Information for leaders and congregations UPDATES These bi-weekly UPDATES are shared so that leaders and congregations are aware of events and information taking place in LMC, agencies, fraternal organizations, congregations, and the broader church. These announcements are for your information and to share with others in your congregation through email (below is the link), weekly bulletin, monthly newsletter, Sunday morning announcements, church website, or Facebook. Use your discretion and share what your congregation will find helpful. https://mailchi.mp/fcfbc3175826/news-from-lancaster-mennonite-conference-492831 | | LMC Office Events & Information | | LMC Spring Leadership Assembly and Celebration of Church Life Friday-Saturday, March 15-16, 2019 Petra Church, 565 Airport Rd, New Holland, Pa. 17557 Theme: Breaking New Ground Key Verse: Isaiah 43:19 - See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. This Spring Leadership Assembly will be linked together with Celebration of Church Life with the theme, Breaking New Ground. To attend, please register at the following link https://lmcla-2019.eventbrite.com. Cost is $30 per person, payable at the door via check or cash. Celebration of Church Life is for the whole family! Seminars will be offered on Saturday afternoon for children, age 5 through adult, with childcare provided for infants through age 4. You'll also hear updates on what is happening throughout the conference, participate in corporate worship and hear a timely challenge from plenary speaker, Marvin Lorenzana. To view the brochure, click here. To attend, please register at the following link https://ccl-2019.eventbrite.com. If you register to receive a FREE t-shirt, please print and bring your tickets along with you and present it to the attendant at the t-shirt table. You should receive a confirmation email with your tickets attached. If you do not receive one, please check your junk or spam box. | | 2019 Conference Related Ministries Seminar Friday, March 29, 2019, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Garden Spot Village, 433 South Kinzer Ave., New Holland, Pa. 17557 This seminar will bring together local congregations and church related ministries of Lancaster and Atlantic Coast Conferences to discern concrete ways of engaging together to meet the needs of the local communities within which they exist--social, emotional, spiritual, and health-related. Data from last year's seminar showed that very few pastors are aware or particularly interested in the agencies, but would be moreso if they knew how the agencies might help them fulfill God's mission in their local communities. In other words, both agencies and congregations may be missing an important opportunity to engage God's mission together. Focus groups were conducted prior to this seminar with agency leaders, and this information will be utilized to further expand the conversation that we began last year when we were together. Click here to register. | | Orientation for Newly (or Recently) Credentialed Leaders | | District and Congregational Events & Information | | Franklin District of LMC School for Disciples Winter Classes Saturday Mornings January 26 – February 23*, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m Marion Mennonite Church, 4365 Molly Pitcher Hwy, Chambersburg, Pa. 17202 School for Disciples is an equipping event for people who are walking with Jesus. "Disciple" means "a learner." We are to be learners of the way of Jesus all the time. There are various topics to choose from with a variety of teachers. I hope your desire to keep learning is written on your heart. How much does it cost? We are offering these classes on a donation basis. Your donations enable us to purchase supplies and pay mileage and honorariums for our teachers. Last year our total expenses came to nearly $1,650.00. Your generosity again this year will enable us to provide compensation and at the same time make it possible for those who are unable to be generous to attend as well. Registration information is included in the brochure. *March 2 will be used as a snow makeup day | | LMC Agency Events & Information | | Missional Pathways Missional Pathways is a network for mission involvement. It connects people with the skills, opportunities, resources, and expertise necessary to make their missional impulses a reality. Missional Pathways serves as an extension of its sponsoring congregations and mission organizations, linking people together for increased effectiveness in mission. To learn more, visit missionalpathways.org. Missional Pathways Missional Pathways (Sendas misioneras) es un sistema de interrelaciones para la participación en misiones. Conecta a las personas con los conocimientos, oportunidades, experiencia, y recursos necesarios para hacer realidad sus impulsos misionales. Missional Pathways sirve como una extensión de las congregaciones y organizaciones misioneras que la patrocinan, conectando a las personas para lograr una mayor eficacia en misiones. Para mayor información, visite missionalpathways.org. Soul Care Retreat: Discover what you have been longing for April 16-19, 2019, MCC Welcoming Place, 21 South 12th Street, Akron, PA 17501 Are you tired? Just going through the motions? Hitting "walls" that prevent growth in your walk with Jesus? In our busy, noisy world, the Soul Care Retreat is an opportunity to get away, recover your life, and become more of who God has made you to be. Learn about spiritual formation and how it happens — how to approach Scripture in a soul-nurturing way; how practicing various spiritual disciplines can reveal the holiness in the everyday; and how to break through the "walls" that are holding you back from progressing to the next stage in your spiritual life. Devote time to walking with Jesus in "the unforced rhythms of grace" (Matthew 11:29, The Message). "What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?" (Matthew 16:26, NLT) Retreat costs $385 per person, including meals, lodging, and materials. Registration is open to the first 20 guests — first come, first served. $100 deposit due at registration to hold your place (or pay in full); full balance due April 2. Click here to register. For more information, and to view other events, visit emm.org or call 717-898-2251. | | Annual Music Night Join us for another great night of music on Saturday, January 26, at 7 p.m. at Neffsville Mennonite Church. Performers include the Aspire Chamber Choir, Sopa Sol, Joshua Good, and Rosemary Eberly Lebold. Tickets and more information are available at lmhs.org or by calling 717-393-9745. Tickets are $25, with complimentary admission for children under 12. Register at lmhs.org, or by calling 717-393-9745. La Noche Anual de Música Júntese con nosotros para otra gran noche de música el sábado, 26 de enero a las 7 pm en la iglesia Menonita de Neffsville. Los artistas incluyen Chamber Choir, Sopa Sol, Joshua Good, y Rosemary Eberly Lebold. Las entradas y mas información está disponible en lmhs.org o al llamar 717-393-9745. Las entradas valen $25, y niños menos de 12 entran gratis. Matricúlese en lmhs.org, o al llamar 717-393-9745. Winter Bookfest Discover quality used books in categories such as children's books, fiction, and history. This sale runs from 3 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 14; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, February 15; and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 16. Feria de Libros del Invierno Encuentre libros usados de buena calidad en esa venta en medio del invierno. Las categorías incluyen libros infantiles, religión, biografía y ficción. La venta corre de 3 pm a 7 pm el jueves, 14 de Febrero y de 9 am a 7 pm viernes 15 de febrero, y de 9 am a 4:30 pm el sábado, 16 de febrero. For more information, and to view other events, visit emm.org or call 717-898-2251. | | Landis Communities With the numbers of people age 65 plus rapidly increasing in the coming years, and the available family caregivers going down, many church communities are seeking to think creatively about how to not only walk with their current members, but also how they might be a missional resource to their wider community. If your Sunday School class or small group would like to hear about this and spend some time creatively thinking about this opportunity, Landis Communities is happy to provide resources and speakers. For more information, contact Larry Guengerich at LGuengerich@LandisCommunities.org or call 717-381-3526. | | Churchwide and Other Events & Information | | Anabaptist Center at Evangelical Seminary The Anabaptist Story: A Survey The Anabaptist Center at Evangelical Seminary is pleased to offer a new course for those interested in further Anabaptist studies. Taught by Dr. Mark Wenger, "The Anabaptist Story: A Survey" will introduce students to the 500-year sweep of Anabaptist/Mennonite history, experience, and theological reflection. Curriculum will be structured around key turning points in history and theological convictions with the ultimate goal of better understanding the relevance of Anabaptist history and theology for the contemporary life of the church. A field trip is also planned for the class to explore local sites of historic importance to the Anabaptist tradition. The class is being offered in the Lancaster Mennonite Conference Center (2160 Lincoln Highway East in Lancaster). It is scheduled for Monday evenings from 6:30 - 9:15 pm and will run January 28 - May 6. For more information about the course, contact Ken Nafziger at knafziger@evangelical.edu. To register to take the class for graduate credit, contact Gwen Scheirer at gscheirer@evangelical.edu. Special Offer: This course can also be audited for $175 (40% off our regular rate) or $100 if you are on staff at a church or ministry organization. Register to audit the course here. | | EVANA Network Flourishing: Pastor/Spouse Retreat 2019 February 15-19, Life Enrichment Center, Fruitland Park, Fl. Flourishing is a retreat for pastors, church planters, ministry leaders, and spouses from various denominations and backgrounds. Press that annual reset button by joining us at Flourishing. You will find encouragement through different workshops and rest through healing ministries. In addition, there will be the opportunity to resource and connect with leaders from many diverse backgrounds. Click here for more information and to register. | | Want more events? Click on the button below. Also, like us on Facebook! | | | | |