General Information

Registration

Registration forms and information on costs, accommodations, etc. were carried in the March 8 and May 3 issues of the MB Herald. If you have questions regarding the convention, call the Conference offices at 1-204-669-6575. The committees will strive to accommodate those with special needs in regard to transportation, accommodation, etc.

Delegate Selection

We encourage churches to send a full complement of delegates. Those churches interested in the Network Sessions will benefit by having their significant leaders share in the brainstorming process. We ask all to be in prayer as we seek God's direction together. Please join us as we celebrate SERVE 2000.

Invitation for Prayer Partners

If God has given you a deep desire to pray, we invite you to commit yourself to being a Prayer Partner for the convention. If this is a ministry which gives you joy, please write to: Intercessors, 3-169 Riverton Ave., Winnipeg, Man. R2L 2E5. We will keep you informed of specific reqests.

Location

The Convention will take place at the Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute at the corner of Riverton Avenue and Henderson Highway in Winnipeg (next to Concord College and the Canadian MB Conference offices). The Banquet and Sunday Worship Celebration will be at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.

Food

Meals are being provided at Concord College Cafeteria for Friday and Saturday at a cost of $6 for lunch and $9 for Supper. Saturday's Banquet tickets will be $21 each. Children's meal costs are $4 for lunch and $6 for supper. Breakfasts are extra, and only available on site for those staying at the Concord residences.

Accommodation

Extensive information on billeting, Concord College residences, hotels and campgrounds is in the March 8 and May 3 issues of the MB Herald.

Child Care (up to age 5)

We are pleased to offer excellent child care for $15 per child for all sessions (Thursday evening, Friday morning, Friday afternoon, Friday evening, Saturday morning, Saturday evening and Sunday morning). Care at individual sessions can also be arranged at $4 per session. Child care for Sunday worship is complimentary. If you would indicate on the registration form the sessions for which you require child care, it will assist us greatly in planning staffing. Meal times are the responsibility of the parents. Supper is not provided Saturday evening for children under care.

Youth Track I (Grades K-6)

Get pushed! We'll push you to have a great time! We'll push you to learn more about God and about being a Christian, and to see that being a Christian can be a lot of fun! We will also push you around the city of Winnipeg, showing you some of the sights and some of the activities you can do here! Maybe that will mean pushing you down a waterslide! Or pushing you up higher and higher until you can "Touch the universe" at the Museum of Man and Nature! Whatever it is, we don't think you'll mind being pushed around for a couple of days!

All youth are encouraged to attend the Saturday evening banquet. The fee of $21 applies.

Youth Track II (Grades 7-12)

Pushing can be pretty uncomfortable sometimes. We want to push you to think about what it means to do the Christian thing! The first thing that will be obvious is that there's nothing boring about Christianity! We'll be pushing up praises to God with some Praise and Worship, we'll be throwing a Riot in the Gym, and we'll force you to eat pizza--like it or not! We're also going to push you to put some legs to your Christian life! Youth Mission International will be pushing us into downtown Winnipeg for an Urban Plunge--a chance to serve God and our brothers and sisters on earth! By the time we're done, hopefully you will be ready to push back a bit and be a force for God!

All youth are encouraged to attend the Saturday evening banquet. The fee of $21 applies.

Speakers

  • Ed Boschman is moderator of the General (North American) MB Conference. He has 22 years of pastoral experience in both Canada and the US, leading his congregations to significant growth. Since 1989 he has been senior pastor of Willow Park Church in Kelowna, B.C. This summer he will leave that post to become the first director of Mission USA, a renewal and church planting agency of the US MB Conference. He played a major role in the development of the Canadian MB Conference Statement of Mission and Core Values, serving as facilitator at the key Canadian MB Conference Executive Board retreat in August, 1995.

  • Abe Konrad has been moderator of the Canadian MB Conference for the past five years. He has also served as assistant moderator and as a member of many MB conference boards and commissions. He recently retired as an educational specialist at the University of Alberta, where he was widely respected for his academic work. He is a member of Lendrum MB Church in Edmonton and has been recently appointed to be one of three part-time conference ministers in the Alberta MB Conference.

  • Pierre Gilbert is a dynamic young theologian from Quebec. For the past ten years he has been registrar and instructor at Institut biblique Laval in Montreal. This fall, he will move to Fresno, CA, where he will become assistant professor of Old Testament at MB Biblical Seminary. He is a member of Eglise Chretienne de St-Laurent.

  • Elaine Pinto is a chaplain at St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg. She is also a retreat speaker and has been involved in leadership in parachurch organizations. She is a member of McIvor Avenue MB Church, Winnipeg.

  • John Neufeld is a gifted biblical preacher, currently serving as senior pastor of Bakerview MB Church in Abbotsford, B.C. He has been a successful church planter (at Peace Arch Fellowship in South Surrey, B.C.) and a popular instructor at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford.

    Workshops

    New this year will be Friday morning Networking Sessions, which will meet for a two-hour block between 10:00 and noon. This is your opportunity to share and interact with others in the same type of ministry you are in. If you choose to follow this track, you will register for only one, two-hour Network Session.

    If you prefer more traditional workshops, a variety of inspirational and instructional workshops will be offered in the same time slot--but in this case, you will choose two one-hour workshops. Further information regarding workshop leaders will be available at the convention.

    Networking Sessions

    (Choose one)
    1 Church Planters Network - Ewald Unruh
    2 Prairie Church Network - Arnie Armstrong/Ralph Gliege
    3 Medium-Sized Growing Churches Network - Reuben Pauls/Dwayne Barkman
    4 600+ Churches Network - Ed Boschman
    5 Seniors Ministry Network
    6 Worship Leaders Network - Gareth Goossen
    7 Children's/Christian Education Workers Network - Lorraine Dick
    8 Youth Network - David Wiebe

    Workshops

    (Choose two)
    20 Change in a Plateaued Church - Bob Friesen
    21 Deciding to Plant an Ethnic Church - Jake Balzer
    22 Small Groups - Val Wiebe
    23 Pastoral Care: Issues on the Cutting Edge - Reuben Pauls
    24 New Challenges for a Global Church in Global Mission - David Dyck
    25 Calling Out & Developing Leaders - MB Biblical Seminary
    26 On the Cutting Edge of Technology - Richard Thiessen/Burton Buller
    27 Motivating Your Church to Give
    28 Building an Intercessory Team for the Church
    29 Evangelism Programs for Your Church - Brad Klassen
    30 Developing Whole Person Ministries - Mennonite Central Committee
    31 Prophecy Issues - George Shillington
    32 Celebrating our Heritage: Doing Family and Congregational History - Alf Redekopp/Abe Dueck

    Board Workshops

    This is your opportunity to talk face to face with the Canadian Conference boards and employees about their ministries. Use this time to ask questions, make suggestions, grapple with issues and give feedback. These workshops will be run twice, giving each delegate the opportunity to attend two of the five board workshops.

    Voting on recommendations, however, will take place at the plenary sessions on Saturday morning.

    Saturday Banquet

    The Banquet will be a celebration of God's work in all ministry areas and will feature testimony and worship. We will conclude with a communion service. An offering will be taken for church planting in the Atlantic provinces and Institut biblique Laval.

    Saturday Afternoon Tours

    On Saturday afternoon from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m., a number of tours will be offered to sites of historical interest in southern Manitoba. The cost of each tour is $20, including bus transportation and entrance fees as necessary. A bag lunch will be provided for those who purchase lunch on the meal plan. In addition to the three organized tours, information will be available at registration time for Red River boat and bus tours, walking tours in the city, and tours of the Forks and other sites of interest. Tour 1: Mennonite Village Museum, Steinbach
    This museum has been expanded considerably in recent years and includes interesting displays depicting the origin of the Dutch-Germanic Mennonites in the 16th century, their subsequent migrations, typical "Mennonite" buildings and a restaurant where visitors can sample traditional "Mennonite" food.

    Tour 2: West Reserve and Hutterite Colony
    Participants in this tour will visit some of the older Mennonite villages and will also visit a Hutterite colony in the area. An unforgettable experience.

    Tour 3: Lower Fort Garry
    This tour will give participants an opportunity to learn about the early history of Manitoba, the fur trade and early Icelandic settlements on Lake Winnipeg.

    Sunday Worship Service

    We'll finish it all off with a big worship celebration, featuring drama, a choir and a concluding message on the convention theme. An offering will be taken for MB Missions/Services.

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