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 pray for Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship. Stephen Reist provides pastoral leadership for this congregation. Please pray for this congregation which has ministered in Kitchener, ON for over 150 years.
- Lord, we lift up all who are suffering, especially those who are impacted by war around the world. May the light of Christ truly shine in the darkest corners, and may we all be instruments of God's peace. Surround the displaced with safety, provide strength to caregivers, and inspire leaders to pursue justice and peace. Let your peace take root in every nation, renewing hearts and guiding us toward reconciliation and an end to all violence.
Mennonite Church Canada
MC Canada Gathering 2025 | July 2-5 | Kitchener, ON
You’re invited to the MC Canada Gathering next summer, where our theme, “Each Gift,” celebrates the unique gifts each person brings. Rooted in 1 Peter 4:10, we’ll explore how our diverse talents and perspectives enrich the ministry of an intercultural church. As followers of Jesus Christ, we’ll come together as a nationwide community of faith to share, learn, and grow in the unique gifts God has given each of us.
Here is Doug Klassen's invitation to congregations and delegates!
International Witness
Students receive educational assistance from AIMM
Beatrice Kulutwe (pictured) was one of seventeen students who received Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission educational assistance this year to study in the fields of pastoral training, medicine, conflict resolution, environmental sciences, and nursing. Providing this opportunity to young people in the church helps those who do not have adequate resources to complete their education. It also strengthens the church by increasing the capacity of future leaders. Praise God for the way that AIMM works together to strengthen the church. You are part of this rich partnership through Mennonite Church Canada
https://www.mennonitechurch.ca/AIMM
Pastor will help train church lay leaders in Thailand.
Mark Tiessen-Dyck, pastor of Altona Bergthaler Mennonite Church (MCM), will spend part of his sabbatical working with Witness workers, Tom and Christine Poovong, to provide training to lay leaders in house churches in northeastern Thailand. This will also assist in strengthening leadership for the intentional Christian community using sustainable agriculture as a source of income for families including the Poovongs. Pray for Mark, Tom and Christine during these weeks of service and training. Your donations can help to cover costs for this training.
Climate Action &
Indigenous Relations:
Climate Action
Faithful Leadership in the Climate Crisis: Responding in Hope.
Join a nation-wide learning community about Faithful Leadership in the Climate Crisis – starting Feb. 7, 2025, at Camp Assiniboia in Manitoba! This cohort will give participants tools and vocabulary to jump-start the conversation and action on climate justice in their region, congregation and neighbourhood. Deadline to apply extended to January 20! Don’t miss it! Learn more.
Indigenous Relations
Six sessions with Sarah Augustine starting Jan. 13.
Mennonite Church Manitoba welcomes Sarah Augustine, Executive Director of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, for six bi-weekly equipping sessions on building a movement for Indigenous Reconciliation in your congregations. Nationwide participation is welcome. See MCM Mondays for the details.
CommonWord Bookstore and Resource Centre
Share these resources in your newsletters, bulletins and social media posts!
Anabaptism at 500: 1525-2025. The five hundredth anniversary of Anabaptism in 2025 gives the church a unique opportunity to celebrate and dream. Includes a suite of materials from MennoMedia – https://www.commonword.ca/go/500.
Church Year Calendar. From Advent through Ordinary Time, this unique calendar positions time within the Christian year, and includes scripture, liturgical colour and splendid artwork.
Church Year Resources
Season of Epiphany, Jan. 6 – March 4
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Jan. 18-25
Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday, Jan. 19
Materials to buy, borrow or access online. Includes Together in Worship resources.
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
- Please pray for the MCEC community of congregations. This week we pray for Pioneer Park Christian Fellowship. Stephen Reist provides pastoral leadership for this congregation. Please pray for this congregation which has ministered in Kitchener, ON for over 150 years.
- Lord, we lift up all who are suffering, especially those who are impacted by war around the world. May the light of Christ truly shine in the darkest corners, and may we all be instruments of God's peace. Surround the displaced with safety, provide strength to caregivers, and inspire leaders to pursue justice and peace. Let your peace take root in every nation, renewing hearts and guiding us toward reconciliation and an end to all violence.
Announcements:
- Growing into the Future: Navigating Change in MCEC Structure - Save the Date! MCEC is hosting online information sessions for pastors this January and February. These sessions will focus on the evolving roles and key responsibilities of the Congregational Ministries Team in the new MCEC structure. To ensure flexibility, four session options are available. Three sessions will be in English: Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.; Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at 8:00 p.m.; or Thursday, January 23, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. A Bilingual session in English and French is on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. We kindly request that each congregation attend one of these sessions.
- MCEC Intercultural Volleyball Tournament, February 1, 2025, Kitchener. A day of intercultural, intergenerational volleyball, fellowship and fun with MCEC congregations. This event has been growing with more teams each year! Register on our website.
- Creation Care Book Study. Join the MCEC Creation Care Working Group for a book study of Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katharine Hayhoe. The first meeting will take place on Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. and will run for just over one hour. Subsequent meetings will be held on Thursday evening for five weeks, concluding on March 6, 2025. Sign up here.
- Did you know that MCEC has a weekly devotional? Released on every Wednesday on our website and through MCEC Connect, Transformed. Inspired. Called. is a devotional series written by a different MCEC pastor each week. Read this weeks devotion, Something New by Kara Carter or sign up for our weekly newsletter MCEC Connect to get the weekly devotional directly to your inbox.
- AMBS Pastors & Leaders 2025: Anabaptism at 500: Looking Back, Living Forward: Feb. 17–20 at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. As we celebrate 500 years of Anabaptism, join the conference to examine how the values of the early Anabaptists still resonate today and can guide us into the future! For more information and to register click here.|
- What happened in MCEC over the last year? Discover our shared ministry in the MCEC Year in Review. We are grateful for the many ways ministry has flourished this year!
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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