Bomen Women & The Fellowship of the Cloth

Bomen Women & The Fellowship of the Cloth
Cloth connections open face to face fellowship at Bondeko Mennonite Church in Kinshasa (May 2012) -- photo by Nancy Myers

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

CCC at Central District Conference

Marie-Jeanne and Gaston were guests of the Central District Conference meetings at Silverwood Mennonite Church (June 23-25).

Mary Ellen Meyer of Faith Mennonite, Goshen,
interprets the plenary session on Biblical interpretation,
led by Loren Johns, professor of New Testament
at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary.


Conversation with Heidi Siemens-Rhodes,
one of the pastors of The Assembly, Goshen, IN.



Auctions quilts displayed at Central District Conference.

How lovely! See what Marie-Jeanne has in her bag!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

What will you find at the CCC Booth in Pittsburgh? (July 4-8)

MEET MAMA MARIE-JEANNE MUJINGA



A slide show that introduces us to Marie-Jeanne and the BOMEN Sewing Group will be playing and you can practice your French in welcoming Marie-Jeanne to MCUSA! Come experience a glimpse of Mennonites in the Democratic Republic of Congo through slides, music and information about our connections.


LEARN ABOUT CONGOLESE MENNONITES!


Did you know?

According to Mennonite World Conference membership:
  • There are about 524,000 Mennonites in North America.
  • There are about 592,000 Mennonite in Africa.

The two countries in the world with the largest numbers of Mennonites are the USA and DR Congo:
  • There are about 387,000 Mennonites in the USA.
  • There are about 220,000 Mennonites in the Democratic Republic of Congo.


YARDS AND YARDS OF CONGO CLOTH!

Well over 1,000 yards of cloth will be displayed for your suggested donation of $10 per yard. Each day new pieces will be displayed, so come often to find the pieces you love the most!




CLOTH CREATIONS!

Rebeccca Sommers of College Mennonite Church gives us lots of ideas for how to use Congo cloth in her own creations. These bags, aprons, wall hangings, scarves, pillow slips, and skirts are available for a suggested donations.








QUILTING!

All are invited to add their stitches to the "EVERY STITCH A PRAYER" quilt top. Created by Joy Hess of College Mennonite Church (Goshen, IN), the completed quilt will be auctioned on Thursday evening at 9 pm.


BEAUTY FOR BENEFIT AUCTION!



The largest auction items is the "EVERY STITCH A PRAYER" queen size quilt.





Matching cloth was used to created a wall hanging called "CONGO CONNECTIONS." This unfinished piece will be auctioned as is, and would make a wonderful congregational project of quilting, stitching, learning and praying about Congo.





In addition, "STARS OVER CONGO" is a wall hanging created by Virginia Hartsough of Silverwood Mennonite Church and quiltiing by the Silverwood quilting group. This lovely hanging will be auctioned with a matching bag.



"CONGOLESE SISTERS" is a wall hanging by Joy Hess and the College Mennonite Church quilting group featuring Congo cloth in its typical use -- as gorgeous clothing! What a fabulous way to remember the women we are befriending, fellow seamstresses, artists, mothers, sisters, daughters!



FRIENDLY FACES!

In addition to Marie-Jeanne, folks from Florence Church of the Brethren Mennonite, Kern Road Mennonite, Prairie Street Mennonite and Silverwood will be glad to talk to you about Congo Connections and the blessings of the "fellowship of the cloth."

Friday, June 17, 2011

"Mennomenical Connections" at Bondeko Worship

BONDEKO Mennonite ChurchKinshasa -- Sunday 12 June, 2011

A day of connections

Suzanne Lind sends this lovely report of the send off for Marie-Jeanne and Gaston last Sunday!

It was a hot, dusty Sunday morning. Mama Cisca and Suzanne made their way through many, many crowded streets and alleys full of children, little tables covered with food and other items to buy, trash and brightly dressed church-goers, to Bondeko church. After all the planning and preparations, it was time to say goodbye to Marie-Jeanne and Gaston!

About 50 people met in what will eventually be the church building. For now, lengths of cloth define the small worship space under the high roof. Neighbors' voices mingle with the sounds of worship and their laundry becomes part of the décor.


John and Danile Martens of Silverwood Mennonite Church were also there, with John's brother Phil and his family -- all visiting sites where John and Phil spent their childhood years. They were warmly welcomed by church members who knew their missionary parents years ago. How surprising to have two CCC Michiana Friends of Congo members at this important service in
Kinshasa!

It was a truly "Mennomenical" (Mennonite + ecumenical) group: The church belongs to the Mennonite Church of Congo (CMCO), John and Phil grew up as missionary children of AIMM missionaries who worked with CMCO churches, the guest pastor (Pastor Mattieu Shimatu) is from the Evangelical Mennonite Church of Congo (CEM), Cisca represented the Mennonite Brethren Church of Congo (CEFMC) and Mennonite World Conference (MWC) and I was there from MCC and MFC and CCC! What would we do without acronyms!!!

I told the story of how Michiana Friends of Congo, and then the Congo Cloth Connection, got started, with a wonderful translator imitating my intonations and gestures in rapid sequence. I went into some detail about how determined we are to find ways to know more about and have more
relationships with Congolese Mennonites.

Then I told about Chris Nofsinger's visit to Kinshasa and her passion for Congo cloth, and showed the photo of her with her cloth. I talked about what a wonderful surprise it has been for all involved to see how the beauty of cloth, color, design, sewing creativity provides such a fun and exciting way to learn and pray. Heads were nodding, everyone smiling, so pleased to hear what a "ministry" their cloth and their creativity can have.

I told about
Pittsburgh and the display there then stopped and said,

“But how could we have a whole big display of cloth and information about Congo without someone from Congo there? Oh! We had to invite a Congolese seamstress!"

And I pointed to Marie-Jeanne, who beamed her brightest smile, and everyone broke into whoops and hollers, laughter and clapping.

I talked a bit about the itinerary for Marie-Jeanne and Gaston, where they would be staying and some of the activities planned, and a bit about CCC committee members. Showed a picture of Nina in the river baptizing (Tim in background). Also a photo of Nina in Pasadena with Reverends Komuesa and Shimatu (who was sitting right behind me -- I hadn't known he would be there, but of course he was really pleased). Also a picture of Nina with Sylvia Shirk, who will be a translator. The congregation got a big kick when I said,

“Although Marie-Jeanne and Gaston will have translators with them for presentations, when they stay in homes they will have to use their English.”

The translator quipped, "Speek Eengleesh onlee!"


LEYA’S COMFORTER

The grand finale was to show the quilt Chris made and Florence folks knotted for Leya. This was the perfect way to underline once again the "each stitch a prayer" theme. People were very moved. I concluded,

“Imagine that Marie-Jeanne is pulling a beautiful thread with her as she goes, taking stitches of love and beauty along the way and returning to continue the design here.”


It was all great fun and I think gave an idea of what Marie-Jeanne and Gaston may experience.

THE DRESS -- Part 4!

There was yet another surprise in the dress story...on Sunday, June 12 when Suzanne attended worship at the Bondeko congregation in Kinshasa.

After church yesterday, Mama Manjina, assistant director of BOMEN workshop and the one who was so upset when I first mentioned buying the dress that Monique was making, told me she had brought me a gift.

After the worship service she brought me a package: a beautiful dress similar to the one that Monique was making and similar to the one Marie-Jeanne gave me, made of fresh, new cloth in strips of different colorful, beautiful designs which she had made for me! Some strips even had the descriptive stickers still in place, perhaps to underscore the fact that BOMEN does NOT sell/give away dresses made from used cloth! Beautiful lace around the sleeves.

We laughed together and I marveled at its loveliness, its perfect fit, her understanding of just what I had wanted.

I hugged her and kissed her, put the dress on over the dress I was wearing, and pranced around the little church, showing it to everyone. She insisted we have our picture taken and I will make sure she gets a copy.

I shall be wearing beautiful, loose, cool, colorful dresses for a long time. I wonder if they will provide the much-needed reminder to think before I talk or whether they will allow me to continue to stumble into
question-filled situations.



I did promise the BOMEN women who were together after church that I will come to the workshop and ORDER some new clothes for which I will PAY them well!

THE DRESS -- Part 3

Remember, Suzanne had the audacity to ask to buy young Monique's practice dress. The Mama's thought that was totally unacceptable. Read what happened next:

Last week Marie-Jeanne and Gaston came to the office to pay for Gaston's plane ticket.

Marie-Jeanne brought me a dress she had made for me. It is well made of bright, stiff new cloth, gorgeous colors, big and baggy like I like. I hugged and kissed Marie-Jeanne and we joked a bit about my strange request to buy a dress made of used material from Monique at the Bomen workshop.

Inside I felt awkward, wondering if she wanted me to pay for it. I put the dress on over the dress I was wearing and pranced about the office, showing off to others who were there.

It is a beautiful dress and a lovely gift and a good lesson for me.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

And Stateside...a dress of Congo cloth

Lois Hess Nofziger choose her Congo cloth at the "market" at Central District Conference meetings in June of 2010. Look what she made!

IF YOU HAVE A CONGO CLOTH PROJECT TO SHARE, PLEASE SEND A PHOTO AND YOUR REFLECTIONS TO ninalblanctot@msn.com. PEACE, NINA


Here is a picture of me in the dress I made standing by our garden gate. 
The experience of making a dress with this fabric from the

Congo left me with a sense of satisfaction.
I had not had a sewing
project like this for sometime.
I may get inspired to try another one
again soon.

This is June and the garden behind me is growing well.
Perhaps the enjoyment of growing food and flowers is also an experience
shared with the women of Congo?
Thanks for the project of Congo cloth and relationship building. Lois

Sunday, June 5, 2011

"Can I buy the dress Monique made?" -- Part Two

TO READ THIS ENTIRE STORY, BEGIN READING THE ENTRY ON TUESDAY, MAY 24 --
A VISIT TO BOMEN SEWING GROUP...


Suzanne Lind concludes her visit with the women of the BOMEN Sewing Group in Kinshasa. But she will return on Sunday, June 12, when the congregation blesses Marie-Jeanne and Gaston before they travel to the United States. (They will be landing in Detroit on Wednesday, June 15!)

As for the dress... we will see...



Suzanne:

"I realized as this went on that I was making a big faux-pas in asking to buy the dress that Monique had sewn. Though I loved it, this is not how things are done. I should not have asked about the dress. Or I should graciously have withdrawn from the conversation.

"That dress is probably being made using second-hand cloth for training Monique, and they could not possibly let me wear that. Now I don't know what they will do, but I have probably created a situation of embarrassment for us all, and expense for them. They will probably make me something similar from new cloth and refuse to let me pay for it.

"I don't know why I continue to be so gauche in so many situations; probably because I start having fun and forget that formalities are important and that there are many layers of hope, expectation, power and need at work.

"So, we'll see what happens next . . ."

Suzanne has been relating to Congo and the Congolese for over forty years. It gives me some consolation -- and some trepidation -- to know that she is still learning the culture. I am sure all those who meet Marie-Jeanne and Gaston will enjoy that complex dance of two cultures.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

"Can I buy the dress Monique made?" -- Part One

...the continuing story of Suzanne Lind's visit to the BOMEN Sewing Group in Kinshasa. So what if you want to buy a dress? CONGO CLOTH CONNECTION is committed to cross cultural relationships. But sometimes it is complicated....

I was enchanted with the dress Monique Bapa was piecing together. It made me think of quilts! I recognized some of the cloth she was using. All morning I kept looking at it.




Finally, just before we left, I asked if I could buy it when it was finished, and insisted on trying it on.


Everyone whooped and hollered at this suggestion. Mama Manjina is appalled at my request.

"No, you can't buy that dress. It's just a practice project."


"But I like this dress," I say. "It suits me, it looks like a quilt, I saw Monique working on it, it feels comfortable, I like looser things, this is just my kind of dress!"


Mama Manjina calls Marie-Jeanne.

"Come and deal with this. She is asking to BUY that dress!!
Sort this out, quickly."


Marie-Jeanne comes in with a bemused look on her face and considers
the situation. Mama Manjina says to me,

"Suzanne, I made a dress for you just like that, but I forgot it at the house.I will give it to you sometime."

Suzanne:

"But I like THIS dress. It would mean a lot to me. Monique, are you making this for yourself or could I buy it from you?"

(Monique just laughed, knowing better than to get involved in something her elders were dealing with.)


Marie-Jeanne:

"Suzanne, we can make a dress for you like this. We were planning to give you a dress as a gift anyway."

Suzanne:

" I don't want a gift, I want to buy this dress from Monique. I know that seems strange to you, but somehow this dress seems very special and just right for me."


Marie-Jeanne: (To the women)

"She wants this dress. She wants to buy it from Monique because she is happy to see how Monique is working here."

(To me)

"Okay, Suzanne. We understand. We'll see about the dress . . . ."


End of story for now...