East 400– Discovering the Discovery Bible Study. The Discovery Bible Study (DBS) is being used all over the world as a way to know and follow Jesus more. Groups of disciples (and many non-believers who are curious about the Bible) join together to focus on Scripture and encourage one another. Come practice using the DBS, and then start your own group in your community or wherever God sends you. Dave Houser serves with EMM as Discipleship Coach and oversees the Advance program. He and his family moved to Pennsylvania in 2020 after living in both Thailand and India.
East 401 – Dinner Church, and Other Fresh Expressions of Community. The world is spiritually hungry and yet many churches struggle to find their way forward in their existing format. Join us as we explore different ways of being a community of disciples trying to reach our neighbors. Our three presenters are currently involved in new initiatives to reach out to the local community, including a dinner church in Lancaster City. Rodney Martin is part of the Bishop Elder Team for the conference. Felixa Kunkle is a member of Millersville Mennonite and on staff at LMC. Robert Brody is Pastor of New Danville Mennonite and a Bishop in LMC
East 402 – Leading the Discovery Series: A Practical, Discipleship Course (from LMC). This seminar will introduce you to The Discovery Series, a discipleship course developed by and available from LMC for you to use with your small group, congregation or district. The course is composed of Tools (personality, spiritual gift assessments), Disciplines (a review of common spiritual disciplines) and Relationship (plenty of opportunity to discuss/share what you are learning) and concludes with participants developing a growth plan and finding a mentor to meet with for one year following the course. Daryl Weaver serves a Bishop for the Martindale District and has participated and led the Discovery Series in several contexts. He serves as Treasurer of LMC and is co-founder of IMPAC Communication Conference. He and his wife, Jen, live in Ephrata with their 5 children, ages 7-17.
East 403 – How to share the story of the Old Testament. Scripture is not just a collection of disconnected stories. It contains the grand narrative of God’s mission to this world. In this seminar you will learn the story of the Old Testament using twelve icons. You will be asked to interact with this story personally and you will be equipped to easily share it with others. William Higgins is a teacher for LMC and EMM offering training and enrichment courses for disciples and leaders to LMC congregations and EMM partner churches overseas.
East 404 – Having Fun Living Our Faith: Our experience hosting a community outreach event. Since 2014, Slate Hill Mennonite Church has been hosting Hilltop Fun Fest, an entirely free community event that blesses hundreds of neighbors with food, fun, and fellowship, all provided at no charge by volunteers from both the congregation and the community. God has strengthened relationships with community organizations, individual neighbors, and between members of the congregation through this event. From vision to logistics, we’ll share what has worked for us – and what hasn’t – in ways that may be adaptable for your context, too. Joy Fasick (Associate Pastor of Community Life), Roger Myers (Elder), and Rod Petersheim (Trustee Chair) are three members of the leadership team for Hilltop Fun Fest. They are passionate about sharing Christ’s extravagant love with their community and excited about how they’ve seen God build connections through this community outreach.
East 405 – Evangelism and Discipleship: How We Can Do Both. Oftentimes we hold sharing our faith and discipleship as exclusive of each other. Yet, they actually complement each other in a way that creates opportunities for us to journey alongside people toward a growing relationship with Jesus. However, none of this can be done without our willingness to hear and obey the Holy Spirit as we share our faith toward the goal of making disciples. Join me in a conversation on how we practically can do this in our current context. Nate Thorne – I currently live in Akron, PA with my wife and two kids. I originally grew up in Maryland and DC. We currently connect at Lititz Mennonite Church. A good portion of my ministry experience has happened outside of the church walls allowing me to walk alongside unchurched individuals toward a relationship with Jesus. I’ve also served in various lay ministry roles within the church. I currently hold a Pastoral Ministry certificate from EMU’s STEP (Studying and Training for Effective Pastoral Ministry) program as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Leadership & Organizational Management. Currently, I work as a Business Services Representative for PA CareerLink Lancaster County.
East 406 – Questions Jesus Asked. How does engaging with Biblical questions challenge us to be on mission? How do these questions shape and transform us as disciples? Can these questions become tools that we use to invite others to join us in following Jesus? Come prepared to engage with some of the questions Jesus asked and then leave prepared to invite others to be transformed by his questions. Marcia Mylin has been part of the LMC staff since 2016 and serves as a member of the Bishop Elders Team. She is married to Dale, and they have 5 children and 11 grandchildren. Marcia has a ThD in missional theology and has a love for the church and a passion to see believers become life-long followers of Jesus.