Peacemaking as Lifestyle

This past weekend we led and worshiped with Salem Mennonite Church in Shickley, NE; a church I will soon be attending regularly. We joined the youth on Saturday evening for time to talk and then played a game of ultimate Frisbee. Sunday morning we led Sunday School hour, the church service and then following a potluck we re-joined with a smaller crowd for a time of story telling from the three men left in the congregation who did CPS (Civilian Public Service) during WWII as alternative service to entering the army.

It was interesting to hear their stories and reflections but what struck me was how entering CPS was: (1) not so much a decision made alone, but a decision made primarily by their home congregation and their family; (2) a time in their life when they learned to know other Mennonites and built relationships with those others Mennonites who they wouldn’t necessarily associated with because of divides in the Mennonite church. The other thing that struck me that wasn’t necessarily spoken, but was clear in how each man talked, was that CPS led into a lifetime of service. These men continued to be active in the church and in volunteer activities even as they aged. These activities included prison ministries, Mennonite Disaster Services, Mennonite Central Committee and numerous boards and leadership at the congregational level.

What I continue to wonder at is: why haven’t we done a better job of “selling” voluntary service? That may seem like a comment from nowhere, here is my train of thought. It seems as if we discourage our youth and young people to take a path other than armed services, we should be putting in its place a strong encouragement for voluntary service. I realize it is called voluntary service for a reason (it’s voluntary, not mandatory) but if we take from Christ a message of peace that only tells us not to go to war and not to use violence then we’ve missed half the message.

Peace is not just about being anti-violence and following a path that walks the line around the violence; if this is so we are just as much apart of the violence as those actually doing the action. If I bring in the subject of structural violence, well then we are all guilty. So in what ways are we working for peace, and not just avoiding violence?

The more we talk with people about the Gospel of Peace and God’s vision for Shalom the more and more convinced I am that the heart of this message is about being relational. The original Shalom, God’s vision, was in the Garden of Eden and here was a place where all God’s creation, people, animals and earth lived together in relationship with each other and with God. Obviously we have a long way to go to reestablish God’s vision for peace but if we all start small, what could happen?

Let’s just imagine the transforming, rippling power when we have established a relationship with God and taken Jesus as the center of our life. This relationship as it develops leads to peace with ourselves and we naturally take that peace into other relationships. Well, right Elizabeth, sounds easy but it’s not as easy to live it as it is to type it. That, my friend, is why we’re on a journey. This journey to live into God’s vision of Shalom is uncomfortable but it’s relational. We can always count on our relationship with God to give us strength to build relationships with others whether they are friends, perceived enemies or just scary because they are different than we are. That’s where peace comes in. Living a relational life, of loving those strangers and enemies in our lives is the crux of peacemaking! Avoiding violence just doesn’t cut it. Being a Christian is a call to action and to a lifestyle.

Now, I digress. Before I rambled onto this tangent, I was talking about voluntary service. Maybe it wasn’t as tangential as I think… it seems that saying no to military service means we say yes to a lifestyle. Maybe that lifestyle doesn’t include voluntary service as Mennonite Mission Network sets up, maybe for you it is volunteering in your community. (I must insert here that I am a strong advocate for voluntary service as I did Service Adventure, MMN, out of high school; but further explanation of that will have to be at a later time.) What I believe such a lifestyle should include is a lifetime of active peacemaking at the relational level. War in places where your friends are from is harder to support than a war in an unknown place.

Elizabeth

"Puttin' Up Corn" : The New/Old Way of Doing Church

Hello Again. I am writing to you from Shickley, NE. Before I tell you a few stories about our stay in Shickley I want to tell you a story about my past and “puttin’ up corn”.

I grew up just west of Shickley 1.5 hours and “puttin’ up corn” was an annual event. Each year Grandpa Roth was in charge of organizing the family (15 to 18 of us depending on the year) to go out in the early hours of the morning to pick sweet corn until it was piled high in the back of his truck. We then took it back to my Grandparents house to shuck and than boil the corn in a large kettle. After it had boiled a few minuets the corn was carried over to three large tubs full of cold water. The corn was cycled through between the tubs until it was cooled enough to be cut off of the cob. Grandma was in charge of this process. She was an expert at telling when the corn was at the right temperature and could be cut off of the cob. It was usually our job (the grandchildren) to shuck the corn, to fill the tubs with cold water and take the cooled corn from the tubs to the rest of the family to be cut off the cob and then bagged. We thought that this was the best job because we didn’t have to get all of the sticky corn juice on our hands but we could play in the water. After we were done Grandma gave us permission to splash around in the cooling tubs. That was the best! I always looked forward to that day. Grandpa and Grandma were in charge, everyone was singing (or at least trying to sing), we ate corn until our stomachs hurt and although the temperature was usually 90 degrees or hotter, “Puttin’ up corn” was one of the highlights of the summer.

We have been staying at Mary’s (Matt’s mom) house on a farm just a few miles outside of Shickley. We’ve been here for a little over a week so we have had time to help around the farm. This summer and storm came through and ripped pieces of tin from the shed so Matt and Randy helped to reinstall that. Elizabeth helped them here and there and also weeded the flower beds and I was able to help “put up corn”.

The Seeds helped Matt’s Great Aunt Loretta and her sister Dorothy “put up” corn for the both of them and also made a few bags for Matt and Elizabeth. As I reflect on the morning I have to stop and recognize my feeling of wholeness and peace while helping them out.

Now that I am older (25) “putting up corn” causes me to stop and slow down, to think about the earth and the entire process. It creates an intergenerational environment where lessons are taught and stories are told, songs are sung and delicious food is prepared. When I think about it, “putting up corn” is a way of doing church. Well a piece of Church. It is missing the whole outreach and care for the rest of the world, but it is fostering community. As I spend time in rural communities this summer there are memories that draw me back home to rural life. This summer is teaching me how to grow in my faith and connect it to Shalom and also to remember the gifts that rural communities have to give.

I wonder where I will be "puttin' up corn" next summer?

Jess Roth

Embracing an Evangelical Faith

Hello everyone out there. This is Randy for the Seeds team.

In the last week or so, we received a comment that addressed some concern over our use of the word “evangelical” so this post will try to respond to that, the best we can. First, we did not intend to use the word “evangelical” as if that was a derogatory thing, and we apologize for any statements that seemed to stereotype or generalize evangelicals as if they are a monolithic entity. Evangelicals are a diverse group theologically and doctrinally, and in fact, we consider our group to be evangelical. But we often fall into the same linguistic trap that is present in much of Christianity, a tendency to talk about being “evangelical” and being “peacemakers” as if they are two different things. While we often fall short, we are convinced of this: We cannot separate the two from each other.

There is little question that today these two words have a hard time existing together. At the very least, we can’t possibly imagine how we can emphasize both an evangelical faith, and a strong peace ethic as one. The result has been a painful polarization, a division within our own Mennonite Church. But I ask, how much of this tension between these two words has simply come from our preconceived ideas about “evangelicals”, or our stereotypes about “peace activists,” stereotypes that our culture has defined for us?

Interestingly, but not by mistake. the word, “evangelicalism” originates in the Greek word evangelion, meaning “good news” or “gospel.” Indeed, the message that we are bringing this summer is that our passion for peace in our lives and in this world IS rooted in the Biblical narrative, the Gospel! This story of salvation history shows us a God who loved us while we were still enemies (sinners) yet came to earth and died for us, and made reconciliation with all peoples. (Romans 5:10) It was Jesus himself who came and evangelized peace. (Acts 10.36, Eph 2.17 both use the word evangelion) THIS is the good news (evangelion)! Jesus Christ has made peace through the cross, and conquered the power of death through the resurrection. Because of this Christians are to be people of peace. Christians are to testify to the same love that was shown to us, by also showing it to other people – even our enemies.

There is no question, that the early Anabaptists were deeply evangelical. They had a message to spread, and they did just that. They held a deep commitment to a relationship with God, and to the power of the Holy Spirit in their own lives. But it didn’t stop there; these commitments only motivated them to discipleship (following the teachings of Jesus) for this was how they witnessed to God at work in their lives. May we also, today in 2008, testify to Gods love in our lives. May we embrace an evangelical faith in realization that it cannot lie dormant!

"For true evangelical faith is of such a nature that it cannot lie dormant, but manifests itself in all righteousness and works of love; it dies unto the flesh and blood; it destroys all forbidden lusts and desires; it seeks and serves and fears God; it clothes the naked; it feeds the hungry; it comforts the sorrowful; it shelters the destitute; it aids and consoles the sad; it returns good for evil.."
-Menno Simons

Shalom,

Randy, on behalf of the entire Seeds Team

Weekend Conversations

This past weekend was spent in Freeman, South Dakota. Farming and cattle are big in that area and I had a chance to talk with a few farmers.

Though there are fewer people around in rural South Dakota than in more urban areas, keeping the peace isn't easy. Neighbors who don't cut down the thistles on their property (whose seed then blows into adjacent pastures and makes the hours of chopping less worth while), or neighbors who don't pay attention to where their drainage ditches are letting out, or the gossip that can ruin a small town family in ways that city-dwellers just don't understand - these are big problems that strain rural areas.

I asked a few locals what "Shalom" means for a farmer.

The role of forgiveness came up as I talked with one farmer's wife. We usually have a chance to offer our friendship and bring peace to a relationship before it gets going and start out on good terms. All to often though I am lazy and slow at getting out and meeting my neighbors. It's only when I've offended them or they have offended me that I finally go over and ask them to stop doing what they are doing - not really the best way to make friends.

If this is the case and there aren't enough good memories of happy times together to excuse the annoying behavior or offset the confrontation, then our words of disagreement might seem judging and be taken offensively unless we've got great tact. This conflict can and often does lead to the need for forgiveness if we want to make 'peace' at that point.

This is all to say that through the conversation with the farmer's wife I'm realizing the need to introduce and befriend my neighbors before I have a chance to let them become my enemies. I can see this as being easier in rural areas than in urban settings. It takes time and energy to plan and meet with people and really get to know them - something that might be done easier with 12 neighbors within the square mile rather than 50 people in the apartment building.

A farmer I asked the same question (What does Shalom mean to a farmer?) immediately drew a line between people and the land. "It means having peace with the land." I asked him to explain a little more and he talked about the need to come to terms with not being in control and realizing that not every year will be a bumper crop. A hail storm that passes over before letting down it's payload or an inch of rain at just the right time during the hot summer can make or break the crop yield in ways many of us who have not been on the farm don't understand. He talked about the cycle of seasons that one needs to understand and respect - each necessary for the process of life to continue.

I was interested to hear about this sort of peace that wasn't so much between people as it was between one person and an object or a thing (the Earth). I wondered whether Jesus' teachings (which I almost always think of as in reference to interpersonal conflict) can be applied to something like this. As we talked together about it we came to the conclusion that Jesus' teachings often pointed out the importance of respecting each other and so when applied to a relationship with "the Land," we considered stewardship, creation care, and the year of Jubilee.

The conversations this weekend were thought provoking and I'm honored for the responses and the time taken to answer my question. As I consider the option of taking over our family farm in Iowa I will continue to ask myself what it means to respect the land and live in shalom with it.

Mark

Action or Inspiration; Part One

This last weekend we found ourselves worshiping and leading in Freeman, SD. We were put to the test Sunday morning when we split ourselves in three (note: five divided by three is an awkward number, so instead of dismembering, we sent Matt on a solo mission) and led Sunday School, sermons and different aspects of worship in three different congregations.

While it had its own set of challenges, the results were good. Mark and I were able to collaborate and work together even though our working styles are nearly opposite; I led a song (though I don't want to do this again for quite awhile); Jess and Randy received a lot of encouragement for their leadership during Sunday School; Matt... well, Matt made it through a word blunder during his sermon on Sunday Morning; Randy gave his first sermon from the pulpit; Mark gave his second sermon from the pulpit; and Jess pulled together material for youth session that can be repeated; and Matt did a wonderful job of being a one man show including children's time, scripture reading, sermon and input during Sunday School. As always, there is room for improvement, but we are seeing improvement in our working together and in our material since we started this summer. We thank those gracious congregations and individuals who were first on our itinerary and who helped us with feedback! (This includes First Mennonite in Iowa City, Sermon on the Mount in Sioux Falls, and White River Cheyenne Mennonite, Lame Deer Mennonite and Ashland Christian Fellowship in Montana.)

While it feels like we're becoming more comfortable with our content and starting to ask the right questions I am beginning to wonder who this summer is really for. (one smart aleck comment that could be made here is that this summer is to glorify God and help in the realization of God's vision for Shalom...this is true too, but I'm thinking even beyond that.)

My hope any more is that we can inject some level of excitement back into the congregation about the peace message in the Gospels and in God's overall vision of Shalom. Whether this injection is caught by the pastor or lay leaders, I am hoping for at least a few inspired people. I hope that people can be open to thinking about peace as being a more complicated and exciting word than just the absence of war. While I agree that the absence of war is a part of God's vision, I also believe that just as central is the restoration of relationships; relationships with each other, with creation, with God, with our enemies. I'm sure Jess, Matt, Randy and Mark are sick of me saying this, but somewhere along the way we Mennonites and more broadly we Christians have narrowed God's vision. God in the Bible is not clear about what position we take politically, God does not see the lines between countries or between political parties. God's eyes are blind to the divisions that we sinners have created. One of our greatest sins is destroying God's vision for unity by living by the standards of division set up by the world we live in. This takes physical and psychological forms, for example: the wall between Mexico and the USA, and racism. I could go on and on with examples, but that's not the point. I digress.

What I was talking about was inspiration. I hope to inspire people to see the bigger picture of God's vision. (continued in part two... look below)

Action or Inspiration; Part Two

Well, Sunday afternoon I was challenged. After church on Sunday we had a break and then at 2 pm we were set to have a joint workshop for all the congregations. It was a small crowd, but that is what you can expect during prime napping time on a Sunday afternoon. Folks have put in their God hours for the week and it's hard to make time for more. We started the workshop talking about who we are and what we're doing and all shared a bit about why we're excited and why we're traveling around for 3 months with little to no pay to talk about the God's Shalom vision and Jesus' teachings of peace.

During the session I reflected on something we've noticed in ourselves and our churches, that we Mennonites have struggled to be able to talk about and link the peace position (rather our Shalom understanding) to our faith. Because we don't know how to talk about peace, we often don't. As a result our understanding of peace is not passed on, or there is a misunderstanding of what peace is; our understanding of peace becomes limited solely to the absence of war. I question why we can't talk peace as well as we talk about our favorite foods or our favorite sports teams. Is it because we have not been taught the right words to express such an understanding? Have we as a church community fallen short in our responsibility to tell the Jesus story in such a way that show how radical his message is? Have we failed, as Willis Busenitz put it, to "put the cookies on the bottom shelf" and left the study of peace to our theologians and not embraced God's vision of Shalom for our own lives? (okay, I didn't even mention that last sentence on Sunday, but that is an interesting one to think about...)

In any case this reflection led into group discussion and then the last few minutes we attempted to focus people's thoughts on the following two questions: (1) What do you need to better talk about your faith? (2) How can we (collectively in your congregation or as a denomination or as individuals) do this [articulation] better?

The hope was that these questions might lead into a bit more of a brainstorming session. It was not as much as I had hoped, I need to rework my questions. But after we got back together and shared collectively what we talked about, I started to close and asked if there were any final comments. Well, the question came: now what?! Where is the action section? Good question. I didn't have a good answer, I guess I didn't see myself or our group as the ones providing an action, the next thing to do. Maybe we could have but my hope is that we could inspire others to act and do. But what does that mean?

I don't know. And this gets me back to my original question, who is this summer for? If its just for me and improving my own abilities in articulation and leadership, well, I'm pretty sure it will be successful. If its for me to inspire others, I can only hope that my excitement and enthusiasm and continued improvement in the area of articulation will do just that. But what do we need to do to inspire action? What is our role? What do folks need to be inspired to act and to work together at a congregational level to explore God's Shalom vision and to learn together how to talk about it and live into that vision? At this point I am without answers, I'm still pondering the questions.
~Elizabeth

Foxes have holes, but the “Seeds” have nowhere to lay their heads

Now, I can hear some of you thinking, “Well, gee, Matt. You visited the Badlands, Black Hills National Forest, Battle of Little Bighorn, Bighorn National Forest…when do you talk about peace? Sounds like you’re sightseeing to me.” My friend, you should not think such blasphemous thoughts. We have to sleep somewhere, don’t we? Can we help it if we’re in some of the most beautiful parts of the country?

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’" Matthew 8.20
Matt

Sundance, Wyoming

We had decided we would drive from Wyoming to an unknown destination in the Black Hills, with a detour to Devil’s Tower, as portrayed famously in Close Encounters of the 3^rd Kind. Our hosts in Sioux Falls, Ed and Gay, had kindly showed us this film to help us prepare for the “DT Experience,” as Ed called it (note: Ed did not actually call it that).

We arrived at Devil’s Tower, and spent a pleasant afternoon. We explored the Visitor’s Center, hiked around the Tower, and took way more pictures than we needed. Randy and I walked around without our shirts on, generally looking awesome. After spending several hours exploring, we returned to our car and commenced our drive to the Black Hills (note: at this point, Matt threw a bunch of pine cones at Elizabeth because she deserved it).

I should mention one more thing, because it’s key to the story. Mark has been talking about Sundance, Wyoming since the trip began. He wakes up in the morning and the first thing he asks, “Can we go to Sundance?” And the last thing he says before he goes to bed, “Can we go to Sundance? You know that’s where the Sundance Film Festival takes place. You know that’s one of the top independent film festivals in the country?” (note: Mark has not talked about it twice a day, every day. He’s talked about it three times, max)

After leaving Devil’s Tower, the road plopped us out on I-90, eleven miles east of Sundance. We all knew how excited Mark was to see Sundance, and so we voted to backtrack. We drove back towards Sundance, and the energy level of the van rose noticeably as we got closer. Mark was so excited that he was bouncing off the walls (note: Mark was not bouncing off the walls).

We exited off the freeway, and immediately ran into a minor detour for two miles. There were orange cones everywhere; the road surface was milled; and we needed to drive five mph to keep the trailer from bouncing like a basketball. Our poor little trailer does not like bumpy roads. Eventually we coasted to a stop. The road to Sundance was completely gone. Disappeared. The pavement had been completely ripped out of the earth, and a dirt “path” was all that was left. “It’s only for ¾ of a mile,” said the construction worker soothingly. “We’re waiting for a flag car, then you can follow ‘em through.” (note: there was no sign of a flag car for thirty miles)

I was driving at this point, and the thought of following the flag car through dirt path as I dodged large road graders…well, as you can imagine this was not terribly appealing. Trying to make small talk, I asked the construction worker if she had ever attended the Sundance Film Festival. “Oh no,” she said confidently. “This is Sundance Kid territory, not Sundance Film Festival. People often make that mistake though.”

I turned around and looked at Mark, who had turned a deep reddish purple. At first I thought he had quit breathing, then I realized he was just thoroughly embarrassed (note: Mark’s face did not change colors).

Thankfully, the construction worker let us turn around, and we narrowly averted disaster on the unpaved road. However, while Mark still did not get to see the home of the Sundance Film Festival, he did get within ¾ of a mile of seeing Sundance, Wyoming, home of the Sundance Kid. If that’s not ¾ of a success, I don’t know what is.

Matt Troyer-Miller

Breaking News

This just in: Seeds of the Kingdom will be visiting Gingrichs Mennonite Church, in Lebanon, PA, on October 3-5. We plan on stopping in State College, PA, on the way.

Comments

Hey, just a quick note here, thanks for all your Comments! We haven't been publishing them for everyone to see, but we appreciate your support and encouragement - keep 'em coming.

Mark

Week in a Tipi!

Northern Cheyenne Reservation - Lame Deer, Montana. The local Mennonite pastor, Willis ---Busenitz and his wife, Nadine, have been bringing their congregation out to the Crazy Head Springs public land area for years. Here they set up tipis, government tents, and pull out a few port-a-potties and trailers – one set up as a kitchen, a few as staff houses. Each summer they host a week of family camp and a week of youth camp, then other groups rent out their camp for their own programs.
This year our marauding band of young adults helped out during Family Camp by leading worship in the evenings and a teaching session each of the 4 mornings. Our daily themes were as follows: The Big Picture of Shalom – peace with God, self, other, all creation; Old and New Testament Shalom – looking at texts in Micah and Isaiah for visions of what God wants for us and looking to stories of Jesus life for insights on how to act to get to where God wants us to be; Remembering our Stories – looking at what made the 16th century Anabaptists radical as they tried to follow the “Jesus Way;” Demolition and Cleaning Up the Mess – using a construction site analogy we looked at the work that can begin now that Christ has broken down the barriers that challenge the realization of a Shalom community.

This week, for me, was a run for the money. Having been busy working with Sermon on the Mount Mennonite in Sioux Falls last weekend and traveling most of the week to Montana, I felt less prepared for the busy week than I’d have liked. Four consecutive days of presentations later, I seem to have survived and have been challenged quite a bit.

I was stretched to release some of my grandiose expectations of a polished production of Mennonite peace theology. The realities of a tight timeline, my own limits of articulation, and group process which always takes longer than working alone weighed in. Though frustrated at times, I’m learning to relax and give our presentations over to the Holy Spirit - knowing that our audience will come from different walks of life, that they will be needing different thoughts and will be taking from our presentations what they need – whether it’s what we intend or not. This was made obvious when some evangelical YWAMers (Youth With A Mission) arrived to experience the “Cheyenne Way” for a couple of days during our time at Crazy Head Springs. Comments following our presentations showed that they took our thoughts in a significantly different direction than our intentions, which frustrated but also called us to a higher level of articulation.

I’m glad for my communications courses in college and am reminded how important clear, concise, accurate, communication is – especially for intercultural communication. Though I expected intercultural communication to happen between the Cheyenne and myself, the Mennonite background they had made communicating peace theology to the Cheyenne much easier than with the YWAMers whose evangelical understanding of Christianity was quite a different worldview from ours.

The challenge of trying to explain ourselves to non-Mennonites was a struggle but a good exercise, one that we will continue to work at this summer. Learning to better articulate my beliefs and my background is a goal for this summer as I explore what being Mennonite means in a non-Mennonite world.

Mark

Reflections on race, evangelism and service

This past week we were the resource people for the Cheyenne Mennonite churches on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana. We were greeted warmly, hosted graciously, and fed well. This was a time of renewal for the “Seeds.” We worked in pairs and split up the days; this allowed ample time for us to swim, mingle, nap, or prepare for our sessions.

This past week also forced us to confront the issue of race in new ways. Just as a brief example, I probably won’t ever use the term “ethnic Mennonite” again, or at least never in the same way. In the past, when I used the term, I meant white, European descended Mennonites. However, as we had pointed out to us, these churches were over 100 years old, and some of the little kids were fourth and fifth generation Mennonite. One person asked insightfully, “How long do we have to be Mennonite until we’re ethnically Mennonite?”

But the issue is more than a question of what makes an “ethnic Mennonite.” It is about race, it’s about evangelism, and it’s about flawed understandings of service.

I could talk about the 77% unemployment rate on the reservation and the utter lack of jobs. I could talk about how the Cheyenne people have been systematically punished for their resistance to the settling of white Americans over 120 years ago…how they were sent to Oklahoma against their wishes, how they were killed by the military when they tried to return home, or how they were stripped of their language and culture at government run boarding schools, or how they still struggle to retain their culture as a result of their experiences in boarding schools…I could also mention that the government placed the Cheyenne reservation right next to the Crow reservation in Montana. The Crow and the Cheyenne had long been enemies, and they were intentionally placed next to each other with the hopes that they would destroy each other.

I could also mention the very mixed history of missionaries on the reservation. Most missionaries were not sensitive to the needs of the culture. Often Christianity was used as a vehicle for stripping the Cheyenne of their rich history and culture. Many times missionaries brought in denominational battles that had little to do with the reservation life; theological disagreements about the Holy Spirit, the nature of Communion, etc. Mennonites, Catholics, Pentecostals, Lutherans all worked against each other, and families were split apart over their choice of religious identity. Things have improved quite a bit, but still there are problems with Christians working against each other.

In this case, Mennonite missionaries to the Cheyenne were fairly sensitive and thoughtful. They learned the culture and language, worked to translate the Scriptures, and allowed the Cheyenne to creatively combine Cheyenne spirituality with the white American spirituality of the missionaries.

I could talk about how white missionaries still come to the reservation and try to start churches without doing any sort of planning or research into the needs or the viability of another congregation, or how these new churches only poach members from existing churches. I could also talk about how white youth groups still come and want to “serve” the Cheyenne, rather than “serve with” them. “It’s as if people don’t think we’re capable of painting our houses or organizing our own Bible schools. Sure, we appreciate the help, but you need to work with us, not for us. You need to get to know us as equals in Christ,” said one person.

Some of this was new to us, some wasn’t. But all of it became very real as we heard personal stories that made this abstract knowledge a reality. Sometimes the stories of damage done by well-intentioned missionaries made me want to cry.

At times the week was painful-but it’s important to know Cheyenne history, because many of the problems on the reservation are directly related to the policies of whites (bigoted or well-intentioned.) This history is also my history. It’s important and necessary to recognize past sins, but I suppose it’s not a great idea to live in the past. So instead, I’ll make a few closing comments on forgiveness, service, and grace.

One frustrating part of the week was the final day or two, when the Family Camp was surprised with several (white) youth groups and a YWAM group from Wyoming. For the “Seeds” group, it threw us off a little bit, for a number of reasons. It completely changed the dynamics of the group we were presenting to. It changed from an inter-generational Cheyenne Mennonite majority to a white-high-school non-denominational majority. Very different audience, with very different religious beliefs.

Confession:

The “Seeds” response to this sudden change was not always very Christian.

We had worked hard to get to know the people from the Cheyenne churches all week, and we resented how they suddenly appeared and took over. To us, it seemed like the groups took over the main tent where we were presenting and pushed the Cheyenne to the periphery; it seemed like the groups dominated the “Share and Prayer” time; overall, it seemed like the groups completely took over.

Cheyenne culture appreciates silence, handles conflict indirectly and people are often slow to speak, whereas white culture tends to be more direct and quicker to speak. After being sensitized to the damage that well-intentioned white Christians have done to the Cheyenne over the years, our group cringed at the sudden influx of people who were largely unaware of Cheyenne history, culture, and the specific spiritual struggles faced by the Cheyenne Mennonite community.

And yet, the Cheyenne welcomed them. They fed all the groups, clapped appreciatively for the skits, generally welcomed the different groups to camp.

As I reflect back on this experience, I’m not exactly sure what to say. I’m humbled by the hospitality that the members of Ashland Christian Fellowship, White River Cheyenne Mennonite Church, and Lame Deer Mennonite Church showed us. Their response to the sudden arrival of three different groups of well-intentioned service groups-in spite of the Cheyenne’s decidedly mixed history with white missionaries-was a sharp contrast to my bitter thoughts. Despite the very real and persistent struggles they face, they have truly experienced the grace and power of the resurrected Christ.

A recent MCUSA national conference’s theme was “Can’t Keep Quiet,” a noble theme as Mennonites often find it hard to talk about their faith. But perhaps there are times when white Mennonites should just “keep quiet” and listen to the experiences and wisdom of other Christians. As white Mennonites argue intensely over things like styles of worship, women in leadership, and homosexuality, I hope we can keep quiet long enough to learn from the Cheyenne.
-Matt

Turn the TV off... and Tell a Story

Hello all,
I hope this post finds everyone doing well in all of your respective life adventures. Here is something I have been thinking about lately.. I am realizing more and more how much I really enjoy just relaxing in Gods creation without life's distractions...aka technology, to get in the way. For example, this past week while in Montana, I was without my cell phone, and any internet connection for longer then i have been in a long time. Now, for some this may not be a big deal, but coming out of college, I have come to realize just how dependent, and how much I take for granted..technology. However, after this week, I can say that I really didn't miss it that much .

It's true! There is something nice about simply spending time (and talking) with people in person, enjoying a late night camp fire, sleeping in a tent, not having a shower, getting my water out of a fresh spring, and yes..there is something nice about not worrying about the technology to distract us in life. In fact, while I was reflecting on this, I even began to think that when I am a parent and have kids, what if there would be no TV in the house. There is so much more productive stuff to fill our time- a very valuable resource, and how much of that time do we waste with technology? Not only that- it seems not having so much technology around leaves more room for telling stories, remembering who we are, and where we have come from.

So in closing, I would encourage everyone in the next week ahead..to think about turning the TV off.. save the movie for another week, give the cell phone a break, and let the computer rebound from its stressful weekend. Get outside, pick some strawberries (if they are still around), spend time with your friends and family, take a walk (or a run) , tell some stories to your kids, hear some stories from your parents, enjoy life... and thank God for all of it!

Thoughts along the way.

A week at Family Camp in Montana, here are some highlights: Bucket showers; sleeping in a tipi; great food (we had steak and corn on the cob one night); good conversations; new friends; learning the history of Mennonites and Cheyenne Mennonites (the church in Busby has recently celebrated their 100th year anniversary); the big night sky and the warmth of shared blankets.

As I was attempting to pick something to write about as a reflection of our time I realized that there is no way to do it! There are too many things that are still churning in my head to put into coherent words. So I will reflect on the content of our presentations.

One of the great things about being speakers at Family Camp is that we had the opportunity to present a series, to build on each other in our interest areas and to build relationships along the way. This takes me back to our original idea for this summer, as Matt and I worked on the initial proposal together we hoped to spend more time with a congregation than just a Sunday morning. We wanted to learn from individuals and congregations who they are, and what they are doing in their context to bring God's vision of Shalom to reality. We hoped to provide a series of workshops that would build on each other as happened at Family Camp. This takes more than Sunday morning.

As I look at our schedule and what is to come I see that many of our church encounters are limited to a Sunday morning worship. This is great, I'm glad to be able to participate and to lead Sunday morning worship, but there is more to God's vision and thinking about peace as a way of living than can be portrayed from the pulpit. I know I don't give as much time as I could to participating in church activities that happen outside of Sunday morning, but this seems to be a general trend. Church, faith, God! is only allowed a 2-3 hour chunk of time on a Sunday morning. We let sports, schools, drama, TV, work and other humdrum activities dominate our time. Rather than communing with God and communing with others in Christ we exhaust ourselves in too many other activities.

Hmm.. Maybe that is why it is easier to take Jesus' message of Salvation as being the only message that Jesus brought, because if we started to take seriously Jesus' teachings we would have to change our life styles. We would have to give of ourselves in ways we wouldn't want to. We would have to experience the cost of discipleship.

Elizabeth

The Banquet Of Hospitality

On Saturday we were able to experience the Sioux Falls community by volunteering at The Banquet a food kitchen the offers free meals throughout the week. What’s unique about this The Banquet is their approach to their service. It is important for them to serve enough food so that everyone is fed but what is more important is letting those who are being served know that their lives are important as well as the hospitality they are able to give.
The dinning hall was clean and it was evident that there had been much time and effort put into making the place inviting for all people. Each table had a fresh bouquet of flowers placed in the center. There was a table overflowing with loaves of bread and bagels donated by community businesses that were to be taken home. We were encouraged to make sure that our food serving duties were met but more importantly we needed to make time to sit down with the guests, eat with them and talk with them. All of this happened
It was the conversations with the guests that I found to be the most exciting. This is where the giving and receiving of hospitality takes place. I approached this opportunity thinking that I was going to serve. Miss Service of the year. They need my service, they need food and I am going to give it! Ok maybe that is at the extreme end of my approach and thinking but isn’t that how we approach service sometimes? What about the gifts of those being served?
The people coming to The Banquet to eat physical food were able to feed us with spiritual food. As we sat down to eat with each other to share stories and to encourage one another, God’s vision for Shalom community was being fulfilled. The boundaries between those serving and those being served were broken. We were able to see each other as God’s creation rather than a stranger. We served each other, we learned from each other, we fellowshipped together.
I walked away from that day with a new outlook on service. I want to approach each opportunity I have to share my stories and my vision for Shalom community by reminding myself that there are many stories and many gifts that I need to be willing to receive.

Hey This is Jess Here!

Hello to everyone, Jess Roth here! Here’s a quick run down of my life and background before you read into the depths of my thoughts. I left my life in Denver, Colorado (along with my handsome finance, not permanently only for three months) to return to my homeland here in Central Plains Mennonite Conference. For the first 18 years of my life I had the privilege of living on a farm outside of Cairo, Nebraska. I continued my education at Hesston College and then at Goshen College. After graduating I heard the call of the mountains, moved to Colorado and have been there for the past two years. I am pumped to be back in the plains working in the community I will always call home.
I am pumped to be a part of “Seeds Of the Kingdom,” to visit the churches throughout Central Plains Mennonite Conference and to hear their stories of creating Shalom community. I hope that as I walk away from the summer I will have a better understanding of how God’s vision is a vision of peace for all of God’s creation. I want to have a better understanding of how I can create peace throughout God’s creation and the ability to better identify with rural church life.
This is going to be an exciting summer with many challenges and opportunities for learning. What a way to spend my summer.

Stories of travels and reflection by Mark

This past week has been blur. After leaving the Gingerich homestead just outside of Iowa City, Randy, Matt, Elizabeth and I spent two days in a state park south of Omaha. We tested out our camping equipment and practiced some primitive fire-ring culinary skills. Our retreat in the woods was a time to refocus on the upcoming weekend and get to know each other better. Jess would join us on Thursday before we headed north to Sioux Falls, but for now Randy, Matt, Elizabeth and I enjoyed exploring the campground.
Ray, a diesel mechanic at a nearby truck stop who decided to camp instead of drive home every night to save gasoline, was a very nice middle-aged man. He wore paint stained work jeans without a belt and a grey sleeveless tee shirt. He pulled in at about 3pm, set up his tent in a feisty wind next door, and left again until later Wednesday evening. I asked him then if he knew what the weather was supposed to do and a half hour later I returned to my own campsite having heard about his interest in auto mechanics since he was 13, a troubled relationship with the woman in his life, and his desire to see New York city someday.
Ray wasn’t noisy, he wasn’t bothersome and didn’t cause us any concern. It was the two younger gentlemen we met the night before who had been drinking heavily in the same adjacent campsite that made us wary. Though earlier in the day they showed us a neat trick with a lighter full of butane and a fire bed of hot coals, we weren’t all that disappointed when a few park rangers came by at 10:30 responding to their loud voices asking them to quiet down. By the next day they had moved on but not before their self-disclosure of being “stoners and drunks and broke.” We told them we were broke to - in debt from college - and we all had a good laugh about having that in common.

Wednesday afternoon, before Ray pulled in, a strong northern wind blew dark clouds overhead. The gnats disappeared with the humidity as the sky darkened. I was out trying a new walking stick I had found and Randy and Matt had taken the van to at the local HyVee grocery store using the wifi hotspot in their deli. Elizabeth was reading back at the campsite but it hadn’t started raining or anything. The clouds were dark and the wind was still picking up so I headed back. It began sprinkling – large drops coming in at an angle with the wind, but nothing to write home about. I walked on getting a little wet but worrying more about what might happen to our campsite if the clouds began to pour like they threatened. I quickened my pace but as I crested the hill saw nothing of Elizabeth at the site. The wind was blowing something mighty and our purple and grey Coleman tent was all but collapsed, fighting to stay up against the gusts. I swung off my backpack and unzipped the door opening in one motion. Elizabeth was inside half holding up the tent and half rearranging the sleeping bags away from the door. We greeted each other quickly and I noticed my blue rain jacket near the entrance rolling toward me begging to be put on despite the still-only-spitting rain. I grabbed it and slipped it on as I pulled our trailer under the safety of the large cottonwood tree at our campsite. Before I could walk back from the trailer to the tent the weather changed. The rain came down. With my shoes already wet and my torso dry with the rain jacket on I decided to try to help hold up the still fighting tent. Elizabeth, inside, worked to keep our bedrolls on the dry side. Matt and Randy had been notified that the presence of their van with its steel roof and waterproof windows would be very beneficial at a time like this but they had still not arrived when it began to hail. I got clocked once with a small piece the size of a thimble right on the top of my head once, but must have scared others off with the questionable language I felt it necessary to use in response to the situation.
The rains subsided after 10 pounding minutes, and the dove flew out and returned with the white Windstar van. We wiped a little water out of the tent and hung up things to dry on a line in the gusting wind before parking the van close to the picnic table and starting our Coleman camp stove for a supper meal of canned chili, crackers, and fruit. Though the wind continued to blow, the storm cell had passed and we were home free, able to focus on getting to our rendezvous point to pick up Jess on Thursday.

Jess was waiting for us at exit 52 just off I-29 north with Deb, her mother, who had brought her east from their home in Cairo, Nebraska. She was bubbly and excited and her belongings fit well into the van and trailer – even a bicycle fit up on top of the trailer with Matt and Elizabeth’s road bikes. We drove north then up to Sioux Falls, South Dakota explaining our adventures and hearing of the family reunion Jess was returning from.

Conference Minister Ed Kauffman and his wife Gay welcomed us into their home for the weekend with Sermon on the Mount Mennonite. Their son, Sean, and I had attended Goshen College together a few years and they shared where and what he was up to now. Ed took us for a walk to a nearby park in the late afternoon and in the evening - after getting all our chit chat out of the way during van ride up - we met as a group for the first time, all five of us, for a serious meeting to discuss some logistics and goals all together in person.

Friday, the 4th of July, the five of us spent time at Sermon on the Mount Mennonite Church doing some yard clean up and a little tree trimming. In the afternoon we worked on our Sunday service and in the evening spent time at the home of Cheryl Lehmann, a Sermon on the Mount Mennonite member, over the supper hour. We played the Mennonite name game and talked about Sioux Falls and foreign travels and such things but later, in our musings about the evening, after the 4th fireworks, we lamented not getting into the sort of talk about the shalom vision that we had hoped to. We took time to remember one of the goals of our trip and reconfirmed our need to step out of our comfort zones to venture deeper into discussion than the surface level conversation that are easy yet so superfluous.

During a meal with Ed and Gay on Saturday, after our internal discussion about conversations, we brought up some significant questions to which Ed joked, “We brought the pizza, isn’t that enough!” Ed and Gay had some helpful thoughts about the their understanding of how a Shalom community would look in 2008 and how the seductiveness of “being comfortable” is an obstacle to living out the Kingdom. I agree, on the one hand why would we want to make ourselves uncomfortable, but on the other hand, Jesus never guaranteed a comfortable life for his followers. Living out the prophetic vision outlined in the Old Testament and reiterated by Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount, I think, is especially hard for us who are comfortable or have the means to become and stay comfortable. I have the means to become and stay comfortable…

No one has greater love than this...

This past week we spent five days camped out in the basement of Ed and Gay Kauffman’s house. Ed and Gay are members of Sermon on the Mount Mennonite Church (SOTM), one of two Mennonite churches in Sioux Falls. We only visited SOTM though, and had plenty of time to explore the city.

Sioux Falls is a really nice city, if you like that sort of thing (cities). It’s about 120,000 people in the southeastern part of South Dakota, but has a small-town feel to it. It has a lot of parks, a 26 mile bike path around the city, and hosts something called the “Mayor’s Lunch” every Fourth of July. As far as I could tell, the “Mayor’s Lunch” was entirely free, and included lunch, ice cream, a cowboy festival, and an outdoor performance by an orchestra (thank you, Sioux Falls taxpayers). The “Mayor’s Lunch” is only one of the things that gave Sioux Falls it’s small town atmosphere.

I’ll mention one other thing: friendliness. After living in Goshen/Elkhart for five years, I’d gotten used to not really making eye contact with passers-by. But there I was, in Sioux Falls, four times the size of Goshen, and people greeted and smiled at me like I was a good friend of their children. It felt nice to have my humanity affirmed by strangers.

Perhaps the most amusing story came from our afternoon at the “Mayor’s Lunch.” Mark, Randy and I were standing roughly parallel to each other. I’ll mark Randy with an “R,” and Mark and I with “x” since we’re peripheral to the story.

R x

x

We were waiting in line for our lunch. It was an extensive line, but moving quickly, and we were optimistic that soon we would be stuffing our faces with delicious sandwiches and potato chips. The line had just moved under some shade trees when a mysterious young lady (we’ll call her Hannah) entered the scene. I’ll mark her location with an “H.”

R x

x H

She quickly glanced at our trio of handsome men, found someone she liked, and struck up a conversation. No, it wasn’t me or Mark, even though we would seem the natural choices-we were closer to her after all. Nope, she immediately started eyeing Randy. She stared right past Mark and I like we weren’t even there, and fired a series of questions at Randy, “What’s your name? Where are you from? What are doing in Sioux Falls?” She quickly and smoothly shouldered Mark and I out of the way to pursue her new true love.

RH

x x

Randy looked like a deer caught in the headlights as he was caught off-guard by Hannah’s directness. He mumbled a frightened answer, and quickly moved forward to talk with Ed and Gay, who were a little further ahead in the line. Thankfully, Mark’s outgoing nature deflected Hannah from Randy as he engaged her in small talk.

Later on, Ed, Gay, and the “Seeds” group reflected on the “Hannah situation.” After much reflection, we worked out a plan to handle similar encounters in the future. I’ll outline our guidelines briefly.

Whereas Randy is a handsome man, and will undoubtedly find admirers at every stop;

Whereas Randy does not really want to talk to them;

Hereby; we, the Seeds of the Kingdom, resolve with a unanimous vote;

1. As the resident extrovert, Mark will intercept all unwanted conversation,
2. Jess will begin talking about wedding plans as if Randy’s opinion matters. It doesn’t, of course, since she is marring Marcos Stoltzfus next summer. But a little misdirection will surely help the situation.
3. Matt and Elizabeth will hold hands and move in between Jess/Randy and Mark/admirer. This will form an impenetrable physical wall and will serve as a last resort in case the other strategies fail.

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15.13

Matt Troyer-Miller

First Mennonite Church, Iowa City

Hello again, this time from the Kalona-Iowa City area. We’ve been spending the last week or so at Mark’s parents’ farm. They’ve been wonderful and generous as they’ve fed us, housed us, and even did our laundry for us! They’ve also provided helpful feedback for our service last Sunday at First Mennonite in Iowa City. Thank you to Noreen and Ken for your hospitality, you went above and beyond the call of duty.
We also saw and heard about the recent flooding in Iowa City. Sandbags were still present, some bridges were still closed, and on some buildings we could see the water marks above the doors. The rivers were still very high, but for the most part the flooding had abated. Apparently this flood was a 500-year flood, meaning it happens every 500 years or so. However, Iowa Citians joked that Des Moines had a 500-year flood in 1993, which was only fifteen years ago.
Because the flood was so present in the consciousness of Iowa City residents, we tied the worship service to these current events. Mark, Randy, and Elizabeth designed a visual that included a pile of sandbags and a pair of boots, and Mark mentioned the flooding in his sermon. This was Mark’s first time to preach in a congregational setting, but he did an excellent job. He had taken a Preaching class at AMBS last spring, and our group has definitely benefited from Mark’s experience in the class. He used Micah 4.1-4 as his primary text, and talked about how Jesus shows us the way to fulfill Micah’s vision.
I led the Sunday School hour, which actually ran closer to forty minutes. I started off by reviewing Mark’s sermon, and then used Acts 10 to reflect about how God is working for transformation, for peace, for reconciliation-for shalom-in our lives and in the world. After that, we heard stories from First Mennonite of when they participated or observed God’s shalom in action, and also a few stories where they felt like they had “dropped the ball.”
Metaphorically, of course. We were not playing “catch” during Sunday School.
Anyways, I think our first weekend went pretty well, although we have a lot of room for improvement. We’ll be tweaking things the rest of week as we prepare to lead worship with Sermon on the Mount Mennonite Church in Sioux Falls, SD. We’ll arrive in Sioux Falls on Thursday, after we’ve picked up Jess in Nebraska. We’re planning to camp for two nights at Lake Manawa, which I believe is just south of Council Bluffs, IA. That’s something I should figure out, since we’re leaving in three hours. Maybe I’ll go do that.

Matt Troyer-Miller