IN-MI Conference – June 14-16 Annual Session

FIRST MENNONITE CHURCH will be hosting Indiana-Michigan Conference Annual Sessions June 14-16, 2018. Our theme is “Offering Ourselves to God’s Renewing” engaging multiple spiritual practices. This conference will be represented by about 50 churches and as always promotes peace and justice.

Thank you for your prayers toward this gathering. We hope to have more volunteers to help with multiple tasks and welcome your help and hands and spirit. Reach out to the staff, here at First Mennonite Church and see how you can be of service.

2018 IN-MI Mennonite Conference to be held at FMC

The IndianaMichigan Mennonite Conference is a regional conference of Mennonite Church USA that originate from 77 congregations throughout Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.

We welcome everyone to the conference June 14, 15, & 16 and look forward to hosting it this year.  Indianapolis is a wonderful city with lots to do and see.  We hope your stay will be the best one yet!    More to come…

One day workshop on Oct 21, 2017 – Conflict Transformation Skills!

THE LOMBARD PEACE CENTER will be hosting the one-day workshop Conflict Transformation Skills for Churches on October 21, 2017 here at FMC.  This workshop will focus on the Biblical basis for conflict transformation, styles of responding to conflict, communication skills necessary to resolve conflict peacefully, strategies to prevent destructive conflict in churches, and a model for working at congregational decision-making in a win-win manner. For more information, visit the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center website at https://www.lmpeacecenter.org/workshops/cts/.

If you’re interested in participating in the Group discount you need to sign up on the kiosk, and turn in your completed registration into the church office by October 6.  If seven or more people sign up, the cost will only be $59 per person. Individual registrations will be collected and sent in together.

How Do We Respond to Hate?

In light of the hatred that is coming out into the light in our country we want to share this resource from the Southern Poverty Law Center on how we can respond to hate.  Please take some time to study and share this document.  As we try to Listen to Love – and specifically Listen to Ourselves – think about the spiritual and physical work we need to do to make drive hate out of our city and our nation.

To download the PDF document in it’s entirety click on this link.  If you’d prefer, you can access the document in web form from the Southern Poverty Law Center at https://www.splcenter.org/20170814/ten-ways-fight-hate-community-response-guide.

The Good News Is "Intergenerational Vacation Bible School" this week!

This week, June 11 – 15, 2017, we are pleased to engage in our first Intergenerational Vacation Bible School  and the theme is “Digging for Treasure: Parables Revealed.”  Arrr, our little pirates  are learning to sail the seas through arts and crafts as they listen to and learn about some of the parables Jesus shared.  “Intergenerational” because the adults are also dipping into the parables through adult-led classes with both Ron Allen from the Christian Theological Seminary and our Pastor Bob Brown.  No, we won’t go off the deep end because we are grounded in God’s Holy Word, eh, Matey!

(Click each image to enlarge.)