San Antonio Mennonite Church newsletter, March 2001

Several weeks ago, Michael Banks, pastor of King of Glory Tabernacle, a Mennonite Church in the Bronx, met with the adult Sunday School class in our church. He asked, "What is your church’s vision statement? What is your vision?"

He got a variety of responses. "We’re a peace and justice church." "We stress service." "We emphasize community and family."

Michael pressed on, "Well what image do you have for your church?" We offered several images—"a filling station," "a haven," "a family," and others.

Michael still wasn’t getting what he was after. I offered our mission statement as the only unifying "vision" we have. "To embody and proclaim the Good News of Jesus to our neighbor while growing in an abiding relationship with Christ and fellow believers."

But what Michael was really looking for, and trying to see if we know, was where are we headed? What kind of church do we want to be? Not who we are already—that requires no vision. But what are we becoming? What are we striving to be? What do we believe God is calling us to be?

Michael suggested that if we’re just casual about our vision as a church, we won’t attract many followers to Christ, because people aren’t looking for casual, they are looking for commitment.

When people ask us, "Well, what is your church about?" we need a clear answer, and we all need to know what the answer is. If we don’t know where we’re headed, how can we get there? Michael suggested that if we can give people a vision of where the church is going, some will want to join that vision and some won’t; but if we can’t tell people where we’re going, they won’t know if they want to join us or not.

That’s why we’re meeting twice in the next several weeks—to pray and listen and share and write and struggle together. Through that process I believe we can find God’s vision for our church in San Antonio. Keep these meetings in your prayers.

—Duane Beachey

First, I want to express my appreciation for the support of so many church people during my health problems the last several months. Thank you very much. I am happy to report that my semicolon (Duane’s description) is doing very well.

The Church, the Bride of Christ, is going to have a baby, says Michael Banks, the recent leader of a workshop at SAMC. I think he was appropriately describing our plans for a church plant here in San Antonio. While the baby is not yet born we are involved in preparations. A support team of five persons is being selected from among us to work with our conference minister, Marco Guete. In our meetings with Marco, he encouraged us to pray for the project and I, too, would urge us all to continue to pray.

The Spanish-speaking church plant project, or having a baby, sounds exciting. Perhaps some of us will have a few anxiety attacks in the process but whoever said having a baby is easy.

My prayer is that you feel comfortable with the information you have on the church plant. There are those among us who would like more meetings and discussions on the project. There are also those that do not want more meetings or feel more are unnecessary. We do want you to feel free to express your wishes and needs.

Lately it seems like newsletter time collides with a major liturgical shift in worship life. The major shift this time is into Lent—the season of awakening, repentance and renewal. Our current entry into Lent has not happened without a lot of thought on the part of the Worship Committee. The materials we use as a guide from The Builder follow the lectionary texts and come with the overall Lenten them of "Welcome Home". We changed the theme to "Longing for Home" to reflect more our journey, rather than our arrival. We desire to see Lent’s invitation to look at who/what are we living for and perhaps then to evaluate and change what is keeping us from living it fully. Who am I? Where am I going? What keeps me from moving toward God? We journey toward Easter, toward being at home with God and, hopefully, ourselves.

As I prepared for the children’s time the first Sunday of Lent, I was struck with the image of wilderness. We say that Lent reflects Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness. I think of my excursions into the wilderness of nature or Guatemala, carefully deciding what’s essential and what isn’t. The stripping down of life into its essential parts is covered over so well with full daily schedules, with worries, with plans for the next day.
How DO we strip down to our true yearning for our real home, our niche with God? What does it mean to let go of the extra, un-needed excess in our interiors and exteriors—thus making room for something new?

Awaken. Repent. Renew. I pray that our worship, our daily lives and our journeys may be touched and illuminated by God’s transforming re-creation during this Lenten time of holding fast to God. —Stacey Merkt

This year the first-ever South Texas MCC Relief Sale was held on Saturday, Feb. 12 in San Juan, Texas. Persons from our congregation got together twice beforehand to make items to donate to the sale. First, there was a gathering at Julie Miller’s apartment to make candles using sheets of beeswax. Then, on Thursday before the sale, we had a "bake night" at La Casa, coordinated by Elaine Miller, who also provided us with a delicious supper. We made and decorated many sheets of sugar cookies and peanut butter cookies and had a lot of fun in the process.

Quite a few people from our church attended the sale, including John Lichty, Emily Herriott, Jacob Herriott Lichty, Rita and Alexis Lightbourn, Elaine Miller, Dan and Mary Miller, Hugo Saucedo, Danielle Miller, Holly Herr, Gwen Snavely, Laura Fisher, Margaret Braun, and myself. The next day it was easy to pick out who attended since most of us ended up with sunburnt faces (we were so concerned with staying warm on a cold day we didn’t think about the need for sunscreen).

Starting on Tuesday, March 6, we will be meeting every other Tuesday night at Sarah Beachey’s home to work on crafts for this year’s MCC Relief Sale in Houston. The ideas for crafts we’ve come up with so far include dishcloths, pillows, sock animals, cross-stitch, and possibly a quilted wallhanging. Anyone is welcome to come to our craft nights, and if none of these ideas interest you, come with your own ideas!

SOOP and SALSA - Do they go together? They do at La Casa de Maria y Marta, also known as The Mary/Martha House, in San Antonio, Texas. La Casa, located just one mile south of downtown San Antonio, may be a place that is unknown to many, but it is the hub of many varied activities. In 1992, when the San Antonio VS unit was moved to a location nearer their work, Mennonite Board of Missions and San Antonio Mennonite Church opened a service and learning center in the former VS house. The activities that are centered there continue to grow. The name La Casa de Maria y Marta was chosen to reflect the lives of Mary and Martha in Biblical times. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, listening and learning in discussion and quiet devotion. Martha saw the need for hospitality and serving. Both of these are fundamental in the mission of La Casa.

SALSA—No, it isn’t something to eat with chips, but it can be equally as nourishing. Serving And Learning in San Antonio is a short term service program at La Casa designed to enable persons to gain a cross-cultural experience and put their Christian faith into action by working with friends on different service projects in a city which is rich in heritage and culture. Youth groups from all sections of the U.S.A. and Canada fill the house during spring break and summer vacations. During the school year, adult groups can experience the same activities as the youth. Activities are coordinated by the staff at La Casa and San Antonio Mennonite Church.

A typical week finds the group checking in on Sunday afternoon or early evening. That night, following an orientation session, project assignments are made for the week. Some will have the opportunity to meet some of the homeless as they help prepare and serve meals at various sites. Some will assist the elderly and handicapped by doing minor home repairs or building wheelchair ramps. Others will work with children’s activities, assist in an education program for adults, or establish a one-to-one relationship with someone in the Youth Alternatives program. A walk along the beautiful Riverwalk can bring some refreshment and relaxation after a day of work. The day closes with a time of reflection and sharing. Wednesday usually brings a break from the normal activities with a trip to the Mexican border and a visit to one of the border ministries serving there. At the week’s end, many new experiences and feelings have been shared.

When the house is not filled with SALSA activities, it is available for retreats, workshops, meetings and overnight guests who are visiting in San Antonio.

SOOP (Service Opportunities for Older Persons) plays an important part in the program at La Casa. Although the house is seldom empty, slow periods of time allow ‘SOOPers’ to serve. Emergency maintenance is done during the ‘peak’ season, but basic cleaning, painting, and other repair work cannot be done during that time. ‘SOOPers’ also have an opportunity to meet and work with the people and groups who stay at La Casa, or they can assist at the SALSA project sites.

When my husband, Ralph, and I began making plans for our retirement, we decided that we wanted to remain active and do some voluntary service within the church. SOOP appeared to be the answer for us. Shortly after applying to the program, we were given an assignment at La Casa de Maria Y Marta in San Antonio, TX. We, too, were unfamiliar with La Casa and the type of program that was available there. Consequently, we came to La Casa without knowing what we would find, or what our assignment would be. We arrived at San Antonio on Saturday afternoon and attended services at the San Antonio Mennonite Church the following morning. With the warm hospitality and open arms with which we were received, both at the church and at La Casa, it was difficult to remain strangers very long.

The purpose and program here at La Casa far exceeded our expectations. Although cleaning and laundry were always top priority in preparation for incoming guests, we had a variety of tasks. There were many small repair jobs that needed to be taken care of. One of the main tasks was renewing three of the guestrooms and one bathroom. This required a number of days patching and painting walls and refinishing hardwood floors that had been hidden under carpets for a number of years. It was exciting to see the rooms take on new character. We also had opportunities to work at several community sites. It was a new and enlightening experience for us to help serve meals to some homeless people.

One of the benefits of our work here at La Casa was the friendships we built with the other couples that were working here. Frank and Carol Peachey, Lancaster, PA, and Mel and Loretta Kauffman, Goshen, IN, added spice and enjoyment to the work, and Ann Helmke, the director of La Casa, with her bubbling personality made the work seem lighter. The youth who were here for the Mennonite Voluntary Service orientation, members of the Presbyterian Border Ministry, the overnight houseguests, and the SALSA groups we worked with have all been added to our memories.

The SALSA program became real to us the week we had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the program with a group from Nebraska. As part of the SALSA week, we took a trip to the border area of Laredo, TX and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, visiting the work site of the Presbyterian border ministry and an orphanage. As we say "So Long" to our work here at La Casa, we will say it with mixed feelings. Our first experience with SOOP has truly been a positive, lasting one.

I want to give an update of the work in San Antonio for a moratorium of the death penalty. An ecumenical, collaborative group of about a dozen folk have been meeting regularly now for over a year. We drafted our moratorium resolution, met with City Council folk one by one and hoped for six of them to bring a vote for a moratorium before the whole Council. We had our six Council persons…but the way of politics is a weedy path. We now have only three Council reps who are willing to stand for a moratorium. So instead of working to get the City Council to pass a resolution for a moratorium, we will be looking to pack Council Chambers for a "citizens-to-be-heard" session, after the City Council elections in May. Archbishop Flores and other religious leaders are ready to publicly stand for a moratorium. We are planning a press conference and a meeting with the Express News Editorial Board to ask them to continue encouraging a moratorium. Through all of this our hope is to raise consciousness, to educate, to bring the issue to the forefront.

Executions continue. Deryl Madison is to be executed March 12, Michael Moore on March 28. Texas has already executed five other men this year. There are several bills dealing with a moratorium in this year’s legislative session. I don’t think many hold a lot of hope for passage. There are also congressional lawmakers on both sides of the death penalty that are seeking greater federal protections for defendants—protections such as access to DNA testing and standards that would insure representation by qualified attorneys.

In early February a small group gathered at La Casa with Michael Banks, the pastor of King of Glory Tabernacle in the Bronx. The question for the day was "How do we work together as people of faith across racial boundaries for the peace of San Antonio?" The San Antonio Mennonite Church, La Casa and peaceCenter jointly sponsored the session. Although the group was small—a dozen or so—the discussion and questions were large.

Michael opened the time together—at least I think he did. I wasn’t there until the peanuts and figs were passed out. The peanut with its fruit hidden inside the hard outer shell and the fig with its fruit readily evidenced. After eating the fruit, we were asked to hold onto the fig’s hard pit and to use it to symbolize our own boundaries—those places that we ourselves won’t go beyond.

The day was spent without a preset agenda. The group, utilizing an "open space technology" format, set the agenda. In effect, the "open space" concept is crafted around the notion that the only really meaningful conversations happen during coffee breaks. Each participant wrote down a topic that he or she wanted to talk about and included the answers to when and where they wanted to have the conversation. All topics were posted in a central location and the group quickly worked out the when and where conflicts. The method was liberating and worked well.

Okay, so what was discussed? Well, I spent most of the day listening to Michael share his experiences, which were quite interesting. You’ll have to ask those who attended what they heard. In short, it’s all about relationships. There’s no magic formula to peacemaking, but it isn’t rocket science either. Michael also shared some of his insights in Sunday school and during his sermon at SAMC, so I’m not sure where exactly I heard the following:

If you like interesting and lively discussions, you would have enjoyed the adult Bible class each Sunday morning the past several months. Since the beginning of January, Mary Ellen Lichty, a three-month SOOP volunteer, has been teaching the class, using the Adult Bible Study Quarterly. Also, visiting guests Marco Guete, Associate Minister for Western District and South Central Conferences, Pastor Michael Banks from New York, and Marvin Zehr, Western District Conference Minister, provided information and provocative thoughts on specific topics of church planting, racism, and integration respectively. Plans are to continue using the Adult Bible Study Quarterly through May. If you are not committed to other responsibilities Sunday morning, please join the group and enjoy a cup of coffee while listening, learning, and contributing your ideas and insights to the discussion.

Mennonite Voluntary Service in San Antonio is alive and thriving. Danielle Miller, the new Local Program Coordinator, is getting experience by following up on some placements for new volunteers. Keep prospective volunteers David, Sara, and Heidi in your prayers as they make decisions about their future. Also, keep the placements of Downtown Youth Center, RAP and HNS in prayer as they prepare finances and job descriptions for the new volunteers.

The new unit house has also been getting positive attention. Margaret Braun has been preparing the house by organizing the rooms. Mel and Loretta Kauffman, SOOPers from La Casa, stayed at the house one week in February and helped paint, repair and clean the interior. Loretta also put a "mother’s touch" in the kitchen creating good smells and food. Outside the house, the front flowerbeds are getting a new look. They have been dug up, mulched and bordered. Margaret has interest in putting in some flowering shrubs in the front, taller plants in the back to provide some privacy, and a vegetable garden in the back for good eating. If you have plants, time and/or energy to contribute to the beautification process, please let Margaret know.

The committee continues to meet monthly to provide insight and direction for the local unit. We are welcoming Aimee Leisy back to the VS organization through June of this year. She will be boarding at the house under the title of "associate volunteer." Coming up in the next few months are the spring retreat and the bi-national retreat.

It is good to have these positive indications of prayer for the VS unit here. Thank you for your continuing support in prayer, money, and involvement in the workings of voluntary service.

We ended the 2000 fiscal year on a positive note, with annual income about $200 more than expenses. Both expenses and income were more than $1,000 under budgeted amounts. Each of you have a part in our finances, both in giving your offerings and in participating in the programs of SAMC.

As this newsletter goes to print, we are in the process of asking for pledges from the congregation to help us meet our proposed 2001 budget. Although we are a couple months late in this process, we hope to have the budget completed soon.

The MMA Sharing Funds provided $1,000.00 in matching funds to support special needs in our church last year. Please contact Deb Miller, our MMA advocate, if you want more information.

March 23-25	Men’s Retreat
March 24	Sr. Helen Prejean at IWU
May 5-6	Mid-Texas Retreat
June 10-14	Mid-Texas Children’s Camp

	SAMC NEWSLETTER MARCH 2001
San Antonio Mennonite Church 1443 S. St. Mary's San Antonio TX 78210 (210) 533-0642