From the Desk of Pastor Marsha
What’s Happening 1.4.2024
Hopefully by now you have seen something about our upcoming training event with the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center (LMPC). This is a whole day event on Saturday, January 13, from 9 am to 4:30 pm. You may remember that the Zion Endowment Committee gave the Zion Adult Learning Team a grant for this event this last fall. Kristi Ferguson was kind enough to write up that grant and is leading the team in preparing for the event.
What is the LMPC? It was founded in 1983 as a peace resource center, overseen by a Mennonite congregation in the Chicago Metropolitan area, devoted to biblical peacemaking, including global issues such as the nuclear arms race. They became an independent not-for-profit ministry in 1998 and remained committed to a range of peace and justice concerns viewed from a biblical perspective.
They are nationally recognized for their work with many different denominations, having offered their five day workshop entitled, “Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders” to over 7000 individuals. I myself, will be attending this workshop later on in January. They offer a number of other workshops on reconciliation and also offer their mediation services to individuals, churches and other organizations. Their central Biblical initiative comes from, 2nd Corinthians 5:18, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
Zion has worked hard to bring about some peace after a few difficult years, along with the Covid shutdown. So many of you have come to our “Mission and Ministry” and “coffee with council” events to address topics of concern and been a part of some good conversations. But the work continues. Our goal is not only to quit fighting, but to learn how to work together in peaceful ways no matter what issues or concerns arise. We hope to learn new skills that leadership and laity alike can use when making ministry decisions and dealing with differing opinions.
Please be a part of the good work Zion continues to do in becoming a healthy congregation. Register and come on Saturday, Jan 13, Saturday, February 10th, and grow in your wisdom of how to live a peace-filled manor in all areas of your life. You can sign up to register outside of the sanctuary or by emailing Kristi Ferguson at fergusonjk1@hotmail.com.