AMBS at MennoCon 2023

Annette Brill Bergstresser on June 29, 2023

MennoCon 2023 logo graphic

Published: June 29, 2023

By Janeen Bertsche Johnson, MDiv, Alumni Director

If you are attending the Mennonite Church USA convention in Kansas City (July 3–6), we’d love to connect with you!

See below for a list of seminars to be led by AMBS alumni or employees.

AMBS Alumni and Friends Gathering

Monday, July 3 • 9–9:45 p.m. (after opening worship)
Room 2104A

Connect with fellow alumni, meet AMBS employees, hear a few updates from the seminary and enjoy a variety of snacks! No registration required — just come (and invite others who are interested in AMBS)!

AMBS Booth

Stop by our booth in the Exhibit Hall to say hello and help put together a beautiful puzzle of the AMBS prairie!

Seminars led by AMBS alumni or employees

Check your program book for locations and descriptions for the following seminars:

Tuesday, July 4, 9–10 a.m.

  • Dorothy Jean Weaver (MDiv 1977): Seeing Power as God Sees It

Tuesday, July 4, 2:30–3:30 p.m.

  • Michele Hershberger (MATS 2000): Servant Leadership on Steroids: Leading in a Post-Christian World

Tuesday, July 4, 3:45–4:45 p.m.

  • Katerina (Friesen) Gea (MDiv 2016): Join the Jubilee: Growing a Repair Network
  • Moriah Hurst (MDiv 2008): What Do We Do About Kids? Faith Formation Dreaming
  • Lyle Miller (MDiv 2014): Faith and Finances 101
  • Rachel Ringenberg Miller (alumna): What to Expect During a Pastoral Search Process
  • Steve Thomas (MDiv 1989): Healthy Masculinity: On Being a Good Man

Wednesday, July 5, 9–10 a.m.

  • Joanne Gallardo (MDiv 2010), co-leader: Introduction to LGBTQIA+
  • Lyle Miller (MDiv 2014), co-leader: Women, Men and Money
  • Rachel Ringenberg Miller (alumna): Human Resources Basics for Congregations
  • Jackie Wyse-Rhodes (MDiv 2002, AMBS Teaching Faculty): Supersessionism and Biblical Interpretation

Wednesday, July 5, 2:30–3:30 p.m.

  • Janeen Bertsche Johnson (MDiv 1989, AMBS Administrative Faculty): Making the Church Wild

Wednesday, July 5, 3:45–4:45 p.m.

  • Michele Hershberger (MATS 2000): Finding “Home”: How to Find Adults Who “Get” You
  • S. Roy Kaufman (MDiv 1969) and Randall Koehler (current student): Conjuring Hope in Rural Spaces
  • Talashia Keim Yoder (current student), co-leader: Equipping Families for Faith Formation

Thursday, July 6, 9–10 a.m.

  • Lois Barrett (MDiv 1983, retired AMBS Teaching Faculty) and Dorothy Nickel Friesen (alumna, former AMBS Administrative Faculty): Women as Church Leaders: We Did Not Keep Silent!
  • Ben Bouwman (MDiv 2017): Considering Reparations for African Americans
  • Joel Miller (MDiv 2006): Marking Adult Transitions: Ritual and Reflection
  • Harold Penner (MDiv 1975), co-leader: Enabling the Church to Do War Tax Redirection
  • Leah Thomas (AMBS Teaching Faculty): Attending to the Presence of Trauma in Churches

Thursday, July 6, 2:30–3:30 p.m.

  • Rachel Ringenberg Miller (alumna): Conversation Circles for Pastors

Thursday, July 6, 3:45–4:45 p.m.

  • Marlene Kroeker (MDiv 2000), co-leader: Learn to Be Happy With Your Money-Self
  • Doug Luginbill (MDiv 1997): Tending Healthy Pastor-Congregation Relationships

In addition to these, Robert Brenneman (alumnus), Peter Goerzen (MDiv 2015), Michele Hershberger, Marlene Kroeker, Eric Frey Martin (MDiv 2020), Mariah Martin (MDiv 2018) and Lyle Miller are offering seminars for youth at various times during the week.

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