weLink
Vol.
4, No. 12: July 8, 2009
- Thank you, Anita!
- Considering the Journey program?
- Annual Sessions 2009
- Shifting from seven clusters to five regions
- Job narratives for new conference staff positions
- IN-MI Missional Seeds Giving Club membership more than doubles!
- Anonymous donor provides new color laser printer for the conference
office
- Conference office closing on Fridays to be continued
- Thank you, conference delegates to Columbus 2009!
- Mennonite World Conference and Global Youth Summit
- Thanks to our IN-MI Conference Resource Advocate!
- Blooming Glen Mennonite mutual aid gift update
- Events
- At Amigo Centre
If
possible, please include blurbs from weLink (as applicable) in your church
bulletins and/or newsletters. Thank you!
Thank you, Anita!
We are grateful to Anita Yoder Kehr, pastor at Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship, Goshen, Ind., who has served from April 13 to June 30 in the conference office as interim conference minister of search and credentialing processes. Anita temporarily reduced her responsibilities in the congregation so that she could serve half time in the position.
“We’ve appreciated Anita’s willingness to help during this time,” said Dan Miller, lead conference minister. “She jumped right in and capably picked up details needing attention. Her passion for good process also has been an asset. Thank you to Anita and to Berkey Avenue for making the adjustments that allowed this three-month window.”
The conference is seeking another interim person to fill this role until a long-term person can be found. See the job narrative for this position online: im.mennonite.net
Considering the Journey program?
Aug. 1 is the deadline to apply for fall 2009. Journey is a conference-based leadership development program for pastors and other congregational leaders who are called without specific training for ministry or who are exploring a call to pastoral ministry. Sponsors: IN-MI and Central District conferences and Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. To learn more, see www.journeyprogram.net, talk with your pastor, or contact Dan Miller at 800 288-8486 or dan@im.mennonite.net.
Annual Sessions
2009
Thank you
to all who played a
part in hosting our June 18–20
Annual Sessions at Clinton Frame Mennonite in Goshen, Ind.! We are especially grateful to the
congregations of the Southeast Goshen Area Council -- Benton, Clinton Brick,
Clinton Frame, River of Life, Waterford and Wawasee
Lakeside -- for their welcoming spirit, generosity, enthusiasm for taking on
the tasks that needed to be done, and willingness to go “above and beyond” in
making the event meaningful for participants -- from children to adults. Thank
you also to the members of the planning committee who used their creative
energy to help us playfully reflect on “learning to
ride our missional bike.”
And thank you to all who attended! A total of 273 adults and 24 children registered, representing 53 of 79 conference congregations.
View photo highlights of Annual Sessions online: im.mennonite.net/events/annual_sessions/photo_highlights.php
Further coverage will appear in Gospel
Evangel. A report on expenses will appear in a future issue of
weLink.
Shifting from seven
clusters to five regions
As part of transitioning to a regionalized ministry staff model, the Missional Leadership Team is anticipating a change from seven clusters to five regions. This decision has been precipitated by the change in clusters over the last decade and by the economic realities of staff costs. Area councils will remain much as they are and will be grouped differently. The MLT anticipates assessing the changes in two years. See the new regions online: im.mennonite.net
Job narratives for new conference staff positions
Read job narratives for a half-time conference minister for
leadership transitions and for part-time regional pastors
at im.mennonite.net.
To learn more, contact Dan Miller: 800 288-8486 or dan@im.mennonite.net
IN-MI Missional
Seeds Giving Club membership more than doubles!
We celebrate a piece of exciting news: The first 24 members of the new IN-MI Conference Missional Seeds Giving Club were joined by another 24 people who signed up as members at Annual Sessions in June. With those who have joined since then, total membership currently stands at 50! These contributors will receive a membership certificate, their name listed in an annual financial synopsis (unless requested otherwise), and a quarterly Missional Seeds newsletter. Thank you to all who are contributing!
To learn more
about this opportunity for individuals to financially support the mission of
the conference, contact the conference office or download a brochure
from the conference’s home page: im.mennonite.net (under “Donate”)
-- Heidi King, administrative
coordinator
Anonymous donor
provides new color laser printer for the conference office
Some
days come with wonderful surprises -- like the day in June when we received a check for $500 to purchase a
new color printer! The donor had gotten wind of our disappointment at not being
able to fund a new color copier -- combined with distress at the breakdown of
our main black-and-white laser printer -- and decided to help us purchase a
printer that could produce at least a limited number of color materials in
house. The new printer arrived the week before Annual Sessions, just in time
for us to print our remaining materials for “the big weekend!” It was indeed a
morale booster and deserves a big thank you!
-- Heidi King, administrative coordinator
Conference office
closing on Fridays to be continued
Our
three-month experiment of
closing the conference office on Fridays seems to be working fairly well. While
we know of a number of cases where people have adjusted their schedules to work
around this change, we have not received negative feedback overall. The new
schedule has made it possible for all of the office staff to meet together
weekly (by eliminating job sharing to provide front desk coverage). We are
planning to continue the new schedule until/unless future changes call for
something different. Thank you for your flexibility during these times of
transition! -- Heidi King, administrative
coordinator
Thank you, conference delegates to Columbus 2009!
Among the many
congregational delegates who attend the denominational convention
every two years are also delegates representing area conferences of Mennonite
Church USA. We give thanks for the 11 people who represented IN-MI Mennonite
Conference at last week’s convention in Columbus, Ohio:
Maria Byler, young adult representative, Benton Mennonite, Goshen,
Ind.; Maria Crockett, House of Power
Fellowship, Elkhart, Ind.; Randy Detweiler, Howard-Miami Mennonite, Kokomo, Ind.; Brent Eash, moderator, Shore Mennonite,
Shipshewana, Ind.; Gene Hartman, Emma
Mennonite, Topeka, Ind.; Dan Miller,
lead conference minister, Walnut Hill Mennonite, Goshen; Izaete Nafziger, North Goshen Mennonite; Frances Ringenberg, Missional Leadership
Team, Prairie Street Mennonite, Elkhart; Carole
Ricketts, Michigan State University Mennonite Fellowship, East Lansing,
Mich.; Samuel Wilson, Missional
Leadership Team, Community Christian Fellowship Ministries, Detroit, Mich.; and
Bob Yoder, Gifts Development Team, First
Mennonite of Middlebury (Ind.)
Mennonite World Conference and Global Youth Summit
People from all over the world are on their way to participate in the Second Global Youth Summit (July 10–12) and the Fifteenth Mennonite World Conference Assembly (July 13–19) in Asunción, Paraguay.
One journey worth noting is that of Lars Akerson
and Jonathan Spicher, two young adults who left
Harrisonburg, Va., Jan. 6 on an 8,500-mile bicycle pilgrimage to Paraguay. View
photos and stories from their six-month journey of learning and serving: americas.bikemovement.org/
The focus of the youth summit is “Service: Live the
Difference,” and the theme for Assembly 15 is “Come together in the way of Jesus Christ.”
Daily updates of MWC Assembly 15 activities will be available at www.mwc-cmm.org.
At least one person from each continent is also being asked to provide blogs
about the assembly from his or her perspective.
Please pray for these
meetings and for all who will participating in them!
Among many participants from IN-MI Conference congregations are three
high-school students in !Explore: A Theological
Program for High School Youth at Associated Mennonite Biblical
Seminary, Elkhart, Ind., and their pastors: Melanie Ruuska and Pastor
Debra Voss of Burr Oak Mennonite, Rensselaer, Ind.; Audrey Thill and Pastor Mary Mininger of Paoli (Ind.) Mennonite Fellowship; and Alita Yoder and Pastor Todd Gusler of Olive Mennonite,
Elkhart, Ind.
Thanks to our IN-MI Conference Resource Advocate!
Thank you to Eldon Stoltzfus, pastor of Forks Mennonite, Middlebury, Ind., who just completed three-plus years as the first resource advocate for IN-MI Conference! In this role, he received information and training in the vast array of resources created by Mennonite Church USA agencies, and then worked at ways of connecting congregations to these resources. He also communicated to the agencies feedback from congregations about current resources and suggestions for additional resources.
Eldon commented, “I consider it a privilege to have served for the first term of this new role for the conference and denomination. The potential for creative and positive contributions to the mission and ministry of conference congregations through the resource advocate role continues to expand.”
This position is currently open.
Blooming Glen Mennonite mutual aid gift update
(On April 19, Blooming Glen (Pa.) Mennonite held a pancake breakfast to raise funds to benefit people in IN-MI Conference congregations who have been most affected by the economic recession. Read more online: im.mennonite.net/index/documents/Because%20We%20Care.htm)
In considering how to distribute Blooming Glen’s generous financial gift -- $8,200! -- Dan Miller, lead conference minister; Steve Slagel of East Goshen (Ind.) Mennonite; and Len Geiser of College Mennonite, Goshen; decided to target specific areas to receive the gifts by selecting congregations to serve as distribution points -- congregations that would already have an infrastructure to manage distribution of resources to those in need -- with the idea that Mennonites and others could access the gifts in those areas by contacting them:
n Upper Peninsula, Mich. -- Rexton Mennonite and Naubinway Christian Fellowship
n Detroit, Mich. -- Community Christian Fellowship Ministries
n Elkhart, Ind. -- Belmont Neighborhood Fellowship
n Goshen, Ind. -- North Goshen Mennonite
n Kokomo, Ind. -- Howard-Miami and Parkview Mennonite churches
In most cases, the money will be used to purchase food supplies for pantries. Also, Mennonite Central Committee Great Lakes donated 50 cases of canned meat for distribution with the funds.
Participants at Annual Sessions in June expressed their thanks for Blooming Glen’s generosity by signing a special card.
Events
“Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the
Hours of the Day” is the theme for the Women
Creating Community 2009–10 retreat series at A Quiet
Place Prayer Center, Milford, Ind. A group of women will gather
once a month from September through May, dividing
the time between input, silence and solitude, and sharing in small covenant
groups. Cost: $280 for eight sessions. Up to 4 CEUs
available. Download a brochure: im.mennonite.net/news/news.php Contact A Quiet
Place: 574 658-4831 (Camp Mack) or milfam@npcc.net
Interested in immigration issues? Join the conversation at “And you welcomed me: A consultation of the people of God on immigration,” Sept. 18–20 at Lakeview Camp and Conference Center, Waxahachie, Texas (near Dallas). Anyone interested in a Christian response to questions concerning immigration is invited to attend this information-packed weekend of workshops, worship and networking. Register online at www.MennoniteMission.net/Immigration (in either English or Spanish). Register by Aug. 25 to save money; final deadline is Sept. 1. Sponsors: Mennonite Mission Network (Peace and Justice Support Network, Urban Leaders Network), Executive Leadership of Mennonite Church USA and Western District Conference. Contact Becky Tyson: 574 523-3076 or 866 866-2872 or BeckyT@MennoniteMission.net
“A celebration of peace: Beyond borders,” Oct.
23–24. Children in grades 3–7 who want to impact
their homes, schools, communities and the world through positive attitudes and
actions are invited to take part in a two-day conference at Bluffton (Ohio) University.
Through music, storytelling, drama, art, drumming, cooperative games and
multicultural interaction, students will recognize that borders are created by
society to separate people and will be challenged to consider possibilities for
uniting all humanity under one sky. Sponsors: The Lion and Lamb Peace Arts
Center, Bluffton University and Mennonite Central Committee Great Lakes. To
learn more, see www.bluffton.edu/lionlamb/conference/ or
contact Louise Matthews: 419 358-3207 or matthewsl@bluffton.edu
At Amigo Centre
Pastoral Leadership Team Weekend 2009: “Finding our way: Navigating the challenges of authentic engagement.” Mark your calendars for Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 and watch for more information! Sponsors: IN-MI Conference and Amigo Centre.
Fall scrapbooking retreat
dates set at Amigo Centre! Sept. 25–27 (with an optional trip to the Mennonite Central
Committee Relief Sale in Goshen on Saturday) and Dec. 4–6 (in conjunction with our quilting retreat). Mark
your calenders! Registration information will be
available soon.
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 July 22 weLink
by noon on July 20.)
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