We Believe What We Want to Believe

Leadership Team Report

Summary Report

Issues that LT has discussed over the past month include:

· Photo Directory in Fall - Tyler will take remaining photos of families. Charlie will create a questionnaire for gathering information from family members regarding hobbies, etc.

· Kathy’s Evaluation – Kathy attended the meeting and requested feedback regarding her performance. LT expressed satisfaction with Kathy’s performance.

· Common Ground Workshop - LT is planning to attend the upcoming workshop given by Common Ground Conciliation Services.

· Approved Addendum to Linda’s Contract – LT approved the Addendum to Linda’s contract providing additional vacation time for the year.

· Tracking Volunteer Hours for Workers Compensation Insurance – Kathy will create a volunteer log as documentation to track volunteers.

· Upcoming Pastoral Evaluation – LT will be working on a pastoral evaluation.

Leadership Team –DC Whitenack, Charlie Honsinger, Ernie Bachman, Joyce Bowman, Linda Nafziger-Meiser

May Birthdays

9 Anne Burkholder

11 Andrea Bachman

12 Rick Skinner

14 Annette Hanson

19 Jemma Hatab

20 Kristin Hasselblad

30 Atalie Oesch

New Mennonite Central Committee Material Resource Center in Northwest

A new center has opened to receive, pack and ship material resources. It is in a large, solid, beautiful barn located on the campus of Zion Mennonite Church, 6124 S Whiskey Hill Road, Hubbard, OR 97032. Phone 503-651-2274. No longer will kits have to await the fall MCC truck run. Kits and other relief supplies delivered to the center at Zion Mennonite will be sent directly to Pennsylvania for shipment overseas.

Mennonite Association of Retired Persons

Are you over 50? 60? 70? Mennonite Association of Retired Persons welcomes new members from all Anabaptist-related churches. Consider joining for extra encouragement and creative ideas as you head toward or beyond retirement. MARP brings inspiration and joy to many through a yearly fall retreat and as it celebrates fitness and health with the Mennonite Senior Sports Classic. MARP urges older adults to serve "in Jesus’ name" while at home or during periods of travel. Each year

hundreds of members serve with SOOP (Service Opportunities for Older People), sharing life skills and friendship in a variety of locations of

need throughout the states and Canada. The MARP board has chosen the motto, "Older Adults Living With Spirit," and its members are urged to listen to God’s continuing call on their lives. Currently the quarterly newsletter, PAGES, is mailed to 4500 in 40 plus states. Please join now as a lift to your own "spirit" and to lend your support. The membership fees vary with number of applications and length of membership. Contact the MARP office for MARP and SOOP brochures [ADDRESS: MARP, 771 Route

113, Souderton, PA 18964; PHONE: 215-721-7730; EMAIL: marp-soop@juno.com].

May Friendship Day with Church Women United – May 4

Church Women United of Boise will celebrate May Friendship Day with a service that reaches out to women and children of our community and beyond, to those in greatest need. Find out what's being done and how much more is needed!

The service, Friday, May 4, at Collister Methodist Church, 4400 west Taft in Boise, begins with a brunch at 10am, with service at 10:30. For more information, request for child care or to help, please contact Jeanette Ross, 378-1217.

Idaho Mennonite Relief Sale – May 12

Plan to spend the day at the Brandt Center on the campus of Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa. There will be lots of items for sale at the shops—country store, used books and items, wood crafts, plants, baked goods—with the auction starting at 11:30. Several new activities for children and adults have been added this year, including a children’s auction at 10:30. Again there will be lots of food to eat, including a pie & ice cream booth. All proceeds will be donated to Mennonite Central Committee for worldwide relief and service.

Bethel College Gathering – May 12, 7 PM

Bethel College President Barry Bartel and Brenda Bartel will be attending the Relief Sale in Nampa. Their visit to Idaho provides an opportunity to meet with alumni and friends of the college. There will be an informal gathering for alumni, friends, and family members on Saturday, May 12 at 7 PM at the Perkins Restaurant, 300 Broadway Ave., Boise. If you would like to attend, please notify Cindy Beth at 1-800-522-1887, ext. 341 or clbeth@bethelks.edu.

Special Worship Service – May 13, 10:30 AM

Mark your calendars for an unusual opportunity, a window into the wider Mennonite church: on May 13 (the day after the MCC relief sale) Idaho Mennonites will gather at Evergreen Heights Mennonite Church in Caldwell for a joint worship service with Mennos from all over Idaho and beyond. Tesfa Dalellew, an Ethiopian Mennonite who has worked for MCC in this country for years, will be the primary speaker. Barry Bartel, president of Bethel College in Kansas, is offering an intergenerational, and Mary Oyer, music professor emeritus from Goshen College, is both leading music for the worship service and an hymn sing after lunch for any who can stay. Directions to the church are on the back table.

Oriental Rug Event, May 16- 19, 10 AM – 9 PM

Fairly Traded Rugs at Fair Prices

Ten Thousand Villages is hosting a special Oriental Rug Event featuring a collection of over 300 heirloom quality, handknitted Oriental rugs from Pakistan. These rugs are exquisitely designed and crafted by adult artisans in Pakistan who have been paid fair wages for their work. Learn how oriental rugs are made at a few seminar on Thursday, May 17, 7-8 PM. Call 333-0535 for reservations.

A Spring Celebration of Remembrance,

May 23, 7 – 9 PM, Cloverdale Funeral Chapel

This is a service to remember and celebrate the lives of those we hold in our hearts. The program will include poetry, music, and reflection. A garden stone will be provided to participants. Light refreshments will following the program. See back bulletin board for more information.

Albany/Corvallis 2007 – June 22 –24, Albany, OR

The Annual Gathering of Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference will be at Albany Mennonite Church. Join us as we explore "Living into God's Future" this June 22-24, at Albany Mennonite Church. Guest speaker: James Krabill, Senior Executive for Global Ministries with Mennonite Mission Network.

There'll be something for everyone!

Information in folder on back table.

San Jose 2007 Mennonite Convention, July 2-7

Come with us to San Jose! Are you planning on attending Mennonite Convention in San Jose, California in July? If you aren't, you need to seriously consider it. Almost every Convention is held in the eastern half of the US which means that those of us in the west, ALWAYS have to travel a great distance to attend. MCUSA is doing their part this year to accommodate us so we need to take advantage of this rare opportunity and show them how much we appreciate it by our attendance. We want them to know that Mennonites in the west are also part of the church and will participate when convention is in our back yard. To register, go to www.mennoniteusa.org.

Bike Oregon’s Willamette Valley – Aug 12-17

Oregon Mennonite Residential Services (OMRS) is partnering with West Coast MCC to offer a benefit ride at the Linn County Waterloo Park near Lebanon, Oregon. Each day’s route will be 40-60 miles along rivers, lakes, and through covered bridges. See the back table for a brochure and registration due by June 1.

4/1/07

Those who sacrifice for others, especially at great cost, who place compassion and tolerance above ideology and creeds, and who reject absolutes, especially moral absolutes, stand as constant witnesses in our lives to this love, even long after they are gone. --Chris Hedges

4/8/07

I would much rather live in a world where I am surrounded by mystery, than in a world so small my mind could fully comprehend it. -- H. E. Fosdick

4/15/07

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.. --Mahatma Gandhi

4/22/07

To give my life for Christ appears glorious. To pour myself out for others… to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom – I’ll do it. I’m ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory. We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking a $1000 bill and laying it on the table – ‘Here’s my life, Lord, I’m giving it all.’ But the reality for most of us is that he sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $1000 bill for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there. Listen to our neighbor’s troubles instead of saying, “Sorry, I don’t have the time.” Go to a community meeting. Give a cup of water to one of the residents in the nursing home. Usually giving our life to Christ isn’t glorious. It’s done in those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it’s harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul. -- Fred Craddock, pastor and theologian

4/29/07

"The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members." --William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1942-44.

I've been reading Sam Harris' book Letter to a Christian Nation for the second time in a few weeks, and it raises some old questions and issues that I've been challenged to re-think. Harris is an atheist, a term he dislikes. He writes "atheism is a term that should not even exist. No one ever needs to identify himself as a 'non-astrologer' or a 'non-alchemist'" He continues, "Atheism is not a philosophy; it is not even a view of the world; it is simply an admission of the obvious... An atheist is simply a person who believes that the 260 million Americans (87 percent of the population) claiming to 'never doubt the existence of God' should be obliged to present evidence for his existence - and indeed, for his benevolence, given the relentless destruction of innocent human beings we witness in the world each day. An atheist is a person who believes that the murder of a single little girl - even once in a million years - cast doubt upon the idea of a benevolent God" Harris says that Atheism, "is nothing more than the noises reasonable people make in the presence of unjustified religious beliefs. " (pages 51-52).

Now before you get concerned that perhaps I'm beginning to abandon my Christian faith (considering that I didn't attend winter church camp this year), console yourself. I'm not planning to embrace atheism. But I found Harris' 91-page book worthwhile reading and I would recommend that you read it also. Harris raises the usual questions asked by those who don't believe, and also by those who believe. How can there be a benevolent all powerful God when innocent people every day are suffering and dying through no fault of their own? Why such horrible God-given laws in the Old Testament such as the orders to kill disobedient children, and to execute people for certain sins such as working on the Sabbath. In fact I believe there are explanations and answers to those questions. Harris also points out some of the contradictions in the Bible and makes a credible argument against the Bible being infallible. I have no problem with those arguments.

More disturbing to me is Harris's report that since the publication of his first book, The End of Faith, which addresses the same issue, the most hostile responses he received came from Christians. I guess we can always count on some Christians giving Christianity a bad name. Just as important is the information that the least religious countries in the world: Norway, Iceland, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom, are also the healthiest as indicated by life expectancy, adult literacy, per capita income, educational attainment, gender equality, homicide rate, and infant mortality. Why do the religious beliefs of Christians often seem to impede human development? If our religious beliefs block human development can those beliefs actually be Christian beliefs? Harris does acknowledge that not all Christians are alike, that some do not take their beliefs too seriously and use them as weapons against others.

I recommend reading this book because it helped me see how some other people view Christians. It demonstrates a need to rethink how we as Christians talk about our faith, and how we practice it. What kind of impression are we leaving with others. Do my beliefs actually impede human progress? Is God really all-powerful? Harris raises brief but solid criticism of Christian opposition to evolution, abortion, and stem cell research. Harris points out that "religion tends to divorce morality from the reality of human and animal suffering. He writes that "religion allows people to imagine that their concerns are moral when they are highly immoral." Many of his arguments are very credible and directed at what I would see as Christian mis-interpretation of the teachings of Christianity.

Harris doesn't take into consideration the distinction between Old and New Testaments, or the differences between the various types of literature in the Bible; poetry, history, didactic writings, prophecy, etc. and that each should be read somewhat differently, as today we read and

interpret a play by Shakespeare, or a poem differently that we read and interpret the front page of the daily newspaper. Failure to address those factors weakens his arguments. Harris also seems to assume that the writings from the Bible are believed by Christians to be the work of God with no influence from human culture, as opposed to a hybrid or "cocktail" of writings by men and women inspired by God, but also reflecting strong human and cultural influences, which, I believe, more accurately describes the Bible. Since Harris is not a believer we also can't expect him to embrace the Anabaptist concept that the life and teachings of Jesus is the first principle of Biblical interpretation. This book does illustrate the value of interpreting the Bible through the life and teachings of Jesus, although such an interpretation does not adequately respond to all of Harris's criticisms.

Harris would like to see religion eradicated and compares efforts to eradicate religion

to the effort to abolish slavery in the eighteenth century. He claims that those who pray are

simply, "talking to an imaginary friend." He points out, with some justification, that when an atheist contributes to help meet human need, it's a greater act of charity than a Christian doing the same, because at least the atheist doesn't expect to get something, such as eternal life, in return. He rightly reminds us that Christian opposition to stem cell research, to vaccination to prevent sexually transmitted diseases , and to condom use actually results in more human suffering and premature deaths.

These challenges to Christianity are, I believe, what many Christians need to hear. They raise questions we need to face. What kind of impact do my Christian beliefs have on others? Does my interpretation of the Bible make sense in light of what we know abut history and science, or are they as ridiculous as believing that the earth is flat? Read Letter to a Christian Nation and I believe you will be inspired and challenged to face your beliefs, and ask yourself some of these important questions that Harris raises.

November Ten Thousand Villages.................................................................... $400

December Zambia Project................................................................................ $1,340

January Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference....................................... $400

February Corpus Christi House...................................................................... $750

March Columbia Sister Church, Justapaz................................................... $1,725

April Youth Fund..................................................................................... $863

May Mennonite Church USA

Mennonite Church USA Information

This month the mission focus is the Mennonite Church USA, better known as MC USA. In the business world MC USA could be understood as "corporate". Twenty one member conferences and 960 member

congregations could be thought of as "stock holders", but in the current non-profit world the correct term for conferences and congregations is "stake holders". The stake holders in MC USA will be meeting this July in San Jose to hear reports and give direction to the MC USA board of directors. Also like the world of business "corporate", or MC USA, is the part of the institution that takes the most criticism. It's easy to point fingers at "headquarters" for policy decisions or direction, but MC USA does a good job of providing the necessary cohesiveness to keep a very diverse constituency in conversation and being the church.

Church Calendar

May 8........................ Leadership Team meeting

May 12....................... Idaho Mennonite Relief Sale, NNU Brand Center, Nampa

May 13....................... Special Worship Service at Evergreen Heights Mennonite Church, Caldwell

May 22...................... Leadership Team meeting

June 10....................... 2^nd Sunday Soup

June 12....................... Leadership Team meeting

June 22-24................. Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference Annual Meetings, Albany, Oregon

June 26...................... Leadership Team meeting

July 2-7...................... San Jose 2007, Mennonite Church USA General Assembly

Recipe Sharing – If you have a favorite recipe you would like to share, please share it with Kathy to include in a future issue of the Olive Branch.

Below is a recipe shared by Joyce Bowman

Tofu Manicotti

1 T olive oil

1# tofu

10 oz chopped frozen spinach, squeezed dry

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ cup parmesan cheese

8 oz mozzarella cheese

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 box manicotti shells

Cook shells according to package. Combine ingredients except for spaghetti sauce and a little mozzarella cheese to sprinkle on top. Pour 1 cup of sauce into a 9x13” dish. Spread evenly. Fill manicotti shells with mixture. Put filled shells in dish on top of spaghetti sauce. Pour remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Can freeze half a batch for another time.

The Olive Branch

May 2007 Edition

Leadership Team Report

1 T olive oil