Goshen, Indiana, USA \u2013 From an early age, Myrl Nofziger, a real estate developer from Goshen, Indiana, USA, learned life-shaping lessons about philanthropy, benefiting many Mennonite organizations, including Mennonite World Conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father talked and lived giving every day,\u201d says Nofziger. \u201cFor him, giving included not only one\u2019s money but also one\u2019s intellect, feelings, volunteerism and ethics. Tithing was just the beginning, not the end, of giving.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecessions had no impact on his giving. He would even borrow from the bank in order to give to the church or an organization in need of funds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Myrl said he and his wife Phyllis \u2013 as well as his first wife Ardith, who passed away in 1988 \u2013 have lived with the same values that giving includes one\u2019s whole self, and goes way beyond tithing.<\/p>\n
They also feel strongly about encouraging their children and grandchildren to live by similar values. Myrl has prepared not only a will but also his \u201ctestament\u201d that spells out his hopes and expectations for the next generations.<\/p>\n
The testament includes the following statement: \u201cIn my Will there are stipulations that money be given at certain times to each of you, only if you have been faithful to a holistic lifestyle. We know that we cannot force a certain lifestyle on you; we only hope that we have been good role models for you.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important that you think \u2018globally\u2019 and not just locally or about yourself,\u201d Myrl writes in his testament. \u201cIssues such as immigration, persons of different ethnic backgrounds, how you treat the poor, people who are or have been incarcerated, peace and justice issues; the list goes on and will change from time to time.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1948, Myrl\u2019s father brought the whole family all the way from Ohio to Goshen \u2013 a long trip by car in those days \u2013 to participate in the fourth MWC Assembly \u2013 the first to be held in North America.<\/p>\n
Myrl became more directly involved in MWC by being solicited to help provide funds after the 1967 Assembly in Amsterdam and again after the 1990 Assembly in Winnipeg. He and Phyllis also created an MWC endowment fund in the late 1990s.<\/p>\n
In addition to his family\u2019s attendance in 1948 he has attended the last four assemblies: Winnipeg (1990), India (1997), Zimbabwe (2003) and Paraguay (2009, with Phyllis).<\/p>\n
Each Assembly, starting in 1948, has broadened his understanding of what it means to be a Mennonite Christian, going beyond the rules and restrictions that seemed to define a Mennonite when he was growing up. <\/p>\n
\u201cWatching Africans dancing, watching worship styles from different parts of the world, and observing different lifestyles, I have come to see that there is far more to Christianity than my own limited understanding and my own experience,\u201d says Myrl.<\/p>\n
When asked why he thinks everyone should support MWC, Myrl comments: \u201cMWC provides the structure that permits us to interact at a world level. We in North America hold much of the world\u2019s wealth, and it is our responsibility to share our resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s church is much bigger than one\u2019s own congregation or even one\u2019s own city. Our congregations used to be self-contained communities, but now we live in a world community, which means we all need to expand our practice of benevolence.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Goshen, Indiana, USA \u2013 From an early age, Myrl Nofziger, a real estate developer from Goshen, Indiana, USA, learned life-shaping lessons about philanthropy, benefiting many Mennonite organizations, including Mennonite World Conference. \u201cMy father talked and lived giving every day,\u201d says Nofziger. \u201cFor him, giving included not only one\u2019s money but also one\u2019s intellect, feelings, volunteerism […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":86147,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"network":[],"eventcategory":[],"class_list":["post-6424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n