wfn.org | Couple uses friendship to share the gospel

[BethAH@mbm.org]

November 29, 2000
Beth Hawn
Communications Coordinator
Mennonite Board of Missions
phone (219) 294-7523
fax (219) 294-8669
<www.MBM.org>
November 29, 2000

Couple uses friendship to share the gospel

MEXICO CITY (MBM/COM) – In 1966, after only one year of marriage,
J. Mark and Emma Frederick headed to Mexico on their first
mission assignment.  Thirty-four years later, they still call
Mexico home.

When the couple accepted their first mission assignment, it was
through Franconia Mennonite Conference of Souderton, Pa.  They
studied language in Guadalajara and worked in Puebla for five
years and Mexico City for 10 years before returning to the United
States in 1982.

In 1994, a joint position between Mennonite Board of Missions and
Franconia Mennonite Conference led them back to Mexico.

“I always had an interest in serving the church …  The gifts we
manifested in our previous time in Mexico opened the doors for
our second term of service,” J. Mark explained.  For the last six
years, the Fredericks have been planting a church, Pueblo en
Transformación, on the southern edge of Mexico City.

They thought they were called back to Mexico to do discipleship
training, pastoral care and teaching.  They didn’t anticipate
church planting.

Sometimes, the nature of the call changes.

While the change in focus has not been an easy adjustment for the
Fredericks, it has been an instrument of growth for them both.
Evangelizing has taught them to see God calling people closer to
God in all they do.

“We have been encouraged by all the support we have received from
the people with whom we work,” Emma said.  “Pueblo en
Transformación is growing, not as projected as a church-planting
project, but there is growth and that has been rewarding.”

The Fredericks have not found a rubric to follow when planting a
church, so they are forging ahead with the help of a Mexican
pastor couple.

The method they use most freely to share the gospel with their
community and to attract people to Pueblo en Transformación is
what they call friendship evangelism.  They start by inviting new
friends to meals and reaching out to them when they express
needs.

In their role as church planters, the Fredericks look for ways to
minister to those around them.  They don’t have a car, so they
have learned to interact with the community and have developed
friendships as they walk around the city.  They have also made
contact with people through their social ministries programs and
are known in the community as people interested in the welfare of
Mexicans.

“The integration of our faith, both verbal and nonverbal, with
social ministries’ outreach has made us more aware of the
importance of the establishment of a community of faith that
looks for ways to communicate the gospel of the kingdom,” Emma
said.

Together, the Fredericks attempt to provide members and attendees
of Pueblo en Transformación an alternative to Catholic and
Evangelical churches.

“We are attempting to integrate our verbal expression of faith by
actively addressing the social and spiritual needs of the
community,’’ J. Mark said.

Church planting is not their only task.

Emma serves in activities at a small social center.  Her duties
include helping adults in English classes and schoolchildren with
homework, organizing dental clinics, and overseeing a children’s
club.  She also disciples women who have made faith commitments,
provides training for teachers, writes curriculum materials, and
visits many in the community.

J. Mark leads discipleship and Bible classes and prepares
materials for an advanced discipleship-training program.  He is
also an administrator in the Anabaptist Theological Institute of
Mexico and leads a Sunday-afternoon Bible study.
J. Mark keeps himself focused on his work and the gospel through
prayer, study, reading and worship experiences.  Working with
other members of the CUMA team, the mission arm of the Anabaptist
churches in Mexico City, and hearing people give testimony to how
God is working in their lives reaffirms his call and the vision
for mission.  Part of the Mennonite Church in Mexico, CUMA’s
objective is to plant new churches and to minister holistically
in Mexico City.  CUMA, the Committee for United Mission by
Anabaptists, is an international collection of church planters
working together to share the gospel of Jesus with the Mexican
people.

For her part, Emma finds rejuvenation for her work in times of
personal and devotional reflection.  She is learning that God has
transformed her during their term thus far.  “I’ve learned to be
more open about my own needs and to wait for God to work.  In my
work in children’s ministries, I am learning not to always step
in to fix things.  I’ve grown in my confidence in God’s work in
others with whom I work,’’ she said.

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Amy Gingerich for MBM news     PHOTO AVAILABLE