- Brethren in Christ Church

A PUBLICATION OF THE BRETHREN IN CHRIST CHURCH
Fall 2006




IN THIS ISSUE
Ex-cons get a second chance
Making peace with your family
What we can learn from reality TV
Courageous leadership in Nepal
 IN YOUR WORDS
“I
liked how balanced the fifth
issue was—as well as honest. You
had a church planting story, a church
crisis recovery, and more. This was an
issue where I didn’t see anything that
didn’t interest me. I might also add
that I really like the size, colors, and
the cover. It stands out in the mail
and has great eye appeal.”
Douglas Kelchner — Mountville, Pa.
 “ Chad
Frey’s reflections on
racial diversity and enriched community do not completely communicate the value of understanding and
exploring our differences. Diversity
may include things like ethnicity,
culture, and race, but does it not also
include things like behavior, devotion, and theology?
If the goal is to truly enrich our
communities, we must see diversity as
something more than skin-deep. The
word ‘holy’ in Hebrew carries with
it a connotation of being different or
distinctive. Our stories, our faith journeys, make each of us valuable participants in an enriched community.
Additionally, Chad’s implications
that Jesus’ diverse interactions were
intentionally initiated in order to
establish a church of varied complexion cannot be validated by Scripture.
The book of Romans reminds us
that Jesus’ ministry was centered on
mankind’s invariable depravity and
the universal need for salvation.
However, Chad’s suggestions and
his invitation to engage in cross-cultural relationships are commendable.
The Church today must find a way
to celebrate, affirm, and employ our
differences in such a way as to shape
communities that more accurately
reflect the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Dwayne Magee—Marysville, Pa.
“Being
a part of the start of
Discover Joy church has brought many
joys but also challenges. ‘Small but
mighty in ministry’ [the story of a
church plant entering its second decade] gave me much encouragement.”
Cindy Hollinger —Lancaster, Pa.
“Like
Upland, we had some
strong issues at our local church a few
years ago. We came out the other side
strengthened, but the pain was real.
Love and forgiveness are key issues.”
“The
summer issue affirmed the
importance of our partnering with a
church in the city. I have not become
as involved as others have and this issue of Seek has challenged me to
become more personally involved.”
Sandra Jamison —Dillsburg, Pa.
“In
response to your article on
the wonderful people from Carlisle, Pa.,
I too add our appreciation for this
group. We at Sauble Christian Fellowship at Sauble Beach, Ontario, were
also recipients of their generosity. In
one week, these folks put up our new
church. Without their help, we would
have spent thousands of dollars on
skilled labour. They exhibited a wonderful servant attitude and we are truly
thankful.”
Lynne Furness —Sauble Beach, Ontario
Letters to the editor may be sent to
[email protected] or the address on the
back of this magazine. Additional letters
may be found at www.bic-church.org/seek.
BRETHREN IN CHRIST CHURCH
Moderator: Warren L. Hoffman
General Secretary: Don McNiven
General Treasurer: Elizabeth Brown
Director of Congregational Relations:
Rebekah Burch Basinger
Art Director:
David Kasparek
Graphic Designer:
Katie Geshay
431 Grantham Road, PO Box A,
Grantham, PA 17027-0901
Telephone: (717) 697-2634
Fax: (717) 697-7714
A PUBLICATION OF THE BRETHREN IN CHRIST CHURCH
seek (ISSN 1555-4619) is published four
times a year by the Brethren in Christ Church.
Seek invites readers into a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ within the context of the
shared life and ministry of the BIC Church.
Printed by Evangel Press, Nappanee, Ind.
Send feedback, address changes, or subscription questions to [email protected].
Postmaster: Send changes of address to:
seek
431 Grantham Road, PO Box A,
Grantham, PA 17027-0901
Periodical Postage Paid at Nappanee, IN
46550-0166.
Printed in U.S.A.
IN THIS ISSUE
2  Life in the body — News and views from across the Church
General Conference in Miami, celebrating a century of the Zambian church, YouthQuest preview, and more
4  Words to live by — Nuggets of wisdom from an eclectic sampling of sermons
BIC pastors reflect on confession, prayer, and Christ’s sacrifice
5  To our core — Exploring the most important values of the Church
Pursuing peace
by Harriet Sider Bicksler
6  Peace builder — Feature
Young entrepreneur gives ex-cons a second chance
by Carol Duerksen
Member of the Evangelical Press Association.
Copyright © 2006. All rights reserved.
Printed on FSC-certified Domtart
Opaque-Plainfield paper. At least 25% of the
paper fiber comes from well-managed forests
independently certified according to the rules
of the Forest Stewardship Council; 10% is
recycled from post-consumer waste paper.
CREATIVE CONTRIBUTORS
| VOLUME 119, NUMBER 2
Editor: Dulcimer Hope Brubaker
Biblical quotations, unless otherwise indicated,
are from the New International Version.
Joanne Miller —Roswell, Ga.
Fall 2006
10  The war at home — Feature
What really happens behind closed doors—and how to make peace
by Dulcimer Hope Brubaker
14  Vibes — An exploration of popular culture and faith
Keeping it real: what we can learn from reality TV
by Jeff Quick
15  Who we are — Faces of the Church
Shemlal Hembrom’s courageous leadership in Nepal
by Hannah Kern
JAY BASINGER, whose illustration
appears in “To our core,” lives in
Lancaster, Pa., where he works as a
graphic designer. To see more of his
work, visit www.creativehotlist.com/jbasinger.
MIPA LEE, whose illustration appears
in “The war at home” feature, is a
2005 graduate of Messiah College
with a degree in studio art and
graphic design. To see more of Mipa’s work, visit
www.mipalee.com.
KATIE THOMAS, whose photography
appears in the “Peace builder”
feature, graduated from Wichita
State University in 2003 and started
Photos By Katie and Cool Kat Studio in 2005. She
lives in Abilene, Kans., with her husband and dogs.
16  Seeking God — Following the spiritual journey of one disciple
An unsuccessful man
by Perry Engle
17  The view from here — Glimpses of various churches
Crossing lines divided
seek | 01
LIFE IN THE BODY

NEWS AND VIEWS FROM ACROSS THE CHURCH
Kids in the Kitchener, Ontario community know the Westheights congregation
by its fun day camps and carnivals, complete with games, rides, and free food.
General Conference a la Miami
 The
biennial gathering of the BIC
Church is always a time of rejoicing
with our brothers and sisters from
other congregations. But this year,
General Conference attendees interacted with their hermanos and hermanas,
as well.
Hosted for the first time by a cluster of Spanish-speaking churches in
Miami, Fla., General Conference 2006
brought together 720 delegates and
To read more about General Conference, visit
Conference attendees got a glimpse of future church leaders
as the B team from Fairview Avenue (Waynesboro, Pa.) bested its A team in the denominational Bible quizzing finals.
www.bic-church.org/gc2006.
Aim lower, think smaller, have a party
Zambia BIC Church turns 100
A
century ago, two courageous
Brethren in Christ missionaries—
H. Frances Davidson and Adda Engle
—set off to plant a church in Zambia.
Today, what began as a mission in
the bush of south-central Africa has
02 | seek
grown into a mature and significant
part of the body of Christ.
In August, the Zambia BIC Church,
along with Brethren in Christ World
Missions (BICWM) held a centennial celebration at Macha Mission.
More than a thousand people from
60 congregations across Zambia and
North American guests, including
church leaders and former missionaries, traveled to Macha to join in the
celebration. It was a joyful time of
many songs and sermons, including
an address by Levy Mwanawasa, the
president of Zambia.
Esther Spurrier, BICWM representative for the nation of Zambia, reflects,
“In times like these, we want to celebrate God’s goodness and faithfulness,
to remember the many people who responded to the call of God to plant and
grow this church, and to look forward
to what God will do in and through
our church in the coming years.”
GC Photos by Katie Geshay
Five
years ago, Westheights Community Church in Kitchener, Ontario,
was outreach-challenged. Like many
congregations, the midsize church
struggled to draw new believers into
its fellowship.
But then its pastor, Todd Lester,
It’s easy for kids to
make the transition
from Westheights’
camps and carnivals
to its children’s discipleship program.
Photos courtesy of Todd Lester
Freddie Colloca and the praise band from Vida Abundante
lead bilingual worship at General Conference.
attendees, with evening worship services
drawing more than
1,000 people.
Keynote speakers emphasized the
importance of starting and sustaining
healthy congregations, a theme that also permeated
the business sessions as delegates
discussed issues such as how the BIC
Church views marriage, equips leaders, and makes decisions.
The overall positive evaluation of
Conference can summed up in the
comment of the attendee who wrote:
“I constantly stand amazed at the
spirit of cooperation that remains
within the BIC denomination—what
a delight to be in Miami with our
Latino brothers and sisters.”
challenged the
congregation
with a fresh
strategy: “Aim
lower, think
smaller, have
a party.”
In other words, they focused more
on teaching children about Jesus and
began holding fun-filled events to show
how much they love their community.
“It all started with a need,” recalls
Pastor Lester. “On days when the
schools are closed there is a stress
on many families because they have
to find suitable arrangements for
their children while both parents go
to work.”
When school is out, Westheights’
children’s programs are in session.
From one-day events and carnivals
to week-long summer day camps,
parents in the Kitchener community
know they can count on Westheights
to provide safe, fun activities for
their children.
In just the past two years, attendance
at Westheights has increased by 100,
including numerous new believers—
some of whom were invited by their
children. “Parents will do things for
their children they would not do
for their own benefit,” Pastor Lester
explains. “So we invite children and
encourage them to invite their parents
to programs. Children are already leaders. Let them use their influence.”
BIC youth to head to Niagara Falls
Two
days after Christmas, an anticipated 1,000 Brethren in Christ
youth from North America will meet
on the U.S.-Canadian border for
YouthQuest 2006. In keeping with
this year’s theme, “Wonders,” the
biennial conference will be held in
Niagara Falls, Ontario.
“We chose this theme because we
want students to get drawn in to the
wonder of God—that place where
you catch a glimpse of how powerful and purposeful He is,” says Mike
Wright, YouthQuest director.
YouthQuest 2004 attendees explore the city of
Pittsburgh, Pa. This year’s event will be held in
Niagara Falls, Ontario.
This December, BIC youth and
their friends will hear from two keynote speakers and enjoy the unconventional lyrics of Riley Armstrong, a
Christian singer-songwriter from Vancouver, British Columbia. Each day,
students and their leaders will be
led in dynamic, thoughtful worship
by a team from The Meeting House
congregation in Oakville, Ontario.
For 28 years, YouthQuest has had
a profound influence on BIC youth
across North America, and many attendees go on to become pastors and
leaders in the denomination.
Reflecting on the 2004 conference, one student remarked, “The
feeling of being disconnected from
God is such a lonely one. YouthQuest helped me reconnect.”
 seeking
more?To learn more
about the history of YouthQuest, visit www.bicchurch.org/seek. To register your youth group,
go to www.yqbic.org.
YQ images courtesy of www.yqbic.org.
seek | 03
NUGGETS OF WISDOM FROM AN ECLECTIC SAMPLING OF SERMONS
WORDS TO LIVE BY
“He refused to abandon us to our sins. He refused to abandon us to condemnation. He refused to
abandon us to the devil. . . . And today in Heaven He has the marks on His hands and in His side
and on His feet so that we might never forget for all eternity that He loved us and He refused to
leave us—with a great cost.”
bishop, Southeast Conference, as he led communion during General
Conference in Miami
Eduardo Llanes,






“My designs for my life, my will, my plans, and my purposes can be a huge obstacle to pursuing God
passionately.These must be dealt a deathblow in my heart each day, choosing the voluntary path of
humility and brokenness, and putting my will and plans to death on the cross of Jesus each new day!”
Ken Hepner,
senior pastor, Chambersburg (Pennsylvania) BIC
“Confession breaks the cycle of self-deception. Behind every self-defeating behavior is a lie that I believe
—a lie about myself, about God, about others around me, about my past, about my future—a lie.
Confession brings that lie out into the light and allows it to be exposed for what it really is.”
Randy Smith,
pastor of young adults, Pequea BIC, Lancaster, Pa.
“Most of us think that our prayers need to be special and holy and pure. And that’s nice. . . . But
Jesus says simply, ‘ask and it will be given to you.’ If you have intense prayer—if you pray with
urgency—there are no limits.”
Jeff Piepho,
pastor, Revolution Church, Salina, Kans.
n
The Brethren in Christ value of pursuing peace is often associated with the concept
of nonviolence, through which creative, non-retaliatory measures are taken to secure
peace and justice.
Used in a sentence:
Used in a sentence:
04 | seek
{
{
As a way of life, nonviolence is not passive or non-confrontational; rather, it
actively resists unjust or violent forces.
Christian advocates of nonviolence take seriously Jesus’ command to “love your
enemies” (Matthew 5:44) and God’s pronouncement that “it is mine to avenge;
I will repay” (Deuteronomy 32:35).

EXPLORING THE MOST IMPORTANT VALUES OF THE CHURCH
Pursuing peace
We value all human life and promote forgiveness, understanding,
reconciliation, and nonviolent resolution of conflict.
by
Harriet Sider Bicksler
 In
early 1918, as World War I
intensified, Canada started drafting all young men aged 20–23
years. There were no exceptions.
One young Brethren in Christ man,
Ernest Swalm, had strong convictions
that the Bible’s call to peacemaking
included non-participation in war.
When the conscription letter came,
he did not resist the order. However,
when he arrived in Hamilton, Ontario,
at the appointed time, he refused to
wear a military uniform and asked to
do humanitarian service that would
not support the war effort. For his
refusal, he was put in jail, where he
remained for four months.
More than 70 years later, in the
period between Iraq’s invasion of
Kuwait and the Persian Gulf War in
early 1991, Gwen White, a pastor’s
wife from Riverside, Calif., traveled
to Baghdad, Iraq, with a Christian
Peacemaker Team whose goal was to
promote nonviolent resolution of the
conflict. Gwen carried messages of
peace and friendship from her son’s
sixth-grade class to the children of
Iraq. Reflecting on her experience in
Iraq, Gwen called believers to “choose
to gain our security from God and
not from weapons, and then may we
speak from that position for peace.”
Pursuing peace is
certainly not limited
to opposing war, as
these two stories
might suggest. But
I tell them to make
a specific point. It is
easy and common for
almost anyone to say
that he or she wants
peace—who doesn’t?
But it is not so easy
or common to believe
that Christians can
practice—and boldly give witness
to—life-saving and life-giving alternatives to conflict and aggression.
Undaunted by the prevailing
opinion of our culture, however,
the Brethren in Christ have agreed
to actively “value all human life and
promote forgiveness, understanding,
reconciliation, and nonviolent resolution of conflict.” There are often more
questions than answers about what
peacemaking really means, and many
sincere Christians who take their
Bible seriously have come to different
conclusions about war and peace.
However, by choosing the word
“pursuing” to describe what we want
to do about peace, we are acknowledging that it is a continuous activity.
We are always going after or chasing peace. Maybe we will never quite
capture peace, but we are always pursuing, always following after Christ,
who indeed is our peace and will
always be with us.
Harriet Sider Bicksler is a
member of the Grantham, Pa. congregation. She edits Shalom!, a BIC journal
devoted to the discussion of peace and
social justice concerns.
To read more about pursuing peace and other Brethren in Christ core values, see the book
Focusing our Faith: Brethren in Christ Core Values, edited by Terry L. Brensinger. Available
through Evangel Press at www.evangelpress.com.
Permission granted to excerpt portions of Focusing our Faith by Evangel Publishing House
seek | 05
Illustration by Jay Basinger
 BRUSHING UP ON BRETHREN IN CHRIST VOCAB
TO OUR CORE
C
PEA
E
BUILDER
by

06 | seek
Some people picket for peace. Some people join peacemaking delegations, and some volunteer with service organizations. Some pray,
some preach, and some post stickers with messages of peace on
their bumpers. People around the world promote forgiveness, reconciliation, and nonviolent resolution of conflict in a variety of ways. Then there’s Matt Engle
from Abilene, Kans. He builds metal buildings.
Photos by Katie Thomas
Carol Duerksen
A member of Zion BIC in Abilene,
Kans., Matt Engle says he grew up
feeling “dumb.” The youngest of three
children, he hung out in the shadow
of academically gifted sisters, uncertain
about the direction of his life. “I started
out thinking rodeo, but realized that
wasn’t it,” Matt recalls. “I had a talent
to build. And I’ve always been able to
get along with people, especially with
people others wouldn’t want to.”
Matt started working in construction,
then a welding shop, and then took
seek | 07
“Matt’s the most unique man I ever met.
He’s 100% man. At 25, he’s full grown.”
—Chip Hunter
his welding skills to a steel fabrication
business in Abilene, Kans.—general
construction, mainly steel buildings.
When the owner retired, Matt took
a risk and bought the business.
After erecting a few smaller
buildings, Matt began taking on
larger projects. To complete them, he
needed to hire construction workers.
“I have one worker, Luke, a fellow
believer, who is solid, stable, and
dependable,” Matt says. “Three or so
guys from Zion Brethren in Christ
Church help part time—farmers who
can work in the winter. All of these
serve as role models, and we like to
have as many as we can.”
Role models? For whom?
The rest of the crew. “Other workers come through the door, looking
for employment,” Matt explains. “A
number have been in trouble or in
jail—actually, a high percentage of
them. We try to model what it means
to be a good worker and a good
human being, and to honor them
financially and with benefits.”
Matt says he wants to “do the Lord’s
will” in everyday interaction with his
employees, and that includes assisting
them financially quite
often. “Many of these guys
don’t have a sense of
belonging or a good sense
of accomplishment. We can help to
provide some of this. We can show
them how to work hard and to feel
good about it, but in a way that is
clean and wholesome.”
For Matt, offering a job is part of a
larger aim. He says, “On the way home
from a job, if the time is right, we talk
to the guys. We have to decide what to
give, what to do. I have to be firm and
consistent. I try to be dependable and
direct. I’m learning a lot as I go.
“We take risks with guys. We’re
willing to give nearly anybody a
chance. I’m not afraid of their personalities. As soon as I had my first
[ex-offender], they started coming in.
One of the guys in local prison ministry, Clarence Garten, refers guys to
me. If he feels someone is sincere in
wanting to make a change, whether
risky or not, he sends them my way.”
Chip Hunter is one of those guys.
After a total of 14 years in prison, he
ended up in the Abilene jail, where
he was propagating a prison religion
called Asatru. He hated Christians. But
Chip’s hate was no match for God’s
love. One night, as Clarence was ministering to the inmates, Chip prayed
the sinner’s prayer,
and became a new
man in Christ.
When released
from jail, Chip asked
—Chip Hunter Matt for a job. Matt
“I had no idea I could feel
so complete. I am content.”
08 | seek
not only hired Chip, but he took
care of three months’ rent. Clarence
contributed $800 for Chip’s wife,
Venice, to pay bills.
Chip couldn’t believe the turn of
events in his life, beginning with
his new faith, his new boss, and his
newfound contentment.
“Matt’s the most unique man I
ever met. He’s 100% man. At 25, he’s
full grown. The responsibility he carries is overwhelming. He’s the first
person I called for work, and he gave
me a job.
“I had no idea I could feel so
complete. I am content. I am happier
than I’ve ever been in my life—even
though I’m poor, dirt poor!”
Not long ago Chip’s wife, Venice,
looked him in the eyes and said,
“I’m happy.”
“She had never said that before,”
Chip remembers.
Chip says the large circle of friends
he has now—people he never would
have thought of, overwhelms him. It’s
all part of the bigger picture provided
by people willing to give him and
other ex-offenders a chance to break
the cycle of violence in their lives.
“Chip still has temptations,” Matt
acknowledges. “But he is sincere. He
is hard working and dependable. He’s
given up swearing. He doesn’t show
anger on the job. We know he’s on
the right track. He knows the Lord;
he knows what is right and wrong.”
Matt’s efforts have mixed results.
“In five years I’ve probably hired
a couple dozen workers,” he says.
“For me, culture and prejudice are nonissues. I’m not afraid of other people.”
—Matt Engle
“More than half have definitely had
issues, most with incarceration. That
is a strong trend in this industry. As
much as we want to help, we have to
be discerning—to watch what they’re
doing. Some show up on drugs. Then
we just can’t keep them.”
Where does a 25-year-old man get
the wisdom and patience to do what
Matt’s doing? Matt credits his parents, his Christian upbringing, and
his father’s work with Joy of Living
Ministries, a Christian camp near
Ashland, Ohio, that serves troubled
urban youth.
“We were able to see other cultures,” Matt says. “I helped some as a
teenager. For me, culture and prejudice are non-issues. I’m not afraid of
other people. I’ve had a lot of experiences. We had a lot of people in our
home. Some were ex-offenders.”
“I was given this business [by the
Lord],” Matt says. “I saw an opportunity and acted on it. It was a risk.
It helped me to learn to trust. This
business is challenging. I like that.
When Chip came—a man as tough as
they come—we hired him. We helped
him monetarily and spiritually. If we
can give up our pride and prejudice,
it’s pretty simple. I realize this is what
God wants me to be doing, and I
need to keep up with it.”
Obviously, when God gave Matt the
gift of building, God had much more
than metal buildings in mind. Nothing dumb about that.
Carol Duerksen writes from a
farm in central Kansas. She and her
husband, Maynard Knepp, write Amish
novels together and are members of Tabor
Mennonite Church near Goessel, Kans.
seek | 09
seek 17
“Brother will betray brother to
death, and a father his child.
Children will rebel against their
parents and have them put to death.”
—Mark 13:12
THE
WAR
by
AT
Dulcimer Hope Brubaker
 We live in peaceful neighborhoods with plenty
to eat, yet we are a war-torn people. Armies
have not marched over our dandelion-free
lawns, nor have bombs gutted our ample homes; yet
behind closed doors weapons of mass destruction
are deployed on a regular basis.
Often hidden, the casualties of these secret wars
are treated in weekly counseling sessions. We are
the soldiers, and the very people who ought to be
allies—our husbands, wives, parents, siblings, and
children—are our enemies.
We may look all right on the outside, and we may
even treat our family members politely. But behind
10
10 || seek
seek
Illustration by MIpa Lee
seek | 11
closed doors, we are tearing one
another down, disrespecting our loved
ones, and breaking vows of faithfulness.
Total war?
Relationships are difficult. And if the
statistics can be believed, we North
Americans have a tough time keeping
the peace with the people closest to
us. Domestic (or intimate) violence
is increasing,” reports Gwen White, a
clinical psychologist from the Circle
of Hope congregation in Philadelphia, Pa. She notes that an estimated
22 percent of all reported crime
against women is committed by their
partners, and that over the course of
their marriages, approximately one
in four women become victims of
abuse. The most frightening part of
this statistic, White adds, is that much
of the abuse is never reported.
The war at home has been raging
since the human race began, and we
are not the first generation to struggle with parenting our children, estrangement among siblings, or marital strife. After all, Cain killed Abel,
Absalom overthrew his father, King
David, and the Samaritan woman had
five husbands and a lover besides.
“Each generation has its own set of
problems, and will in the future,”
says John Reitz, a marriage and family
counselor who pastors The Bridge
congregation in Hummelstown, Pa.
“There’s nothing new under the sun.”
But what is it that drives us to battle our loved
ones? “The
most common forms
of family
—John Reitz strife—poor
communication, financial pressures, division of
labor disputes, infidelity, and neglect
—are still the ‘bread and butter’
of family therapy,” explains Glenn
“When it comes to family strife, you’re
basically just dealing with issues of
our common humanity.”
12 | seek
Robitaille, a pastoral counselor from
Penetanguishene, Ontario.
Family strife is nothing new, but
neither is the promise of God’s
healing. If we open ourselves to “be
transformed by the renewing of [our]
minds,” we can find His peace. All we
have to do is acknowledge our need.
Ceasefire
Prevailing assumptions about what it
means to be a family have changed rapidly throughout the past half-century,
leaving us to define family roles for
ourselves. With the emergence of the
nuclear family, the birth control pill,
and women’s mass entry into the workforce, many families are now made
up of two parents who both work and
children in day care—presenting our
society with a completely new set of
dynamics and challenges.
“While families have always
struggled, I do believe these changes
have resulted in a deeper feeling of ‘if
I don’t take care of myself, no one else
will,’ . . . and that has spilled over into
every aspect of life—work, relationships, and even spirituality,” Robitaille
observes. “The challenge now is to
learn how to be two-career families
without creating passive neglect in our
marital and parental relationships.”
And the truth is, there’s little difference between the difficulties faced by
Christian and non-Christian families.
Reitz explains, “when it comes to family
strife, you’re basically just dealing with
issues of our common humanity.”
“Peacemaking is not a synonym for passivity. In fact,
it almost always takes more effort to work for peace
than it does to allow conflict to escalate.”
How can that be? Doesn’t our faith
make a positive impact on our families? “There’s a difference between
a religious family and a family of
individuals who are following Jesus,”
Reitz argues. “Followers of Jesus
focus on life transformation, whereas
religious families focus more on
maintaining forms.”
The problem with placing so
much emphasis on right actions is
that it doesn’t really change human
nature. It takes a personal relationship with God to transform our
motivation, and as long as we reach
for anything less than knowing Him,
we will never experience true peace.
Peace talks
No matter how difficult our family
situations are, God is strong enough
to break down the barriers that
separate us from His peace. Below are
three ways we can participate in the
peace process.
1. Be active. Peacemaking is not a
synonym for passivity. In fact, it almost
always takes more effort to work for
peace than it does to allow conflict to
escalate. “Peacemaking families are not
passive in their relationships with one
another or with the world,” insists
White. “They’re families that are deeply
engaged in dialogue with one another
and the world—people who have the
skill to listen deeply to those who
disagree, to respect them, and also to
critically analyze what is presented.”
2. Be open. Every day, we grow in
our understanding of what it means
to follow Christ. Sharing the lessons
we’ve learned along the way—including struggles and shortcomings—has
an extraordinary disarming effect and
also gives younger family members a
chance to learn from the mistakes of
the previous generations. When we
share more, others will, too, and it’s
hard to be angry with family members when they have made themselves
vulnerable to us. A little bit of sharing
can lay the foundation for a deeper
intimacy—and peace—than we’ve ever
known before.
3. Be quick to listen. Take a practical word of advice from the Bible:
“be quick to listen, slow to speak, and
slow to get angry” (James 1:19). “Far
too often communication amounts to
one person telling another what he or
she thinks the other needs to know,”
Robitaille reflects. “If all members
of a family were committed to truly
knowing the point the other is making
before reacting to it, the harmony of
the home would improve instantly.”
As we open up to Christ’s transforming power, our families can become
that kind of family: “For he himself is
our peace, who . . . has destroyed the
barrier, the dividing wall of hostility”
(Ephesians 2:14). That’s the kind of
peace our neighbors can’t help noticing—because it’s real.
 seeking
more? Download a study
guide on making peace with your family at
www.bic-church.org/seek.
Dulcimer Hope Brubaker is the
editor of Seek magazine. A 2004 graduate of Messiah College, she attends the
Dillsburg, Pa., congregation.
seek | 13
seek 17
VIBES

WHO WE ARE
AN EXPLORATION OF POPULAR CULTURE AND FAITH

FACES OF THE CHURCH
Keeping it real
Living the question
What we can learn from reality TV
Shemlal Hembrom’s courageous leadership in Nepal
by
Jeff Quick
by
Hannah Kern
CBS’s “Survivor.” AP.
The worldwide popularity of
reality TV may be only a few years
old, but the genre has been around
as long as TV itself in the form of
game shows and “gotcha” programs
like Allen Funt’s “Candid Camera.”
It’s no surprise that reality TV satisfies a voyeuristic urge, but it might
surprise you to know that reality TV
appeals to a basic human need.
One reason we like watching people
struggle (according to the ancient
Greeks) is catharsis—a release of emo
FOX’s “American Idol.” AP
tional tension brought out by tragedy.
It’s safe. Nothing’s at stake. When you
14 | seek
know you’ll cry
But wait, turn
at a movie and
off the TV for a
watch anyway,
second. If somethat’s catharone you know
sis. Reality TV? CBS’s “Amazing Race.” Courtesy www.realitytvmagazine.com
got caught for tax
Chock full of catharsis.
evasion, would that be fun? Reality TV
Except reality TV is (arguably) nonparticipants live after we stop watchfiction, so the catharsis is even sharper. ing. This isn’t “safe.” Unlike fiction,
You can’t turn off the squirm by ratio- there’s a lot at stake. When we treat
nalizing that it’s done by actors. If you
people as characters, watching for our
see someone eating cow lips on “Fear
own purposes, it makes us users, not
Factor,” then someone is eating cow lips.
lovers. Bizarrely, reality TV often leads
Thank the intimacy of TV. Early
us away from reality.
television performers liked to sugBut the desire to know people
gest that viewers invited them into
and really care about who they are
their homes and formed relationships. and what they do . . . that’s real. And
We’re more media-savvy these days;
with good reason. Jesus—perhaps
we don’t imagine these people are
the only legitimate real-world source
our friends. Still, we see these “real”
of catharsis, and the original reality
people on TV every week and want to programmer—called “loving your
have relationships with them.
neighbor” our number two priority.
The trouble is that TV relationships
Just as long as we keep reality real.
are shallow, one-sided, and, like
 seeking more? People risk just
catharsis, very safe. It’s easy to get
about everything for the camera. What
mixed up.
would you risk for your faith? Download the
Richard Hatch betrayed his tribe
study guide, “Reality faith,” at www.bicmembers on “Survivor,” but he’ll
church.org/seek.
never have a chance to betray you. So
it’s safe to think of him as a “villain”
getting his comeuppance after he was
Jeff Quick plays games for a living. If
you call that living. Find him at Circle of
nabbed for tax evasion last year on his
Hope in Philadelphia, Pa.
million dollar prize, right? Hooray
for justice!
 Beneath
Nepal’s natural wonders and magnificent heights,
violence is always bubbling below
the surface. The nation’s Communist
Party, known as the Maoists, continues its 10-year rebellion against the
Nepali government, claiming approximately 17 lives each day.
And Shemlal Hembrom, representative for the BIC Church in Nepal—a
Despite political unrest and threats of persecution, Shemlal and
Hannah Hembrom persist in training and encouraging the BIC
Church in Nepal.
network of more than 20 congregations
—definitely isn’t on the good side of
either the government or the Maoists.
If given the opportunity, Shemlal
would ask American Christians to
“please pray for us.” A resident of a
nation torn by violence, Hembrom
and his family face the unknown every day. Due to hostility and persecution, Christians in Nepal cannot even
call themselves a church.
In order to fund their long-term
rebellion, Maoist militants often
invade churches, leeching resources,
and kidnapping children for ransom
money, all the while promising peace
and justice. Shemlal and his
wife, Hannah, keep their two
school-age sons, Sadanand
and Ashis, in South India for
protection. “We do not know
the future; we just trust the
Lord,” Shemlal says.
Having grown up in a
Santal tribe, Shemlal began
questioning tribal beliefs as
he prepared for a ritual that
forces all young males to burn
the mark of a coin into their
hands. Around the same time
he found a Christian tract. “After reading
it I thought, here is God and He loves
every human being,” Shemlal shares.
The desire to seek truth, which drew
Shemlal to Christianity, also led him
down a path of continual learning.
Today, he is one of the most
educated Christian leaders in Nepal
and India. Hannah has also pursued
significant higher education, including the BIC’s Theological Education
by Extension (TEE) program. She aids
Shemlal in training church leaders
through TEE and educating children
through SPICE, a BIC ministry that
provides housing, education, and
spiritual instruction for 700 orphaned and low-income children in
India and Nepal.
Despite meager resources and very
limited time with his family, Shemlal’s faith sustains him while traveling
among congregations, encouraging
and helping others. During a recent
visit to the States, he was given the
opportunity to speak about his home
country. “Many people did not know
what was going on in Nepal,” Shemlal explains. “When we see people in
need we ask, ‘What is our responsibility?’ This is the question Jesus lived.”
 seeking
more? Learn more about the
SPICE program at www.bic-church.org/seek.
Hannah Kern, a 2006 graduate of
Messiah College, worked as a writer and
interviewer for the BIC Foundation this
summer. She hopes to keep using words
to tell stories that illuminate possibility.
seek | 15
SEEKING GOD

FOLLOWING THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF ONE DISCIPLE
An unsuccessful man
A fresh perspective on being busy
by
THE VIEW

FROM HERE
Crossing lines divided
Perry Engle
Valley Christian Church, Moreno Valley, California
 For
 In my office there’s a cartoon I
“How easy it is for me to
assess my success and selfworth based on how busy I
am, and how busy I appear
to others.”
Perry Engle has successfully (or is it unsuccessfully?)
completed his fourth year as bishop of the Midwest and
Pacific Conferences of the BIC Church. He and his wife,
Marta, and their three daughters live in Ontario, Calif.
16 | seek
like so much that I’ve had it enlarged
and put in a frame by my desk.
In the strip there are two contrasting scenes. The first shows a man in a
business suit, sitting in his car, stuck in
bumper-to-bumper traffic (it looks like
the freeway I drive every morning);
he’s screaming into his cell phone,
obviously needing to be somewhere
now, and is very clearly stressed-out.
The description below it reads with
sardonic wit: SUCCESSFUL MAN.
The scene right next to it shows
another man, no cars in sight, a contented grin on his face, with seemingly not a care in the world—and
he’s walking, with no apparent destination in mind. Its caption reads:
UNSUCCESSFUL MAN.
I chuckle at these images and keep
them close because they remind me of
how easy it is for me to assess my success and self-worth based on how busy
I am, and how busy I appear to others.
Here’s the truth: My generation
idolizes being busy—call it busiolatry,
if you want—and I fall for it big time.
Unwittingly, I find myself placing the
same kind of pressure on my wife
and kids. Marta and I have to fight the
tendency to involve ourselves and our
daughters in an overwhelming array
of activities so that we feel valued and
validated as “successful people.”
The philosophy we wrestle against
is, in essence, “I do, therefore, I am . . .
important.” I’m embarrassed to admit
that sometimes I secretly wonder if
people are going to think less of me as
a church leader if I am not away from
home often enough. Like some sort of
mythological Atlas, I carry the weight
of the world on my shoulders and, in
so doing, come to think of myself as
more significant than I really am.
I admit these things as a way to
express what I really long for—a
more balanced, contented, and
prayerful life. How sad that we can’t
embrace a sanctified inactivity on
a more regular basis. “Be still,” the
Bible tells us (and it literally means
slacken, or lighten up), “and know that I
am God” (Psalm 46:10).
Too often I become like the man in
the car above—busy, agitated, on the
go—and posing as successful.
Truth be told, what I really aspire
to is to become more like the second
chap in the illustration by my desk:
balanced, contented, good-humored,
and free.
A truly unsuccessful man.
the 200 or so students
enrolled at Valley Christian
Academy, the daily curriculum
includes lessons in how to live and
grow in peace with children who
are different from themselves. That
Valley Christian Church has a lot invested in the youth of its
community. Each day, its school is demolishing racial barriers,
teaching kids from a variety of backgrounds how to live and
work together in harmony.
makes the school a beacon of hope
to the racially torn neighborhoods of
Moreno Valley, Calif.
“The school is our primary outreach,” Ted Slattery, pastor of Valley
Photos courtesy of Valley Christian Academy
Christian Church, explains. Despite its
location in an economically depressed
area, the academy is bursting at the
seams. Fully 60 percent of the students come from un-churched homes.
Principal Cathleen Peacock describes
the student body as “very representative of the area,” with a good mix of
Hispanic, Caucasian, Asian, and African-American students.
“These children come in with all
these different backgrounds, and they
play, they grow up together . . . they
become very good friends. Then they go
out and encounter problems,” she says.
To illustrate her point, Peacock
recalls two recent graduates of the
academy. Although the girls were of
different races, they were best friends
from first until eighth grades. But
now that they have left Valley Christian
Academy for a nearby public school,
they can no longer eat lunch together
without harassment. A friendship that
was nurtured at Valley Christian has to
be pursued outside the school setting.
It is stories such as this that, several years ago, encouraged the Valley
Christian congregation to expand the
school’s facilities. In their search for
financing, Pastor Slattery and other
leaders at the church turned to the
BIC Foundation. Now, with that earlier
loan paid off, the congregation is back
to the drawing board with plans for
a 22-classroom building—double the
school’s current space—and for a second conversation with the Foundation.
When the planned-for classroom
building is completed, temporary
walls can come down from inside
the existing facility, making “it look
like a church
again. People
will feel more
comfortable
worshipping,” Peacock notes.
That said,
comfort really
isn’t the issue.
Rather, for the
members of
Valley Christian Church,
it’s about having a lasting impact on
the surrounding community by providing a peaceful haven—a discrimination-free zone—for children and
their families.
As Slattery puts it: “You always have
altars, memorials to the Lord that help
you say, ‘This is what God has brought
us through. Now we can trust Him for
even more in the future.’”
For information on investing in the BIC Foundation’s loan fund, go to www.bicfoundation.org.
431 Grantham Road
PO Box A
Grantham, PA 17027
Turn from
seek
peace
and pursue it.
evil and do good;
Psalm 34:14