You have heard about TED Talks—experts give informative, inspirational talks that are viewed and shared online. What about LED Talks?
For its annual gathering, held April 25-26, 2014, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) introduced a new format for conference speakers—LED Talks. The acronym stands for Lead, Equip, Disciple.
Building on the theme of the gathering, “On Holy Ground,” planners invited six speakers to address the question, “Where is holy ground for you?”
MCEC’s Church Engagement Minister Brent Charette, who served on the planning group, explained, “We said to [the speakers]: ‘Challenge us; tell us something that we are not paying attention to. Tell us about something you’re passionate about.’”
The planners challenged the speakers to keep their reflections short and to “inspire, challenge, and encourage us as we consider how God leads, equips, and disciples.”
Brent explained, “The notion was that we wanted to have short talks that could be used as videos afterwards. We thought that the shorter format was more accessible to a younger audience.” He continued, “It was a bit of an experiment and we think that it worked.”
The planning team included Brent and David Martin (MCEC staff), Alissa Bender (Hamilton Mennonite Church), David Brubacher (Bethany Mennonite Church), Laura Mullet-Koop (Quest Christian Community), and Randall Neudorf (The Commons).
Approximately 300 people attended the gathering, held at Niagara College, in Niagara-on-the Lake, Ont. But through technology, interested folks in other locations could experience aspects of the event. For the first time, the MCEC gathering offered a live webcast of the event, accessed by 20 computers off site. It was also the first time for a Twitter wall, where participants could comment and respond to events happening on stage, using the hashtag #holyground. Twitter users offsite could follow along.
The LED videos can be viewed at www.mcec.ca/annual-church-gathering-2014, along with others from the event. Clicking on the links below will take viewers to the individual talks.
LED speakers
Professional photographer Jennifer Kellner showed photos and encouraged listeners to see and participate in the beauty that surrounds them. She attends The Commons in Hamilton, Ont.
Jessica Reesor Rempel, currently a master of divinity student, asked youth and young adults two questions: What is the best thing about “church”? What would make “church” more authentic? She presented their answers in an upbeat video. Jessica attends Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church in Kitchener, Ont.
Former MCEC pastor Allan Rudy-Froese challenged listeners: “Memento mori--remember that you will die.” He encouraged them to connect the church’s gifts with society’s distorted views of death. Allan is currently assistant professor of Christian proclamation at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind.
Composer and musician Bryan Moyer Suderman appeared via video, playing his trusty guitar and singing an original song. Singing, “Take off your shoes; the ground you’re standing on is holy,” he reminded listeners that God both calls and sends them. Bryan lives in Stouffville, Ont., and was on a musical tour at the time of the gathering.
Activist Hedy Sawadsky issued a passionate call for peacemaking. She is one of the founding members of Christian Peacemaker Teams and attends The First Mennonite Church in Vineland, Ont.
The associate pastor of Floradale Mennonite Church, in Floradale, Ont., Kendra Whitfield Ellis, pays attention to local entrepreneurs. She asked listeners, how do we make room for an entrepreneurial spirit in the church?
--Posted May 28, 2014
Jessica Reesor Rempel was one of six LED talk speakers at the MCEC Annual Gathering.
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