September 10thMCM Fall Update with Michael Pahl
Greetings, friends.
Fall is always an exciting time as students and teachers go back to school and churches begin their regular ministry programming again. As MCM staff we pray God’s strength, wisdom, peace, and joy for you as you begin a new ministry year.
Mennonite Church Manitoba is *your* regional church—MCM is all of us as congregations working together, pooling our resources for mutual support and shared ministry. As MCM staff we carry out this mutual support and coordinate this shared ministry on your behalf. I encourage you to check out the News and Events page on the MCM website to see the events we have planned for the upcoming year: retreats, choir concerts, Camp banquets, and more.
Your Light the Fire Camps with Meaning capital campaign has been going now for over a year. During that time we’ve raised nearly $600,000 in donations and pledges toward these vital upgrades to our camp facilities at Assiniboia and Koinonia. I encourage you to keep this campaign in mind as you consider your giving over the coming months.
Last year at this time we announced the launch of a visioning process for MCM, called Hope and Courage. Members of the MCM board and staff have spent this past year listening to you, hearing about the challenges we are facing as congregations as well as our hopes for our future as a church. The board will be proposing a new Vision and Mission Statement for MCM in the coming weeks, and a draft of this will be available for your feedback through the fall. We look forward to bringing an updated version to delegates at our 2026 Gathering for final approval.
By now you will have heard that Dorothy Fontaine is stepping down in the new year as Director of Camps with Meaning. We are grateful for her decade of service among us, and we wish her well in her new endeavours. I invite you to join us in prayer for Dorothy’s replacement for this important position. [Job description]
If you want to stay up to date on all the things going on among us as a regional church, or you want to hear stories of what’s been happening, [office@mennochurch.mb.ca] be sure to contact our office to sign up for our weekly MCM Update and our MCM Monthly newsletter. And if you want to support our shared ministries through your financial gifts, please be sure to first give to your congregation, and then to MCM—and know that 30% of those funds will be forwarded on to MC Canada for our shared nationwide work. [MCM giving page]
May you find joy in the journey this year. Take care, friends.