Renewal at the core

Judging by the questionnaires filled in by attenders, the Canadian MB Conference finally got it right--at least, for the most part. After three Canadian and North American MB conventions that were divisive and unsatisfying, the 1996 Canadian Conference convention, held July 11-14 in Winnipeg, was an event that most attenders felt good about. At the end of the convention business, Quebec MB Conference moderator Andre Bourque moved to a microphone to state, "I want to affirm the format of this convention. I have appreciated so much the networking, the Bible study and the worship."

Changes made to the convention format were significant and took into account many of the criticisms raised by baby boomers and busters at last year's North American MB Conference convention in Fresno, Calif. The convention ran on schedule. The breaks were scheduled to be long and were not significantly encroached on by business, allowing lots of time for fellowship. Saturday afternoon was set aside entirely for fellowship, and the evening sessions ended surprisingly early.

The networking and equipping workshops were rated a highlight by many delegates. Many said they would return to their churches better equipped to minister.

The convention business was also radically changed. Boards presented their work first in five-minute vignettes, which were informative and creative enough to maintain interest. Then board workshops allowed for far more feedback and discussion of issues than previous conventions, when all business was transacted in plenary sessions. The transaction of business on Saturday morning consisted not of reports but of debate on various recommendations. Although the discussion often got sidetracked on the wording of the recommendations and resolutions, the vigorous discussion at least showed delegates were taking the recommendations seriously and were ready to take ownership of them. In the end, all of the recommendations passed fairly easily. Nevertheless, delegates were not afraid to register negative votes--even on the one occasion when the board chair neglected to ask for them, and the several occasions when dissenters were required to shout out their opposition in a voice vote. In all of this, there were never any signs of bitterness or anger, a somewhat remarkable achievement considering recent history.

The preached messages, all by Canadian Mennonite Brethren, were quite varied but uniformly very good, to the point that for the first time in many years they overshadowed other aspects of worship. The worship music, for the most part, was competent, spiritual but subdued, typically using quieter contemporary choruses. The music was most rousing on Thursday evening, partly because of the better acoustics in Jubilee Place auditorium. The other aspects of worship were also the most varied and creative that evening, and seemed much appreciated.

Even the weather was ideal. Winnipeg can be very hot in the summer, but the weather was merely warm, sunny with a mix of cloud but no rain during the day, and a cooling breeze kept the mosquitoes at bay.

The facilities, at Concord College (which also houses the main Canadian MB Conference offices) and Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute (a high school next door), were pleasant, compact and spacious.

The attendance of 411 delegates, 44 guests, 31 youth and 5 preschool children was good. They filled the facilities to near capacity, and kept them full throughout the convention, but without overcrowding. This convention at least halted the trend to declining attendance in recent years. There was still a tendency for the delegation to be older and professional--over 100 registered and about 200 showed up for the pastors and spouses' session on Thursday afternoon. However, there were laypeople and younger people present as well. The average age of people filling out the evaluation forms after the convention was finished was 48.

Moderator-elect Ike Bergen noted that the nominating committee had deliberately sought younger nominees for Conference leadership, but admitted that the new Conference executive officers (himself, Allan Labun and Elizabeth Esau) were not very young. Still there was a sense that the Conference has turned a corner and affirmed a new direction, in a broader sense than just the approval in principle of the Conference's Statement of Mission and Core Values, SERVE 2000. Perhaps the prayers of the seven prayer warriors who had volunteered to pray for the Conference throughout the convention, had been answered.

JC

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