30 Jun 2009

Manitoba Government Grants to United Church Overseas Projects

Did you know that through Manitoba Council for International Cooperation, the Province makes $1 million dollars available for matching grants for overseas development work? Manitoba is one of two provinces that does this. The UCC currently has two projects being funded: Rural Drought Relief in Zimbabwe and a Community Development project in El Salvador. If you speak with your local MLA, be sure to express appreciation for this support.

Conference Weekly News - June 29-July 3, 2009

17 Jun 2009

Eugene Peterson

"The Biblical fact is that there are no successful churches."

That just jumped out at me when I was re-reading Peterson's 1987 book Working the Angles: The Shape of pastoral Integrity.

"There are, instead, communities of sinners, gathered before God week after week in towns and villages all over the world. The Holy Spirit gathers them and does his work in them. In these communities of sinners, one of the sinners is called pastor and given a designated responsibility in the community. The Pastor's responsibility is to keep the community attentive to God."

The book is a call to return to that responsibility through Prayer, Scripture, and Spiritual Direction. To return to that responsibility not because the church will be successful but because the church needs to be faithful. It's still a pretty radical notion three decades after he wrote these words.

"The Biblical fact is that there are no successful churches."

11 Jun 2009

Mennofolk at the MCC Relief Sale and Festival


Come on out to enjoy two days worth of music at this year's MCC Relief Sale and Festival. On Friday June 19th in the evening from 8pm - 10pm, there will be performances from The Other Brothers (featuring Chris Neufeld and Donovan Giesbrecht) and Flying Fox and the Hunter Gatherers. Then on Saturday June 20th, come and enjoy an all day free stage featuring musicians like Demetra Penner and Paul Bergman, childrens performers Alphabet Soup and Graham Wiebe, as well as sets from participants from MCC's Open Circle program. Mennofolk at the MCC Relief Sale and Festival; come for the mennoburgers, stay for the music.