Saskatchewan churches met on March 22 and 23 at Bridgeway Community Church in Swift Current, SK. The event was co-hosted by Grace Community Church in Herbert, SK. The challenge woven throughout the weekend was the call to be people of action: to step out of safety and humbly submit to the Holy Spirit, following where he leads.
ABMB Executive Director Paul Loewen in his Friday afternoon keynote “The Faithful Walk” used the story of Noah to illustrate four components of a faithful walk with God: teaching the next generation, being counter-cultural, sharing the Good News with others and having a posture of worship. “People won’t remember all the things you did,” said Loewen. “People will remember your walk with God.”
Reports from ministry partners were presented on Friday afternoon. Attendees also attended workshops on Friday and Saturday. Topics included: MB Confession—Relevant in 2024? (Ken Esau), The Church and Spiritual Abuse (Tony Martens), Church Revitalization (Luke Etelamaki), Leadership Resilience [on Zoom] (Heather Tomes) and AI and The Church (Mike Engbers).
Friday evening, Mike Engbers (Lead Pastor at Parliament Community Church in Regina, SK) spoke on “The Transformational Walk.” Using Exodus 13-14, he shared how the unexpected moments in our lives — those positive and negative detours — are essential to our spiritual growth.
On Friday evening, attendees heard updates from ICOMB, CCMBC and SKMB. Executive Director of SKMB Phil Gunther stated his optimism going into 2024: “Our churches are united in conviction. We are not in conflict theologically. Yes, we have nuances, but we offer grace to each other. Thank God!” He noted only two churches in the province are searching for pastors, and Saskatchewan will be sending a dozen new pastors and directors to be credentialed at the PCO in May. SKMB and the Alberta MB conference continue to evolve in their ministry partnership. They held a joint African church leader congress in 2023 and will again jointly host a pastor retreat in 2024. Gunther also acknowledged the grief present among the SKMB family; two pastors tragically lost loved ones this past year, and two churches have closed their doors.
The final keynote on Saturday morning was from Darren Kennedy, Lead Pastor at Bridgeway Community Church in Swift Current, SK. Using Joshua 6-7, he urged those in attendance to lead as Joshua did, with God at the centre of his people. Kennedy shared how, in the last three years, his church has been on a journey of renewal through humility, repentance and submission to the Holy Spirit.
The Executive Board reported a strong financial standing, and the 2024 budget was approved. Delegates voted in favour of Gord Schroeder to continue as Board Moderator for another two-year term, in addition to David Foth serving another two-year term on the Executive Board as Treasurer.
