Home - Central Plains Mennonite Conference

P.O. Box 101
Freeman, SD 57029

officecentralplainsmc.org
605-925-4463
605-925-7293 fax

Central Plains Mennonite Conference leads congregations as they proclaim and become a sign of God's reconciling work in the world.

home1 What's New

The March edition of The Sower

Youth Escape 2010 to feature speaker Shane Claiborne
Youth Escape 2010, the conference-wide youth retreat for Central Plains, will feature three sermons by popular speaker and author, Shane Claiborne. Claiborne spoke last summer at Mennonite Church USA Convention in Columbus, Ohio, in both youth and adult worship. He is the author of The Irresistible Revolution, Jesus for President, and the recently released Follow Me To Freedom. Youth Escape 2010 will take place Friday through Sunday, July 30 to August 1, at Twin Lakes Christian Center near Manson, Iowa. See the Youth Escape page for more details.

Group travels to Ecuador for Partnership Meetings and Learning Tour
A group of nine people from Central Plains traveling to Ecuador from March 5th to March 15th for a learning tour and partnership meetings. Members of the group are Lawrence Littlebear, Keshia Littlebear, Fernando Ramos, Holly Blosser Yoder, Diane Zaerr Brenneman, Scott and Katie Spohn, Dave Miller, and Don Kempf. Also included in the meetings will be two people from the Colombian Mennonite Church and two people from Mennonite Mission Network.

Search Begins for Executive Conference Minister
Central Plains Mennonite Conference is seeking a gifted leader for the position of Executive Conference Minister. This is a full-time position for an individual who will be able to give overall leadership to the conference through tending and articulating the vision of Central Plains. It also involves leading and working with a ministry team that has two members in place. A complete job description is available here. If you know of someone who you think is especially gifted for this role please encourage them to apply.

"Digging Deep...into Jesus, Justice and Beliefs"
is the theme of the March 2010 edition of Check It Out from the Western District Conference Resource Library. Discover DVD and print resources on living everyday justice, unconventional farmers, testimonies on immigration, caring for God's creation. Call or email the library 316-283-6300 / to reserve one of these timely resources. Visit the website to see the full edition.

Loren Johns will speak at Pastor/Spouse Gathering in April
Conference leaders are planning a weekend of fellowship, worship, rest and learning for pastors and spouses April 9-11. Loren Johns, Associate Professor of New Testament at AMBS, will present several sessions on Anabaptist/Mennonite principles of biblical interpretation. Participants will also have opportunity do Bible study with these principles. The annual retreat will take place at the St. Benedict Center near Schuyler, Nebraska.

Try on Service this Summer with Youth Venture
If you are between the ages of 14 and 22, get ready for a new adventure and be a part of what God is doing around the world. Youth Venture gives you a chance to try new things, meet new people, and learn about a new culture through the eyes of a local church or host community. During summer 2010, you can travel to locations like Bolivia, Botswana, France, southern California and Montreal, among others. For more information, click on the link above or e-mail .

Papers Posted from Congregational Leaders Seminar
The papers presented by Kent McDougal, Mathew Swora and Cynthia Lapp are now posted on the Congregational Leaders Seminar page under the Events tab above.

Revitalizing Rural Congregations seminar
The Freeman Ministerial Association is hosting a seminar, Revitalizing Rural Congregations, led by Dr.Shannon Jung on Friday and Saturday, February 26 and 27 at the Salem Mennonite Church in rural Freeman. Congregations are at the heart of rural communities, and healthy rural congregations are required for the health and growth of rural communities. This seminar will help congregational leaders reflect on what makes for a healthy rural church. Here is the brochure, cover and inside.

Worship Arts Tour
Are you looking for ways to add visual arts to your worship services? Pastors, worship planners and artists will gather for a Worship Arts Tour, sponsored by the Central Plains Congregational Ministries Committee, the weekend of March 12-14. Join this group to tour churches in the Twin Cities for ideas and to hear what other participants are doing in their worship services. For more information, click on Worship Arts Tour under the Events tab above.

Help for Church Librarians
The Western District Conference Resource Library web site has a number of helpful documents posted for church librarians. They give advice on planning a church library, weeding the library, selection policies and promoting the library.

"Mission at the Center of Our Story: Going Where Jesus Intends to Go,"
will be the theme for Central Plains annual meeting next summer, June 24-27. Bethel Mennonite and First Mennonite Churches in Mountain Lake, Minnesota, will host. David Boshart will preach in each morning worship service. For a tentative schedule, select Annual Meeting 2010 under the Events tab at the top of this page.

Ecuador Partnership Needs Workers
Two new volunteers are needed to work with the ministries of the Quito Mennonite Church. One is needed to lead peace education workshops with neighborhood children and one is needed to work with refugee resettlement. Workers are needed for a minimum of 10 months and will need to do their work in Spanish. There are job descriptions on the Ecuador Partnership page.