Highland Community Church

Steve Bell Concert

2012-02-03T10:50:00.000-08:00

Coming soon!

Check out this link for more information!
http://stevebell.com/2012/01/steve-bell-at-highland-community-church-on-february-29th/

Decorating the Tree

2011-12-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Connie for sharing these pictures

of her small group decorating the tree for Christmas 2011!

Christmas Concert Invitation from Frank and Wendy

2011-11-15T13:06:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, December 10th, at 7:00 pm, the Joy Vox Community Choir presents their annual Christmas Concert. This fabulous event is being held at the North Valley Baptist Church, 32715 Cherry Ave., Mission, BC. Admission is $10.00 and tickets are available at the door with proceeds going to the food bank. This evening features the Joy Vox Community Choir which won Bronze at the Nationals in 2011. The choir sings a variety of music--including classical, jazz and African--all of which will be featured at this concert. Joy Vox has performed throughout the Lower Mainland at various events. Under the direction of Liisa Nessim they have been expanding their vocal repertoire for the last ten years and enjoy a good musical challenge. The all-women small vocal ensemble, Voce Destino, which won silver at the Nationals in 2011, will also be performing. A very dedicated group of women with mighty voices, they are a pure delight of harmonies. Solos and small groups highlighting various members of Joy Vox will also be featured in what is sure to be an uplifting evening of music. So come out and support the food bank and local musicians in a delightful evening of choral music with a twist.

New Book: Renewing Identity and Mission

2011-11-09T08:20:00.001-08:00

Kindred Productions has just released this book which includes chapters by J and Andrew. J's contribution is entitled "Passing on Peace? Canadian Mennonite Brethren and Peacemaking." Andrew's chapter is "Can the Center Hold? Conversion in Canadian Mennonite Brethren Spirituality."

This is the first book that Andrew helped steer through to publication in his role as executive secretary of the M.B. Historical Commission.

Anyone wanting to purchase this book can do so at http://kindredproductions.com.

Celebrating the Harvest Part 2

2011-09-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

Paul and Heidi selling their produce at Fieldstone Village Market on September 24th.

Celebrating the Harvest

2011-09-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Maryann Jantzen for taking and sharing these pictures

of the Highland Community Garden harvest potluck
and church service.

An Article by Jennifer Doede

2011-08-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Doede wrote an article entitled, "Reading good literature: unsettling our lives" for the August 2011 issue of the MB Herald. You can also find it by clicking on this link: http://www.mbconf.ca/home/products_and_services/resources/publications/mb_herald/august_2011/features/reading/

Kendra and David's Wedding (from Connie)

2011-06-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Kendra's and David's wedding. It was held at Eagle Bay Camp, on Shuswap Lake May 28/11. Steve Imbach married them. The weather was perfect. We had a wonderful time celebrating with them, and we enjoyed the day with many friends and family. They will live in Abbotsford, as she continues to study nursing at TWU, and he works at Heritage Alliance as their youth pastor.

As their wedding followed the Royal wedding so closely, we brought up 75 hats to be worn at the reception. (these were all borrowed from our neighbour friend, Sheri).

A Few More Expressions of Joy

2011-05-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Gene for taking and sharing these pictures!

Expressions of Joy Weekend

2011-05-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our third "Expressions" weekend!
Here's a bit of what we enjoyed.

Will playing the piano on Saturday night.Carmen's vintage photos--a couple of these youngsters are now elders!Wendy's watercolours.John's "Canadiana" display cabinet.Sue's watercolours.Helmut's photography.Sandi's wet-felted sea shore.Gene's woodburning.Julia's photography of "Arches".Sandi's wet and needlefelted art.Helmut's African hardwood desk.Connie's family memory albums.Cheryl's "Amish Country" quilt.Jean's Winnie-the-Pooh "Picnic Time".Heinz's pen and ink birdnests.Lois's artisan breads.Marilyn's "Kids Cook" restaurant.Sandi's needlefelting workshop.And Gene getting the right shot.

A Story for Lent

2011-03-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

This story was mentioned by Andrew in his sermon on March 13th, as being especially fitting for Lent.

The Rag Man's Story
by Walter Wangerin, Jr

I saw a strange sight. I stumbled upon a story most strange, like nothing my life, my street sense, my sly tongue had ever prepared me for. Hush, child. Hush, now, and I will tell it to you.

Even before the dawn one Friday morning I noticed a young man, handsome and strong, walking the alleys of our City. He was pulling an old cart filled with clothes both bright and new, and he was calling in a clear, tenor voice: "Rags!" Ah, the air was foul and the first light filthy to be crossed by such sweet music.

"Rags! New rags for old! I take your tired rags! Rags!"

"Now, this is a wonder," I thought to myself, for the man stood six-feet-four, and his arms were like tree limbs, hard and muscular, and his eyes flashed intelligence. Could he find no better job than this, to be a ragman in the inner city? I followed him. My curiosity drove me. And I wasn't disappointed.

Soon the Ragman saw a woman sitting on her back porch. She was sobbing into a handkerchief, sighing, and shedding a thousand tears. Her knees and elbows made a sad X. Her shoulders shook. Her heart was breaking. The Ragman stopped his cart. Quietly, he walked to the woman, stepping round tin cans, dead toys, and Pampers.

"Give me your rag," he said so gently, "and I'll give you another."

He slipped the handkerchief from her eyes. She looked up, and he laid across her palm a linen cloth so clean and new that it shined. She blinked from the gift to the giver.

Then, as he began to pull his cart again, the Ragman did a strange thing: he put her stained handkerchief to his own face; and then HE began to weep, to sob as grievously as she had done, his shoulders shaking. Yet she was left without a tear.

"This IS a wonder," I breathed to myself, and I followed the sobbing Ragman like a child who cannot turn away from mystery.

"Rags! Rags! New rags for old!"

In a little while, when the sky showed grey behind the rooftops and I could see the shredded curtains hanging out black windows, the Ragman came upon a girl whose head was wrapped in a bandage, whose eyes were empty. Blood soaked her bandage. A single line of blood ran down her cheek. Now the tall Ragman looked upon this child with pity, and he drew a lovely yellow bonnet from his cart.

"Give me your rag," he said, tracing his own line on her cheek, "and I'll give you mine."

The child could only gaze at him while he loosened the bandage, removed it, and tied it to his own head. The bonnet he set on hers. And I gasped at what I saw: for with the bandage went the wound! Against his brow it ran a darker, more substantial blood - his own!

"Rags! Rags! I take old rags!" cried the sobbing, bleeding, strong, intelligent Ragman.

The sun hurt both the sky, now, and my eyes; the Ragman seemed more and more to hurry.

"Are you going to work?" he asked a man who leaned against a telephone pole. The man shook his head.

The Ragman pressed him: "Do you have a job?"

"Are you crazy?" sneered the other. He pulled away from the pole, revealing the right sleeve of his jacket - flat, the cuff stuffed into the pocket. He had no arm.

"So," said the Ragman. "Give me your jacket, and I'll give you mine."

Such quiet authority in his voice!

The one-armed man took off his jacket. So did the Ragman - and I trembled at what I saw: for the Ragman's arm stayed in its sleeve, and when the other put it on he had two good arms, thick as tree limbs; but the Ragman had only one.

"Go to work," he said.

After that he found a drunk, lying unconscious beneath an army blanket, and old man, hunched, wizened, and sick. He took that blanket and wrapped it round himself, but for the drunk he left new clothes.

And now I had to run to keep up with the Ragman. Though he was weeping uncontrollably, and bleeding freely at the forehead, pulling his cart with one arm, stumbling for drunkenness, falling again and again, exhausted, old, old, and sick, yet he went with terrible speed. On spider's legs he skittered through the alleys of the City, this mile and the next, until he came to its limits, and then he rushed beyond.

I wept to see the change in this man. I hurt to see his sorrow. And yet I needed to see where he was going in such haste, perhaps to know what drove him so.

The little old Ragman - he came to a landfill. He came to the garbage pits. And then I wanted to help him in what he did, but I hung back, hiding. He climbed a hill. With tormented labor he cleared a little space on that hill. Then he sighed. He lay down. He pillowed his head on a handkerchief and a jacket. He covered his bones with an army blanket. And he died.

Oh, how I cried to witness that death! I slumped in a junked car and wailed and mourned as one who has no hope - because I had come to love the Ragman. Every other face had faded in the wonder of this man, and I cherished him; but he died. I sobbed myself to sleep.

I did not know - how could I know? - that I slept through Friday night and Saturday and its night, too.

But then, on Sunday morning, I was wakened by a violence. Light - pure, hard, demanding light - slammed against my sour face, and I blinked, and I looked, and I saw the last and the first wonder of all.

There was the Ragman, folding the blanket most carefully, a scar on his forehead, but alive! And, besides that, healthy! There was no sign of sorrow nor of age, and all the rags that he had gathered shined for cleanliness.

Well, then I lowered my head and trembling for all that I had seen, I myself walked up to the Ragman. I told him my name with shame, for I was a sorry figure next to him. Then I took off all my clothes in that place, and I said to him with dear yearning in my voice: "Dress me."

He dressed me. My Lord, he put new rags on me, and I am a wonder beside him. The Ragman, the Ragman, the Christ!

Congratulations to Andrew!

2011-01-15T15:50:00.000-08:00

Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches - Transitions: The Historical Commission, a binational agency of the U.S. and Canadian MB conferences, appointed Andrew Dyck as executive secretary effective Jan. 1, 2011. In this quarter-time role, Dyck replaces Abe Dueck, who served as interim executive secretary since the resignation of Ken Reddig in April 2009. Dyck will continue as pastoral elder at Highland Community Church in Abbotsford, BC, while also working on PhD studies at the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague." (from the "MB Herald", January 2011)

Marilyn and Gene's Trip to Benin

2010-11-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

Two nights in London, then an unexpected three night stay in Morocco (Casablanca), our first Africa experience.

Arrived Cotonou, Benin, 4 a.m., then eight hours over rough roads to Parakou. Good to see cousin Clara.

First week, ministry to missionary kids while their parents participated in sessions at the Spiritual Life Conference. Sharon, Marilyn and Gene did games, etc., with the kids.

Gene and the older kids did some woodworking projects (mahogany picnic table and bench swing.)
Visited an eye hospital, and another hospital, both created by missionaries over the last three decades.
Visited several villages, and saw some of the extensive damage done by a recent flood.

A corner store with gas for sale in the bottles. Worshiped in several settings, including a somewhat remote church founded by a former Colonel. He graciously hosted us for lunch, and showed us his castle.
We appreciated the beauty we discovered in the people,

the landscape (waterfalls and palm trees), and the flora and fauna.
On our last day we visited the Gate of No Return, set up as a memorial to the 12 million slaves that were kidnapped and taken away from the African coast.

The FLQ Crisis Remembered

2010-10-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

Andrew wrote a short piece for the CBC website about his memory of the FLQ crisis 40 years ago. It's entitled, "Lessons from Pastor Warkentin" and can be found by clicking on this link,
http://www.cbc.ca/octobercrisis/your-memories.html and scrolling down the page.

Pie Booth at the 2010 MCC Relief Sale

2010-09-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

The 40 minute long line-up to get into the sale.

The crowd around our booth.
Some of our hard-working volunteers.

And where does "The Bathroom Reader" (in center) belong--the classics or the religious section?

Thanks, J, for supplying the pictures!

Up in the Air

2010-08-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

Guess which Highlander celebrated his birthday by jumping out of a plane at 12000 feet?

Charlie went sky diving on Wednesday, Aug. 4th. His family didn't tell him he was doing it until they were were driving him there. He thought he was going to his mom's for an early dinner and instead did a tandem jump with the owner's son who has jumped 7000 times.

He still can't believe he did it.

Picnic at Connie and Charlie's

2010-07-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

Something to Cry About

2010-07-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

Holly Klaassen with three-year-old son Sammy.

Her experiences as a mother inspired her to launch her own website,

The Fussy Baby Site, which is dedicated solely to colic and infant fussiness.
John Van Putten

The piercing cries were relentless for the first three months, at all hours of the day and night.

At first, Holly Klaassen and her husband, Derrick, thought something was seriously wrong with their baby son, Sammy. But doctors couldn’t pinpoint a cause. It was just colic, and he would outgrow it, they said.

It was little comfort. The couple were frustrated, exhausted and overwhelmed. Holly felt a lot of guilt and became depressed. They hadn’t gone through this with their other child, Aliya, who was three years older.

“A mother should be able to calm her baby or at least know why he’s crying,” Holly would think.

The small bits of information the Klaassens could glean on the topic weren’t very helpful. Suggestions to rock their baby in a rocking chair or sing him a lullaby were almost comical: How do you sing to a baby who is shrieking and can’t hear you?

They felt like nobody understood what they were going through.

Holly started talking to anyone she could about the topic, trying to learn the causes and ways to cope. She realized there was a need for more information and support for parents who were in the same situation.

So, in early 2007, the Abbotsford mom started The Fussy Baby Site – “the only website dedicated solely to colic and infant fussiness.”

The site includes a forum, stories from other moms, resources, articles from experts, and coping techniques.

An e-book, The Fussy Baby Survival Guide, followed awhile later, featuring interviews with some of the top experts on the topic.

The book also includes the top soothing techniques for fussy babies, based on a survey Holly conducted of 100 parents.

She said she receives emails every day, from around the world, from people asking for advice.

“The main feedback I hear is, ‘I thought I was the only one going through this. When I found your website, I cried.’ ”

Sammy is now three, and Holly said she has since learned his severe crying bouts were more a personality issue than a physical ailment. He was among the estimated 20 per cent of babies who are born with a “fussy, spirited, high-need temperament” and require extra care and attention.

Today, he is the type of child who is exuberant, active, intense and temperamental.

Holly can relate that to how he was as a baby, when the only thing that calmed him down was activity and distraction. She would leave the house with him early in the morning and stay out with him for the day, so that his senses were stimulated.

Coming home meant a return of his shrieking. By the age of three months, Sammy no longer cried non-stop. The crying decreased further when he learned to crawl and declined even more when he learned to walk.

Now, Holly wants to help as many people as she can, and she feels her website is the best way to do that.

“It’s kind of my baby now, and my passion.

“I don’t see myself stopping,” she said.

The website can be viewed at thefussybabysite.com.

By Vikki Hopes - Abbotsford News
Published: May 18, 2010 9:00 AM
Updated: May 20, 2010 4:42 PM

Our Community Garden

2010-07-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

"Expressions of Hope"

2010-04-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who contributed to this wonderful event!

For those who couldn't make it, here are some photos to share with you.

Lois Klassen's "Criss-cross with Appliqued Border",
"Snowflakes for a Christmas Baby",

and "Crown of Thorns" quilt tops.

Helmut Ernst's "First Signs of Spring" and
"Snow Melt in Spring" digital photography.

Cara, Sarah, and Andy Abraham's "Pieced Baby Ball"
and "Bean Bag Toss Game".

Bev Binder's "Backyard Poppies" acrylic painting.

Martha Dyck's "Prayer Through Stitches" quilt.

Highland Children's "Lenten Project of Hope" coin collection for an African family.

Sandi Ernst's "A Cracked Vase" needlefelt.

Wendy McFarland's "Costa Rica Delight" watercolor painting.
Sandi Ernst's "One of Many Expressions of Hope" needlefelt.
John Konrad's "Reupholstered MCC Chair".
Ron Toews' "I Don't Build Boats and I Don't Like Water"

okume (African) plywood kayak.

Wendy McFarland's "Solitude" pen and ink drawing.
One of Julia Toews' "Seeing Through a Glass Darkly" photographs.

Julia Toews' "From Another Country" photography and maps.
Cheryl Wall's "Cabin Fever" and

Laura Enns's "Jacob's Ladder" quilts.
Rachel Kehler's "His View" needlefelt.

Highland Easter Breakfast April 4, 2010

2010-04-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

Pictures from Andrew's Trip to Prague

2010-02-25T13:10:00.000-08:00

International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague.
Competing ideologies (Prague).

Prague Castle seen from Charles Bridge.

Terezin (WW II Jewish ghetto and prison--Czech Republic).

Refuge for pilgrims stranded by high tides at Lindisfarne (Holy Island).

Celtic cross (Lindisfarne).

Chapel at Northumbria Community.

Stone wall near Cuthbert's Cairn.

Stone circle near Edinburgh.

Happy Valentine's Day at Highland

2010-02-16T14:03:00.001-08:00

Update from Andrew

2010-02-10T13:52:00.001-08:00

Hello Highlanders.

Thank you for once again supporting my ongoing PhD work by making it possible for me to attend the annual colloquium for research students at the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague. During my first week at IBTS, while listening to presentations from researchers from 14 different countries, I was impressed by the range of topics being presented, by how interesting they were, and by their relevance. Thinking that you too might be interested in the kind of work being done by my colleagues, I am posting this summary of the research that was presented. I'd be happy to discuss any of these topics with you, if you would like to do that.

I also attended a three-day seminar on the relationship between spirituality and ethics. Participants were from eleven countries, and represented a wide range of Christian traditions: Baptist, Ecumenical, Hussite, Lutheran, Mennonite Brethren, Orthodox, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist.

With much thankfulness,
Andrew

PhD Research Topics at IBTS
January, 2010

Baptist worship in Belarus.
Mahayana Buddhist – Orthodox Christian Dialogue.
Christian-Muslim Dialogue in Turkey using stories of Abraham.
Community hermeneutics among Mennonite Brethren: women in church leadership.
Consumer culture, missional church, and community among young adults in America.
Mennonite Brethren appropriating Catholic spirituality (e.g. conversion as per Ignatius).
Decision-making among American Baptists in light of “radical democracy.”
Dostoevsky’s biography as theology.
Early Anabaptists' views of the church for contemporary church-planting.
Echoes of Elijah-Elisha in Luke-Acts
Emerging church paradigm for urban Sweden.
Forgiveness using an ecological model.
History of Baptist youth work in Atlantic Canada.
History of Baptists in Hungary 1920-1989
History of Baptists in Nothwest USA: their moral vision.
History of a founder of the Russian Baptists.
Living nonviolently in post-war Croatia.
Ministries of compassion by evangelicals in Russia and Ukraine, 1905-1929.
Mission among Baptists in Armenia (1830-1915 and today).
Mission among evangelicals in Moldova.
Mission among immigrant Slavic Baptists (Pacific coast).
Old Testament in Wesleyan theology of mission.
100 years of a women’s journal for and by Southern Baptists.
Preaching for transformation in Russian Baptist worship.
Reducing hate-speech in Latvia’s print media post-1991.
Singleness among European Baptist women.
The Sinner’s Prayer among Southern Baptists.
21st century “Missional Church” and 18th century Moravians.
Use of scripture for peacemaking in Northern Ireland,1998.

(Countries represented in the colloquium and in the seminar: Armenia, Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Northern Ireland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Croatia, Rwanda, ASlovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, USA)

Heidi and Eric's Wedding

2009-10-23T10:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back Sunday Potluck

2009-09-13T16:55:00.001-07:00

Our Welcome Back Sunday Lunch on Sept. 13.

Sara Vander Woude's and Ben Oldham's Wedding, June 27, 2009

2009-09-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

Sue writes,

It was a very special occasion for us. The wedding ceremony was very meaningful. Sara and Ben created it with their pastor/professor at Mars Hill Graduate School and the chapel was beautiful and intimate with candles and all. We were very blessed and thankful for Sara and Ben joining their lives together in marriage.

Side chapel of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Seattle, WA.

The happy parents, Tony and Sue, with the happy couple, Sara and Ben.

Only 14 tiny pews in this initimate little chapel and these were the pew flowers.

'trust' CD Nominated for 'Inspirational Album of the Year'

2009-09-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hi there!
Well, in case you haven't heard yet - the 'trust' CD has been nominated for 'inspirational album of the year' by GMA.

There are 5 nominations in this category and the winner will be announced in October!

Alleluia Alleluia (psalm 84 meditation) is also nominated for 'classical/traditional' song of the year

All Shall be well is also nominated for 'instrumental' song of the year!

Thanks to all of you for your part in this project!!!!
The website link can show you who we are running against for these awards.

http://www.gmacanada.ca/go/site/news/nominations_announcement_coming_to_you_august_27th/

in peace,
Cathy

Social Media Creates Anxiety - article on Bob Doede from www.twu.ca

2009-09-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

TWU Associate Professor of Philosophy, Robert Doede says that social media creates anxiety, among other things, in its users.

Each spring, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Robert Doede, PhD, puts social media addiction to the test. For a 5% bonus credit his Philosophy 210 students are challenged to abstain from all social and traditional media throughout the three month semester and journal about their experiences. Only the strong succeed, giving up things like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, videogames, television and movies. Doede says that out of a typical class of 35 only about 12 seek the challenge, and by the end of the semester only four to six are still “media abstinent.”

While social media sites like Facebook provide an easy connection to significant people in our lives, Doede sees the downside of these sites first-hand. He says, “Students can’t wait to get out of class to update, find out if anyone commented on their page or sent them anything. Their spare time is being more and more devoted to keeping so-called friends apprised of their lives and satisfying their own voyeuristic interests in others’ lives, to the point that schoolwork can be surrounded by the anxieties of updating.”

21-year-old, Hannah Jenkins decided to take Doede up on his challenge. Until taking the class she, like all her peers, had been a big user of Facebook. Jenkins shares how she would spend hours non-stop playing around on Facebook and recalls that, “afterward I felt completely numb, drained and devoid of all humanity.”

Doede says that students partaking in the fast share with him in their journals that, as they abstain from media, they see a decrease in anxiety, have more time, notice their shopping habits change, and lose weight, and their grade point average generally increases. Doede also says that, “Some get bored immediately because they were so addicted to such high levels of stimuli. They were constantly checking and updating sites that it had kept their lives in perpetual motion and, therefore, they don't call upon and develop their own internal resources for entertainment."
The correlation between attention and anxiety is where Doede sees just how these sites are damaging. “Attention is something that diminishes as there are more demands on students’ time in terms of information access and our world. Our culture provides an over abundance of information access. We have so much we can’t linger on anything in particular or access anything for long because then we are losing out,” says Doede. This creates a subtle anxiety from within us as we try to be as efficient and as rapid-fire as possible in as many domains of our life as possible.”

“At first when I went off Facebook I found it really difficult,” says Jenkins. “A big feature of it was events and when you aren’t on Facebook you are disconnected from invitations. There is also a lot of anxiety around responding to people and projecting the right image of yourself. I was anxious about making sure I had the right photos up.”

In one of her entries Jenkins writes, “I think Facebook and meaningless television (which is not all television) owe a huge percentage of their success to people being dissatisfied with their lives. In our modern brilliance, we have invented ways to avoid our shortcomings instead of looking them in the eye and overcoming them. Screens are too easy, too accessible and too freeing to ignore. They offer an escape from reality but for so many people they become the reality, and the inadequacies which they were trying to escape simply mount higher.”

Since her media fast, Jenkins has made major changes to how she uses her account on Facebook. Today she doesn’t have a “wall”, she has privacy settings that allow only her to view her photos, and has deleted over 400 “friends” that she has only peripheral contact with, opting to keep those friends that she has meaningful relationships with. She still gets invited to events and her “inbox” is re-directed to her email account. For Jenkins, her three month abstinence from Facebook produced a less stressful life, and she ended up reading more instead of surfing aimlessly on the site.

Doede believes social networking sites are only going to get more sophisticated and will in fact morph into new forms of social mediation that will entice us to keep up with their increasingly inhuman pace. He says, “If we are not extremely careful in how we allow these sites to enter our lives, we will find our capacities to attend to other humans with the care and sensitivity they deserve subtly yet profoundly diminished.”

Wayne Bremner's Sudan Tour

2009-08-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

Today is the second day of our excellent adventure that we call the Sudan learning tour. It is Sunday and we plan on worshiping at the Mathare North Mennonite Church, having lunch after the service meeting with the Associate Directors for East Africa, Bob Herr and Judy Zimmerman-Herr and meeting with a young man from Sudan.
Our morning was quite relaxed and we all took advantage of this in our own unique ways; a leisurely breakfast, a power walk around the neighbourhood, catching up on emails, journaling or simply catching up on sleep to counter the day two jet lag. A very nice start to the day.
Our worship experience at Mathare was truly an interesting, uplifting and rewarding experience. Interesting because all of the sights, sounds and smells of this Kenyan Mennonite worship experience were so very different than the one we were used to and that each of our respective home churches were experiencing on this very day. Our experience was uplifting because we listened to a very charismatic lay pastor and were moved by his message that God can change you and your circumstances if you are willing to let him be a real part of your life. Finally, we were rewarded with many new friendships and a new appreciation of how the Global Mennonite Church is building the Kingdom of God here on earth.
The time with Bob and Judy was really quite helpful in understanding the overall operations that MCC has in Eastern Africa. In particular, we discussed the operations in Sudan and the Coming Home initiative. What we learned was that the timing is very good to further peace in Sudan and this has encouraged us in why we are over here.
Our evening concluded in a very special way. We met with a twenty two year old young man who lived through the atrocities and displacement that occurred in Sudan. Gabrielle lost his father and his mother, spent time in a refugee camp and, with all this, had many stories to tell us. We were very appreciative of the time he spent with us and for helping to put on a face to the Sudan situation we have all read about.
All in all, we have had a great day and now look forward to a good night’s rest to set us up for tomorrow’s activities.

What We're Reading

2009-08-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

Men of Stone
Gayle Friesen
Kids Can Press, 2000 216 pages/ ages 11-16

Losing Forever
Gayle Friesen
Kids Can Press, 2002 247 pages/ ages 12-18

Commentators such as Booklist Magazine critic Michael Cart, and former president of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Paula Brehm-Heeger have called the first decade of the 21st century the golden age of young adult (YA) literature. According to the Association of American Publishers, in spite of all the media available, young adults are not only still buying books but buying books in unprecedented numbers.
This trend can be attributed in part to the increased range of subject matter. In the past, controversial and mature topics, while not expressly taboo, were seldom addressed in YA literature. Now, topics such as sexuality, substance abuse, gang involvement, suicide, self-mutilation, eating disorders, and depression are the mainstay of fiction for the 12- to 18-year-old reader. Indeed, teen fiction has become so “edgy” that YALSA has for some years published a list of “Books that Won’t Make You Blush.”
Author Gayle Friesen, member at Killarney Park MB Church, Vancouver, doesn’t shy away from controversial topics in her young adult novels, but writes about violence, family breakdown, and other human problems in a sensitive manner that never shuts the door on hope. Her first novel for teens, Janey’s Girl, was included in YALSA’s prestigious “Best Books for Young Adults.” Friesen’s characters grow and change for the better – if things aren’t perfect, at least they seem less grim by the end of the story.
In Men of Stone, Friesen tackles school bullying. Her protagonist, 15-year-old Ben Conrad, who lives in a household of women (3 sisters and a widowed mother), is less than thrilled to discover that a great-aunt on his father’s side is going to make an extended visit.
Like many teens, Ben struggles emotionally and socially; his best friend has disappeared, and Ben is being pushed into a corner by a group of boys determined to victimize him. His mother is emotionally absent and his sisters are wrapped up in their own pursuits.
Like a fairy godmother, old Aunt Frieda insinuates herself, her cooking, and her stories of the past into Ben’s disconnected family. Although Aunt Frieda’s character seems a bit too good to be true at times, for the most part Friesen’s characters – Ben, his sisters, and his friends – are well-drawn and believable.
Aunt Frieda’s stories and persistent patience, and a brief encounter with a sympathetic Mennonite pastor enable Ben to find a path other than despair or revenge; a path consistent with the peacemaking tradition of his father’s Mennonite ancestry. By avoiding a simplistic revenge-fantasy ending which might appeal to the teen reader, Friesen, like her protagonist, chooses a more difficult but ultimately more satisfying solution to the problem of violence.

Making Wise Choices

Personal growth through making difficult but wise choices is also a theme in Losing Forever. Like Ben in Men of Stone, Jes, the protagonist of Losing Forever, is a teen facing multiple problems. And, like Ben, she takes many missteps before finding her way.
Jes is emotionally buffeted by a secret wish for her parents to reunite and unexpressed grief at the long-ago death of a younger sister, her only sibling. Her mother, caught up in wedding plans, is unaware or unwilling to acknowledge Jes’s reluctance to accept Cal as a stepfather. To complicate life further, her best friend Sam is making clumsy but charming attempts to get Jes to see him in a more romantic light. Then Cal’s daughter Angela arrives unexpectedly and sends Jes’s problems into overdrive.
In Losing Forever, Friesen’s writing is taut and confident. The dialogue rings true and is leavened with wit. Perhaps the book’s greatest strength is Friesen’s deft delineation of the many-layered relationships in the story. Her characters, like people one could meet in one’s own neighbourhood, have complicated relationships but as these relationships intersect, break, or reconnect, the story maintains a strong narrative thread which ultimately leads Jes to a difficult choice and a surprising conclusion. Jes’s story is continued in For Now (2007).
In the YA genre, often fraught with commercialized spinoffs and morally ambiguous plot resolutions, Friesen’s books stand out for their strong themes of personal growth and clear boundaries between good and bad choices. Her characters stumble and make mistakes but ultimately, with the help of others, they are able to do what they know to be right.
—Lois Klassen

Judge Not - submitted by Connie and Charlie

2009-08-09T18:32:00.000-07:00

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

It was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

And why is everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'

Wedding of Chris Wiebe and Bryanna Alstad, July 4, 2009, at Andrew's United Church, Mission, BC.

2009-07-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

Chris escorts the mothers down the aisle: Meg Gerbrandt-Wiebe and Ellen Alstad

Marriage ceremony with Arlene Crop officiating

Very emotional wedding vows

Chris and Bryanna Alstad-Wiebe

The wedding party

The Gerbrandts: Agnes Gerbrandt, Meg Gerbrandt-Wiebe, Chris Wiebe, Bryanna Alstad-Wiebe, RaeAnn Wiebe, Jeff Wilson

The reception

Meg and her sisters at the reception: Ruth Reimer, Connie LeMay, JoAnn deGroot, Meg Gerbrandt-Wiebe

Mother-son dance

More pictures from Lithuania

2009-07-13T11:56:00.000-07:00

The faculty and staff of the Summer Language Institute at LCC International University.
In this photo: Defehr Centras is the main classroom complex and also houses the library. Lilly Kehler (Holly Klaasen's mom), David Watry who shares my classroom, Laura Enns, Shirley from the US, Lois Klassen, Maryann Jantzen, Erv Kehler (Holly Klaassen's dad) from Chilliwack., Margaret from Edmonton, Kel from New Zealand, Neuman Hall is the dormitory, Robin Gingrich director of SLI at LCC, Judy from the US, Michaelson Centras houses the gym and cafeteria.

On the pier at Palanga.

MaryAnn in front of the doors in Kretinga's Cathedral.

Lois in a rural cemetary.

Lithuanian backroads.

The Hill of Crosses, symbol of resistance to Soviet rule.

Statue of Christ at the Hill of Crosses.

This statue was donated by Pope John Paul II when he visited the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania.

Lois on her knees at the Hill of Crosses.

Greetings from Lithuania

2009-07-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

Old town Klaipeda is very charming and has wonderful restaurants. We have been taking advantage of them at every opportunity. I'm looking forward to meeting my students on Monday with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. This week has been very busy with orientation for teachers and with lesson preparation. Registration for students is on Saturday!

On the dunes near Nida.
Old Town Klaipeda

A garden at Karklu dorm.

Artists' studios in Klaipeda.

We had our first day off, yesterday, and used it to take an excursion to the "spit" to a town called Nida. We enjoyed a walk to the beach and then a hike over some very impressive sand dunes.

Nida is a very picturesque town with many vendors selling beautiful amber jewelry.

On our trip back up the spit from Nida we stopped at another small town to have dinner in a restaurant. While we were sitting and waiting for the waitress to bring our bill, the bus to the ferry zoomed by. We were sorry to have missed it because that meant another hour wait for the next bus. As it happened, while we were waiting to catch the later bus an ambulance and a police car went screaming by. Later our bus caught up to the first bus. It had been involved in a terrible accident with a motorcycle. At least one person, possibly two, were killed and the bus seemed to have crashed into some trees, the windshield was smashed. We were very thankful to have missed that bus and caught a later one!

We are just now preparing to walk to LCC for the opening cermonies of Summer Language Institute. Today we meet our students for the first time and begin to earn our keep!

Fond regards to all our friends in Highland Church. Lois

The Quainthearted Concert

2009-07-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

A sampling of photos for those of you unable to attend The Quainthearted's July 1st concert at Granville Island, with Alexander Klassen on drums.

Book Review - Pax Avalon

2009-06-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

A peaceful action hero

Pax Avalon: Conflict Revolution
Steven “Reece” Friesen
Herald Press, 2008
120 pages

Like the superheroes they portray, comic books have changed their identity in the last 20 years. Comic books have moved from the shelves of mom-and-pop drugstores to videogame consoles and the silver screen; from the grimy specialty shop to libraries and bookstores. Once the domain of geeky boys and teenage nerds, now adults – even girls – read comic books.

Another indicator of their growing acceptance as a legitimate art form is the burgeoning genre called “graphic novels,” which includes both extra-long comic books and more literary efforts in comic format.Comics are cool, they are big business, and they are shaping mainstream culture.

The story Reece Friesen tells in his graphic novel, Pax Avalon: Conflict Revolution centres around “Pax,” a gifted gymnast with the ability to heal others. Pax is a Christian, as well as a volunteer member of ACSO, a team of highly trained and specially equipped individuals dedicated to the task of protecting Avalon City.

Redeeming the genre

Reece Friesen, a former pastor, now studying peace and ethics at Canadian Mennonite University, has two rather ambitious goals. First, he is attempting to redeem a superhero genre that trades in explicit violence and flamboyant sexuality, and is often irreverent and subversive.

From a visual perspective, Friesen is mostly successful. His drawings are generally fluid and dynamic. Unfortunately, the vibrant colour typical of comic books is absent. In fact, the hue of Pax Avalon is murky, sometimes making it difficult to see what is happening in the picture. That said, Friesen deserves credit for presenting an intelligent and athletic-looking heroine minus the hyper-sexualized trappings that typically make graphic novels, well, graphic.

From a storytelling perspective, Pax Avalon does what most comic books (and many Anabaptists) are famous for doing: questioning the prevailing assumptions about power, or the nature of good and evil, and so on. A discussion guide on the back pages raises interesting questions about our use of technology and the nature of healing.

Comics are especially good at creating space for readers to consider new perspectives and imagine new possibilities. Here, Pax Avalon falls short, particularly when it comes to Friesen’s second goal, which is to help people see that problems are best solved nonviolently.

On one level, Friesen is too much like some graphic novelists (and some contemporary Mennonites) in that he oversimplifies matters. Friesen apparently believes that all force is violent, and therefore bad. Anabaptists, however, have historically thought otherwise.

On another level, Friesen is simply unable to get beyond the confines of the medium. Friesen makes a valiant attempt to walk the tightrope between the competing formulae of the genre and nonviolent philosophy. Comic books follow a simple recipe: less talk, more action. But nonviolent conflict transformation requires that people talk. A lot. And over a long period of time.

In one scene, Pax defuses an encounter with two criminals through dialogue. While Friesen avoids a boring series of talking heads, the solution arrives so quickly and easily that it feels contrived.

At bottom, while Pax Avalon will not capture everyone’s imagination, parents and pastors who give a copy to the 11- to 13-year-old kids in their lives will find plenty to discuss at church and around the supper table.

—J Janzen

Recent Happenings

2009-06-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

A few Sundays ago Andrew participated in a discussion on women in leadership at Jericho Ridge MB Church (Langley). If you care to dip into what happened, visit http://jerichoridge.com/wiml.html.

Wayne Bremner's op-ed piece re. the ongoing Israel-Palestinian recently appeared in the BC Christian News. This is a fine article that has received some unfair criticism. You can read it online at http://www.canadianchristianity.com/bc/bccn/0209/16gaza.html.

Expressions of New Life

2009-04-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

An exhibit entitled "Expressions of New Life" and featuring works by members of Highland was held at the church on April 25th and 26th. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this wonderful event. Here are photos of some of the displays.

Lois Klassen's "Cruciform" shadowboxes:

John Konrad's "Dollhouse":

Sandi Ernst's needlefelted "Continuous Conversion" :

Sue Vander Woude's and Wendy McFarland's watercolours:

Connie Peters' "Charlie Who?" wallhanging (left) and Marilyn Klassen's family history (right).

Meg Gerbrandt-Wiebe's "In Search of Community":

Peter Kehler's "Aquatic Life" and Jean Imbach's "Psalm 117":

Cheryl Wall's "Wish Upon a Star" quilt, Edythe Neumann's knitting, and Shirley Kehler's version of "Wish Upon a Star":

Marjorie Major's "Easter Card":

Katherine Konrad's and Helen Wall's versions of "Wish Upon a Star":

Some of Julia Toews' photographs in the series, "When I Survey the Ground I Tread":

Sandi Ernst's "Shades of Narnia" locker rug-hooking, Anne Dyck's "Colourful Landscape" needlepoint, and Laura Enns' version of "Wish Upon a Star":

Steve Wall's comics, "A Time to Laugh":

Esther Unrau's music:

Helmut Ernst's digital photography:

J and Andrea's "new life":

And thanks to Christina (Battermann) Kehler for the plants!

What We're Reading

2009-03-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Acedia and Me

Kathleen Norris

Riverhead Books, 2008

352 pages

Reviewed by Daphne Esau Kamphuis

In her latest book, well-known poet and spiritual writer Kathleen Norris draws the veil away from the boredom, escapism, commitment phobia, and inertia she sees in our culture and makes a provocative proposal: much of this is “the ancient demon of acedia in modern dress.”

Acedia? It means “absence of care.”

Norris addresses both religious and secular readers, and weaves her personal wisdom with the teachings of ancient and contemporary Christians. Having experienced both apathy and depression herself, she maintains that “the boundaries between depression and acedia are notoriously fluid.” She suggests, “while depression is an illness treatable by counselling and medication, acedia is a vice that is best countered by spiritual practice and the discipline of prayer.”

Acedia was originally understood not as a sin or moral failure, but rather as one of the “eight bad thoughts” that needed to be identified and resisted before evil actions ensued. It was, in fact, considered the most harmful of the thoughts because it could drain away all hope and capacity for trust in God. It was a sign of fleeing from a loving God and rejecting God’s gifts, including the gift of being one’s true self.

The symptoms of acedia are myriad. They can be concealed in feelings of disgust with the life one has chosen or in the loss of a sense of meaning. Norris suspects that acedia was lurking in the cynicism of her liberal arts education and in her teenage resistance to repetitive tasks. It took many years for her to come to terms with her mother’s outlook that “making the bed is a meaningful expression of hospitality towards oneself.”

For believers of all stripes, and certainly for those like me with a proclivity toward a level of melancholy, Acedia and Me is a timely read. I, too, at times, have matched the description of one who succumbs to acedia: “She knows what is spiritually good for her, but is tempted to deny that her inner beauty and spiritual strength are at her disposal, as gifts from God.” I resonate with the notion that acedia is “the enemy that sets into motion an endless cycle of self-defeating thoughts.”

Norris believes that for a Christian, acedia is never a reasonable response to life’s challenges. She encourages the practices of solitude, silence, prayer, and spiritual direction, not as techniques for achieving spiritual bliss, but as means for creating space for God and letting go of thoughts that lead to despair.

I have found healing through these practices as well as through cognitive exercises to correct thinking errors. I am grateful for a church community that supports contemplative spirituality, and for friends who prod me to turn towards the Light and think true thoughts. Norris does not resolve all the issues of acedia or give easy answers, but she offers prudent counsel to anyone desiring to turn away from despair and embrace hope.

Excerpt:
“In a consumer culture we are advised to keep our options open, so that we are always free to grab the new, improved model when it appears. It is not easy for us to recognize acedia in ourselves, as it prompts us to see obligations to family, friends, and colleagues as impediments to (that) freedom... often [acedia] urges us, for no good reason, to fantasize and brood over circumstances in which we will be affirmed and admired by more stimulating companions.” (page 26)

(from MB Herald March 2009)

Congratulations to Connie!

2009-03-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

Connie Peters received a BC Community Achievement Award Tuesday (March 10) at Government House in Victoria.
She was among 45 people honoured at the ceremony, where she received her award from Lt.-Gov. Lieutenant Governor Stephen Point and Premier Gordon Campbell.
Connie co-ordinates an outreach program, called Open Door, for single moms and provides support to participants whenever necessary.
She was introduced at the ceremony with the following words:
"As a natural team leader and a conscientious team player, Connie embraces those who need support in her community. Whether it is the weekly Open Door for single mothers and their children, the Wednesday Night Live for youth, the Dollar Dinner at Highland Community Church, or offering her home as a refuge, Connie identifies a need and organizes a response. Connie Peters can always been counted upon to be dependable, productive and compassionate.”

(Taken from http://www.bclocalnews.com/fraser_valley/abbynews/)

Welcome to Highland

2009-03-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

The newest addition to the Highland family--Cohen John Lorlie Janzen--was born to J and Andrea on February 28 at 11:30 pm, a brother to Avry and Kendra.