November 4th

Companion Congregations Program Taking Off

This fall, a dozen Mennonite Church Manitoba congregations have begun participating in a new program called Companion Congregations. The program pairs congregations to walk alongside each other in encouragement, prayer, and more.

“There are two options for the program, and congregations can choose one or both of these options,” says Executive Minister Michael Pahl. “One pairs a congregation outside of Winnipeg with a congregation within Winnipeg. The other pairs an MCM congregation with a congregation from Central District Conference in Mennonite Church USA.”

Nordheim Mennonite Church (Winnipegosis) and North Kildonan Mennonite Church (Winnipeg) have been paired together as Companion Congregations. To kick off this new relationship, Nordheim’s pastor, Andrew Wiens, joined NKMC in person in their worship service on September 14 (see image). The Nordheim congregation also joined via livestream.

Ken Warkentin, pastor at NKMC, and Andrew each shared about their congregations in the service, helping the congregations get to know each other. Andrew shared about an initiative at Nordheim where they have been praying for all the congregations within Mennonite Church Canada, focusing on one congregation at a time. Ken concluded their sharing by praying a prayer of blessing on Nordheim and on their new relationship as congregations.

Hope Mennonite Church is participating in the Canada/US Companion Congregations program, partnering with the Mennonite Church of Normal in Illinois. The congregations are exchanging a letter of introduction about each congregation with the other, says Dori Zerbe Cornelson, Hope’s congregational chair. “We also agreed that before Advent, it would be good to share some kind of visual symbol of our congregations,” she says.

The two options within the program reflect two distinct motivations. “We’ve heard for many years the sense people have within MCM of there being an ‘urban-rural’ divide,” Michael says, “and in the past several months our MC USA siblings have faced significant challenges socially and politically. The Companion Congregations program helps to bridge those differences and bring encouragement to each other as the body of Christ.”

In the program, each pair of congregations is free to shape the relationship however they wish. At minimum this involves sharing messages of encouragement and praying for one another. It can also involve participating in joint worship services in person or online, doing a pulpit exchange, sharing in learning opportunities together, meeting up for a summer potluck or picnic, or whatever other ideas the congregations can imagine.

If your congregation would like to participate in the Companion Congregations program—in either option, or both—contact Michael at mpahl@mennochurch.mb.ca. If you’d like to financially support the bridge-building work of Mennonite Church Manitoba, see www.mennochurch.mb.ca/giving.