What's Next after E3?  

"When reflecting on year 3, I was struck by the word "poured" in the statement "How are we being invited to pour ourselves out as the body of Christ for the world, bringing healing and hope to a world in need?".  We cannot pour ourselves out, if we haven't already been poured into. I thought of my storage container drawer and the variety of the containers in it--some large, some small, some flimsy, some sturdy, some round, some square, some easier to pour into, some easier to pour out of.  I couldn't help but draw parallels. God uses ALL containers, just as I do, for different purposes at different times.  We are God's ambassadors, we need to be filled with God's love and grace in order to be able to share it with others.  We need to recognize what kind of container we are (our gifts and callings) and be open to being used as God knows best." Laura Wiebe

 

“We endeavored to rise to the task of being God’s ambassadors, while still being amazed and a little overwhelmed that God was trusting us to do so!”  Laura Wiebe

"In 2020 I put up a bulletin board on the wall beside my desk. On it, I rotate sticky notes that include names and occasions for prayer. Hanging beside the sticky notes is a word cloud that I generated in 2021, using everything I'd written and said/scripted over the past year, to see what words I use (or over-use). "Church" "people" "God" "MCA" and "together" are all prominent. This bulletin board was a gift to me throughout E3 and the pandemic, drawing me into prayer for others and reminding me of the community that I'm a part of.” 

“March 21, 2021 - Werner de Jong's sermon for the MCA online worship service was brilliant!”  

“Betty Pries outlining the ebbs and flows of congregational and community life has been coming back to me recently, as we try to understand who we are as a church in 2023. I need this reminder that it's God's church, living within God's time.“  Brenda Tiessen-Wiens

“I know for myself that it was especially helpful during the disconnected pandemic years to feel a greater sense of connection through those themes. The visuals livened up the worship and fellowship space of the church and the suggested action cards legitimized spiritual practices that others were already doing.”  Will Loewen

 “E3 was a reminder to focus on Christ: To open my eyes and my heart to encounter him, in different kinds of prayer, but also in the faces, actions, and beauty around me; To embrace being his follower, God’s beloved child, a member of God’s community on earth; and To answer the call to embody Jesus’s teaching and example at home, at church, and in all my interactions with people and other parts of God’s creation. The challenge to encounter, embrace, and embody Christ in my life, my community, and the world will stick with me and I pray I, and we, will continue to grow better at it.”  Debbie Baergen

 “I love the overall theme with the three E’s. The many visuals including the hands (we are uniquely created in God’s image), reaching upward through the green leaves of a tree (growth at many differ levels), and bursting into the globe (a natural convincing witness), speak powerfully of an integrated faith that reflects Christian/Anabaptist values.”  Hugo Neufeld

“I found the E3 process powerful right from the start. The idea of encountering, embracing, and embodying Christ seemed like a perfect progression. Can we really embrace Christ until we have encountered Him, nor are we   likely to embody Him until we have embraced all that He is and stands for. Yet it is much more complex and lifegiving than that, as God uses us at various stages in our life’s journey to embody Christ for the sake of others. It’s definitely an ongoing journey.” Doreen Neufeld

“E3 reminds us that we do not pray alone. We may pray in solitude or silence but never in isolation from one another in the Spirit of Christ.” Louisa Adria

“Community and World (Years 2 and 3) were most meaningful to me. Year 2 I got very involved in community in a new way, because appointed to Calgary Interfaith Council – became familiar with neighborhood churches and mosques and temples. Year 3 is almost continuation of same. World awareness cannot be ignored even by just relating to community, eg this year’s United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week.” Jacob Froese

 

After E3 Resources

E3 Into the Future Brochure pdf (produced for the 2023 Annual Delegate Sessions)

Milepost Litany ( two per page -- read together at the 2023 Annual Delegate Sessions)

Milepost Litany (single page pdf)

Resources for an After E3 service (pdf )

Visioning Background