posted 9 Oct 2019, 13:48 by June Miller, MCA Communications
A Menno Minute
with Margaret Kruger-Harder, MCA Representative to Joint Council  Joint Council of Mennonite Church Canada, along with Executive Staff Group (ESG), met Oct 5th and 6th in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The meetings included reports from MC Canada staff and the moderators of each of the five Canadian regions. Arlyn Friesen Epp, Director for CommonWord (retail store and offices are located in Canadian Mennonite University), came to give more information about the work of CommonWord, such as the process of resource selection. CommonWord both sells and lends resources across Canada.
As part of this set of meetings we began a visioning process to renew our priorities as a Mennonite Church. We are striving to ensure that the efforts and interactions we move forward with, as a church body, are well aligned with our core beliefs. On Sunday, Joint Council and ESG spread out among Douglas, Springstein, Sargent Mennonite Churches to attend worship services and, during Sunday School time, to engage congregants in discussions about MC Canada. Should you be interested in viewing the records of the Joint Council meetings, they are available on the CommonWord website (commonword.ca), under heading of “Approved Joint Council Minutes”. The minutes for each round of meetings are available after the next round, as they require approval by the Council.
Joint Council meets next in Waterloo, Ontario, at the end of January.
Representing Mennonite Church Alberta weremyself (Margaret Kruger-Harder), Brenda Tiessen- Wiens (MCA moderator) and Tim Wiebe-Neufeld (MCA Executive Minister). Also from Alberta on Joint Council is Allan Hiebert (Secretary/Treasurer). Doug Klassen, former Foothills Mennonite Church (Calgary) pastor, was at the meetings as MC Canada Executive Minister: he was installed at the MC Canada Delegate sessions in Abbotsford, BC, this past July.
|
posted 9 Oct 2019, 13:32 by June Miller, MCA Communications
Voices Together Preview Nights
 We are excited to have Anneli Loepp Thiessen in Alberta to take part in our MCA Vision 20/20 event, as well as evening events in Calgary and Edmonton to focus on the Voices Together hymnal project and its music. Evening preview sessions will be held November 2 at Calgary First Mennonite and on November 3 at Edmonton First Mennonite. Times are to be confirmed. |
posted 9 Oct 2019, 13:31 by June Miller, MCA Communications
; "Anchor") Fall Work Day
Thank you to all who helped!! Camp Valaqua is a vital part of MCA's ministry.
|
posted 9 Oct 2019, 13:19 by June Miller, MCA Communications
Ride for Refuge
Thank you to Ryan Andres, Barry Andres, Craig Neufeld, Karl Blank, Jeremy Wiens and their supporters! Team Poovong from First Edmonton Mennonite Church raised $2740 for Tom and Christine Poovong's ministry in Thailand. Nationwide, over $15000 was raised for MC Canada's International Witness minstry.
|
posted 9 Oct 2019, 13:14 by June Miller, MCA Communications
MCA's Donna Entz honored as CMU Distinguished Alumi
Congratulations to Donna Entz, director of MCA's North Edmonton Ministry., who's vibrant faith and passion are an inspiration! MCA is privileged and honored to have Donna working on our staff. " Donna's commitment to working in her community, drawing neighbours into relationships with one another, and inviting people into conversations about faith is inspiring to those both within and outside of our MCA community. She embodies "witness" in all the she does and we are blessed to have her with us!"Brenda Tiessen-Wiens, MCA Moderator “By nurturing connections with Muslims through MCA’s North Edmonton Ministry, Donna has done tremendous work in building bridges between peoples. Whether it’s 200 people at a dialogue event or one person sitting beside her on a bus, she has a way of drawing people into relationship. We’re excited to have her recognized by CMU in this way.” Tim Wiebe-Neufeld, MCA Executive Director The Distinguished Alumni Awards celebrate alumni who, through their lives, embody CMU's values and mission of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society. As posted on CMU website:Donna Kampen Entz (CMBC '86) of Edmonton, AB has worked with Mennonite Church Alberta since 2010, building interfaith and cross-cultural relationships with Muslims, many who are immigrants and refugees, in North Edmonton. The ministry strives to connect people  with services, build community, and be a witness of Christian faith. She and her husband Loren were witness workers in Burkina Faso from 1978–2008, and experience that shaped her passion for fostering interfaith dialogue and relationships "so that diverse peoples live together peacefully. Transformation happens to us as individuals and communities when we connect deeply with those who are different than us religiously and culturally." Kampen Entz has been supported by the Mennonite church her whole life, even when her work was not necessarily considered successful by societal standards. "In granting me this award, I see CMU celebrating these 'cutting edge' experiences and initiatives," she says. She and her husband have three children and four grandchildren. They attend several Mennonite churches in the Edmonton area. photos provided by CMU |
posted 20 Aug 2019, 18:53 by June Miller, MCA Communications
Ride for Refuge is on October 5, 2019.This is a fantastic opportunity to support our International Witness Workers and God’s amazing work throughout the world. Join friends and families across Canada to bike or walk and raise financial support for ministry around the world. Form a team today! For more information visit MC Canada’s website. |
posted 20 Aug 2019, 18:45 by June Miller, MCA Communications
[
updated 16 Sep 2019, 09:17
]
Christian-Muslim DialogueHeart of Hospitality
You are invited to the 7th Annual Christian Muslim Dialogue, Heart of Hospitality. October 26 at 9:30 am ACCA Centre
3530, 91 St. in Mill Woods Edmonton
This is one way to be witnesses of Jesus' love and break down the kinds of stereotypes and discrimination that Jesus refused to accept. Hosted by: A Common Word Alberta ( www.acwalberta.ca) in conjunction with MCA's North Edmonton Ministry.
Register for your $10 tickets at :
|
posted 7 Aug 2019, 22:32 by June Miller, MCA Communications
Congratulations Busary Recipients
 To encourage student to attend a post-secondary anabaptist institution or program, Mennonite Church Alberta provides up to $8,000 to in annual bursaries. Eight awards were given for 2019-2020 school year. Anne Retzlaff and Claire Dueck, will be attending Columbia Bible College, while the remaining six are attending Canadian Mennonite University.
Pictured below (left to right):
row 1 Cassidy Brown (Bergthal Mennonite), Anne Retzlaff (Foothills Mennonite)
row 2 Bryant Neufeldt (Foothills Mennonite), Olivia Neufeldt (Edmonton First Mennonite)
row 3 Darian Neufeld (Edmonton First Mennonite), Claire Dueck (Lethbridge Mennonite)
row 4 Jaden Krahn (Foothills Mennonite), Bradley Wiebe (Trinity Mennonite)
|
posted 7 Aug 2019, 22:17 by June Miller, MCA Communications
[
updated 7 Aug 2019, 22:17
]
Global Youth Summit:
MCA representative needed MC Canada's Joint Council is excited to invite your applications for young adult representatives to the Global Youth Summit (GYS) July 2-5, 2021, in Salatiga, Indonesia. The theme of GYS 2021 is Life in the Spirit: Learn, Serve, Worship. MC Canada is looking for one young adult from each of the five Regional Churches (one of whom will be the official delegate) to represent the Nationwide Church at GYS, and also to attend the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) Assembly a few days later. The five representatives will all work together on the GYS project that will be assigned to the delegate prior to GYS. They will also travel and attend the MWC Assembly together. They will write a report to MC Canada and their Regional Churches after their travels. MC Canada asks that the person chosen as delegate commit to a three-year term as representative to the network of Young Anabaptists (YABs) after GYS. As the representative of your Regional Church, Mennonite Church Alberta, the costs of the application to the GYS, MWC, and vaccination and travel costs will be covered through MC Canada, up to $5,000 per person. The age requirement is 18-30 as of July 2, 2021. Applicants must have a valid passport at the time of travel and be members of an affiliated congregation of MC Canada. For more information and to apply to go http://home.mennonitechurch.ca/GYS2021. To speak with someone about this opportunity, please contact Joint Council member Andrea de Avila ( andreadeavila@mymts.net) or your Regional communicator, June Miller (jmiller@mennonitechurch.ab.ca). We look forward to your application. Thank you for considering this opportunity to represent MC Canada in our global Anabaptist family.
|
posted 7 Aug 2019, 22:14 by June Miller, MCA Communications
[
updated 21 Sep 2019, 12:35 by Communications Director
]
Register Now! Healthy Ministry Boundaries: Training for Pastors and CongregationsA Mennonite Church Alberta Equipping Day Event for Pastors, Congregational Leaders, and Others involved in Church Ministry Programs
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Trinity Mennonite Church
9am-4pm
Suggest cost: $40
About our Speaker
Marilyn Rudy-Froese, Church Leadership Minister for Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, will join us for the day. Marilyn holds an MDiv from AMBS and has over 20 years of pastoral experience
Healthy relationships are characterized by respect and trust, and nurtured when all know and agree on the parameters (boundaries) of the relationship. For pastors, chaplains, congregational leaders, and other volunteers, knowing what the appropriate boundaries are for healthy congregational, pastoral, and ministry relationships is an important part of building and maintaining trust.
Boundaries are complex and fluid, and vary depending on cultural, ethnic, geographical/regional and religious realities. In this workshop, we will increase our awareness of the need for healthy and appropriate boundaries in pastoral and congregational relationships; look at guidelines and suggestions for developing appropriate boundaries and self-care strategies; talk about power and vulnerability; and learn from each other’s experiences in these areas.
Sponsored by the Congregational Leadership Committee of MCA. Please contact Tim Wiebe Neufeld, MCA Executive Minister, with any questions (tim@mennonitechurch.ab.ca).
|
|
