weLink
Vol.
4, No. 8: April 22, 2009
- Welcome,
Anita!
-
Annual Sessions 2009—registration/lodging and revised constitution
- Advisory
Council initiates listening conversations
-
Plans for new multi-function copy machine “on hold”
-
BAR Retreat for youth
-
At Bethany Christian Schools
-
Events
If
possible, please include blurbs from weLink
(as applicable) in your church bulletins and/or newsletters. Thank you!
Welcome, Anita!
On April 13, Anita Kehr began working half-time in the conference office as Interim Conference Minister of Search and Credentialing processes. Her office hours will be Mondays, Wednesdays and some Thursdays. Feel free to call Anita at the conference office or e-mail her at anita@im.mennonite.net. Anita also works half-time as pastor at Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship. Thank you to Anita and Berkey Avenue for making this interim arrangement possible through June!
Annual Sessions 2009: “Once upon a time … signs and wonderings”
June 18–20
at Clinton Frame Mennonite, Goshen, Ind.
Registration/lodging. Registration materials and lodging information will be available soon. Delegates
will be notified via e-mail or hard copy (whichever is the preferred method listed
for each delegate in our database).
Revised conference constitution. Although a revised constitution will be distributed to delegates in the coming weeks for review and brought to Annual Sessions in June for discussion and action, it will likely need additional modification as the conference structure continues to evolve. The IN-MI Transition Team has drafted a revised, minimalist version that is currently being reviewed by a lawyer and will then be reviewed by the IN-MI Missional Leadership Team for recommendation to conference delegates. New bylaws will be processed next fiscal year.
Advisory Council initiates listening conversations
Listening
to create a “picture” of our conference. A core conviction of the missional
transformation process is that God’s Spirit is among the people of God, and, if
the Spirit of God is among the people, then God’s future is also among the
people. One of the ways we learn to discern what God is up to among us is by
listening to one another’s stories.
The Advisory
Council is beginning this process of listening by initiating a series of
listening conversations over the next several weeks. We as leaders are committed
to hear God's voice through the stories, perspectives and faith inspiration of
the sisters and brothers of our churches. We anticipate compiling what we hear
into a type of “picture” of our conference to be shared and discussed at Annual
Sessions this summer. Four questions people will be invited to respond to are:
What do you see God doing in your church that energizes your faith?
What concerns you about what's happening in our churches today?
What are the opportunities you see our churches facing in the midst of
changing times?
What would you wish for the future of our IN-MI conference community of
churches?
Mission-shaped
churches are aware of the stories of God’s life in their past; the unique ways
the Spirit has been shaping them. We anticipate fresh expressions of God’s life
which will be shaped out of listening to what God is doing among us and joining
together in God's call.—Wes Bontreger, IN-MI
Advisory Council chair
Plans for new multi-function copy machine “on hold”
In February the IN-MI Stewardship and Finance Commission reviewed a staff proposal for the lease of a new multi-function color copier/scanner/printer to replace the conference’s nine-year-old black and white copier. The present copier is owned by the conference and has served quite well, but it is near the end of its useful life and the quality is not up to current standards. The new machine would add efficient scanning capabilities for all staff; offset outsourcing fees for color copies (seven cents per page compared to significantly higher fees for outsourced materials); and serve as a high-quality, networked printer.
The new annual lease
and maintenance costs would be close to current costs for maintenance on the
old machine plus the cost of some jobs being outsourced that could be done on
the newer model. However, in light of the conference’s financial realities and
the still-evolving conference structure, the commission recommended deferring
action on the new machine rather than committing to a five-year lease at this
time. They also noted the importance of communicating this kind of decision to
keep the delegates appropriately informed.--Karl
Cender, Stewardship and Finance Commission chair
BAR Retreat for youth
March 27-29, a group of 63 youth and
adults from seven IN-MI Conference churches attended a BAR (Building Authentic
Relationships) Retreat at Amigo Centre. The retreat was organized and
led by youth pastors of our conference. In the evaluations at the end of the
weekend, one youth commented that the best part of the weekend was “actually
seeing that marriage is possible. Divorce is everywhere. It was nice to see
couples that make marriage work.”
The vision for BAR Retreats came eight years
ago when
The youth pastors who plan the BAR Retreats
will be leading a seminar at Mennonite Church USA Convention 2009 (Columbus,
Ohio) to encourage other youth workers to consider leading their own BAR
Retreat.
Churches involved in BAR Retreat 2009 were:
Clinton Frame Mennonite (Goshen, Ind.), College Mennonite (Goshen), East Goshen
Mennonite, First Mennonite of Middlebury (Ind.), Howard-Miami Mennonite
(Kokomo, Ind.), North Main Street Mennonite (Nappanee, Ind.), Sunnyside
Mennonite (Elkhart, Ind), and Yellow Creek Mennonite
(Goshen).--Sarah Schlegel, youth pastor
at Howard-Miami Mennonite
At Bethany Christian Schools
Drop-in Open House:
Anyone
still considering enrolling for fall 2009 is encouraged to stop by Bethany on Sunday, May 3, noon to 2:30 p.m. for a
cookout and a chance to see the school and talk with faculty. Bring your own
family and invite families from your church or neighborhood who may have
interest in Bethany. Stop by after church for a lunch of grilled hamburgers. Faculty
and staff will be available to answer questions and give tours. RSVP to Sarah
Yoder in the admissions office (574 534-2657 or admissions@bethanycs.net) to help plan for the meal.
Events
"Through
the Garden Gate – Afghanistan." Join Michiana MEDA for a bi-national
MEDA presentation on "Through the Garden Gate," a MEDA-run program
that teaches Afghan women business skills and farming techniques that yield
better-quality produce. RSVP for the Michiana MEDA
program by Monday, May 4, by calling 87-RSVP-MEDA (877-787-6332), by emailing reservations@michianameda.org
or by going to www.michianameda.org.
Meal and program costs are $15 for members, $20 for non-members,
and $5 for students.
Peru Choir to Perform in Goshen.
An award-winning
choir from Peru, where many Goshen College students have gone for Study-Service
Term (SST), will present two concerts in Goshen during the first week of May as
part of a tour of the United States. Both concerts are open to the public:
Monday, May 4, 7 p.m. at Waterford
Mennonite Church (65975 Route 15 in Goshen)
Tuesday, May 5, 7 p.m. at Greencroft Senior Center (1820 Greencroft
Boulevard)
The group will be led by Father Jack Davis, a Catholic priest who received a congressional medal of honor in Peru for his work on behalf of the poor. Father Jack, who gave the keynote address at Goshen College in October 2008 for the 40th anniversary celebration of the SST program, will speak as well.
A good-will offering will be taken to support their ministry in Chimbote. CD’s of previous recordings will also be available for purchase. For more information, contact Duane and Karen Sherer Stoltzfus (535-7745; 534-7112).--Duane Stoltzfus
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 for this issue only: Heidi King, heidi@im.mennonite.net (filling in for
Annette during her vacation)
Editor: Annette Brill Bergstresser, annette@im.mennonite.net
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