April 2ndPastors Tour the Past, Present, and Future
Up to 40 people joined in MCM’s Leadership Day at Gathering 2026. The day paralleled the theme of Gathering—“See, I am doing a new thing!” based on Isaiah 43:16-21—by looking back at the “new things” God did among us in the past and looking ahead to the “new things” God might want to do among us now and in the future.
After coming together at Home Street Mennonite Church, the group went on a walking tour that started with St. Demetrios Romanian Orthodox Church in Winnipeg’s West Broadway neighbourhood. Conrad Stoesz, archivist at the Mennonite Heritage Archives, shared stories of Bethel Mennonite Church gathering in this building in its early years, with Canadian Mennonite Bible College—one of the founding colleges of Canadian Mennonite University—first meeting in its basement.
“Our visit to St. Demetrios was wonderful,” says Jeff Friesen, Director of Leadership Ministries for MCM. “Gathering in the building that once housed Bethel Mennonite, Sargent Avenue Mennonite, and CMBC brought us in touch with the history of MCM in a memorable way. Seeing it now inhabited by the aesthetics of the Orthodox Church was an added blessing.”
A walk to Westgate Mennonite Collegiate followed, where principal James Friesen (Charleswood) led the group on a tour of the facilities which included sitting in on choir and band classes. From the windows of Westgate’s chapel, the pastors could see across the Assiniboine River to where CMBC moved next, in what is now Munson Park. To close the tour, Westgate teacher Julia Thiessen (Charleswood) shared with the pastors aspects of the school’s religion curriculum and spiritual life programming.
Back at Home Street, the group ate lunch together before joining in worship. Three pastors then shared their reflections on the future of pastoral ministry in MCM: Lizzie Wipf (Elim), Randy Hildebrand (Springstein), and Kevin Derksen (Bethel). These reflections touched on the changing context in which pastoral ministry is practiced, shifts in the demographics of MCM pastors, and how to better support pastors leaving a pastoral assignment. A time of sharing in regional cluster groups ended the day.
“The Leadership Day is one of the few times pastors and other MCM leaders are able to gather from across MCM to share about their pastoral ministry,” says Jeff as he reflects on the day. “It is usually a day filled with laughter, caring support, and fellowship. This year’s edition was no different."
Pray for our pastors, in all their diverse contexts and roles, that God would strengthen and inspire them for the ministry God has called them to. Pray also for Jeff Friesen as he “pastors the pastors,” caring for them, overseeing their credentialing, and coordinating resourcing opportunities for them. To support our Leadership Ministries financially, see www.mennochurch.mb.ca/giving.