November 30th
On the Courageous Imagination Journey

courageous imagination in script fontPhoto of Leah Reesor-Keller with MCEC logo

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Courageous Imagination Regional Gatherings.  

I am so grateful to be a part of the MCEC family of faith. Together we are on a journey listening for God as we build a shared story about who we are and who God is calling us to become. Over the course of this year, we are developing new identity statements and strategic priorities for our regional church body as we seek to follow God's leading.

The feedback from the listening journey over the past months culminated in a summary of key themes and draft identity and priority statements. Through October and November, MCEC hosted eight regional gatherings to gather feedback on the draft statements. These gatherings, some of them my first in-person meetings since I started as Executive Minister, happened in Leamington, Niagara, Kitchener, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and on Zoom.  

Over 160 people from 56 MCEC congregations across eastern Canada contributed their voices and insight to this important leg of the Courageous Imagination journey. Each conversation, whether in-person or online, was filled with hopefulness and deep insight. There was affirmation for the general direction of the identity statements and priorities presented, along with suggestions for refining them.  

Across the gatherings, there was consistent affirmation around these themes: 

  • MCEC’s growing diversity and interculturalism; 
  • An openness to transformation through relationships and listening;
  • A strong emphasis on community, sharing God's love, costly discipleship and intergenerational relationships.

I invite you to read the full CI Regional Gathering Summary. 

If you were at one of the gatherings, what stood out for you? Email Mollee Moua with your thoughts and feedback from the gatherings. 

This has been and continues to be a community spiritual discernment process where as a regional church body – a gathered community – we look to where God is calling us into the future. I ask for your prayers as we continue to listen for God's leading in our MCEC family of faith. Pray for the MCEC Executive Team and Executive Council members as we take the next steps in refining MCEC's new identity statements and strategic priorities on the road towards the Annual Church Gathering on April 29-30, 2022. Hope to see you there.   

Leah Reesor-Keller, Executive Minister
lreesorkeller@mcec.ca