Sacred Listening By Alma Ovalle I had the privilege of serving as a simultaneous interpreter between English and Spanish at the 58th Annual Southeast Mennonite Conference at Sarasota Community Church in Sarasota, Florida. Every time I put on a headset with a mic, I am reminded how grateful I am that God has allowed me to use this gift for his people. I began interpreting simultaneously when… Read More
He Will Build His Kingdom by Brad Roth, Interim Pastor at Greensburg Mennonite Church “I don’t think many kids are coming to this,” a youth told me as we gathered for Greensburg Mennonite Church’s first baptismal class in years. It was Sunday afternoon in the heart of winter in western Kansas. I had been laying the groundwork for weeks: planning, shoulder-tapping, and announcing in the congregation where I serve as… Read More
The Holy Spirit Among Us By Tim Bentch, Lead Pastor of Mount Joy Mennonite Church On a Sunday back in November, we had a special time of experiencing the presence of the Lord among us at Mount Joy Mennonite Church. Following an anointed time of worship, we had a baptism. The Holy Spirit came upon this believer as we prayed for him to be not just baptized in water, but… Read More
A Heart of Joy – Week Three of Advent Scripture Readings Isaiah 35:1–10 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen… Read More
A Spirit of Peace – Week Two of Advent Scripture Isaiah 11:1–10 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear… Read More
Holding Onto Hope – Week One of Advent Scripture1 Isaiah 2:1–5 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains;it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the… Read More
A New Beginning: Iglesia Shalom Nuevo Comienzo by Veronica Sanchez Shalom Nuevo Comienzo, a recent church plant in Virginia, works to build a solid foundation so people can come to know the good news of salvation, feel part of the community of faith, and grow in discipleship to become faithful followers of Jesus. I remember receiving a call from an anguished woman. She had received a death threat and had been suffering… Read More
Make Room by Mercedes Thomas These were the words shared with me a week and a half ago during a visit with Aled Griffith, Nick Scott, and Shane Good. Aled is the Team Leader for Synergy, a family of churches across the UK, Spain, and the US Midwest. Visiting from the UK, Aled brought along his friends Nick (from New Zealand) and Shane (from Indiana) to Lancaster,… Read More
Life as an Urban Missionary by Michael Clancy As I enter my eighth year as an urban missionary, I wholeheartedly dedicate myself to helping men transition from prison and programs back into society. In 2016, I met Shawn Connatser, a man with long hair and a warm smile. He first attended my Bible studies at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility, and soon after, he became part of our congregation through… Read More
Movement Update: June 2025 by Rodney Martin Glenn Kauffman and I recently completed a survey asking how many leaders LMC has trained in the past year. After we thought about it for a moment we realized, to our surprise, that the number is higher than we imagined. In our movement development work, Glenn and I are leading—or learning to lead—two different labs by the Movement Leaders Collective. They are… Read More
