Annual Sessions 2023

Annual Sessions will be held on June 9-10 at Amigo Centre (Sturgis, MI).

Conference Sunday June 11: on the weekend of Annual Sessions, conference staff will provide worship resources, including sermon on video, that connects to the theme used in Annual Sessions.

Celebrating

• God’s Spirit guiding and moving among our worship and fellowship at the in-person Spring Summit gathering at Kern Road Mennonite Church on March 4. Jeshua Franklin, Kern Road’s Worship Music Coordinator, and Joanne Gallardo, led our worship; Osee Tshiwape, who preaches monthly at Kern Road, shared a message based on our theme verses, Philippians 2:1-5.
• 60 years of ministry at Bonneyville Mennonite Church. Sharon Yoder joined a meaningful homecoming celebration hosted by Bonneyville on March 12. The service honored the strong bonds nurtured within their community over the years and the many ways they engaged the world around them with God’s love. Although Bonneyville will close its doors at the end of this month, it’s evident the impact of this congregation will continue for years to come. Praise be to God!
• On February 26^th, Joanne joined Prairie Street Mennonite Church in their celebration and farewell of Pastor Cyneatha MIllsaps.

Connecting

• Joanne has recently connected with the pastor cluster meetings for Goshen, Elkhart, and Swanee area churches. Lots of conversations have been had about the changing shape of church, faith and intercultural identity.
• Sharon Yoder joined the quarterly Transitional Ministers gathering via zoom on March 10. We’ve been blessed to welcome a couple of new transitional pastors in the group over the past year.
• On March 19, Sharon will preach via zoom at Wildwood Mennonite Church, located in Engadine, MI and Joanne will preach at Waterford Mennonite.

Credentialing and Leadership Development 

• Journey Learning Event was held at AMBS March 10-12. Joanne led worship for this event that is jointly hosted by AMBS, IMMC, Central District, and Ohio Conference. There is one Journey member from IMMC, among those from other conferences, and she graduated this past weekend. If you know of anyone who is interested in continuing their theological education outside of a degree program, please contact Joanne Gallardo. For more information, click here.
• In February, Sharon connected with 12 IN-MI conference congregations who are in various stages of leadership transitions.  
• New Hope Community Church of Midland recently called Keith Harris to serve as their pastor. Keith is a retired chemist who also serves as a prison chaplain.

Financial Update

From Amigo Centre

2023 Scrap, Craft, and Quilt Dates:

• April 13-17
• September 28-October 2
• November 30-December 2

Men’s Retreat:

• April 28-30
• Join us in April for our first annual Men’s Retreat. James Yoder and Leon Bauman will be leading the group in creating stories of hope out of the life experiences that we bring to the table. This retreat will allow time for personal reflection and small and large group sharing while we seek to envision the next chapter in our stories. 

Golf Scramble:

• June 3
• At Klinger Lake Country Club in Sturgis, MI. Save the date, registration to come soon.

MCC Bike Michiana:

• September 15-17

Five Things Friday Roundup

Conference Co-Minister Joanne Gallardo writes monthly for the Anabaptist World. Recently Joanne highlighted in Anabaptist World Indiana Michigan Conference women who have been pioneers and change makers. This blog post can be found here: Five Notable Women in Indiana Michigan Mennonite Conference.

New Scholarship at AMBS

It is exciting to invite you to give to the Dagne Assefa Memorial Scholarship fund at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. This Scholarship will benefit International students studying to be pastors, leaders, and peacemakers for decades to come. Click here for more information and to view a video that includes photos of Dagne and more information about the scholarship created to honor his life and work. 

Dealing with Crises Webinar

“It’s not a matter of if, but when a crisis will happen.”

That’s the view of Dr. Curt Bechler, CEO of Venture International, an agency that specializes in crisis and conflict management—including for Anabaptist/Mennonite schools and nonprofits. Curt will be our guest presenter for the Talking Heads webinar at noon EDT on March 30, answering your questions about dealing with crises.

This webinar is free to all, but registration is required, and recordings will not be available.

Here is a link to the webinar information: Dealing with Crises with Dr. Curt Bechler – Anabaptist Communicators webinar

Employment Opportunities

• Mennonite Church USA is seeking a Director of Archives and Records Management to oversee the accessioning, arrangement, description and preservation of permanent records for MC USA as well as collections of individuals or institutions closely associated with MC USA. Degree in history, archival studies, library science or related field and/or equivalent work experience preferred. FTE: 0.75 to 1. Location: Elkhart, Indiana. View the job description here. We are committed to diversity among staff and welcome people of diverse backgrounds and abilities to apply. To request an application form, contact HR@MennoniteUSA.org or call 316-281-4257.
• Mennonite Mission Network has several employment opportunities listed on their employment page.
• Mennonite Education Agency lists openings throughout Mennonite-affiliated schools on their employment page.
• Explore pastoral opportunities in Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference and beyond on MC USA’s  Pastoral Openings list.

If you would like to list an opportunity here, please contact the Conference Office.