October 2005: Gospel Evangel

IN-MI Listening and Redesign Team reflects on delegate responses

by Martha Yoder Maust, chair, Listening and Redesign Team

A call to prayer

You’ve got to pray, pray, pray down on your knees,

You’ve got to fall down on your knees and pray.

The words of this African-American spiritual echoed in the written responses that delegates gave at the end of IN-MI Conference’s annual sessions June 16–18, 2005, at Yellow Creek Mennonite, Goshen, Ind.

The Listening and Redesign (L/R) Team had asked delegates, “What has God been saying to you personally in the past three days? How might God be nudging you?” Nearly half of those responding heard a call to pray more, pray more regularly, pray more deeply, or spend more time in corporate prayer. Others heard a call to keep the Sabbath and to back away from being overly busy to have more time for prayer and reflection.

“God, what are you doing today? How can I help?” These words, spoken by Alan and Eleanor Kreider, nudged a number of people who wanted to be open to a new call that God might have for them. Some felt that God was asking them to take more risks and to be ready to respond to the stranger God might be sending to their door. Others heard a call to be faithful where they are and to deal patiently with conflicts and differences in the church. Some felt a call to forgive and to ask for forgiveness in specific relationships.

It was a real blessing for the L/R Team to read these responses and to sense the deep commitment and love for God and for the church -- the body of Christ -- that the responders expressed. The team will continue to work with these responses as they meet. Our prayer is that God will guide us into deeper love and more faithfulness in our “bumbling” journey together as a conference of congregations, so that “God’s healing and hope flow through us to the world.”

Stories of pain?

At annual sessions, the L/R Team asked participants to tell each other stories of when they had felt energized and excited about IN-MI Conference.

After the table groups shared their stories, several people approached the team with a concern: Why had we chosen to frame the question in a positive way? Why had we not also asked for stories of difficult or painful times? The simplest answer is that we hope to carry into the future the best out of the past. The themes gleaned from the table conversations showed some of the strengths of conference in the past and will guide us as we plan for the future.

This answer did not satisfy some of those who raised the question. Therefore, we are issuing an invitation. If you have a painful story that you think the L/R Team should hear, send it in writing to:

Martha Yoder Maust (chair, L/R Team)

[mailing address] [e-mail address]

Please include your counsel about how the redesign process might be attentive to your concern: How can IN-MI Conference avoid having this happen again? If possible, meet with someone who may view the incident differently and talk together about what happened and what counsel you both might have for the L/R Team. (This would be the ideal, in the team’s eyes.)

Martha will share the stories with the team unless you specifically request otherwise. Keep in mind that choosing anonymity will limit the team’s ability to respond to your concern. Thank you in advance for being willing to share this sensitive material with the team.

-- Martha Yoder Maust attends Shalom Mennonite in Indianapolis.