Interview with Marlene Bogard by Elsie Rempel, May 2017

Marlene Bogard, currently living in Salem Oregon after several decades in Kansas, has joined the Salem Mennonite Church. In Kansas, Marlene served Western District Mennonite Conference as Minister of Christian Nurture and Resource Library director; a role in which she collaborated closely with Mennonite Church Canada's Resource department.  Since 2015, she has been the Executive Director of Mennonite Women USA, a role in which she collaborates with MW Canada in the Annual Bible Study Guide (BSG) project.

Elsie: How do you see your faith playing a role in the work that you have chosen?

Marlene: I live out my discipleship in my job. When I use my gifts of administration, creativity, networking, and humour, I feel like I'm in a place where God has called me, I feel alive, useful, rooted, validated.

Elsie: What are some of your challenges?

Marlene: Because the broader Mennonite church is in transition, we need to be more creative in offering meaningful materials, events, and connections.  A constant challenge is to imagine how we might attract younger generations of women.

Elsie: What are the highlights?

Marlene: I experience joy when I am with women who gather for support, prayer, and earnest conversation. God's spirit is alive and well in these friendships.

Elsie: What's new among MW USA?

Marlene: In 2017 we are celebrating 100 years of MW history, some of which is shared with our sisters north of the border. Our theme is “Fruit from the Vine” taken from John 15:5. We are happy to announce the publication of “Circles of Sisterhood, a history of Mennonite Women's Organizations” by Anita Hooley Yoder, published by MennoMedia.

Elsie: One ministry of your group, which Canadian women have appreciated, is Sister Care. Can you Share a story with us.

Marlene: A favorite story is about Suzette Schreffler of the Northern Cheyenne in Montana. She attended a Sister Care Seminar in Winnipeg with Indigenous Relations and was so inspired that she is  now leading weekly encouragement sessions with young women in detention centers.  She uses parts of the Sister Care materials and finds the women very engaged.  I believe Sister Care addresses the needs of all women’s hearts, across cultures.

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2017 BIBLE STUDY GUIDE ~ Live Your Call

Mennonite Women Canada, together with Mennonite Women USA and MennoMedia, publishes an Annual Bible Study Guide which is available through MennoMedia and CommonWord. A complimentary copy is sent to each Mennonite Church Canada affiliated congregation ~ c/o the pastor, the office administrator or the women's ministry coordinator. 

Is this what my life was meant to be? Caught up in the everyday realities of life? Are you left wondering how you fit into God’s larger mission? 

Live Your Call empowers and motivates women to name and share their gifts as they serve God. This twelve-session Bible study guides women toward the Spirit’s gentle nudging or firm push on their lives so that they can clarify and participate in God’s mission. Author Anna Leichty Sawatzky draws deeply from stories in the Gospels, both to affirm and challenge women to live out their God-given calling and to empower them to share the good news with others.

• Women’s Bible study that gets everyone into their Bibles and helps them notice God’s calling in their lives.
• Excellent for individual study, women’s groups, and retreat settings, the session nurture faith in new and active ways and encourage women in their Christian walk.
• 12 sessions of study plus one worship service in each guide.
• Commissioned by Mennonite Women Canada and Mennonite Women USA

Women Walking Together in Faith - January 2017 - "Deepening our faith journeys"

Our most recent bi-monthly column was written by President Shirley Redekop and appeared in the January 16, 2017 issue of the Canadian Mennonite.  She begins her article with the following paragraphs:

“Jesus calls us to life-long journeys of faith—shaped in part by our age and stage in life. Faith practices are deepest and richest when our Christian community embraces and nurtures all these different ages and stages of our lives in a variety of contexts."

These words from an overview of the goals of the planners of the first-ever “Deep faith: Anabaptist faith formation for all ages” conference held at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), Elkhart, Ind., last fall, resonated with the goals of Mennonite Women Canada and MW U.S.A. to encourage women to nurture life in Christ, acknowledge and share their gifts, and hear and support each other, as we serve/minister across the street and around the world.

Click here to read Shirley's article found on the Canadian Mennonite website.

Shirley Stauffer Redekop, front row centre, is pictured with some
of the 24 Canadian participants at last fall’s ‘Deep faith’ conference
at AMBS.  (Photo courtesy of Shirley Stauffer Redekop) 

Deep Faith Conference - October 6-8, 2016

Elsie Rempel, Mennonite Women Canada's Secretary-Treasurer, is chairperson of the working group which is planning the DEEP FAITH CONFERENCE being held at AMBS (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) October 6-8, 2016 in Elkhart, Indiana. Elsie is also one of the worship leaders and one of the workshop presenters. MW USA and MW Canada are sponsoring a display table and a break at the conference. You can find more information at the website CLICK HERE.

Here are a few of the workshops that might be of interest to you!

BOOMER FAITH: DROP IN OR DROP OUT
We will explore the life stage of Baby Boomers, along with their unique challenges, realities and expectations. What helps them connect with Christian faith? What draws them away? How can paying attention to their distinctive perspective on life help them be formed in their faith? Presenter: Marlene Bogard, director, Mennonite Women USA 

WOMEN EMPOWERING WOMEN: FAITH AND FRIENDSHIP IN THE DIGITAL AGE 
We will explore the power of women's friendships as a way to nurture faith in other women of all ages. Together, we will imagine how friendships offer wisdom, encouragement and companionship and serve as a catalyst for Christian discipleship. Presenter: Marlene Bogard, director, Mennonite Women USA 

SPIRITUAL GRANDPARENTING 
It has become uncommon for congregations to include three generations of family, and many grandparents and their grandchildren have to make the best of long-distance relationships. But congregations often have lots of older and younger people who would do well to form deep friendships with each other. Come and explore the rich possibilities of spiritual grandparenting, whether or not it is biological. Presenter: Elsie Rempel, faith formation consultant, Winnipeg, Manitoba 

COME TO THE TABLE 
Faith formation happens around our tables and around The Table when we recognize Jesus as meal host. Come and explore the meals that Jesus hosted in the Bible and consider their potential for enriching the faith-forming potential of your congregation or camp’s tables. Presenter: Elsie Rempel, faith formation consultant, Winnipeg, Manitoba 

LATE-LIFE SPIRITUAL FORMATION 
Late life is an intense and varied experience, often evoking new questions and challenging deeply-held beliefs. How might we develop a robust spiritual foundation that can help us face realities such as dependency, frailty and mortality and at the same time experience the joy of life as a graceful gift from a loving Creator? Presenter: Marianne Mellinger, coordinator of applied studies, theological studies, Conrad Grebel University College, Waterloo, Ontario

GENDER AND FAITH FORMATION 
This workshop explores the ways in which our worship and faith formation are shaping our understanding of ourselves, our gender, our calling and our worth in God’s eyes. Genesis 1 affirms that all people are created in God’s image. Therefore, the gifts and attributes that both women and men bring are equally important to the life and ministry of the church, as well as to the witness that the church has within creation. This workshop seeks to give practical ideas for worship and faith formation that are affirming and life-giving for all who are created in God’s good image. Presenter: Katherine Goerzen, associate pastor, Tabor Mennonite Church, Newton, Kansas, and coordinator, AMBS – Kansas Center 

MAKING ROOM FOR FORMATION 
Using the theme of hospitality toward those outside of majority groups, how do we stay attentive to faith formation? Connecting with the text Making Room (Pohl), we will discuss the practices of Christ with attention to contemporary examples of hospitality and faith formation. Presenter: Shannon Dycus, co-pastor, First Mennonite Church, Indianapolis 

WE PROCLAIM AND EMBODY THE GOSPEL: FORMATION IN THE MISSIONAL CHURCH
In the way we create programs and hire staff, churches often seem to separate formation and mission. In the missional church, formation and mission are easily integrated. Drawing from the writing of Lois Barrett and John Driver, we will consider the practical implications of Christian formation in a missional frame. Presenter: Shana Peachey Boshart, Conference Minister for Christian Formation, Central Plains Mennonite Conference.

2016 Bible Study Guide - Faith Travels

Are you looking for a new women's Bible study guide to use this fall? This might be the one for you! Excellent for personal study, women's groups, and retreat settings this dynamic study nurtures the faith of women in new and active ways and encourages women in their Christian walk. 

Faith Travels

One step forward, two steps back. Life is full of change and transition and rarely do they go as planned. Faith Travels: Trusting God in Life's Transitions takes women on a journey through the Old Testament, inviting them to walk alongside the Israelites from the wilderness and into the Promised Land. Just as the biblical story tells of a people who trusted God along the journey, this study helps readers consider God’s promises in their own lives during times of transition. Author Marlene Kropf carefully weaves stories of Celtic Christians throughout the study as well, bringing together the larger story of our human desire to be faithful to God as the journey unfolds. (from a release by MennoMedia)

The 2016 author of Faith Travels: Trusting God in Life's Transitions is Marlene Kropf. She is a spiritual director, retreat leader, and ordained Mennonite minster who lives in Port Townsend, WA. 

Mennonite Women Canada, together with Mennonite Women USA and MennoMedia, publishes an Annual Bible Study Guide which is available through MennoMedia and CommonWord. A complimentary copy is sent to each Mennonite Church Canada affiliated congregation ~ c/o the pastor, the office administrator or the women's ministry coordinator. They were mailed out in July.  If your church has not received a copy please contact your Provincial Rep! 

2016 BSG ~ Faith Travels

Mennonite Women Canada, together with Mennonite Women USA and MennoMedia, publishes an Annual Bible Study Guide which is available through MennoMedia and CommonWord. A complimentary copy is sent to each Mennonite Church Canada affiliated congregation ~ c/o the pastor, the office administrator or the women's ministry coordinator. They have just been mailed so please be on the lookout for your free copy! 

The 2016 author of Faith Travels: Trusting God in Life's Transitions is Marlene Kropf. She is a spiritual director, retreat leader, and ordained Mennonite minster who lives in Port Townsend, WA. 

Synopsis:  Life is full of change and transition. Faith Travels takes women on a journey through the Old Testament, inviting them to walk alongside the Israelites from the wilderness and into the Promised Land. Just as the biblical story tells of a people who trusted God along the journey, this study helps readers consider God’s promises in their own lives during times of transition. Marlene Kropf carefully weaves stories of Celtic Christians throughout the study as well, bringing together the larger story of our human desire to be faithful to God as the journey unfolds. (from a release by MennoMedia)

Spark Publications - ordering update!

Two previous posts gave you some detailed information about our cooperative publishing ventures with Mennonite Women USA and MennoMedia.

A complementary copy of our 12-session Bible Study Guide is sent to churches and/or women's groups that are affiliated with Mennonite Church Canada. Address lists are compiled by our provincial/area reps and are updated each year. Please check with your pastor, church administrator or women's rep/coordinator to see if it has arrived! If you find this Bible Study Guide useful please consider sending a donation to help with the publication costs. Donations can be made through our website. 

To order additional copies please order from the Kitchener office 

through Craig Anderson at 1-800-631-6535 or 519-747-5722. 

You can also order on line through MennoMedia.  

The cost for each guide is approximately $10.00.  

The Spark Retreat Kit includes Bible studies, a creative guide, a participant guide and a director’s guide. The retreat kit is intended to be comprehensive with easy-to-follow directions, equipping women on a leadership team to lead the retreat themselves, and helpful for team building for women’s groups of all sizes and ages. More information about the Retreat Kit is available at www.mennomedia.org/sparkretreat.

Please place your order for the Retreat Kits 
through Craig Anderson (MennoMedia Kitchener office) 
at 1-800-631-6535 or 519-747-5722. 

The cost for the Retreat Kit is approximately $75.00 US plus shipping. If you are a member of a Mennonite Church Canada congregation please mention that to Craig when ordering as Mennonite Women Canada will receive a commission which we will use to offset our publication costs.  

We at Mennonite Women Canada trust you will find these 

resources enriching and inspriring!

Spark Women's Retreat Kit

MennoMedia has launched a women’s “retreat kit” about creativity, 
planned from material in the recent women’s Bible study guide, 
Spark: Igniting Your God-Given Creativity.

The retreat is designed for women to take time away and gather with others to dwell in God’s word and worship together. The retreat will help women discover God as the original creator and the joys of being created in God’s good image—all while nurturing their own creative spirits.

The Spark retreat kit includes Bible studies that unpack four stories of God’s creative spirit at work; a creative guide with ideas to help women take the study even deeper; a participant guide for each woman to write in and make personal connections while taking time for reflection throughout the retreat.

A director’s guide leads retreat facilitators through the steps of planning and leading the Spark retreat including usual logistics of location, schedule, number of days, meals, and the like.

The retreat kit is intended to be comprehensive with easy-to-follow directions, equipping women on a leadership team to lead the retreat themselves, and helpful for team building for women’s groups of all sizes and ages.

The content for this retreat kit was sponsored jointly by Mennonite Women USA, Mennonite Women Canada, and MennoMedia. More information available at www.mennomedia.org/sparkretreat.

Place your order from the Kitchener office through 

Craig Anderson at 1-800-631-6535 or 519-747-5722. 

You can also order on line through MennoMedia.