It's time I wrote a word about my Swiss brethren....
Looking back on the many a road that this life has lead me down there is one thing I've realized will always be identified as... A Mennonite.
I'm not saying this with any distaste by any means but right now I'm sitting with a bit of a culture clash among my Mennonite family.
You see, I've been to Paraguay, Belize and back and can fit my way into which and whatever stream I'd like to identify my self as. But this last year I've come to know and love another break away baby of our dear Father/Mother Mans/Grebal. Although we were separated at birth this is my Swiss brethren.
There's a good number of roots radical Mennonites spread through out and within out great Northern Canada. At first glance I thought that many of them may be 'black bumper', Reindlander or whatever other sub sub break off church we might want to label our selves as. At first I was guilty of throwing down the broad label of 'conservative' Now I've come to know them as so socially conscientious and terribly sincere brothers and sisters who rigorously live to break barriers to make brothers and sister of those who need a want family. It's such a stupid thing to stigmatize a head covering and over look such solid individuals giving up their whole lives for a Northern people I've come to love. I'm not talking about or simple summer camps or legitimate MCC projects but rather giving up a life once known to build, contribute and plant redemption to a community where the wreckage of hurt and untrust linger.
There's some things a lot more innocent and honest about these Pennsyvana/KitchenerWaterloo Mennonites. It's ... its hard to say exactly what it is but I think it's just an honest love for GOD's heart and finding themselves in a place where GOD's heart is going out too. It didn't take years of suicide statistics or the occasional foster kid trickling down to our white south to call them to the north .....it was where GOD's heart was before during and after the evils of residential schools. So legitimate GENERAtions of Northern Mennonites have lived and loved in much of the farther north for so so long. Not in a stagnant colonial duplicate life but marring, sharing and just living till honesty and trust prevailed over systemic separation. It was an awesome day when one of the 'to my eyes' native kids was so stoked to find out she was distant cousins with a Swiss (Kitchener) Menno volunteer.
The Mennonite Game lives on through Apartheid!
Back to that pervasive honesty. I think it comes, in part, from being who they are and not trying or caring to be 'cool' or particularly relevant. I think the Church and Western (Russian) Mennonites particularly have been trying so hard to be accepted by common society that they've become slick and sterile and in many ways striped of what our defining feature is, our first Love! GOD and the truth of the gospel.
It makes far more sense, to me, to prove your love to someone by talking, sharing and honestly speaking from your love relationship (with Christ)than first putting on your cultural mask and demographic makeup and convincing one that you're a part of them and then talking about Christ and how great HE is.
That's what I think they've got ........... a strong personal/social Christ identity.
