The Lord in the Dance
Mark Schloneger
…when it comes to dancing as an expression of worship, all the churches of which I’ve been a part, have had trouble embracing it beyond watching a rare liturgical dance performance. And that’s true for a lot of churches, not just Mennonite ones.
Chasing the Harvest
Mark Schloneger
Marisol is a farm worker and single mother from Mexico. She came to the United States to work in the seasonal fruit harvests She is vice-president of the local chapter of Lideres Campesinas, a farmworker women’s leadership and outreach group. In her own words: Working in the fields I earn $300 weekly before taxes. […]
Repent
Dan Schrock
Most news reports focus on sad, evil events. “Three People Die in Weekend Crash” says the headline on the front page of the paper. Listen to the news on your car radio and you might hear something like, “Today in western Kansas, a tornado ripped through several towns. As emergency workers rushed to the scene, […]
Love, Actually
Joanne Gallardo
I’m a part of this online community for people who used to be members of the IFB church, or Independent Fundamental Baptist Church. If you’re unfamiliar with this denomination, there are many resources out there to look them up. There’s a 20/20 special, there’s a documentary called “Born Again,” and there are plenty of articles […]
God’s Counter-Move
Dan Schrock
For most Americans, Christmas ended two weeks ago. The holiday meals have been eaten, the presents have been opened, the carols have been sung, and most of the decorations have been taken down. For most people, Christmas is over. We in this building are different. We who read the gospel of Matthew and call ourselves […]
A Response to Graces
Dan Schrock
To understand this story, let us read it in its proper literary context. Let us go all the way back to Genesis 12, when Abraham and Sarah, then known as Abram and Sarai, first received their call to ministry. In summoning them to ministry, God was both blunt and specific. God said: “Go . . […]
Body Fragrance
Dan Schrock
40 years ago, shortly after the Vietnam War ended, the Holdeman Mennonite Church near Wakarusa, grappled with the issue of body odor. The issue of body odor came up when the congregation resettled a family of refugees from Southeast Asia. The Vietnam War, badly managed by the United States, had created hundreds of thousands of […]