Refresh, Refocus, Renew
What does it mean to be faithful as a people of God in our 21st Century context? As Mennonite Church Saskatchewan, what is our central purpose for being together? How does our central purpose for being together shape what we do, and how we do it?
As an Area Church, we are excited to be entering a year of intentional prayer and re-imagining as we work together to answer these questions. Led by Betty Pries from Credence & Co. (a company who works to build thriving communities and congregations), in consultation with a local Reference Group*, this process will have four phases (listed below). We are currently entering the final phase, in preparation for the 2018 Annual Delegate Sessions March 9-10 at Zion Mennonite Church in Swift Current.
Discerning and Incarnating God's Call
MC SaskThe final Refresh, Refocus, Renew phase is to take what we have learned and heard through the Season of Prayer (Phase 3), and transform these responses into meaningful calls to action. Thank you to all the individuals and congregations who offered prayers during this time, and provided feedback. See below for resources from all three phases thus far.
Resources from the September 15-16 Retreat:
• September 15-16 MC Sask Mini Retreat Slides
• September 15-16 Supplementary Notes
Resources from April Mini-Retreat and Season of Prayer:
• Invitation to Prayer from Ryan Siemens (MC Sask Area Church Minister)
• Bulletin Insert with the Focus Statements and Questions
• April 28, Pastor's Gathering Slides
• April 28-29 Supplementary Notes
Resources from Phase One Listening Exercise:
Letters to MC Sask (brief epistles) were also written and distributed during the Season of Prayer.
Visit the MC Sask Facebook Page or contact Ryan Siemens (minister@mcsask.ca) if you would like to receive a copy.
Phase One
Listening Exercise
COMPLETED
This phase provided an opportunity to assess who we are and where we are at, both as congregations and as an Area Church. This was done through a survey which representatives of each congregation and MC Sask program were asked to complete. The survey was also open to anyone connected to MC Sask, thank you to all those who took the time to fill it out!
Phase Two
Open to God's Leading
COMPLETED
A weekend of worship, prayer, and reflection on our life together as MC Sask. Key findings from the survey were discussed, along with the journey of renewal in congregational life. From this gathering, the Reference Group discerned three focus statements and three questions we are asking everyone to pray over in preparation for Phase Three.
Phase Three
Discerning God's Call
COMPLETED
September 15-16, Wildwood Mennonite Church, Saskatoon. This mini-retreat will focus on taking the call we heard through prayer, and transforming this call into action.
Phase Four
Incarnating God's Call
COMPLETED
March 9-10, MC Sask 2018 ADS. Betty will present key learnings and provide MC Sask with an action plan to incarnate God's call moving forward.
*Reference Group Members: Ryan Siemens, Kirsten Hamm-Epp, Pauline Steinmann, Josh Wallace, Anita Retzlaff, Christy Martens-Funk