Mennonite Central Committee

Making the circle a little wider: Eating breakfast with Mennonite soldiers

by Jim Amstutz

"For the first five years I thought I was the only one with military service experience..." -Charlie

On June 29, 1996 eleven men gathered around breakfast tables in the fellowship hall at West Swamp Mennonite Church. All were members of the church I pastor and all had military experience, except for me.

After the meal I asked the men to share what branch of the military they served with and any experiences they felt comfortable sharing. It didn't take long for me to realize that this was the primary agenda for the morning. Some had seen combat in WWII. Louie had been a prisoner of war for a time. Sharing was difficult for him and he confessed that his wife didn't even know some of these stories.

Many of the men had married into the church or were new to the Mennonite faith. Others had grown up Mennonite and for many different reasons joined the military. Russell, who grew up in a sister congregation, says he learned more about conscientious objection from the military than he did from his home church. "The peace position was never taught at my church. When I said I was Mennonite in basic training they said "Oh, you're a C.O.!"

We held a second breakfast meeting on February 15, 1997. Several who had not been able to attend the first meeting were present and all fourteen invited were there. Those new to the group were invited to share from their experience as they felt comfortable. I shared a brief report from the Members in the Military Conference held November 15-16, 1996 in Chicago. I was on the planning committee and one of the presenters. I said the wider church is struggling with the issue of members in the military in light of evangelism and integration.

Hank, a veteran of the Korean conflict and one of our deacons, then shared from the "Agreeing and Disagreeing In Love" document passed at Wichita '95. He also read from the article on peace from the Confession of Faith and said that it would be wrong for the church to make the peace position a test of membership. Tim, also a deacon and in the army reserves, then shared a three-step process of understanding:

1. We agree that the Biblical Peace position and non-participation in the military is the position of the Mennonite Church (as per the Confession) and of West Swamp Mennonite Church since we have adopted the Confession as our doctrinal statement.

2. We agree that this is the position that will be taught and preached at West Swamp.

3. We agree that those who do not hold this position will agree not to teach against it.

I was deeply moved by the level of conviction that Hank and Tim showed in sharing this information. I'm convinced the West Swamp veterans could hear this information better from them than from me.

What can we learn from members of Mennonite churches who have military experience? I learned much from the men at these breakfast meetings, including:

1. Sharing memories is important. The breakfast forum gave voice to untold stories and some dangerous memories. While the church finds it impossible to bless military experience we dare not condemn people's memories. We must create a safe place to remember in the context of Christian community. There is also a clear demarcation between the WWII vets and those from more recent conflicts. "We are not the bad guys!" declared Jim who is convinced that the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved his life. On the other hand, John, a Vietnam vet says he would do "whatever it takes" to keep his two sons out of war. Memories shape and define our worldview.

2. Gatherings like these put faces to the issue. Tony Campolo writes "Most preachers do their best preaching when they condemn sins of people who do not attend church." (Is Jesus a Republican or a Democrat? And 14 Other Polarizing Issues, 1995, p.19). Facing the music of members in the military means being a pastor to these members while being true to my calling and personal beliefs. I shared at the first meeting that I sought conscientious objector status in the early '70s but was never called. I also served with MCC U.S. Peace Section for four years as Director of Draft Counselor Training and Peace Education. They knew where I stood through sermons and teachings, but I had never heard their point of view. Listening is a basic to pastoral care.

3. These meetings show me what being "strong on the issue and soft on the people" means. I may have to concede that for some of these members, embracing the biblical peace position is a remote and distant possibility. On the other hand, the Spirit works in mysterious ways. One of my goals was to make sure we were still hearing each other. I think that was accomplished. We were able to name the center of our faith perspective on peace without building fences. This has been called the "magnet" approach of faith and practice. Hank and Tim called for clear understanding and greater faithfulness even if we disagree.

4. Not all military experiences are negative. Very few of the West Swamp vets were put in a position of handling weapons or taking human life. That they were part of the over all war effort was not in dispute. But they were quick to point out that their military experience matured them, broadened their world, and tempered their faith. Hank told how he helped MCC distribute food in Korea while in uniform. Olin remembers talking with a German POW who said he didn't want to fight and kill anyone either. Much of military life is routine, even boring. Can we respect the positive outcomes of something we fundamentally disagree with?

5. This gathering, in part, explains our struggle with other church discipline issues. West Swamp, like many churches today, finds it difficult to talk about sin, failure and falling short of God's intentions. We have wrestled in spiritual council with numerous issues outside the boundaries of our core beliefs and yet find personal accountability nearly impossible. We fear alienation, confrontation and making people feel uncomfortable. The breakfasts have given us a model of relational theology that doesn't compromise our doctrine. The veterans know where the boundaries are and seem ready to respect them. Ernie expressed a sentiment shared by many. "I wouldn't choose to go into the military again given the choice, but I wouldn't be the same person without it." There are plans for a third breakfast gathering. Tim suggested we invite the conscientious objectors at West Swamp to have breakfast with the veterans group. I sense God's leading in that suggestion. Charlie discovered he wasn't alone as a Mennonite soldier at West Swamp and hopefully we can broaden that circle a little wider with Christ as our center. -When this article was written, Jim S. Amstutz was pastor of West Swamp Mennonite Church, Quakertown, PA

This article first appeared in the Gospel Herald, September 7, 1997. Reprinted with permission.