May 29thA Menno Minute
A Menno Minute
Most weeks our newsletter begins with a feature article, A Menno Minute. Thanks to June Miller, MCA’s first Communications Coordinator, for the catchy title! Last week Jake Froese wrote “it is the first thing I scroll down to each time it shows in my inbox.” Do you scroll past and think “I’ll read that later” or do you, like Jake, pause in your day and read it?
I’ll admit some bias but I believe that A Menno Minute is a treasured piece of our newsletter. The Menno Minute has become a unique collection of who we are, the people who make up Mennonite Church Alberta. No other regional church has anything similar.
Initially, the vision was to give leaders — our pastors and committee members in particular — a forum in which to write a short meditation. June Miller writes, “ in a small regional church with congregations 3, 4, 8 hours apart, I saw the Menno Minute as a way to build relationships and connect across the province.“
So what is a Menno Minute? At its most basic specifications, a Menno Minute is a short reflection, approximately 500 words, accompanied by the writer’s headshot and sometimes an additional photo. How do I find writers? I joke that I shake the MCA tree and writers fall out. Most of my “could you write a Menno Minute for this date?” emails get “yes” as a reply. This in spite of the fact that a Menno Minute takes more than a minute to write!
And who writes them? Pastors, retired pastors, and MCA leadership, certainly, but also our students and lay people in our congregations. A Menno Minute writer can be anyone who is willing and who is confident they have a story to tell or to use an overused phrase “something that God has laid on their heart.” I often suggest the prompt “How have I seen God at work in (fill in the blank)?”as a starting point. Occasionally leaders from MC Canada are asked to contribute as guests. Occasionally Canadian Mennonite and other Mennonite publications ask for permission to reprint. We have great writers in Alberta!
The topics are varied. Already in 2024, we’ve read about Indigenous relations, the MCC trip to Rwanda (twice). We’ve had a poem about rain and a reflection on the Annual Delegate Sessions. We’ve learned about interruptions, being left hanging, love, serious illness, and the stewardship of the earth. We get glimpses into life in Ethiopia and even into jury duty. Some Menno Minutes are Bible teaching, some are life lessons, some are observations. Some are seasonal. Some are timeless. Some writers get feedback. I suspect many don’t. All reflect us, the people of Mennonite Church Alberta.
If you’ve read this far and are saying, “oops, I missed some of those”, fear not. The most recent can be found at the bottom of the MCA website home page. And, they are all, from October, 2019 to last week, gathered HERE. Take a look at that page and scroll through row after row of beautiful MCA faces. I invite you today to simply read a few Menno Minutes. And, as you do, give thanks to God for that specific writer and for the good people of Mennonite Church Alberta. We are blessed.
And with that, if you have an idea for a Menno Minute, please contact me at communications@mcab.ca