Many years ago while a seminary student I wrote an essay about a movement of Mennonites into northern B.C. and Alberta. These are my people, or at least of my lineage. My parents, although members of the Old Colony, no longer adhered to the prescribed belief of remote settlement places, thereby to avoid modernization, influence of the cities, English schools, etc. My father was skeptical of the religious reasons for moving north, often referencing his saying, "The devil will probably show up there too". Dad's assessment was that this was yet another occasion of opportunism, seeking good farmland, which Mennonites are capable of 'taming,' but was that enough reason to move? Some of my big muscled hard working cousins were in that pioneer crowd. My parents and some other cousins were among the hold outs. I grew up on a dairy farm, next door to the city of Saskatoon.
I am a product of this lineage, and yet adventured into the more 'worldly', educated strain of Mennonites, the General Conference. My seminary experience for me therefore was a time for some disciplined reflection of background - my roots - alongside many of other traditions. Interestingly this mix of students and even several professors hailed from the Amish, America's extreme horse and buggy conservatives. This grad school was a good place to acquire some education, or perhaps become defiled, as some of my relatives might have suggested.
Now to this essay. It was entitled "A Twentieth Century Frontier: Mennonites in Northern Alberta and British Columbia." Big title, big sound, and I forged into research which satisfied my intrigue and hoped it would also be informative for my fellow students, and perhaps even impress my professor! Not exactly! In his kindly way he made some helpful comments, challenging my choice of title a bit (frontier?), offered some suggestions of some other sources I might have looked at and gave me an A-. "Good Work". Ahh the thankless work of being a student, digging, reading, discovering and then writing it down with aspirations of perhaps publishing! 😉
And yet, yet I find myself grateful for that learning opportunity so many years ago; not only because "education is good for you" but also because I discovered my people are but part of other people and other people also have reasons for populating a wilderness north - like drought in Saskatchewan and in the U.S. midwestern states, and strange intermixing of evangelical and traditionalism along with things like family squabbles and/or cohesiveness. Many things among all the people. I find this to be totally true as I now volunteer among immigrants and refugees right here in Calgary.
What brought this essay to mind is a recent development in my present day church people. They are the Mennonite Church Alberta - today's version of the General Conference Mennonites. And it is 45 years later! In these days of Coronavirus (Yes fast forwarding. Note the title above contains that f-word Future) our area church leaders have seen fit to introduce some liturgy. In addition to our denomination's Canada wide weekly virtual worship services, in Alberta we are invited to 4 midweek Morning and Evening Zoom Prayer Time led by two of our pastors. Our resource is Take Our Moments, an Anabaptist modification of book of Common Prayer utilizing the Revised Common Lectionary. As one who had been a proponent of the Lectionary during my pastoral tenure, I am pleased. This is creative and wholesome; an invitation to an orderly unadorned reading of scriptures and prayers with one another, especially in these days of social distancing and worldwide anxiety. We have here an atmosphere of cooperation for church congregants or anybody else, knowing that themes are not merely chosen by certain people often with vested interests, or even worse, pastors' hobby horses.
So, although this was about Mennonites seeking to escape from worldliness, even my 1975 essay already had a hint of today! Yes, also reference to Mennonites becoming ex-Mennonites, an activity already an occupational hazard at that time! Frank H. Epp tells of an ex-Mennonite Catholic car dealer in Peace River ("The True North," Mennonite Reporter, Oct.28, 1974). The liturgical option is not usually touted among Mennonite leavers. I would love to have a conversation with that certain Mr. Friesen as to his reason for joining the Catholics. He wasn't the only one. I too have family members within the Catholic ranks. Is it that the most traditional, the ones seeking austere predictable worship patterns (like vorsaenger, lehrdienst, sermons read from old books, etc) are actually quite akin to the rhythm and predictability of liturgy? Catholic priests are not known for their preaching; neither are Mennonite prediger. Over the years this liturgical option may also have been a contributor to exodus even alongside the many who have left for free church evangelicalism.
For me this is reason for encouragement, especially from my theological vantage (see my Profile). I believe God is larger than the Church. As a Mennonite people we understand ourselves to be neither Catholic nor Protestant (Walter Klaassen, Anabaptism: Neither Catholic nor Protestant, originally published 1973 and latest reprint 2001). Although that might cynically be interpreted as 'middle in-between', I prefer to think of it as 'both and'. We are in a free space, and God looks to us for leadership, not just a good place to be. When Jesus appeared after the resurrection to his nervous disciples huddling behind closed doors he said, 21“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:21-23). I see nothing here about which church is going to be the true church or the successful church, and certainly nothing about comfortable places to be. I see only a Holy Spirit empowered gospel message of peace! There is need for our theology these days even if we were to blend in with other communions. I see good possibility and a future home for Anabaptist Mennonites among liturgical communities, many of whom affirm and yearn for peace teachings. Apparently one of Winnipeg's fastest growing Anglican churches includes many Mennonites! It might even be possible for new Anabaptist members of Catholic churches to help that large Church find a way of reconciliation with indigenous peoples for the decades of damage they have done to their children in Residential Schools. All things are possible with our eternal everlasting God. I also see a great need for evangelism in and among all of our churches, whether we label ourselves as conservative or liberal, or affiliate with ecumenists or evangelicals. We dare not even pretend to be the church if we not be honest with ourselves and invite others in. It is a new day for the church. Period.
Glen Guyton, not an ex-Mennonite ( ! ), but an ex-military officer now Executive Director of Mennonite Church U.S.A., puts it this way, "It's not enough to say we are a historic peace church. We must be a peace church for the present day".
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