MCEC PRAYERS
Lord, we lift up all who are suffering, especially those who are impacted by war around the world. May the light of Christ truly shine in the darkest corners, and may we all be instruments of God’s peace. 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
Growing into the Future: Navigating Change in MCEC Structure – Save the Date! MCEC is hosting online information sessions for pastors this January and February. These sessions will focus on the evolving roles and key responsibilities of the Congregational Ministries Team in the new MCEC structure. To ensure flexibility, four session options are available. Three sessions will be in English: Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.; Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at 8:00 p.m.; or Thursday, January 23, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. A Bilingual session in English and French is on Saturday, February 8, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. We kindly request that each congregation attend one of these sessions.
MCEC Intercultural Volleyball Tournament, February 1, 2025, Kitchener. day of intercultural, intergenerational volleyball, fellowship and fun with MCEC congregations. This event has been growing with more teams each year! Register on our website.
Creation Care Book Study. Join the MCEC Creation Care Working Group for a book study of Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katharine Hayhoe. The first meeting will take place on Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. and will run for just over one hour. Subsequent meetings will be held on Thursday evening for five weeks, concluding on March 6, 2025. Sign up here.
Did you know that MCEC has a weekly devotional? Released on every Wednesday on our website and through MCEC Connect, Transformed. Inspired. Called. is a devotional series written by a different MCEC pastor each week. Read this weeks devotion, Something New by Kara Carter or sign up for our weekly newsletter MCEC Connect to get the weekly devotional directly to your inbox.
AMBS Pastors & Leaders 2025: Anabaptism at 500: Looking Back, Living Forward: Feb. 17–20 at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana. As we celebrate 500 years of Anabaptism, join the conference to examine how the values of the early Anabaptists still resonate today and can guide us into the future! For more information and to register click here.
What happened in MCEC over the last year? Discover our shared ministry in the MCEC Year in Review. We are grateful for the many ways ministry has flourished this year!
ONLINE PUBLICATIONS
ANABAPTIST MENNONITE BIBLICAL SEMINARY News – January 9 issue
MENNONITE CENTRAL COMMITTEE A Common Place – current issue and bulletin announcements – most recent
MENNONITE DISASTER SERVICE On the Level – Jan 15, 2025 and 2024 annual report
MENNONITE WORLD CONFERENCE [MWC] Prayer Network – current edition and Prayer re California Fires
THANK YOU FROM HOUSE OF FRIENDSHIP
Dear Friends at Waterloo North Mennonite Church: On behalf of everyone at House of Friendship, I want to extend our deepest gratitude for your steadfast support over the past 35(+) years. Your incredible generosity in December and commitment to serving our community have been a beacon of hope and compassion for decades. Your ongoing contributions have profoundly impacted countless lives, providing essential resources and programs that empower individuals and families in their times of need. Whether it’s through food security, housing support, or community services, your partnership has made a difference that words can hardly capture. Your faith in the power of connection and care is an inspiration to us all. Together, we have been able to build a stronger, more inclusive community—one where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Thank you for walking this journey with us year after year, and for being a steadfast partner in this mission of care and compassion. Your legacy of kindness continues to touch lives in ways that ripple far beyond today. With heartfelt gratitude, Natalie Schill (she/her) | Development Director. 3A-236 Victoria St North, Kitchener, ON N2H 5C8, Tel: 519.742.8327 x 122, houseoffriendship.org
MENNONITE DISASTER SERVICE
The 2024 MDS Canada Annual Report to Churches is available. Please click here.
Attention youth leaders: An MDS Summer Youth Project will take place at Crowsnest Lake Bible Camp in Alberta this July. More details will be available in the coming weeks. To express interest on behalf of your youth group, fill out the wait list form at mds.org/summer-youth-program/
MDS invites volunteers to help rebuild a flooded home in Constance Bay (near Ottawa, ON). Sign up for a week, beginning in March, to help rebuild a house along the Ottawa River. Contact Clara Flores at cflores@mds.org or 1 (866) 261-1274 for more information and to sign up.
FITNESS FOR YOUR AGING BRAIN
Space is at WNMC for additional participants and drop-ins. See: Better With Fitness – Exercise Programs for Your Body and Brain Email: fitnessforyouragingbrain@gmail.com
ROCKWAY MENNONITE COLLEGIATE
RCM goes SOLAR! This Fall, we installed 873 solar panels on our roofs. Join us Thursday, January 16 at 7 pm to learn about Solar at Rockway and the CED Co-op which made this project financially possible. More information at rockway.ca/events
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, February 27 – March 1, 2025. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.rockway.ca/events. Our cast and crew looks forward to welcoming you and your family into Wonka’s world of Pure Imagination!
RCM turns 80! Join us on Friday, February 14, 2025 for our special 80th Anniversary Chapel with guest speakers Ray Boehm ‘84 and Mary Groh ‘49, followed by our Tea & Pastry Reception. That evening, celebrate the school you love with the people you love at our annual Soup Supper Fundraiser (featuring SIX scrumptious soups) and cheer on your favourites at the Alumni Sports Challenge. To RSVP and pre-purchase your soup or to learn more about Founders’ Day, visit: rockway.ca/events
MENNO SINGERS FAMILY OF CHOIRS
Sunday, January 26, 7pm – Join choristers and instrumentalists for a 3-Choirs Mid-Winter Hymn Sing at Waterloo North Mennonite Church, hosted by the Inter-Mennonite Children’s Choir, Menno Singers and the newly-formed Menno Youth Ensemble. A variety of selections from the Voices Together hymnal and ample room for requests will be sure to warm your mid-winter spirits as we raise our voices in song. Admission is by donation.
WINTER CAMP FOR GROWNUPS WITH PiE AND SLMC
If you are in your 20s or 30s, you are invited to join Pastors in Exile for a fun and relaxing weekend in partnership with Silver Lake Mennonite Camp (SLMC). The retreat runs from the evening of Friday, February 28th until the afternoon of Sunday, March 2nd. This is a “choose your own adventure” weekend where you can participate in lots of outdoor and indoor winter camp activities or spend the weekend reading by the fire. Registration and more information can be found at https://slmc.ca/retreats/retreats/. If you have any questions, feel free to send PiE an email at admin@pastorsinexile.org.
SILVER LAKE MENNONITE CAMP
Silver Lake Mennonite Camp Winter and Spring Retreats registration now open. Go to slmc.ca/retreats for more info. Coming up soon:
Women’s Retreat (Jan 31-Feb 2) – Come, experience the beauty of camp in winter. Be nourished by the relaxed pace, good food and meaningful conversation. Play in the snow, breathe deeply in yoga, cross country ski, go on a snowshoe hike through the woods. Reflection time led by Wendy Janzen.
Summer Camp: Registration for overnight camp and day camp opens February 1 at 8am. Outtrip registration is already open – sign up before Jan 30 to get $100 off! Visit slmc.ca/summer-camp to have a look at the 2025 schedule.
GREAT WINTER WARM-UP WITH MCC
Dear Friends: It’s that cozy time of year again – time for the Great Winter Warm-Up (GWW) with MCC! We’re so excited to invite you back to this special event, where together we make comforters to share warmth and love with people around the world. Each comforter knotted during GWW becomes a lifeline for someone facing the hardships of disaster or conflict. Last year alone, thanks to kind and dedicated people like you, MCC sent over 53,000 comforters to places like Ukraine, Malawi, and Zambia. Each one offered not only warmth but a heartfelt reminder that they are not forgotten. This year, we’d love to see churches and comforter-knotting groups join in by holding or attending comforter-knotting blitzes in January and February. Whether you’re a comforter-knotting pro or new to it, there’s a place for you to join in! There are two wonderful ways to participate this year:
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- Host your own comforter-knotting blitz: If your church or group is planning an event, we’d love to know! We’d be thrilled to send someone to visit and support you. You can email me to share your plans. And please do snap some photos or videos of your gathering! We’d love to feature them on our social media to inspire others.
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- Join us at the Material Resource (MR) Centre in New Hamburg: On January 25, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, come by for a day of comforter-knotting, laughter, and warm drinks! Knotters of all levels are welcome. You’ll also get a chance to tour the material resources warehouse, and if you’re traveling from out of town, consider making a day of it by checking out the local quilt shops or grabbing lunch at a nearby café. We’d love to give you some recommendations!
Every comforter you help create is more than just fabric and thread – it’s a gift of God’s love to someone in need. Our goal is to make as many comforters as possible during this year’s Great Winter Warm-Up, so let’s come together and spread the warmth! More information at https://mcc.org/events/great-winter-warm-comforter-knotting-blitz With joy and gratitude, Stephen
Stephen Roy, Church and Community Relations Associate. (519) 745-8458 ext 236 / (226) 978-6124 https://mcc.org/resources/churches
CANADIAN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY
2025 John and Margaret Friesen Lecture Series – A two-part lecture series titled, “Anabaptist Peace Witness – Historical Significance and Today’s Mission,” with Dr. Astrid von Schlachta, Head of the Mennonite Research Center and lecturer at the University of Regensburg, takes place on Thursday, January 23 at 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM CST at CMU. Visit cmu.ca/friesenlectures for more information and livestream feeds.
CMU Discover Day – Join us for the full day or the afternoon of January 31 to discover what it is like to be a CMU student. Tour the CMU campus, attend a sample lecture, meet professors and current students, and have lunch and treats on us! Visit cmu.ca/experience for more information and to register.
Discover Music Day – Prospective music and music therapy students are invited to learn more about studying music at CMU with a full day campus visit on February 7. Visit cmu.ca/experience for more information and to register.
Social Justice Fair – The 19th annual social justice fair hosted by Menno Simons College is on Wednesday, February 5 between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM at Marpeck Commons. Take the opportunity to interact with community organizations, learn what they do, and find ways to be involved! Visit media.cmu.ca/events for more information.
CMU Employment Opportunities – CMU invites inquiries and applications for a full-time Assistant Professor of Biology position. Other opportunities include a full-time Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications and a Sessional Instructor in social work. Visit cmu.ca/employment for more information.
CONRAD GREBEL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
Anabaptism at 500: A service of Commemoration and Celebration – Thursday, January 16, 7:30 pm, W-K United Mennonite Church, Waterloo. | A service of music, reading, and reflection on the 500th anniversary of the first adult baptisms in Zurich, Switzerland. uwaterloo.ca/grebel/events/anabaptism-500-service
Bechtel Lecture | Commemorating Anabaptism’s 500 Years: Anabaptist beginnings and the stories we tell – Friday January 17, 7:30 pm, at Conrad Grebel University College, Waterloo. Dr. Karl Koop considers our dominant communal memories and the stories we tell, suggesting that in avoiding stories from the margins and stories we have marginalized, we will be left with a situation intellectually unsatisfying, and significantly limiting in our understanding of the past. uwaterloo.ca/grebel/events/anabaptist-beginnings
Start a transformative journey 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.
Study the Bible, Christian theology, church history, and the practice of ministry in an interdisciplinary and ecumenical setting in the Master of Theological Studies program at Conrad Grebel University College. Full tuition scholarships are available for full-time Canadian students. Apply by February 1. 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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