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Using the Lord's Prayer as a guide, speaker Eldon Busenitz, pastor of the Bethesda MB Church in Huron, S.D. and CDC vice chair, encouraged his audience to pray more and to pray more biblically. He spoke of the need to balance the privilege and intimacy God's children enjoy in prayer with the need to show God respect, reverence and awe.
Messages were followed by times of small-group prayer. Prayer was an integral part of the Friday afternoon workshop led by Dale Warkentin, secretary for MBM/S constituency ministries, and MBM/S missionaries Tim and Jill Schellenberg.
The Church Planting Committee carried most of the business agenda during the convention:
* Urban and multicultural ministries in the CDC are, for the most part, flourishing. Two recent anglo church plants, Lincoln Hills Bible Church in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Millard Bible Church, Omaha, Neb., continue to grow. Conference subsidy for Lincoln Hills is being reduced for 1996-97 while Millard graduated from subsidy in 1995-96.
* Peter Thomas, pastor of Faith Bible Church in Omaha, Neb. reported positive results from a 1995-96 CPC grant to assist the congregation in developing new strategies for urban ministry. Faith Bible also provides the meeting place for Iglesia Agua Viva, an Hispanic congregation. Phil Glanzer, CPC chair, reported that Hispanic ministries in Omaha continue to be funded by the district, which in turn receives a small subsidy from MB Missions/Services. In 1996-97, the CPC will provide resourcing funds for the Russian Evangelical Church in Minneapolis, Minn., and Native American ministries in South Dakota.
* The district's newest church-plant project, in Papillion, Neb., still needs a church planter.
In other business, delegates:
* voted to appoint a conference secretary annually rather than every two years.
* heard that CDC membership has increased by 147; growth came with the addition of the Russian Evangelical Church. Fifteen congregations reported a net gain; four stayed the same; four had a net decrease.
from The Christian Leader
Another change, that of Fresno Pacific College changing its name to Fresno Pacific University was officially ratified during the FPC corporation meeting on Saturday. This convention became the first opportunity for supporters to thank Kriegbaum for his 11 years of transformational service at FPC. During his tenure, the number of students, programs and facilities grew significantly.
Other changes included the format of the meeting itself. While traditional conventions have lasted two days or more, this one was over in less than 24 hours, beginning with a banquet Friday night and ending the last business session by 3 p.m. the next day. The format change was an attempt to make the gathering more inviting for potential delegates, especially younger ones. Roger Poppen, District chair and pastor of the host Laurelglen Bible Church, urged his listeners to look to the future of the District, not the past. Those who look to the past, Poppen said, see a district comprised mostly of "good ol' boy anglo brothers and sisters with recognizable last names." But the present landscape has changed dramatically. Among other things, denominationalism "as we have known it" is in decline, ethnic peoples are joining the conference and assimilating them is a challenge, he said.
In a preface to his message, Rod Suess, pastor of Butler Avenue MB Church in Fresno, Calif., gave an emotional salute to the "Builders" generation of persons over the age of 50. He noted the enormous changes that generation has endured in recent years. "Thank you," he said after asking them to stand. "You have built a foundation for us. We appreciate you and love you for setting the direction". He then went on to describe the painful process of moving his church from a traditional congregation comprised mostly of Low German Mennonite Brethren, to a multicultural, multicongregational church that better reflects its diverse environment. Butler now includes Khmu and Hispanic congregations and traditional and contemporary anglo congregations.
Delegates addressed the issue of change and diversity the following day by unanimously ratifying a Board of Faith and Life resolution that delegates would "give their blessing to those men and women doing God's work--even when they differ from our own preferences due to personal backgrounds or temperaments." The resolution acknowledged Scripture and the Confession of Faith as "our common ground," but called for tolerance in the areas of worship and leadership styles.
In other business, delegates:
* heard testimonies and stories about PDC Hispanic churches addressing the needs of newcomers from Mexico.
* welcomed four new congregations into the district: Korean Missionary Church and Korean Agape Church in Los Angeles, Russian Baptist Church of Alameda County in Castro Valley, Calif., and Mountain View Community Church in Clovis, Calif.
* formally commissioned Jim and Annette Aiken as the leadership couple for the new anglo church-planting venture in Bakersfield.
* revised the district's reversion clause. Previously, if a local church ceased to be a member of the district, its property reverted back to the PDC. The policy was reviewed primarily because congregations joining by adoption were hesitant to embrace it. The new policy states that if an adopted congregation ceases to be a member of the district, it can retain its property if it repays all financial assistance received from the PDC plus reasonable interest.
* approved a 1996-97 budget of $260,100, an increase of 5.8 percent from a year ago.
* approved the sale of 15th Ave. Church in Seattle, Wa., to the Slavic Missionary Church for $500,000.
* approved a recommendation to grant Community Bible Fellowship in Bellingham, Wa., a mortgage payment assistance of $48,000 over five years for the purpose of acquiring a meeting facility.
from The Christian Leader
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