Huntington Mennonite Church

HUNTINGTON’S NEWSLETTER

Vol. 3 No 2 May 5, 2002

NEW MEMBERS

ESMAEL MUSSA

Esmael Mussa transferred his membership from the Meserete Kristos

Church (Mennonite) in Ethiopia. He came to live in the U.S. on

November 2, 2001 but left his wife Tayech and daughter, Shalom (6)

and son, Kaleb (4) in Africa for now. He wants to bring them over as

soon as he can. Coming from Muslim background, he accepted the

Lord while attending university. He received his degree in economics

after attending four years at the Asman University. For the time being

. he is working at Williamsburg. His hobbies are doing tailoring work,

reading the Bible and praying. In Ethiopia he served as elder in his

church, which meant preaching and teaching, preparing baptismal

candidates, and sending out evangelists.

Following is Esmael’s testimony...

“In the year 1980, when I was 16 years old, I caught a borned again friend unknowingly. He always used to come in our house holding the Bible. We were studying together Biology, Chemistry, Math, etc. But he read the Bible when we took a break. Once upon a time I started reading his Bible. Even though it was hard to me for understand what it means, I keep reading for about two years. After that I have got a verse that ‘Jesus Christ was died for all human being.’ And one day I asked to myself ‘Am I part of mankind?’ and answered to myself also ‘yes, I am the subset of human being,

o.k. if it is so, He also died for me.’ One day I asked to my friend to take me to Sunday morning secret worship place to accept Christ as my Saviour and Lord. But he refused me in afraid of my family. If my family know where I am going (church), they killed us immediately. But the word that I read for about two years gave fruit for my soul and no one can stop me which accepting Christ as my Saviour.”

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ELIAS & RUTH (HIRUT) YOSEPH

Elias and Ruth (Hirut) Yoseph also transferred from the Meserete

Kristos Church just recently, but for the past 6-7 years lived in the

Newport News area. Ruth, from Catholic background, and Elias

from the Orthodox Church, met each other in a Bible study group.

Ruth said to him, “You can’t get me unless you are born again!”

Ruth became a born-again Christian through the efforts of Tayech

(Esmael’s) wife, and it was Ruth that brought Elias to faith.

They are the parents of Samwell (6) and Saron, a little less than

two years old. Both of them work at Canon on different shifts,

and so each can take special responsibility for the children.

Elias received a BS degree in plant science and was a

teacher for four years in a technological school. Ruth

has a typing diploma. They came to America about 7

years ago, and last December both were naturalized

as U.S. citizens.

“We have a responsibility to reach others,” claims Elias.

“It’s hard for Americans to reach our people.” They

have started a small group that includes other Ethiopians.

One doesn’t have to sit long with Elias, Hirut, and Esmael

to see the passion they have to tell others about Jesus.

Edie and I have enjoyed some of their wonderful, delicious Ethiopian cuisine. They found out about Huntington through a friend, Bruke, who had earlier met Paul and Erma Lehman. Their house is lo-

cated in Colonial Pines area - at 412 Wiltshire Crescent, NN, 23608. Phone is 875-7794. Esmael (above) is living with them for now.

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JENNIFER LEWIS

Jennifer Lewis, received as a member upon confession of faith

on December 30, 2001 found herself with renewed dedication to

Christ when attending another church for a while, although she

grew up at Huntington. She says further, “I try on a daily basis

to live as God intends, and I try to grow in my relationship to

God.” She graduated from York High School and is married

to Jeff Lewis, and has two children, Adina and Joshua.

Presently her grandmother, Fran Rideout, also lives in their

home. She and Jeff are developing Lewis Cleaning Service,

but at the same time she is also working full-time in house-

keeping at the Mary Immaculate Hospital. Her hobbies are crafts

and caring for animals. We’ve appreciated her helping out from

time to time with relating to and teaching children, and she does

a real good job of it! Though she has lived at various times in

Rhode Island and Florida, she is now settled back in Virginia,

where she resides with her family at 138 Lynnhaven Dr.,

Hampton, VA 23666

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WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD AT HUNTINGTON

AND GOD’S RICHEST BLESSINGS AS WE SERVE

OUR RISEN LORD.

JAMES & CARLEY BRUBAKER

Dr. Jim and Carley Brubaker, having grown up in Lancaster, PA and Wellman, IA respectively, met each other at Goshen College and were married in 1958. Jim received his medical training at Jefferson College of Philadelphia and Carley took a Nurse Practitioner course at the University of Pittsburgh. They first met in Alaska, as both were in a voluntary service project.

Other places they served were Ethiopia and Puerto Rico. Jim

set up family practice in Scottdale, PA.

They have four daughters and sons-in law, one of whom many

of us know – Amy Markus, married to Jerry, who was

Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center Director, and now lives in Oregon. Others live in Maryland, Harrisonburg, VA, and Williamsburg. Seven grandchildren complete their immediate family. Jim and Carley accepted Christ during evangelistic meetings at their home churches at age 12. Hobbies include travel, photography, reading, stamps, and trains.

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CALEB CLARK

Caleb Clark was baptized by Pastor Ed Bontrager and Grandfather

Milton Clark on April 7. Caleb is the son of Danni and Linda Clark,

and brother to Theresa. Enrolled as a sixth grade student at Warwick

River Christian School, his favorite subject is science. It was wonder-

ful to see Caleb come forward to receive Christ when Basil Marin

was holding meetings here in the fall of 1999. He says, “I have been

growing and learning about Christ and being a Christian since...

What it means to have Jesus in your life is to have someone to talk to,

and gives us hope for everlasting life.” His favorite hobbies are legos,

bike riding, jumping bikes, and learning about trucking. He enjoys

making things and drawing. A couple interesting things about Caleb,

in his response to our questions, are these – that he can get very

much into jobs, and has a willingness to help. He also refers to his

being adopted, and dealing with this in his life.

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SIGNS AND WONDERS

There’s something about a nice looking sign or marquee in front of a business establishment or public building that attracts a person to the product they may be selling inside. For instance, a ratty-looking faded sign sends the message that bland and inferior products are sold here.

–continued on next page

We praise the Lord that recently we have been given a gift from the estate of the late Mary Pauls, who was a member of this congregation. In conversation with the family members of Mrs. Flossie Folkes who lived in our church community, and where Mary used to live, we decided that we would designate this for a new sign where we let people around know what’s going on here, and which can be lit up at night. So one day two of the daughters of Mrs. Folkes, Mrs. June McGlohn and her sister, Mrs. Iris Layton, dropped by to talk with me and presented our church a check of $2,500!

They preferred that this gift be directed to some item or physical improvement by which we could remember Mary. As we discussed various options, they warmed up to the idea of a new sign on Harpersville Road, since it was on this road that Mary made many trips back and forth – it just seemed like that would be what Mary would have wanted. Though the cost for the sign will exceed this amount, we believe this amount will probably cover the bulk of it. Also, a few months ago, the finance committee designated $500 as seed money for this project. So, with $3,000 we are well on our way to complete this addition.

Since our sign is becoming more and more discolored, and some of the bricks have been breaking off, and water leakage is causing the night lighting to not work, it is now time for this replacement. I can say for sure that the inferior-type sign we now have does not in any way reflect the condition of our people or our ministry. And I would like to have our community and the thousands of passers-by know that too.

–Pastor Ed Bontrager

and STYLE AND COLOR

Did you ever notice how you see remodeling and construction at some restaurants and supermarkets every few years? A new look and freshness attracts people and sells products. Last fall in our congregational meeting it was decided that we would make some building improvements – updating our colors and style. One discovers many stains on the carpet, and sharp edges and loose racks on some chairs.

So Women’s Ministries and a Decorating Committee went to work, researching colors, and comparing prices. Not only that, but they volunteered to raise the more than $7,000 needed for the chairs. Remember the Christmas tree? The purchase of a chair earned an ornament on the tree, until at the end the tree was covered. Finally we received over $9,000!

On Sunday, March 24 we sat in our new chairs. And now the carpet has been ordered, is being manufactured just for us, and by Mother’s Day we will have a new look all through the building, classrooms, offices, sanctuary, and fellowship hall.

Thanks to all who worked so hard to achieve this goal. It is my firm conviction that, along with sound preaching, joyful singing, a great children’s and youth program, that we need to be good stewards of God’s house. For instance, how do visitors feel who may come for the first time? Though it is mainly the friendship of the people, and a feeling of being God-connected that will keep first-time visitors coming back, we also know that atmosphere and ambience are very important.

In a recent article “Holy Spaces” in The Mennonite, Everett Thomas stated, “If we ask how a building can look to a visitor...then we are considering the mission and outreach dimensions of church architecture...A building speaks loudly about the vision and values of those who construct it.” --Ed Bontrager

WOMEN’S RETREAT AT HUNTINGTON SOME GOOD WILL

On Saturday, March 23, the Outreach

Committee of four people visited about 45-

On Saturday, April 13, 2002, eighty women from 50 homes in our area and handed out some

six Mennonite churches and friends from ten other items as a gift at this Easter time. They

churches met for an all-day retreat at Huntington gave a booklet written by Max Lucado

Mennonite Church. entitled, He Did This Just For You.

Along with this, in the packet of things

Women began arriving before 8:00 a.m. for reg- were a church brochure, a Children’s

istration and a continental breakfast before Ministry Newsletter, and a sheet

assembling for Session I at 9:00 a.m. describing some upcoming events and

programs here. “We met a few people,

Beautiful decorated round tables were set up in and I think established some good will

the sanctuary where we ate, took notes, and wor- among our neighbors,” said Ed Bontrager.

shipped in song and spirit as Martha Karam, Let us continue to remember the needs of

guest speaker, gave us much to think about. those around us.

During the course of the day, the program con-

sisted of music led by Huntington and Mt.

Pleasant, a devotional by Beth Gibbs from War- Congratulations to Sharron Taylor Shenk

wick River and two skits featuring Ilse Deel and who has been accepted into William &

June Hartzler. We enjoyed the fellowship with Mary’s graduate special education

each other over snacks and lunch. program. She was also awarded a full

tuition scholarship for the entire 14

Martha challenged us to ask God to “Change My month program and a stipend. She will

Attitudes, O Lord”, to think more like Christ, begin classes at the end of May.

“Change my Behavior, O Lord” to act more like

Christ and “Change my Heart” to love more like

Christ. JUST BE THERE

Time was spent in small groups sharing and pray- April 2-9 Ken Kurtz, (Mt. Pleasant) Wayne

ing. In closing Martha asked that we sing “Change Steiner and Paul Shenk (Warwick River)

my Heart, O God” as a prayer. Tim Fannin and Raymond Martin

(Huntington) shared in a Partners in

We are grateful to have had Martha with us on this Mission service project near Port au

day. Although this is the first time we have tried Prince, Haiti. Bill Hackett from Indian

something like this at Huntington, we hope it won’t Valley congregation near Perkiomenville,

be the last. PA also went with us. Our original

–Women’s Ministries Council assignment was to pour a concrete walkway

Ruthie Allen, Alice Hedgepeth, Alice Martin, and build a roof overhead along a forty

Glenda Mosemann, Marie Shields, Sarah foot school building. We would be work-

Marie Weaver ing under Haitian supervision.

Ken Horst, Director of Partners in

Mission gave us an excellent orientation

Among the things he emphasized was

that the project could grow or change by

the time we get there. We could be

stalled in our work having no materials

with which to build. We probably

JUST BE THERE (continued)

would have our own different ideas about how to do the work but we were accepting Haitian management and the Haitian way of working. Ken assured us we were going to Haiti to be with the people and one way of doing that is to work together. These things seemed fully acceptable in the isolation of orientation. Now as I reflect at home I would like to have done some things differently.

For instance, when we first arrived on the work scene a group of (too many) men were cutting rebar with one hack saw and wiring it together using one pair of pliers. Too quickly we offered to go and purchase more hack saws and pliers. Our Haitian friends readily agreed and soon we had three teams cutting and wiring - one team from their group and two from ours! Later we found ourselves working in a much more integrated fashion and enjoying each other. Yet, as I reflect I remember that first obsession with efficiency as a bit of a blemish on our good intention to be with them in the work.

The organization we worked for was Assemblee’ de la Grace, a network of 20 churches with several schools and orphanages. Pastor Lesly Bertrand is the director and founding pastor of the network. The school where we worked sits behind the church building which houses the mother congregation of Assemblee’ de la Grace. This is in the little country village of Lassir, about 30 minutes from Port au Prince.

I first knew Pastor Lesly in South Florida where he was the Assistant District Minister for Haitian Mennonite Churches in Miami. I especially remember his pastoral, apostolic, leadership as he organized and chose a church planting pastor in Immokalee, Florida. As he moved among the people, talked, prayed and made plans, I could not escape a comparison with the Apostle Paul as he carried the Gospel of Christ to new places. Pastor Lesly has moved into many new places for God. I’d like to visit more of them.

The project did change by the time we arrived. Instead of building the roofed walkway, we renovated the existing building, taking out some walls, adding others and creating one additional classroom. We also began building a 20 foot addition to the school but the walls were only about 3 feet above the ground when we left. Leaving the project after a week was bitter-sweet. We would like to have seen a finished project.

Sunday was a glorious day. We attended morning worship at the girls orphanage in Croix des Bouquets. Beside the 17 girls in the orphanage, about 60 people from the town attended. The

highlight of the morning was the beautiful African singing of the girls choir as they sang “We’re Walking in the Light of God” in two African languages, in French and in English. The light of God never appeared more beautiful to me than as I listened to them sing and pondered what the lives of these girls might be were it not for this orphanage.

Sunday afternoon we attended the ordination of Pastor George at Lassir. George was one of the leaders in our work project. He also is a teacher in the school. The congregation who had lost their pastor to spiritual failure a couple years ago praised God with great joy at the receiving of their new pastor. Pastor Lesly gave special time during these last years to again pastor this congregation and mentor Pastor George. Now again he can give more time to the network.