Personalia

Marlene Neufeld began a four-month assignment in neighbourhood ministries May 1 at Culloden MB Church in Vancouver. She earned a certificate in Early Childhood Education from Northwest Baptist Theological College in Langley, B.C., and is currently working toward a B.R.E. there. She served for seven years as a pre-school teacher at Killarney Park MB Church in Vancouver, and then worked for two years as a nanny. She has been running summer and Christmas Bible clubs for children at a low-income housing complex across the road from the church for five years, and for the past two years has also been running after-school clubs. In her new position, she will also begin outreach into other areas of the community.

Nancy Schellenberg began a four-month term as a youth intern at Culloden MB Church in Vancouver on May 1. She has previously served for a summer at the Centre for Student Missions in Los Angeles. She has studied for a year at Briercrest Bible College in Caronport, Sask., part-time for a year at the University of British Columbia and for the last two years at Northwest Baptist Theological College in Langley, B.C. For the past two years, she has been a youth sponsor at Culloden, which is her home church. She intends to return to studies at Northwest Baptist Theological College in the fall.

Greg Schmidt will become senior pastor of Armstrong (B.C.) Bible Chapel on Aug. 1. He completed an M.A. in church ministry at MB Biblical Seminary in Fresno, Calif. this spring and also has a B.R.E. from Briercrest Bible College. He previously served as associate/youth pastor at Hyde Creek Community Church in Port Coquitlam, B.C. 1990-96 and before that served as a junior high pastoral intern at Willingdon Church in Burnaby, B.C. for a year. He and his wife Monica have a daughter, Talea, 5, and a son, Ryan, 2.

Wilf Richert has resigned as associate pastor of North Peace MB Church in Fort St. John, B.C. He came to the church as interim pastor for six months and then remained as associate pastor for six years. Twenty years earlier, he had served a year's internship at North Peace. He has also served as interim senior pastor of East Aldergrove MB Church in Abbotsford, B.C., senior pastor of Arnold (B.C.) Community Church for three years and associate pastor at Yarrow (B.C.) MB Church for seven years. He has studied at Coaldale Bible School, MB Bible Institute (now Columbia Bible College), University of Winnipeg (B.A.) MB Bible (now Concord) College (B.R.S.), MB Biblical Seminary and Associated Canadian Theological Schools. He is currently working towards an M.Div. through the MBBS B.C. Centre. He and his wife Lorena have one married son, Kelly (and wife Karis). Byron, aged 20, and Colin, aged 16, died in a motor vehicle accident in 1989. The Richerts are seeking God's direction for future pastoral ministry.

John Klassen has resigned as pastor of Northgate Community Church in Dawson Creek, B.C., effective July 1. He is currently on a 13-month sabbatical to complete his M.Div. at MB Biblical Seminary's B.C. Centre, and the resignation means that he will not be returning to the Dawson Creek pastorate, where he has served for 14 years. He also has a B.A. from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan. He has previously pastored in Yarrow (B.C.) MB Church, Eagle Ridge Bible Fellowship in Coquitlam, B.C. and Richmond (B.C.) Bethel Church. He and his wife Elfrieda are open to further ministry.

Rocky Taetz begins service in mid-June as the new worship pastor at Northview Community Church in Abbotsford, B.C. He studied for a year at Hillcrest Christian College in Alberta and then earned three B.A. degrees from Seattle Pacific University, in vocal performance, church music and communication. For the past eight years, he has served as minister of music at Johnston Heights Evangelical Free Church in Surrey, B.C. He has also served as director of The Continentals singing ministry and is a member of a men's trio called Higher Call, for which he produced a first recording in 1997. He and his wife Lori have two children, Malibu and Jericho.

 Ruben and Celina Zuñiga began serving May 1 as part-time pastor couple of the Bakerview Hispanic congregation in Abbotsford, B.C. Ruben has been an elder in the congregation for the past four years. For the past six-and-a-half years, he has been working as an electrician's helper; he will now continue that work part-time. Celina works in an MCC Supportive Care Services group home in Abbotsford. The Zuñigas came to Canada seven-and-a-half years ago from Mexico. There, Ruben worked as a tailor for 22 years, took theological studies by extension and served as bivocational pastor of a Franconia Mennonite church in Mexico City for 12 years. The Zuñigas have three children and five grandchildren.

 Myron Penner began serving as youth pastor at Bakerview MB Church in Abbotsford, B.C. on June 1. He graduated with a B.A. in biblical studies from Columbia Bible College in 1997 and for the past year has been studying at Regent College in Vancouver. He expects to continue studies at Regent part-time. Raised in Manitoba, he worked in various construction and retail jobs for six years before attending Columbia. His wife Andrea has a B.A. in general studies from Trinity Western University and teacher training at Simon Fraser University. She is a grade 3 teacher at Mennonite Educational Institute in Abbotsford. Myron earlier served an internship at the church, and the Penners have been leading the college and career group at Bakerview.

Elaine Enns, associate director at Fresno Pacific University's Center for Peacemaking and Conflict Studies, has been named Esau Distinguished Visiting Professor at Menno Simons College in Winnipeg for the spring semester. Beginning in April, she taught courses called "Introduction to Conflict Resolution Studies" and "Conflict Within Faith Communities". She has also worked with the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program in Fresno, Calif. since 1989.

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