News
Convention: facilitating difficult table conversations
With the exception of two Mennonite Church USA Conventions, I have been present as a pastor or as an employee of a denominational agency or institution for the last 40 years. Kansas City 2015 was the first time I served as a delegate, in this case appointed by Virginia Mennonite Conference. I also served as…
God met us at Table 80
The work we had to do weighed heavily on those of us around Table 80 at Mennonite Church USA Convention in Kansas City. We were carefully prepared for our work of “spiritual discernment,” and were reminded often throughout the delegate assembly to work in a spirit of prayerful openness to each other and to the…
Intrigued and challenged by our ‘Jerusalem’ events
I left both Virginia Mennonite Conference (VMC) Assembly and Mennonite Church USA Convention in Kansas City feeling deeply moved by the worship experiences with emphasis on what it means to live like Jesus during challenging times. I was intrigued by the notion that holiness and unity aren’t just two dynamic concepts on a continuum, but…
A God ‘bigger than our differences’
Planners for the Mennonite Church USA Convention in Kansas City carefully assigned delegates to tables of eight or nine persons to reflect both geographical and viewpoint diversity. None of us at Table 22 knew each other beforehand, but the preliminary conversations around the table went at ping-pong speed as we quickly established commonalities and relationships….
Engaging possibilities and walking together in love
Summer 2015 will be remembered for the gatherings of the body of Christ within our Anabaptist-Mennonite faith family. In mid-June Virginia Mennonite Conference held their annual Assembly on the theme “Built into a Spiritual House” (1 Peter 2) at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church. The first week of July, Mennonite Church USA held their biennial Convention in…
Conference Archives seeks church records for preservation
Congregations are busy with many activities that require their attention, but it is important for them to preserve the historical record of God’s work in and through their congregational life and ministries. Every congregation should have an historian who regularly collects, organizes and sends their records to the Virginia Mennonite Conference Archives for preservation and…
In action: How Harrisonburg District is making disciples
The spiritual dance of disciple-making takes many forms in, among and beyond the Harrisonburg District churches: Invitations to faith and baptism—One of my greatest joys in walking with pastors is seeing the smiles on their faces when they tell the stories of persons coming to faith in Jesus Christ and recent baptisms. I have also…
Continual transformation: Manantial de Vida coaches with discipleship classes
From this moment on, we face one of our biggest challenge as the Body of Christ; to make true disciples of Jesus. At Manantial De Vida (Fountain of Life), we are committed to walk through this process with any person who joins this ministry. The process of following up, teaching, and mentoring are key to…
Mara Chin connections culminate in Charlotte church
Our Conference demographic has just experienced a change of no small significance. The Tennessee Carolina Kentucky District has recently welcomed a vibrant group of young refugee families whose passionate Christian faith has enabled them to endure the throes of transition from Burma to Malaysia to the US. The Chin are a large minority people numbering…
A common purpose: our witness and our with-ness
Over the past couple of years, Harrisonburg Mennonite Church has sought become more, not less, religious. Religion gets a bad rap these days. We often hear people say, “I’m spiritual, but not religious”, or, “I’m for Jesus, but against religion.” But we believe that to be spiritual, to be “for” Jesus, is to embrace religion….