ALBERTA WOMEN'S RETREAT 2019

CONTACT PERSON:  KATE JANZEN

kajanzen13@gmail.com

www.mcawomen.ca

MCBC Women's Ministry Inspirational Day - May 2, 2019

Check them out on Facebook

or their Website

WMCEC Spring Enrichment Day ~ April 13, 2019

You can find the registration form on-line HERE

For questions contact Carmen Brubacher   

AB Annual Spring Retreat - June 8, 9 & 10, 2018

Mennonite Church Alberta Women are extending 

an invitation to their Annual Spring Retreat.

Date:  June 8, 9, & 10
Location: Sunnyside Retreat Centre, 202 Birchcliff Road, Birchcliff, AB, T4S 1R6
Guest Speaker:  Rachel Miller Jacobs, Associate Professor of Congregational Formation at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary.
Theme:  Forgiveness

Schedule:
Friday
6:00 pm ~ Registration
7:30 pm ~ Welcome, Session 1

Saturday
8:30 - 9:00 am ~ Breakfast
10:00 am ~ Session 2
12:00 ~ Lunch
1:00 pm ~ Session 3
5:00 pm ~ Supper 
7:30 pm ~ Coffee House & Variety Show

Sunday 
8:30 - 9:00 am ~ Breakfast
10:00 am ~ Session 4

For more information and a registration form please visit

http://mcawomen.ca/

WMCEC Enrichment Day ~ April 20, 21, 2018

April Yamasaki, from Abbotsford, BC, was the speaker at 

WMCEC's Spring Enrichment Day.  

She graciously posted a blog, sharing her reflections of the weekend ~ 

"May Jesus Walk with You from One Creative Step 

to the Next"

You can access her blog here.

MCBC Women's Day - May 5, 2018

Mennonite Church BC invites all women to the 2018 Women's Day ~ May 5

at Langley Mennonite Fellowship, Langley, BC

Please see details on the poster below or 

visit http://www.mcbc.ca/

MW Manitoba Spring Event

A Day for Women hosted by Mennonite Women Manitoba  

For more information please visit our Event page at 

www.mennochurch.mb.ca

Reflections on Mennonite Church Alberta Women's Retreat

Recently I was asked "What is so special about the MCA women’s retreat?" 

I remember as a child, my mom leaving us kids in my father’s care (or sometimes an aunt and uncle), in order to go to “Women’s Conference”.  We had a big family, and for my mom to take time away from it was something unheard of.  What was important enough for her to do that?  

Now many years later, I can only be grateful that the continuing opportunity for women to come together in a spiritual and social venue has stood the test of time.  It is still a valuable and worthy event!

I started coming to the retreat only four years ago.  I didn’t really know what to expect, and never having been to one before, wasn’t even sure it was something I should take time away from the home front to do.  A couple of ladies from my church were involved in the music portion of the weekend and encouraged me to come along.  What I found that weekend was something I had not had in my life for a long time.  And people I knew later told me that they saw a side to me they had never seen before.

It was a place to be free:  free from the daily responsibilities as a mother (it took some planning, and I admit some letting go, to make arrangements for the family), free to be served instead of serving (meals provided, a soft bed with sheets I wouldn’t have to launder), free to laugh without fear of appearing silly (silliness was embraced), free to enjoy the part of me which loves learning (4 sessions in 3 days), free to be vulnerable with sisters in Christ (opening up and getting real with each other).  It was the closest thing to what I remembered dorm-life at Bible School to be.

I was reunited with a number of ladies I hadn’t seen for years, and introduced to many new and wonderful other ladies.  Over the years, I’ve begun to enter into a unique relationship with many of these ladies whom I only see once or twice a year, and we just pick up where we left off.  There is something about being together for these three days with common goals, and learning, praying, and having fun together that is just so bonding.  Even though we come from many different backgrounds, and are of different ages, it just feels so natural and right. 

I come away from retreat each time feeling a little more comfortable in my own skin, and empowered to make life more meaningful and purposeful; I’m often invigorated to continue the field of study the guest speaker has introduced.  I encourage anyone to come and experience whatever it is that God is bringing to you.  If you need laughter, you will find much to laugh about and an easy crowd to tell your jokes to.  If you need to feel God’s love through a sister, there will be someone there who has walked a road similar to you and will feel your pain.  If you need to be taken care of, you will not have to cook a meal or clean a toilet.  If you need quiet and introspection, you will find a time and place.  If you need a creative outlet, there’s opportunity provided. If you need spiritual depth, you will not come away empty.  If you need fellowship, it will be there in abundance. 

While my mom never shared what went on at “Women’s Conference”, I’m sure she had many of the same experiences. There really is something special that only happens at retreat.  I encourage you to find out what that something special is for you.

~ Laura Wiebe

(Laura attends Trinity Mennonite Church in Calgary, AB and is serving her second year on the Retreat Committee.)

2017 MCA Women's Retreat Poster

Guest speaker Sara Wenger Shenk, 

President of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

Photos from the 2017 MCA Women's Retreat

WMCEC Spring Enrichment Day April 20-21, 2018

WMCEC Spring Enrichment Day with April Yamasaki is fast approaching! We are looking forward to April leading us around the theme Living Creatively. Women of all ages are welcome to gather in Leamington on April 20 - 21. Transportation and hotel accommodation are available. Find more information on the poster and registration form below. Registration needs to be in by March 9. For questions please contact Carmen Brubacher.  Information also available online here.

Women's Retreat sponsored by MCSask

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

Photos from Women Encountering Jesus Retreat in Manitoba

Women Encountering Jesus

A Spring Retreat offered by Mennonite Women Manitoba

Note:  I posted a write up about this retreat on August 8 and the following day received these photos from the event!  I've included the write-up and inserted the photos.

You could have heard a pin drop, as the 45 women who had gathered for this day of retreat, received the stories of women encountering Jesus. We were treated to stories drawn from Scripture, early Christian history and the contemplative tradition, along with stories from more recent history, all presented in simple and profound dramatic form.

Stories of women encountering Jesus (1)

Stories of women encountering Jesus (2)

Stories of women encountering Jesus (3)

Laura Funk, Guest Speaker

Our retreat director, Laura Funk, a local Spiritual Director and founder of Butterfly Journeys, crafted the day to introduce us to the voices of these historic women as well as to practices of prayer that have stood the test of time. Laura also prepared a resource booklet for participant in which she stated, “My hope is that if you sense the need for a change in your own spiritual journey, something here might help you along.” And the booklet provides many such helps; reminders of the practices we tried out, and descriptions of the ones we didn't have time to try.

Kathy Giesbrecht, Mennonite Church Manitoba

Our day together truly was a day of retreat as we engaged and selected and experienced a wide array of prayer practices. The prayer stations, created by Laura, included written introductions and explanations to each (in the provided booklet) that invited us to enter each practice.  Women from a wide variety of age groups waded in, sometimes on their own, sometimes with a group of others. Retreaters affirmed that being introduced to new ways of encountering Jesus was refreshing for them.  They also affirmed the use of storytelling as a way to ‘hear anew’ the words of Jesus. 

Prayer station - an array of prayer practices

Prayer station - an array of prayer practices

Lunch and snacks were included!

This Retreat looked distinctly different from the Sister Care Seminar we had offered in the spring of 2016. Both the ‘returning retreaters’ from 2016 and the new women who ventured into this years retreat encouraged us to keep providing such events.

Lunch and snacks were included!

As the MWMB planning group reflected on this event, it affirmed that allowing the Retreat to go in distinct directions served our hopes of offering differing spaces for women in our community. MWMB will continue to offer Spring Retreats, along with the other initiatives it is pursuing. Next year's event will focus on mental health. Watch for news about it this fall.

Laura Funk with Elsie Wiebe,
President of Mennonite Women Manitoba

Submitted by Kathy Giesbrecht

Mennonite Women Manitoba - Spring Retreat 2017

Women Encountering Jesus

A Spring Retreat offered by Mennonite Women Manitoba

  You could have heard a pin drop, as the 45 women who had gathered for this day of retreat, received the stories of women encountering Jesus. We were treated to stories drawn from Scripture, early Christian history and the contemplative tradition, along with stories from more recent history, all presented in simple and profound dramatic form. Our retreat director, Laura Funk, (a local Spiritual Director and founder of Butterfly Journeys)  crafted the day to introduce us to the voices of these historic women as well as to practices of prayer that have stood the test of time. Laura also prepared a resource booklet for participant in which she stated, “My hope is that if you sense the need for a change in your own spiritual journey, something here might help you along.” And the booklet provides many such helps; reminders of the practices we tried out, and descriptions of the ones we didn't have time to try.

    Our day together truly was a day of retreat as we engaged and selected and experienced a wide array of prayer practices. The prayer stations, created by Laura, included written introductions and explanations to each,(in the provided booklet) that invited us to enter each practice.  Women from a wide variety of age groups waded in, sometimes on their own, sometimes with a group of others. Retreaters affirmed that being introduced to new ways of encountering Jesus was refreshing for them.  They also affirmed the use of storytelling as a way to ‘hear anew’ the words of Jesus.

    This Retreat looked distinctly different from the Sister Care Seminar we had offered in the spring of 2016. Both the ‘returning retreaters’ from 2016 and the new women who ventured into this years retreat encouraged us to keep providing such events.

As the MWMB planning group reflected on this event, it affirmed that allowing the Retreat to go in distinct directions served our hopes of offering differing spaces for women in our community. MWMB will continue to offer Spring Retreats, along with the other initiatives it is pursuing. Next year's event will focus on mental health. Watch for news about it this fall.

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Submitted by Kathy Giesbrecht

UPCOMING AREA EVENT - ALBERTA - June 9 - 11, 2017

Alberta Mennonite Women are inviting all women to their 

Annual Women's Retreat on July 9 - 11 

Sunnyside Retreat Centre: 202 Birchcliff Road, Birchcliff AB T4S 1R6 

Guest Speaker is Sara Wenger Shenk 

For more information about the speaker, the schedule and registration please check out their website at www.mcawomen.com