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2007-07-24 issue:

Ready for the call

How to ‘live the call’

by Anna Groff

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Messages at San José 2007 prompted youth to “live the call” in the convention facility, during worship and when they return home.















The adult worship band leads the joint worship on the evening of July 4. Photo by Anna Groff.

Speaker Luke Hartman reminded the youth on Friday to “pay attention to who is eating in the dining hall [at convention] and who is working in the dining hall”—and the same goes for at the airport and in the hotels.

During worship, symbolic actions like stamping one’s arm with the words “broken” or dipping their hands in bowls of water to remember baptismal vows, or consider baptism, provided moments for the youth to reflect on God’s spirit moving in their lives.

Speaker Jim Brenneman encouraged the youth to come “face to face” with people in need when they return to their communities—to see the image of Christ in them.

The youth cheered loudly when Paul Alexander reminded them during the joint worship how “cool” it is that Mennonite Church USA prioritizes antiracism as a church goal—another way to live the call.

During the worship sessions, the worship band led the youth in hymns (sung both a cappella and with the band) and worship songs in Spanish and English. During the theme song “Live the Call (Vive el Llamado)” on Friday night youth gathered in the front and in the aisles to jump up and down during the chorus and to sway side-to-side during the slower number that followed.

In addition to seminars and Servant Projects, about 120 youth participated in Speak Up! (a format similar to the adult delegate sessions with a moderator and round-table discussions). They also sat in the delegate assembly at tables during discussions on the antiracism church goal and the presentation from the Mennonite Church USA delegation to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some youth even shared during the delegate assembly open mike time.

During the last Speak Up! session on Friday, youth had time to come forward to share final thoughts from their table. Hilary Short of Lockport Mennonite Church, Stryker, Ohio, said her table has the goal of not being afraid to voice their opinions at church and to “be aware of Mennonite Church USA decisions.”

Hannah Nye from West Union Mennonite Church, Parnell, IA, said her table wants to be “an example of open-mindedness for change.”

Monday evening, July 2: “Chosen”
Michele Hershberger, chair of the Bible and ministry department at Hesston (Kan.) College, firmly told the youth that they are chosen by God even if they don’t live in a “Mennonite ghetto,” don’t have the “right” last name or are a “new Mennonite.”

Hershberger’s Scripture, Ephesians 1:1-19, tells of God choosing his people. “Ephesians 1 is true whether you and I feel it or not,” she said. “We are a small ordinary people [and] denomination, but God will not let us fail … ‘I know you make mistakes,’ says the Lord, ‘but I am God and we will win.’ ”

Tuesday morning, July 3: “Broken”
John D. Roth, history professor at Goshen College, shared his personal story of brokenness after telling the youth “each of us at one time will have to face the brokenness of the world.”
Roth traveled in Europe at age 18 to get away from his Mennonite community. “Mennonites were good people,” he said. “I was just sick of them.”

While in Greece, a man tricked Roth out of all his money. Roth described himself as “penniless and humiliated … my anger turned to self-loathing.”

He got on a train with no plans, but spontaneously decided to get off at Zurich and wandered to a church. Behind him he heard a tourist group who spotted him by his Goshen College sweatshirt. The tourists were a group of Mennonites who heard his story, prayed for him, took a collection and sent him on his way. Roth said he left a “changed person.”

After Roth’s message, the youth went to tables where they placed stamps of the word “broken” on their arms to consider where they need healing and wholeness.

Tuesday evening, July 3: “Giving new life”
From his opening words—“I want to tell you how my mother died”—to his closing altar call, Rudy Carrasco urged the youth to allow God to turn their brokenness into new life. “Reach for God,” Carrasco said as he invited the youth to pray with deacons at the front of the auditorium. “Come, have a moment of peace and rest.”

Dozens came forward, responding to his call to “look at yourself honestly and listen for God’s voice.”

Carrasco, executive director of the Harambee Christian Family Center in Pasadena, told his own story of brokenness and redemption. Carrasco’s mother died when he was 7. His older sister, who raised him, told him years later that before their mother died, she had cried, “What’s going to happen to my children?”

Overwhelmed by trying to raise three siblings, his sister called a Christian suicide hotline. A counselor encouraged her to start attending church, where she accepted Christ as her Savior. “That little church adopted us,” Carrasco said. But the pain of his childhood never completely went away.

“Are you in pain and brokenness?” he asked. “God has never left your side.”—From Paul Schrag, Mennonite Weekly Review in mPress

Wednesday morning, July 4: “Joined in Christ’s Peace”
Jason Evans, co-founder of the Ecclesia Collective, said he learned to “hate people that weren’t like me” after some young men who were Latino beat up Evans’ best friend in school.

Later, when Evans had an after-school job with one of the young men and saw his family, he learned that his father was stuck working for people like Evans’ father, partially because of an “unbalanced trade agreement” between U.S. and Mexican governments.

In this moment, Evans realized the isolation and alienation all around him.

Now, Evans works in San Diego where people are “not very interested in Jesus,” but Jesus stood up and validated isolated individuals and systems, he said. Evans challenged youth to do that in their communities. “Or, if you feel isolated … allow Jesus to bring you peace,” Evans said. “The world is all about drawing lines.”

Wednesday evening, July 4: “Citizens of God’s Kingdom” from Paul Alexander (Joint worship. See article on page 9.)

Thursday morning, July 5: “Faces of the Kingdom”
Jim Brenneman began with a list: Macs and Microsoft, preppies and punkers, skinny and fat, Yoders and Mendezes, and Jews and Gentiles to illustrate the “us against them” we see everywhere today and in history.

He said the Gentiles of today are anyone who we imagine to be a “them” and not an “us,” however, Christ identifies with outsiders. Brenneman encouraged the youth to see the oppressed “face to face.”

“By loving the oppressed … we ourselves are introduced to Christ in new and fresh ways,” he said.

Friday morning, July 6: “Empowered to Live”
Brenda Matthews, actress, poet, playwright and activist, firmly instructed the youth to “suit up and boot up and go forward” with the armor of God.

“Today God wants you to put on the whole armor of God,” she said. “Age has nothing to do with God’s plan for your life.”

She told of her younger years when she knew how to “play church” and put on her “church face”—even though her father left her and she was sexually abused. But through God’s power she moved beyond her “spirit of rejection.”

She gave examples of God’s work through Joseph and Queen Esther and said, “God has always used people who have been through stuff.”

Matthews said each person in the hall has a particular calling and it’s important to work with people outside the Mennonite church. “Jesus spent time in the ’hood because they kept kicking him out of church,” she said.

Friday evening, July 6: “Live the Call”
Luke Hartman told two stories of near-death experiences in his life: a close call with another car in the backhills of Virginia and the day of the Virginia Tech shooting when he was supposed to be on that campus, but had a conference call at home instead. “It hit me and the world around me shook and trembled,” he said.

Hartman said when we feel the world shaking, we need Christ and his people. In our individualistic culture we need to “give ourselves to something bigger than we are”—both to Christ and the church, he said.

Hartman also reminded the youth of the “mountain-top” experience of convention. “We need to be very careful when we return to the valley,” he said. “Don’t forget we’re talking about one God.”

He also spoke of the temptation to return home to mundane life with a “few more warm feelings.”

“God doesn’t want your warm feelings,” he said. “God wants radical disciples. … The only voice he has is your voice.”

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