“What has kept us from planting more churches in the recent past?” EMC Director of Canadian Outreach Carl Heppner asked this question as part of his report during the April 18, 2026, conference council meeting (see the more detailed report on the weekend meetings on p. 25). It’s been five years since EMC has planted a church, he said; the most recent is Bow Island EMC in Alberta, which was planted in 2021.

While I’m not entirely sure if it was the pastor’s plan, the senior lady began going to each of the young people gathered in the front and praying individually. There were prayers for growth in their love for Jesus, sensitivity to the Spirit, and acknowledgement of challenges. The prayers were personal even though she didn’t know all the kids, youth, and leaders she was praying for.

Do you believe in human freewill? Two basic approaches have been debated for thousands of years. First, some Christians believe in libertarian freedom. Here, freewill means people really could choose to act differently than they do. Sally chose to follow God, but she could have chosen to follow Baal instead.

When my husband and I decided to put our antique collection online in 2017, the budget-friendly option was a free tutorial course that I completed while being a stay-at-home mom. Speaking of motherhood, I joke that building the website was more painful for me than giving birth. But that’s not a fair comparison. I had pain medication and a medical team for childbirth. For the website, I was on my own.

The subtitle for Mary Brandt’s memoir No Limitations is “How God called me into the mission field knowing I would go blind.” This book clearly shows there is no limit to what God can do despite inadequacies and disabilities, and it leaves the reader in awe of Brandt’s courage and trust.

The Board of Missions is pleased to announce that Chris and Katie Koop (Kleefeld EMC) have been accepted to join the mission work in Guadalajara, Mexico. They have begun pre-field orientation and are preparing to leave this summer for Texas to begin learning Spanish at RGBI.

Steinbach Bible College (SBC) is taking big steps toward completing its new campus at 333 Loewen Blvd, in Steinbach, Man., marking a significant milestone in the institution’s mission to equip servant leaders for ministry and service worldwide.

In the emergence of the Sunday school and youth group movements of the nineteenth century, the church was seen as inherently trustworthy. The programs it ran and the people who ran them could be trusted. Over the years, there have been many damaging stories of abuse and inappropriate behaviour.

EMC young adults gathered at Red Rock Bible Camp in Manitoba for times of learning, fun and worship on March 6–8, 2026.

On April 17 and 18, the EMC ministerial and conference council gathered for their semi-annual meeting. This cycle of meetings is online. It was good to see strong attendance from across the Conference.

Morris Fellowship Chapel celebrated a wonderful Christmas season, including many entertaining programs. We held a Christmas banquet, a brunch on Christmas morning, and a Sunday school program. Of course, many family gatherings took place as well. It was good to be together.

On March 15, 2026, Pastor Matt Funk, lead pastor at Heartland Community Church in Landmark, Man., was officially ordained by EMC Conference Pastor Andy Woodworth.
On Sunday, April 19, 2026, Carl Heppner, EMC director of Canadian outreach, ordained Pieter Van Ewijk (lead pastor) and Eric Giesbrecht (lay pastor) from Coaldale Mennonite Church.