May 31 - June 15 Edmonton (Treaty 6) to Calgary (Treaty 7) treatytalk.co
Day 11 - Sunday June 9: Cassidy Brown, Tim Wiebe-Neufeld and Allegra Friesen Epp hang out during a rest break on the Walk for Common Ground
Walk for a day! Attend a nightly treaty conversation! Wednesday - Carstairs to Crossfield
Thursday - Crossfield to Airdrie
Friday - Airdrie to Calgary See complete schedule.
You can follow their May 31 to June 14 journey by searching the hashtag #walkforcommonground on most social media platforms.
The Communications Hub
MCA is looking for 1 or 2 more churches to join the pilot project. MC Canada is waiving the $300 set up fee for pilot congregations as well as paying 50% of the $40/month licensing/subscription fee for the first year. That means congregations need to pay $20/month or $240 for the year, (my understanding is that the yearly payment is due upon launch in January 2020). The congregations in January 2021 would then pay $40/month (in a yearly payment of $480) going forward. Contact June Miller if interested - jmiller@mennonitechurch.ab.ca.
Curious to know how will the new Communications Hub benefit your church?
More than a website, the Communication Hub also will host online registration, online giving, and connections to our Alberta-wide and Canadian-wide families.
Website Capabilities: photo galleries, blogs, vlogs, sermon uploads, social media integration, story and new sharing with other churches and regions across Canada, multiple languages Benefits: user-friendly, training and ongoing support, requires little technical knowledge
Online Registration Capabilities: register for events, organize meals for sick, build forms or questionaires. Benefits: User-friendly, streamlined, no third-party software, payment integration
Online Giving Capabilities: receive donations or payments, generate tax receipts, track memeber donations, accept all major credit cards Benefits: safe and secure, intuitive user design, private and personal portal
Connections Capabilities: resource center - worship and christian education, forms; International Witness, partner schools, camps, and ministries; build bulletin from news feed Benefits: one go-to location for everything, broader family connections
Timeline: Summer 2019 - regional churches (i.e. MCA) will migrate data for new site. Fall 2019 - pilot project build sites. Go Live - January 2020.
Contact June Miller (jmiller@mennonitechurch.ab.ca) for more information.
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) faculty, staff and students gathered for an all-campus meeting on June 10 to hear the AMBS Presidential Search Committee’s announcement of David W. Boshart, Ph.D., of Wellman, Iowa, as the candidate of choice for the next president of the seminary.
Join us for a great day of hiking to raise funds for Camp Valaqua!
We'll be hiking Nihahi Ridge. The trail to the ridge is a 4km (one way) trail with elevation gain. The option exists for adventurous hikers to continue further along the ridge and return via an alternate route.
Hikers recruit sponsors to raise funds. MEC gift cards will be awarded tofund raisers who raise $250 or more. Awards and door prizes, an event t shirt, and a hot dog lunch are included in the $15 registration fee.
Registration will open at 9am and the hike will start at 9:45.
Come and celebrate our corner of God’s Garden. We will have an outdoor worship service at 10am (feel free to bring lawn chairs, weather permitting) and then provide a lunch and a chance to participate in a few camp activities as well as to wander around and explore. The event is a free of charge. A free-will offering will be taken to help cover the costs.
REGISTER NOW! Join the Canada-family gathering!
June 28 - July 1 The opening worship for Gathering 2019* will kick off in Abbotsford, B.C., on June 29 at 2pm!
This inspirational time is a gathering of our Canadian family. Come be inspired & help ignite the imagination of the church!
* Gathering 2019 is comprised of multiple elements: Main Gathering (Sat 2pm - Mon12pm), Leaders Gathering (Pastors and leaders), Delegate Gathering (appointed by MCA), Women's Gathering (Mennonite Women luncheon), Camp Squeah Gathering (youth overnight).
Dr. Elaine Heath, says the greatest challenge for the western church today is to “regain a gospel-centric imagination.”
At Gathering 2019, Heath will consider how the emergence of new expressions of church “can open our collective imagination.”
Please continue to pray for Reuben Tut, pastor of the Edmonton South Sudanese Mennonite Church. For the past two months Reuben has been in the University of Alberta Hospital due to complications arising from tuberculosis. Recently he was also diagnosed with pneumonia. Pray for his return to health, for his family, and for the church as they miss his leadership.
Pray for MCAers who are participating in Walk for Common Ground:Cassidy Brown (Bergthal), Jacob Froese ( Trinity), Caleb Kowalko (First Calgary), and Jim Shantz (First Edmonton). The walk concludes on Friday in Calgary.
Please keep MCA’s Vision: 20/20 process in your prayers. The themes, ideas, and challenges identified by our process point to a renewal of our relationship with God, with each other, and with all the world. As individuals, congregations, and as the MCA family, may the coming months prepare us for the next steps in our process of renewal.
Witness workers, Tom Poovong and Dann Pantoja are currently in Alberta and Ontario connecting with their home congregations to develop a Witness Support Team (WST). Bock Ki Kim will arrive in two weeks to also forge significant connections for a WST. Pray that congregational representatives will participate on the Witness Support Team and that increased congregations will be inspired by an international connection.
We give thanks to God along with Meserete Kristos Church and College as 48 students celebrated their graduation last month on May 18. Since 1994, 1,865 trained ministers have graduated from Meserete Kristos College. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would empower these recent graduates for faithful service in Ethiopia and beyond.
Cheaper By The Dozen is a bulk loan option for pastors, librarians, and church committees to preview new materials, host thematic displays over several weeks, or circulate items within the congregation. Order 12 different loan titles and receive an extended borrowing period as well as other benefits. For more information visit http://www.commonword.ca/go/1584
Featured Resources:
Let the Children Come to Me is a resource for families nurturing faith development of elementary-aged children, structured around 12 Anabaptist faith practices. Each faith practice is developed as a short unit and explored through stories from Mennonite Anabaptist history. These stories are accompanied by scripture passages, conversation-starters, prayers, and multiple options for family activities. www.commonword.ca/go/1796.
Buy, Borrow, Download from CommonWord Free Shipping on borrowed items.
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) faculty, staff and students gathered for an all-campus meeting on June 10 to hear the AMBS Presidential Search Committee’s announcement of David W. Boshart, Ph.D., of Wellman, Iowa, as the candidate of choice for the next president of the seminary.
The opening worship for Gathering 2019* will kick off in Abbotsford, B.C., on June 29 at 2pm!
Dr. Elaine Heath, says the greatest challenge for the western church today is to “regain a gospel-centric imagination.” 
MCA now accepts e-transfers at treasurer@mennonitechurch.ab.ca.
