Out of hibernation

Dear Bridgefolk:

Even here in Minnesota there are signs of spring. So it is a good time for the Bridgefolk email list to come out of hibernation. With this message I want to briefly let you know what has been happening and what will be coming in the next few days as we do a little catching up.

Though this list has been in hibernation, the Bridgefolk steering committee has not been asleep. A revitalized, redesigned newsletter called The BRIDGE has been in development and is almost ready for release. We now expect to put out a newsletter on a regular quarterly basis, in an attractive format that you will be able to share with friends.

As we put out the newsletter on a regular basis, we also expect to use this list to let you know about new developments as they happen, without the lag time that has come when we have expected the newsletter to do all our work. When we have news, or new material on the website, or updated conference information, we will let you know with shorter Bridgefolk Briefs.

As we catch up here, I will be sending out the first two or three Bridgefolk Briefs shortly. But don’t worry — we continue promising not to clutter up your email inbox!

Grace and peace,

Gerald W. Schlabach
Bridgefolk coordinator

Introducing Regina Wilson, New Steering Committee Member

As far as I know, I had never met a Mennonite until August 1990 when my husband Jeff Nixa and I were blessed to meet Gerald and Joetta Schlabach at Notre Dame. Aside from the pleasure and blessing of meeting Gerald and Joetta, no fireworks occurred from this meeting. In fact, I only learned a little bit about the Mennonite Church at that point. Gerald and I were in a class together at Notre Dame and our paths occasionally crossed at various ND theology functions along the way. Little did I expect what would unfold in Jeff’s and my life in subsequent years. In fact, in some ways this is more Jeff’s story than mine, but I was definitely along for the ride.

Jeff and I are what is known as cradle Catholics. Catholicism is what I know. I basically eat, sleep and breathe it, and, though I am unhappy about some aspects of the Catholic Church, it’s family. Jeff, on the other hand, came to a point where the sins of the Catholic Church far outweighed the grace for him, and he decided to take a break from Catholicism. Gerald and Joetta had invited us several times to worship at Kern Road Mennonite Church here in South Bend. Due to my responsibilities as a pastoral associate, it is difficult for me to get away on a Sunday. Jeff, however, decided to give it a go and went one Sunday to Kern for worship. One Sunday led to another worshipping at Kern Road. Of course, he would give me glowing reports about community life, women preaching, the singing, and the commitment to justice. Of course, I was jealous. Before long that first worship experience had led to five years with Kern Road for Jeff.

During this time, we both met many other Mennonite folks and developed friendships along the way. I also grew more impatient with the division between not only the Mennonite and Catholic Churches but between all Christian Churches. As my associations with Mennonites grew and deepened and as we occasionally shared worship, I grew more uncomfortable and embarrassed by the division we were “celebrating” (in a sense) at Sunday worship. Sharing the pain of this division has sharpened my desire to be part of the work for unity.

Our girls were both baptized in the Catholic Church. As time passed and they grew older, issues about which church to raise them in became more pressing for us. Eventually, Jeff decided to return to the Catholic Church but, of course, neither one of us has been the same since. Meeting Gerald and Joetta on a balmy August day in Indiana was the beginning of an experience that has deeply formed my ministry in the Catholic Church and has been life changing for our family.

Serving on the steering committee for Bridgefolk is a way for me to continue to share in the blessings and gifts of the Mennonite Church as well as to engage in the work for Christian unity.

— Regina Wilson

An update from Bridgefolk in the Newton, KS area

It was good to return home from the July meeting at St. John’s and have other “bridgefolk” to meet with for debriefing, reflecting, and brainstorming options for bridge-building work right here in our own community.

Like many of you we have individually tried to find ways to communicate our experience to friends, family, and members of our churches and parishes. Gordon Houser certainly has the widest reach as an editor of The Mennonite, and some of you may have read the article he wrote on the Bridgefolk gathering.

We have made a couple of attempts to do some of this sharing as a group. Several of us shared at New Creation Mennonite Fellowship here in Newton as part of a Sunday morning worship service. Gordon also called us together to help lead a chapel service at the Mennonite Church USA offices in town. Our reflections on the July gathering and our need as Mennonites to help create stronger relationships with our Catholic sisters and brothers seemed to be well received.

More recently, C. Arnold Snyder (another Bridgefolk participant) came to Newton and offered the Menno Simons Lectures at Bethel College (Nov. 3-5). Myrna Krehbiel learned that Arnold is a gifted jazz pianist and set up a special evening concert at Peace Connections in Newton where she serves as the director. It was a fun night of connecting with others through music. Thank you Arnold for the many gifts you shared with us! (Why didn’t we hear you tickle the ivories this summer?? Maybe next time!)

Our current national and international environment is, of course, causing us to reflect in some new ways on what it means to be disciples and Christian peacebuilders in our world today. A number of recent actions and activities in the Newton community have allowed us to build bridges with people of many stripes who are working for peace.

The July 2002 Bridgefolk gathering was a meaningful event for each one of us, and we will continue to seek ways to keep the spirit of hospitality, peace, and understanding we encountered there alive and moving here on the Kansas prairies. Blessings to all of the bridgefolk out there! May God’s fierce love and enduring peace move in this beautiful and unsettled world.

(Bridgefolk 2002 participants from Newton were Gordon Houser, Myrna & Randy Krehbiel, Don & Corinne Kehrberg, and Eric Massanari):

Summary of Steering Committee Meeting, November 2002

The Bridgefolk Steering Committee met a St. John’s November 8-10, 2002. Present were: Sheri Hostetler; Ivan and Lois Kauffman; Abbot John Klassen, OSB; Marlene and Stan Kropf; Weldon Nisly; Gerald Schlabach; William Skudlarek, OSB; and Regina Wilson. Subjects covered included: creating a mission statement, confirming the Bridgefolk name, considering structures for the organization, planning the 2003 conference; reviewing the newsletter and suggesting the idea of regional groups. Continue reading “Summary of Steering Committee Meeting, November 2002” →