Grow Church Leaders

Givers and Receivers send responses: A note accompanying a recent gift said: “About 35 years ago I received financial help to study at seminary.” What a wonderful way to return a gift. And a recent gift recipient wrote a note of thanks for the financial help received to study: “What a blessing it has been and continues to be!” wrote this young pastor.

Mark Wiehler compares the church to learning a new language. He says, “The world is not going to learn what the Church is through long descriptions. We can define the Church as Christ’s body, but does that have any meaning outside of the Church where the language of competition, selfishness and war dominate?... Rather, experiencing Christ’s gift is about participation in the Church through community, liturgy and relationships. Essentially as Christians we must experience Church to learn about it, just as we must participate in language to become fluent.”

Mark and his wife Vanessa are Mennonite Church Canada Witness workers who share their Christian faith with students while teaching English at Connexus, a ministry of the Korea Anabaptist Center in Seoul, South Korea. They are just two of many young graduates and professionals whom Mennonite Church Canada is assisting as they seek to know what God has in store for their lives.

Consider these ways of helping to Grow Leaders for the Church:

1. Sponsor Leadership Training in China:
   • $1000 pays the costs for 100-150 lay leaders to receive a training course.
   • $300 provides a subsidy for one pastor to attend seminary for a year.
2. Support the Company of 1000 which offers study grants to Canadians taking pastoral education.
3. Make a gift to the new Education Fund of Mennonite Church Canada. Your gift of $100 helps fund programs and courses of Mennonite educational institutions that train people for service, leadership, and life in the church.

Learn more:

• Explore other giving options for China:
  • Learning in China
  • Building Peace in China
  • Children in China
  • Rural Pastors in China
• Company of 1000

Giving is easy

• Click on the “Donate Now” button (specify the gift code in the box, “Would you like to send a message to Mennonite Church Canada?”)
• Call 1-866-888-6785 and tell us your preference.

Contributions over and above this need will go to support other life-giving ministries in Botswana.