(Mennonite Church USA/Mennonite Mission Network) — Four video profiles of church planters and a series of blogs offer glimpses into creative initiatives highlighted at Sent 2016: A gathering of Mennonites planting Jesus-centered communities, held March 31–April 2, 2016, in the New Orleans area.
More than 100 Mennonite church planters, coaches, conference leaders and others met for the national church planting summit, representing a wide range of settings and backgrounds.
According to André Gingerich Stoner, director of holistic witness for Mennonite Church USA, those who participated in the gathering are social and spiritual entrepreneurs who have become deeply embedded in their context. They are building relationships and helping birth Jesus-centered communities in new places and settings. They are taking risks, experimenting with new forms of church, planting peace churches where they have been sent.
“I see them tracking signs of the kingdom, paying attention to what God is doing there and how they can be part of it,” he noted. “They’re meeting people where they are at and inviting them on a journey of transformation, grace and hope.”
The videos feature:
- Olak Sunuwar of Living Water Community Church in Chicago, Illinois
- Heather and Chris Scott of The Exchange in Winchester, Virginia
- Gisselle Guity of Grupo Familiar de Apoyo Anabautista in West Palm Beach, Florida
- LaVonne and Mike Yoder of Circle of Grace in Milton, Pennsylvania
Blog writers include:
- Byron Pellecer of Western District Conference (Texas)
- Olak Sunuwar of Living Water Community Church in Chicago, Illinois
- Josias Hansen of Third Way Church in St. Paul, Minnesota
Sent 2016 was sponsored by Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Mission Network with help from the Schowalter Foundation.
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—Mennonite Church USA staff
For more information about planting Jesus-centered missional peace communities, contact your area conference or Mauricio Chenlo, denominational minister for church planting (MauricioC@MennoniteUSA.org).