Greetings ONMB Friends and Family,
It has been a few weeks now since we gathered as a family of churches for our annual convention. This was the first time since 2020 and it was so good to be together. For those of you who were unable to join us, here are a few reflections from our weekend in Wellesley.
Convention Reflections:
“Today I want to encourage through my testimony, that Jesus does truly shine through our brokenness. And if Jesus can heal my broken heart and make something beautiful come through it, I believe he can do this in our lives and our churches too. And following Jesus, especially when it feels like our world is falling apart, is truly worth it. I thank you for being a part of helping me experience the love of Christ and adopting me when I felt like I was an orphan. I’m so thankful to be your brother.”
Reflecting on his journey in church planting and with cancer, these are the words of Dan Chook Reid, planter with Bytown Community Church in Ottawa. He shared his story in our Friday Worship at Convention. You can see his full testimony here. To me, it felt like the highlight of what God was saying to us, amidst a powerful evening.
ONMB Convention 2023 at Maple View Mennonite Church was a time where we both laughed and cried together. I experienced much joy in being with our delegates and guests to rejoice in what God has done. I also shed tears with others of you as we grieved how we’ve experienced God’s brokenness in recent years.
As you know, the conversation on the Saturday afternoon was focused on the motions to release FreeChurch Toronto and Southridge Community Church from membership. These were hard, but good conversations and the motions did pass. Please be in prayer for these two churches and the whole conference. May the Holy Spirit shepherd us through the resulting emotions, doing a healing work and leading us into His future.
Despite this key focus to our weekend, I came away with resounding thankfulness for the ways that God has shown his goodness through our churches and leaders. Stories of Jesus’ light shining were plenty. I walked away with a clearer sense of hope and anticipation for where God will lead ONMB in the time until Convention 2024.
ONMB Board:
We ask that you pray for the ONMB Board as we begin to meet in March to discern where God is leading us, particularly related to seeking a new permanent Executive Director. New Board members are Timothy Quek (New Life Christian Church), Anita Boles (WMB Church) and Richard Martens (Glencairn MB Church).
We also ask you to pray especially for our Chair, Michelle Knowles, as she leads us.
Dates to Remember:
- March 28 – Team of Teams @ 1pm
- April 15-23 – Camp Crossroads work week. Email Jay for more info
- April 23 – Grantham MB 50th Anniversary at 10:30 am
- April 25 – Team of Teams @ 1pm
- April 26 – Niagara MB Pastors Prayer Gathering, 9:30am at Grantham MB
- May 11 – Credentialing Interviews
- June 3 – Youth Day by Multiply
- June 6-8 – Pastors Credentialing and Orientation (PCO) in Winnipeg
- June 8 – CCMBC National Assembly – Virtual Meeting Part 1
- June 15-17 – Soul Care Conference at Mountain Park Church
- October 26-28 – EQUIP and National Assembly in Abbotsford
Fire and Ashes: Why Church? Why MB?
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