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Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Mark 8:34-37
Keynote Speakers
Blaine Dueck
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David Friesen
Claude Lainey
Conference Workshops
Attendees have three track choices for workshops on Saturday - Relevant Church, Our Culture Today, and Missions. We're excited to host a group of passionate and experienced presenters on a variety of current topics facing EMMC and the church in Canada more broadly.
Track 1 - Relevant Church
Building a Culture
of Worship
Jonathon & Julie Wiebe,
Worship Pastor, GMC
Jonathon & Julie will be sharing in this workshop about building a thriving culture of worship and service the church well.
Practicing Presence - Learning to Support People Well
Wayne Friesen,
Recovery of Hope
​With his M.A in Counselling from Providence Seminary, Wayne has served with Recovery of Hope for 12 years and Youth For Christ for 25 years. He has a keen interest in the significance of emotional and mental health in the church. He is also passionate about both equipping vocational ministers and caring for their emotional health. Wayne has been married to Julie since 1996 and together they have three children. Wayne's play includes music and sitting in a boat with a fishing rod in his hand.
Cultivating a Culture of Discipleship - EMMC Resources to help your Church
Darrell Kehler, Lyn Dyck, Henry Redekopp
EMMC
For the past number of years, we as EMMC have been saying that leadership development and discipleship needs to become part of our DNA. How do we practically apply this in our churches?
Come explore proven resources available
to help your church fulfill its mission!
Track 2 - Our Culture Today
Supporting a Culture of Life
Susan Penner
Life Culture Canada
With the overturning of Roe v Wade in the US, and the increasing push for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada, there is a heightened interest and need to learn about abortion, MAiD, and how Christians can support a culture of life. This session will give an overview of abortion and MAiD in the Canadian context, including the history, rationale, and where we go from here.
Susan Penner is the Executive Director of Life Culture Canada. She is dedicated to educating & equipping Christians and the broader public on the value of life, as well as providing practical support for women who are in difficult situations.
Church & Indigenous History
Dr. James Robertson,
Tyndale University
Dr. Robertson is Assistant Professor of Christian History at Tyndale University. He is the author of Overlooked: The Forgotten Origin Stories of Canadian Christianity. Dr. Robertson teaches the development of Christianity around the world, with a focus on the development of the faith during the Reformation and into the Modern Age. His focus on Church and War has brought him into dialogue with the military, inter-faith groups, and various peace organizations.
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Loving the ‘Stranger’ Among Us
Wendi Park
CareImpact
Wendi Park is the Executive Director and Co-founder of CareImpact - a Canadian charity dedicated to connecting and equipping churches to journey well in community. She lives in Winnipeg, on Treaty 1 Territory, with her husband, Harold, six children and two grandchildren. After finishing undergrad in 3 countries, Wendi went on to complete a Masters in Global Studies with a peace mediation internship in Israel/Palestine. Prior to starting CareImpact, Wendi worked with The Salvation Army in Correctional Justice and then as Executive Director of an urban family resource centre.
Wendi is passionate about the mutual transformation of the Church and the community as they learn to journey well together - especially through hard and messy places.
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Track 3 - Missions
Mission Reports
Kristen Penner
Ryan + Lindi Davidson
Kristen arrived in Slovenia in 2016 and is working with Avant ministries to plant a locally led church in Koper.
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Ryan and Lindi are the directors of Antioch ministries based in Warman, SK. After 14 years of supporting people with disabilities, Ryan felt called to pursue his dream of opening an indoor Skatepark and starting a church plant - teaming up with YFC as well as the EMMC to make this dream a reality. Lindi and Ryan have served in several different capacities within EMMC Region 1 churches over the past few years and are passionate about leading and healing. Married with 4 sons they have lived in Warman for the past 7 years. Their lives are filled with listening, skateboarding, basketball, preaching, teaching, churching and music. They are lovers of espresso, The Bible and a new pair of sneakers.
Open Arms Bible Fellowship NCEM
Marsden Giesbrecht
Marsden and Mandy Giesbrecht along with their three children Kora (17 years old), Naiomi (16 years old) and Isaac (13 years old), have served in several locations in the First Nations Ministry over the past twenty years.
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They are currently serving in Nipawin SK, providing leadership in a multi-cultural outreach ministry called Open Arms Bible Fellowship. This outreach ministry has recently partnered with the EMMC conference and all are excited to see what God will do with this partnership moving forward.
MEM Bolivia
Abe & Margaret Harder
Abe & Margaret Harder have 3 married children and 7 grandchildren, all living in Canada. They have served as associate pastors in the Aylmer EMMC for a number of year. After Margaret’s retirement as a personal care worker in a senior citizens home, they were called to work in Bolivia with MEM (Mision Evangelica Menonita). They have served as pastor couple in the Villa Nueva Evangelische Mennoniten Jemeent (EMJ) for six and a half years. At the end of 2022, they passed the leadership of the church over to local leaders. They have recently taken on the MEM Field Director position where they seek to encourage the missionary team members in their work and are the connection between the team and the board of directors in Canada.