weLink
Vol.
3, No. 7: April 9, 2008
n Annual
Sessions 2008: (Knock, knock) | “Who’s there?”
n Transition
Team update
n Lead
Now -- 10 youth to be chosen
n Events
n Employment
opportunities
n At Amigo Centre
n At Bethany Christian
Schools
n In the wider church
If
possible, please include blurbs from weLink (as applicable) in your church
bulletins and/or newsletters. Thank you!
Annual Sessions 2008: (Knock, knock) | “Who’s there?” (Luke 10:1-12)
June 19–21
at Westview
Junior-Senior High School, Topeka, Ind.
n Worship
speakers. Please pray
for those who have been invited to speak at this summer’s Annual Sessions:
- Thursday
opening worship: Sarah Rohrer, IN-MI Transition Team member and youth pastor
at Howard-Miami Mennonite, Kokomo, Ind.
- Thursday
evening worship: Alan Roxburgh, consultant to
the Transition Team and co-author of The Missional Leader
- Friday
evening worship: “Opening the door to God’s surprises -- A time for stories
and reflections”
- Saturday
morning worship: Phil Mininger, Transition
Team member and pastor at Paoli (Ind.) Mennonite Fellowship
n Banner
exchange: Your
congregation’s unused banners may be another congregation’s treasure! Bring banners, take banners at Annual Sessions this summer.
“Leftover” banners will be sold as is by The Depot Mennonite Central Committee
Thrift Shops in Goshen, Ind., or recycled to Faith Mission. Contact Nila Newcomer, coordinator from Shore Mennonite: 260 562-2764
or deere4me@embarqmail.com
Transition Team update
On Monday, April 7, the IN-MI Transition Team gathered for a full day. The morning got off to a great start as the team met with Rick Stiffney, president and CEO of Mennonite Health Services Alliance, who shared his expertise about multiple governance models. The team also reflected on the feedback that delegates gave at this spring’s cluster meetings and discussed significant themes that were shared regarding the lead conference minister (LCM) position.
The team planned to spend most of the afternoon writing a first draft of a job description for the LCM position. However, additional issues and conversations needed attention, and the time allotted to work on this task became smaller and smaller. With less than an hour left in the day, the team finally began to work on the job description, separating into two groups -- who the LCM should be and what the LCM will do -- to save time.
If you don’t believe it already, you should know that God is active and present in the work of IN-MI Conference! After 30 minutes, the two groups came back together to share their work. Without any discussion with each other, both groups had narrowed down their descriptions into four main parts, and although some of the wording was slightly different, the four topics were the same. The separately written parts of the job description lined up perfectly!
As a member of the team, I am so thankful for everyone who prays for us and our work. Often our job seems daunting and overwhelming. But as we remembered again yesterday, God is faithfully leading and guiding this process. We ask for your continued prayers as we revise our first draft of the job description via e-mail.
-- Sarah Rohrer for the Transition Team
Lead Now -- 10 youth to be chosen
Do you know a young person in your church who has leadership potential? Encourage him or her to apply by June 30 for Lead Now, a joint effort of Camp Friedenswald, Amigo Centre, Central District and IN-MI conferences. Lead Now seeks to mentor Mennonite youth in the development of Christ-like leadership through mentoring relationships and practical opportunities to explore their leadership gifts.
Ten youth will be chosen who: will be in grades 10–12 in 2008–09, exhibit leadership potential, have teachable spirits, and are service-minded, thoughtful, sincere and available. A brochure and application are available online: www.im.mennonite.net/Youth/Lead_Now. Contact Merle Hostetler: 800 288-8486 or merle@im.mennonite.net
Events
Eastern Mennonite High School choir concert: 7
p.m. on Tuesday, April 15 at Belmont Mennonite, 925 Oxford, Elkhart, Ind. This 45-voice
choir from Harrisonburg, Va., directed by Jay Hartzler,
is touring the Midwest. A free-will offering will be taken for the choir’s
expenses. Contact the church office: 574 293-5160 or office@belmontmc.org
IN-MI Mennonite Women plan spring meetings
n The Michiana spring meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 3, at North Goshen (Ind.) Mennonite, 501 N. 8th St. Speaker: Sheryl Martin -- whom IN-MI Mennonite Women sponsored -- will share about her experiences in the mission field. Contact Barb Eiler: 574 534-5441 or BEiler8735@aol.com
n The
Northern spring meeting will be held
at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 17, at
Grand Marais (Mich.) Mennonite at Randolph and Campbell streets. Speaker: Kathy
Cadarette, a United Methodist minister from Petoskey, Mich. (Her husband, Dave,
ministers at Hilltop Fellowship in Petoskey.) Contact Deb Miller: 906 477-9433
or wwdsm@yahoo.com
Nurturing
Peacemakers Retreat: May 16–18 at Camp Friedenswald, Casspolis, Mich. This intergenerational retreat
-- sponsored by Central District Conference with the support of Mennonite
Central Committee–Great Lakes -- will be a time of renewal for people working
for peace. David Rensberger of Atlanta (Ga.)
Mennonite Fellowship will bring a focus on prayer as the ground of peacemaking
through silence, biblical reflection, and discussion. Wendy Chappell-Dick will
lead music. Suggested
donation: $40 (or what you can donate). Call 800 662-2264 or see:
www.centraldistrict.mennonite.net
Pastoral care continuing education event: “Broken
Marriage.” This event will
be held May 29, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. at
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind. Presenters: J. Andrew
Stoner, D.Min.; Daniel S. Schipani, Ph.D., Dr.Psy.
This event is part of an annual series, “Extreme Situations in the
Congregation,” sponsored by AMBS and Central District and IN-MI conferences. (0.4
CEU available) Cost: $70 before May 15;
$80 after. Inquire about group discounts. Contact AMBS: 574 296-6269 or churchleadership@ambs.edu
Employment opportunities
First Mennonite of
Indianapolis is seeking a full-time associate pastor for pastoral care and to
oversee sixth through 12th grade youth ministry, beginning November 2008 or
later. See the job description at www.indymenno.org. Contact Tim Lichti, conference regional
minister: 800 288-8486 or tim@im.mennonite.net
Menno-Hof seeks executive director. This vibrant Amish/Mennonite interpretive center, celebrating 20 years of successful operation in Shipshewana, Ind., is looking for an executive director to exhibit creativity and work with the board to expand and refine vision for the future. Desired qualifications: strong knowledge of the Anabaptist faith tradition; ability to communicate issues of faith and culture passionately. See a complete job description at www.mennohof.org. Send resumes/inquiries to Leanne Farmwald, Menno-Hof, 510 S. Van Buren St., Shipshewana, IN 46565 or lfarmwald@aol.com.
Greencroft seeks chaplain (part time plus). Qualifications: ordained or ecclesiastically endorsed; seminary or graduate-level
training preferred; one year of Clinical Pastoral Education in working with
older adults. Apply at www.greencroft.org or at Greencroft
Healthcare South, 1225 Greencroft Dr., Goshen, IN
46527. Questions? Call 574 537-4084.
At Amigo Centre
Contact Amigo Centre: 269-651-2811 or info@amigocentre.org
April 25–27: Retreats for married couples and for engaged/pre-engaged couples. What better investment in a marriage than one of time? These retreats will enable couples to spend time growing in their relationships. Presenters: Andrew Stoner, pastor and marriage retreat facilitator (married couples) and Wes Bontreger, pastor of Yellow Creek Mennonite, Goshen (engaged/pre-engaged couples).
Amigo Centre’s Woodcutting and Camp Clean-up Day: 9 a.m. April 26. Help us prepare for summer and next winter!
At Bethany Christian Schools
Bethany Christian High School’s Junior Class Fish Fry: 4:30–8 p.m., Friday, April 18. Come for an evening of fellowship, homemade pie, and all the fish you can eat. Tickets: $8 for adults and $5 for children K-6 (preschool-age free). Carryout is available with adult tickets only. Contact BCS for tickets: 574 534-2567
In the wider church
Service Adventure
needs unit leaders in Johnstown, Pa.; Philippi, W.V.; and Raleigh, N.C.
Leaders should be at least 24 years old and can either be single or a married
couple. This program provides an opportunity to minister with young adults
(ages 17–20)
as you live in community and serve the local community and church. Room,
board and insurance are just part of the benefits! Terms start in late
July. See online: Service.MennoniteMission.net.
Or, call 866 866-2872 or e-mail: Service@MennoniteMission.net
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: www.im.mennonite.net/News_Calendar/weLink
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
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