Edmonton, Alta.
Vic Thiessen in a suit and tie? Yes, it really was Vic up front at Holyrood Mennonite Church here on July 14, with his wife, Kathy, and daughters Janelle and Katrina. They were being commissioned to serve at the London Mennonite Centre in England.
Keith Funk-Froese, pastor-in-waiting at Holyrood, presented vignettes of the Thiessens' interests and, more specifically, their individual gifts to the Holyrood congregation over the past five years.
Colleagues, members of their small group, and close friends gathered around the Thiessens in the commissioning and the congregation's pledge of support for their mission. Marvin Baergen, representing the Christian Witness Council of Mennonite Church Canada, conveyed blessing and support from the larger body.
The Thiessen family came to Edmonton from New Brunswick in 1997 to begin the Welcome Home Community, whose mission was to "establish a community which would help distressed children and parents move toward wholeness and wellbeing." A committed staff successfully created community with the participating families until the government funding pot boiled dry, thus terminating the program.
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While still grieving that loss, Vic and Kathy became aware of the ad for director at the London Mennonite Centre. The centre "provides a forum for church leaders and congregations from many denominations to explore how the early Anabaptist model can shape and revitalize the broader Christian church in England." Its programs include a book service, library, teaching program, and conflict transformation training. At the present time, the centre has 10 staff.
After attending a July 19-24 missions seminar in Kansas, the Thiessens boarded a plane from Edmonton on July 31, and jetted their way to their new assignment.
Vic is generally not a suit-and-tie kind of person, but with his commitment to the Anabaptist way of life he seems well-suited to the job and should tie in well with the goals of the London Mennonite Centre.
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