Good Times - Good Topics!
Final Seminar listing for Saskatoon 2002 (July 3 - 7)

At this year's Mennonite Church Canada assembly in Saskatoon there will be many seminars to choose from.

Seminars about your role in "Making Peace with the Land"…

The Global Banquet: Politics of Food*

• Thursday July 4 and Friday July 5 at 10:30 am
• Participants in this seminar will dine on an acclaimed video (25 minutes) which presents a first-hand look at the global food table and the challenges facing it in today's world. Discussion to follow. (*produced by the Maryknoll Institute, a U.S. based Catholic mission movement founded in 1911).
• Led by Making Peace with the Land organizers

"Delafield" - The Story of a Rural Community

• Saturday July 6 at 1:30 pm
• What happens when a small agricultural community faces the changing dynamics of agriculture and its ramifications? The documentary video "Delafield" tells the story of this Evangelical Lutheran community in Minnesota, as it reflects on the loss of the centre of its community life - the church.
• Led by Making Peace with the Land organizers

Country Mouse/City Mouse

• Thursday July 4 at 1:30 pm
• Urbanites and rural dwellers often seem a world apart. How can these two become 'closer cousins'? Discover places and networks offering rural/urban connections, church-initiated farm support projects, and ways to build faith-based sustainable community development that witnesses to God's vision of healing and hope for the world.
• Led by Greg Bowman, Mennonite Food, Faith and Farming Network

Spirituality and the Land

• Saturday July 6 at 10:30 am
• Hear from the writings of our Anabaptist poets as they speak to us of things simple and profound. Experience the wisdom of Aboriginal leaders and the reflections of Kathleen Norris and Wendy Berry, well-known writers about spirituality and the land.
• Led by Making Peace with the Land organizers

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Seminars offering insights into the Bible…

What Was Paul Talking About?

• Thursday July 4 at 1:30 pm
• This study of the Saskatoon 2002 theme text (1 Corinthians 3:6-9) is an opportunity to "dig into" the metaphor of "tending God's field." Learn how the issues at Corinth inform our understanding of the church. Reflect on what it means that "only God…gives the growth." And was Paul being honest about Apollos? What's the political "spin" in this vigorous letter?
  
• Led by Dan Nighswander, General Secretary, MC Canada and enthusiastic student of 1 Corinthians

Jacob: "Forming God's People"

• Saturday July 6 at 10:30 am
• Jacob, whose name means "heel-grabber" or "cheater," begins his life by living up to his name. However, God's intervention produces profound changes in his life, until eventually he receives the divine blessing and is re-named "Israel", the name for God's people. Jacob's story sheds light on how God "forms" both an individual and a people.
• Led by Dan Epp-Tiessen, Assistant Professor of Bible, Canadian Mennonite University

Gratitude from the Heart: A Bible Study in Colossians

• Thursday July 4 at 10:30 am
• This seminar will study a number of scripture passages in the Apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians. These verses link Paul's concept of grace with praise and worship of God and thankfulness for others. Our study will explore ways that gratitude can shape foundational Christian ethics.
  
• Led by Ervin Stutzman, MC USA Moderator and Academic Dean, Eastern Mennonite Seminary

The Book of Revelation Today and the "Left Behind" Series

• Friday July 5 at 10:30 am
• The Left Behind movie and the popular "Left Behind" series of novels presents a dramatic view of the return of Christ and the end of this world as we know it. Is this view consistent with the teachings of the book of Revelation? Come for a compelling discussion of this intersection between Biblical teaching and popular culture.
• Led by Loren Johns, Academic Dean, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary
  

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And Many More Seminars…

Churches Planting Churches

• Thursday July 4 at 1:30 pm
• Is the church crowded? Are you wondering if the Spirit is calling your congregation to look at different options? This workshop will look at a variety of ways churches can plant churches. Come hear the stories of several congregations that have taken this route to reach across the street/city.
• Led by Chris Arney, Mission Minister, MC British Columbia, and Jean-Jacques Goulet, Director of Outreach and Church Planting, MC Canada

Prayer: A Spiritual Resource for the Missional Church

• Thursday July 4 at 1:30 pm
  Someone has said, "we do not pray for the work, prayer is the work." Prayer was critical in Jesus' ministry. We too want to align our efforts in mission with God's purposes in the world. Come and explore prayer and ways we can pray that nourish and energize us to do what God calls us to.
• Led by Steve Plenert, Constituency Connections Coordinator, MC Canada

When Cultures Come Together

• Saturday July 6 at 1:30 pm
• How can we appreciate and accept other cultures when we find them strange, weird and hard to understand? Participants in this seminar will look at critical characteristics of cross-cultural experiences, such as how to learn from each other, how to avoid patronizing, subservient, and stereotyping attitudes, what level of interaction can be expected, and suggestions for cross-cultural icebreakers.
• Led by Samson Lo, Director of Multi-cultural Ministries, MC Canada

Peace Circles of Faith: Native Aboriginal Leadership

• Saturday July 6 at 1:30 pm
• This seminar will explore many of the issues involved in native education, learning style, world view, offer a philosophy of education, as well as many practical teaching methodologies for those wishing to be involved in creating a native discipleship program. Join others interested in strengthening and equipping native leadership so that they can foster leadership in their local communities.
• Led by Donovan Jacobs, Constituency Education Facilitator, and Walter Franz, Director of Native Ministries, MC Canada

Are short term mission trips racist?

• Saturday July 6 at 1:30 pm
• Floradale Church has sent many short-term mission groups to both national and international communities, including Labrador, Guatemala, and Brownsville, TX. Using the film "Free Indeed", representatives of this congregation will share their experience in other cultures, how they prepared themselves to go, and discuss issues around "why we want to serve."
• Led by Fred Redekop, Pastor, Floradale Mennonite Church

Internet and Community: The New Reality

• Saturday July 6 at 1:30 pm
• The Internet is a real and changing force on the social landscape. There are addictive computer games, chat rooms, virtual relationships, role playing, and pornography. Email communication changes how we relate to one another and removes the face-to-face component. How is technology changing the values, ethics, and accountability of community we hold dear in the church? Join this provocative and informative discussion on the borderless Internet.
• Led by Stuart Williams, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Canadian Mennonite University

Get a Grip

• Thursday July 4 at 1:30 pm
• Get an understanding of your congregation's missional potential. We will share 7 ways that your congregation can become more intentional in developing its missional purpose.
• Led by Jack Suderman, Executive Secretary, MC Canada Witness

Get Connected

• Saturday July 6 at 1:30 pm
• Is your congregation closely connected to mission opportunities across the street and around the world? Mission partnerships are energizing and dynamic, but they are not necessarily easy. We will share resources that your congregation will want to consider in thinking about mission partnership connections.
• Led by Jack Suderman, Executive Secretary, MC Canada Witness

Is your congregation breaking the law?

• Saturday July 6 at 1:30 pm
• We will explore the legalities and dynamics of designated giving, and the legal restrictions on a congregation's rights to transfer money to people or charities in other countries. This workshop will be an eye-opener. Don't miss it.
• Led by Pam Peters-Pries, Executive Secretary, MC Canada Support Services

Being the Church in Zimbabwe

• Thursday July 4 at 1:30 pm
• Mennonite World Conference Assembly will be held in Zimbabwe next summer. Who are our brothers and sisters who will be hosting that meeting? Why has the church grown so rapidly in Zimbabwe? What are areas of particular strength in the church? In what ways is the church vulnerable? What are influences, negative and positive, that the church is encountering? What challenges are youth facing?
• Led by Dothan Moyo, National Coordinator for Mennonite World Conference, Africa 2003

The Wonderful World of Witness

• Thursday July 5 and Saturday July 6 at 1:30 pm
• What in the world is happening? Networks in Korea, sheep in Mongolia, the dove in Thailand, playgrounds in South Africa, buildings in Ukraine. Come hear stories about MC Canada witness ministries around the world and ask the staff your questions.

I just do the bulletin

• Saturday July 6 at 1:30 pm
• "Talking to members of my own congregation can be a bit frustrating since many of them have no idea what I do (beyond printing the bulletin)", wrote one MC Canada church secretary. Church secretaries lead a frequently lonely work existence and often feel undervalued in the life of the church. Join this group to meet your counterparts from other MC Canada congregations and talk about how to support each other in these roles. Dedicated to the office administrators who make things happen at the congregational level.
• Leader Ingrid Krueger

Window Into Iraq

• Saturday July 6 at 1:30 pm
• What is really happening in Iraq? How do we know what to believe form all that we hear? Our MCC Staff is working closely in establishing ties with Iraq. Esther Epp-Tiessen and Elsie Wiebe recently were part of an MCC delegation to Iraq. Learn of the beauty and the pain of this people and what the Christian Church in Iraq is saying to us.
• Led by Esther Epp-Tiessen, Peace Ministries Director, Mennonite Central Committee Canada

Understanding Our Muslim Neighbours

• Thursday July 4 at 1:30 pm
• Since September 11, 2001, many of us are trying to make sense of our world. We wonder about the religions of different peoples and whom we can trust. We need help in understanding others. This workshop invites dialogue and conversation in order to better understand neighbours of Muslim faith.
• Led by Brice Balmer, Chaplain, House of Friendship (Waterloo)

Should Your Church have a Web Site?

• Thursday July 4 at 1:30 pm
• How do you decide whether or not to have a web site? Why have one and how do you make it a reality? Can a church web site be a form of congregational outreach, or is it just 'technology'? How can it serve the congregation and the surrounding community? What are some of the pitfalls of a congregational website? What kinds of gifts/expertise are required to build a web site? How might a web site change relationships with others or create new relationships/new ways of creating new relationships? Join this group for an interactive panel discussion.
• Panelists are Daniel Rempel (webmaster, MC Canada) and Les Klassen Hamm (information technology contractor and former pastor)
• Moderated by Stuart Williams, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Canadian Mennonite University

"Opening Doors" in the Missional Congregation

• Saturday July 6 at 1:30 pm
• Come to explore Christian education and nurture in the missional congregation. Several people will initiate a stimulating dialogue about the coalescence of the "Opening Doors" Christian education initiative and the missional church vision. Bring your questions and insights.
• Led by Justina Heese, Executive Secretary, MC Canada Formation

Precious Papers: Critical Documents and Decisions for your Personal and Family Estate Planning

• Thursday July 4 at 1:30 pm
• A current Will and Power of Attorney are crucial documents you need. This seminar will look at key Will and Power of Attorney issues as well as effective ways to achieve your estate goals and simplify the managing of your financial affairs.
• Led by Robert Veitch, General Manager, and Jim Brown, Stewardship Consultant, Mennonite Foundation of Canada, with representatives from Mennonite Trust Ltd.

Lay Leaders - God's Gift to the Church

• Thursday July 4 at 1:30 pm
• What is the role of "laity" in our understanding of church? What do concepts such as "ministry of the laity," "priesthood of all believers," and "ministers - each member of the congregation" mean? And what is the role of pastoral leaders in the calling and formation of ministry gifts among the people? Why do we distinguish leaders with titles such as "pastor" or "lay leader"?
• Led by Maurice Martin, Director of Congregational Leadership, MC Canada