Published on May 13, 2020

Mennonite Church Canada weekly worship service for Sunday, May 17 

Message:"An Accompanied Life" 

Text: John 14:15-21  

Holyrood Mennonite Church from Edmonton, Alta., invites you to join in worship as we consider Jesus' parting words to his disciples, words intended to comfort and strengthen them for the very uncertain days which lay ahead. View this service at www.mennonitechurch.ca/worshipservices and the Mennonite Church Canada YouTube Channel. 

Administrator’s Day 2020 
Developing great content and layout
Wednesday, June 3, 2020 
12:00 p.m. (EDT) 
Online Networking and Resourcing Day for Administrative Assistants 

MCEC invites all congregational administrative assistants to a conversation designed specifically for you. From bulletins to newsletters, websites to emails - what is good content and layout? With so much information bombardment, how do we develop or edit pieces that rise to the surface? Join Gayle Goossen, Barefoot Creative, in this three-hour on-line interactive and informative discussion for administrative assistants across Mennonite Church Canada. In this time of physical distancing and even isolation, this is a day set aside for administrative assistants across the country for networking, information and fun. Catch a quick peek into the Mennonite Church Canada Congregational Website Hub. Register today for this on-line FREE event! 

Mennonite Church Canada study conference will be virtual one-day event on Oct. 24, 2020  

Join our nationwide community of faith as we gather virtually for "“Table Talk: Does the Church Still have Legs?”, a virtual study conference on the nature and identity of the church and the role of worship. Plenary speakers from Mennonite Church Canada-affiliated universities and colleges will present on themes of ecclesiology and worship. Pre-released and pre-recorded plenaries are planned to allow more time for questions and engagement between speakers and participants. Go to https://www.mennonitechurch.ca/tabletalk2020. 

International Witness

Sermon by IW director offered for use in congregational services 

In a recorded sermon “The Kingdom of God is like a banyan tree,” originally for Morden Mennonite Church, International Witness Director Jeanette Hanson looks at Ephesians 2:17-22 and shares how each expression of church enlivens the whole, using examples from International Witness ministries around the world. Share this resource with your church community. Available at https://youtu.be/fjYi7PcnFTY. 

Korean Mennonite church eager to meet face to face 

Pray for the Mennonite Seoul meeting group led by South Korea Witness workers Bock Ki Kim and Sook Kyoung Park. They have cancelled meetings since the first Sunday of March due to COVID-19 and gather through online Zoom meetings. The group is eager to meet face to face.  Pray that they find peace as they stay at home and find ways to support one another.   

New worship building for Vietnamese congregation 

Pray for the construction of a worship place in Di Lang, Quang Ngai, Vietnam. This is one of the 78 congregations that are part of the Evangelical Mennonite Church Vietnam (EMCV). North American Vietnamese Evangelical Fellowship relates to this conference.  

Witness workers getting vegetables to the hungry in Philippines  

In response to urban food security issues during the COVID-19 lockdown, Witness worker Joji Pantoja in the Philippines has secured food lane passes that allow vegetables to be transported into the cities from the 400 farmers that work with Coffee for Peace. Pray for Dann and Joji as they organize this social enterprise initiative through their Peace and Reconciliation teams in various parts of the country. Read more about this story here. 

Published on April 30, 2020

Mennonite Church Canada weekly worship service for May 3, 2020

Join Niagara area pastors as we reflect on Acts 2:42-47 – “All Things in Common in Uncommon Times.” Louise Wideman (Vineland United Mennonite Church), Alissa Bender (Hamilton Mennonite Church) and Renate Klassen (Niagara United Mennonite Church) will guide us as we gather as a nationwide community of faith. 

Live-streamed at https://www.hmc.on.ca/mc-canada at 9:45 a.m. (EDT). Recorded service available afterwards at www.mennonitechurch.ca/worshipservices.

Mennonite Church Canada Study conference goes virtual on October 24, 2020 

During this global COVID-19 pandemic, the Holy Spirit calls us to re-examine what it means to be the church. While technology allows us to join each other on Sunday mornings, without gathering together how can we be Christ’s Body? What does this crisis reveal about our current practices of being the church? Join our nationwide community of faith as we gather virtually for a time of discernment on the nature and identity of the church and the role of worship. Sara Wenger Shenk, former president of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, and several other scholars from our Mennonite schools will reflect on themes related to 1 Peter 2:9-10. 

International Witness

Financial strains for small schools in Thailand 

Pray for Witness workers Tom and Christine Poovong as they, together with many around the world, homeschool their children Joseph and Phim. The children’s school is small and the COVID-19 lockdown puts it under severe financial strain. Pray that this place that has been life-giving for their family will re-open in the fall so that the Poovongs can continue ministry in this location.    

Uncertain futures for young adults 

As borders are closed and travel is restricted, pray for young adult children of Witness workers who are separated from parents at a time of uncertainty and anxiety.  Pray for those dealing with job losses and uncertain futures.  Pray that God will be near to them and that our family of faith will come be near to them.   

Rural healthcare and job loss in Vietnam 

Mennonites in Vietnam have asked us to pray for them during this pandemic. They ask for prayers for good health and safety especially for those in rural areas where the health care system is inadequate for this challenge.  Pray for those who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic in a system with no employment insurance.  The churches continue to minister in this difficult time. Pray for wisdom and strength.   

Church closures in China affect salaries of staff 

The closure of churches in China due to COVID-19 has had devastating financial effects on several large congregations that have worked with Mennonite Partners in China for decades.  With no opening dates in sight even though other aspects of life are starting to get back to normal, church staff are taking drastic reductions in salary and making difficult decisions about selling property.  Pray that God will give wisdom and peace in this difficult time.  

Weekly service provided by churches across Mennonite Church Canada

"The Marvelous Grace of Insecurity"

Text: Luke 24: 13-32

This week’s national Sunday service will be shared from Mennonite Church British Columbia’s Crossroads Community Church. Pastor Len Hjalmarson will be teaching from the road to Emmaus. The service will be available to view at https://www.mennonitechurch.ca/worshipservices.

Transcript of sermon: Getting to Hopelessness

International Witness

Online teaching and learning adjustments 

South Korea Witness worker Sook Kyoung Park’s faithful presence in her English classroom everyday has been transferred to online and telephone connections. Please pray that her caring heart and efforts to make a safe space for her students will be portrayed as well in this way. Pray for her students as they interact with her in this time of anxiety.    

Complications with Anabaptist event planning for Latin American youth 

The Colombian Mennonite Church asks for prayer for the Anabaptist Andean youth meeting happening in Colombia on July 20-24. Three hundred youth usually come from Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Uruguay, Paraguay, San Salvador, Argentina and Brazil. The theme of this meeting is "Anabaptist identity in the Latin American context." Pray that leaders know how to proceed with planning for this important event, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Technology challenges older generation of Thailand ministry 

Pray for Witness workers Christine and Tom Poovong as they reach out to new believers in the congregations around them in Thailand. Pray that the Holy Spirit will help them and other disciples make good use of technology to communicate since many are from the older generation and do not have a computer. 

News from our partners 

Please pray for the staff and students of Bethlehem Bible College (BBC) in the West Bank. The campus has been closed since March 5 and faculty scrambles to teach online. One faculty member and several students have been infected by COVID-19. BBC president Jack Sara says this has "put an edge to our prayers." In addition, the all-city lockdown has been devastating to Bethlehem's tourism-dependent economy, adding to the many restrictions that Palestinians already endure under Israeli military occupation. Pray that BBC and the Palestinian churches may be a beacon of hope amidst the suffering (from the Mennonite Church Canada Palestine-Israel Network. Mennonite Church Canada is exploring a more formal relationship with BBC, where Mennonite Church Canada short-term volunteers have served.)  

Published on April 1, 2020

Mennonite Church Saskatchewan provides Palm Sunday service for nationwide community of faith 

As part of Mennonite Church Canada’s weekly sharing of worship services, Eigenheim Mennonite Church, together with Mennonite Church Saskatchewan, will collaborate this week to bring a service to our nationwide community of faith for Palm Sunday on April 5. Ryan Siemens, Executive Minister for MC Sask, will focus on Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11) and help prepare us to walk with Christ to the cross. Go to https://www.mennonitechurch.ca/worshipservices to view the video this weekend. 

International Witness

Prayer request to ease fears in Thailand 

On March 26 Thailand declared a national state of emergency. People in the Issan province, where Witness workers Tom and Christine Poovong are working, are afraid that closing businesses in Bangkok and other cities will send people back to their homes in the rural areas, further spreading COVID-19.  The Poovong family is practicing social distancing in their home and ministering to congregations and church leaders online and by phone. Tom asks for prayer that the hope that is within them will shine to those around them in this dark time.   

China churches reach out to help equip Canadian congregations 

Churches in China are praying for our Canadian congregations and offering their help as we begin to face what they have lived through in the last months. Praise God for the nearly daily messages of support and offers of masks and other protective gear from Mennonite Church Canada China ministry colleagues and friends, sent in the midst of the Canadian COVID-19 crises. Thank God for this global family of faith that walks together in times of difficulty and times of joy.   

Prayer for Witness workers in quarantine 

Pray for George and Tobia Veith in their second week of quarantine in a hotel within walking distance of their home in Harbin, China. Praise God that they arrived back in China before the borders were closed to foreigners. Pray that their work on creating on-line classes and resources for the church engage them while they wait to return home.   

Coffee for Peace affected by COVID-19 shutdown 

Pray for Witness worker Joji Pantoja as she makes decisions for her business, as CEO of Coffee for Peace.  “As a social entrepreneur, I have to think of our workers at Coffee for Peace Café and their needs,” Joji says. “I have to think of our workers at Malipayon Peace Hub as they sort our coffee so that in their struggles to make ends meet while under community quarantine, their families will still survive, will eat, and will stay healthy.” Read more from Joji and pray that God will give her wisdom and peace as she serves.

Published March 18, 2020

A message for Mennonite Church Canada congregations

Mennonite Church Canada executive minister will record a sermon for churches to use this coming Sunday 

Video will include sermon and worship music, recorded in Winnipeg church 

March 18, 2020 

Mennonite Church Canada leadership recognizes the difficult situations in which many congregations now find themselves as they take measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 in their communities. To meet federal and provincial public health recommendations, it is expected that many of our congregations will not meeting this coming Sunday and for several Sundays afterwards.  

We know that the leadership of many churches across our denomination are working hard to come up with alternative options for worship services. Churches in large cities are choosing to video stream their sermons so congregants can view them at home. In an effort to help congregations that aren’t able to do the same, this week, Mennonite Church Canada will post a sermon preached by Executive Minister Doug Klassen for congregations to view this coming Sunday, March 22, 2020.  

Klassen will preach on John 9, which is the lectionary text for this Sunday. The sermon will be recorded later this week at a church in Winnipeg. Musicians leading worship music will also be recorded. The video will be no longer than an hour. 

“The beauty of John 9 is that while healing happens, other complications are introduced,” says Klassen. “The COVID-19 crisis is immensely complicated, but where is Jesus coming to us in the midst of it all? Let’s explore together.” 

The video is a resource for congregations to use, if they would like, as part of their alternative worship practices. The video will be uploaded to the Mennonite Church Canada YouTube Channel and available through a link on the nationwide homepage: https://www.mennonitechurch.ca. Regional church communicators will e-mail congregations the links once the video is up and ready for viewing. 

If you have questions, please contact your regional church communicator or Katie Doke Sawatzky, Mennonite Church Canada Communications Officer. 

We continue to pray for you congregation’s health and spirits, 

Katie Doke Sawatzky 

Communications Officer 

Mennonite Church Canada 

Mennonite Church Canada updates pandemic web resources 

As schools cancel classes across the country and congregations gauge whether or not to hold services,  Mennonite Church Canada has updated web resources created by the Mennonite Church Canada Pandemic and Response Taskforce during the last flu pandemic in 2009-2010. Go to https://www.mennonitechurch.ca/outbreakresources for information on how to adjust congregational practices before, during and after an outbreak. At this time, Mennonite Church Canada urges every congregation to stay up to date with recommendations from their provincial health authorities on appropriate measures to take for limit the spread of COVID-19. 

Table Talk: Does the church still have legs? 

A Mennonite Church Canada Study Conference  
Thursday, October 22 – Saturday, October 24, 2020  
Steinmann Mennonite Church, Baden, Ont.  

Does your congregation seek renewal? Does it feel as though you are “going through the motions”? Is the church still the answer to corporate discipleship? Why continue to invest in the church when religious structures are buckling under the weight of our time? Why the church when so many people are content to live life without stepping into a sanctuary or being part of a small group?  

Join our nationwide community of faith as we gather around the table in Ontario this fall for Mennonite Church Canada’s inaugural study conference. Together we will lament, listen and learn, moving forward with hope, as we ask these important “Why?” questions. Sara Wenger Shenk, former president of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, will help us to reflect on the scripture text from 1 Peter 2. Mark your calendars; more details will follow. 

International Witness

Increasing threats to pastors and farmers in Colombia 

The Colombian Mennonite Church ask us to pray for peace in Colombia. Although there has been a peace plan signed with the FARC forces (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), they report an increase in threats and violence against peasant leaders and pastors in some areas. Pray that God’s peace that transforms lives will reign in this region.  

MWC pastor visits prairie provinces and urges prayer over terrorist activity in Burkina Faso 

In the last few weeks Pastor Siaka Troare from Burkina Faso, chair of the Deacons Commission for Mennonite World Conference (MWC), has been speaking in several places in Manitoba and Alberta. He urges us to pray for peace as terrorist groups randomly kill people gathered in churches, mosques and markets. After a visit from the MWC leadership to pray for groups in Burkina Faso, the head of the military said that this cannot be changed by military force but only by prayer that God will transform the hearts and minds of these groups. Pray that God’s power of transformative love will flood this land.  

COVID-19 emergency eases for Witness workers in Asia; self-isolation in Philippines begins 

As the COVID-19 emergency begins to ease for Witness workers in China and South Korea, Dann and Joji Pantoja in Mindanao, Philippines report the beginning of their time of self-isolation. They report on the devastating effects of this pandemic on the poor in the cities. Read their blog post for more information. Pray that God’s healing and hope will flow through us to those around us at this difficult time. 

Mennonite Church Canada Study Conference

Table Talk: Does the church still have legs?

A Mennonite Church Canada Study Conference 
Thursday, October 22 – Saturday, October 24, 2020 
Steinmann Mennonite Church, Baden, Ont. 

Does your congregation seek renewal? Does it feel as though you are “going through the motions”? Is the church still the answer to corporate discipleship? Why continue to invest in the church when religious structures are buckling under the weight of our time? Why the church when so many people are content to live life without stepping into a sanctuary or being part of a small group? 

Join our nationwide community of faith as we gather around the table in Ontario this fall for Mennonite Church Canada’s inaugural study conference. Together we will lament, listen and learn, moving forward with hope, as we ask these important “Why?” questions. Sara Wenger Shenk, former president of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, will help us to reflect on the scripture text from 1 Peter 2. Mark your calendars; more details will follow.

International Witness

Coronavirus affects daily life of Witness workers in South Korea 

In the last week the rise of coronavirus in South Korea has changed affected millions of lives. Bock Ki Kim and Sook Kyoung Park, Witness workers in Chuncheon, write:  

“In the last four to five days there was a public announcement that most public systems will be closed for one or two weeks. These include kindergarten, public libraries, public schools, universities and religious institutions. We have cancelled or postponed all our meetings, including Mennonite Seoul (our church group).” 

Bock Ki Kim writes, “The coronavirus is overwhelming many people and many of us stay at home these days. I am no exception. The situation outside the house is difficult; the number of infected people is rapidly rising. But I don't want to spend time in vain, so I am finishing the final proofread of two forthcoming books that I am translating into Korean: one is new, John Roth’s Stories, one is old, Waldemar Janzen’s Work and Rest.” 

Prayer: Please pray for public health authorities in South Korea as they deal with the spread of the virus. Pray that Bock Ki and Sook Kyoung will be a presence of peace to their community.

Indigenous-Settler Relations

ISR organizing bus journey to NAIITS 2020   

Mennonite Church Canada’s Indigenous-Settler Relations (ISR) is organizing a bus journey to take 50 Indigenous and settler persons to this year’s NAIITS gathering in Sioux Falls, South Dakota—June 4-6, 2020. Would you like to join us? NAIITS is a Christian Indigenous Learning Community that hosts theological gatherings intended for pastors and activists, young and old. ISR wants to bring a diverse group of friends from across our nationwide church to attend this event that will explore “Conversations on Health and Wholeness.” The bus ride from Winnipeg is free, registration is covered, and we’re looking to crash at a local church (dorm rooms are an option, but at your own expense). If interested, please e-mail Steve Heinrichs for more details (sheinrichs@mennonitechurch.ca). It’s going to be a lot of fun! 

Worship Calendar: 

Mar 8                    World Women’s Day - www.commonword.ca/go/1692  

Mar 21                 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - www.commonword.ca/go/1693  

Mar 22                 World Water Day - www.commonword.ca/go/1694  

Apr 5                    Palm Sunday - www.commonword.ca/go/1463  

Apr 7                    World Health Day - www.commonword.ca/go/1324  

Apr 9                    Maundy Thursday - www.commonword.ca/go/1462  

Apr 10                  Good Friday - www.commonword.ca/go/1461  

Apr 12                  Easter - www.commonword.ca/go/1460  

Apr 22                  Earth Day - www.commonword.ca/go/1733  

May 15                 International Day of Families - www.commonword.ca/go/1751 

May 21                 Ascension Day - www.commonword.ca/go/1752 

May 31                 Pentecost - www.commonword.ca/go/1759  

Lent 

Lent is a time of reflection, fasting and prayer as we prepare for Easter. Whether you’re looking for a family or adult study, a DVD series, or a book of prayers, CommonWord has lots of resources to choose from. 

Share Your Works 

Are you writing an original Lenten resource?  CommonWord would love to share it further by posting it on our site. Check out our community-developed materials for more details. 

Featured Resource 

“During Lent God’s children reflect on the life and death of Christ. This year we are invited to ask God to show us how to find our hidden God as well as our own safe hiding place; how to remember God’s faithful, loving presence; how to reconnect with the Rock of our salvation; how to really see. As we do so, our Lenten journey will help us remember God’s power over death and help us learn how to balance joy and sorrow from Jesus on the hard but worthwhile path to resurrection.” 

This resource for the home is adapted from congregational worship resources for Lent, printed in Leader magazine, which is published by MennoMedia.