A great river of blessing!

Paul Mares, CMC Elder

Community Mennonite Church

“Who will come to our party?” Even when we first started to gather names for our mailing list this question was on our hearts. Although the early responses to our invitation had begun as only a trickle, a great river of blessing was now flowing into the “Sea of Markham” as we began our 50th anniversary on Friday evening, July 27, 2007.

No sea can contain all the water its contributing rivers offer. Its level rises, but for only a little while. The elevated attendance at our worship service on the 29th attested to this. Our attendance on the following Sunday was pretty much back to its "normal" level.                            

So, where does the water go? From the surface of the sea, the warm sun makes it rise as vapor or spirit — were not our spirits high all weekend? — and it falls to earth again as rain. We are like rain! We fall to earth to nurture the seeds that were planted — by us and by others! Some of us fall close to our source to nurture what’s near at hand. Some of us are carried aloft for great distances before falling to earth to nurture seeds planted many miles from home — far from the “Sea of Markham.”

Some years ago, I was baptized with water from the “Sea of Markham” — I was born again into new life. And now that same water, which had been lifted up by God and sent to other fields, had again found its way into the streams and rivers that flowed back to refresh this part of God's creation. I came away from our anniversary celebration feeling as though I was baptized yet again, made new yet again.

I now have a better understanding of what it means to "outdo one another in showing honor."  I have never felt so honored as to be in the presence of all those who nurtured and befriended me.  We were touched to our very souls by all who celebrated with us, in body or in spirit. It is my prayer that we honored God that weekend — that we blessed Him with our celebration, with our memories, with our laughter and tears, and with stories of how we responded to Christ’s call and participated in the nurturing of His church.

What had begun as a trickle had truly become a great river of blessing. The celebration of "Church" flows on.

A day care center, continuously operating since 1964 to serve the children in the community, was the first of many urban ministries the congregation started. The congregation was also home to a Mennonite Voluntary Service for more than 25 years and hosted close to 200 MVSers.

The congregation has worked to hold firm to its vision of unity in diversity, even though it has experienced painful times when both blacks and whites left the church over race-related issues.

“Being an inclusive, cross cultural, inter-racial and anti-racism witness is not easy but we believe that’s precisely what God has called us to,” said Chuck Neufeld.

The Markham congregation began in 1955 when members of the Central District Conference moved out of Chicago to the southern suburbs and decided to start a new congregation. Community Mennonite Church is affiliated with both Central District and Illinois conferences and representatives of both area conferences as well as the denomination were present for the weekend of celebration.

A Saturday evening banquet featured comments by all of the former pastors who were present, as well as community organizations touched by the community witness of the Markham congregation.

“Welcome home, we’ve been expecting you,” incoming pastor Cyneatha Millsaps told the more than 150 people who had gathered at the Community Mennonite Church, Markham, Ill. to worship on July 29 to celebrate the congregation’s 50th anniversary.

“You’re all part of the story that has changed our lives,” said Bonnie Neufeld, who with her husband, Chuck, provides pastoral support for the congregation.

The congregation spent the weekend celebrating “50 years of grace and mercy.”  Five former pastors were in attendance, including Ron Krehbiel, the first pastor of the congregation.

Left to right: Conference Minister Virgil Vogt with

Pastors Cyneatha Millsaps and Bonnie & Chuck Neufeld

July 27-29, 2007

Release by J. Ron Byler

Associate Executive Director

Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership

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