In the name of Christ, I greet you!
ALL of the women in Mennonite Church BC!
Right about now you are probably wondering what this is all about, so let me start at the beginning with telling you a bit about who I am.
Item 1
Who am I?
My name is Waltrude Gortzen. Some of you know me as Trudy. I am a long standing member of Sherbrooke Mennonite Church in Vancouver. My husband and I have just moved to Abbotsford, 7 months ago and are presently searching for a new home church.This last May, I accepted the call from Canadian Women in Mission to be part of a Canada wide Task Force that will look at how to connect today's women; in our provinces, as well as, throughout Canada.
The Task Force has been challenged to come up with some new, "outside of the box ideas", on how to connect our women, once again. This is one such idea! :-) And it is only an experiment, for the time being.
My hope is that you will explore this idea, think about it for a while and then get back to me with your thoughts and suggestions. Let your imaginations take flight!
You can leave comments on this blog or you can e-mail me at wgortzen@gmail.com.
Item 2
BC Women in Mission
As you already know, a year ago, July 2007, MCBC Women in Mission was disbanded. This means that we no longer have an official structure that addresses or looks after the women in Mennonite Church BC.
Right now you're thinking but, but..... "We do still have the MCBC Women's Inspirational Day and the Women's Fall Retreat!" Yes, we do and hope to keep on having these two events, as long as, there are women and congregations out there that are willing to plan and work on these events.
Item 3
Why a Blog?
My thinking is that this is the way our younger generation communicates, today!
Facebook and/or blogging.
This allows connections without leaving the home. It builds friendships, as well as, building a new way of being a community.
Robert J. Suderman, general secretary of Mennonite Church Canada and author of "God's People Now!" writes the following: "There is nothing that is not included in God's restoring and reconciling work, and therefore there is nothing that is not included in the agenda of God's people." Pages 80 & 81 in the chapter called "The Calling of the Church".
So then .... why not add a blog to the agenda of God's people?"
My hope is that we will be able to enlist contributors to this site.
- Christian women who are pastors or in some sort of leadership position within Mennonite Church BC or in their own home church.
- Christian women who are professionals, of any chosen field.
- That we will be able to present many topics and concerns that are relevant to today's Christian Mennonite Woman and then proceed to discuss the topics, open and honestly!
- That there will be many of us, out there, that may be encouraged to start their own blogs and by doing so, we will get to know one another, from north to south and east to west.
- That through this virtual world, we will be witnesses of God's all encompassing and never ending love for all of humanity.
- That, in this new way of communicating, we will also want to MEET each other and thereby promote growth at the MCBC Women's Inspirational Day and the Fall Retreat, those, also being the two places where we can continue discussions that may have appeared here, on this blog.
Item 4
A few ground rules.
This is a work in progress!
At the moment, this blog is open for comments to everyone and will stay open until early September 2008.
Up until and after September, this blog will go through a number of changes, as we explore together.
There will be more pages coming that will be linked to this site.
As you leave your comments, we ask that you be kind to each other and NOT use inappropriate language.
We do, however, welcome your opinions, suggestions and ideas.
Tell us what you would like to see here!
Item 5
Task Force
As a member of the Canadian Women in Mission Task Force, I will have to report back to them about what our visions and ideas are in BC. I ask, all of the MCBC Women, to come along with me on this journey, as we explore new ways and ideas on how to re-connect our women, in new and exciting ways.
I ask for your prayers; that I may do well in this position, as I represent, all of you, on this Task Force.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post and then praying about this new ministry and it's possibilities.
Your sister in Christ!
