Central Plains Mennonite Conference
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Central Plains Structure
    • Staff >
      • Executive Conference Minister
      • Ministerial Leadership
      • Formation Minister
      • Hispanic Ministries
    • Map of Conference
    • Congregations >
      • Illinois
      • Iowa
      • Minnesota
      • Montana
      • Nebraska
      • South Dakota
      • Wisconsin
    • Board
    • Committees >
      • Christian Formation
      • Outreach and Service >
        • Church Planting
        • Peace and Justice Task Group
        • Practicing Offering and Receiving Hospitality
      • Pastoral Leadership
    • Partners in Mission >
      • Agape Peace Center
      • Philip Friesen
    • Camps & Schools
    • Who are the Mennonites?
  • CPMC at Work
    • MC USA Delegate Resources
    • Publications >
      • Scattered Seeds
      • The Sower
    • Events >
      • Annual Meeting 2022
    • CPMC Covenant
    • New Ministries Fund >
      • Reports of Past Grant Recipients
    • Counsel on variance
  • Congregational Leaders
    • Pastors
    • Elders & Deacons
    • Church Council
    • Support for Conflict >
      • Facilitation Services and Donations
    • Pastor Openings
  • Mission Leaders
    • Racism webinar videos
    • Ecuador/Venezuela Partnership >
      • Latest News from Ecuador/Venezuela
      • Story of the Ecuador Partnership >
        • Timeline & Resources
      • Personnel and Partnership Members >
        • Ross Richers
        • Wigginton Bravo
      • Quito Property Fund
    • Church Planting >
      • Developing Congregations
    • Travel Like Dave
    • Missional Discipleship Initiative
    • Islam and the Gospel
  • Formation Leaders
    • Formation in Worship
    • Formation Resource Library
    • Children and Families >
      • Faith at Home
      • Curriculum for Children
      • Shine
      • Resources for Parents
      • Protecting Children
    • Youth >
      • Youth Mission Together
      • Youth Sponsors
      • Youth Curriculum
      • Youth SS Teachers
      • Mentor Coordinator
      • CO Resources
      • Helpful sites for YM
    • Adults >
      • Adult Faith at Home
      • Adult Curriculum
      • Teaching resources
      • Adult Spirituality
    • Shalom Readers
    • Curriculum Evaluation Tool
  • Resources
    • Anti Racism Resources
    • Bible study Webinars >
      • Bible Study Webinars 2016
      • Bible Study Webinars 2017
    • Conference Documents
    • Christian Discernment
    • En Espanol
    • Immigration
    • Mennonite Links
    • Spiritual Deliverance
    • Archives
  • Contact Us
    • Contact form
    • Church contact info form
    • Donate
    • COVID Relief
    • Discerning Future Leaders
    • Sunday Speaking Information Sheet

Celebrating transitions

9/9/2019

0 Comments

 
Annual Meeting 2019
Picture
Picture
by Lois Janzen Preheim
Salem Mennonite Church, Freeman, South Dakota


Central Plains Mennonite Conference celebrated several transitions as we met for Annual Meeting this year. On Friday afternoon, delegates and guests gathered for the installation of new ministry staff, Amanda Bleichty and Susan Janzen. Then on Friday evening the assembly celebrated and gave thanks for the ministries of Tim Detweiler and David Boshart. 

At the installation service on Friday afternoon, incoming Conference Moderator Shawn Nolt humorously referenced his background in computer engineering when he invited CPMC to think about what installation means. In addition to other considerations and often lengthy installation processes, he suggested that when choosing new software, one needs to think about what you want the system to do. In the same way, the conference churches need to be thinking again as we work with new staff, "What do we want the new people to do?" Unlike a computer, the church is an organic body, and there are at least two callings to new staff: one from God and one from the community. Each of the new staff have their own internal sense of these two callings. So when these callings mesh together into decisions we all affirm, it is a wondrous thing. 

Amanda Bleichty, former pastor of Washington Mennonite Church, was installed as the Conference Minister for Christian Formation. Amanda began her position in January and she and her husband are expecting their first child in July. As she reflected on these changes during her installation response, she expressed a note of excitement for the future. "While changes can bring anxiety and fear, I am excited for all of these life transitions. I'm excited for the possibilities as a new ministry team begins working together. I'm excited about building a family here amid the larger family of brothers and sisters in Central Plains." Amanda has taken over the role that Shana Peachey Boshart vacated in July of 2018. 

Susan Janzen, the former pastor of Cedar Falls Mennonite Church, was installed as the Conference Minister for Ministerial Leadership. Susan will begin her position in August, taking over for Tim Detweiler as he retires. Susan reflected that it has been 21 years since she began in pastoral leadership and that lately, she has been living with a growing sense that it is time for her to begin mentoring another generation of ministering people. 

At the farewell celebration for Tim Detweiler and David Boshart later Friday evening, Tim also expressed the idea that "it is time." For him, it is time to lay down responsibilities and awareness of the whole conference and to attend to his wife, children and grandchildren, and maybe a woodworking project or two. he said, "It has been an honor to serve Central Plains Mennonite Conference and there will be many parts of this work that I will miss, but I am also looking forward to the next chapter in my life called retirement."

David Boshart will also leave Central Plains at the end of July to pursue other opportunities, and said of this transition, "Every year at Annual meeting, I fall in love with the people of God who make up Central Plains. It was a powerful experience to pass the symbols of our conference (the basin and towel, the pitcher, and the peace pipe) to such warm, capable, and competent servant leaders who will guide Central Plains to a new level of witness and faithfulness. 

At both of these transitional celebrations, symbols and gifts were exchanged, laughter was heard, and tears were shed. One powerful gift was a set of plaques expressing gratitude to Shana, Tim and David from the Hispanic churches in our conference. After giving the plaques, Ramiro Hernandez led in circles of prayer and blessing for these three leaders who have led Central Plains so wisely for so many years. These prayers echoed and affirmed Amanda's call to prayer, "I ask that as these changes happen, you keep all of our ministry team in your prayers, and that you give us grace and encouragement as we continue the good work of this conference."
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Read articles from our latest issue of Scattered Seeds, the Central Plains Mennonite Conference bi-monthly print newsletter.

    Scattered Seeds is edited by Amanda Bleichty.

    Archives

    April 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019

    Categories

    All
    Changing Patterns
    CPMC Happenings
    CPMC Staff News
    Ecuador Partnership
    Pastoral Transitions

    RSS Feed

Office Manager: P.O. Box 101, Freeman, SD 57029  office@centralplainsmc.org  phone: 605-929-3325
Ministry Staff Office: P.O. Box 352, Kalona, IA 52247
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Central Plains Structure
    • Staff >
      • Executive Conference Minister
      • Ministerial Leadership
      • Formation Minister
      • Hispanic Ministries
    • Map of Conference
    • Congregations >
      • Illinois
      • Iowa
      • Minnesota
      • Montana
      • Nebraska
      • South Dakota
      • Wisconsin
    • Board
    • Committees >
      • Christian Formation
      • Outreach and Service >
        • Church Planting
        • Peace and Justice Task Group
        • Practicing Offering and Receiving Hospitality
      • Pastoral Leadership
    • Partners in Mission >
      • Agape Peace Center
      • Philip Friesen
    • Camps & Schools
    • Who are the Mennonites?
  • CPMC at Work
    • MC USA Delegate Resources
    • Publications >
      • Scattered Seeds
      • The Sower
    • Events >
      • Annual Meeting 2022
    • CPMC Covenant
    • New Ministries Fund >
      • Reports of Past Grant Recipients
    • Counsel on variance
  • Congregational Leaders
    • Pastors
    • Elders & Deacons
    • Church Council
    • Support for Conflict >
      • Facilitation Services and Donations
    • Pastor Openings
  • Mission Leaders
    • Racism webinar videos
    • Ecuador/Venezuela Partnership >
      • Latest News from Ecuador/Venezuela
      • Story of the Ecuador Partnership >
        • Timeline & Resources
      • Personnel and Partnership Members >
        • Ross Richers
        • Wigginton Bravo
      • Quito Property Fund
    • Church Planting >
      • Developing Congregations
    • Travel Like Dave
    • Missional Discipleship Initiative
    • Islam and the Gospel
  • Formation Leaders
    • Formation in Worship
    • Formation Resource Library
    • Children and Families >
      • Faith at Home
      • Curriculum for Children
      • Shine
      • Resources for Parents
      • Protecting Children
    • Youth >
      • Youth Mission Together
      • Youth Sponsors
      • Youth Curriculum
      • Youth SS Teachers
      • Mentor Coordinator
      • CO Resources
      • Helpful sites for YM
    • Adults >
      • Adult Faith at Home
      • Adult Curriculum
      • Teaching resources
      • Adult Spirituality
    • Shalom Readers
    • Curriculum Evaluation Tool
  • Resources
    • Anti Racism Resources
    • Bible study Webinars >
      • Bible Study Webinars 2016
      • Bible Study Webinars 2017
    • Conference Documents
    • Christian Discernment
    • En Espanol
    • Immigration
    • Mennonite Links
    • Spiritual Deliverance
    • Archives
  • Contact Us
    • Contact form
    • Church contact info form
    • Donate
    • COVID Relief
    • Discerning Future Leaders
    • Sunday Speaking Information Sheet