A youth ministry conference was held Nov. 3-5 at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg. The Art of Soul Tending for Youth Ministry , emphasized spiritual growth and building relationships over traditional youth programs. About 160 pastors, youth leaders, mentoring coordinators, Sunday school teachers and students attended the conference. Founded in 1950 as the European Mennonite Bible School, it is now the academic arm of Bienenberg Study and Conference Centre. Every year, over 200 students take courses offered in German or French.
Students write a dissertation in their third year.
Currently, there are 27 students enrolled in the undergraduate program and 11 students in the master's program. Bienenberg Theological Seminary A retired Mennonite pastor who officiated at a covenant ceremony Sept. 2 for a lesbian couple, has been reprimanded, but will be allowed to continue ministering. While the committee acknowledged that there are differences within the Conference in how people interpret the issue of homosexuality in the Bible, and there are no clear guidelines for discipline in such cases. However, by officiating at the covenant ceremony, Habegger violated the proposed Mennonite Church USA membership guidelines, which forbid pastors to perform same-sex ceremonies. Habegger, who had a 40-year career in ministry, was commended for his years of service and for his openness in sharing with the committee throughout the process.