BC Women's Ministry Inspirational Day - May 8, 2017

Better late than never! The following photos were sent in by Waltrude Gortzen, who represents BC Women's Ministry on the Mennonite Women Canada executive.  She has served with enthusiasm in this position for many years and is looking forward to retirement.  

Guest Speaker was Marlene Kropf, writer of the 2016 Bible Study Guide that we publish in partnership with Mennonite Women USA and MennoMedia.

Display of items representing transitions we face in life

Emmanuel Mennonite Church in Abbotsford hosted the day which included worship activities and lunch. The theme was "Trusting God in Life's Transitions"

Spring flowers and a gift at the table for each woman

Registration and visiting

Our Worship Team

Addendum below: October 16, 2017

Change and New Beginnings

The annual MCBC Women’s Inspirational Day that Emmanuel hosted on May 6 was memorable—and not just because of the arrival of a firetruck with sirens blaring! Yes, halfway through Marijke Olson’s opening prayer, the church’s fire alarm went off and after sitting there confused for a moment, we all exited the building (thanks to Janette Thiessen’s clear-headed instruction; why is it human nature NOT to jump up automatically when we hear an alarm?) until the firefighters arrived to check it out and found nothing amiss, and we returned to the day’s activities.

The real memories came from our special speaker, Marlene Kropf, whose topic was “Who Am I Now? Trusting God in Life’s Transitions” Using examples from her own life, Marlene talked about change and transition at all stages of life. “There is a before and an after, and we are not the same after,” she said. Marlene described the three stages as we move from one lifepoint to another, whether it be marrying, having children, a new job, moving, or death of a loved one. They are ending of one thing, the in-between stage, and the new beginning. Saying goodbye can be costly and painful, she said, and too often we are caught in the “messy middle” that we would like to hurry through. In dealing with this time of uncertainty, she asked us to remember that God is, God is for us (all), and God is actively at work in our lives, within the context of our lives.

Of course one of the joys of such an event is the connection with old friends and making new ones. Mary Derksen, from Emmanuel M. Church describes this encounter:

“When everybody was walking around looking for some place to sit, I wandered in looking for a table where I didn’t know anybody. I sat down beside a young woman – young for me! Her mother was beside her. Margaret was from Ebenezer M. Church; Erna, her daughter, was from a Pentecostal church in Chilliwack. After getting acquainted, Erna asked, ‘Were you in that mission prayer book?’ ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I remember praying for you when I was a kid,’ she responded. An instant connection! What a gift to meet Erna! Just then a friend from another church, Alice, sat down beside me. ‘Oh, I want to meet you, too,’ Erna said, and continued, ‘Your husband baptized me in the Eden church when I was a teenager!’”

It was a great day all around. We all left inspired, in the words of our speaker, to celebrate new beginnings!

By Amy Dueckman – for EMC Newsletter – June 2017 Volume 14, Issue 5