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The letter also stated that sexual misconduct has graver consequences than smoking and alcohol. This is debatable. Second-hand smoke kills non-smokers. Alcohol damages the liver, destroys families and working relationships, and kills innocent people on the road. People that struggle with homosexuality are in great need of help. To be a true light to the wounded, become a genuine trusted friend, open your heart and love them unconditionally.
James Froese,
Prince George, B.C.
I have heard them say regarding the rapture, that all the prophesies have now been fulfilled. Read Marvin Rosenthal's Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church. II Thessalonians 2:1-3 talks about the "gathering in" (rapture), then states, "that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and the man of sin be revealed." Are they telling us that the man of sin has already been revealed?
The book Petra by N.W. Hutchings states that two-thirds of the Jews will get killed and the remaining one-third will flee to Petra, leaving the land empty. How can the Antichrist stop the sacrifices in the temple if the Jews are not there? Whom will the armies of the north attack if the Jews are not there? How will the Jews bury the dead for seven months if they are not in the land?
At the prophecy conference in Winnipeg this fall, I asked David Hunt, "Who is the woman in Revelation 12?" "Israel?" "Are you saying that the woman represents all the Jews in Israel, and that they will all flee to Petra?" "You cannot make all the Jews do the same thing!" "Are you then suggesting that the woman leaves one leg behind?"
Graves talks about a seven-year tribulation. Where in Matthew 24:21, Jeremiah 30:7 and Daniel 9:24-27 does it speak of a seven-year tribulation?
The late E.G. Manning wrote that Daniel 8 foretells of a future conflict between the eastern hemisphere (the ram) and western hemisphere (the goat). Daniel 8:20-21 states that the ram is Media and Persia, and the goat is Greece. I asked Manning how he came to such a conclusion. A worker wrote back that Manning was too busy to answer my question.
Jake Peters,
Winnipeg, Man.
Singing one piece of music can focus one's heart on God, as well as a collection of choruses. Worship teams can be effective, but an over-reliance on them can give a message that this is the only way to lead a worship service. If that occurs, a method becomes a tradition, or "order".
Roland J. Derksen,
Vancouver, B.C.
Ed and Elfrieda Reimer,
Windsor, Ont.
I agree that God's intention was not for homosexuality, but Jesus said He came to save the world, not judge it (John 3:17).
The Christian community in general has ostracized the gay community, a significant part of society who also need Christ.
I encourage us all to love and pray for people and trust God to convict of sins in His time.
Kim Brunner,
North Delta, B.C.
This model would see the provincial/district conference (or appropriate provincial groupings, if necessary) at the core of our denominational life but would abolish the two national conferences. It would retain a binational conference with a sharpened focus on seminary training, missions and theological oversight. This model would return the denominational structures to closer connection with the churches, allowing for more frequent meetings within regions, greater lay participation and less bureaucracy.
Retaining the bi-national conference would strengthen the "bigger picture" which we sorely need. I do not think the national conferences can provide that bigger picture and structure as effectively or economically as the General Conference could. We could merge our two papers and have one North American magazine which would connect us in our theology and practical religion. The news and concerns of regions could be addressed in special inserts.
This model would be more difficult and disruptive to implement in the short term, but would serve us much better into the next century.
Dora Dueck,
Winnipeg, Man.
Eve Nicklin,
Williams Lake, B.C.
I was 18 when I accepted Jesus into my life. It was September, 1970. I had been five months in the army in Fort Gordon, Georgia when I was stricken with spinal menengitis. (The chances of survival at the time were minimal. If one were to survive, chances were that the person would be totally paralyzed.) The pain was so severe that I was literally carried to the emergency room of the army hospital, where I remained in intensive care for five days.
On Friday, the army doctor approached asked, "Would you like to notify your next of kin?"
My response was, "Oh, no. My mother might think something serious had happened to me." I did not realize that what the doctor was saying was that I didn't have much longer to live.
On Saturday morning, I remembered that I had brought along a New Testament that an evangelical aunt had given me a few months earlier. I guess she felt that, as a Catholic, I still wasn't saved. I picked up the Bible and started to read through the Psalms. The more I read, the more I wanted to read.
Turning to the New Testament, I read how Jesus died on the cross for my sins. Then, like a revelation, it dawned on me that all my life I had known of Jesus but that I didn't have a personal relationship with Him. There on my hospital bed, I prayed, "Lord, please come into my heart and be my Lord and Saviour. I want to centre my whole life around You." I felt such a deep peace that nothing else really mattered. The next couple of days, I continued to read the Scriptures. On the following Friday, the same doctor came to tell me that I was being released from the hospital, totally cured. There was no further explanation. Later on, I realized that a miraculous healing had taken place. It seemed that when I asked Jesus to come into my heart, I received not only spiritual healing but physical healing as well.
That was the beginning of a spiritual journey. Later, for two years I engaged in an intensive study of the history of Christianity. In studying the Reformation, I was deeply moved by the stance of the Anabaptists and the terrible persecution they suffered on account of their belief in the gospel. I was equally impressed by the stand of the former Roman Catholic priest, Menno Simons. This study gave me a deep desire to meet Mennonite believers. It was as if I had just discovered that I had an extended family I had not known about.
My first opportunity came when visiting Waco, Texas. I called Faith Mennonite Fellowship in Lott, Texas and explained that I had an interest in knowing more about their community. I wasn't ready for the overwhelming response. Bishop Elmer Smucker invited me, my wife and two young daughters to visit and even provided a truck for us to use during the visit. On Sunday, we attended our first Mennonite service, and after the service we had invitations from several families for lunch and dinner. We were truly blessed by the fellowship, and felt at home. Before we left, brother Smucker mentioned a sister church in Mimbres, New Mexico, which was only a two-and-a-half-hour drive from our home. When we returned home, we called the pastor, William McGrath. He invited us to visit the community for a week and provided us a place to stay. During our visit, we were invited for a meal with a different family each day. In the mornings our four-year-old attended summer Bible school, and in the evenings we attended singing classes. We had a picnic with the church families during the weekend.
As I reflect on the life of the first Christian communities in Acts, the fellowship in their homes and the love and sharing they had with one another, I can't help but remember each of the Mennonite familes that invited us into their homes. It is encouraging to know of beacons of light in a world that needs the gospel of Jesus Christ, and of families that serve as an example of biblical Christian community. Scripture says, "By this you shall know My real disciples, in that they love one another."
Jose Rosado,
Canutillo, Texas
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