MCEC PRAYERS
Lord, we lift up all who are impacted by war around the world. As we enter the advent season, may the coming peace and hope of Christmas bring comfort to those who mourn, healing to those who suffer, and hope to those in despair. Surround the displaced with safety, provide strength to caregivers, and inspire leaders to pursue justice and peace. Let your peace take root in every nation, renewing hearts and guiding us toward reconciliation and an end to all violence.
MCEC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Introducing: Transformed. Inspired. Called. – An MCEC Devotional! This weekly online devotional brings heartfelt reflections from MCEC pastors straight to your inbox every Wednesday. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to deepen your faith journey with insights rooted in our shared MCEC mission. Sign up today for MCEC Connect and be part of this transformative experience!
Intercultural Volleyball Tournament, Feb 1st, 2025, Rockway Mennonite Collegiate, 110 Doon Rd., Kitchener. Come on out for a fun day of intercultural, intergenerational volleyball, fellowship and fun with MCEC congregations. This event has been growing since it started with more teams each year!
MCEC Annual Church Gathering ONLINE 2025, Saturday, April 26, 2025, 10 – 11:30 a.m. This year, our Annual Church Gathering will take place as an online business meeting—a chance to connect and collaborate as an online community. Together, we’ll discuss important updates, including slate positions, new structures and finances. Plus, don’t miss the opportunity to meet Anthony Siegrist, MCEC’s newly appointed Executive Minister.
MC Canada Gathering 2025, July 2-5, 2025, Kitchener, ON. You’re invited to the MC Canada Gathering next summer, where our theme, “Each Gift,” celebrates the unique gifts each person brings. Rooted in 1 Peter 4:10, we’ll explore how our diverse talents and perspectives enrich the ministry of an intercultural church.
ONLINE PUBLICATIONS
MENNONITE CENTRAL COMMITTEE In Touch monthly newsletter – current edition
SHALOM COUNSELLING SERVICES Seedlings December 2024 newsletter
FITNESS FOR YOUR AGING BRAIN
Space is now available at WNMC for additional participants and drop-ins. See: Better With Fitness – Exercise Programs for Your Body and Brain Email: fitnessforyouragingbrain@gmail.com
LEBANON EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Give now and double the impact of your gift.
With the escalating violence in Lebanon, people’s lives are in danger and the need for basic necessities is great. MCC partners have mobilized in central Lebanon and Beirut to help, providing meals, hygiene items, bedding, health services, hot meals and psychosocial support for children.
Every donation made by Canadians to a Humanitarian Coalition member is matched to a maximum of $3 million until November 3, 2024. MCC participates in the Humanitarian Coalition through our membership in Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
Donate today 888.622.6337 mcc.org/lebanonemergency
INTER-MENNONITE CHILDREN’S CHOIR
IMCC is excited to present: Ding Dong Merrily on High! on Sunday December 8 at 3:00 pm at St. Jacobs Mennonite Church. Join us as we sing songs that celebrate the wondrous events of Christmas. Tickets are $12 for Adults and $5 for children ages 5-16 and are available from a chorister or at the door. For more information: conductor@imcchoir.org CLICK HERE FOR CONCERT POSTER. For an information brochure about IMCC and how to join click here.
MENNO SINGERS
On Sunday, December 8th at 7:30pm (Trillium Lutheran Church) we are having a time of Lessons and Carols, featuring choral music for the season, along with readings and congregational singing. CLICK HERE FOR LESSONS & CAROLS POSTER
MENNONITE YOUTH ENSEMBLE
Menno Youth Ensemble is excited to present our Christmas concert: For the Beauty of the Earth, on December 13th at 7pm at Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church. The concert will explore the wonders of nature and the joys of the Christmas season through choral music, original compositions, and carols. Admission is by donation. Click here for Poster.
HANDEL’S MESSIAH
Handel’s Messiah: Sat. Dec. 14, 7:30 p.m. at Centre In The Square, Kitchener. With Grand Philharmonic Choir, musicians of the K-W Symphony, and soloists. Mark Vuorinen conducts. Tickets $34 to $88, 10% senior discount, $20 for students and under 30s, $10 for children in high school and under. Centre In The Square box office, 519-578-1570 or www.centreinthesquare.com CLICK HERE FOR POSTER
ADVENT JAZZ VESPER SERVICE
Advent 2024 Jazz Vespers, a moment of musical calm for a time that needs it – familiar carols in jazz settings with readings for the season. We’re looking forward to providing this service again with the usual batch of musicians: Allison, Brad, Paul, Linden, Tom and Greg. Our service will be Friday, December 20, 7pm, generously hosted by Rockway Mennonite Church, 47 Onward Avenue, Kitchener. All are welcome. Come for a rest. Grace and peace. Questions? Contact Ed Janzen: ejjanzen@uwaterloo.ca.
JOHN B. MILLER AND FRIENDS ADVENT CONCERTS
John B Miller and Friends (including Andrea Weber Steckly, Carrie Guse, Joe Orlando, Matt Teeter) …invite you to join us for a worshipful Advent concert. Enter into this season of waiting with songs expressing the peace, hope and comfort of Emmanuel, God with us. This is our 13th season and we are grateful. ll concerts begin at 7p.m. No tickets are required, but a suggested $20 donation is appreciated at the door.) www.johnbmiller.ca Come, and be drawn into the holiness of this season. CLICK HERE FOR POSTER.
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- Dec. 5 – St. John Catholic Church, Strange Street, Kitchener
- Dec. 13 – Holy Cross Church, Georgetown
- Dec.15 – Christ Lutheran Church, 445 Anndale Street, Waterloo (across from Waterloo Mennonite Brethren Church on Lexington)
- Dec. 18 – Basilica of Our Lady, Guelph
- Dec. 21 – St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Preston
WILMOT FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE HOLIDAY HAMPER PROGRAM
Dear Friends: As we prepare for the holiday season, we are once again asking for help with our Holiday Hamper program. This year, we anticipate the need in our community to grow, and we are preparing to provide 200+ hampers to individuals and families. Each hamper will contain age-appropriate gifts at a grocery gift card provided by sponsors as well as top-up items such as mitts, hats, socks, and other holiday comforts provided by community groups. You can help support the holiday hamper program in several different ways. Click here for more information.
SILVER LAKE MENNONITE CAMP
Winter and Spring Retreats Registration Opens December 1 at 12pm: Come to Silver Lake in 2025 for fun camp experiences! On the calendar are… Fathers & Kids Retreat (Jan 17-19), Women’s Retreat (Jan 31-Feb 2), Winter Camp for Grown-Ups (Feb 28-Mar 2), Staff Alumni Retreat (Mar 21-23), Music Retreat (Mar 28-30), Family Camp (May 16-18). Go to slmc.ca/retreats for more info.
Summer Camp: Registration for overnight camp and day camp opens February 1 at 8am. Outtrip registration opens Jan 7 – sign up before Jan 30 to get $100 off! Visit slmc.ca/summer-camp to have a sneak peek at the 2025 schedule.
Silver Lake Mennonite Camp is seeking a Fundraising & Communications Manager. This is a permanent, half-time, hybrid position in Kitchener. If you would like to inspire and engage SLMC’s generous community, read more at slmc.ca/about/board-of-directors and apply soon!
MENNONITE DISASTER SERVICE CANADA
Dear Friends… With colder than normal temperatures expected, Heather Muraca will sleep easier this winter. Last August, the Bush Creek East Wildfire tore through her property in Adam’s Lake, B.C. Heather’s trailer home still stands — with melted siding and a tarp covering holes in the roof. It’s unlivable because of water damage from fire mitigation efforts. Without a safe home, and with a heart condition, respiratory concerns and insurance coverage delays, Heather wasn’t sure what to do. She rented an office trailer in the fall, where she wintered last year. “It was terrible,” she recalled. “It was so cold in there. The water dish for my dogs was frozen solid and I… slept in my hunting gear and boots.” Heather didn’t look for help, believing there were many others in greater need than herself. But, thanks to the compassion of caring people like you, MDS was able to help her through a referral. With limited options available, an MDS project director took creative note of an off-grid cabin on her property. Over a two-week period, volunteers reinforced the structure, insulated, installed windows and wiring, repaired a dilapidated deck and house-wrapped the building. Because of the renovation, Heather will keep warm next to a woodstove this winter. “I was so worried not knowing what was going to happen,” she said. “[The cabin] is a million times better. It’s structurally sound. These guys are incredible.” Your Osiah Horst, Unit Chair gift in N empowered MDS to rebuild homes and restore hope for others like Heather. This Christmas, would you help us bring safe, warm housing to more survivors like Heather? With disasters like wildfires hitting close to home, more often, there are many more people needing shelter from the winter’s cold. Due to the Canada Post strike, I encourage you to consider our online and telephone giving options this Christmas season. You can: · Donate online at mds.org/donate-canada; or · Make a credit card donation by calling us toll-free at 1(866) 261-1274. I am so grateful for the generosity and care you’ve shown for our volunteer-driven mission. Your gift today will bring hope, warmth and a community around disaster survivors — so they don’t face a difficult journey towards recovery alone….. With gratitude and blessings, Ross Penner, Executive Director, Mennonite Disaster Service Canada, MDS Canada | 200-600 Shaftesbury Blvd | Winnipeg, MB R3P 2J1 CA
RECEPTION HOUSE WATERLOO REGION
It’s Giving Tuesday! Imagine being a child without a safe place to play—a space to laugh, run, and make memories. For newcomer children and youth staying in temporary accommodations, this is their reality. Right now, the only space they have to move around in is a parking lot. It’s not enjoyable or suited for the kind of play that supports their growth and well-being. We believe every child deserves a place where they can feel free to just be kids, no matter their circumstances. That’s why we’ve launched a campaign to build a playground: a safe, welcoming space designed just for them. This will be more than a playground; it will be a place for connection, joy, and healing during a time of great transition in their young lives. Your support can make this dream a reality. Every donation, no matter the size, brings us closer to giving these children the space they need to play, grow, and thrive. Together, we can create a brighter holiday season for newcomer children and youth. Please join us in making a lasting impact by donating today. Let’s give them the gift of play! If you are hoping to make a donation, here are some ways to do so:
• Donations can be made through this link
• Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) or Interac – To send a donation by e-transfer, add us as a recipient using the email address ap@receptionhouse.ca. We are set up for automatic deposit, so no security question is required. In the comment or memo section, please include your name and that it is a donation, as well as your mailing address for the tax receipt. You may also email ap@receptionhouse.ca in a separate email with the donation and address details if you prefer.
CONRAD GREBEL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
Bonhoeffer: Cell 92 – January 10 and 11, 7:00 pm | A cinematic theatre production created by Jerry Holsopple and Justin Poole. This thought-provoking single actor play focuses on the final period of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life, a German pastor and theologian involved in the Protestant resistance to Hitler and National Socialism. Two nights only, at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo. Tickets: uwaterloo.ca/grebel/events/bonhoeffer-cell-92
Join a vibrant, interdisciplinary learning community with the Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPACS) program at Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo. Connect theory, analysis, reflection, and practice to advance nonviolent peacebuilding and community-led change. Apply by February 1. Discover more at uwaterloo.ca/mpacs or register for an upcoming information session.
Interested in pastoral training? Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo offers a two-year Master of Theological Studies degree for people from a range of academic backgrounds. Integrate academic study and practical internships to prepare for a pastoral role in congregations, chaplaincy in hospitals, prisons, or elder care facilities, or social service work in varied settings. Full-time Canadian/permanent resident MTS students are eligible for full tuition scholarships. Learn more at uwaterloo.ca/theological-studies.
YOU CAN PROVIDE EMERGENCY RELIEF TODAY
MCC and local partners provide emergency assistance to affected families. Your donations and prayers help bring critical support to these global neighbours. To donate go to mcco.ca/volcano-relief
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