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Cha-am, Thailand
MBMS International workers in SE Asia connect with other Mennonite workers


Signs of strengthening relationships and cooperation among Mennonite workers in Southeast Asia were evident at an inter-agency retreat held in Cha-am, Thailand, June 26–29.

A total of 79 adults and 41 children attended the Southeast Asia Anabaptist Workers’ Retreat. Workers came from MBMS International in Thailand; Mennonite Central Committee in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand; Eastern Mennonite Missions in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand; and Commission on Overseas Ministries/Mennonite Board of Missions in Thailand.

Striking features of the gathering were the wide breadth of Christian ministries represented and the diversity in ethnic backgrounds of the workers.

Elmer Martens, professor emeritus of Old Testament at MB Biblical Seminary in Fresno, Calif., provided the biblical teaching with six sessions from Jeremiah. Martens has just completed a commentary on Jeremiah for Tyndale Press. Martens’ daughter Fran Martens Friesen and son-in-law Ken are MCC country representatives in Vietnam.

The retreat in Cha-am is the latest development in a process of inter-agency relationship, which began six years ago. At that time, Skip and Carold Tobin (EMM) got together with Russell and Elizabeth Schmidt (MBMS International) and John Brubaker (Brethren in Christ Missions), with strong encouragement from David W. Shenk of EMM headquarters. The three families became friends and continued to meet annually.

MCC country representatives were also invited to those early gatherings. Then two years ago, the agencies made a decision to hold this retreat every two years, to own it jointly, and to include all workers and families. Gerry Keener of EMM Vietnam, Fran Martens Friesen, and Fritz Peters of MBMSI Thailand formed the organizing committee. The Cha-am retreat was the first gathering of all workers and families.

Others who attended the retreat included China MCC workers Raymond and Reyla Fung; Betsy Headrick-McCrae, East Asia regional representative from MCC Akron, Pa.; and Sherill Hostetter from Human Resources Department of EMM in Salunga, Pa. A number of Mennonites working under other agencies in the region, such as Food for the Hungry, also participated. The EMM group included a YES youth team that had been assisting the workers during the past winter.

Among North American workers, Eastern US and Western Canada seemed to be most strongly represented. There were many young families (28 children under the age of 13) and singles. Six volunteers from various Mennonite churches in Pennsylvania under the leadership of Bishop Vernon Myers came expressly to care for and provide biblical instruction to the children.

An increasing number of workers of Asian origin are serving under Mennonite agencies in Southeast Asia.

The Bible studies on “Experiencing God” from Jeremiah and Psalms helped workers focus relevant missiological and personal concerns. Martens spoke from Jeremiah 10 on idolatry, a striking everyday reality in the region. He also compared the complaints of Jeremiah with the laments in the Psalms, and encouraged workers to take comfort from the promises in Jeremiah 30-31.

The formal sessions concluded with a communion service.

Several participating agencies staged pre-retreat workshops. MCC workers met at Cha-am before the retreat for administrative meetings. At the EMM sessions, Phyllis Martens, a trained counsellor, spoke on “Thriving Overseas”.

Of interest, both EMM and MBMS International have experienced an overall shift in resource allocation. This is the first year in which the EMM budget for Southeast Asia has passed its budget for Africa. During the past year, MBMS International began a major new initiative in Thailand by sending a team of three young families. Gordon and Gwen Nickel are MBMSI missionaries working with the India MB Conference’s Interfaith Ministries Team.

 – Gordon Nickel, MBMS International

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Last modified August 22, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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