Central District Conference

09/03/2026

Central District Conference Weekly Announcements -

The August issue of the Connector showcases some of the important work that both congregations and the conference are doing to build solidarity with marginalized people. We hear about the work of Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship with detained immigrants and we hear from Conference Minister Doug Lug...

09/03/2026

Shine Curriculum Workshop in Elkhart

Join fellow teachers and formation leaders for a rare, in-person introduction to the newest features of Shine Curriculum. Together we will explore new features, view age-level training videos, discuss challenges and successes, and learn from one another. Grounded in scripture and prayer, this workshop offers practical tools, fresh ideas, and encouragement for nurturing faith in children and youth.

Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 9am to 12pm
Creekside Church of the Brethren
Elkhart, Indiana

RSVP by October 4 at tinyurl.com/Shine1010.

08/27/2026

Connector Highlights
In case you missed it in the recent issue of the Connector, here is the latest edition of Doug's Mug by Conference Minister Doug Luginbill.

Doug’s Mug: A Second Cup of Courage

In my October 2025 Doug’s Mug I quoted Brené Brown who said, “Ordinary courage is about putting our vulnerability on the line.” And I reflected, “I like Brown’s distinction that courage is more about vulnerability than about heroism. But I confess that making oneself vulnerable, risking ridicule, being a minority voice in a majority echo-chamber, is not easy.”

At our June 25-27, 2026 CDC Annual Meeting, I saw many signs of ordinary courage. I was so proud of those who became vulnerable, sharing deeply about their beliefs, experiences, and longings. Two examples of courage from Annual Meeting include our conversation on Article 19 of the Confession of Faith regarding “Family, Singleness, and Marriage” and the discernment of the “Response to Ongoing Suffering in Palestine” resolution.

For my entire ministry career, the Mennonite Church has had a spicy, and sometimes fiery, conversation about human sexuality. (Paula and I served with Mennonite Voluntary Service [MVS] from 1985-1987.) In 1986 our MVS regional director resigned right after the Saskatoon ’86 Tri-Annual General Conference Convention. It was at this convention that the General Conference adopted a Resolution on Human Sexuality which defined “homosexual, extramarital, and premarital sexual activity as sin.” I deeply admired and respected our regional MVS director’s faith, leadership, and character. Lynn had become a supportive mentor as I was growing into my Mennonite leadership identity. When she shared publicly at the Saskatoon convention that she was q***r, she knew her leadership role in the church was likely to end. I can hardly imagine the courage it took to claim her identity, challenge the church, and sacrifice her vocation. Lynn’s courage remains with me whenever conversations about human sexuality and faith come up.

I confess, I was a bit anxious on Friday morning of our CDC Annual Meeting when we took up the conversation of our understanding of Article 19 of the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective. Article 19 is entitled “Family, Singleness, and Marriage.” It reflects the sentiment of the 1985 Saskatoon resolution, defining marriage as “between one man and one woman for life.” After Gerald Mast provided an excellent historical framing of Mennonite Confessions of Faith, our 21 tables of participants engaged in 45 minutes of deep and meaningful conversation. I know that many shared vulnerably and courageously from their experiences and beliefs with their tablemates. (See an article on the discussion in the July 2026 CDC Connector.) We were truly living into our theme, Rise up! Take courage! We are a stronger, closer, riskier, and braver conference because of this honest sharing.

Another example of courage took place on Saturday morning of Annual Meeting when we engaged in discernment about the resolution, “Response to Ongoing Suffering in Palestine.” This was the first resolution brought for delegate discernment since I began as conference minister in 2016. Again, deep sharing took place around tables. When it was time for open discussion, several amendments were offered. Some received support. Some didn’t. It was a beautiful example of faithful engagement, debate, and community discernment. In the end, the resolution was unanimously affirmed. I was reminded that we don’t need to be anxious about engaging in difficult conversations when we know we are in a safe, well-guided space.

As one who grew up with an aversion to conflict and with few examples of healthy disagreement and debate throughout my childhood and youth, I am so grateful for our community of faithful disciples of Jesus who are modeling a courageous way through challenging issues of justice and peacemaking.

My hope and prayer is that each of our congregations and members can drink deeply form Christ’s cup of courage, speak honestly and vulnerably from our hearts, listen compassionately to one another, and faithfully discern God’s path through whatever spicey (or fiery) situation in which we find ourselves.

08/27/2026

Mennonite Church of Normal, Illinois is celebrating their 50th anniversary and you are invited! Please see the flyer below for the schedule and more details.

08/24/2026

David Elkins was installed as the pastor of PEACE Mennonite Fellowship in Archbold, Ohio on Sunday, August 23rd. Congratulations, David!

08/21/2026

Connector Highlights
In case you missed it in the latest issue of the Connector, Alaina Dobkowski, pastor of Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship in Michigan shared about the work of her community in assisting immigrants in detention.

Supporting Immigrants in Detention
by Alaina Dobkowski

Five years ago CDC welcomed Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship (Mich.) to the conference. Due to COVID, we received our cup of blessings in the mail. This was a cup filled with little scrolls of blessings written by CDC congregations for us. Our community sat in a circle one Sunday and read every single one out loud. We felt the hospitality and welcome with deep gratitude.

Since that time, we have been recipients of the Emerging Faith Communities grant which has allowed our community to call me as their pastor and find some stability in our meeting location and space. As the only Mennonite congregation in our city, we have asked ourselves, what does it mean for us to be a peace church in this community, specifically? What work is ours to do? Many of us had been learning from Mennonite Action and have participated in actions locally. But it became clear to us that we needed to engage and partner with more folks. Through relationships, one on one meetings, and getting involved in community efforts that already exist, we took stock of what was happening locally and where we might fit in.

Then, with guidance and training from Mennonite Action, we invited folks who were concerned about the rise of authoritarianism, violence against vulnerable neighbors both locally and globally, and Christian Nationalism to a zoom call. A small group of folks showed up and Christians for Peace & Liberation (CPAL) was born, just over a year ago. Since that day we have grown to a coalition of over 100 people from more than a dozen faith communities. We meet monthly for a potluck, hosting local organizers as speakers with invitations for getting involved in a variety of efforts happening in our community. We are a community growing in faith and courage who are also connecting with others who are interested in taking action.

This past January we decided to focus our 2026 efforts on immigration. This has included advocacy, learning from our Rapid Response network, and more. It also has led us to become involved with a ministry that visits our immigrant neighbors who have been detained at the North Lake Detention Center. At 1800 beds it is the largest detention center in the Midwest. In March two of us went to visit a man, G, from Nicaragua. All we knew was that he had been detained for six months and had not had a visitor. We got to know him and his story. We learned that he had been the main support for his parents back home and that his mom had a health issue that needed attention. With his detention he was no longer able to send money back home and he was consumed with worry. We were so grateful to be able to apply to CDC’s Rise Up, Take Courage Fund for a $500 grant that we could send to his mom.

Not only did this grant (most importantly) help his mom get the treatment she needed; it also helped our ministry build trust. We have gotten to know G and his family. Now we’ve been able to raise enough funds for G’s legal fees and we are praying for an upcoming court hearing that he may be granted release. We invite you to pray with us.

G has continued to connect us with other folks who are in need of support. In July we were able to raise $1,000 specifically to put $50 on 20 men’s commissary accounts. G gave us a list of men who had all been detained for longer than six months and needed the support. Through the ministry we connected with initially and G’s efforts, we have visited many detainees. Christians for Peace and Liberation has now raised over $17,000 for mutual aid, legal fees, and commissary support. Honestly, we don’t know how long this money will last or how much more will come in, but right now we are grateful we can say “yes” when we are met with a need.

We also gain confidence and courage in knowing that we’re not alone. Not only have we built a network of folks doing this work across the state of Michigan and beyond, we also know that our CDC network is here to support this work too. We know you have our back. We are so thankful that the blessings we received 5 years ago weren’t just nice words on little scrolls. They have turned into our lived experience as we have been blessed in countless ways as members of the Central District Conference.

08/20/2026

Lunch and Learn - Small Groups
Next Wednesday, Aug. 26 at Noon Eastern/11 am Central

Are you interested in discussing how small groups can be an important part of your congregational ministry? Join us for an upcoming Lunch and Learn session about small groups. We will discuss how to start and nurture a small group program in your congregation and talk through some of the difficulties in maintaining small groups. We will hear from several pastors and lay leaders about their experience with small groups. The discussion will be recorded if you are unable to join us live.
The Zoom link can be found in the weekly announcements.