weLink
Vol.
4, No. 5: March 11, 2009
- Remembering Phil Clemens
- Conference prayers
- Farewell events planned for conference
regional ministers
- Transition Team update
- Annual Sessions 2009
- IN-MI youth workers connect on Facebook
- From our IN-MI Conference Resource Advocate
- Corinthian Plan enrollment begins
- Events
- At Bethany Christian Schools
If
possible, please include blurbs from weLink (as applicable) in your church
bulletins and/or newsletters. Thank you!
Remembering Phil Clemens
Please remember in prayer the family of Philip K. Clemens, 67, who died March
1 at his residence in Pandora, Ohio. Phil served on the pastoral team at
College Mennonite, Goshen, Ind., from 1984 to 1995, and was ordained there on
Nov. 23, 1986. More recently, he served as pastor of Pike Mennonite in Elida,
Ohio (2005–2008). Phil enjoyed trees, wildflowers, baseball, bird watching,
writing and music. Survivors include his wife, Nancy; two children; two
sisters; three brothers; and four grandchildren. Services were held March 4 at
Pike Mennonite. See Phil’s obituary online: www.limaohio.com/articles/clemens_34841___article.html/church_pike.html
Conference prayers
We invite you to pray for members of current and new leadership teams of IN-MI Conference, who will meet March 13–14 for a retreat at Amigo Centre, Sturgis, Mich. This retreat marks the hand-off of responsibility from the Executive Committee to the new Missional Leadership Team. Dan Miller, lead conference minister, and Alan Roxburgh (consultant to the IN-MI Transition Team) will lead the time. Also participating will be the Transition Team, the new Advisory Council, the new Gifts Discernment Team, and conference staff. -- Transition Team
Note that the conference office will be closed on Friday, March 13, as staff members are participating in the retreat.
Nancy Kauffmann, conference regional minister, has accepted a position as denominational minister for Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership,
effective May 1. She will join Lee Lever (interim director), Linford King, Phil
Bergey and Iris de León-Hartshorn as denominational ministers responsible for
building strong, church-wide relationships with Mennonite Church USA area
conferences and their staff. Nancy will finish her work with the conference on
March 31. Join us in giving thanks both for her work with the conference and
for this new opportunity! Read more of the denominational news release: www.mennoniteusa.org/Home/News/tabid/65/EntryID/117/Default.aspx
Farewell events planned for conference regional ministers
Two farewell events: one for Nancy Kauffmann and one for Tim Lichti. Come one, come all! You are invited to attend a farewell dinner followed by a program at Amigo Centre, Sturgis, Mich., for Nancy on Friday, April 17, and for Tim on Friday, May 8. Conference leaders are planning these two events as a way to give people an opportunity -- in the midst of saying goodbye -- to express their appreciation for Tim’s and Nancy’s eight-plus years serving as regional ministers. (They will officially complete their work March 31.) Some rooms will be available for overnight lodging at Amigo; contact Amigo now if you’re interested (269 651-2811 or info@amigocentre.org). More details to come, including times and how to RSVP.
Transition Team update
The IN-MI Transition
Team has sent delegates two e-mails, one on March 3 titled “IN-MI Transition Team summary of delegate
feedback and next steps,” and one on March 10 titled “Planning for the interim
time.” The content of these e-mails may be read online (im.mennonite.net/news/transition_team_process/transition_team_process.php
-- scroll down to “Transition Team correspondence”); hard copies are being sent
to those who receive weLink hard copy.
Annual Sessions 2009
“Once upon a time … signs and wonderings” will be the theme shaping IN-MI Conference’s Annual Sessions 2009, to be held June 18–20 at Clinton Frame Mennonite in Goshen, Ind. All are welcome to participate in this time of storytelling! Hosts are the congregations of the Southeast Goshen Mennonite Ministerial Association: Benton Mennonite, Clinton Brick Mennonite, Clinton Frame Mennonite, River of Life, Waterford Mennonite and Wawasee Lakeside Chapel.
IN-MI youth workers connect on Facebook
Our growing group of youth workers is called IN-MI Youth Workers
and is defined as “Adults who work with youth at Mennonite churches in Indiana,
Michigan and Kentucky.” Currently we have 10 members and three discussion
themes. We are open to all Central District and IN-MI youth workers -- paid or
unpaid. Our goal is to be able to connect with youth workers who are too far
away to join our monthly meetings, and with those who are unable to meet for
other reasons. We really want to be able to support each other -- one way or
another -- and we see the possibility of technology helping here. We’re even
hoping that through Facebook we might be able to arrange meetings at
convention, conferences or seminars. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! -- Loanne
Harms, interim conference minister of youth and young adults
From our IN-MI Conference Resource Advocate
Check out The Dark Night by Dan Schrock, pastor at Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship, Goshen, Ind., published recently by Mennonite Publishing Network. Dan writes that periods of feeling abandoned by God are fairly common, even in Scripture, and are not necessarily related to emotional depression. Suggesting that the dark night is ultimately a gift from God, he writes about how it can function somewhat like a second conversion -- strengthening faith, deepening friendship with God, and propelling believers into countercultural mission. You can purchase this book online at www.heraldpress.com or by calling 800 245-7894. -- Eldon Stoltzfus, IN-MI Conference Resource Advocate
Mennonite Church
USA conference resource advocates met Feb.
6–8 in Baltimore for their third annual training session, focusing this
year on Mennonite beliefs and identity and the related resources that are
available to congregations. Read more: www.mennoniteusa.org/Home/News/tabid/65/EntryID/112/Default.aspx
Corinthian Plan enrollment begins
All congregations should be receiving information about The Corinthian Plan, a new health care benefit plan for Mennonite Church USA pastors and church workers. Congregations will have until Oct. 1 to enroll, with a goal of having 80 percent of the denomination’s congregations in this new plan. Ambassadors for the plan have been trained in every conference and will contact someone in your church in the next several weeks. Ask your pastor or other congregational leaders about this important new development. See online: www.TheCorinthianPlan.org
Corinthian Plan ambassadors for IN-MI
Conference are Harvey Chupp of Emma
Mennonite, Topeka, Ind.; Virgil
Hershberger of Fairview (Mich.) Mennonite; Al Longenecker of Prairie Street Mennonite, Elkhart, Ind.; J.B. Miller of First Mennonite of
Indianapolis; J.D. Miller of Harlan
(Ky.) Mennonite; Lyle Shetler of
Michigan Avenue Mennonite, Pigeon, Mich.; Doug
Smoker of First Mennonite of Middlebury (Ind.); Ora Troyer of College Mennonite, Goshen, Ind.; and Sandra Vielman of Iglesia Menonita del
Buen Pastor, Goshen. Thank you!
Events
The 18th Annual Mennonite Youth Choir Festival will be held at Goshen (Ind.) College March 14–15. This festival is bringing together young people from Indiana, Michigan and Ohio to make music together! After rehearsing on Saturday, the 130 participants (grades 3–8) will present a worship concert at 2 p.m. Sunday (prelude begins at 1:30 p.m. with Ruthie Saunders, a pianist who combines classical, gospel, praise and worship, and hymns). Guest director: James Heiks of Appleton, Wis. Cost for the concert: $5/adult, $3/senior or student. Tickets are available at the door.
“Journey of hope …
from violence to healing”: March 15 at College
Mennonite, 1900 S. Main St., Goshen,
Ind. In 1969, the brutal murder of
Helen Bohn Klassen drastically changed the lives of Helen’s family, including
her husband, the late Otto Klassen, and her four daughters: Ruth, Frieda, Bess,
and Suzy. Ruth, Bess, and Suzy have spoken out against the death penalty for
several years, rejecting vengeance and violence and choosing loving kindness and
forgiveness instead. They, along with Bill Pelke, whose grandmother, Ruth
Pelke, was murdered by four teenage girls in Gary, Ind., will share their
stories of healing, forgiveness and hope during the March 15 worship service
(9:30 a.m.) at College Mennonite and in the Sunday School hour that follows
(10:45 a.m.). All are welcome to attend. To learn more, call 574 535-7262 or
see online: im.mennonite.net/news/news.php or www.collegemennonite.org
“Road from ar
Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejía.” After five
months of frontline combat in Iraq, Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejía became the
first American soldier to refuse to fight, citing moral concerns about the war
and occupation. His discussion and book, Road from ar Ramadi, give his
unflinching account of how it felt to be a soldier on the ground in Iraq in the
early months of the war, and chronicle the events that led him to rebel. Mejía
will be in northern Indiana next week: on March
16 at 7 p.m. in Wiekamp Hall,
Room 1001, Indiana University -- South Bend campus; and on March 17 at 7 p.m. at
Iglesia Menonita del Buen Pastor, 523 S. Sixth St., Goshen, Ind. See online: www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/events/camilo-mejia-to-speak-in
“Greener
Congregations: Taking the First Steps.” This workshop, which is designed
for pastors who take God’s call to care for the earth seriously and would like
to work at this in their congregations, will be held Monday, March 30, 9–11 a.m. at Merry
Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College in Wolf Lake, Ind.
(Meet at Rieth Village.) Merry Lea's executive director, Luke Gascho, will lead
the group in considering approaches appropriate to a wide spectrum of churches.
This is not a one-answer-fits-all approach. People other than pastors are
welcome as well. Attenders are invited to make a retreat day out of the trip.
Space will be available for reading and reflection during the afternoon, and
our eight miles of hiking trails are always here. Cost: $10. To register, call
260 799-5869 or e-mail jenniferhs@goshen.edu. Learn more online: www.goshen.edu/merrylea/merrynews/Upcoming.php
Daryl and Cindy Byler, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) representatives for Iraq, Iran, Jordan and Palestine, will be in the Goshen (Ind.) area updating interested people about the latest developments in the Middle East and how these impact the work of MCC. You are warmly invited to attend several public presentations, which include Hively Avenue Mennonite in Elkhart, March 29 at 9:30 a.m.; Goshen College Convocation, March 30 at 10 a.m.; College Mennonite, Goshen, April 5 at 9:30 a.m.; and Faith Mennonite, Goshen, April 5 at 5 p.m. On Saturday, April 4, the Bylers will be the main presenters for a JustPeace Seminar held at the Goshen Public Library, 9 a.m.–noon. Contact Les Gustafson-Zook: 574 534-4133 or GLGustafson-Zook@mcc.org
Mobilization to End Poverty: April 26–29 in Washington, D.C. More than 1500 Christians will gather in a powerful movement committed to the biblical imperative of reducing domestic and global poverty. The gathering, sponsored by Sojourners and World Vision, will include worship, training sessions and advocacy. Featured speakers include Jim Wallis, Rep. John Lewis, Sharon Watkins, Brian McLaren and others. President Obama also has been invited to speak. Learn more online: www.sojo.net/mobilization. Because Mennonite Church USA is an outreach partner, Mennonites can receive the discounted registration rate of $199 ($150 for students, with lodging available for students participating in the World Vision Summit on the Hill beginning on April 25). To learn about registering at the special rate, e-mail KathrynR@MennoniteUSA.org. Participants are invited to stay in D.C. another day and join in the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq (see www.christianpeacewitness.org).
At Bethany Christian Schools
Bethany Christian Schools’ 16th Annual
Fun Fest Benefit Auction and Carnival: Friday, March 27. This
community event includes a live auction, silent auction, carnival, and food.
Proceeds from the events lower tuition costs for all Bethany students. Can’t
make it to the event? Bid online March 9–23. See online: www.bethanycs.net/funfest
Essay contest
winner. For the third consecutive year, a Bethany senior English student
has placed first in the Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office’s annual
high school essay contest. Johnny Kauffman of East Goshen (Ind.) Mennonite won this
year's $500 grand prize for his essay, “The Global Food Crisis: Feeding the 6,700,000,000.” Class-mate Erin Helmuth of Prairie Street Mennonite, Elkhart, Ind., also
received one of three honorable mentions for her essay, “An Energy
Policy for All Americans.” Their essays were selected for top honors from high school applicants
attending Mennonite, Brethren in Christ, and other Anabaptist congregations
and/or high schools in North America, including 39 from Bethany. See: www.bethanycs.net/MCC_Essays_2008
and mcc.org/news/news/article.html?id=447
weLink serves to connect
IN-MI Conference congregations to each other, to Amigo Centre and Bethany
Christian Schools, and to the wider church. It is published on the second and
fourth Wednesdays of each month. weLink issues are archived on the
conference web site at: im.mennonite.net/news/welink/welink.php
To subscribe to or unsubscribe from the weLink mailing list, contact the conference office: imoffice@im.mennonite.net
Editor: Annette Brill Bergstresser, annette@im.mennonite.net (Send
material for the March 25 weLink by noon
on March 23.)
Indiana-Michigan
Mennonite Conference
Mailing address: 212 S. Main St., Goshen, IN 46526-3723
Phone: 574 534-4006; 800 288-8486
E-mail: imoffice@im.mennonite.net
Web site: www.im.mennonite.net