STEP Graduation On May 13, 13 students graduated from STEP, the three-year leadership-training program. Each student received a Certificate in Pastoral Ministry from Eastern Mennonite University. This graduating class brings the total number of STEP graduates to 105. The graduates were Maurice Baruti, Lanny Dinh, Richard Dinh, Matthew Eberly, Rodney Horst, Charles Lauver, Jaye Lindo, Anthony Martin, Matthew Martin, Jeff McLain, Jill Miller, Tibebu Shanka, and June… Read More
Millport Mennonite Church DISTRICT: Lititz LOCATION: 820 Log Cabin Road, Leola, PA 17540 DATE OF FOUNDING: 1956 AVERAGE SUNDAY WORSHIP ATTENDANCE: 150 SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE: Sunday School – 9:00 a.m.; Worship Service – 10:00 a.m. PASTOR: Kerry Martin While God works through a corporate congregation in various ways, he also works through individual relationships. At Millport, the congregation takes the missional calling very seriously. Many… Read More
Evangelical Garifuna Church DISTRICT: New York City LOCATION: 344 Brook Ave, Bronx, New York 10454 DATE OF FOUNDING: 1987 AVERAGE SUNDAY WORSHIP ATTENDANCE: 100 SERVICE TIMES: Sundays, 2:45 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:00 p.m. PASTORS: Celso and Zulma Jaime God gave EMM the vision to establish a Garifuna church in the Bronx in 1986. Pastors Migdolio Miranda and Matias Arana in Santa Fe, Honduras… Read More
Multiplying Pains Compiled By Brinton Rutherford Living things move through various life stages. A congregation, a living thing of sorts, also moves through stages. Any congregational change can produce growing pains. Multiplying a new faith community from an established church is one of those pain-generating experiences. Since a new faith community requires leaders, the sending church always sends away some of its leaders. Josef Berthold, pastor at… Read More
Expectant Hope Trusting God through all of life’s seasons By Marcia Mylin In recent years, Lancaster Mennonite Conference (LMC) has been experiencing growing pains. The process has been painful and costly in unexpected ways. Such remodeling is usually messy and can be stressful, especially when the finished product is not clearly seen. In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis describes it well: Imagine yourself as a living… Read More
A Brief Summary of the State of the Conference Address By L. Keith Weaver In this season of Lent, we posture ourselves in prayerful repentance, remind ourselves of the passion of our Lord and seek to say “no” to ourselves in order to say a greater “yes” to Jesus. Whatever the state of the conference, we maintain a humble dependence on the grace and mercy of God. It is only in Jesus that the new… Read More
Dwelling in the Word Text for 2017 For the past number of years, the Lancaster Mennonite Conference has chosen a Dwelling in the Word text. The practice has been to allow the text to form and shape us as individuals and as a conference. The Gospel of John, chapter 21 has been affirmed as the Dwelling in the Word text for 2017. Click on the links below to orient yourself about the… Read More
Conference-Wide Data Collection Since 2007 Lancaster Mennonite Conference has been asking questions about the state of its congregations, and particularly about the health of congregational ministries and mission activities. The impetus for this kind of “data dashboard” reflection came from Moderator Keith Weaver nearly a decade ago, who often noted that we “pay most attention to those things that we measure.” The goal of the data dashboard was… Read More
Glade Mennonite Church DISTRICT: Western Maryland LOCATION: 5011 Accident-Bittinger Road, Accident, MD 21520 DATE OF FOUNDING: 1899 AVERAGE SUNDAY WORSHIP ATTENDANCE: 72 SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE: Sunday School – 9:30 a.m. Worship Service – 10:30 a.m. PASTORS: Jonathan Martin (left), and Kevin Dodge Glade Mennonite Church began as a mission outreach in 1899. Initially the group included people from Church of the Brethren, Lutheran, Methodist… Read More
Aurora Mennonite Church DISTRICT: Eastern Ohio LOCATION: 59 E. Mennonite Road, Aurora, OH 44202 DATE OF FOUNDING: 1906 AVERAGE SUNDAY WORSHIP ATTENDANCE: 56 SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE: 10:30 a.m. PASTOR: James Sutton Aurora Mennonite Church, originally Plainview Mennonite Church, began in 1906. The congregation has assisted in the founding of several other congregations over the years. Today, we are a multi-generational, community-focused congregation with a vibrant children’s ministry, a… Read More