“Come walk with us, the journey is long” are words from a South African hymn that many of us sing. It is also the calling of Mennonite Church USA and PNMC as we move into the Journey Forward process as a gathered church. The Journey Forward process is invitational – it’s about all of us sharing our stories, our experiences of God, our dreams for the future of the church. But it’s not just an invitation to gather together as a church, it’s also an invitation to move out into God’s future for the world as Christ’s witnesses. It’s an invitation to be on the move – to walk together – on this journey wherever God leads us.

In PNMC we celebrate the many ways that “we stand with our neighbors”. At our gathering last summer at Menno Mennonite Church we heard the amazing stories of how our congregations come alongside others and stand with them in a variety of ways. This year we hope to hear how we don’t just stand, we also join in journey with others and invite them to share our journey as well. (Click here for details on this year’s gathering.)

Glen Guyton, Executive Director of MC USA, will share with us at the Thursday evening Pastor Appreciation Dinner and our morning worship services on Friday and Saturday. Glen was a major force behind the development of the Future Church Summit at Orlando and in planning for the Journey Forward as an outgrowth of that gathering. While serving in the US Air Force, Glen began attending a Mennonite church, and has an inspiring story of coming to embrace the gospel of peace in a way that transformed his life.

This year Service Projects are a new addition to our time together! We have heard folks talk about how working together is a way to get to know one another more deeply. On Friday afternoon there will be several options for a mix of working in the Boise community as well as workshops that we hope will equip you with some new skills to strengthen the health of your congregation and encourage you in your journey.

On Friday night, RawTools will be with us. We are inviting the Boise community to come walk with us through an interactive worship experience where weapons of violence are literally turned into gardening implements. At a time when our country is struggling with how to stop gun violence, the witness of RawTools is powerfully relevant. We are excited to join with them and the Boise congregations on a journey of peacemaking in their city.