Saturday, July 27, 2019
| 11:00 am – 12 noon | Leader | Location |
| Creative Responses to the Arizona Borderlands, MCC-organized arts tour (Summer 2018) | Raylene Hinz Penner | Will Academic Center #203 |
| Making Reparations: Personal Journey for Land and People | Florence & Weldon Schloneger | Will Academic Center #213 |
| A Faithful Response to Israel-Palestine Conflict | Bob Atchison, Patty Shelly, Esther Koontz | Will Academic Center #208 |
| What’s New in Faith Formation for all Ages? | Carol Duerksen, Doris Unruh | Will Academic Center #216 |
| Tools for Sharing in a Scarcity Culture | Mitch Stutzman | Will Academic Center #210 |
| MCC/WDC South Texas Borderlands Tour Reflections | Panel Discussion | Will Academic Center #108 |
| Journey Forward: Next Steps | Glen Guyton | Will Academic Center #119 |
| Why Missional? | Michele Hershberger, Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg | Krehbiel Science Center #121 |
| 1:30-2:30 pm | Leader | Location |
| Creative Responses to the Arizona Borderlands, MCC-organized arts tour (Summer 2018) | Raylene Hinz Penner | Will Academic Center #203 |
| Making Reparations: Personal Journey for Land and People | Florence & Weldon Schloneger | Will Academic Center #213 |
| What’s New in Faith Formation for all Ages? | Carol Duerksen | Will Academic Center #216 |
| College: Is it Worth it? | Mitch Stutzman | Will Academic Center #210 |
| Intentionally Intergenerational | Shana Peachey Boshart | Will Academic Center #119 |
| The Storm Encounter | Cleo Koop | On the green |
| Why Missional? | Michele Hershberger, Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg | Krehbiel Science Center #121 |
| 3:00-4:00 pm | Leader | Location |
| The Journey of a Comforter | Kate Mast | Will Academic Center #208 |
| Women in Ministry: 40 Years in Review | Lois Barrett, Dorothy Nickel Friesen | Will Academic Center #203 |
| Anabaptist and Adaptive Leadership | Clayton Gladdish, Phil Schmidt | Will Academic Center #209 |
| How Much is Enough? | Mitch Stutzman | Will Academic Center #210 |
| Intentionally Intergenerational | Shana Peachey Boshart | Will Academic Center #119 |
| An Intergenerational Conversation on Climate and Creation Care | Facilitators: Heidi Regier Kreider, Dave Stevens, Susan Jantzen | Will Academic Center #108 |
| Church Planting Commission | Byron Pellecer | Krehbiel Science Center #016 |
| The Storm Encounter | Cleo Koop | On the green |
| 4:00-5:00 pm | Location | |
| The Storm Encounter | Open especially for the youth! | On the green |
| 6:30-8:00 pm | ||
| The Storm Encounter | Open during the Family Festival | On the green |
Workshop Descriptions
Creative Responses to the Arizona Borderlands, MCC-Organized Arts Tour, Summer 2018 (Raylene Hinz Penner)
This visual presentation includes the creative work of ten diverse, Mennonite-related visual artists, photographers, poets, songwriters, and story tellers sent to the Arizona border last summer to respond creatively to migrant stories, activist work, history and prison encounters in Tucson and Douglas AZ. How do artists record their encounters in a different way than politicians do?
Making Reparations: Personal Journey for Land and People (Florence & Weldon Schloneger)
A search for the truth about family migrations, land, and the removal of Indigenous Tribes. Includes the Doctrine of Discovery and illustrated poetry of the Kansas story.
A Faithful Response to Israel-Palestine Conflict (Bob Atchison, Patty Shelly, Esther Koontz)
This workshop will explore a faithful response to the Israel-Palestine conflict based upon the Seeking Peace in Israel and Palestine resolution passed overwhelmingly at the 2017 MC USA Delegate Assembly at Orlando. A 23-minute video produced by the Mennonite Central Committee entitled the Dividing Wall will be shown. Open discussion following the film will be encouraged and activities of WDC Task Force on Israel-Palestine shared.
What’s new in faith formation for all ages? (Carol Duerksen, Doris Unruh, Springs Forth! Faith Formation, Inc.)
You’ve heard of Detectives of Divinity? Well, it’s grown! Now we have 13 Bible lessons for children, 10 for preschool, 10 for youth, and 10 for adults to tell you about! Come sit a spell and leave with engaging new ways for all ages in your congregation to study the Bible!
Tools for Sharing in a Scarcity Culture (Mitch Stutzman)
We are surrounded by messages from our culture that we need more, that what you currently have isn’t enough, and that consumption is the kind of lifestyle we should pursue. However, as followers of Jesus, we are called to be generous and responsible stewards of all we have been gifted. This workshop will explore our call to generosity and the tools available through Everence to support individual generosity in a culture of scarcity.
MCC South Texas Borderlands Reflections (Panel discussion)
This is going to be an interactive panel discussion where participants will share stories and reflect on their experiences as they witnessed immigration realities at the South Texas border. We will have the opportunity to respond and ask questions. “You shall also love the stranger for you were strangers” (Deut 10:19 NRSV).
Journey Forward: Next Steps (Glen Guyton)
What will change for WDC and MC USA enters a new biennium? Part of that is up to us. Glen will summarize what is next for the denomination and help you think through ways WDC and your local congregation can join in work. Together we will explore best practices for joining together as MC USA.
Why Missional? (Michele Hershberger, Jessica Schrock-Ringenberg)
Many of us are getting tired of the over-used word “MISSIONAL” in the church. Anything we deem important has somehow acquired the “MISSIONAL” tagline for the last twenty years. Is it a fad that just won’t go away? Is it another program to fill our schedule? Why is it worth our time and attention? And what difference will it make to our struggling churches anyway? Join us as we learn what we mean by “MISSIONAL” by re-learning the Anabaptist concept of living in radical discipleship in every part of our lives.
Intentionally Intergenerational (Shana Peachy Boshart)
Christian congregations are rediscovering the importance of intergenerational faith formation and are making cross-age relationship building a defining characteristic of their community life. We’ll look at the elements that contribute to a successful intergenerational faith-building experience and help you apply those to your congregation.
College: Is it worth it? (Mitch Stutzman)
Is the cost of school worth it? Designed for those considering college and students currently enrolled in school, this session will explore the realities of the cost of education and address healthy patterns of behavior to begin during this transitional time.
The Storm Encounter (Cleo Koop)
Mennonite Disaster Service invites you to experience The Storm Encounter. This mobile theatre allows you to experience the sights and sounds of a virtual tornado while learning how MDS helps bring hope to survivors. You will also have an opportunity to test your knowledge about disasters by taking a brief quiz.
The Journey of a Comforter (Kate Mast)
Last year, MCC sent over 63,800 comforters to places such as Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, and Burkina Faso, and continue to receive requests for comforters for refugees and other vulnerable populations. Many hands go into the making of a comforter, and Kate Mast (Central States MCC Workroom Supervisor) will share about the “life of a comforter” from cutting the fabric all the way to comforting a person in need. Kate is very passionate about communities working together to make comforters and will also share the many ways people can get involved!
Women in Ministry: Forty Years in Review (Lois Barrett, Dorothy Nickel Friesen
What role did Western District Conference play in the ordination of women for congregational ministry? We will summarize current research and tell the stories of pioneers and share information relevant to future leadership implications.
How Much is Enough? (Mitch Stuzman)
Do I have enough…to feel secure…to support my family…to retire…to be generous? These are the questions that we think about as we shop, check our account balances, or meet with the financial professionals in our life. It is a difficult question to ask and an even more difficult question to answer. This highly interactive workshop will be spent exploring together the idea of finding enough in our daily walk.
Anabaptist and Adaptive Leadership (Clayton Gladdish, Phil Schmidt)
How can we live out our Anabaptist faith in the 21st Century? Among other things, Anabaptist leadership is about decentralizing authority, centering on Jesus, emphasizing the priesthood of all believers, and practicing community discernment guided by the Holy Spirit. Adaptive Leadership provides language, tools and skills that equip us to embody these behaviors in our collective journey forward. This interactive equipping seminar will help participants distinguish between technical and adaptive work, identify the gap between where we are and where God is leading us, and how we might begin to make progress on difficult challenges that our congregations face.
Church Planting Commission
This workshop will invite attendees to experience church planting strategies and methods. Furthermore, we will have the opportunity to hear firsthand how emerging congregations combine traditional and missional approaches as they connect and build relationships in their respective communities. There is going to be a chance for questions and answers as well.
An Intergenerational Conversation on Climate and Creation Care (Facilitators: Heidi Regier Kreider, Dave Stevens, and Susan Jantzen)
What do you most appreciate about God’s creation, and what environmental concerns do you have? What do older and younger people need to hear from each other about climate change? What aspects of creation care are most relevant for your congregation? Come to participate in a guided intergenerational dialogue as we explore these questions together and learn about resources for further learning and action.