by Laurie Oswald Robinson, Mennonite Church USA
The Mennonite Church USA Convention 2009 is far removed from when Jesus breathed his Spirit on the first disciples. But the planning committees for Mennonite Church USA’s convention next July are risking the theme on the belief he’ll do it again with huge crowds of Mennonites.
In a bold move that is bringing a deeper focus on the Holy Spirit than in past conventions, the adult and youth planning committees chose the theme, “Breathe and be filled,” based on John 20:21-22. It’s when Jesus reminds his disciples that as his father sent him, so he was sending them. To empower them to go, he breathed his spirit upon them, and they were filled.
Planners envision this theme will give center stage to the Spirit to renew the church’s missional drama by refreshing vision for next steps of call. They hope the theme integrates the stillness of waiting upon, listening to and receiving from the Spirit and the “sent-ness” into a broken world that is a response to this infilling and strengthening.
“We worried some constituents may feel this theme will encourage us to have a big feel-good party in God, and foster a me-and-Jesus mentality that forgets we are a called and sent community,” said Regina Shands Stoltzfus, adult planner and a longtime Mennonite leader who will co-lead adult convention worship with Joel Miller, pastor of Cincinnati Mennonite Church.
“But we believe the theme encourages us to receive the breath of Christ that releases us to go and do the works God calls us to do. We are called by Christ to go out in his name through the empowerment of his fire and breath and energy — not on our own brain power and strength.”
Miller agrees now — though he wasn’t sure at first. He came to planning sessions hoping the theme would focus on identity-building for the church as Christ followers in North America. At San José 2007, delegates agreed Mennonite Church USA in the next few years would focus on identity building. Some months down the road, he believes this theme is more integrative than he initially thought.
“This theme allows us to integrate the two components of our faith — the Spirit who sends us and who we are as the sent ones in this world,” Miller said. “Our spirituality is all of who we are — the peace Christ gives us within and the peace we advocate in the world.
“The Holy Spirit is named an ‘advocate’ in the Scriptures, and that is what Christ’s infilling is preparing us to be — advocates in the world for those who are most in need.”
Even as this theme is integrative and communal, it also invites participants to connect intimately with God by renewing their sense of personal call, said Anna Gomez, youth planner who will be co-leader of youth worship with Peter Eberly, youth planner and youth pastor at Harrisonburg (Va.) Mennonite Church.
“As their worship leader, I want to impart to them a sense that the Holy Spirit isn’t something they have to strive to get,” said Gomez. “If they are believers in Christ, then they already have his Spirit within them. I also want to reassure them adults will walk alongside them on their journey, but that we can’t do it for them.”
Gideon Dunster, a senior at Central Christian School in Kidron, Ohio, and a youth planner, helped shape the theme. He is very excited that the Holy Spirit is getting some top billing.
“I think Mennonites focus a lot on Jesus in the New Testament, and that’s good, because he is our savior and our example,” Dunster said. “But I think we could focus a little more on the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t get a whole lot of recognition, and after all, the Spirit is the one guiding our actions when are striving to be more like Jesus.”
Like Dunster, some staff of Mennonite Church USA’s Executive Leadership — charged with guiding the convention — feel it’s time to give the Holy Spirit freedom to move in fresh ways.
“It really impacted me to sense how the Spirit was moving amongst us, and how people were opening themselves up to that movement,” said Marathana Prothro, communication director for Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership. “We worked and prayed hard, but in the end, the theme evolved in a pure and natural way. It was refreshing to be a part of something so genuine.”
The theme is genuine — but that doesn’t erase the risk planners felt in following the Spirit’s lead to finalize it, said Rachel Swartzendruber Miller, associate director of Convention Planning. It’s a risk they were willing to take to allow Christ to breathe new life into the church in a new time.
“We felt God calling us to invite Mennonites — usually so active — to take some time to breathe in and breathe out and to stop and listen to the Lord,” she said. “In striving to be a faithful church in the 21st century, we are experiencing anxiety and new questions are cropping up about our identity and who we are supposed to be now as a church.
“Some people may feel that it’s selfish to stop and listen, because it means spending too much time focusing on ourselves. But perhaps it will give us the stillness we need to ask the most important identity question of all — who is God in all this and where is God taking us next?”
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.