“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.

From greenhouses to trucking, our town is changing fast, and God is doing something new. At Leamington Evangelical Mennonite Church (LEMC), we are seeing young people, families, and new members coming together to worship, serve, and grow in faith. In a community full of opportunities and challenges, we are discovering that God’s work in our church reflects his work in our town.

Over the last couple of years our church has grown in some unexpected ways.  The influx of Ukrainian refugees to Canada in 2022 led many families to the Arborg area.

One of the youth in Mennville EMC’s joint youth ministry with Riverton Gospel Chapel recently asked to be baptized in our church. Upon her confession of faith, we baptized and welcomed Susan Marks into membership on May 19, 2024.

♪ Written reports from four of EMC’s nine regions were easily available online but, since they didn’t figure in the meeting’s agenda, I had not taken time to read them.

It’s exciting to see our sanctuary nearly at capacity every Sunday, and the new expansion of our building filled with young and old alike attending Sunday school.