Notes
…from the general secretary for Equipping

July-August, 2002

Dan Nigh- swander

Foremost in my mind these days is the Assembly coming up shortly in Saskatoon. July 2-7 will be a very busy and very significant week. You have seen a lot of information about Making Peace with the Land, the Minister's Conference, the Assembly and the Multi-cultural Consultation. What a rich opportunity for us to "be the church" together on a national scale.

I am personally very excited to see that Assembly has become much more than the Annual General Meeting for delegates. More than ever, this year's assembly will be friendly to young adults, youth (bring some with you!) and folks who have never been to a church-wide event in their lifetime. There will be lots of time for fellowship (don't miss the Prairie Festival or the tours) and opportunities for deep conversation (note the discussion on Friday morning about "discerning the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ in the midst of war, terrorism and current events"). Our Saskatchewan hosts and our Winnipeg staff have planned an event that will move the church to live toward our vision.

A second matter that occupies my attention is the future of the church's publishing ministry. Jim Schrag, executive director of Mennonite Church USA, and I are co-chairing an eight-member Publishing Transformation Team whose mandate is to envision how our need for published resources might be addressed. Of course the financial crisis at Mennonite Publishing House looms large in the background, but for this process we are bracketing that issue and dreaming of new possibilities.

None of us can imagine the church without published resources (whether books, curriculum, periodicals, internet resources or other media). And we know that if we don't produce materials that express our convictions and tell our stories it won't happen. I have benefited greatly from secular, Catholic, Reformed, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Methodist and other publications. But I know I need to read and hear what Anabaptist scholars, teachers, pastors and story tellers are thinking in order to sharpen and renew my Mennonite spiritual identity and faith.

Perhaps you have something to share with the Publishing Transformation Team-a note about a publication that has been important to you, or counsel about more effective and efficient ways to produce and distribute materials, or a dream of a new resource that the church needs. I would be glad to hear from you and pass your words on to the rest of the team.

This issue of Equipping (one of our important published resources) is, as always, full of ideas, resources, connections and encouragement. Use what you can to enrich your life and your ministry. And in the midst of everything else in your life, may your richly-deserved vacation be a time for renewal of your spirit and your intimate relationships.

Sincerely,

-Dan Nighswander, general secretary