weLink
Vol. 4, No. 17: Sept. 23, 2009

-  Conference prayers

-  Annual Sessions 2010 location, date confirmed

-  Pastoral Leadership Team Weekend

-  Pastoral care continuing education series

-  Finances

-  IN-MI Conference people in the news

-  At Bethany Christian Schools

-  At Amigo Centre

-  From the Goshen MCC Canning Committee

-  In the wider church

If possible, please include blurbs from weLink (as applicable) in your church bulletins and/or newsletters. Thank you!

Conference prayers

Please pray for our pastors, and let them know you appreciate them! National Clergy Appreciation Day is Oct. 11.

Annual Sessions 2010 location, date confirmed

We’re pleased to announce that the Middlebury-Bristol Area Council has agreed to host Annual Sessions 2010, to be held July 8–10 at Pleasant View Mennonite in Goshen! Thank you in advance to these congregations for the major part they’ll play in making it possible for representatives from our congregations to meet next year: Bonneyville Mennonite, Bristol, Ind.; First Mennonite of Middlebury (Ind.); Forks Mennonite, Middlebury; and Pleasant View Mennonite.

Pastoral Leadership Team Weekend

Pastors and leadership teams: Join us at the annual Pastoral Leadership Team (PLT) Weekend, Oct. 30–Nov. 1 at Amigo Centre, Sturgis, Mich.! Participants will connect their hopes, disappointments and questions with biblical and theoretical material; engage in various indoor and outdoor activities and reflect on the experience of learning new skills; and preview a tool (The Six Challenge Matrix from Alan Roxburgh) to aid congregations as they re-imagine church and re-engage God’s activity among and around them. Presenter: Dan Miller, lead conference minister. Sponsors: Amigo Centre and IN-MI Conference. Contact Amigo (269 651-2811) or download a brochure: im.mennonite.net

Pastoral care continuing education series

Pastoring in the midst of financial crisis: Nov. 5 at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind. This daylong seminar for people who provide pastoral care to people experiencing financial crisis will identify challenges and opportunities for a faithful response to the current economic crisis. Participants will pay special attention to theological reflection on the issue, effects of financial crisis on congregational dynamics, appropriate pastoral responses, and related available resources. Presenter: Lynn A. Miller, stewardship consultant. (0.4 CEU available)

This workshop is part of the “Extreme Situations in the Congregation” pastoral care continuing education series sponsored by AMBS and Central District and IN-MI conferences. Contact the AMBS Church Leadership Center at 800 964-2627 or see online: ambs.edu/programs-institutes/clc/workshops/pastoring-financial-crisis

Tina Stoltzfus Schlabach serving as planning committee representative. Tina, an IN-MI Church Life Commission member from Waterford Mennonite, Goshen, Ind., has been appointed by the commission to serve as IN-MI Conference’s representative on the committee that plans this pastoral care continuing education series.

Finances

The total income for August was the lowest for any single month in the last decade -- maybe longer -- following a July that was better than usual. The Stewardship and Finance Commission is watching income/expense trends closely, and the Missional Leadership Team also is staying informed. Thank you to congregations and individuals who are finding ways to increase support as others are cutting back because of the tight economy! The Aug. 31 year-to-date figures:

                                       2009–10         2008–09 2009–10         2008–09
Estimated income*            $71,800          $79,300 Estimated expenses**          $83,936        $108,126
Actual income                    41,935           52,516 Actual expenses                    57,796           79,509

*calculated according to historical giving patterns                               **two-twelfths of total spending plan

IN-MI Conference people in the news

Exchange leads to two-way learning. People from Olive Mennonite, Elkhart, Ind., and East Goshen (Ind.) Mennonite are featured in this piece on a three-week summer exchange program between French and North American Mennonite youth. Read more: mennonitemission.net/Resources/News/Story.asp?ID=1452

At Bethany Christian Schools

Global community: Students grew in faith and cross-cultural understanding in three summer international learning opportunities:

-  Senior Leanne Hochstetler attended the Global Youth Summit that preceded Mennonite World Conference: see www.bethanycs.net/GYS_2009

-  Nine students participated in Bethany’s Spanish Language trip to Brazil and Paraguay: see www.bethanycs.net/academics/spanish_trip/2009

-  Five students hosted French Mennonite youth in their homes: see www.bethanycs.net/French_exchange_2009

At Amigo Centre

For information on these and other events at Amigo Centre, Sturgis, Mich., contact Amigo at 269 651-2811 or info@amigocentre.org, or see www.amigocentre.org.

-  IN-MI Mennonite Women’s Retreat: Oct. 9–11 at Amigo Centre. Hear Evie Shellenberger, Paoli, Ind., share about her experiences in Iran. Be replenished through fellowship, nature, and worship.

-  Fall Woodcutting Day at Amigo Centre: Oct. 10, 9 a.m. to noon. Bring your chainsaws or just yourself to help get Amigo ready for the heating season that is fast approaching! A light lunch will be provided.

-  Celebrate Amigo: Oct. 16–18. Support and celebrate the ministry that happens throughout the year at Amigo. Silent and live auctions along with time to explore Amigo in autumn make up the weekend.

-  Pastoral Leadership Team Weekend: Oct. 30–Nov. 1. Learn and practice skills needed in today’s church. Input and discussion led by Dan Miller. Worship led by Jeremy Kempf. (see also blurb above)

From the Goshen MCC Canning Committee

You may remember that Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Great Lakes contributed 50 cases of canned meat to IN-MI Conference to extend the “Because we care” gift initiated by Blooming Glen (Pa.) Mennonite this last spring. The Goshen Canning Committee would like us to know that the canning expenses for 2009 have not yet been covered; $20,000 are still needed. Congregations are invited to help cover this shortfall so that the committee can start fresh for the next year. Please send contributions to: Goshen Meat Canning, MCC Great Lakes, 1013 Division St., Goshen, IN 46528. Contributions must be designated for the “Goshen Canning Committee.”

In the wider church

Abundant Life: Economic Justice for All Campaign. Mennonite Central Committee’s Washington Office invites congregations to participate in this yearlong campaign, which will focus on specific areas of U.S. policy in which we see potential for taking steps toward greater justice. We invite congregations to pray, reflect and act for economic justice for all: Oct. 25 -- Proclaim Jubilee: A New Beginning; Jan. 31 -- Secure Dwelling Places: A Home for Everyone; April 25 -- Let Justice Roll Down: Trade for the Common Good. Worship and advocacy resources and other information are available at mcc.org/us/washington/life or by calling 202 544-6564.

Attention, small congregations! Application forms are now available for the Summer Collegium, a project in support of small congregations to be held June 23–July 1, 2010, at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Va. The theme of this year’s collegium is “Leadership in the small congregation.” Our keynote speaker will be Alice Mann, a prolific writer on congregational ministry. John Bell from the Iona Community in Scotland will join our worship team for the conference. Clergy (and their spouses or partners) from 25 small churches of all Christian denominations are invited to spend nine days at Virginia Seminary for encouragement, education, rest and renewal. All expenses -- including travel, books, meals, lodging, childcare at home and pulpit supply -- are paid by a grant from the Lilly Endowment. To apply, see online www.vts.edu/education/collegium, e-mail SummerCollegium@vts.edu or call 703 461-1760. Applications must be postmarked by Dec. 15, 2009. -- Marilyn Johns, D. Min., Virginia Theological Seminary

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 Oct. 14 weLink by noon on Oct. 12.)

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