By Andrea Dean, Administrative Coordinator

“I hate, I despise your festivals…Take away from me the noise of your songs!” With these jarring words from Amos 5, those gathered for this year’s Spring Summits in March were introduced to the challenge at the heart of our conference theme verse. We may be drawn to the beautiful imagery of an ever-flowing stream in Amos 5:24, but the immediately preceding verses show a different picture—of God’s anger with empty worship rituals. As Sean Swanson, pastor at Kern Road Mennonite Church and our preacher for the Summits, explained, this would be like Jesus interrupting a congregation singing “Old 606” on Easter by exclaiming “Will you stop it?! You sound so bad!”

These earlier verses, Amos 5:21-23, reflect God’s deep displeasure with worship rituals that are conducted without regard for the injustices the worshipers are part of and the suffering they contribute to. As Sean put it, “Worship without justice is just worship.” So if we don’t want our worship to be just worship—an empty ritual—we must reflect on how our worship can foster justice, how it can help us grow into more just people, and so become truly just worship—a justice-filled and justice-forming time of growth.

In addition to exploring our theme scripture passage, Spring Summits were a time for delegates from member churches to worship together, hear about what conference is up to, and make connections. On Saturday, March 14th, 50 delegates and other participants gathered at North Goshen Mennonite Church in Goshen, Indiana. On Saturday, March 21st, 33 gathered virtually by zoom.

Each gathering began with a worship service. At the in-person summit, musicians and worship leaders from North Goshen and Benton Mennonite Churches led the group in singing and prayer. Attendees at both summits listened to Sean speak on justice and worship. At the end of his sermon, Sean left those gathered with three questions, and delegates moved into table groups or breakout rooms to discuss: What do our worship spaces look like? Whose voices do we hear in worship? How do we make space for confession and lament?

After these conversations, delegates heard updates on various aspects of conference work, especially things that will come up at Summer Fest. Suella Gerber from Ministry Credentialing Team introduced a proposal to welcome International Bethel City Church as a new member congregation. On behalf of Gifts Development Team, Merle Hostetler at the in-person event and Brenda Srof at the virtual event invited everyone to think of who they know that could be part of IMMC’s leadership teams. And for Stewardship Team, Jim Alvarez presented the proposed spending plan for the coming fiscal year, 2026-27.

Each gathering format had something to offer participants. At the in-person event, attendees were blessed by delicious food prepared by North Goshen Mennonite Church members, including Bolivian empanadas served with morning coffee, and for lunch, Mexican pozole soup with all the toppings and desserts including Brazilian flan. Attendees at the virtual event shared that they appreciated a format that allowed them to fit it in with other parts of their life. Several asked for contact information to follow up on conversations started during the breakout rooms.

P.S. You can watch Sean’s sermon on IMMC’s YouTube channel, and you can review the Spring Summits docket at the Spring Summits page on our website.

The Genesis of the Reparations-Inspired Fund of Elkhart County

By Ben Bouwman, Pastor at Walnut Hill Mennonite Church

I want to begin with how I got connected with the work of reparations. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, I decided it was time to more fully understand the history of this country and how it led to the present. Having heard of something called the Racial Wealth Gap, I found two books that would provide a helpful starting point: The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap by Mehrsa Baradan and The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Divide assembled by United for a Fair Economy.

These books opened my eyes to the collaborative and comprehensive efforts at all parts of white American society to help white households and communities build and retain wealth while exploiting and excluding communities of color from building and retaining wealth. I realized that this wasn’t just harm from the 1800s and earlier, but continued in various forms throughout the 1900s and into the present. It also opened my eyes to how I have been advantaged.

Learning this history angered me and saddened me. And it also inspired me! In light of the overwhelming harm, I asked myself: What might be some tangible ways to respond to and heal the harms? This led me to learning more about the historic call for reparations in this country; a movement that seeks to redress historic wrongs.

Around the time that I was engaging this learning and sharing it with my congregation, Walnut Hill Mennonite Church, I learned of other congregations in the Goshen area who were also in early stages of seeking to do faith-based reparations: Assembly Mennonite Church and Eighth Street Mennonite Church. Pastor Karl Shelly at Assembly and Pastor Julia Gingerich at Eighth Street were both important conversation partners.

There are too many details to fit in this article, but eventually the three of us got together to plan a Reparations Summit which would both highlight the historic call and need for reparations as well as offer a tangible, collaborative step for congregations to partner together in reparative work. In November 2025, over 100 people from around twenty Elkhart County congregations and organizations gathered at Assembly Mennonite Church to listen to professor, author, and activist Drew Hart share about the Biblical, theological, and historic call for reparations. (Audio links to those sessions can be found at the Reparations Committee page on Assembly’s website.)

Karl Shelly, Nekeisha Alayna Alexis, Ben Bouwman, and Drew Hart at the Reperations Summit at Assembly Mennonite Church on November 15, 2025.

We are in the early stages of this fund, but very excited about its potential. Two IMMC congregations Walnut Hill and Waterford, have committed to participating, with more on the way! We have also created a website for the Fund: ReparationsFundEC.org. If you have any questions, want to have conversation, or are interested in participating through individual or congregational contributions, please reach out!

As people of faith, we are moved by our scriptures to take action. Like the tax collector Zacchaeus in Luke 19, the church is called to return wealth that was gained through the exploitation of others (including wealth received through various forms of inheritance). Like the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, the church is called to restoration and healing when we see that our neighbors have been harmed. Join us in this work!