Highlights of ministry amid the pandemic
MORWEENA, Man.—It has been some time since there’s been a report from our church. Navigating pandemic restrictions over the last couple of years has been difficult. Like everyone else, we’re happy to be meeting together again.
In August 2020, we celebrated as Christian Dyck was baptized. On August 1, 2021, we celebrated as seven youth were baptized: Natasha Dyck, Maya Friesen, Jayden Loewen, Christopher Penner, Steven Penner, Ethan Plett, and Johnny Von Gunten. Later in August 2021, we had a Rocky Railway themed VBS for kids K to grade 4. About 30 children attended.
In both the summers of 2020 and 2021, Morweena was able to host two weeks of day camp for Beaver Creek Bible Camp (BCBC) as an alternative to overnight camp. It was good to see churches and communities come together in creative ways to keep BCBC going during the pandemic.
Morweena Christian School (K to grade 12) continues to thrive with an attendance of approximately 170 students. To cap off the 2021–22 school year, MCS put on a wonderful, outdoor high school production of Little Women. Principal Tim Reimer and the staff team have modelled perseverance and positivity throughout the pandemic.
Highlights from the past year include some renovations, a men’s golf day, a New Year’s fireworks party, kid’s club evenings, a women’s spring tea, a 55-plus spring brunch, and a family church picnic. We are thankful to all the committees and individuals who have pulled together to make events and caregiving happen in our church through challenging circumstances.
This spring we celebrated the ten-year anniversary of Eric and Jen Isaac becoming the pastoral couple at MEMC. We are grateful to them for their commitment to each other and to our church and community. Eric has provided our church with solid biblical teaching, excellent senior visitation care, and a passion for kids’ ministry. Eric and Jen and their family have become an integral part of our community and we appreciate them very much. To celebrate, we enjoyed a delicious barbeque lunch on May 15, put on by our food committee.
Over the last couple of years, we have said goodbye to some very special people in our community. They were all greatly loved and will be missed, leaving behind a legacy of love and service. Willie Dueck, Matilda Plett, Syd Reimer and Henry Friesen have all gone on to be with Jesus in heaven.
The last few years have been a time of review and restructuring in our church. Through this process, we have restructured our leadership team, added some boards, and have gone through a visioning process. We have appreciated the help of Layton Friesen, Terry Dueck, Ben Dueck and Abe Bergen as we struggled (at times) throughout this process. We are grateful to God for his faithfulness to us through this time of growth and we look forward to what he has in store for us.
Families had a great time at our church picnic on June 5, 2022. (Photo supplied)
Eric and Jen Isaac with their children James, Clara and Emily. (Photo supplied)