15 percent of Ontarians with the lowest
incomes. Published by Between the Lines, the book sells for
$19.95 and can be purchased at bookstores.
Healing Memories, Reconciling in Christ: A LutheranMennonite Study Guide for Congregations was compiled
in 2010 by Margaret Loewen Reimer and Allen G.
Jorgenson (professor at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary). The
guide is based on the report of the Lutheran-Mennonite
International Study Commission which explored the
painful divisions and persecution of the Reformation as
well as continuing differences between the two
denominations. Plans are to have a joint study session with
members from Rockway and St. Matthews Lutheran
Church this spring. If you are interested in participating,
contact Margaret L. Reimer.
When Governor General David Johnston and his wife
Sharon visited Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral Castle last
September, a gift they brought along was Woldemar
Neufeld’s Canada: A Mennonite artist in the Canadian
landscape, 1925-1995, a book by Paul and Hildi Tiessen.
Sharon had visited the Mennonite Centre in St. Jacobs
looking for a suitable gift and decided on the Neufeld
book. Apparently, the queen drove David Johnston in her
Land Rover to a cottage nearby (Prince Philip took Sharon
in his vehicle), where she set the table and tossed a salad
while the prince got the barbecue going. — Margaret
Loewen Reimer
mediately wrote Marlene to tell her that my family, being
Leafs fans, had been following her son‘s career and were
wondering about his background.
Since then, James Reimer has made a highly successful
debut in goal with the Leafs. Wouldn‘t it be great, mused
my son, James Thomas Reimer, to get a hockey jersey
with the Reimer name? I promptly emailed Marlene, who
happened to be at her son‘s house in Toronto. Goalie
James Reimer said he would gladly get Thomas a jersey
himself and offered to autograph it. We‘ll pick it up as
soon as this busy Leafs player has a few moments to spare.
— Margaret Loewen Reimer
Rockway News/March 2011 5
Who we are
Brent & Andrea Charette & family
Waterloo where I majored in psychology, and began
working there after graduation in 1993. Currently I work in
the Dean of Arts office at UW — I love working on
campus.
Ruth writes:
I was born in 2002, making four people grandparents for
the first time! I am bright, happy, and helpful. I am entirely
willing to try anything, and meet anyone. Currently, I am
swimming, skating and dancing while attending St. Anne‘s
school on East Avenue, in grade three.
Rebeccah writes:
I joined the family in 2005 looking very much like my big
sister. I love my friends, clothes and anything pink! I broke
my leg in 2010, but I am much better now! I love being in
senior kindergarten at St. Anne‘s school while also
swimming, dancing and doing gymnastics.
Margaret Hunsberger
Rebeccah and Ruth with parents Andrea and
Brent.
Brent, Andrea, Ruth, and Rebeccah Charette live on
Brubacher Street in downtown Kitchener. We love our
century home, our terrific neighbours and the sense of
community we enjoy in the Central Frederick
Neighbourhood (most notably Brubacher Park). We have
lived here for 13 years. We are grateful for our great
friend, Shanna Braden, who introduced us to Rockway in
December 2009.
Brent writes:
Born and raised in Sudbury I was always very involved
with school and church (Catholic). In 1989 I started my
undergraduate degree (religious studies) at St. Jerome‘s
University at the University of Waterloo, including two
years in seminary. Then I met Andrea, and the rest is
history! I have worked in different fundraising and
leadership roles for several organizations, including the
University of Waterloo, Hospice Wellington, and currently
THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener. An on-again offagain runner, I try my best to keep up with the ladies in my
family.
Andrea writes:
My early years were spent first in Newmarket and later in
Port Hope. I attended St. Jerome‘s at the University of
6 March 2011/Rockway News
Geographically speaking, my
life has recently come full
circle. As a young child, my
first awareness of a town and
of a traffic intersection was
the corner of King and Erb
Streets in Waterloo. Last
summer, after 50 years of
living in places far from here,
I moved into a condo four
blocks from that same
intersection. And after all
those years of living in places where I did not have
relatives, it‘s a real treat to reconnect with relatives and
friends. (Interconnections here run in as tangled patterns as
the streets do.) So the move has been an interesting
merging of the long-familiar and the relocated-new.
In the years away, I taught school in Niagara Falls and
Newfoundland (the latter initially as an MCC volunteer),
went to grad school at the University of Alberta in
Edmonton, and was a professor in the Faculty of Education
at the University of Calgary. After 30 years, Calgary — a
great place to live — was home. But so is KitchenerWaterloo and I‘m enjoying being back here.
I really appreciate the warm welcome I have received at
Rockway Church and look forward to getting to know you
better.
Thomas & Shoshanna Reimer & family
us what she wants (more and more with actual words),
eating blueberries, watching Pippi Longstocking, playing
the piano at Oma‘s house, and sledding and swinging in
the Park. — Submitted by Thomas Reimer
Arlene Reesor
Thomas, Serafina and Shoshanna
Thomas grew up at Westcourt Place in Waterloo, facing
the west side of Waterloo Park. When he was 10, his
family — parents Marg and Jim, and siblings Christina and
Micah — moved to Menno Street, on the south side of the
park. Thomas and his wife Shoshanna currently live on
the east side of the park, in a house they bought in 2007.
He has spent the occasional moments away from the park,
a year in Europe in grade nine when his parents were on
sabbatical, two years studying theology at CMBC in
Winnipeg, and some time in Toronto, where he still
commutes as a PhD student in Medieval Philosophy. He
met Shoshanna in the Dana Porter Library at the
University of Waterloo as he was finishing his undergrad
in philosophy there.
Susanna, whom we know by Shoshanna (her Hebrew
name), can commiserate with Thomas having also been
born a middle child, between her older sister Katie, who is
a lawyer in Manhattan, and her younger brother Peter, who
is a web designer in Vermont. Shoshanna was born in Los
Angeles and moved to Toronto when she was nine. She
began her college studies in New York, in an experimental
art program at Bard College, and then moved back to
Toronto to start the New Moon Kitchen bakery with her
best friend, Eden. It was then on to Waterloo to continue
her studies, and she is currently also in the midst of a PhD
program, in Clinical Psychology.
In October of 2010, Thomas and Shoshanna became
doting parents to their daughter, Serafina Tamsin
Reimer, who celebrates her 17-month birthday on March
7. Safi loves reading books with her mom and dad, telling
I was born in 1951 and
grew up on a dairy farm in
the Markham area. I had a
somewhat idyllic
childhood — we had aunts
and uncles and many
cousins to play with, living
on farms up and down our
quiet country road. My
Mennonite father married
a Brethren in Christ girl,
and I was raised and
baptised in the BIC church, and attended Niagara Christian
College for my high school years.
I attended university at Wilfrid Laurier University where I
majored in French and music. My first job after graduation
was at the Mennonite Reporter, where I was bookkeeper
and circulation manager for about two years. It was there
that I came to know Frank and Helen Epp, Jim and Marg
Reimer and Ruby Weber.
In 1974, I married Denis Taylor, whom I had met at
university. Denis is Jewish, and Frank Epp and Rabbi
Abraham Feinberg, a somewhat radical rabbi from
California, officiated at our wedding in Markham. Helen
made my wedding dress, so this was truly a joint Epp
family effort.
I joined the world of life insurance in 1975, in the area of
disability claims. In 1992, Denis and I left our jobs in
insurance and with our two young sons, Geoffrey and
Grahame, moved to Markham where we took over my
brother‘s farm and farm market business for three years
during his family‘s three-year term with MCC. At that
time my sons and I connected with Hagerman Mennonite
Church, and a few years later I became a charter member
of Community Mennonite Church in Stouffville.
After our time on the farm, we remained in the Markham/Stouffville area and I returned to life insurance, where
I have worked for various companies and in numerous
capacities to this day. My current job at Ontario Teachers
Insurance Plan brought Denis and me back to K-W two
years ago, where we feel very much at home once again. Ω
Rockway News/March 2011 7
God’s breezes keep on blowing
The following is from a sermon preached by Gary Harder
at Rockway on November 7, 2010. His texts were Haggai
1:15b-2:9 and Psalm 145:1-7. Précis by Margaret Loewen
Reimer.
I was asked to give some
personal reflections from my
ministry on the challenges and
opportunities facing the
Mennonite Church today. The
Haggai lectionary text gives me
a framework for what I want to
share with you.
Haggai is one of the prophets
of the returned Jewish exiles
from Babylon. Not nearly all
the exiles wanted to come back to Jerusalem. They were
mostly second generation by now, and many found life in
Babylon quite good. Why go back to a destroyed city and
temple, and to a mishmash of foreign people trying to eke
out a living there? It wasn‘t the utopia their parents had
raved about.
Three different prophets are trying to make sense of the
mess and to imagine a big enough vision to embrace the
future. Haggai and Ezra and Isaiah, whose visions are all
recorded in our Bible, are radically different from each
other.
Haggai probes, ―Who is left among you that saw this
house (the Temple) in its former glory?... Is it not in your
sight as nothing?‖ For Haggai, new hope begins with
rebuilding the temple, the centrepiece of a new era. ―The
later splendour of this house shall be greater than the
former, says the Lord of hosts, and in this place I will give
prosperity, says the Lord of hosts‖ (Haggai 1:15ff).
Ezra‘s vision is to become a ―pure‖ people of God again,
to go back to the old foundations and traditions laid down
by Moses. The Jews have become too assimilated with the
foreigners in Jerusalem, and many have married foreign
wives. Ezra‘s solution for a vibrant spiritual future is to
observe the laws of clean and unclean. Do it like we used
to do it. Separate ourselves from others. Then God will
bless us.
Isaiah wants to build a new community – but his vision is
far more inclusive. Whereas Ezra looks backward for
guidance, Isaiah looks forward. The new community must
be open to whoever keeps the Sabbath, and holds fast to
the covenant with God. This includes the foreigner and the
8 March 2011/Rockway News
eunuch. Isaiah claims that the house of the Lord must be a
house of prayer for all peoples — a quotation Jesus uses
directly after cleansing the temple.
So there you have it: one context and three different
visions to address it. Haggai says you need to have a grand
building project. Ezra says you have to hold onto the old
traditions and become pure again. Isaiah says you need to
build a new community that embraces all who hold fast to
God‘s covenant. All three visions are said to come from
God. And the people did create a renewed Judaism as they
sorted through the many voices.
Entering the modern era
I want to share a few stories about what happened to me in
ministry forty years ago when my world was turned upside
down, when the Mennonite church was shifting from the
pre-modern to the modern era. Then, too, some were
frightened and others excited about the changes. And as in
Haggai‘s time, there were many different voices trying to
interpret what all this meant for the future of the church.
I began my ministry just as the church was being
convulsed by a new wave of thinking. At college and
seminary, I suddenly encountered historical critical ways
of reading the Bible, rather than the literal ways I had
learned in my home church. And I got excited about
learning to ―think theologically‖ rather than learning
theology or memorizing doctrine. The professors were all
first-rate scholars, but they were also church people. That
did impress me.
But these were not the practical people who could teach us
how to be pastors, especially in churches that were still in
a pre-modern mindset. Nonetheless, I went confidently to
my first pastorate in Edmonton. This church was filled
with modernist university students who were big into
debunking fundamentalism, traditionalism and literalism.
But they weren‘t quite sure what they wanted of a pastor.
I think they wanted competence and ―professionalism‖.
And they wanted someone who could challenge their
thinking. They rejected the high sense of ―office‖ and
―authority‖ of the traditional Mennonite pastor.
―We have no traditions,‖ said the church. ―We like
exploring new things.‖ So I proposed a small change. The
church building was long and narrow. Why not put the
pulpit in the middle of that long wall, and move the pews
into a semicircle around it? Everyone is then much closer
to the pulpit, and they can see each other.
Council approved a trial three-month period. I thought the
experiment was so successful. Two days after that trial
period, however, the pews were back in their original
rows. No discussion or processing. Not only were they
back, they were firmly screwed in so that they could not be
moved again.
Near the end of our sixteen years there, we asked a group
of young adults to reflect on their experience of growing
up in this church. They said, ―We really enjoyed church,
and especially Sunday school. We had such lively, free
flowing discussions about everything under the sun.
Nothing was out of bounds to talk about. Our church and
our parents taught us how to have great discussions. But
they didn‘t know how to teach us to pray. They didn‘t
know how to teach us to relate to God in a personal and
loving way. We‘ve had to struggle to find our way there
alone.‖
3. I like to think that we are moving away from the liberal
―tolerate and accept everybody‖ mode to more genuine
relationships. We are more ready to name our own
thoughts and convictions, and then enter into genuine
dialogue with people who don‘t necessarily share them.
And we are more ready to cross racial and cultural and
theological lines in our relationships.
4. We are finally exorcising our modernist reaction
against the view of evangelism we grew up with. We can
reclaim a much more biblical understanding of evangelism
as good news for our world.
5. We don‘t need to be nearly as pastor dominated
anymore. There are so many gifted people in our
congregations that we can more genuinely be the
―priesthood of all believers‖ in sharing the work of the
church.
What prophets do we listen to in our post-modern world?
It is clear that we aren‘t satisfied anymore with the rational
and professional church that so captured my imagination,
and there are many new Ezras and Haggais and Isaiahs
offering judgment or vision.
During an interview for an interim pastorate a few years
ago, Lydia and I mentioned that we would encourage
many people to lead worship and preach. At their next
meeting, without us, one person noted that he had
preached his first sermon at age sixteen. The host family‘s
sixteen-year-old daughter, Laura, was listening in and soon
began preparing her own sermon, which she preached a
few months later. This past June, for a major English
assignment, Laura wrote another sermon and invited her
teacher, not a church person, to come hear her preach it.
Laura was able to bring her church and school worlds
together in a way I was never able to do. That excites me.
Do you remember Peter‘s dream in Acts 10? All kinds of
food he has known as unclean is placed before him and
God tells him to eat it. This challenges a whole life-time of
teaching and believing and living. So Peter protests. ―No,‖
says God, ―what I make clean is no longer unclean.‖ For
Peter to bring Jesus to the Gentiles means he will have to
enter their homes and eat with them. The Spirit of God was
moving.
I am aware that the church, like our society, is facing huge
challenges today. But I also see huge opportunities. What I
see in many churches is genuine life, spiritual energy, and
wonderful lay involvement. Yes, just like in the time of
Haggai and Isaiah and Ezra, there are different prophets
with different visions for what is needed in our time. We
have a lot of sorting out yet to do. But God‘s breezes keep
on blowing. Ω
That was a modernist problem, a modernist failure.
Modernism lost touch with a transcendent God you could
relate to.
New breezes
I want to name a few directions I see the Holy Spirit
blowing today:
1. We are open to a much fuller and deeper spirituality.
We moderns combined good theology with strong social
justice convictions. Now we are more ready to add a
spirituality of being, of praying, of feeling close to God, of
worship that engages both our head and our heart. We
were always able to do this with our music.
2. Our expectations of our leaders are changing. Now
people want more than competent professionalism and
essay sermons. They are looking for personal authenticity,
integrity, a more intimate relational ability. They want to
see a growing spirituality in their pastors.
Our found accordion
The accordion that Arnold Snyder played in
church on February 6 apparently belongs to
Rockway church. It was lying in storage at
Rockway school until someone asked the
church to pick it up. Does anyone know
whose it was and how it got to be left at
Rockway school?
Rockway News/March 2011 9
A conversation with Bob Dingman
By Betti Erb
Bob Dingman was born in Stratford, a key manufacturing town on the Avon River in Perth County. In
the 1950s, with the birth of the Stratford Shakespeare
Festival — North America‘s largest classical repertory
theatre — Stratford was changed forever from
unassuming small town with Mennonite farms to the
north and east, to major Canadian cultural landmark.
Bob has an older sister, Carolyn, and a younger brother,
Brian. His parents, Charles (Chuck) and Margaret
Dingman, met as students at Queen‘s University. For a
time Bob‘s mother taught elementary school.
The Dingmans have been in the newspaper business
for many generations. In 1886, Bob‘s great-greatWill and Cam with parents Bob and Jen.
grandfather, Absalom Dingman, bought what was then
called The Herald and began in Stratford what would
Various jobs followed. In spring 1992, he began a six-year
become a newspaper dynasty, and one of the oldest
position in engineering at Com Dev in Cambridge. Then
continuously operated companies in Ontario. In the 1960s,
came Nexsys CommTech, a small company on Parkside
Bob‘s father, Charles Dingman, became co-publisher of
Drive in Waterloo that did automated meter reading and
the Stratford Beacon Herald. Stratford has a Dingman
monitoring of fire alarms. In November 2000, Bob and a
Street, named after a brother of Bob‘s great-grandfather.
friend from Com Dev began a consulting firm called
Waves and Space, working primarily for Nortel
With major changes occurring in the newspaper business,
Westwinds in Calgary. Their focus was cellular base
the Dingman family made the painful decision in 1999 to
stations for cell phones.
sell the newspaper to Sun Media. It was the passing of an
era — the last independently owned daily newspaper in
Bob made two trips to the Westwinds facility. On the first
Ontario.
trip, Nortel announced that it was cutting 20,000 jobs
worldwide. On the second trip, Bob and his business
From kindergarten through grade six, Bob attended Hamlet
partner did a presentation on September 11, 2001. Bob was
Public School. During grades seven and eight he studied at
stranded in Calgary a few days while the surreal aftermath
King Lear Elementary, followed by five years of high
of the 9/11 tragedy played out. The skies were eerily quiet
school at Stratford Central Secondary. Bob was a
as all aviation was grounded. Bob‘s consulting gig with
conscientious student (not much involved in
Waves and Space ended in December 2001. As he put it:
extracurricular events, he said), eventually becoming an
―We found ourselves without any clients!‖
Ontario Scholar and securing an entrance scholarship in
engineering to McMaster University in Hamilton.
Bob and his wife, Jen McTavish, who grew up on a farm
near Shakespeare, were students at McMaster University at
During the summer months when he was a teenager, Bob
the same time, although neither of them recalls meeting
worked part time at the paper, doing tasks ranging from
there. Jen was in the Arts and Science program; she later
trimming shrubs to caulking the inside roof of the press
transferred into the Faculty of Science to study biology
building. The family enjoyed its rustic cottage on the bluff
and psychology. Bob and Jen‘s parents have known one
above the shore of Lake Huron, between Goderich and
another for years. From the 1980s, they were all members
Bayfield.
of the same investment group, which met monthly. Bob‘s
parents sometimes hosted the group at the cottage.
In 1984 Bob began an undergrad degree in electrical
Although neither has a memory of it, he and Jen met as
engineering and management at McMaster University. He
teens during one such gathering at the Dingman cottage.
graduated in 1989, and then completed, also at ―Mac‖, a
master‘s degree in electrical engineering, specializing in
Bob and Jen had a modern-day ―arranged marriage‖. Jen‘s
digital communication.
dad thought Bob would be a good match for his daughter.
10 March 2011/Rockway News
After getting Jen‘s permission, her dad gave her phone
number to Bob‘s sister Carolyn (so as not to scare off the
potential suitor!). Although Bob received the phone number shortly thereafter, he claims to have promptly lost it.
He got hold of it again — a mere one and a half years later!
Their first date was in August 2000. They were married on
April 13, 2002, in Shakespeare Presbyterian Church. They
bought their present home in downtown Kitchener in
March 2002. Both felt comfortable in an older home, in an
established, leafy neighbourhood.
Bob did some consulting, then researched and completed a
major renovation in their home — an upstairs office, a
project that took months. By 2004 it was clear he needed a
paying job outside their home. He began as project
engineer with Geoware Inc., a waste management
information systems (mostly software) company in
Waterloo, for whom he had worked earlier.
Jen began teaching at Margaret Avenue Senior Public
School in Kitchener in 1998, teaching full time until
Cameron was born, in August 2004. Thereafter, Jen taught
part time. Second son, William, was born in August 2007.
When Bob met Jen, she was already a part of Rockway
congregation. They began attending as a couple before
they were married. Bob remains Rockway‘s sound guy —
a natural fit, given that all through secondary school he
capably performed in a similar role at Central United
Church in Stratford.
Rockway Church youth
prominent in Godspell
Rockway Mennonite Collegiate (RMC) recently
completed a successful run of four performances of the
1970s-era musical, Godspell. Conceived and originally
directed by John-Michael Tebelak, the show first ran in
New York City in 1971. The 1972-73 première in Toronto
provided the first big gigs for now well-known Second
City actors such as Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Martin
Short and Dave Thomas, as well as musical director Paul
Shaffer.
RMC‘s production, directed by Alan Sapp, was expanded
to include parts for 44 actors. Several Rockway Church
youth were involved. Joel Becker (son of Byron and Ann,
who attend Rockway church) played the lead role as Jesus
(you can‘t get a bigger part than that!). He did an
outstanding job with many lines to both speak and sing.
Emily Brubaker-Zehr demonstrated her outstanding
dancing skills. Isaac Horvath and Jacob Reimer-Dick
were disciples. Thomas Horvath was an usher.
School principal Betsy Petker, someone with considerable
theatrical experience herself, was bursting with pride at
how everyone at the school came together to make this
production such a success. I saw the production and was
very impressed. Congratulations all! — Brian Hunsberger
The Dingmans appreciate Rockway‘s welcoming
demeanour and how well the congregation works as an
intergenerational group. ―We are grateful,‖ says Bob, ―that
many from Rockway take genuine interest in one another‘s
families.‖ Ω
Film weekend
Departures, a 2008 Japanese film which won the Academy
Award for Best Foreign Language Film of that year, was
the choice for Rockway Church‘s Film Weekend on
February 5-6. The movie focuses on a young cellist who
finds himself in the funeral business, learning the
traditional ceremony of preparing corpses for cremation.
This provocative and beautiful film evoked some lively
discussion, ranging from the various responses to death
and the portrayal of family relationships to the
juxtaposition of images in the movie. Paul and Hildi
Froese Tiessen led the weekend. If you want to see the
film, or see it again, both public libraries in K-W carry it.
— Margaret Loewen Reimer
From left: Emily Brubaker-Zehr, Isaac Horvath, Jacob
Reimer-Dick, Joel Becker.
Rockway News/March 2011 11
My associate membership at Rockway Mennonite Church
This is the statement Ilse Friesen made at Rockway church
when she became an associate member on January 23,
2011.
Since life is full of ironies, I should
not be too surprised that it took
over 30 years to formalize my
belonging to this church. I first
stumbled into Rockway in 1974,
which makes me today both an oldtimer and a newcomer. Some years
ago, David Waltner-Toews called
me ―a common-law Mennonite‖,
but now I will receive a more
respectable status.
Hitler‘s army, but vowed never to load his gun since he
was a secret pacifist. He had lost any faith in God,
however, and was very angry when I wanted to go to
church during my teenage years. The good part of this is
that now I would hardly miss a Sunday since it is such a
luxury to go to church. The bad part was that he had
ingrained into me that it is necessary to use reason instead
of feelings, which, in our post-Freudian culture meant that
religion was only opium for the feeble brained.
Consequently, I hardly found a single true believer among
all my relatives.
The second irony is that I am the first and, right now, the
only associate member here. The third irony is that I can
now officially declare myself as both Lutheran and
Mennonite. This might make me a candidate for the
Guinness Book of Records, or else point to a latent
schizophrenic disposition, especially — and this is the
fourth irony — since I plan to move back to Vienna
permanently in a few years. I am actually leaving for
another half-year there in three weeks. My European roots
are very deep, and draw me back to Vienna, where a
Lutheran church is waiting for me.
The fact that I had to prove myself as an agnostic
academic caused a huge inner crisis which lasted well into
my twenties and thirties, and led to a long fight with
Jacob‘s angel, where I was wounded in order to be healed.
The final irony is that the Lutherans and Mennonites
finally made peace with each other last year on the world
stage, as if I had been waiting all these years for this to
happen in order to belong to both.
I left Vienna, to my parents‘ shock, for pure love,
marrying a Canadian Mennonite whom I had met in
Munich, and immigrating soon after receiving my final
degree in Innsbruck. Little did I know at the age of 25
what Canada was all about or who the Mennonites are, but
I was filled with a spirit of high adventure to discover and
find out. Little did I also know that my love, which could
move mountains, would crush me instead underneath, so
that I felt buried alive. My dear son George was barely 12
then, and here I was, stranded in Canada without a stable
job and no child support.
Strange as it all sounds, it feels perfectly right at this
biblical age of mine. This associate membership feels to
me like a miraculously custom-made solution to reach a
strange bird like me. For this, I am profoundly thankful to
all of you, and I will now try to explain my journey a little
bit so that you can see how it all happened.
Norma Rudy, one of the angels of this church, just recently
wrote to me how she had prayed for all these years that I
would find a permanent job at Laurier and that George
would find a wife. Her prayers were fulfilled only when I
was 48, while George married just two years ago at the age
of 40, and lives now happily with his Lise in Ottawa.
My strong-willed father had left his Catholic church in
Vienna before I was born in protest of the church‘s
blessings of weapons on both sides in both World Wars.
That left my meek and mild mother to have me and my
brother baptized as infants according to her own Lutheran
tradition, which goes back to a long line of pastors and
teachers in former Silesia, which was once part of the
Austrian monarchy.
During all these scary decades, I regularly attended
Rockway Church. I have found my voice here, and you
have kindly and most generously given me a forum where
I could express my doubts and stumbling steps of faith. I
still remember my first sermon, which was actually called
―On Doubt and Faith‖ — but there was a lot more doubt
than faith. But instead of frowns and stares I received hugs
and smiles. Since then I have carefully listened to many
inspiring teachers and pastors and musicians here, and I
have always appreciated your sincerity and honesty, spiced
with a fine sense of humour.
…continued on next page
We all miraculously survived the war — mother and we
small children on the run from the Allied bombs across all
of Austria, while father had no choice being recruited into
12 March 2011/Rockway News
So why did I not become a Mennonite myself?
My mother once asked me solemnly to always honour my
Lutheran ancestors. But there was indeed a time, when I
studied at the seminaries of Elkhart and Goshen in 1967,
when I had a towel all ready in my car for re-baptism,
before meeting with amazing teachers and friends such as
Clarence and Alice Bauman, John Howard and Annie
Yoder, and Erland and Winifred Waltner. But to my
surprise, they encouraged me to discover more about my
Lutheran heritage instead, so that I read all that Bonhoeffer
ever wrote and much of Luther‘s writings, as well as those
of Menno Simons and Hans Denk, and more — which was
truly overwhelming.
Strangely, and wonderfully, I found the same response at
Rockway Church, which I understood as telling me to keep
my own heritage, but to contribute with these insights to
your Mennonite tradition. And indeed, I am still glad to be
Lutheran. I am also glad that my infant baptism counts, so
to say. While I have a profound love and respect and
affinity for most of your Mennonite beliefs, I am not sure I
would fit into any Mennonite church, but I truly feel part
of this unique church right here.
I love your commitment to pacifism, which I fully share,
and to social justice, in which I need to grow. I love your
singing more than you will ever know, because Lutherans
cannot sing four-part harmony spontaneously with every
hymn, and I only beg you to sing more mightily, because
this is one of the greatest treasures of worship.
On the other hand, I am profoundly relieved to be a
Lutheran, because I do not have to be perfect. Luther, as a
realist, even declared ―pecca fortiter‖, which literally
means ―sin forcefully‖, which may sound totally pagan to
you. But it allows me to make mistakes instead of
withdrawing from our culture, worrying how to stay pure
and spotless. I believe that we will always be both ―saints
and sinners‖ at the same time — ―simul iustus et peccator‖
in Luther‘s words — since it is only God‘s grace, sola
gratia, and never our own effort that will lead us towards
the kingdom.
Knitters and Knotters
This women‘s group continues to meet on the first
Thursday of the month, September to June. The primary
activity is knotting comforters (pieced by members)
destined for MCC. A baby comforter was made for
Masoumeh (our Muslim friend who attended the group)
for her baby son born recently. A large one will be
presented to Mary‘s Place this spring. Knitting has
resurfaced too. Several small blankets have been knitted
and given to Marillac and Mary‘s Place. It will be a few
years before we reach the perfect score of 300 (we are fast
approaching 160), but we are patient!
Johanna Wall, Tessa Wall-Bergen, Karen Warkentin and
Margaret Hunsberger have boosted our numbers. New
participants are warmly welcomed. The amount of money
collected each year for supplies varies according to need
(usually between $15 and $25). This fee is not mandatory
for membership.
Members take turns providing and serving refreshments ...
we have no Baker!
We now have a storage area adjacent to the Fellowship
Hall, in the cold space at the bottom of an internal
staircase. So far only one bat has been found there,
keeping warm under the wrapped roll of quilt batting!
Someone passing by the Fellowship Hall cannot miss the
roars of laughter, the clicking of knitting needles (if it‘s
ever quiet), low voices as we discuss the issues of the wide
and not so wide world, cries of pain as someone sticks a
long sharp needle into a finger, the crash of at least one
quilt stand as the frames are dismantled and sounds of
alarm as we once again find the coffee pot overflowing! It
is never dull! — Margaret Butt, co-chair
I hope this helps to explain why I am so grateful to you for
accepting me today into this unusual associate
membership. To paraphrase Ephesians: ―So I who was
once alienated from the commonwealth of believers, have
been brought near. I am no longer a stranger and a
sojourner, but have become a fellow citizen with you
saints, as a member of the household of God.‖
Thank you, now and always. Ω
On January 9, we packed 100 school kits for MCC.
Rockway News/March 2011 13
Environment Committee update
SOOP time in Phoenix
After starting in 2007 by implementing a Carbon Offset
Program in response to concerns about climate change,
this group has broadened its interest to include all
environmental issues or what in church jargon is called
Creation Care.
By Mary Burkholder
For the benefit of newer readers, the Carbon Offset Program
encourages Rockway Church members to calculate their
carbon footprints (for home heating, electricity and
transportation) using a software program designed for this
purpose (available from Lewis Brubacher). People are then
encouraged to contribute $30 per tonne of carbon dioxide
produced to a Carbon Offset Fund. Expenditures from the
fund are authorized by Church Council based on recommendations from the Environment Committee. There is
currently $5,600 in the fund.
The major initiative of the Committee to date has been to
undertake an energy audit of the Zion church building and
to follow that up with improvements to the facility that
could decrease energy consumption. This is deemed to be
good stewardship from both environmental and economic
perspectives. We are currently obtaining quotes to have
more insulation installed in the attic above the Rockway
sanctuary, one of the ―low-hanging fruits‖ identified in the
audit. Stay tuned for more in the near future.
Two smaller initiatives on unrelated matters were
undertaken in recent months. Five hundred dollars was
given to Julia Hawthornthwaite to help with her expenses
to attend an international conference on climate change in
Mexico as part of a Liberal Party of Canada delegation. It
was made clear that this should in no way be interpreted as
an endorsement of the Liberal Party by the Environment
Committee or Rockway Church. It was simply seen as
good educational opportunity for Julia. She will be sharing
her experience at the conference in the adult Sunday
school hour on March 13, 2011.
A $500 grant was made to the Solar Grebel Project that
Ben Brubaker-Zehr is involved with at Conrad Grebel
University College. A story about the project was in the
February 9 Waterloo Chronicle, accessible at
http://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news/article/229067.
More information is available on Grebel‘s website (click
on Solar Grebel on the Quick Links on the home page).
I took over as chair of this committee when Dave Willms
moved to Germany. Dave continues to be a virtual member
of the committee. Others are Roger Baer (our founder),
Kimberly Barber, Lew Brubacher and Bob Dingman. If
you are interested in joining the group please contact me.
— Brian Hunsberger
14 March 2011/Rockway News
In early January, I joined 12 other northern SOOPers (in
MCC‘s Service Opportunities for Older People) as we
descended on Vista Avenue West in the Glendale part of
greater Phoenix, Arizona. We were all keen to experience
lots of sun, a variety of service opportunities and the
shared experience of group living. We came from British
Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Illinois and South
Dakota. (Note the predominance of Canadians!) Ten of the
13 were there for the third year in a row, and helped us
newcomers get oriented.
We were expected to work four to five hours daily and
each of us was permitted to choose assignments that had
appeal. Mondays we loaded into the van and drove to posh
areas, where residents wished to donate their citrus crops
to the food bank. There we harvested the fruit, using longhandled ―claws‖ to reach the high-hanging oranges and
grapefruit. We took the ―seconds‖ home and used them to
make juice — and drank Vitamin C by the gallon!
Several of us also went regularly to one of the local food
banks. We especially valued being permitted to work in
the back receiving area where inmates from the local
correctional institution worked each day. They were easy
to spot in their bright orange uniforms, and since we were
the ―new kids on the block‖ we worked under their
supervision. We sensed that they, along with us, quite
enjoyed this dynamic.
Trinity Mennonite Church, just a five-minute stroll up
Vista Avenue, was our local sponsor and church home.
Peter Wiebe, former pastor there and now retired, started
the SOOP program in Phoenix 16 years ago and continues
to relate to it. He and Rheta Mae live across the street from
the SOOP guesthouse, and offer lots of hospitality.
Free time, you ask? I loved going for long walks in the
neighbourhood, and basking in the sun in our back yard.
A peak experience was the Sunday I spent in nearby
Chandler with dear Indonesian friends from long ago, who
now teach at Arizona State University. Ω
The KJB after 400 years
The February 11, 2011 issue of Times Literary Supplement
reviews five books that discuss the King James Bible —
how it came to be, how it was received, and also some of
the translation errors. One of the books is co-edited by
Hannibal Hamlin, a son-in-law of Abner and Shirley
Martin of Waterloo (The King James Bible After 400
Years, Hannibal Hamlin and Norman W. Jones, editors).
A SOOP experience in Americus, Georgia
By Helen Epp
This past January I did an MCC SOOP (Service
Opportunities for Older People) assignment at Koinonia
Farm in Americus, Georgia, one of the 50 places in North
America where SOOP sends its volunteers. Koinonia, the
Greek word for ―loving community‖, was founded in 1942
by Clarence and Florence Jordan to be a ―demonstration
plot for the Kingdom of God‖ in sharing resources, work
and prayer, following Jesus‘ teachings. The emphasis is on
peacemaking, sharing and brotherhood/sisterhood among
people regardless of race.
In the 1950s and ‘60s, these teachings were so radical in this
area that Koinonia endured violence, boycotts and fires,
mostly due to their integration of black people on the farm,
giving them equal wages with white people. Their
neighbours were mostly black sharecroppers living in
inadequate houses, so Koinonia helped them in building
small, adequate homes — and this is where Habitat for
Humanity had its beginning. This is also where Jordan, a
Greek scholar and agriculturalist, wrote the ―Cotton Patch
Version‖ of the Bible in the southern vernacular. The farm‘s
main income comes from pecans produced by the 96-acre
orchard of pecan trees; their mail-order store also sells
baked goods. The entire campus covers over 600 acres and
has a wonderful Peace Trail, among other walking trails.
I arrived just a day before the area was hit with an ice
storm. This is not what I expected in the South, but in a
few days the weather turned warm and we could be
outdoors without jackets. I had a very adequate lodging
suite at Jubilee House, and my meals were taken in the
common dining room. Each day started with a meditation
in the little chapel on campus led by various partners of the
farm. At 10:00 am and 3:00 pm the bell rang for a coffee
break at a special coffee house where goodies from the
bakery were often served.
My assignment was to work in sorting pecans, and to help
in the bakery and kitchen. Since I had never worked with
black people, it was special for me that in each area of
my work, my ―boss‖ was a black woman — I worked
under her. I liked this. They were all wonderful women,
though I was quite embarrassed that I had such a difficult
time understanding their southern dialect.
On Sundays, people attended various churches in the area.
Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, where Jimmy Carter
is a member, Sunday school teacher and deacon, was only
six miles from Koinonia. He was often away on various
tours, but on January 23 he would be in church so I attend-
Helen Epp with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in January.
ed that day. As we entered the church, we were frisked by
Secret Service agents, and our purses were searched. We
were ushered into a room where we were given various
instructions on procedures.
When Carter entered the sanctuary he first told us that he
had just returned from Sudan where he had monitored the
referendum vote and a few other activities. He then
proceeded to the lectern, Secret Service agents standing on
both sides of the sanctuary, and began his Sunday school
lesson on James 2:14-25, emphasizing that faith without
works is dead and relating a number of examples. I was
impressed by his knowledge of the Bible and his fluency
of speech at age 86.
We had been told beforehand that after the service an aide
could take our picture with the Carters, using our own
camera. We were not to talk to the Carters, nor ask for
autographs, nor touch them. I had my camera with me and
waited in line. When my turn came, I handed my camera to
the aide, walked up and stood beside Carter, making sure
that I did not touch him. What a surprise when he put his
arm around my waist!! It made my day.
The following Sunday I asked to go to a black church. We
went to the African Methodist Episcopal Church, since this
was the home church of one of the Partners of Koinonia.
Three of us from Koinonia decided to go. We were greeted
warmly. The singing was lively and loud, with much
waving of hands and moving of bodies. The minister kept
a white towel on the pulpit to wipe his perspiration as he
preached, using it often. All the while a keyboard was
being played, becoming louder when the minister raised
his voice. It was another memorable experience.
January, 2011, was a very special month for me. Ω
Rockway News/March 2011 15
Alchemy for Survival1,2
By Kristen Mathies
(i)
Dutch Mennonites have the instrument
that held the tongue of Maeyken Wens as she burned.
Let me visit the room in Amsterdam
(not a whole museum, not an exhibition) where the screw
is kept
in a modest, unassuming drawer lined with worn cloth,
a buckled drawer which won‘t slide out smoothly
no matter how slowly you pull it.
Let me visit the room in St. Catharines
where my grandmother is kept
in a modest, unassuming manner,
the rich fabric of her life a worn cloth now,
without the memory that kept it plush all these years
and the life which kept weaving additional length.
Stories that rolled out eloquently buckle
now, won‘t slide smoothly
no matter how gently you pull on them.
Let me visit the room in St. Catharines
so I can ask the woman who lives there
what she‘s done with my grandmother.
The woman has used a tongue screw
to keep my grandmother quieter than she‘s ever been.
My grandmother was not so loud but she talked to me.
Stood next to me in church and sang with the rest of the
congregation,
rubbed my back when my child-self tired of the preaching,
1. Kristen says: ―When I first wrote the poem my amazing
grandmother, Lina Ida Heinrich Wohlgemuth, was alive.
The poem‘s grandmother was a composite of people with
memory loss, something Grandma didn‘t yet have. Rewriting after her death, I ploughed through Martyrs Mirror,
and wrote the second section
specifically about Lina. I edited
with my sister and mom beside
me. Few writing experiences are
as precious to me as working on
the poem with two of the people
I love most, and a third hovering
in our minds. Lina‘s suffering
didn‘t replicate Maeyken‘s, but
both of them were alchemists,
transforming base metals into
gold.‖
2. Reprinted from Tongue Screws and Testimonies: Poems and
Stories Inspired by the Martyrs Mirror, with permission from
the publisher, Herald Press, Scottdale, PA and Waterloo, ON.
16 March 2011/Rockway News
debated with me as we grew older then told me lovingly
that
I just liked to argue.
She won‘t get into long chats with me anymore.
She‘s busy arguing with herself about where she went.
(ii)
Let me visit the room in St. Catharines
where my Grandma lives
a modest, unassuming life,
the rich fabric of her memory a little worn now.
Less time at ninety-one for her to weave additional length.
Let me visit the room in St. Catharines
so I can ask my Grandma
if there‘s anything else she wants to tell me.
Lina never called it suffering
to live without a husband, forced into the German army
then death in a prisoner of war camp six months after his
family fled.
She didn‘t complain
about running with small sons and smaller daughter
ahead of armies toward Atlantic passage and refugee life
in Canada.
No fiery martyr‘s death, none of Maeyken‘s screams for
passage to God
and refusal to recant.
Instead the slow burn of missing Heinrich,
what fifty-six years of marriage might have been, instead
of six.
Some gracious alchemy
kept Lina from bitterness as she grew stronger,
metal liquefied and formed again by slow-burning flame
melting any bones that didn‘t break.
My Grandma remade in an unexpected form.
Soon Maeyken and Lina face to face.
See my hands and side? See where the flames
roasted my feet
buckled my legs
burst my heart
licked at my fingers splayed out for God to grasp?
Understand how God’s grip pulled me up.
My scars are supple enough for me to grasp your hands,
my ears
can hold all you told none but God since last you saw your
husband.
See that the taste of metal is gone from your mouth, see that
your tongue is freed. Ω
Stories of faith: Agatha Dick
Agatha Dick, sister of Helen Epp of our congregation, died
in Leamington on September 5, 2010, at the age of 86. She
was a long-time organist and pianist at her home church,
Leamington United Mennonite. The funeral message that
follows was given at the memorial service on September 8
by Victor Winter, coordinating pastor at that church and
formerly principal of United Mennonite Educational
Institute. He based his comments on Psalm 92.
This majestic Psalm introduces us to some of the great
themes that we find in the book of Psalms, one of the
treasure chests given for us who are on the journey of
faith. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises
to your name, O Most High…. This is how the Psalmist
begins. The old catechisms that churches used to employ
had a series of questions and answers, which candidates
would learn by heart. We are more sophisticated in
teaching our beliefs and faith today, but there is still
something powerful about the simple old catechism. The
very first question and answer was this one:
Question 1: What is the chief end/purpose of man?
Answer: Man‘s chief end is to glorify God, and to
enjoy him forever.
When you think about it, it‘s a remarkable statement, and
it runs counter to our prevailing culture. Whereas various
competing interests would say that our primary role as
humans is to be consumer, or citizen, or taxpayer, or
worker, the Psalmist strips those earthly fleeting roles and
puts them aside, and gets to the heart of the matter: we are
created by God, we are gifted with a life by God, and we
in turn need to live lives that show thankfulness in return.
It‘s as simple and as complex as that. The deep underlying
need for all humans is to recognize and to acknowledge the
Creator.
It‘s at funeral services that we are most likely to lay aside
all of the extra baggage we carry and focus instead on
what is central. Death sharpens our focus. And that‘s true
as well as we contemplate our faith. This is why I have
chosen this psalm as a guiding text. Agatha Dyck
understood what was central in life. How do you
acknowledge God in the best way? How can you get
closest to God? For Aggie, and for many of us, and also
for the psalmist, it is through music. The psalmist speaks
of the instruments of his time: the lute, the harp, the lyre.
For Aggie, it was the organ and the piano.
My chief memories of Agatha are images of her playing
the organ in church. She was a pioneer for us in this regard.
In N.N. Driedger‘s book about our church, he writes that at
the annual meeting in 1943, on January 31, it was moved
and approved that Miss
Anna Hildebrand and Miss
Agatha Dyck be ―asked to
play the piano in an
unostentatious manner
before the church service.‖
That was a translation. The
original German read: kurz
vor Beginn des Gottesdienstes das Klavier leise
zu spielen. (It would have
been very interesting to
hear the discussion that
preceded that action — to
hear about what would have been considered too loud or
too ostentatious!)
Aggie was one of the first of a long list of musicians who
have freely served this church. Leading the congregation
in the singing of hymns, great hymns, hymns that have laid
out the gospel to the people at least as well as the
preachers have, hymns that have been a theological
storehouse for our people, hymns of joy, of lament, of
praise, but always hymns that pointed people towards God.
Agatha‘s business in the church was about as close as you
get to the central purpose stated in that first catechism
answer — to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. To use
melody and art paired with words and rhythm — somehow
this mixture gets us closer to God than almost anything
else. It‘s a bit mysterious. But the effect of music is not
mysterious. In our singing and playing we open ourselves
to God in a way that nothing else can do for us.
That‘s not to say that those of us who are tone-deaf and
can‘t sing can‘t also approach God through music. My
tone-deaf friends assure me that music is just as important
to them…they just can‘t sing in quite the same way. I think
God accepts all singers who sing to Him.
How attuned are you to God‘s great ongoing melody?
How are you doing in achieving your primary aim in life?
Aggie Dyck‘s life and work must serve as an
encouragement to us all. In her quiet and friendly and
devoted way, she answered the question faithfully. Her life
was her answer. She said with her life that it is good to
give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O
Most High, to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night.
Night has come for Aggie, and with it a glorious morning
with God, we believe. I encourage each of you to answer
the question faithfully too. Amen. — Victor Winter
Rockway News/March 2011 17
Notes from near and far
Last fall, T.J. Carvajal played on
the soccer team at his school,
Eastwood Collegiate. A report in
the Waterloo Regional Record (see
http://www.therecord.com/sports/a
rticle/285253--eastwood-s-juniorsoccer-champions-19-boys-13countries-1-mission-accomplished),
focused on the fact that the 19
players came from 13 countries T.J.
was the goalkeeper, allowing only
four goals while his teammates
scored more than 90 in a 15-0
season. The team won the Central
Western Ontario championship on
November 5, and were hailed by the
student body the following Monday.
Eastwood Collegiate’s soccer team last fall. The 19 players came from 13 countries. T.J. Carvajal, the goalkeeper (in black), is in the centre of the front row.
Desta Frey has attended the University of Guelph for the
past four and a half years. She graduated with distinction
with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in
Environmental Toxicology (Co-op) at convocation on
February 23, 2011. She is very interested in marine and
aquatic systems and plans to pursue a Masters in Marine
Biology in the future. In May, she will travel to Madagascar for three months to volunteer with the non-governmental organization, Blue Ventures. During this time she
will pursue her passion for scuba diving by participating in
marine conservation research along the southwest coast of
Madagascar. Blue Ventures is a ―marine conservation
organisation dedicated to conservation, education and
sustainable development in tropical coastal communities.‖
(See http://blueventures.org/.)
Caryn Petker writes: ―In December I joined Northern
Digital Inc. in Waterloo as Manager, Human Resources.
NDI designs, manufactures and sells precision measurement systems for multiple applications around the world.
Our primary market is selling 3D optical measurement
systems which enable surgeons to perform computerassisted surgery and therapy. We also make advanced
metrology products used in the inspection, reverse
engineering and high-speed part tracking for the industrial
sector; and research-grade motion capture systems
designed for scientific research applications.‖
Jack and Eleanor Dueck write: ―We are making an
extended two-month trip into the United States. Jack will
give presentations at AMBS in Elkhart, at Goshen College
and Goshen College Church, Hesston College, and at First
Mennonite Church in Denver. This also gets us to Boulder,
Colorado, to visit our daughter Carolyn and family. We
return toward the end of April. Missing you already.‖
18 March 2011/Rockway News
In February, David Waltner-Toews presented at the first
global conference on One Health in Melbourne, Australia.
He took the opportunity for a road and camping trip with son
Matthew from Darwin, in the far north wet tropics, through
the wilderness to Adelaide in the far south. Dingoes, giant
centipedes and floods across the highway were a few of the
high points! David and Kathy will visit Rebecca, Steve and
grandson Ira in North Carolina February 26-March 6. On
April 14, David will attend the world premier of the film,
―LoveMEATender‖, in a showing to the European Parliament in Brussels. David was the consultant epidemiologist
for the film. In May, he goes to Lisbon to take part in ―dialogues for and within a new vision of science‖, organized by
scholars working on policies for the European Commission.
Mary Karen and Bob Gosselink left Waterloo for Sedona,
Arizona in late January. They rode out a winter storm in St.
Louis, finally arriving in Sedona on February 5 where they
enjoyed sunny skies. Mary Karen spent a morning with the
Redock Quilt Guild. She comments, ―They have a great
guild and I always learn so much from them.‖ Later they
entertained nine cousins from all over the west for supper.
The next day Mary and Vic Reimer stopped by on their way
to a building project on the Hopi reservation. In early March
they will get together with university friends they haven‘t
seen since their wedding. They will return to Waterloo for
what they hope will be spring.
Margaret Reimer writes: ―Once a month, Sue Steiner,
Hildi Froese Tiessen and I pass through security at the
local women‘s prison and make our way to a seminar room
where we meet with twelve inmates to discuss literature.
The idea for this book club was planted last summer when
I met Carol Finlay, an Anglican priest and retired English
professor who has a passion for starting book clubs in
prisons across the country. It‘s been an eye-opening, lively
experience for us three neophytes. The women we meet
with are keen readers; discussion is vigorous and candid.
We chose books ranging from Sandra Birdsell short stories
to The Secret Life of Bees, The Cellist of Sarajevo and The
Book of Negroes. The books are paid for by The Prison
Fellowship of Canada and the women are pleased to be
able to keep them.
The Willms family (Anita, Dave, Andrew and Naomi)
sends greetings: We‘ve reached the six-month point since
our move to Germany. Our days are pleasantly full of
work, school, clubs, friends, tutoring and extracurricular
adventures. Naomi and Andrew are working their way
through grades one and three, respectively, in the local
Grundschule. They have a certain ‗kool‘-ness about them,
these exotic foreigners. For not really speaking any
German before September, they are doing remarkably
well. Naomi‘s teacher declared: ―She seems to be
absorbing German through her skin!‖, and Andrew now
turns out passable page-long stories in German, though
school continues to be more of a struggle for him. Of
course, they are the stars of their respective English classes
and regularly help their teachers with reading and
pronunciation. They both have a number of good friends,
and afternoon playdates abound.
After declaring the family ―settled!‖, Anita is now
translating her resumé and has begun meeting people
working in social services. She is volunteering at the local
school, providing English enrichment, which the teachers
appreciate and the kids love.
I (Dave) enjoy my continued work at Northern Digital Inc.
Work is steady and challenging. Most of my colleagues
speak excellent English, but they do me the honour of
speaking exclusively in German (yikes!). Communication
is sometimes a challenge, but it makes the days interesting.
It has been hard being so far from friends and family, but
we feel we have been rewarded in other ways. Regular
Skype calls make up for some of the disconnect. After a
few false starts, we‘ve connected with a Baptist church in
Radolfzell. The group is friendly, the sermons are good
(albeit in German), but singing off the wall will take some
getting used to!
We‘re enjoying our apartment, complete with a view of the
Bodensee, historic Radolfzell and beautiful sunsets over
ancient Hohentwiel. We continue to be car-less, although
we realize that condition is about as rare here as it was in KW. Fortunately, ubiquitous bike paths, and a strong cycling
culture make it a much nicer place to get around by bike.
We look forward to news from RMC and we welcome
visitors any time! Ω
Small group discussion at the February retreat. From left: Noah Heide, Kieran Heide, Marty Shantz (back to us), Will
Dingman, Micah Cowell, Nathan Shantz, Cam Dingman, Nicholas Heide (behind Cam), Tyler Cowell, Riley Sauer.
Rockway News/March 2011 19
Walking around the world: Attending the
international Walk21 conference in the Netherlands
By: Matthew Tiessen & Petra Hroch
Wonderful walking — what a
terrifically eco-friendly way to
get around. The world needs
more walkers, and through our
involvement with the Region of
Waterloo‘s Pedestrian Charter
Steering Committee (PCSC) we
keep volunteering, advocating,
and tirelessly travelling the world
in an effort to contribute to
walking‘s next steps.
For example, this past November (2010) we represented the
PCSC at the international walking conference known as
Walk21. Petra had attended the exciting 2009 conference in
New York City (where the urban planners were implementing especially exciting urban-space interventions), but this
year the conference took place in the Hague, the Netherlands. (In 2011, Walk21 is taking place in Vancouver.)
Fortunately, we were spending the fall in Utrecht at
Utrecht University and were able to take the delightful
inter-city rail across country to attend the conference.
the participants and excited to bring new insights to our
community and, crucially, council members.
As history teaches us, car-centric cities didn‘t happen by
accident, and in the future pedestrian-friendly cities won‘t
either. Cities, that is, are not products of chance but of will
and desire. In other words, sustainable urban environments
— like their unsustainable alter-egos — are the products of
complex choices, civic engagement, money, an engaged
government, and vision. Increasingly, however, walkable,
socially just, sustainable, and compact cities are becoming
a necessity rather than an option. In a world of ecological
crisis, out of control energy prices, and energy-intensive
lifestyles, walking promotes security and safety as much as
it does sustainability.
Choosing to walk and contributing to political processes
that enhance walkability in our region (and beyond) are
not just ecologically sensitive options, they are political,
ethical, ecological, and economic decisions that, over time,
will enable us to secure a more sustainable future for
everyone. So let‘s get moving…. Ω
The Walk21 conference theme in the Hague was, ―Getting
Communities Back on their Feet.‖ Walk21 conferences are
always foot-friendly festivals featuring endless presentations and talks on walking — why it‘s important, how we
can increase the number of walkers, what it takes to make
a community more walkable and less car-dependent,
globally significant ―best practices‖, etc. The Hague, and
the Netherlands in general, was the perfect backdrop for a
walking conference in light of the non-motorized mobility
infrastructure the Netherlands is so well known for, which
includes cycling, walking, and public transport.
Specific topics on which the academics, urban planners,
transportation engineers, and eco-warriors gave papers
included, for example: 1) the importance of urban design
for the promotion of walking environments; 2) how to use
web-based ―crowdsourcing‖ applications to improve
walkability; 3) the significance of street shade for
downtown retail business; 4) walking as a pillar of
sustainable mobility planning; 5) the hegemonic histories
of North American car culture; 6) mobility and ageing
populations; 7) how to make the economic case for
walkable urban environments; and 8) affordably creating
walkable cities. We left the conference — by foot and
public tram — energized by the passion and persistence of
20 March 2011/Rockway News
Fun at the February retreat, on the slopes (top) and inside.