Mennonite Church Alberta

Still time to REGISTER. Begins Friday, April 23, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Join with others from across MCA for a free online Faith Studies event sponsored by the C...ongregational Leadership Committee. This study and conversation will examine the role of broader denominations and local congregation in being the church in today’s world. Does the broader church play a critical role, or is it a distraction from the mission of the local congregation? Led by Gerald Gerbrandt, President Emeritus & Professor Emeritus of Bible from Canadian Mennonite University.

Our Time for the Young feature during our All-MCA worship service encouraged us to see God all around us. A rather plain looking, even ugly, bulb was used as a metaphor for showing us how beautiful God's creation can be. The bulbs are now growing! Each congregation will have a designated bulb-keeper who will document this new life. These are the pots destined for Calgary churches.

Mennonite Church Alberta has committed to help Calgary Chin Church get into their new space by Christmas. Can you help? To donate online: www/mcab.ca -- designate to Chin renovations. For more of their story, see Our Stories.... The Presence of God With Us in the Midst of our Hardship A story from the Calgary Chin Church https://mcab.ca/ourstories

Join the North Edmonton Ministries and Camp Valaqua as we host a 6 week Zoom conversation series on Wednesday evenings from October 14 to November 18 on how we can better engage with people of other faiths and backgrounds. The series will feature presentations and conversations and will is focussed on creating an interactive space. Each week focuses on a different topic so late-comers are welcome! Contact Jon Olfert [email protected] to register.

Our Community Building Committee has launched a new series of articles in both the MCA Communiqué and on the website called Our Stories. Each month a different congregation will contribute a store to the collection. The first story has been published. (Link in the comments as FB won't post it properly!)

Who do you know in this choir? Enjoy!

Learn a bit about rosehips in today's Ninety Seconds of Nature!

https://youtu.be/Syvl59RjtZ0

Valaqua is excited to be hosting Rediscover Play Nature School! Classes start next week for students ages 3-13. Have questions? Ask!

For my Mennonite Church friends... I’m starting up an online book club, and would love for you to join me! The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has called al...l churches to learn a more accurate history of Canada, to understand Treaty relationships, and to grapple with the structural and interpersonal reasons for the fractured Indigenous-Settler relationship. Jeff Denis’ new book is an awesome resource to help Settlers do this work. For 8 weeks, we’ll read through the text, share our learnings and questions, and explore next steps on the journey of decolonization. If you’re interested, we start up on October 8, and you can register here https://www.mennonitechurch.ca/crossroads-bookclub See more

Irma Fast Dueck, Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Canadian Mennonite University, is a guest speaker at Mennonite Church Canada's study conference Ta...ble Talk 2020: "Does the Church still have legs?" on October 24. She shares about her deep-diving into the life of the church and thoughts on worship. Read more at: https://www.mennonitechurch.ca//10638-meet-our-table-talk- #mctabletalk20 See more

Together with MennoMedia, CommonWord encourages congregations, nationwide, to study a common title this fall: Signs of Life: Resurrecting Hope Out of Ordinary L...osses by Stephanie Lobdell. In the context of COVID-19, we have all experienced losses of one type or another. In Signs of Life, pastor and writer Stephanie Lobdell leads readers into the grand story of God's saving action and resurrection power. Punctuated with stories of biblical figures such as Sarah, Naaman, Saul, and Anna--who faced ordinary deaths and also God's reviving power --Signs of Life maintains that Jesus' resurrection matters now. In candid and artful prose, Lobdell shares stories of her own depression, loss of confidence, and disillusionment with the church. Through it all, Lobdell says, God breathes life into what seems beyond redemption. Through it all, the resurrection matters. Includes questions for study/discussion. Copies of Signs of Life can be purchased at CommonWord at discount prices www.commonword.ca/go/2124.

Valaqua is excited to be hosting Rediscover Play Nature School! Classes start next week for students ages 3-13. Have questions? Ask!

"The church is not a single, one-purpose entity. We are a multi church that, like a Leatherman, has more individual facets and creative uses than you might ever discover. The church is full of numerous tools that you don’t even know you need...until the day you do." Brenda Tiessen-Wiens Read more at https://mcab.ca/mennominute

Missing news and information from MCA and the wider Mennonite church family? Subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter published each Wednesday. Sign up at https://mcab.ca/ (Under News and Events)

Missing news and information from MCA and the wider Mennonite church family? Subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter published each Wednesday. Sign up at https://mcab.ca/ (Under News and Events)

Foothills Mennonite Guesthouse is once again accepting guests. For details and stories, see this week's MCA Communiqué (in your inbox each week at 6 p.m.!)