Weekly News
Welcome! Here you will find all the news and events that your congregation will need for the week - MCEC in Prayer, 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 below. 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.
MCEC in Prayer
- Please pray for the MCEC community of congregations. This week we are praying for Waterloo North Mennonite Church. Carmen Brubacher and Darren Demelo provide pastoral leadership for this community. Pray for this community in Waterloo, ON as they welcome Darren as a leader in their community, and grow together in a time of transition.
- Pray for God’s healing in our world: for peace where there is violence and war, for renewal in creation where it groans under climate crisis, for justice in places of oppression and for comfort among the sick, lonely, and grieving.
Mennonite Church Canada
MC Canada Announcements
Starting a new congregation? Experimenting to find new life in an old one? Join practitioners and folks curious about new churches and church revitalization for sharing, dreaming, and kicking off a nationwide conversation, October 9, 7 p.m. CDT. Visit https://www.mennonitechurch.ca/nationwide-events/revitalization to register for this online event.
International Witness
Ethiopia is the International Witness Global Companion for September. Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) is the fastest growing and largest Anabaptist/Mennonite denomination in Mennonite World Conference. Discover more
International Witness Sunday, October 26. Theme: Walking with Global Companions - Seeing Jesus on the Road (Luke 24:13-35). Our global companions are inviting us to walk with them – be in relationship with them. All resources are now available: https://www.mennonitechurch.ca/IW-Sunday.
Climate Action &
Indigenous Relations:
Indigenous Relations
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (aka Orange Shirt Day) is marked on September 30. On this day we especially remember the Indigenous children who were sent away to residential schools. Elsie Rempel’s article titled, On Words and Gestures of Apology, speaks to apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Read here: https://www.mennonitechurch.ca/article/45542
The Clan Mothers Healing Village and Knowledge Centre - on the eastern shores of Lake Winnipeg - is a further realization of a dream to help heal Indigenous survivors of generational trauma, human trafficking, sexual violence, and exploitation. Grand opening was on June 20. Read more: https://www.mennonitechurch.ca/article/45649
Climate Action
Get up to $3000 from Mennonite Church Canada’s Emissions Reduction Grant to improve your church building’s efficiency, reduce energy usage and environmental impact. Get ideas for projects and learn how to apply: https://www.mennonitechurch.ca/climate-action/ERG Applications are due Sept 30, 2025 – APPLY now!
CommonWord Bookstore and Resource Centre
Sat., Oct 18, 7:00 PM (CDT). Book launch of Hearts of Freedom based on interviews with 145 former refugees (1975-1997) from Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia who share deeply moving accounts of oppression, concentration camps, genocide, and perilous escapes over land and sea. Buy or borrow the book – https://www.commonword.ca/go/4275
Thurs., Oct 23, 7:00pm (CDT). Book launch of Nothing Will Save Us: A Theology of Immeasurable Life. Join author David Driedger, in conversation with Jane Barter and John Samson Fellows. Join us in person or by livestream – https://www.commonword.ca/go/4272.
Church Year Resources.
Materials to buy, borrow, or access online
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Sept 30 – https://www.commonword.ca/go/764
World Communion Sunday. Oct 5 – https://www.commonword.ca/go/1439
Thanksgiving. Oct 12 – https://www.commonword.ca/go/761
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.
Prayers
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- Please pray for the MCEC community of congregations. This week we are praying for Waterloo North Mennonite Church. Carmen Brubacher and Darren Demelo provide pastoral leadership for this community. Pray for this community in Waterloo, ON as they welcome Darren as a leader in their community, and grow together in a time of transition.
- Pray for God’s healing in our world: for peace where there is violence and war, for renewal in creation where it groans under climate crisis, for justice in places of oppression and for comfort among the sick, lonely, and grieving.
- Please pray for the MCEC community of congregations. This week we are praying for Waterloo North Mennonite Church. Carmen Brubacher and Darren Demelo provide pastoral leadership for this community. Pray for this community in Waterloo, ON as they welcome Darren as a leader in their community, and grow together in a time of transition.
Announcements:
- Micah Peters Unrau, MCEC Church Engagement Associate, is available to visit your congregation. He gathers and shares stories of creative ministry, highlighting how God is at work across MCEC. Micah is currently focusing on themes such as youth and young adult presence in the church, pursuing right relationship with Indigenous communities and caring for God's creation. If your congregation is interested in engaging these conversations and learning from the experiences of others, contact Micah at mpetersunrau@mcec.ca.
- MC Canada International Witness Sunday October 26, 2025. A day set aside for congregations to learn and connect with MC Canada International Witness. Learn about your global companions! Download Resources.
- Challenge for the Church: Islamophobia Workshop, Saturday, November 8, 2025, Waterloo North Mennonite Church - How has the Church been Islamophobic in the past? How can the Church resist Islamophobia today? And other uncomfortable questions... Join us for a day that calls us to a deeper examination of Mennonite thought and action. Brought to you by the MCEC Palestine Israel Network Working Group. Registration is open now
- MCEC Financial Zoom Call, November 19, 2025 @ 7p.m. - Join Laurie Castello, MCEC Operations and Finance Director, Richard Steinmann, Chair of the Audit & Finance Committee, for an online mid-year MCEC financial update and discussion. Register for the link.
- Youth Bible Quizzing, April 18, 2026 - Youth groups and volunteers are invited to join the fun of studying, learning and quizzing together. This year's quiz will focus on Genesis 1-23 (NIV). Contact Sara Erb, pastor at Steinmann Mennonite Church for more details: sara@smchurch.ca.
Nationwide Web-Hub - All MCEC congregations are welcome to join
If you are considering a change to your website, definitely consider the new nationwide web hub. It is much more than a web building tool. Contact Lisa Williams , Director of Communications, for more info.
Click below for information about the features, pricing, testimonials and links to launched websites.
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