News

Harold Huber

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…

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Roy Hange

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…

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Juan Carlos and Wendy Malvaez

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…

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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…

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Jake Lee

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….

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Disciples are companions

When I arrive at the Intensive Care Unit, the ICU, the doctor tells me that Cameron is unresponsive and that he would die soon, very soon, perhaps that night. I stare, through the sliding-glass door, at him, lying on a bed with tubes and wires connecting his body to machines and translucent bags of fluids—morphine…

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How we’ve learned to make disciples at Eastside Church

In March, we celebrated five years of ministry. I marvel at what has happened. As I look back here is what I think we got right. 1. Major in plagiarism I often joke about the church planting courses I avoided like the plague in seminary. I had no plans to be a church planter! Whoops!…

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03-15-potomac-meeting

Potomac District Council meets at Washington Community Fellowship

Potomac District Council met on January 10 at Washington Community Fellowship. Sixteen people gathered, including Potomac District Council Church pastors and delegates. After welcoming remarks and introduction, District Minister Luke Schrock-Hurst led devotional session. He shared Menno Simons’ message, “True Evangelical Faith Lie Dormant” in 1539. The message emphasized serving the poor neighbors: “It clothes…

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Jon Trotter

Kanagy examines VMC data at Winter Delegate Session

As Virginia Mennonite Conference works among the debates affecting Mennonite Church USA (and many other denominations) over same-gender relationships in the church, one of the unexpected themes to emerge from Winter Delegate Session on February 7 was hopefulness. It may not be easy to see a path forward when 50% of credentialed persons responding to…

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Clyde G. Kratz

Renewing our Connections

For the past 25 years, Virginia Mennonite Conference (VMC) and Virginia Mennonite Missions (VMMissions) have shared the publication, Connections. In this editorial, Clyde Kratz, VMC Executive Conference Minister, and Aaron Kauffman, VMMissions President, discuss the challenges and the dreams that have emerged about this communication tool. Clyde: I value the joint effort by VMC and…

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Dave and Shana Boshart

Pastoral Leadership Consultation will explore “God’s Gift of Sexuality” with David and Shana Boshart

Pastors and credentialed leaders in Virginia Mennonite Conference are invited to the fourth Pastoral Leadership Consultation on May 15 at Mountain View Mennonite Church, Hickory, N.C. David and Shana Boshart will present from their research, writings and experiences on “God’s Gift of Sexuality.” David has been a Mennonite pastor for over 28 years. In 2010,…

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Conrad Kanagy

Winter Delegate Session to feature Conrad Kanagy

Conference delegates are invited to Winter Delegate Session on February 7 at Waynesboro Mennonite Church, Waynesboro, Va. Conrad L. Kanagy will facilitate a presentation and discussion on data from the national pastoral survey of Mennonite Church USA, as well as the Virginia Conference pastoral survey. He will examine this data and analyze it with an…

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