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Randy and Cheri Dueck were commissioned as associate pastor couple for youth and family ministries in Port Rowan (Ont.) MB Church Sept. 7. They previously worked with the youth at Orchard Park Bible Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. Randy has a degree from Canadian Bible College in Regina. They have two teenage children, Jason and Julie.
Alumni of Bethany Bible Institute in Hepburn, Sask. gathered in 3 different cities in January to celebrate 70 years of biblical training. Under the theme, "When I Look Back I Laugh", 120 alumni gathered in Abbotsford, 65 in Calgary and 100 in Winnipeg. The school began in 1927 with only 7 students.
Hepburn (Sask.) MB Church baptized four new members Nov. 1: Clinton Van Kuik, Kimberly Mathies, Helene Hug and Brian Willms.
Jim and Marilou Nightingale became interim senior pastor couple at Yarrow (B.C.) MB Church on Feb. 1 for a six-month term, with the possibility of it being extended to three years. Jim and Marilou met at Multnomah College in Portland, Ore., where Jim earned a bachelor's degree. He served as associate pastor at North Park MB Church in Eugene, Ore. for a year and then for six years with the American Missionary Fellowship in Oregon for six years. Since 1988, the Nightingales have been serving with MBMS International, in Brazil for seven years and in Portugal for two years. Their second oldest daughter, Sarah, died of leukemia in 1992. They have three other children, Rachel, 16, Timothy, 10, and Josh, 5.
Associate pastor couple Abe and Irene Neufeld of Elmwood MB Church in Winnipeg have shifted ministry roles from giving leadership in German ministries to serving in pastoral care, including hospital visitation, crisis counselling, prayer ministry and funerals. Abe will also assist in preaching and in mentoring leaders. Gerhard Friesen, chaplain at Bethania Home and Concordia Hospital, has been asked to give leadership in the German ministries, including preaching.
Hans and Tina Wall are retiring April 21 as associate pastor couple for seniors at Culloden MB Church in Vancouver, having served for seven years. They were born in Paraguay, where Hans taught school for 13 years and Tina for six. They then studied at a Baptist seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hans earning a bachelor's degree and pastoring an EMB church for six years. After coming to Canada in 1974, Hans worked as a house painter for seven years. They then served as teachers under MBMS International in Nueva Ideal, Mexico for three years. Hans worked at Columbia Kitchen Cabinets in Abbotsford, B.C. for a year, then they served as chaplains at Tabor Home in Abbotsford for five-and-a-half years. Hans was diagnosed with cancer in September, 1997 and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. The Walls' oldest son Arnold died of cancer at age 29. They have two other children, Friedbert and Heidi Giesbrecht, and three grandchildren.
Manfred Schmidt resigned in October as senior pastor of Vancouver MB Church, after being on leave of absence for two months as a result of disharmony within his marriage. A mechanical engineer, he earned a master's degree from Regent College and served two years as associate pastor at Vancouver MB and then six years as senior pastor. He is currently working as a salesman. He and his wife Sylvia have four sons. The Schmidts have been receiving marital counselling.
Correction: Val and Garry Priebe are co-directors of junior high ministries at Forest Grove Community Church in Saskatoon, each working one-quarter-time. (This item was reported incorrectly in the Feb. 6 issue of the Herald.)
William Reimer of Winnipeg has been appointed director of Mennonite Central Committee's Food, Disaster and Material Resources program. He has worked with MCC for 16 years, including 15 in Africa where he served as country director for Nigeria and Sudan and most recently as regional director for East Africa based in Nairobi, Kenya. He replaces Hershey Leaman of Landisville, Pa., who retired after 11 years at the job. The position has moved from MCC's Akron office to Winnipeg as part of the organization's decentralization plan. Reimer attends River East MB Church in Winnipeg. He and his wife Ingrid have three children, Anna, Jason and Maria.
Thirty-four workers participated in an orientation at Mennonite Central Committee headquarters in Akron, Pa. Jan. 6-16. Sixteen are beginning overseas assignments, 15 are beginning assignments in North America and three were special guests. Rick Block of Waldheim, Sask. is beginning a seven-month internship in Mexico, where he will work at agriculture extension. He is working on a bachelor's degree in agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon and was last employed as an assistant researcher in soil science. He is a member of Waldheim (Sask.) MB Church and is affiliated with Forest Grove Community Church in Saskatoon. Isabelle Queval of Montreal is beginning a two-year assignment as a coordinator of a mental health centre in Montreal. She has a master's degree in psychology from Université de Montréal and was last employed as a teacher. She is a member of Eglise Chrétienne de St-Laurent. Her husband is Jean-Marc.
A memorial service for Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder was held Jan. 16 at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, B.C. Yoder died of a heart attack Dec. 30 at his office in Notre Dame University, South Bend. Ind. Columbia librarian David Giesbrecht played a tape of Yoder speaking at his own ordination in 1973, and also handed out a list of 16 books by Yoder that are in the College library. Several people shared their reminiscences of Yoder: Herb and Maureen Klassen, John and Elfrieda Krahn, John Redekop, George Schmidt and Walter Unger. A bibliography of 900 of Yoder's books and scholarly articles appeared in the January, 1997 issue of Mennonite Quarterly Review.
The Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan held a Heritage Night Jan. 30 to honour Mennonite bishop David Toews. Toews was chair of the Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization. With others, he negotiated with the Canadian government to allow Mennonites to immigrate from Russia to Canada in the 1920s and also negotiated with the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. to allow the Mennonites to travel to Canada on credit, with the money to be repaid within six months. 22,000 Mennonites came to Canada between 1922 and 1929, incurring a debt (called the Reiseschuld) of $2 million. The Great Depression intervened, preventing rapid repayment of the debt, but repayment was completed in 1946. Toews died in 1947.
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