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Letters to the editor
Mennonite Brethren Herald welcomes your letters on issues relevant to the Mennonite Brethren Church, especially in response to material published in the Herald. Please keep your letters courteous, brief and about one subject only. We will edit letters for length and clarity. We will not publish letters sent anonymously, although we may withhold names from publication at the request of the letter writer and at our discretion. Publication is also subject to space limitations. Because the Letters column is a free forum for discussion, it should be understood that letters represent the position of the letter writer, not necessarily the position of the Herald or the Mennonite Brethren Church. Send letters to:
Letters, MB Herald
3-169 Riverton Ave.
Winnipeg, Man. R2L 2E5
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or by e-mail to mbherald@mbconf.ca. (Please ensure that your postal address is included in your e-mail correspondence.) |
Best ever
The Herald issue on baptism and church membership (Sept. 8) was the best in my memory – perhaps the best ever. It represents a call to our churches to be serious about what it means to be a committed Christian in a culture where so many people tend to go the “Church of What’s Happenin’ Now”, and let first principles be set aside.
Gerry Janzen,
Abbotsford, B.C.
MWC membership worthwhile
It has been my privilege to attend four Mennonite World Conference assemblies – Curitiba, Brazil; Wichita, Kansas; Strasbourg, France; and Winnipeg.
At the Curitiba assembly I had the opportunity to speak at the Saturday evening service. I spoke on revival. Evangelist Brunk gave a great evangelical sermon one evening. After his sermon, he gave a tremendous altar call.
A Swiss Mennonite pastor heard me and prayed that I might come to Switzerland and speak at his church. God brought this to pass. Not only were the doors of this church open for revival, but also Mennonite churches in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France. There are many evangelical churches in Europe.
My first experience at a Mennonite World Conference convention created in me a desire to go again. There is much to learn of how other Christians show their obedience to the commission of Jesus. Mennonite World Conference is an open door for our Conference.
Nick Willems,
Abbotsford, B.C.
Unfulfilled obligations
After reading Jim Coggins’s editorial (May 26), I have become concerned that our church, that I manage the “treasuring” for, has not fulfilled its financial obligations to the Canadian MB Conference. When I undertook this responsibility, I was not informed of any requirement for funds to go directly to the Canadian Conference office. I had thought that conference dues paid to the provincial office were shared with the national office. Could you tell me what is required of our church? We appreciate the work of both Conferences and wish to be responsible.
Name withheld
The above letter was sent recently to Canadian MB Conference Treasurer Jake Neufeld by the treasurer of a local MB Church. Ed.
Choirs have great impact
In response to “Choral component missing” (Letters, Oct. 6), it would not be an overstatement to say that choir has been one of the most enriching experiences in my life. As a member of the Concert Choir at Columbia Bible College for the past four years, I have seen firsthand the blessing that choral music is to both those who sing in the choir and those who listen.
To many people, choir is merely about singing songs in an organized group. To me, and to the others that I sing with at CBC, singing is about unity. Our choir is filled with people from very diverse backgrounds, who experience many different things and continually see hardship and triumph in their lives. Choir pierces through this diversity and unites us as singers and children of God. Together, in our weakness, we make beautiful music together that is a blessing to others, and to God as well. Here at CBC, we recognize that choir is more than just learning proper singing techniques, intonation and tuning. It is about praying for one another, encouraging each other, laughing together and praising our Saviour with one voice.
To delete the choral component from the curricula of the Conference schools would be a great tragedy and loss. I have seen, talked to and heard about countless people who have been blessed and led into worship through our choir, and many other choirs as well. Choral music is a relevant medium to communicate truth and remains a valuable aspect of our churches and schools.
Let us not close the doors to choir as if it represents the end of an era, but let us rediscover the impact a Christ-centred choral program can have on schools, churches and individuals.
On behalf of the CBC Concert Choir,
Carmen Neufeld, President,
Abbotsford, B.C.
This letter was also signed by 10 other choir members. Ed.
Previous | Next Last modified December 3, 2000.
© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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