Planting to Produce

SASKATCHEWAN MB CONFERENCE CONVENTION
PARLIAMENT COMMUNITY CHURCH, REGINA, SASK.

This year's theme was "Planting to Produce"--a slight change from the decade's theme, "Planted to Produce". Director of church ministries Ralph Gliege remarked that the Conference was already "firmly planted" and that now it is time for harvest. He challenged delegates to continue the church's work as outlined in Isaiah 61:1-3. He also quoted from John Piper's book Let the Nations Be Glad: "Without the magnificence of God, there won't be a magnificent cause for Christ."

The Parliament Church youth worship team, Ewigkeit (German for eternity), set the tone for the evening. The music, including duets, solos and congregational singing, was upbeat and moving. Saturday worship times continued what the youth team had started.

During the worship time Friday evening, Gliege led the delegates in a time of personal reflection and confession. He then presented the video The Harvest, based on a true story, about a young farmer who dies unexpectedly, leaving his widow and sons to worry about the harvest. Just when loss of the harvest seems inevitable, the community rallies around the family and helps bring in the harvest. The video encouraged Christians to rally together to bring in a spiritual harvest.

Introducing MB Biblical Seminary president Henry Schmidt as the speaker for the weekend, Gliege said, "Preach like you drive, Henry." After a humorous anecdote about the joys of preaching overtime in Saskatchewan, Schmidt said he would ask three questions over the weekend.

His first question was "By whose authority are we living?" Authority is not recognized in this post-Christian, post-modern society because it does not recognize absolutes. Christians, however, need absolutes for three reasons. First, despite the number of changes in society, God's purpose, character and nature do not change. Second, God's Word is sure. The church needs to be anchored in the "bedrock" of God's Word "so that culture doesn't move us off our base". Schmidt said that the church needs leaders who exercise "not autocratic authority with no accountability, but godly, biblical authority". Third, the church needs to follow God's authoritative plan to multiply leaders and churches. Schmidt noted, "In communist China, 30,000 Chinese come to Christ a day; meanwhile, in the US, we are closing 60 churches a week."

Saturday morning, Schmidt asked the second question: "How does the church stay together when everything else is falling apart?" Referring to Ephesians 4:1-5, he said, "We don't create unity," but God works through Christians to create unity. The devil's strategy is to keep unbelievers blind and Christians divided--by attacking the leadership and unity of the church. The danger of division in the church today is not between rich and poor, but between young and old. The new generation is unlike the old--they do not respond to commands, and they are not loyal to institutions but to their friends and themselves. Schmidt warned against criticizing different styles of worship. His prayer was that the church be united.

That afternoon, Schmidt asked the third question: "What is the energy centre of the church?" He noted that the Antioch church in Acts 13 fasted and prayed before sending Paul and Barnabas on a mission. "Prayer is the energy source", he said. The "guts" of prayer is to submit, surrender and listen to the Holy Spirit. "You never learn much when you talk, more when you listen."

During breakfast on Saturday, Trever Godard, mission worker in Colombia with MBMS International, gave delegates a poignant insight into what God is doing through a discipleship training program he initiated three years ago. He explained that students raising their own support was a new concept for Colombians. He spoke about two men, both involved in the drug trade, who became part of the ten-month program and were now involved in church work. He asked pointedly, "Where is global missions in our local churches?" and added, "The goal of missions is to worship God; those who don't worship need missions." To illustrate the reality of persecution in missions, he told about a brush with death when he was bound, face down on his bed, while a gun was pointed at his head. He was thankful for a woman who woke in the night to pray for him and his family. "God is sovereign", he said.

Moderator Henry Braun and Lorne Willms, pastor of Bridgeway Community Church, Swift Current, prayed for Godard and his work in Colombia.

Ralph Gliege, as Saskatchewan Conference director of church ministries, thanked Reuben Pauls, Canadian MB Conference executive minister, for co-facilitating with him a network called "Focusing Leaders", which helps pastors and churches have effective ministries through a three-phase plan. Gliege then shared his vision for the Conference in the next ten years.

In keeping with the theme, Gliege then challenged all pastors to a growing contest. Calling to the front Archie Jantzen of Arelee MB Church and Abe Klassen of Forest Grove Community Church, Saskatoon, he gave them each a packet of seeds. The number of seeds in each packet equalled the number of members in their churches. The winner of the contest, to be declared at next year's convention, would be the pastor who had grown the best crop.

On a more sobering note, Rob and Darlene Bieber from Parkland rvice May 31.

Chair Arnie Armstrong spoke about the need to develop those in leadership and to bring in new leaders. The Board has considered planting churches among First Nations peoples, but felt the need to wait until suitable First Nations leaders were found. The Board has also considered linking with other agencies to provide congregations with seminars and networks dealing with rural, urban and ethnic issues.

On a sad note, Armstrong announced that the board had ended support for the Spanish church, Love in Action Christian Centre in Regina, after the church's work did not meet the board's expectations. Gliege thanked Rita and Elias Miranda for their work in the church. He hugged them, showing that the Conference was not harbouring ill feelings towards them. Armstrong announced that the board had budgeted "a couple of thousand dollars, not to leave Elias hanging".

Florianne Nickel, Saskatchewan representative to the Canadian MB Conference Board of Christian Education Ministries, highlighted the work being done in the areas of adult, youth and children's ministries, mentioning the "Sharpen Your Cutting Edge" seminar held in West Portal Church, Saskatoon; the National Youth Convention in Banff at the end of 1998; Life Steps; and the Resource Directory that Derrick Mueller is compiling.

Chair Rod Dick said how "beautiful it was to see the faces of the churches" represented at the convention instead of just names and numbers. He reminded the delegates that churches aren't buildings but people, and said he was encouraged by reports of churches helping other churches. A $10,000 loan given last year to Gateway Community Church, Canora, had been repaid. The proposed 1998 budget of $164,459 was presented and was accepted without debate. A conference norm of $55 per member, a slight increase from last year, was also accepted.

Randy Schellenberg, Saskatchewan representative to the Canadian MB Conference Board of Management, thanked Rod Dick for his work on the board. Dick expressed his love for the ministry, then read I Corinthians 13. Delegates gave him a standing ovation.

The elections ran smoothly. The only major changes were that Conrad Neudorf was elected to a one-year term to the Board of Reference and Counsel, replacing Gordon Willison; Willison left that board to begin a two-year term as assistant moderator, replacing Clarence Peters; and Larry Speiser was elected as Saskatchewan representative to the Canadian Conference Board of Management, replacing Randy Schellenberg. Henry Braun stays on as Conference moderator.

PW

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