wdc-admin, Author at Western District Conference

Replanting in Nebraska—Becoming Summit Street Church

In replanting our church, one of the hardest parts is trying to not just tell our story to others, but to invite others into the story with us. I’m fortunate […]

“The Shepherd’s Wish List”

“The Shepherd’s Wish List” –Sarah Klassen, Voices Together Hymnal #871 Barely midnight. All of us hunkered downaround ashes of a fire. The animalsasleep. Our companions: hunger, nagging doubt.Our wants are […]

Rejoice–He’s Coming, Coming for Everyone

A few years ago I ran across “A Waiting Carol” with lyrics by Carol Greene. It’s an Advent song to the tune of “Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel.” My family […]

Resources for Leading Youth in Lament

High/Low check-ina. Ask for highs, lowsb. Then add a simple questioni. What is one thing you’re missing?ii. What is one thing you’re grieving? Make a mini Wailing Walla. Make a […]

Reading the Story of Jesus’ Birth Again for the First Time

Most of us have grown up reading and hearing the story (or stories) of Jesus’ birth. There’s nothing new about it. Right before the pandemic, I heard someone talk about […]

Season of Thanksgiving

In this season of Thanksgiving, I want to say thank you to all who are a part of WDC: staff, pastors, congregations, commission/committee/task force members, volunteers, donors, and others who […]

Longing for Light: Preparing for Advent

In Sing the Journey, there’s a beautiful hymn in the praying section by Bernadette Farrell. The first verse and refrain are: Longing for light, we wait in darkness.Longing for truth, we […]

Seasons of Ending Well

Autumn is my favorite season. It’s not so beasty hot nor frigid. For those of us who live in areas with four, distinct seasons, we know the joy of watching […]

Connecting with God’s Mission

The mission of Western District Conference is to empower Anabaptist/Mennonite congregations to Witness and invite others to faith in Jesus Christ, Dwell in just and loving relationships, and Connect to […]

Not Individual, but Part of One Body

“So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” – Romans 12:5 Growing up my parents helped start our congregation’s midweek program, called Hope Friends (at […]

Hablemos de la Iglesia. Borrón y… Cuenta Nueva.

Como un árbol, así también cualquier comunidad religiosa depende de sus raíces para mantenerse con vida. En las raíces encuentra su identidad y firmeza para crecer. Pero también, como un […]

El Shalom de Dios por medio de Jesús

Durante el seminario de Educación continuada patrocinado por Ministerios Hispanos de MEA, un grupo de pastores hispanos hemos estado reflexionando sobre lo que significa para nosotros el Shalom de Dios […]

Tools for Safe Singing

The WDC Resource Commission commends to you and your congregation this article on safer singing: Singing is a powerful part of worship; thanks to Covid, it’s now also dangerous. Every […]

What does it mean to be a Conference?

These days I hear congregations asking with renewed urgency, “What does it mean to be the church? Who are we now?” After several seasons of pandemic precautions, new patterns of […]

Time for Celebration

Today my preschooler and I drove to surprise her daddy for lunch at work. On the way, I asked her what I should write about, and she said “birthdays and […]

Resources for Churches during a (Continuing) Pandemic

Resources for how to be church together during a (continuing) pandemic: 1. “What Now? Leading Churches through Covid” is a collection of “Practical resources for pastors as they navigate the particularities […]

Weaving Rich Images of God into Our Lives

One of the strange gifts of the ways we have been worshipping God during the pandemic is how many of us have introduced new music. In normal days, in normal […]

River Reflections

On a recent vacation trip in the eastern U.S., I went canoeing with family members on the Delaware River. The region had been the homeland of the Lenape Native Americans, […]

Welcome to Michelle Schrag, WDC’s New Administrative Assistant!

Michelle began work in WDC’s office in North Newton, KS, on August 25. She is a graduate of Bethel College (North Newton, KS), and served with Mennonite Voluntary Service in Tucson, […]

Thank you, Nancy Funk!

With deep gratitude for her dedicated service as WDC Administrative Assistant for over 17 years, we bid farewell and offer blessing to Nancy Funk, who is retiring as of August […]