Central Plains Mennonite Conference
Follow us.
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Central Plains Structure
    • Staff >
      • Executive Conference Minister >
        • Blessings for Nathan
      • Ministerial Leadership
      • Formation Minister
      • Hispanic Ministries
    • Map of Conference
    • Congregations >
      • Colorado
      • 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
    • Publications >
      • Scattered Seeds
      • The Sower
    • Events
    • CPMC Covenant
    • New Ministries Fund >
      • Reports of Past Grant Recipients
    • Counsel on variance
  • Congregational Leaders
    • Pastors
    • Elders & Deacons
    • Church Council
    • Support for Conflict
    • 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
    • Tuesdays with Dave
    • Missional Discipleship Initiative
    • Islam and the Gospel
    • Villatoro update
  • 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
      • Online devotionals
      • Adult Spirituality
    • Shalom Readers
  • Resources
    • Advent Resource Roundup
    • Anti Racism Resources
    • Covid-19 Resources
    • Mennonite Resources
    • En Espanol
    • Conference Documents
    • Bible study Webinars >
      • Bible Study Webinars 2016
      • Bible Study Webinars 2017
    • Support for Refugees
    • Immigration
    • Christian Discernment
    • Spiritual Deliverance
    • Archives
  • Contact Us
    • Contact form
    • Church contact info form
    • Donate
    • Discerning Future Leaders
    • Sunday Speaking Information Sheet

Seedlings

Stories and reflections on how the seeds of our covenant practices take root and grow.

Resources for Covenant Practices

What one church is doing to pray and study the Bible together

9/28/2017

 
Picture
by Joetta Schlabach, pastor
Faith Mennonite Church, MInneapolis 


During 2016-2017 the Deacon Commission at Faith Mennonite Church in Minneapolis invited persons in the congregation to join in triads for spiritual support and growth. Ten triads were formed. Suggestions were provided for helping guide the experience, but each triad determined how often to meet and how they would structure their time together. Some met weekly; others bi-weekly or monthly. Here are comments received from those who participated:
     "I felt more connected to the community; this was all new to me."
    "The triad meetings were a time to deliberately talk about our faith/spiritual lives - or lack thereof - in an intentional way. The triad meetings deepened our faith lives. We shared our individual faith stories, and spent much of our subsequent meetings talking about prayer: what, how, why. We sometimes prayed for each other or concerns we brought to the group. We agreed that the triad struck a nice balance between checking in and getting to know each other AND focusing specifically on our individual/shared spiritual lives."
       "Our triad usually read a scripture passage together and we often doodled with colored pencils as we talked. We always ended in prayer for one another and concerns for the world. We met by Skype when one of our group was in Tanzania for work. This felt like a life-line for all of us!"
      Here is the handout that people received to guide their groups:

Triads for Spiritual Growth and Deepened Relationships
Each triad will decide how often to meet: This might be one-hour weekly meetings or longer bi-weekly or monthly meetings. Each triad may choose from among the following ideas, using one or a com­bi­na­tion, or following an agenda of their own. We encourage each triad meeting to include a time of prayer for one another.
  1. Initially, take turns sharing your life/spiritual autobiography (perhaps one person per meeting).
  2. Using the “Love is a Verb” study guide, share insights from the weekly readings and exercises.
  3. Answer the following questions:
    1. How have you experienced God’s love or seen God’s work since our last meeting?
    2. What have you heard God speak­ing in scripture?
    3. What is your greatest joy at the moment?
    4. What challenge are you facing that you would like us to pray about?
  4. 20-20-20 gathering:
    1. Take turns reading the Bible out loud together for 20 minutes.
    2. Spend 20 minutes quietly journal­ing (or drawing) about the reading.
    3. Take 20 minutes to share reflections and pray together.

The latest from Ecuador: "September is for diapers"

9/26/2017

 
Click here for the latest post from Peter Wigginton and Delicia Bravo.
Below, Delicia and the new Journey International volunteers make diaper covers for refugee families.
Picture

Surprising things pastors encounter: An experience of spiritual deliverance

9/21/2017

 
Picture
by Matt Troyer-Miller
pastor, Wood River Mennonite Church, Wood River, Nebraska


Since I became a pastor, I have been involved in a number of interesting and surprising events. One of the more interesting events happened several years ago, when one of my neighbors asked if I would be willing to perform a house blessing for him. As I spoke with him further, it became clear that this was not going to be a typical house blessing. He described how two spirits would come into his house, and these spirits would scare his children.  Even though I had never been involved in something like this, I recognized that this was chance to share the gospel with my neighbor.  I didn’t want to dismiss his request out of hand, so I requested some time to pray about it.

 
During this time of prayer, I also began discerning the situation with trusted mentors. Some had personal experience with deliverance ministries; others did not. In the end, I agreed to organize a blessing service for my neighbor. If you are interested in the whole story, check out the new Spiritual Deliverance page at www.centralplainsmc.org.

With the story, you'll find a list of my “Top 5 Resources on Spiritual Deliverance.” In compiling this list, I tried to find resources that were practical, theologically sound, and compatible with an Anabaptist understanding of Scripture.  I list several resources that I found helpful, and I have also included suggestions from other trusted Mennonite leaders and missionaries. If you are looking for a more in-depth bibliography, I’ve also shared Willard Swartley’s bibliography. Willard is a long time AMBS professor and church leader, and the bibliography is representative of a lifetime of reading on this topic.
 
Of course, this list is not comprehensive, and there may perhaps be other good resources out there. However, I hope that should you find yourself in a situation similar to mine, that this list can be a place for you to draw on the wisdom of other Christians who have spent a lifetime considering the implications of God’s victory over evil.

RSVP now for the Bible Study webinars

9/20/2017

 
Picture

​Covenant of Spiritual Practices Reflection 3: Is it Making a Difference?

9/7/2017

 
Picture
by David Boshart
Executive Conference Minister​

 
Members of Central Plains Mennonite Conference have been living into a Covenant of Spiritual Practices since it was adopted one year ago. Our Annual Meeting in July provided an opportunity to check in and discover if our covenant was making any difference. Church history is replete with new initiatives that fail to produce substantive difference. Our delegates sent a clear message that a renewed commitment to spiritual practices is making a discernible difference in our local congregations and within the conference as a community.
            The significance of this difference should not be underestimated. It is hard to remember a time when church members came together to report a change in the spiritual vitality of their congregations.
            When asked what difference our covenant of spiritual practices is making, the delegates offered four measures of spiritual growth. I offer specific examples of each from the written comments from table groups.

Strengthened witness beyond their congregations
​Delegates reported that an emphasis on spiritual practices has resulted in transformed attitudes toward prisoners. Members have seen reconciliation with others and healing of broken relationships. Some reported growth and connection to the wider community by moving church meetings outside the church building. Our members are thinking more intentionally about what we want our identity to be in the community.

Increased awareness that our spiritual practices are essential to Christian vitality
 Focusing on spiritual practices raises our awareness of the Spirit’s presence in our midst. By fasting we are made more aware of the needs of others. We become refreshed in giving ourselves to the things we should be doing anyway. We are more aware that God is among us.

Strengthened sense of community within congregations and across our conference
The covenant of spiritual practices makes us more honest with each other about our spiritual lives. It is clearer for us to know how to handle our disagreements. When we practice our spiritual lives together, we build relationships together. We become more patient with each other as we walk together in spiritual practices. Spiritual practices help us “lean into each other” when we struggle. We are reminded that we – across our conference – have many things in common.

Increased confidence and competence in practicing the Christian life.
The covenant of spiritual practices gives us new eyes for Bible study, new energy for faith, new hope to have better answers to share with people who are turned off by Christianity. This emphasis has created greater understanding that transformation is more a process of God’s grace than what we do.

These are just some examples of all the ways our conference delegates expressed the difference our emphasis on spiritual practices is making. 

As I reflect on this feedback, I wonder, what is needed to keep us moving farther on this same path?. Discernible transformation grows out of our understanding of God’s grace more than our grand designs. Maybe moving to the next level is as basic as keeping our focus on those things that bring us face-to-face with Jesus and doing those things together. Could that make all the difference?


    Central Plains Mennonite Conference

    creates settings for our congregations and partners to grow in holistic witness to God's reconciling mission by developing leadership, encouraging fellowship and promoting lifelong discipleship.

    Archives

    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Categories

    All

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