Weekly News
Welcome! Here you will find all the news and events that your congregation will need for the week - MCEC Prayer and Event Highlights, Mennonite Church Canada Updates, Announcements. Check out the hot buttons to ministry opportunities and pastoral transitions. Administrative Assistants: make sure to see the Bulletin Cut and Paste. Bookmark this page and check back regularly for updates. New items will begin to appear on Monday and the newsletter will come to your inbox on Wednesday.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bulletin Cut and Paste
Administrators: Thank you for sharing the MCEC story with your congregations. Please continue offering valuable feedback on how we can tailor announcements to empower you in your ministry.
Prayer:
- Please pray for the MCEC community of congregations; this week we hold Hagerman Mennonite Church in prayer. Roberson Mbayamvula provides pastoral care to this community in Markham, Ontario. Pray for this congregation and their pastor as they seek to be people who receive God’s transforming love and become God’s servants in the world.
- Todd and Lynn Schlosser will be installed at Leamington United Mennonite Church on September 20, 2026. Please pray for Todd and Lynn and the congregation as they begin their ministry together. To share your encouragement and support you can reach them at PastorLynn@lumc.ca or PastorTodd@lumc.ca
- Please pray for Shelley Campagnola, Executive Director of Compass Refugee Centre in Kitchener, as she recovers in the hospital following a medical emergency. Pray for healing, strength and peace for Shelley, and for wisdom and support for her family and colleagues during this time.
- Pray for the MCEC Executive Council (Board) as it meets on September 22, 2026. May council members be guided by God's Spirit, grounded in prayer and united in discerning God's wisdom and direction for MCEC ministry and mission.
- Pray for the MC Canada Joint Council (Board) as they meet in Winnipeg October 2-4, 2026. Pray for Daniel Tela, Anthony Siegriest and Ben Cassels as they represent MCEC. May they be attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, seeking God's wisdom and discerning God's purposes as they steward the work of our nationwide community of faith.
- As Orange Shirt Day (September 30) approaches, we remember the children, families and communities harmed by the legacy of Residential Schools. May your healing grace bring comfort and renewal, and may truth guide us toward reconciliation, understanding and hope.
Bulletin Announcements:
- MCEC Young Adults Together: Bi-weekly Zoom conversations every other Tuesday evening to connect Young Adults across MCEC for a time to celebrate, learn about and pray along our walk with Jesus together. More details and to register.
- MCEC Intercultural Competency Conversation, October 31, 2026, 9 a.m. - noon, MCEC, 50 Kent Ave., Kitchener, ON. Join us for an engaging and interactive workshop open to all who are curious about how intercultural understandings can deepen relationships and enhance ministry effectiveness. More information and to register.
- MCEC Intercultural Worship Gathering and Potluck, October 31, 2026, 4 - 6 p.m., Grace Lao Mennonite Church, 575 Lancaster St. W., Kitchener, ON. Join us for the MCEC Intercultural Worship Gathering and Potluck! This will be a special time of worship, unity and celebration, as various congregations come together to honour our diversity in Christ. Potluck follows - bring food to share, always a highlight!
- MCEC Pastors Fall Retreat, November 9-10, 2026, Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp, New Hamburg, ON. Join David Boshart, AMBS President, as we reflect on Anabaptist Spiritual Leadership to deepen our understanding of leadership in today's ministry contexts. More information and to register.
- MC Canada Emissions Reduction Grant. Applications due September 30, 2026. The purpose of this grant is to inspire congregations to lead their communities toward reducing both direct and indirect emissions of Green House Gases. More information and apply for the grant on the MC Canada website.
- MC Canada International Witness Sunday, October 25, 2026. You are invited to celebrate and highlight International Witness Sunday. Resources and ideas to assist your congregation are on the MC Canada website.
- MC Canada Young Adult Opportunity: Art of Being Creatures - Young Adults interested in the intersection of Faith and Climate/Creation Care Oct. 30- Nov. 2! The Art of Being Creatures might be an event for you. Apply for paid (FREE) spots open for Young Adults!
Mennonite Church Canada
Community Peacemaker Teams is marking its 40th anniversary! To celebrate this milestone, CPT is hosting a special online gathering on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 11 am CDT that brings together stories spanning four decades of peacemaking, solidarity, and transforming violence and oppression. Sign up at cpt.org/forty.
International Witness
In recent months, churches in Taybeh, Zababdeh, East Jerusalem and other communities of the Palestinian territories have been harassed or attacked by Israeli settlers. Restrictions on movement and on church schools have increased. As the ceasefire in Gaza remains broken and violence escalates in the region, let us pray that the church may be strong and united in its nonviolent witness to the justice and love of God. https://mennonitechurch.ca/pin
Note to pastors and worship leaders: For stories, prayers, action suggestions and other resources related to the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel, September 20-26, visit these links for the World Council of Churches, and the United Church of Canada.
Climate Action &
Indigenous Relations:
Climate Action
Simplify worship planning for Fall of 2026 and join Christians around the world in recognizing the Season of Creation from September 1- October 4, 2026! Leader Magazine’s Summer 2026 Issue includes wonderful new worship material, written by worship leaders from Mennonite Church Canada for your use.
Find resources for the Season of Creation.
Indigenous Relations
Book event with author Jodi Spargur, Jonathan Neufeld and guests.
Thursday, September 17, 7:00 PM (CDT)
Join us in-person or by livestream for a panel discussion with the author and guests around reparations for the church and what it means to live as treaty people in Manitoba and Canada.
CommonWord Bookstore and Resource Centre
New Arrival! Is your original More-with-Less Cookbook in disrepair from regular use? Is there a loved one who might want their first copy? The 50th anniversary edition is now available, in coil-binding, at a great price.
Calendar Resources
Including materials from Together in Worship
New orange-shirt design for 2026 from Native Northwest by Indigenous artist Deanna Samuel. Order this or another design to remember the victims and survivors of residential schools.
Thursday, September 17, 7:00 PM (CDT) - Book Launch - Mend with Jodi Spargur and Adrian Jacobs. Join us for a panel discussion with Jodi Spargur
and Adrian Jacobs around reparations for the church and what it means to live as treaty people in Manitoba - and across Canada.
To buy or borrow the book, or to access the livestream link, visit https://www.commonword.ca/go/4315.
Thursday, September 24, 7:00 PM (CDT) - Book Launch - Another Leaf: A Refugee Story with Marg Epp & Bwe Doh Soe. Join us for a conversation with author Marg Epp and Bwe Doh Soe, a Karen cultural and language facilitator from Saskatoon. They tell a first hand account of Ma They Yare's harrowing journey as a refugee from war-torn Myanmar to Canada - and the inspiration which led to the writing of this book and the collaboration involved in bringing Ma They Yare’s story to a wider community.
To buy or borrow the book, or to access the livestream link, visit https://www.commonword.ca/go/4441.
Thursday, October 15, 7:00 PM (CDT) – Book Launch – Becoming You Again: Reclaiming Purpose, Joy and the Real You in Retirement with Stacy van Moroz. Join us as we launch this inspiring guide to preparing for retirement with purpose, energy, connection, and joy. Discover practical ideas for creating a retirement that feels meaningful, fulfilling, and truly your own.
To buy or borrow the book, or to access the livestream link, visit https://www.commonword.ca/go/4466.
MCEC Connect Subscribe
Subscribe and stay connected with inspiring stories, resources and events from MCEC!