Pastors, Chaplains, Congregational Leaders Event - Part 1 of 4

MCEC Pastors, Chaplains and Congregational Leaders Events (PCCL) has a long standing history for resourcing and encouraging pastors and leaders. This year the PCCL event has been reimagined into four separate events: January 21, 2023; February 28, 2003; May 11, 2023 and June 3, 2023. Join together to discuss, discover and share what it means to become a restorative church.

In this session, join Rod Friesen and Dr. Kim Penner as they guide us in our conversation:

• What is a restorative church? Foundations and assumptions about being a restorative church
• What is sexual integrity? Restoration in the form of healthy sexuality.

There will be French translation provided for this event. 

Saturday, January 21, 2023
9:00 AM - 12 PM.
ONLINE
Cost: $35
Register Below

Our Time Together:

9:00 a.m.           Gathering Together with Marlyn Rudy-Froese, MCEC Church Leadership Minister

9:15-9:40          Rod Friesen - What is a restorative church? Foundations and assumptions about being a restorative church.

Being aware of the impact of our actions is the first step in living restoratively. What if the church decided to take up the challenge and work toward the “Ten Ways to Live Restoratively”? What would we see change? How would we know things are changing? In this session Rod will share a small but powerful example of restoration in the church context. Together we will discuss the type of approaches and skills we can use either as individuals or bystanders that can help us work toward repair and healing in the church.

9:40-10:15        Breakout rooms and Session Wrap-Up

10:15-10:25      Break

10:25-10:50      Kim Penner - What is sexual integrity? Restoration in the form of Healthy Sexuality

Policies and procedures are an important part of our conversations on the prevention of, and responses to, sexual violence in the church. A related, but less talked about piece of that puzzle, is, how do we embody sexual integrity? In this session, I encourage you to reflect on your own histories and experiences as sexual/sexed/sexualized people, as well as on the bigger stories and power dynamics that shape and impact our experiences. Some of the questions we might engage include: What are the sources and ends of our sexual desires? What does God desire? How might our understandings of our bodies, genders, and sexualities contribute to our professional (and personal and communal) well-being? How can we embody peace in our stories and experiences of sexuality?

10:50-11:10      Breakout rooms

11:10-11:15      Break

11:15-noon       Final Discussion and Sending with Marilyn Rudy-Froese

Our Speakers:

Rod Friesen began working with MCC Ontario as the Restorative Justice Program Coordinator in May 2017. Rod has been in various program management and human resources roles in the human/social services sector for the past three decades. Regardless of the role, he leads with a focus on building healthy communities and including people that are marginalized by poverty, addictions, mental health, or criminal convictions. Rod is a graduate of the Master of Peace and Conflict Studies Program and is also a Certified Human Resources Leader. He lives in Collingwood with his wife Darlene and has two adult daughters and son-in-law’s.

Dr. Kim Penner is a full-time pastor at Stirling Ave. Mennonite Church, Kitchener, ON, and adjunct instructor for St. Stephen's College in the University of Alberta, teaching "Christian Ethics in a Multi-Faith Context." She has previously taught courses in ethics at Conrad Grebel University College, Emmanuel College, and Victoria University College. Kim is passionate about the church’s potential to create positive change in the world as disciples of Jesus embodying his teachings (and owning up to our mistakes when we make them). She is also critical of how unequal relationships of power continue to go unexamined in the church and works to highlight them. She is currently working on a book project on sexual violence in Christian institutions that focuses on the power, sexuality and theology.