Teaching on Intercession
You are invited to a prayer and learning opportunity – Sunday, April 3 will be the third and last in a series of teachings by Noel Santiago on Intercession. It will be held at Franconia Mennonite Church, Fellowship Hall, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. The topic for the evening will be the Power of Intercession, Hearing God’s voice for another. These teachings have been both practical and inspirational. Pastors, prayer team members and anyone interested in learning more about prayer are invited to attend.
Adopt – A – Street
Adopt – A – Street is a new way of thinking about how to pray for our communities. Come to an information session led by Peter Smith, pastor of Hope Valley Community Church in Red Hill and one of the leaders of UPPEN, a network of churches in the in the Upper Perk region whose focus is prayer for transformation. You are invited to learn more about the Adopt a Street prayer strategy on Sunday, April 3, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. at Franconia Mennonite Church. Use the fellowship hall entrance. Immediately after the Adopt – A – Street session, there will be a light meal before the evening teaching on Intercession. Please register for the afternoon session and meal with Sandy Landes, prayer ministry coordinator.
Worldwide prayer and long-term response needed for Japan
Strasbourg, France – Mennonite World Conference is making plans to walk and work alongside Japanese Anabaptists in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami devastating the northeast of Japan.
An intercontinental teleconference on March 16 brought together MWC officials and representatives from Mennonite, Mennonite Brethren, and Brethren in Christ churches and agencies, including Mennonite Central Committee.
Immediate action is a global call to prayer for the people of Japan. A brief worship resource for churches, including a map that locates Anabaptist churches in Japan, is available on the MWC website (www.mwc-cmm.org). Response from both MWC and service agencies is likely to focus on long-term efforts and relationships rather than emergency relief. Food and water, urgent needs, can be procured locally. Distribution is the major challenge. MWC Deacons Commission leadership will consult with Japanese leaders in considering a solidarity visit, possibly in May or June.
Teleconference participants were grateful for a March 16th early morning message from Nobuyasu Kirai, Japan Mennonite Christian Church Conference (Hokkaido) chair, and Takanori Sasaki, chair of the Japan Mennonite Fellowship composed of several Anabaptist-related churches. The group agreed that careful consultation with these and other leaders in Japan is highest priority as the global church community seeks to identify ways to walk and work with the Japanese churches as they address the needs of the Japanese people.
A working group led by Deacons Commission chair, Cynthia Peacock (Kolkata, India) and secretary, Bert Lobe (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) and including representatives from churches and service agencies in the MWC community will take further steps and provide updates as plans develop.
– MWC Staff
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.