February 5th, 2025Gathering 2025 will feature diverse worship experiences
Mennonite Church Canada is excited about the inspiring and transformative worship experience being planned for the upcoming Gathering 2025. The event promises to be a unique opportunity to celebrate the gifts of each participant in a rich and diverse worship setting, where creativity, hospitality, and unity will take center stage.
This year's event centers around the theme "Each Has a Gift," inspired by the image of a thumbprint. Just as each individual has a unique thumbprint, every person brings valuable gifts to the gathered body of Christ. Gathering 2025 will offer a powerful setting for these gifts to be shared and celebrated, embracing the diversity within Mennonite Church Canada.
Mark Diller Harder, worship planning team member, shares his excitement about the event:
"I am excited and honoured to be a part of the music and worship leading team for Gathering 2025. I am captivated by the image of the thumb print, representing our theme of ‘Each Has a Gift.’ Just as each of us has our own unique thumb print, we each bring unique and wonderful gifts to the gathered body of Christ. Our collective thumbprint is incomplete if all are not included in full and authentic ways. There are so many gifts that come out of our diversity in this inter-cultural church we call Mennonite Church Canada. We will share some of these tremendous gifts with each other through worship, song, story, and ritual. Peter writes in 1st Peter that these gifts emerge out of love and out of hospitality to one another. May the spirit of hospitality and love guide our worship together.”
Yoel Trakoon Masyawong, from the worship planning team, highlights the beauty of coming together in both unity and diversity:
"What excites me most about leading the Mennonite Church Canada in worship at Gathering 2025 is the opportunity to witness the diverse body of Christ coming together in unity. There’s something profoundly beautiful about voices from wider churches, cultures, and experiences blending in praise to God. It’s a chance to remind ourselves of our shared vision and mission to experience the Spirit moving in ways that inspire and challenge us to live out our faith more fully in action. For me, the Gathering is not just an event; it’s a holy moment where we can renew our collective vision and celebrate the hope we have as Anabaptist Mennonite church.”
Worship Planning committee chair Mykayla Turner adds a creative perspective, excited by the flexibility of Mennonite worship:
"Leading Mennonite Church Canada in worship at Gathering 2025 brings me excitement because it comes with so many creative opportunities! We are a diverse group, and the beauty of Mennonite worship lies in how it is flexible enough to showcase our diversity. We can share our words, art, emotions, and other gifts with God and each other, and it will look different from one day to the next. Specifically, our planning committee is looking forward to making time in worship for conversation, music, and food(!) sourced from a variety of cultural contexts. We hope to use the table as a visual metaphor throughout Gathering 2025, representing times of abundance and times of barrenness, times of fellowship and times of hostility, all of which will culminate with gathering at the communion table on our last day together. With this image of a table—and the wide range of actions that we take around a table—in mind, I am excited to engage all of my senses in worship at Gathering 2025. I look forward to bringing my whole self to not just see and hear, but also touch and taste the richness of Mennonite worship. Together, we will experience and learn how Mennonite Church Canada can grow into its intercultural identity."
Gathering 2025 will offer a dynamic and inclusive environment, providing a space for the church to renew its vision and celebrate God’s abundant gifts. Attendees can expect an immersive worship experience that engages all the senses, embracing the fullness of Mennonite tradition while challenging participants to see and value the gifts that everyone brings to the table. Don't miss out on this opportunity to be part of something transformative!
Registration for Gathering 2025 opens March 5th. Save the date in your calendar and join us in celebrating the unique gifts that make up our community.
Find more information on Gathering 2025: GATHERING