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At the end of November, the EMMC General Council held their semi-annual meeting in Vauxhall Alberta. The General Board also met that weekend, and it was good to interact with representatives from many of our 27 member-churches in Belize, Mexico, and Canada.
Each session started with a devotional time, and we heard the inspiring personal testimony from a young man, from a very traditional background, whose life was impacted and transformed through the ministry of the EMMC Church in Vauxhall. That man is now a vibrant, energized leader in the Vauxhall Church.
General Council Business
2024-2025 Budget
The Budget is funded, for the most part, from the contributions of the 27-member churches as well as individuals. There will be a significant staffing change in the Conference Office later this year, with the resignation of current Executive Director, Lyn Dyck. This budget anticipates some other staffing changes, and it allows funding for Leadership Development, Congregational Resourcing, Church Plant initiatives, Mission Outreach, and Ongoing Ministries.
Significant in this is continuing attention to Church Leadership Development, which has already been funded for the past several years. Resources have also been developed to assist churches in their search for Pastors. When you speak with the leaders in the Vauxhall Church they will tell you that their intentional focus on Leadership Development and Discipleship Training has been a significant factor in their church growth.
The Vauxhall Church has grown from approximately 100 attendees on a Sunday morning four years ago, to well over 400 attendees on a typical Sunday morning, now.
Mission Outreach Initiatives
Antioch Community Ministries, located in Warman Saskatchewan is a new and exciting ministry. The Saskatchewan EMMC churches, our EMMC Conference, and the Antioch Leadership Team are working together to build a new facility that will be home to a Church Plant, a Skatepark and a Youth Drop-In Facility. The property has been acquired and construction of the facility has already begun.
The EMMC is also partnered with the Evangelical Bergthaler Mennonite Conference of Alberta to serve together in Bolivia as Misión Evangélica Menonita, or as more commonly referred to as MEM. Our Sister Conference, the Evangelical Mennonite Conference, also provides staffing and other support to MEM, and support and help is also coming from outside of Canada, from evangelical churches in Paraguay, Mexico and the USA. You may already be familiar with Villa Nueva and Hacienda Verde. These two communities have churches and schools under MEM serving the needs of Low German families who can no longer survive in, or on, the Colonies.
And now there is a developing new church plant at Belice Colony, also in Bolivia. The building that this new Belice church plant has been using for meetings has recently been sold, but it is evident that at the Belice Colony and at other places, there are opportunities for outreach to Colony members with the Good News of salvation through personal faith in Christ.
Other EMMC initiatives
Treasured Foundation event happened in Steinbach between Christmas and New Year 2023. This event is for our young people from the ages of 14 to 19, and it focuses on connecting youth and youth leaders from across the EMMC, and inspiring them toward a deeper relationship with Christ, through teaching sessions, interactive mini-sessions and discussions, worship, recreational activities, and service opportunities. The year, the theme was “Voice of Truth”, based on John 10:27-28
EMMC Christmas Catalogue was a new approach for EMMC. The catalogue provided individuals the opportunity to contribute to specific on-going ministries.
For example, Gift Idea #2:
MEM Radio Outreach in Bolivia. This “Invisible Missionary” brings the Gospel of Jesus Christ to listeners, many of whom are listening secretly, and it reaches deep into areas where our Visible Missionaries often cannot go, or where they are not welcome. Your gift in support of the Radio Outreach will bring hope and change to individuals, families and communities. There is currently a specific need for backup battery power to keep the station on-air during power disruptions, as well as some needed upgrades to existing systems. You can make your Christmas donation directly to the EMMC, indicating which catalogue item you are supporting.
Journal. This is a free-form Journal, not date specific, that has embossed Three E’s; Equip, Encourage, Empower on the front cover. This is a fundraiser item you can pick up at the Conference Office. Yes, you can purchase journals cheaper on Amazon, but Amazon will not contribute proceeds to support on-going youth ministries like this journal will.
If you would like more information, you can visit the EMMC website at www.emmc.ca, or sign up to receive the weekly Praise, Prayer and Pondering newsletter with timely and current Conference events and updated information, or receive the free bi-monthly publication of The Recorder. Email recorder@emmc.ca to be added to the distribution list.
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