Author: CMU

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Events News Releases

Cellist from South Korea wins 2016 Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition

A cellist who used to dread performing in concert is the winner of the 11th annual Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition at Canadian Mennonite University.

2015.VernaMae.PosterYunah Chin took the top spot and the $700 prize that comes with it after performing along with six other finalists in the Laudamus Auditorium on Thursday, February 11.

A native of Seoul, South Korea, Chin has played the cello for more than 15 years. She moved to Winnipeg three years ago to continue her studies, and plans to pursue a degree in music therapy.

Chin says that in Korea, she didn’t enjoy performing because it made her too nervous. That has changed since she arrived in Canada. Because English is not her first language, she has come to enjoy performing because it is a way for her to communicate with others and express herself.

“It is interesting and fun to play,” says Chin, adding that she didn’t expect to win. “I thought about showing my everything—not getting nervous, and just showing them what I prepared. I only thought about that.

Chin’s performance was breathtaking, says Dr. Janet Brenneman, Dean of the School of Music at CMU.

“She was engaging, imaginative, and inspiring,” Brenneman says. “It was clear that the audience was in awe of her performance.”

Breanna Heinrichs, a pianist in her fourth and final year of a Bachelor of Music, placed second and received $500. Third place and its $300 prize went to baritone singer Matthew Baron, also in his final year of study at CMU.

Yunah Chin, the winner of the11th Annual Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition.
Yunah Chin, the winner of the11th annual Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition.

Alyssa Hildebrand (soprano), Anneli Loepp Thiessen (piano), Elowen Braunstein-Black (soprano), and Nathan Sawatzky-Dyck (baritone) also made it to the finals, advancing from a group of 14 competitors.

Judy Kehler Siebert, a Manitoba native with an international reputation as a pianist, chamber musician, and teacher, and Monica Huisman, an acclaimed lyric soprano from Winnipeg, served as adjudicators for the finals.

Brenneman says she was impressed with the quality of musicianship in the competition.

“Each student performed in ways that demonstrated the musical growth they have made during their studies at CMU,” Brenneman says, adding that the preliminary round of the competition, which included 14 students, was also very strong. “The decision to advance students to the final round was not an easy task for CMU music faculty.”

Finalists of the 11th annual Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition.
Finalists of the 11th annual Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition.

The competition is made possible by Peter Janzen of Deep River, Ontario, and named in memory of his wife, Verna Mae, who died of cancer in 1989 at age 53. Janzen attends the final round of competition each year.

“This is now a much-anticipated event, and a tradition that we are proud to have established at CMU,” Brenneman says. “We continue to be grateful to Dr. Janzen for his generous donation and support of this competition.”

For Janzen, sponsoring the event is a way to contribute toward the success of CMU. He wanted to support CMU via a music competition because he and Verna met through their interest in choral singing.

“I always dreamed of someday dedicating a memorial to my wife—a wonderful, loving, sensitive, intelligent, and happy companion,” Janzen said in 2007. “Through the Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition at CMU, I can keep her memory alive.”

Additional photos from the 11th annual Verna May Janzen Music Competition can be found here.

About CMU

A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, as well as graduate degrees in theology, ministry, peacebuilding and collaborative development, and an MBA. CMU has over 800 full-time equivalent students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury and Menno Simons College campuses and in its Outtatown certificate program.

For information about CMU visit www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:
Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2

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Video

2016 Scientist in Residence Presentations (Videos)

Dr. Martin Entz was CMU’s 2016 Scientist in Residence during the week of February 1. Professor of Cropping Systems and Natural Systems Agriculture at the University of Manitoba, Entz leads Canada’s oldest organic versus conventional farming systems experiment and participates in ecologically-integrated farming system research and development work in Central America, southern Africa, NW China, and has volunteered with MCC in North Korea.

Video recordings of Entz’s three speaking engagements—which highlight biblical themes of stewardship to suggest a shift in emphasis from smart resource management to wonder, humility, and inspiration—are found below.

​

February 1 | Student Forum
Journey Into Natural Systems Agriculture

Sir Albert Howard, Rachel Carsons, Wes Jackson, and many others argue that agriculture should take a different path, one based more closely on Nature’s processes. Many research groups around the world have embraced the Natural Systems Agriculture research paradigm. Entz will share his story; his approach; what he has discovered; and how he and his research team are engaging farmers in the research process.

Because Nature’s principles can be applied at all scales—from 5000 acre grain farms to urban permaculture gardens—everyone has a chance to participate. This highlights another benefit—bringing people together in community.

​

February 2 | Chapel
Land as Gift: A Game Changer

When it comes to the ecological crisis we face, good guideposts are hard to find. Viewing the earth, the land, as a gift from the creator offers such as guide. Seeing the Land as a gift changes the emphasis from “smart resource management” to greater “wonder, humility, and inspiration.” Seeing the Land as a gift changes the emphasis from “scarcity” to “abundance”—thereby offering hope to an increasingly worried world.

​

February 3 | Public Lecture
The Science of Sabbath: Meeting the Expectations of the Land

“In the seventh year, there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land, a Sabbath for the Lord.” As a scientist, Entz attempts to understand what Sabbath looks like in modern agriculture. What happens when we give up some control, when we allow the Land to be itself, when we allow it freedom from our inventiveness? Entz’s scientific work shows that sometimes less is indeed more. Serving the garden to release its own potential offers practical solutions that address both the food and the ecological crises.

Entz reflects on over 25 years of natural systems agricultural research and highlight biblical themes of stewardship to suggest a shift in emphasis from smart resource management to wonder, humility, and inspiration.

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Events News Releases

Menno Simons College hosts 10th annual Social Justice Fair

MSC_SJF_Poster_2016

Celebrating a decade of student-community relations

Each year, Menno Simons College’s (MSC) Social Justice Fair provides an opportunity for students and community members to connect with organizations engaged with social justice locally and globally.

Over 30 organizations will be present at this year’s fair, the 10th annual, which takes place on Wednesday, February 10 from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM in the University of Winnipeg’s Riddell Hall.

The organizations represent work in development, human rights, newcomer support, Indigenous solidarity, youth programming, environmental sustainability, restorative justice, public health, and more.

“Every year the Social Justice Fair highlights and reinforces the impact that Menno Simons College continues to have on the wider community,” says Dr. Neil Funk-Unrau, Associate Dean of MSC.

IMG_3121“By showcasing the social justice and community development initiatives around us, we can highlight the incredible work done by so many of our alumni and also present so many more opportunities for our current students to go out and make a difference in their world,” he says.

In previous years, MSC alumni or students have planned the fair. This year, Caitlin Eliasson, MSC Student Services Assistant and MSC alumna, is coordinating the fair. Eliasson volunteered with the Social Justice Fair while she was a student at MSC and was a co-coordinator of the event in 2010.

“Over the decade, MSC has developed not only an event but a networking model for the potential and sustainability of student-community connections. Thinking back over the years of SJF, it’s the faces of student organizers, staff, and community participants that beam in my mind—it has been a collective effort in building relationships and awareness,” says Eliasson.

“Organizations fill volunteer needs, students find employment opportunities, alumni return as organization representatives, collaborative ideas are inspired—it does happen, often! The 10th Anniversary on February 10, 2016 is a celebration of this shared and ongoing work for social justice,” she says.

For additional information about the Social Justice Fair, please contact:
Caitlin Eliasson
Menno Simmons College
204.953.3846
c.eliasson@uwinnipeg.ca

About Menno Simons College

Menno Simons College, a part of Canadian Mennonite University and affiliated with the University of Winnipeg, has been offering programs in International Development Studies (IDS) and Conflict Resolution Studies (CRS) since 1989. MSC fosters a vibrant undergraduate learning community in its newly renovated facility at 520 Portage Avenue. It offers 3-year and 4-year majors and a minor in IDS and CRS, an honors program in IDS, and an extensive practicum program. The College has over 1,000 students and hundreds of alumni working in the development and conflict resolution sectors in Manitoba, Canada, and internationally.

For information about Menno Simons College visit www.mscollege.ca.

For additional information, please contact:
Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2

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General News News Releases

CMU announces new Environmental Studies major

Canadian Mennonite University is pleased to announce the creation of a new Environmental Studies major, which will launch in fall 2016. The interdisciplinary, four-year Bachelor of Arts degree will draw on the fields of science, social science, and humanities.

“Environmental studies is by nature interdisciplinary,” says Dr. Rachel Krause, Assistant Professor of Biology. “It looks at economic, biophysical, political, and private spheres and how they fit together in the natural world.”
CMUaerialweb

With a foundation in natural sciences, students will gain knowledge of the underlying scientific principles and processes required to understand environmental issues such as climate, soil and water systems, nutrient cycles, and ecology.

“Students will have a foundation in natural sciences such that they can understand the ecology and the science of the issues we face relevant to the environment,” says Krause.

Through incorporating courses in the social sciences, students will gain an understanding of how economic, political, and social structures interact with the environment and inform how natural resources are used.

“Environmental issues always have a natural science component, but they also impact communities and populations,” says Dr. Ray Vander Zaag, Associate Dean of International Development Studies. “To work in the broad field of environmental studies, you need to have understandings in both areas.”

The humanities component addresses the question of how areas such as literature, philosophy, and theology can contribute to understanding problems and visualizing solutions.

“Students will be equipped with the tools to enter the challenging new realities that face our future and cross the boundaries of science and social science,” says Dr. Gordon Zerbe, Vice President Academic at CMU. “We’re very pleased we have the capacity to deliver this kind of program.”

Three new ecology courses are being developed that will offer lab and field research methodologies and will be implemented over the next few years. With the addition of these courses, students interested in education will be able to attain a teachable in biology.

The interdisciplinary nature of the degree will allow students to personalize their studies according to their interests, drawing on the many courses CMU offers that are directly or indirectly relevant to environmental studies. A practicum component will provide students with the opportunity to integrate knowledge and practices related to the field.

Graduates may pursue careers with agencies and non-profit organizations working in areas such as conservation or resource management, or pursue graduate studies in related fields.

To learn more about CMU’s new Environmental Studies major, visit: cmu.ca/environmentalstudies.

About CMU

A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, as well as graduate degrees in theology, ministry, peacebuilding and collaborative development, and an MBA. CMU has over 800 full-time equivalent students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury and Menno Simons College campuses and in its Outtatown certificate program.

For information about CMU visit www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:
Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2

 

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Events News Releases

Discussion series to explore cohabitation

‘How do we minister to couples who are part of our churches and living together?’ prof asks

Cohabitation is increasingly a reality in Canadian society. How ought the church respond? That’s the question behind an upcoming event at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU).

The community is invited to “Cohabitation: The Question of Living Together Before Marriage,” CMU’s latest Face2Face discussion, on Tuesday, February 9. The event starts at 7:00 PM in Marpeck Commons (2299 Grant Ave.). Admission is free, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Cohabitation is a difficult topic that many people are hesitant to address, which makes it ideal for the Face2Face series, says David Balzer, Assistant Professor of Communications and Media at CMU, who will moderate the discussion.

He adds that a discussion about cohabitation is inevitably a discussion about what commitment and marriage mean in 2016.

“We’re really unpacking the question of what a marriage covenant looks like in society today,” Balzer says.

This event will focus on three main questions:

  • What clarity might we gain on the biblical, theological, sociological/cultural, and relational dynamics that underlie the reality of cohabitation?
  • What makes this practice challenging to openly discuss within our church communities, as families and with young adults we know and love?
  • How can we best resource and learn from one another?

Face2Face_Feb2016Participants in the discussion include Dr. Irma Fast Dueck, Associate Professor of Practical Theology; John Neufeld, lead pastor at The Meeting Place; and Rebecca Steiner and Paul Peters, two CMU staff members who will represent the diverse voices of young adults.

Dueck, who has researched cohabitation and presented on the topic to church leaders throughout Canada and the United States, says the reality today is that the way to marriage for many young people is to live together first.

“There is huge pressure for our young adults to live together before they get married – even sometimes from parents,” Dueck says.

She hopes the conversation on February 9 goes deeper than exploring whether cohabitation is right or wrong.

“The question is, how do we minister to couples who are part of our churches and living together?” Dueck says. “What does living together do to our theology of marriage? How do we talk positively about marriage amongst people who have seen their parents get divorced? How do we keep valuing it and keep putting it forward as an option amongst people who are living together?”

Steiner believes it is important for the church to be talking about cohabitation.

“It’s one of those awkward topics we don’t know how to address in the church,” she says. “Sometimes it feels good to engage those topics that are tricky or taboo. It can be difficult or challenging, but I’m excited for the conversation that will happen at the event.”

Balzer says that when he and his fellow organizers discussed the event recently, no one in the room could think of a time when they heard cohabitation being discussed in a public way in their respective church communities.

“There’s a sense with this event that we’re trying to open the conversation,” Balzer says. “If we accomplish simply starting a conversation, then we’ve hopefully made a contribution.”

Started in 2013, Face2Face is a series of conversations organized by CMU, designed to engage the community on a wide variety of current events and issues at the intersection of faith and life.

“Cohabitation: The Question of Living Together Before Marriage” is the third of four Face2Face events CMU will host during the 2015-16 school year.

For details, visit cmu.ca/face2face.

About CMU

A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, as well as graduate degrees in theology, ministry, peacebuilding and collaborative development, and an MBA. CMU has over 800 full-time equivalent students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury and Menno Simons College campuses and in its Outtatown certificate program.

For information about CMU visit www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:
Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2

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Articles

Career resourcing at CMU helps students take the next step

Transitioning from university to the working world can be tricky. That’s where Adelia Neufeld Wiens comes in.

This past October, Neufeld Wiens joined CMU to provide additional support related to career resourcing.

Each Tuesday, Neufeld Wiens is available to meet one-on-one with students who want to discuss their studies and career aspirations.

Adelia Neufeld Wiens
Adelia Neufeld Wiens, helping students understand the link between the knowledge and skills they acquire in the classroom and their career goals.

From resumé creation to strategizing for work after university, Neufeld Wiens—who worked at CMU as Coordinator of Student Advising from 2006 to 2013—covers a variety of different topics depending on the student’s needs.

Neufeld Wiens can help students narrate transferable skills from university studies and practicum; find vocabulary to describe their aptitudes and interests; identify networking opportunities for employment; strategize for a “gap year” before continuing further studies; and give them things to think about as they consider what to major in at CMU.

It’s a valuable role that gives students an additional resource as they prepare for the working world.

“This is a conversation that a lot of students want to have, and it can be a source of tremendous anxiety,” Neufeld Wiens says. “In my sessions with students, they can talk about what they’re thinking and dreaming, and we can strategize the best way forward.”

Occasionally, Neufeld Wiens introduces students to different theories of vocational development and career planning, and helps them assess their learning style.

“Every week, I’m learning about different questions to ask the students I meet with, and I’m discovering different resources that are out there that I can bring to my work with them.”

CMU’s career resourcing efforts help students understand the link between the knowledge and skills they acquire in the classroom and their career goals, says Marilyn Peters Kliewer, Dean of Student Life.

“They’re learning how to be critical thinkers, how to be problem solvers, how to communicate well, and how to work with others as a team,” she says. “These are important skills.”

Neufeld Wiens has a variety of work experience. After earning a Master of Arts degree in Religion from the University of Manitoba, she taught courses at the U of M and at Canadian Mennonite Bible College, one of CMU’s predecessor institutions.

At the same time, she was working at St. Boniface Hospital as the volunteer coordinator in the palliative care unit.

Neufeld Wiens later became the chapel coordinator at CMU. Eventually, she and her husband Werner moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where he taught and she worked as a guidance counselor at Rosslyn Academy, a school serving the children of missionaries, diplomats, and internationals.

She also writes for the Winnipeg Free Press on a freelance basis.

“I sometimes tell students about the nonlinear career path I’ve taken, and how serendipitous events often come into play,” Neufeld Wiens says.

Her work experience and deep knowledge of CMU’s programs make her well suited for her current role.

“Adelia’s very good at what she does,” Peters Kliewer says. “She is helping our students embrace the skills they are learning in the classroom. If they feel good about those skills, they will also feel more confident in getting a job.”

Neufeld Wiens says the biggest thing she tries to express to students is that carving out a career is an ongoing process.

“It’s important to recognize that this is a journey, and the journey is life-long,” she says. “Find allies to help you on your journey, and be an ally so you can help others along the way.” 

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Student Profiles

It is God who makes the music

Anneli.Loepp.Thiessen
Anneli Loepp Thiessen

A lifelong love of music and a fascination with worship led Anneli Loepp Thiessen to pursue a Bachelor of Music at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU).

Loepp Thiessen says her studies offer opportunities to explore questions such as: why do we worship? And what does it mean when we worship? Answers to questions such as these are complex, yet Loepp Thiessen suggests the root of the answer lies in viewing worship as a conversation.

“We are very used to worshipping and making music as a community, but it’s more than congregations often realize,” she says. “It’s about gathering as a community and what we’re saying to each other—what does it mean to us and what does it mean to God?”

As a worship director at Doon Presbyterian Church in Kitchener, Ontario for two summers, Loepp Thiessen explored this theory in a practical setting, drawing on her classroom learning, including theories and techniques learned in the course Leading Music and Worship. The position was a foundational one for her.

“I know that I’m going to be involved with church music for a long time,” she says. “Having this foundation from CMU has given me a really realistic expectation for worship and guidelines of how we approach worship.”

A quote by Johann Sebastian Bach encapsulates the connections Loepp Thiessen sees in the two concentrations she’s studying: music ministry and piano performance.

I play the notes as they are written, but it is God who makes the music. – Johann Sebastian Bach

“If as a solo pianist I am being true to what Bach intended, then it’s going to be an act of worship—I need to think of it as a conversation with God, which takes it to another level,” she says.

Bach is a favourite composer of Loepp Thiessen’s and at CMU she’s had the opportunity to perform his pieces as a solo performer, with the Mennonite Community Orchestra, with the CMU Singers, and with a solo singer, all of which she has greatly enjoyed. She’s appreciated the opportunities to learn how to provide accompaniment in different performance contexts.

Loepp Thiessen has also experienced the collaborative nature of CMU through faculty mentorships in each department of the music program. Witnessing the care and interest of faculty members has impressed upon her the importance of sharing music with others.

“When I graduate from CMU, one of the things that will stick with me is the idea that as musicians one of the most valuable things we can do is be mentors,” says Loepp Thiessen. She’s already sharing her passion for and knowledge of music with others by teaching piano at CMU’s Community School of Music and the Arts.

Loepp Thiessen says studying music at CMU has surpassed her expectations.

“There is no school that offers such a wide range of disciplines within the music program, does them so well, and within the context of Christian community.”

Learn more about CMU’s Bachelor of Music degree: www.cmu.ca/music

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Lectures News Releases

CMU welcomes renowned agronomist as Scientist in Residence

Dr. Martin Entz to explore Sabbath and its applications to natural systems agriculture

Canadian Mennonite University is pleased to announce it will host Dr. Martin Entz as its 2016 Scientist in Residence.

Prof. Martin Entz
Dr. Martin Entz, CMU’s 2016 Scientist in Residence, will deliver a public lecture on February 3 titled, “The Science of Sabbath: Meeting the Expectations of the Land.”

Entz, a professor of Cropping Systems and Natural Systems Agriculture at the University of Manitoba, will be on campus February 1-5 to share his insights, observations, experience, and personal reflections in a number of speaking events open to the public.

CMU is looking forward to hosting Entz, says Dr. Tim Rogalsky, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Chair of the Science and Faith Advisory Committee.

“Martin is a renowned researcher with more than 25 years of experience and work published in more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers,” Rogalsky says. “His work is exciting because it explores questions of food security that are important in our world today.”

Entz’s confirmed speaking engagements are as follows:

  • A student forum titled, “Journey into Natural Systems Agriculture,” on Monday, February 1 from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM in the CMU Chapel (600 Shaftesbury Blvd.). Entz will share about his journey in the field of Natural Systems Agriculture, which explores cropping systems found in nature and develops systems that mimic them.
  • A chapel titled “Land as Gift: A Game Changer,” on Tuesday, February 2 from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM in the CMU Chapel. In this presentation, Entz will explore how viewing the Earth as a gift from the creator is a helpful guide when addressing the ecological crises humans face today.
  • A lecture on Wednesday, February 3 at 7:00 PM in Marpeck Commons (2299 Grant Ave). In the lecture, titled “The Science of Sabbath: Meeting the Expectations of the Land,” Entz will reflect on more than 25 years of natural systems agriculture research and highlight biblical themes of stewardship to suggest a shift in emphasis from smart resource management to wonder, humility, and inspiration.

While his week as Scientist in Residence will mark Entz’s first time speaking at CMU, he is no stranger to the university.

He is currently on sabbatical and using office space on campus as he researches the concept of Sabbath and how it can be applied to designing food production systems.

Interacting with CMU faculty is helping him think theologically and philosophically about the topic, as well as leading him to ask richer questions in his research.

“The concept of Sabbath is not part of our narrative,” Entz says of the research he and his University of Manitoba colleagues do. “It could be and it should be. If I explore the idea of Sabbath at CMU, I can bring some of that wisdom back to my colleagues in the science faculty I’m in.”

2016 Scientist in Residence PosterEntz says he is looking forward to his week as Scientist in Residence because it will allow him to interact with CMU students and faculty in a more formal way.

“It’s an honour to be selected for something like this,” he says, adding the events will “allow me to highlight some of the linkages between faith and science.”

Entz says that his research has revealed repeatedly that humans live in a world of abundance rather than scarcity. The idea of a sustainable food production system that includes periods of rest for the land in order to keep it healthy is entirely possible.

He hopes to share this message during the three events, and is looking forward to exploring these topics in greater depth with the community of people who attend.

“I really do think the difficult challenges we face as a civilization we need to work on together,” Entz says.

Since earning his PhD in crop physiology at the University of Saskatchewan, Entz has carved out a significant career that includes teaching courses in crop ecology and organic agriculture, as well as overseeing an active graduate student program.

A highlight of Entz’s work is collaborating with farmers and learning from their experiences. He participates in ecologically-integrated farming system research and development work in Central America, southern Africa, and northwest China.

Entz and his wife, Jereleen, have two adult children and attend Douglas Mennonite Church in Winnipeg.

All of the Scientist in Residence events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit cmu.ca/sir.

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Events News Releases

Planning Well: A Workshop for Worship Planners and Leaders

Workshop to be held January 30 at CMU in Winnipeg

Worship orders—every congregation has one. Many churches have inherited them from past generations of worship planners. Other churches have thrown out traditional worship orders and simply invented their own. But how effective are our worship orders at bringing us into conversation with God and with one another?

PlanningWell“Many congregations invest a lot of time and energy in song leading, worship leading and preaching,” says Christine Longhurst, who teaches worship and music at Canadian Mennonite University. “But far less time is often spent thinking about the worship order itself.”

According to Longhurst, “Without a good worship order, even the most thoughtful worship leading and song leading can have difficulty connecting people with God and with one another.”

Talking about worship orders can be very difficult in some congregations,” she acknowledges. But, she suggests, it is critical work.

“We have to be willing to discuss it,” she says. “It’s important to ask: Does our worship order help bring us into conversation with God, or does it come off feeling more like a program about God?”

“People today are hungry to know God and experience God’s presence,” she adds. “A thoughtful worship order can make a big difference in helping create a beautiful space where that encounter can take place.”

Helping pastors and worship leaders plan worship more effectively is the goal of Planning Well: A Workshop for Worship Planners and Leaders, January 30, at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg. The session runs from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM.

Cost is $35 per person, and $25 for two or more people from the same congregation. Students are $10.

The workshop will explore a range of historical and contemporary worship patterns, and offer practical ideas for worship planners who want to help lead their congregations into meaningful dialogue with God.

Topics will include:

  • Where do our worship orders come from?
  • How did we land up with the order we are currently using?
  • How well does our current worship order bring us into conversation with God?
  • What might be missing?
  • How effectively does our worship order engage people who come to worship?
  • Are there ways in which we could strengthen congregational involvement?

The workshop is geared toward pastors, worship planners, worship leaders, song leaders, and all those who have an interest in strengthening congregational worship.

For more information or to register, contact Cori Braun at Canadian Mennonite University: 204.487.3300 or cbraun@cmu.ca, or register online at cmu.ca/leadingworship.

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Articles

CMU students win competition at 2015 MEDA convention

Jillian Beever, Tess Longley, and Nonsie Sibanda won the MEDAnext Talks competition at MEDA’s 2015 convention, “Growing Business, Building Community”.

Styled after TED Talks, the MEDAnext Talks provided an opportunity for students to present on a topic that fell into one of the following categories of how to be, do, or care “in the next.”

PhotoGrid_1452186579340
Nonsie Sibanda, Tess Longley, and Jillian Beever (clockwise from top-right) formed CMU’s winning entry in the MEDAnext Talks competition at the 2015 MEDA Convention in Richmond, Virginia.

The topic chosen by the students was “Empowering Millennials for the Future,” in response to the ‘Do’ category questions: What can we do to utilize the power of change for good? What can we do to empower others in the future?

The students’ presentation included an introduction to the millennial generation and offered suggestions for how businesses and the field of academics can empower millennials by drawing on the generation’s strengths and characteristics.

The students express appreciation for the opportunity, which provided “a platform to talk about something interesting that we wanted to share, meet new people and network, and practice skills that we learned in class,” said Longley.

“Attending the MEDA convention provided an opportunity for the students to draw on the leadership studies that we’ve incorporated into the business program,” says Craig Martin, Assistant Professor of Business at CMU. “They did really well on their presentation.”

All three are taking the course Leadership Development, taught by Dr. Vonda Plett, which they credit with helping them develop skills such as active listening, team building, and presentation techniques, all of which they utilized while preparing their presentation.

“When I began [the Leadership Development] course, I had leadership goals. Taking up public speaking was one of my goals and this was an opportunity to practice that,” says Sibanda.

The convention included opportunities for networking with MEDA supporters, staff, and convention attendees, including those from other universities and colleges.

This is the fourth year CMU has attended the MEDA convention and the students hope that more students will be able to participate in the future. They’ve already begun planning for next year.

“You’re there to connect, to meet people, to learn about new things, and to come back next year and hear what you’ve done since,” says Beever. “It took our degree and shaped it in a whole new light.”