News and Notes

Click the links below to go to the article on this page.

Salzburg, Austria, PAX Reunion Held at The Welcoming Place

Observations at World Conference and Following By Clair Brenneman

Pax Events at Assembly 15 of Mennonite World Conference – Asuncion, Paraguay – July 14 – 19, 2009. A Report with Comments.

PAXMAN: Nepal needs just this kind of man

Salzburg, Austria, PAX Reunion 

News and Notes from the Pax World

Camp Amigo Pax reunion

Pax Committee

Bienenberg Peace Path

Salzburg, Austria, PAX Reunion Held at The Welcoming Place.

15 Paxers by name, left to right:    Standing: John Driedger, Glen Showalter, Robert Unrau, Merle Brenneman,    Dave Kulp, Bob Landis, Wayne Yoder, Lowell Bender, Gilbert Friesen    Sitting: John Arn, Richard Boshart, Lester Yoder, Ervie Glick,    Corney Klassen, Alan Mast.

The Salzburg PAX unit reunion was held September 10-13, 2009, at the MCC Welcoming Place. Twenty nine attended, including spouses. The group stayed in the excellent accommodations of the Africa and the America Houses on campus. Persons attending had traveled across the U.S., Canada, and Germany to attend this event. The Mennonite Central Committee PAX Program (an alternative to Military Service), built six multi-family houses and a church for an Anabaptist German speaking group related to Apostolics, refugees from the former Yugoslavia, primarily Serbia. Paxmen built these houses in the early 1960’s just outside Salzburg, Austria, close to Hallein.

The previous reunion took place in Asilomar, Monterey, California. The group meets every three years at a location decided by a committee. In two years 2011, however, they may hold the reunion in Austria to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the project.  The customary three year reunion site is still being investigated by a new committee.

Paxers and Wives

This year’s committee consisted of Lowell and Verna Bender, of Bittinger, Maryland; Ervie and Mary Glick of Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Dick and Cathy Boshart of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The agenda of the Akron reunion included daily gatherings with PAXers sharing recent life experiences, motivations for Christian Service as PAX molded their lives, and common peace concerns in the world. Cultural events included a tour of the MCC Material Resource Center, a visit to the Ten Thousand Villages store, an Amish Country Tour lead by Faye Irene Landis (wife of PAXer Bob Landis), a meal in an Amish home, and performances at the Sight and Sound Theaters. On Saturday evening other local PAXers were invited to attend and share a joint meal of Austrian Bratwurst sandwiches and fixings, with the local PAXers bringing Pennsylvania Dutch desserts. The group then met together with 52 present. Following introductions, they shared their PAX location and years of service and the effects it made on their lives. Germany, Austria, Greece, Nepal, Morroco, and Algeria were places of service.

Sunday morning the attendees participated in a worship service led by moderator Lowell Bender and Ervie Glick, song leader. The devotional meditation was presented by Wayne Yoder. His wife Linda sang a supporting solo.

Mennonite Central Committee Africa representative, Bruce Campbell-Janz gave an update of current MCC work in various locations in the world, He also gave information about a new program called “SEED” which provides service opportunities for persons who will commit to two years overseas. The reunion group decided to donate money to the SEED program to encourage young people to choose this challenging and rewarding service.

Observations at World Conference and Following By Clair Brenneman

It was very rewarding for me to return to Paraguay for MWC and to observe the progress that has been made following my two years of service 54 years ago.

The Mennonites have not only progressed themselves, but more meaningful to me was the way they have reached out to the Paraguayans [most of Spanish heritage]and indigenous people in terms of education, health care, welfare and evangelism.

Having worked on the Trans Chaco Highway, it was a highlight to travel the highway built by MCC personnel.  It not only provides a market road for the Mennonites but for the Paraguayan ranchers. We heard several comments that if the road had not been built, the existence of the Mennonite colonies would be questionable today. Following my presentation at the conference a number of people came forward and expressed gratitude for what the PAX boys had done for their country.  One person told me that his Dad, Jacob Penner, used to cook for PAX boys who were building the highway.

Following the conference, we traveled to the Chaco on the Trans Chaco highway.  We saw semis coming to Asuncion, the capital city, with loads of beef cattle, dairy products and other products from the Mennonite colonies.  On one occasion while stopping enroute, I observed dairy products on display racks in a store. They all indicated the product was manufactured in “Colonia Menonita".

To build the Trans Chaco highway was not easy task. There was the rainy season, swamp areas, jungle, the difficulty in obtaining parts for machines, intense heat, and the morale was not always positive. It is rewarding to look back and see the accomplishment and forget some of the struggles we went through.

Parguayan officials questioned the possibility of such a task.  But MCC moved forward and followed the progress of the highway to its completion. I am grateful to the Harry Harder family who left their comfortable home in Mountain Lake, Minnesota and moved to Paraguay to be in charge of the highway and the PAX boys.  Harry was engineer for the project. Ann, his wife, an excellent support person, gave home schooling to their children, Martin and Margaret.  They were missionaries in a non-traditional way.

Although the Trans Chaco highway was a major project of MCC in Paraguay, may we not forget other PAX boys who served there. Inner colony roads were built by PAX prior to the Trans Chaco to connect villages within a colony and to connect colonies with each other.  Those PAX boys were under the leadership of Vern Buller of Bloomfield, Montana, who with his family lived in the Chaco during construction of those roads.

PAX boys also served with MCC in agricultural extension, experimental farms, etc

I am very grateful for my experience in Paraguay, and affirm the work and mission of MCC.

Return to the Top

Pax Events at Assembly 15 of Mennonite World Conference – Asuncion, Paraguay – July 14 – 19, 2009. A Report with Comments.

July 16, Thursday, was “Pax day” including a presentation at the general morning service on The Trans-Chaco Road delivered by Pax Paraguay veteran Clair Brenneman of Palmer Lake, CO, plus a three-hour Pax Reunion during the afternoon.

Among comments heard that day and later, several adults (Mennonites) of Asuncion said they had no idea MCC Paxmen had been involved with the Chaco Road project. It was news, of course, to even more youth in attendance. Thanks is due all who had a hand in scheduling the report. (Clair, by the way, demonstrated complete Pax “cool” when total electricity cut off during part of his presentation to the throng of 5,000 that morning.)

Traversing six blocks from the main conference center was required to a private school for our three-hour session after lunch (and short siesta). No doubt, it was assumed that spry old Pax guys would have no trouble with such a move.

Brenneman officiated while Kasper worked logistics and tech. Bert Lobe, who was most instrumental in arrangements for the reunion, offered a sincere welcome from MWC, praised the Pax film, and had to hurry to another meeting with no chance for questions. Representing MCC, Ron Fleming and Herman Bontrager, recounted many values of the Pax program and distributed some detailed statistics of “then and now,” discussed recent polling of youth motivation, church support, etc. The challenges and potential of MCC’s new international, experimental, initiatives were presented. (See MCC websites: the SEED program begun in Columbia, 2009, and description of “New Wine/New Wineskins” in cooperation with MWC). I regret not having a chance to visit with Sarah Histand, who was present, about specific progress with the Histand Gift.

The film PAX SERVICE An Alternative to War took a major portion of remaining time. But for many it was their first viewing and I heard very positive responses – dare we say “pride” in the film and its message.

Two men with noticeable interest at the meeting, taking notes, asking questions, were sons of Paxmen – one whose father (name?) had worked in Africa, and Marvin, son of Harry Harder of Mt. Lake, MN, the first engineer and trainer of road builders for the Trans-Chaco. Another fellow provided critical, last minute, technical assistance for showing the film that day, then appropriately introduced himself as “the last Paxman in Paraguay;” he was David (of Asuncion), a son of Dr. John Schmidt (MN and KS) who founded renowned Kilometer 81-Leprosy Clinic and Hospital in eastern Paraguay.

Author Gerhard Ratzlaff of Asuncion, in very few minutes, gave valuable description of his motivation – the necessity – that compelled him to write The Trans-Chaco Highway, How It Came to Be, a 1998 book available in English as well as German. We’ve known Herr Ratzlaff to continue expounding the MCC story, past and present, whenever he can.

Finally, that afternoon, we enjoyed the greeting and special warm reminisences of former MCC Executive Director John Lapp.

A unique highlight of Assembly 15 for me, in this city where Kathryn and I now teach in “retirement,” was the renewing of old and finding new Pax and MCC connections.

-- Arlo Kasper (Pax Germany,’55-‘57; Akron,’57-‘58)

It would be interesting to see who could identify the most individuals in these pix.   Image 4 shows John Lapp speaking to the group.  The distinguished gray-haired gentleman in front, shots 1 and 4, facing to the right, is Gerhard Ratzlaff.
--Arlo Kasper

PS: In trying to purchase another copy of Cal Redekop’s book on Pax at two different booth outlets during last day of the conference, all were sold out – great!

Return to the Top

NEPAL NEEDS JUST THIS KIND OF MAN

[This article was found and placed on a browsing table at the August 2009 Menno Nepal reunion by Kathy Martin. It had been printed on MCC News Service stationery, written by Samuel R. Burgoyne, Director of Personnel, United Mission to Nepal, and dated January 2, 1970.]

MEN AT WORK

We shall miss Ben when he leaves us next week on the completion of a three-year period of service. His name could be Dick or Ed or Jim or a score of other names, for his is typical of the pleasant, hard-working youths whom we bunch together as Paxmen.

They come, usually a little shyly, into our language school in Kathmandu, eager to study Nepali, to learn about the country and people from the orientation lectures and reading materials, and to prepare for work in close touch with the people of the Himalayan Kingdom. In moments of leisure they cycle through the narrow streets of the capital. They are intrigued by the friendly people and the bewildering differences of types and dress. All these, against a background of tiered pagodas and gold-covered stupas, form an exotic and colorful picture.

Three months of concentration on Nepali soon pass, and Tom, Ken or Stan moves out to the low-lying terai [sic] area or the mountains on his assignment. It may be back-breaking work in a rock tunnel, part of a power project for the growing town of Butwal. His duties may involve him in training nationals in auto-mechanics. There is a hospital being built in a remote mountain area, four hours climb from a primitive airstrip; and our young man may be responsible for supplies, planning, training of local farmers as masons or carpenters and the actual building work.

Yes, we shall miss Ben and all his tribe, for they have made a tremendous contribution to the work for God in a challenging situation. Quiet, cheerful and industrious, they have often lived hard under difficult conditions. Their dedicated service has been true Christian testimony, and a demonstration of deep faith in Jesus Christ. The United Mission to Nepal shall welcome more such committed Christians to follow in their footsteps.

Return to the Top

PAXMAN: NEPAL NEEDS JUST THIS KIND OF MAN

Since 1956, 21 Paxmen have served in Nepal. The board of the United Mission is happy and thankful for these men and their work. There has been a unique situation of need in Nepal for just this kind of man and, fortunately for us, they have been present to do it. We believe God had led and sent them here and we pray He will continue to do so, for the need of their kind of work continues.

While the modern movement of missions has been spreading widely across the vast coastal countries of Asia, the inner countries of central Asia have remained closed to them. Nepal, in the Himalayan Mountains, was one of these closed lands until 1951. At that time a change of government altered the picture completely, and along with governmental agencies and other foreign groups, Christian missions were also able to enter the country to undertake various forms of Christian service and witness. The entrance was with a rush, in a mounting tide of people and resources. Many societies and boards joined to form the United Mission, to work as one body for one church. Among them is the Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities.

Workers in the United Mission have been going into the country at the rate of ten to 15 a year. One year there were over 20. They have spread out in a virgin country to start from scratch and create, build up, manage, and give content to ten projects of service and witness. These have been dispensaries, hospitals, schools, institutions, development projects, and offices. This has required much work in such practical matters as remodeling and equipping rented buildings for quick use, obtaining equipment and putting it to use, erecting new buildings, keeping accounts, and transporting goods.

Almost from its beginning the United Mission has been very fortunate to have a steady crew of Paxmen to assign to these supporting jobs. We just haven’t had the missionaries to do all of these things, especially with this rapid growth in a new situation. It is hard to imagine a better persons [sic] for these practical jobs than the Mennonite young men who volunteer to work under the Pax program.

The American way of life has developed a “breed of young man” that is hard to find anywhere else in the world: part farmer, part mechanic, practical, free thinking, improviser and inventor. Something of the pioneer spirit is still in them. They are able to put their hand to almost anything, and still remain friendly. Put into that mixture a sound Christian faith and experience, and you have just the young fellow to help build up a new mission in a new land.

They have volunteered for three-year terms in Nepal, bringing along a change of clothes, some bedding, and sometimes a tool kit. We have had as many as six at a time. Two of them, on our request, extended their terms in order to finish up a job. One returned to North America, finished school, married, and returned to Nepal on a missionary basis.

Our largest project is a hospital of 135 beds. To create this institution we have rented two old palaces and remodeled them into a hospital. For a number of years we had Paxmen helping with the practical side, working with crews of men constructing added rooms and wings, putting in more plumbing and toilets, doing electrical work, repairing and maintaining machinery and cars; welding, making and mending hundreds of small and large items necessary for this institution. Some worked in the office keeping the accounts, ordering, and buying. These were jobs that needed immediate attention until we could find, process and place long-range missionary personnel to carry this work. Now we have a missionary business manager and a missionary maintenance supervisor, with national staff managing these departments. The Paxmen no longer are needed here.

The girls’ high school started and has continued for eight years in an old palace building. It has needed constant repairing or fixing, such as unplugging the water pipe, fixing the lights so they work, making a new proper toilet, stopping the leak in the roof, acquiring more furniture, putting in plumbing for the science lab. Paxmen have been able to help with much of this.

In the mountains, a five- or six-day hike from the high school, the Mission sent workers to open schools, a dispensary, and a hospital. They began in tents and in tight little village houses made of thatch or bamboo. New buildings had to be constructed. It took full-time workers to manage crews of villagers hired to build, to carefully supervise, teach, and help with the construction of buildings. Paxmen have gone into these primitive conditions and lived for months or years with the missionaries to help build. They have assisted with the construction of over 20 buildings in the mountains of Nepal.

Our biggest use of Paxmen currently is in our Butwal Technical Institute. Here they work with crews of men in construction to erect the dozen buildings for this project, handle accounts and equipment necessary to transport goods from India to the project, teach trainees in the shops, and run machines.

It’s been mostly hard, sweating work for them in these pioneer and difficult situations.

There is also the lighter side, too. Paxmen have grown beards, owned pet dogs, collected weapons, trekked widely through the mountains, experienced close friendships, and joined in church activities. They have learned the language and worked closely with the people. On one occasion villagers offered a Paxman a plot of land if he would marry, return, and live and work among them.

Years of this kind of living and working have their effects on the Paxmen, too. They change, grow, mature, and become able, responsible adults. Many of their letters express these sentiments: “Yes, my time has swiftly come to an end here in Nepal. It has been a great experience working in the United Mission in the different parts of the country. I’m very glad that I have had this opportunity to work here and to work with the many different people in the mission, helping to carry forward God’s mission. This has been a time of maturing and deepening of faith for me. My prayer is that God may continue to keep His guiding hand upon everyone who is serving Him here in His mission.”

Reports from many parts of our United Mission are sprinkled with statements like these: “A Paxman of great service has returned home.”

“Most of the years we had four Paxmen working. Without their help it would have been impossible to carry on our work. Two of them left after three years of dedicated service to the mission.”

So it goes. These are standby, temporary, fill-in men, doing a job with their limited but helpful skills and hands until the Mission catches up and can proceed with their long-range missionary personnel and trained nationals.

We haven’t come to a plateau or standstill in our work in Nepal. We are still expanding and pushing out at many points, and as long as this goes on we need Paxmen to help in His mission in this land. Mostly, in general, we need practical “Jack-of-all-trades” men, who can help to build a house, work with concrete, make some furniture, put in plumbing, fix a car, tune up machines, oversee a few men, put their hand to construction maintenance, and mechanical work.

Return to the Top

Salzburg, Austria, PAX Reunion 

Former volunteers at the Salzburg, Austria, PAX project will hold their triennial reunion September 10-13, 2009, at Akron, PA, in MCC facilities.  The program includes an open session and dinner for all interested area ex-PAXers Saturday evening, September 12, at 7:00.  Contact Richard Boshart rsbosh@verizon.net if you are able to attend. 

Other events include sharing times, singing, a tour of Lancaster County and Amish meal, an performance at Sight & Sound Theater, and a tour of MCC Resource Center and Ten Thousand Villages. 

The gem of all PAX projects ran from spring of 1961 to 1964, with up to 12 men in the unit at one time and dwindling to only a few as the program wound down.  PAX built six multi-family houses and a church for an Anabaptist German speaking group related to Apostolics, refugees from the former Yugoslavia, primarily Serbia.  Close ties continue between the volunteers and the families of the Siedlung at Rif, some 10 kilometers from Salzburg near Hallein.  At the reunion, we will deliberate whether we want to hold the next reunion in Austria in 2011 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the project.  The reunion in 1995 was held there with much joy and emotion, gratitude for the gift of service that resulted in new homes and economic footing for the future.  Some 35 PAX men and spouses are preregistered for the September, 2009, reunion. 

Planners of the reunion include Richard Boshart, Lowell Bender, and Ervie Glick.

Return to the Top

News and Notes from the Pax World

GREEK PAXERS MEET IN AKRON by Althea Philips 

Peter Dyck

Oopah!  Members of former PAX teams in Greece met for a reunion at the MCC Welcoming Place in Akron, PA, June 5-8, 2008.   Coming from California, Oregon, Florida, Canada, New York, Kansas, and other distant states to meet with local members, the group of 100 included spouses and children.  Peter Dyck, who was MCC’s director of European and North African work during that time, was a speaker and guest. Orville Schmidt presented a video of a Greek PAX tour in 2004. 

The PAX program began in Greece in 1952 and ended formally in 1972.  Projects for agricultural development and research, fruit and vegetable canning, and building of farm buildings for demonstration and education were undertaken in northern Greece and on the island of Crete.  

Left to right: Kenneth Davis, Omar and Sara Lapp, LaMar and Kathryn Stauffer, Lois Martin, Lydia and Menno Ringenberg-Riehl, Dale Weaver, and Dan Bert

Local members organized the reunion event.  Introductions and reminiscences began the program.  On Friday a tour of Lancaster County included visits to MCC’s Material Resources Center and Ten Thousand Villages’ warehouse, and the Mennonite Information Center with the Hebrew Tabernacle.  Dinner at an Amish home was a highlight of the day.   

Saturday’s visit to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, Lancaster, PA, had special meaning as Father Alexander Veronis briefly explained the icons decorating the church and distinctive features of the Greek Orthodox faith.  Young people from the church, dressed in traditional costumes, exhibited their Greek dancing skills for the enjoyment of the group.  

Also on Saturday’s program, after Peter Dyck related the story of PAX’s beginning, Ron Flaming and Chris Landes brought the group up to date on MCC activities and issues.   

Group dinner at an Amish farm in Lancaster County Photo by Althea Philips

Joining the Greek Paxers for the Sunday worship service were students at MCC’s Summer Peace Building Institute.  After Ken Sensenig’s sermon, Sikhylulekile Mkandla from Zimbabwe responded with a few words about forgiveness and peace in her country.  Many of the group committed to pray for the leaders and people of Zimbabwe for changes of heart that would  alleviate the suffering there. 

For further information contact Althea Philips at altengle@yahoo.com or Omar Lapp at omarsara@epix.net 

Return to the Top

Camp Amigo Pax reunion

Fifty six years ago a number of young men from various Mennonite communities  met at Akron to launch a new program called Pax .If this experiment proved successful the program would continue.. The Pax program did go on for twenty five years. From Oct. 8-11 2007 many of these same men reunited at Camp Amigo near Sturgis Mi., this time not as strangers but more like brothers because of the bonding that occurred in those Pax experiences.

Attendees were Menno Gaeddert who was unit leader at Espelkamp,Marvin Gehring,Roger Hochstetler Homer Kolb.Jay Lehman, John Mann, Richard Oberholtzer, Luke Rhodes, Arnold Roth, Albert Roupp, Richard Rush, Willard Stucky, Robert Swartz, Carl E Yoder, Melvin Helmuth and William Yoder. Frank Heidebrecht from Hamburg Germany showed pictures of his work of sending supplies into Kosovo. Franks' family was one of the families that got one of the Espelkamp houses and he caught the Pax spirit. Also present was Anna Holdeman and her two daughters. Anna is the widow of Ivan Holdeman who was one of our group.

Richard Rush

Return to the Top

Pax Committee

A PAX committee of Al Keim, Orville Schmidt, Arlo Kasper, Arlin Hunsberger and Cal Redekop has several projects under way--the Pax Film Project; the Histand Gift; and most recently the creation by the Mennonite Bible School near Basle of a “peace walk which features among other things a fountain rededicated to PAX.

In July the Backnang, Germany community held a 50th anniversary celebration for the construction of their church house by PAX men.  A number of PAX men attended.

I’d like to invite a 1000 word essay on the 50th anniversary event of the Enkenbach siedlung in 2003.  At the invitation of the siedlung and the leadership of Orville Schmidt more than 40 men and their spouses attended the event.

Please send in (Webmaster@PaxMCC.com)  stories, recollections, current experiences, thoughts and reflections.  All will be published by this web page.

Return to the Top

Bienenberg Peace Path

We plan to continue with a international working Camp on the Summer 2008 in order to continue as planned our Peace path (29th of June to 5 of July 2008). We have a little committee here at Bienenberg seeking to find good Ideas, joint-ventures with groups, artists who are able to contribute

A description of the 1st station on the Peace Path, "the Pax Fountain" or as Claude calls it, "The Fountain of Creation", that was constructed "in honor of the people who were involved with the Pax program. The paragraph below regarding Hansruedy Rufenacht gives credit to one of their maintenance workers who designed the "Pax Fountain".

The name of the maintenance man (also an artist) here at Bienenberg is Hansruedy Rufenacht. He planned the first concept, and the young people (in the summer work camp who constructed the fountain) contributed to the more detailed arrangement.

From left to right: Michel Steiger/ from Schänzli Church, Switzerland ; Katharina Hofmann/ from Mennonite Brethren Church Wasservurg/ Germany; Tabea Rediger/ from Schänzli Church, Switzerland; Rahel Saegesser/from Schänzli Church, Switzerland; Hansruedi Ruefenacht, maintenance director and artist, Bienenberg; Switzerland; his wife Irma Ruefenacht who works in the kitchen, Bienenberg; Delphine Kreis/from Mennonite Church Alsace/France; Claude Baecher and Heike Geist, both teachers and academic directors at Bienenberg; Nico Abert, Mennonite Church/France; Jonas Wurster/from from Schänzli Church, Switzerland	Workers and students who took part in the first Peace Path work Camp at Bienenberg.
	2 We will place a Plaque/Plate that mentions in French, German, English “In thankful remembrance of the work of the MCC Pax Program, an alternative to participation in the military from 1951 to 1976 in USA” (in french it would give something like “Pour l’oeuvre du programme Pax Programm du MCC, comme solution de remplacement à la participation militaire aux USA entre 1951 et 1976, avec reconnaissance”)
	3 Michel Steiger/ from Schänzli Church; Katharina Hofmann/ from Mennonite Brethren Church Wasservurg; Tabea Rediger/ from Schänzli Church; Rahel Saegesser/from Schänzli Church.
	4 from left to right:Hansruedi Ruefenacht, maintenance director and artist, Bienenberg; Delphine Kreis/from Mennonite Church Alsace;Jonas Wurster/from from Schänzli Church; Heike Geist, teacher at Bienenberg/CH.
* that it expresses thankfulness for God’s magnificent work of Creation * The seven pillars symbolize the seven days of creation (we have also placed recently two doves, one on the seventh pillar and one on a stone beside, symbolizing at the same time the spirit and peace) * The stones are from the Jura region (the region in which Bienenberg) is located . The Idea is that "out of the wilderness comes life". * In the middle is a spring of Water (there is also light on it in the evening). The water moves when there is a little bit of wind. It symbolizes the work of God’s Spirit bringing life where there was no (more) Life before. Here is the symbolism of what the PAX program brought to many places of the earth "In the Name of Christ"... And we are thankful for the credibility of the Gospel that accompanied these deeds in a world of violence, destruction and sin. * We have also placed some fossils, that is petrified former Life, in order to show that each generation must open itself to the work of the Spirit of God in order to truly stay alive.	The symbolism of the fountain of creation (and also somehow “new-creation”)
	6 Hansruedi and Jonas are preparing the location where the Pax Fountain will be installed.
	7 Tabea is doing some landscaping around the Pax Fountain
	4578 Behind the Pax Fountain: Claude Baecher, teacher at Bienenberg and former Pax Boy Walter Schmucker
	4584 Walter Schmucker is presenting the check, contributed by 57 former Pax men toward the construction of the Peace Path and the Pax Fountain
	4586 A French artist, Bernard Egly has donated the iron figure; "He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more." Isa 2:4
	4600 Stumbling stones: to make guests and poeple think about war and peace we give some instructional information about current wars in Europe and around the world.
Bienenberg Peace Path Project   At a time when the world seems to be in constant turmoil with violence and war being the primary way nations try to settle conflicts, it seems appropriate to establish examples of other ways to solve differences.  The Theological Seminary Bienenberg (TSB), founded in 1950 as The European Mennonite Bible School by members of the Mennonite churches of France, Germany and Switzerland was also supported by MCC.  And so, when a request came to former PAXers for assistance to establish a PEACE PATH at this location many responded.  A total of 56 former PAX related persons contributed $5,200 that will be used to assist in establishing 18 sites along the Peace Path on the Bienenberg campus, the first of which is a fountain established to commemorate the MCC PAX program, an alternative to participation in the military from 1951 to 1976.  In August, Walter Schmucker, PAX treasurer, presented a check for $5,200 to Seminary Director: Dr Claude Baecher (baecher@bienenberg.ch) and Undergraduate Programme Administrator and Director of School of Discipleship: Heike Geist (hgeist@bienenberg.ch)   The “PAX Fountain” was completed in July by a small work camp that included one person from Germany, two from France and 4 from Switzerland who worked along with Bienenberg staff members.  Various stations along the Peace Path will eventually represent “Creation”, “The Fall”, “Redemption”, and “Hope”.  The seven progressively higher stones behind the PAX Fountain represent the seven days of creation.  Two other completed stations along the Peace Path include a group of “stumble stones” and a metal sculpture turning swords into plowshares.	It is possible to view more information about the Peace Path on a power point website at: http://www.bienenberg.ch/en/home/index.php