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2007-08-21 issue:

Don’t distinguish ‘cradle’ and other Mennonites

by Joetta Handrich Schlabach, St. Paul, Minn.

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I was baffled and saddened by the distinction made in “San José 2007 Draws Nearly 6,300” (July 24) between “cradle” and other Mennonite speakers. Perhaps I was overly sensitive because I accompanied Neil, a first-time delegate and our congregational moderator, who is relatively new to Mennonite Church USA, in San José. My daily conversations with Neil helped me see how it feels to attend a Mennonite Church USA Assembly when you don’t expect to meet anyone (except those from our congregation) with whom you have any previous connection. Neil worked hard all week to listen and engage and understand what it means to be part of Mennonite Church USA.

Given the emphasis on being a missional church, I wonder how we can suggest that a speaker lineup is not balanced when it contains people such as Jennifer Davis Sensenig, Mary Thiessen Nation and Juan Martinez, who have been serving as pastors and leaders of Mennonite congregations and organizations here in the United States and abroad. How long do people have to be in the family to be truly adopted?

Over 40 percent of the households in my congregation are folks who did not grow up in the Mennonite church. As we work to strengthen the ties between our local and national bodies and between those who grew up Mennonite and those who have come to the church as adults, I hope we can move beyond distinctions such as “cradle” and “professed” Mennonites and create a new, more hospitable identity.

Associated Issue: Called by the Spirit as broken vessels

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