Report on Charlotte 2005, part 1
by Tim Rice
Sunday afternoon, July 3, I arrived in Charlotte, NC for the Mennonite
Convention. My first impression was that of a very deserted city except
for a number of homeless people and panhandlers. Even most of the restaurants
were closed for the extended weekend. But it was a holiday weekend and
I and the convention center were in a corporate headquarters section of
the city. Interestingly enough as the corporate center came to life after
the holiday, I saw less homeless people for the rest of the week.
The theme for the whole convention was "Can't Keep Quiet" which aptly
expressed both the adult and youth worship sessions and many of the
decisions of the delegate body. You should have also heard and participated
in the Spirit-filled acapella singing that rang out in the convention
center hall way when it was moved inside due to rain. Many of the adult
worship sessions centered on lessons to be learned from the story of
Peter and John healing the lame man who was begging at the temple gates
and Peter and John's response to the opposition of the established religious
leaders of the day -- We need to obey God rather than man.
In the first worship session, Michele Hersberger shared how that we
in the church today are the lame beggar. But she noted that the gift
of the beggar is that the beggar knows that he is needy and that there
is nothing that he can do by himself to meet that need. And in this
story the beggar asked for the wrong gift; but in asking, received a
gift worth so much more than he thought was possible. Ted and Lee also
presented some related dramas highlighting some of the bureaucratic
quirks of the members of the Jewish Sanhedrin (which also appear in
our Mennonite organizations today) as well as helping us to see ourselves
from all sides of this healing story. Nelson Kraybill observed how that
we, too, are guilty of silencing the healing message of Jesus. Peter
Stucky, who serves in the Colombian Mennonite Church, spoke how that
we cannot keep silent in the face of evil but must proclaim the good
news of liberation, healing, and consolation in the name of Christ.
Barbara Moses shared how it takes the supernatural power of the Holy
Spirit to make our ministry effective. Leslie and Natilie Francisco
proclaimed that it is the grace of God that allows us to come together
and if we sit in the grace of God long enough, it will bathe us and
make us clean. They noted that God calls us to excellence which is different
from perfection. Ray Aldred preached that the gospel story is bigger
than the propositions of any liberalism or conservatism; only Jesus
saves, not our propositions. And through the heart of Jesus we must
proclaim what we have seen and heard.
In our delegate sessions, we affirmed the formation of Mountain States
Conference as a new member of Mennonite Church USA. We approved a statement
against the war in Iraq. We authorized Mennonite Church USA to explore
joining Christian Churches Together as a means of facilitating collaboration
with other denominations. We are being asked by a number of other churches
including Catholic, Penecostal, Swiss Reformed, and Lutheran among others
to help them in the area of peace and justice concerns and in general
dialogue as brothers and sisters in Christ. This will then be brought
back to the San Jose 2007 Mennonite Convention for a decision. In a
joint Mennonite Church USA and Canada session, we expressed strong interest
in holding many more joint conventions together and to make intentional
efforts to work together for the cause of Christ. We also approved the
April 19, 2005 Mennonite Church USA Healthcare Access Statement with
729 yes votes and 39 no votes. The resolution that approved the Healthcare
Statement also asks every congregation to utilize "Healing Healthcare:
A Study and Action Guide on Healthcare Access in the United States"
and to report the results of the study and work to the Mennonite Church
USA Healthcare Access Commission no later than September 30, 2006. With
this input, further recommendations and resources are to be considered
at the next Mennonite USA Convention.
Click here for part 2 of the report |
