Editorial
 Taking in refugees is an act of faith, and for the sponsors of WWII refugees, it was no different.  Who knows what they’ve experienced?  What if the political system has corrupted them?  What if they have Communist/ Fascist ideas?
 
How will they fit into the church?  They’ve had so little religious teachings—will they know wrong from right?
 
Practically, how much money will it cost?  There are obligations to one’s own family, children to educate, home and car payments.  And what if they never become independent, if they need the sponsors for years and years—what then?
 
In many cases, there has been no news from these friends, relatives or acquaintances for  fifteen years or more; reasons enough to doubt the wisdom of taking in these strangers.

It’s a good thing Canadian Mennonites were led by faith, not doubt.  Thousands opened their doors and their hearts to the refugees that arrived after WWII.  And for this we, the “48ers are thankful from the bottom of our hearts.  May we be as generous!
 
 
 

Upcoming Celebration

Sixty years of Peace and Plenty:  The Celebration.  October 18 and 19, 2008.  All events to take place at Emmanuel Mennonite Church,  3471Clearbrook Rd, Abbotsford, BC.

 Saturday afternoon from 2 pm.  Admission free!  Visiting, photo and artifact exhibits, author book signings, music, drama, film: The Great Trek.

Saturday evening 6 pm.  Annual Fundraising Banquet with Dr. Harry Loewen.

  "Mennonite Refugees After World War II: Those Who Came West and Those Who Were Sent   Back East."

In 1943 some 35,000 Mennonites left the Soviet Union, fleeing from the Red Army. When they reached Poland and Germany, they were overtaken by the Soviets and 23,000 were forcibly sent back to Russia. Only 12,000 managed to remain in Germany. With the help of MCC they found new homes in South America and Canada. Those who were sent back East after the war suffered untold hardships, but many not only survived but also kept their faith and established congregational communities. In the 1970s and '80s many Russian Mennonites came to live as "Aussiedler" (resettlers) in Germany where they thrive materially and spiritually, similar to their brothers and sisters in the West. The paper will seek to describe and compare the experiences of these groups whose 60th anniversary we are celebrating this year.

 Admission to the banquet by advance tickets only.  Tickets are $20, and are available from board members or the MHSBC office.

Sunday afternoon at 2:30 pm.  Festival of Thanksgiving in Story and Song.  Free admission.
Storytellers and readers include Andreas Schroeder, Helen Lescheid, Louise Bergen Price, Elsie K. Neufeld, Robert Martens, Rob van Dyck and Connie Braun.  Tribute to MCC and C.F. Klassen by Klassen’s grandson Steve Klassen.  Singing led by Peter and Hilda Goertzen.
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