Explore More EMMC Stories

Cormorant Day Camp in the City

The Lord’s plans are often mysterious and strange. His use of time is different from ours. Yet in hindsight we give praise to Him for his wonderful—and timely—works. Nassau Street Church had one of these weeks from August 4 to 9. For three years NSC has formed a relationship with a largely isolated, northern, Indigenous town called Cormorant. A town of roughly 300 people. We’ve run day camps in 2023 and 2024, Christmas and Easter programs as well. Our team of fourteen was tru

Cody Schuender

136-year-old high school in Manitoba closes

Mennonite Collegiate Institute, a high school in Gretna, Manitoba has permanently shut down. The decision to close the 136-year-old residential school was made July 7 at a meeting of delegates from its 11 supporting congregations. Delegates voted to liquidate all assets to satisfy debt obligations. This included paying its 23 teachers and other staff, whose contracts run to the end of August, and $1.7 million in debt for a mortgage and a line of credit. The decision came afte

John Longhurst

Antioch Church Plant & Indoor Skatepark Journey

The Antioch Church plant and indoor skatepark journey has been predictably unpredictable. We repeatedly seem to find ourselves at an impasse. Although it has been stressful and takes a little longer than desired, God faithfully has provided a way each time. We were unable to open the skate park this past winter, which slowed business and momentum. Coupled with a few donations not panning out as anticipated, we find ourselves at another possible impasse. We still owe our gene

Ryan Davidson

Spiritual Formation: A Long, Slow Journey

“Formation into the image of Jesus is a long, slow process, not a one-time event”—resonate deeply with our experience in community discipleship. Spiritual growth often feels slow, and it’s easy to become discouraged or settle for less. But we’ve learned to keep showing up, praying, trusting, and partnering with the Holy Spirit in this lifelong journey. In our Youth Discipleship group, Jenny and John have witnessed teens opening up in deeper ways. Many of these youth are now

Andrew and Amie Reimer

Steinbach Bible College Counselling

Have you ever found yourself in a position to help someone through a difficult situation and yet struggled with knowing what to say or even how to say it? SBC is now offering the Introduction to Counselling course on Tuesday evenings to make it accessible for everyone who wishes to gain strength in their people skills and feel more confident in knowing how to help. You will learn basic counselling concepts in both theory and practice based on biblical truth and scientific evi

Sheila Ginter

Respond

Lyn Dyck
Apr 7, 2022
2 min read

The Easter season is upon us. When I reflect on Christ’s finished work on the cross, there are two compelling themes that come out - Love and Forgiveness.

In the most recent issue of The Recorder, we are blessed to have the writings of three of our EMMC pastors.

In Pastor Jesse Doell’s article “What’s so good about God’s Love?”, he helps us explore God’s active, proven and ultimately sacrificial love, even while we were at our worst!

“But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (CSB)

Then Pastor Quentin Unger’s article “Forgiveness Through Christ” explores God’s gift of forgiveness and salvation from our sins through faith is Jesus Christ’s work on the cross. Truly an amazing gift.

Then our Pastor of Care and Mission, Kelly Lesser asks us “what is our response?” in his article “Respond to the Invitation”

John 3:16 (NIV) says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – How do we respond?

Mark 1:16-18 (NIV), “As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him.” – How do we respond?

Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV) Jesus says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." – How do we respond?

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

We live in a broken world. A world that needs to come to know God’s love. A world that needs to know God’s forgiveness. A world that needs to respond to God’s invitation. A world that needs to understand the reality of Easter. Yet we are called to be Christ’s ambassadors and ministers of reconciliation.

May we respond by reflecting God’s love and forgiveness to the world around us!

This article was originally published in The Recorder, Vol 59 no. 2