COLLEGEVILLE, MINNESOTA (Bridgefolk.net) – Bridgefolk had much to celebrate as it held its 10th anniversary conference in Laurelville, Pennsylvania last August, but is also entering a crucial time of transition. That was the sentiment Bridgefolk Board members shared as they met in mid-October at St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota to plan their next conference and discern how to guide their grassroots ecumenical movement of Mennonites and Roman Catholics through its next steps.
Particularly pressing was the issue of Bridgefolk leadership. After two years as Executive Director, Kent Yoder recently resigned to pursue graduate studies in Europe, leaving the Board to reconsider its administration and coordination. Recognizing the many time demands on the largely volunteer circle of Bridgefolk leaders, the Board recommended a change in leadership structure. Gerald Schlabach will return to his role as Executive Director, with a primary focus on working with the Board of Directors to tend the vision of Bridgefolk and mentor new leadership.
The Board also invited George Dupuy and Abbey Davis Dupuy to share in a new position, that of Bridgefolk Coordinators. The Dupuys will be responsible for various administrative and communication tasks that were previously part of the Executive Director’s job description. In addition, the Board invited Lois Kauffman to serve as Conference Coordinator for upcoming Bridgefolk summer conferences.
The Board also spent time in preliminary planning for the 2010 Bridgefolk Conference, to be held July 22-25 at St. John’s Abbey. Under the title, “Mennonites and Catholics – Practicing for Our Life Together in Christ,” the conference will be the first in a series of summer conferences focusing on nine “key practices” of Bridgefolk. Over the next three years, Bridgefolk conferences will highlight various spiritual practices that sustain our lives as Catholics and Mennonites. The 2010 summer conference will introduce the topic and will center around the shared footwashing/agape meal that has become an important part of each summer’s Bridgefolk gathering.
Finally, the Board considered various opportunities for involvement in international ecumenical dialogue. Mary Schertz will officially represent Bridgefolk at an International Ecumenical Peace Conference to be held July 28 – August 1, 2010 at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Indiana. The Board will also be encouraging various Bridgefolk participants to explore writing projects in the field of ecumenical studies.
The Board meeting adjourned with a fresh sense of excitement for the work that is to come. As Bridgefolk Co-chair Marlene Kropf noted, we are “on the verge of something new.” The Bridgefolk Board remains eager to discover where this “bridge” will lead.
— George Dupuy