Previous | Next 

Winnipeg, Man.
Canadian Conference makes appointment, plans


The Executive Board of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches met in Winnipeg January 26-29, 2000. The five program boards of the Conference also met. Following are highlights of their deliberations.

David & Valerie Wiebe and family

Executive Director

The Executive Board is pleased to announce the appointment of David Wiebe as Executive Director for the Canadian Conference, beginning September 1, 2000. A unanimous ballot was cast by both the search committee and the Board. Wiebe’s appointment will be presented to the delegates for ratification at the Canadian Conference convention in Hepburn, Sask. in July.

Wiebe has served as the executive director for the Canadian Conference Board of Christian Education Ministries for the last 11 years. He has also been serving as interim Executive Minister for the Conference since the resignation of Reuben Pauls in summer 1999.

The Board has changed the title of this position from Executive Minister to Executive Director, which has brought with it a change of job description. In this newly named position, Wiebe will be responsible for the overall direction of the ministries of the Canadian Conference. This will entail coordinating the ministries of the program boards and their staff, and enhancing the relationship between the national and provincial Mennonite Brethren Conferences. He will be accountable to the Executive Board in implementing its vision: “To lead churches and provincial conference ministries toward nurturing and equipping their members to live the Christian life and mobilizing them for ministry.”

Wiebe will complete his service with Christian Education Ministries this summer. He will continue to serve as interim Executive Minister until he begins his full-time assignment as Executive Director.

Prior to working for the Canadian Conference, Wiebe was an associate pastor with Portage Avenue MB Church in Winnipeg for 7 years, and was involved in an itinerant music ministry for four years immediately following college. Wiebe received a Bachelor of Religious Studies degree from Winnipeg Bible (now Providence) College in 1975 and an M. Div. degree from Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary in Fresno, Calif. in 1989. He is currently working toward a D.Min. degree in pastoral leadership.

During his ministry as CE Ministries director, Wiebe has been involved in Westwood Community Church in Winnipeg as children’s ministry coordinator, adult Sunday school teacher and church council member. He is currently on the strategic planning team for the church, and leads a small group with his wife Valerie. The Wiebes have three children, Julia (21), Joe (19) and Greg (18).

National Youth Convention

NYC, the triennial national youth convention run by the Board of Christian Education Ministries, will be moved to Calgary, beginning with the next convention January 3-6, 2002. The event has been held at Banff, Alta. since it first began 29 years ago. Developing peer evangelism among youth will be one of the key goals of the event in Calgary.

The Board of Christian Education Ministries received approval from the Executive Board to appoint a youth ministry director, serving in a half-time position. This individual would work in the areas of NYC (the National Youth Convention) and YNET (a support network for youth pastors and youth workers in local churches). Creation of this position is subject to approval by the delegation at the Canadian Conference convention in July.

Key Cities Initiative

Encouraging reports about the growth of the churches and church plants in Calgary were given. Mission Calgary is well on its way to achieve the goal of planting 10 churches in Calgary in five years.

The Board of Evangelism received support from the Executive Board for a recommendation to designate Toronto as the next city in the Key Cities project. This would be in partnership with the Ontario MB Conference.

Budget

The Executive Board gave approval to the Board of Management’s recommendation of the proposed budget for the next biennium (2000-2002). This will also be presented for approval to the Canadian Conference convention in July. The new budget is based on a commitment to keep the per-member “norm” (the amount of money which local churches are asked to contribute to the Canadian Conference each year) at $92.

Convention 2000

Plans for the Canadian MB Conference convention in July were fine-tuned. It is hoped that the convention will indeed contribute to the goal of “Healthy growing churches reaching their worlds”. Christian Schwarz will be the keynote speaker. The convention begins July 6 with a concert of prayer.

The Board of Faith & Life will host a Leadership Development Conference on Thursday, July 6, 2000. This will include morning and afternoon sessions with speaker Christian Schwarz. These sessions will be held immediately prior to the Canadian Conference convention and will take place at the convention site, Bethany Bible Institute in Hepburn, Sask. Further information on the convention and registration procedure will be available in March.

Prayer

The Executive Board requests prayer for:

the Canadian Conference boards as they lead and give direction to our ministry; the executive staff who have the task of carrying out the ministry.

 – Executive Board news release

Previous | Next 

Last modified May 4, 2000.

© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
Masthead and usage information.