May 27thCommunity and Program Committee
by Coreen Froese
The Community and Program Committee is a newly combined effort of the Community Building and Program & Festival committees. Since both committees had a common goal to bring people together, why not join forces? Together we are stronger and more complete!
So what do we do?
Gather Stories: In collaboration with the Communications Coordinator, we gather stories from our MCA congregations. Is there a church or community event to share? In the current situation, how is your congregation staying connected? How are they experiencing God's presence? We want to hear all of that. Shared stories spark imagination and thoughts.
MCA Women's Retreat: An event that brings women together is the annual MCA Women's Retreat. This event grew out of AB Women in Mission. When the chapter closed there was still a desire to meet. Yearly, a multi-cultural group of MCA women meet in Sylvan Lake for a weekend of connecting, learning and having fun. The speakers are always encouraging us in our Christian walk. The highlight has always been the "talent" show on Saturday night!
Student Bursary: To support and encourage MCA post-secondary students to attend Mennonite institutions, a student bursary is offered yearly and is administered by this committee. We maintain contact with these students during the year. The deadline to apply is July 31 each year for the upcoming school year. Applications are available at mcab.ca/bursary.
Assembly & Delegate Session: The Assembly & Delegate sessions are an important way that MCA congregations come together. Every year a different MCA congregation gets to host the annual meeting and have the opportunity to participate in the visioning & planning for the event and share God's love while serving others.
If we have learned anything in the last two months it is that we want to be together. While some of us have enjoyed the additional time to be with family, work in the yard, or be on our own, others of us have experienced loneliness, anxiety and separation, really missing gathering for Sunday worship. We are so grateful for the ways that we have been able to still worship from our homes, but there is the wish that we could be together in our houses of worship. It is now evident that when we do meet again, worship will need to be different. What will that mean? How can we encounter, embrace and embody Christ in this new way of living and worshipping?
Keep the stories coming! Every congregation has the opportunity to share their experience in this interesting time.
Coreen, Karen, & Kate