Posts Tagged ‘2019’
VMRC community engagement reflects heritage
Core values create a foundation for an organization’s mission and purpose. Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community embraces its heritage, one of its core values: We are Christ-centered, rooted in our Anabaptist heritage of stewardship, service, justice and compassion. “As part of VMRC’s vision to be a destination for those who want to age well in…
Read MoreEngaging the community by embracing anti-bias education
Immanuel Mennonite Church founded the Roberta Webb Child Care Center (RWCCC), and it was established as its own entity on November 14, 1994. In celebration of our twenty-fifth anniversary, we are embracing and reflecting on the values, character and legacy of our namesake, Mrs. Roberta Anna Morgan Webb (1889-1990). She engaged the community with a…
Read MoreRooted in Christ as God’s beloved daughters
When did you last splotch colors of paint on your hand, then stamp your handprint on paper? This was the beginning of a beautiful piece of art at Women’s Retreat as we reflected on being Rooted in Christ. Each session we added something more to the picture — roots growing deep, branches high and…
Read MoreA small congregation reaches out in a big way
3:16 Christian Community Church is a relatively small group that has made it our mission to be a big part of our surrounding community. We are located in a suburban setting on the edge of Hickory, N.C. We began our creative reputation by purchasing a building in 2016 that was never meant to be a…
Read MoreBig Spring serves Page County neighbors
Big Spring Mennonite Church is deeply involved in many ways in Page County, Virginia. Our regular Wednesday noon prayer group prays for the needs and hopes of our community. We are reaching beyond those gathered for worship by attending quarterly events at the assisted-living facility of one of our members, and volunteering at a…
Read MoreHospitality: Ministry in the Neighborhood
Recently I enjoyed a fun and dynamic time with my three-year-old granddaughter. She was adamant that I “look” at the plethora of things she wanted to show me. I don’t speak Spanish and she doesn’t speak English. Her mother was born in D.R. Congo, grew up in Kenya and the US, but now serves with…
Read MoreSunday schools shape Christian faith
The Sunday school movement in Virginia Mennonite Conference had an uncertain beginning 150 years ago. In 1869, seventeen Virginia ministers barely got the two-thirds majority needed to pass a resolution allowing Sunday schools. Only one of the three bishops in that 1869 Conference meeting supported Sunday schools. Fortunately that supporting bishop presided over Emanuel Suter’s…
Read MoreThinking about faith formation in Mennonite Church USA
The Renewed Commitments of our Journey Forward process give us good guidance in how we will focus our faith formation efforts. As together we follow Jesus, witness to God’s peace, and experience transformation, we will be formed more and more into the likeness of Christ, which is our lifelong purpose as disciples of Jesus. Our…
Read MoreDeveloping faith at Mount Clinton
Mount Clinton Mennonite Church, part of the Central District of Virginia Mennonite Conference, is located in the village of Mount Clinton, about five miles west of Harrisonburg, Va., and surrounded by corn, soybean and rye pastures that feed the dairy and poultry farms of Rockingham County. Mount Clinton has had ups and downs in…
Read MoreSpiritual formation over the life stages
When I was growing up, my family attended a conservative Mennonite church near Goshen, Ind. We went to church three times a week and sometimes more. On occasion, in my teen years, I got to stay home to take care of a calving dairy cow, but otherwise church attendance was expected, as was Sunday school…
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