Presentations to Mennonite Catholic Theological Colloquium now available

All of the presenters at the July meeting of the Mennonite Catholic Theological Colloquium have now provided text versions of their presentations. You can find them by going to the newly re-designed section of our website for Theological Dialogue and Reflection: http://www.bridgefolk.net/theology/colloquia/2005theology.

The topic of the colloquium was “How Are We ‘Called Together?'” A Mennonite and a Catholic panel was asked to comment on the final report of the international dialogue between Mennonite World Conference and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity by answering the question, “What have we learned and what’s next?” Mennonite panelists were Nancy Heisey and Earl Zimmerman; Catholic panelists were Margaret Pfeil and Drew Christiansen SJ.

The event began with a keynote address by John A. Lapp, church historian and former Executive Secretary of Mennonite Central Committee on “Ecumenical Dialogue as a Ministry of Reconciliation.”

Michiana Bridgefolk forms around centering prayer in Northern Indiana

More than a 100 Mennonites and Catholics in the Northern Indiana area came together for centering prayer last summer, contributing to the formation of one of the first local Bridgefolk groups. Marlene Kropf, Bridgefolk co-chair notes that “one of the good things that came out of this experience was becoming friends and realizing how many interests and visions we have in common. Though we come from very different traditions, our vision for the church and for spiritual growth and renewal is remarkably similar.” The newspaper of the Fort Wayne – South Bend diocese has done a feature on the summer meetings. Here are the opening paragraphs, and a link for the entire story.

Continue reading “Michiana Bridgefolk forms around centering prayer in Northern Indiana” →

Christianity Today cover story on the “New Monasticism” movement

Tne “New Monasticism Project” seeks to bring together Christian communities — Catholic, Protestant, and often Evangelical — that are seeking to be “schools of conversion” to lives of discipleship and that drawing on ancient monastic traditions to do so.

Recently Christianity Today magazine featured a cover story on the “New Monasticism” movement, highlighting the commitment of many of these communities to “blighted urban settings all over America.” You can read the article at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/009/16.38.html.

Also recently published is a book entitled School(s) for Conversion: 12 Marks of New Monasticism. Bridgefolk co-founder Ivan Kauffman contributed a chapter to the book. More information and links for ordering is available at http://www.thesimpleway.org/index.php/store/product/schools-for-conversion.

A few announcements

The Bridgefolk Board met in conjunction with our July conference in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and wishes to make a few brief announcements:

Our 2006 conference will be held at Saint John’s Abbey, either July 5-8 or July 6-9. We will hold the conference in conjunction with Saint John’s annual Monastic Institute, July 1-7. On the occasion of the abbey’s sesquicentennial celebration, the institute will include a focus on new forms of monastic life, including lay communities. Mark your calendars for the next Bridgefolk conference and consider participating in the Monastic Institute as well.
With regret, we accepted the resignation of Sheri Hostetler, pastor of San Francisco Mennonite Church. Sheri has found that her responsibilities as a new mother have made it difficult to travel to Bridgefolk meetings. Many thanks for your friendship, service and prayers, Sheri.
With gratitude, we elected Susan Kennel Harrison to the Bridgefolk Board. Susan is a chaplain and doctoral student at the University of Toronto.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes other developments have been in the works: As of last April, Bridgefolk is incorporated in the state of Minnesota as a non-profit organization. We have also applied to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) status. This will facilitate acceptance of grants and donations in the future, which is something that a few of you have asked about. While we are committed to continue “proceeding through friendship” above all, we do anticipate doing some modest fund-raising within a few months. Stay tuned.

Announcing Mennonite/Catholic Theological Colloquium, July 20-21

How Are We “Called Together?”
A Mennonite/Catholic Theological Colloquium

July 20-21, 2005
on the campus of Eastern Mennonite University
Harrisonburg, VA

In 2004, theological exchange between Mennonites and Roman Catholics marked a historic milestone as delegations to the first international dialogue between representatives of Mennonite World Conference and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Church Unity released a final report summarizing their five years of conversation. “Called Together to be Peacemakers” (available at http://bridgefolk.net/theology) offers a common narrative of watershed events in church history especially during the 16^th and 4^th centuries. It explores theological perspectives that the two traditions both share and dispute concerning the nature of the Church, sacraments and ordinances, and peacemaking. It closes with mutual confessions of repentance for past violence and recrimination, thus inviting a “healing of memories.”

As it holds its fourth annual conference, Bridgefolk – a grassroots movement for dialogue and unity between Mennonites and Roman Catholics – invites theologians, historians and ecumenists from the two traditions to gather on the previous evening and day to reflect on what they have learned from this historic document and to explore next steps for promoting theological dialogue between Mennonites and Roman Catholics. Scholars from other churches who regularly find themselves in conversation with both traditions are also invited to attend, along with all participants in the Bridgefolk conference to follow.

The colloquium will begin on the evening of July 20 with a keynote address by John A. Lapp, church historian and former Executive Secretary of Mennonite Central Committee on “Ecumenical Dialogue as a Ministry of Reconciliation.” On July 21, the colloquium will hear theological reflections on “Called Together to Be Peacemakers” from both Mennonite and Roman Catholic ecumenists. Participants will have ample opportunity for their own responses and discussion. The meeting will conclude by exploring ways to follow through on the document’s suggestions for further study.

Invitation to 2005 Bridgefolk Conference: “Friendship on the Bridge”

Greetings in the name of our risen Savior!

I am writing to officially invite you to the 2005 gathering of Bridgefolk, to be held July 21-24 at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Attached you will find a registration form, along with a tentative program. These items are also available at the Bridgefolk website, www.bridgefolk.net, along with additional information and program highlights. You will note that the arrangements and costs are very similar to previous years.

This year’s Bridgefolk conference will focus on the role of friendship in building the Mennonite Catholic bridge. As we look back over the past few years it is clear that friendships of all kinds have played a major role in bringing us to this point. The advice we once received from leaders of the Sant’Egidio ecclesial community rings true: “Proceed through friendship.” We want to give special attention this year to how friendships in various settings and locales are creating new bridges.

Speakers this year will talk about the role of friendship in peacemaking, in community building and in ecumenical relationships, especially at the local level. The ‘haiku’ snapshots that were such a big success last year will focus on individual stories of friendship between Mennonites and Catholics. And as usual there will be plenty of free time for participants to renew old friendships and to make new ones.

Holding this summer’s conference at Eastern Mennonite University is a major step forward for Bridgefolk. It anchors us more firmly on the Mennonite side, and we also expect that the new location will attract a considerable number of new people into our conversation. For that reason it’s important for people who have attended in the past to return in order to help the new participants feel welcome.

Please register as early as possible. And think about bringing someone with you. Remember that your presence at the Bridgefolk conferences is one of the most important contributions to the bridge you can make.

Gerald W. Schlabach
Bridgefolk Executive Director

New resources for theological reflection

As part of a new effort by Bridgefolk to revitalize something called the “Mennonite Catholic Theological Colloquium” (MCTC) we have now put up a new page on our website, http://bridgefolk.net. You can find it by looking for the new “Theology” link on the yellow bar at the top of every page, or you can go directly to http://bridgefolk.net/theology.

Many of the links on this page have come elsewhere on our website and been reorganized. But a number of new articles are available too, marked by our usual yellow “New!” star.

Of special importance is an article by Darrin Belousek that urges Mennonites to strengthen their peace tradition by drawing on what Catholics call a “Consistent Ethic of Life.” The article appears with permission of The Mennonite Quarterly Review, where it is slated for formal publication. Editor John D. Roth invites responses to Belousek, possibly for publication. We hope this encourages the sort of conversation that the MCTC initiated a few years ago, and that we are looking to promote in new ways in the future.

Finally, an apology and a request: The resources we provide at http://bridgefolk.net/theology have simply come together as they have come to our attention. Unfortunately that results in a disproportionate number of pieces from two resources — myself and The Mennonite Quarterly Review, thanks its growing interest in ecumenical themes in the last few years. The request, then, is that you let me know whenever you become aware of significant pieces on themes of interest to both Mennonites and Catholics. I look forward to correcting any imbalance.

Gerald W. Schlabach
Bridgefolk Executive Director

Announcing change in location for 2005 conference

On behalf of the Bridgefolk Board, we are pleased to announce that we will be holding our 2005 conference in Harrisonburg, Virginia, at Eastern Mennonite University. Dates for the conference remain the same: Thursday evening July 21 through Sunday noon July 24.

Why the change?

The idea came from several participants–some Catholic, some Mennonite–not from anyone on the board. These persons felt that after three years of Mennonites experiencing Catholic community at Saint John’s it was time for Catholics to have the opportunity to experience Mennonite life in a Mennonite community. Continue reading “Announcing change in location for 2005 conference” →

Mennonite ecumenical conference

The following conference announcement may be of interest to some Bridgefolk participants.

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Collaborative Ministries
April 18-21, 2005 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Sheraton Cavalier Hotel

The Prairie Centre for Ecumenism in Saskatoon is planning the conference, with a team consisting of Mennonite, United Church, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic members. We are building on the strength of two highly successful national shared ministry events (Winnipeg 1993 and Edmonton 2002) and also on annual “ecumenical institutes”, the most recent one held in May 2004 in Winnipeg, which have been held across the prairies for the past several years, attracting participants from a wider number of denominations who are interested in learning about and promoting ecumenical sharing in their congregations and regions. Continue reading “Mennonite ecumenical conference” →