Last weekend myself and a handful of others from CMC attended the yearly gathering of the Central District Conference (CDC). This year was at Bluffton University (Go Beavers!) and carried on the theme “Listen! Wisdom is Calling.” The three worship services for the gathering were themed around wisdom from the past, the present, and for the future, and each one offered us meaningful wisdom for and by the church.
Worship 1: Wisdom from Our Anabaptist History – Perry Bush, emeritus professor of history at Bluffton, offered a sermon that wove together stories of our Anabaptist ancestors with our own stories today. He asked us to consider how our faith communities borrow from the culture around us and pointed out how this has always been the case throughout history. He further challenged us to be intentional about what and how we borrow, discerning what things help us live out our values and which pull us further away from the core of who we want to be as a community.
Worship 2: Wisdom from Our Churches Today – Instead of a traditional sermon, this worship service included a time of reflective sharing around our table groups. Each participant was invited to bring an item symbolizing how the Spirit had been moving in their congregation in the last year. After everyone at the table shared the stories from their congregation connected with the symbol they chose, everyone was invited to bring their item to the front where we created a makeshift altar. It was such a beautiful, eclectic display that left me wondering about all the different stories told around the other tables. From the stories I did hear, the Church is alive with the Spirit’s movement and there is much wisdom for sharing. This is what these kinds of gatherings are best for.
Worship 3: Wisdom for the Future Church – Pastor-Author-Theologian (and all-around multi-hyphenated wonder) Melissa Florer-Bixler shared a sermon where she admitted that future-casting is hard work and the Church has often gotten it wrong in the past. Her invitation was to continue paying attention to the signs around us, discerning together where the Spirit is leading us.
These annual gatherings are great opportunities to hear what other congregations are doing across the conference and to be inspired by good, dynamic preaching. In addition to the worship services, two congregations (Assembly Mennonite and Columbus Mennonite) got the chance to share about their work around reparations, which was inspiring for those who are still considering how their own congregations might wrestle with those kinds of questions.
All in all, much wisdom, much laughter, much singing, and much meaningful storytelling was shared during the gathering. If you might be interested in attending as a delegate next year, let someone from Leadership Team know.
