Mennonite Church Canada's commitment to sustainability

In January of 2020 Mennonite Church Canada’s Joint Council set the wheels in motion for what is now the Sustainability Leadership Group (SLG) of Mennonite Church Canada.  This volunteer group works at a national level to guide our national and regional churches towards greater sustainability of ministries, programs and buildings.

What SLG has been up to?

  • Providing background work for a program to help offset carbon emissions for MC Canada and for ministry partners through a creation care fund.
  • Offering sustainability advice to planners for the 2022 Gathering.
  • Engaging in sustainability conversation and resource events, including workshops at the 2022 Gathering in Edmonton, Canadian Mennonite articles, and workshops at the Mennonite World Conference Assembly 2022.
  • Collaborating with Indigenous Relations to lead an online book study and learning series.
  • Providing feedback for Joint Council and the Executive Ministers Group for Climate Change action such as the development of the Six Initiatives and the hiring of a Climate Action Coordinator.
  • Sponsoring the development of “God’s Green Church: Becoming a Creation Care Congregation,” a resource for congregations seeking to take practical steps towards becoming more environmentally sustainable.
  • Worked on an agency agreement with Mennonite Creation Care Network to pay a student for 4 hours/week.

The goals of the Sustainability Leadership Group are to:

  • focus on addressing environmental and social impacts while remaining economically sustainable
  • introduce measures to increase the sustainability of Mennonite Church Canada’s activities
  • with the help of partners, develop tools and frameworks to help congregations, regional churches, the nationwide church and partner agencies address the sustainability of their activities.

Sustainability Leadership Group - Members

Ian Funk
Affiliation:
Mennonite Church British Columbia (MCBC)

 

Ian lives in Surrey, B.C. with his wife Tammy and children, Jonathan and Eliana. He has been a pastor at Langley Mennonite Fellowship for the last 7 years and is currently on the MCBC Creation Care Task Group.

Joanne Moyer
Affiliation:
Mennonite Church Alberta (MCA) &
Mennonite Creation Care Network (MCCN) 

Email

Joanne is associate professor of Environmental Studies and Geography at The King’s University, where she enjoys the opportunity to integrate faith into her teaching on environmental issues. Her research explores the work of faith groups engaging with environmental sustainability. Joanne is an (almost) all-weather bicycle commuter and a community gardener.

Tim Wiebe-Neufeld
Affiliation:
Executive Ministers Group (EMG)

Email

For the past 23 years Tim has made his home in Edmonton, where he and his wife Donita raised their two children, Darian and Jacob. He is currently beginning his 7th year as Mennonite Church Alberta’s Executive Minister, and in 2020 completed his Master of Environment and Business degree. Tim enjoys skiing, mountain scrambling, and paddling in the various watersheds of Alberta and beyond.

Marta Bunnett Wiebe
Affiliation: Mennonite Church Manitoba (MCM)

Email

Marta lives in Winnipeg, Man. with her husband, Kelsey, where they enjoy growing food for others and doing a variety of creative endeavors. Marta works for Mennonite Central Committee Manitoba and is currently on the MCM Climate Action Working Group.
 Eric Hunsberger 

Affiliation:
Mennonite Church Eastern Conference (MCEC)

 

Eric resides in Kitchener, Ontario, with his wife Ruth and two boys, where they attend Stirling Ave Mennonite Church. He works as a software developer, making technology more accessible via voice interfaces. He enjoys Ultimate Frisbee, running, hiking, biking, canoeing, and anything else that gets him outside and moving. 

 Matthew Braun

Chair of SLG

Affiliation:
Mennonite Church Saskatchewan (MCSask)

 

Matthew Braun lives in Osler, Saskatchewan with his wife, Julie Bergen, and their two kids, Nora and Emmett where they attend Osler Mennonite Church. Matthew is a Professional Agrologist specializing in native grassland management

Sandy Plett
Affiliation:
Mennonite Church Manitoba & Canada (MCM)

 

Sandy is the Climate Action Coordinator for MC Canada and lives in Tinker Creek, Manitoba.  She's part of Pembina Fellowship (An MCM house church) and loves hanging out outside with her kids Orie and Meredith and partner Barrette.