September 3rd

What does the Lord require of us?

Picture a hot and muggy morning in Kitchener, Ontario – you’re at the threshold of the basement entrance to First Hmong Mennonite Church. It’s 9:15 am and the sound of many voices emanates from that doorway. You hesitate; it’s loud, and you know it will be louder when you step inside. But you also smell coffee and you have the sense that people are eating something delicious… you’ll just have to take a deep breath and go find out for yourself. 

If this was you, one of the 70 participants on July 2’s Pre-Gathering Event called “What does the Lord require of us?,”I’m glad you stepped inside. If not, this is what you missed.

That church basement was indeed full and very loud, the sound of connecting across the geographical borders of our regional churches, and across age and cultural lines too.  Coffee and snacks usually make that possible!  7 of the 70 hailed from MCA churches – these are your people – thank you for sending them!

When Jonathan Neufeld (Indigenous Relations Coordinator) and I (Sandy Plett, Climate Action Coordinator) set out to plan this day, we acted on the request of leaders of both IR and CA working groups across the country to create a space for dialogue during the MC Canada Gathering in Kitchener. As we dreamed of this day, we saw the opportunity to visit the Micah 6:8 challenge – asking “How might we link arms as an intercultural church in our shared ministries of reconciliation?”  We were surprised and humbled when our expected numbers grew from 15ish people to a long list of 70 enthusiastic participants. We had representation from all of the regions of MC Canada, and people definitely brought their best selves. What a gift!

The day began with worship and lament, continued with small group conversations and a wonderful time of panel discussion where we heard from members of our church kinship circle who have found themselves at the margins because they don’t fit the traditional ethnic Mennonite mold, alongside folks who have spent extensive time listening and practicing bridge building across difference. We were moved by the voices in the room sharing vulnerably about experiences of being included or excluded in the church. We were challenged to build skills of listening, to be patient, to be mindful of how much airtime we take up. We were sobered to hear that some of our panelists had never been invited to share their experience in the church before this moment. And we were invited to set a bigger table – all the time!

After a lunchtime feast we divided into groups by region, recognizing that as we work together to respond to the call to “love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly with our God” we need to do this in community, building strength and resilience through strong local relationships with our co-conspirators.

I’ll leave you with a few of the reflections shared at the end of the day:

·         “Humility involves letting go.”

·         “If we want to be intercultural in our work, when should we bring others into conversation?  At the beginning!” 

·         “We need to decrease tokenism, notice invitation, build partnerships and not get caught in the ‘people like us’ trap.”

·         “We need to put energy into relationships first, rather than agenda”

·         “Can we embrace a Gospel of Contentment, and experience deeper joy through simplicity rather than ‘sacrifice’?”