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[BethAH <BethAH@mbm.org>]

May 30, 2001
Beth Hawn
Mennonite Board of Missions
(219) 294-7523
<NEWS@MBM.org>

October 17, 2001

Churchs support helps Bible-study group maintain autonomy

BUFFALO, N.Y. (MBM)  For the past four years, about 20 people
have been meeting at least twice a month for Bible study under
the guidance of a Mennonite pastor.  They live in Eden, a town 30
miles south of the nearest Mennonite church, Westside Mennonite
Church in Buffalo, N.Y.

While some might want to call it a church plant, it really isnt,
explained Neftali Torres, pastor at Westside and part-time urban
ministry director for the Buffalo area, who has provided
leadership for the last two years.  It is an autonomous group, he
added, a large inter-denominational Bible study.  I stepped into
the work after Roy Walls, pastor at Clarence Center-Akron
Mennonite Church, moved out of the Buffalo area.  Roy had been
giving leadership to the group for those two prior years.

This past July, the Westside congregation commissioned one of the
Bible-study couples, Jay and Rosalie Brumbaugh, for the work at
Eden.  For the commissioning service, Westside Mennonite invited
members of Clarence Center-Akron Mennonite to join in the
celebration.

We called them back into partnership to provide oversight for
the group, Torres said, and to share in this victorious
moment.

In addition, the Brumbaughs commissioning was supported by the
New York Mennonite Conference and Mennonite Board of Missions.
The nature of this commissioning gives witness to Gods activity
among Mennonites in western New York, said John Powell, director
of Evangelism and Church Development for MBM.  Westside
Mennonite sees this as another step in Gods call to be
missional.  God has called the Brumbaughs for such a time as
this.  There is a deep commitment on the part of MBM and the New
York Mennonite Conference to this ministry.

That continued support and partnership is needed at Eden, Torres
said.  The group is not ready to be a church, and we need to
respect that.  But they want our support and oversight.  They are
a strong fellowship with strong leadership and much interest in
looking deeper into the word and walking closer with God.

They studied the Gospel of Matthew for more than three years,
Torres added, which provides plenty of material for learning how
to be Gods people in community and dealing with peace issues.
Most recently, the group has taken a closer look at the
Anabaptist stand on peace and what it means to be a Christian in
a time of war.  It is a new concept for the members of the Bible
study, since several are military veterans and none come from
Anabaptist or Mennonite traditions.

Even the Brumbaughs do not have Anabaptist or Mennonite roots,
although they actively sought Anabaptist leadership for the
community Bible study they envisioned.

I have always believed every town should have a Bible study or
care group, Rosalie said. Not necessarily people from the same
denomination, just a group of believers.  For now, thats
exactly what they are, a group of people from different churches
and walks of life who study the Bible and care for one another.
A few members have left, while others joined.  But for the most
part, the core group stayed the same and formed some deep
relationships.  Today, except for three widows, it is a group of
couples, ages 37-87.

When it comes to the future, Torres and the Brumbaughs differ on
how they view their own roles in light of the commissioning.
Torres envisions a change to less direct leadership and more
oversight, while the Brumbaughs would like to continue with
support and guidance from a pastor.  For now, it is a Bible study
with an Anabaptist twist, Torres said, and this is Gods work,
even if the group never feels the call to become a church.
Sometimes, thats all we are called to do, to serve the needs of
people, he added.  In that, he is supported by New York
Conference and MBM.

To be missional, Powell said, is to determine where God is
calling and to follow.  Clarence Center-Akron, Westside and the
Eden group have listened and followed Gods leading.
* * *
Siegrid Richer for MBM news