Here we are: Brighter mornings, longer days, heat, humidity, and fun in the sun. Ready or not, we’ve shifted gears and summer is in full swing. Let’s pray for a season full of joyful community, meaningful rest, and significant kingdom opportunity for all of us. May we walk in the power of the Spirit, as children of our Father, with our hearts united to Jesus in this special time of year!

Reflecting on the year so far, and looking ahead to the fall, some important themes have come into view for us as Ontario’s Mennonite Brethren:

• The Primacy of Prayer – We’re hearing from leaders across the province who are feeling both conviction and excitement about walking in more dependence and intimacy with Jesus through prayer. We know how easy it is to pursue good kingdom ends while relying on our own gifts and abilities. We know how pride and anxiety take over as we walk this path. We want to intentionally walk a different way personally, in our churches, and as an ONMB family. We want to embrace prayer as our first work.

• The Importance of Collaboration – As we reflect on how our churches are clustered geographically, we’re seeing an opportunity for collaboration among MB congregations in closer proximity. This holds the promise of meaningful and sustained teamwork particularly in discerning and supporting new missional expressions together rather than relying on churches acting in isolation or looking to the ONMB staff team to take on this mission priority on behalf of our churches. Even more than the strategic advantages of churches collaborating in mission, we see this as an opportunity to earnestly pursue the unity of the Holy Spirit as we more fully express what it means to be part of the Body of Christ.

• The Gift of the Global Church – As we confront the western bent towards self-reliance that tends to marginalize both prayer and collaboration, we’re increasingly aware that our sisters and brothers who’ve walked with Jesus in different countries and cultures have so much to teach us. We’re excited about experiencing more of how the gospel can unify diverse cultures and perspectives and so we’re keeping an eye out for the ways that God will give us to grow to become more ethnically diverse both as local churches and as an ONMB family.

We’ll take an important next step together on Tuesday September 10^th as leaders from across ONMB gather at Mountain Park Church in Niagara Falls from 10am – 3pm for a Provincial Prayer Summit. It’s a joy to be on this journey together as we look forward to what God has in store!

For Jesus’ sake,
Trevor

Jesus Stories Podcast
You can also tune in to Jesus Stories to hear Derek Parenteau’s plea to ONMB. This is a prophetic invitation offered at our May Pastor’s Retreat. We continue to collectively pray into this call to make prayer our first work and to rely more fully on the Holy Spirit. Would you pray into it with us? The episode can be found here.