October 8thBursary Recipients Integrate Academic Study with Real-World Ministry
Kara Friesen, interim pastor at Douglas Mennonite Church, is thankful for the legacy of investment in the equipping of pastors within Mennonite Church Manitoba, reflected in MCM’s leadership bursaries.
“I am so grateful to have received the MCM bursary that allows me to pursue my master’s degree while serving full-time in pastoral ministry,” says Kara. “The opportunity to integrate academic study with real-world pastoral work is invaluable, as it allows me to immediately apply what I’m learning within the context of my congregation, making me a better leader.”
Jonathan Muehling (image lower right), co-pastor at Sargent Avenue Mennonite Church, is another recent leadership bursary recipient. “Receiving a bursary from MCM made it possible for me to continue pursuing an M.Div. at Canadian Mennonite University while on a study leave from church. Without the bursary, it would not have been financially feasible to take a semester of courses while also supporting a family.”
MCM’s leadership bursaries are available to current pastors and chaplains, as well as those just entering formal ministry, to pursue education relevant to their ministry area. These bursaries are made possible by the generous gifts of donors, especially some initial donors or their families who first had the vision of investing in future church leadership: Abram G. Neufeld, Jake and Dorothy Pauls, and Johann Funk.
“It is very special that these donors have entrusted some of their hard earned money to MCM to be gifted to future leaders,” says Karen Schellenberg, Co-Director of Leadership Ministries for MCM. “To have a wide and long reaching understanding that the church belongs to Christ, and we who are currently involved have a role to play in moving that vision forward—such a gift!”
As Jonathan notes, “I have found this bursary from past pastors to be meaningful as my studies equip me in my pastoral duties, which in turn continues the work and legacies of the pastors that came before me.”
Kara adds: “Knowing that there are individuals who believe in my calling and are generous enough to invest in my growth as a pastor is tremendously encouraging.”
Pray for our current Leadership Ministries bursary recipients as they study while also engaged in ministry. For more info on MCM’s leadership bursaries, see www.mennochurch.mb.ca/leadership/bursaries. If you’d like to give financially to support our bursary program, you can do so at www.mennochurch.mb.ca/giving; add the note, “Leadership Bursaries.”