Open Space 2025
What: An open dialogue to discuss how we can build communities of resiliency and bravery in challenging environments.
Who: For queer people and allies within the Mennonite Brethren context and beyond who wish to connect for mutual encouragement and hopeful change.
When: October 3-4, 2025
Where: Southridge Church, Vineland (3970 Glendale Ave)
Cost: $100 (Ontario residents) / $50 (students and out of province)
Hosted by A Time to Connect, a chapter of In This Together Network
Past Events
This is the final webinar in a three-part series on “Faithfully at Variance.” The first webinar engaged the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective (CFMP), exploring the historical role of Confessions of Faith within Anabaptist communities. The second webinar presented some historical context and current impact of the CFMP on Queer Mennonites, with varying perspectives. Attending previous webinars is not necessary to attend this one, but the links to the presentations are above if you are interested in providing more context.
More info to come about this second webinar in our Faithfully at Variance series, but for now, click the button below to register.
Look out for a third and final webinar in this series, in late March or early April, where we discuss congregations with at variance statements and creative preparation for the MC Canada Assembly in July.
...and if you missed it, watch the recording of the first webinar here (not required to attend this webinar)
Karl Koop, Professor of History and Theology at Canadian Mennonite University and Co-editor
of Vision: A Journal for Church and Theology, has written and edited articles and books in the
field of Anabaptist studies.
Ann Weber Becker was a member of the Inter-Mennonite Confession of Faith Committee (1987-
1994) and wrote a guide for youth exploring the Confession.
Watch Webinar Here
Watch for 2 more webinars:
January 2025 – Stories & experiences from Queer Mennonites and At-Variance congregations.
What is the impact of the Confession on today’s faith community?
March 2025 – Where can we and the Confession go from here? Small group discussion about
next steps in preparation for MC Canada Assembly in July
Events at We Declare
In This Together had a good presence at the Mennonite Church Canada gathering in Edmonton, July 29-Aug 1, 2022, entitled "We Declare: what we have seen and heard." See below for sessions we led.
Click here for an article in the Canadian Mennonite about our participation in the Assembly.
What's Next
Saturday afternoon, July 30 (in person)
In This together is a grassroots group of people within our nationwide community of faith working to resource congregations and raise awareness in the area of LGBTQ inclusion. Wherever your congregation is on the spectrum of LGBTQ+ inclusion, there is something for you to learn. Three representatives from three different congregations share their experiences on the journey of creating safer spaces for LGBTQ+ people.
Let anyone with ears to hear listen!
Saturday morning, July 30 (online)
Steph Chandler Burns (they/them) is a non-binary, bisexual Mennonite from Kitchener Ontario. Steph has a Masters in Theological Studies from Conrad Grebel University College. Steph is a pastoring-type person, previously pastoring at Erb St Mennonite Church (until June 2022), and planning many workshops and talks on the gifts of LGBTQ+ people for the church. Steph will consider the question, "What perspective on the Good News does the church need to hear from the LGBTQ+ community?" in their online workshop.
Sunday Evening Worship
Sunday, July 31
Worship time hosted by In This Together. Led by LGBTQ+ and allied siblings in faith, we will See, Hear, and Declare the goodness of God in the diverse gifts within Mennonite Church Canada.
Planned and led by Tim Wenger, Alissa Bender, Anneli Loepp Thiessen, Michele Rizoli, Pieter Niemeyer, Steph Chandler Burns, Leah Harder, and Carrie Lehn, with thanks to the technical crew for the Edmonton gathering.
In This Together organizers Matthew Froese and Tim Wenger were involved in this event in Winnipeg.
Cahoots 2024
Cahoots is not formally connected with In This Together, but ITT promotes and supports the festival, and we have some exciting partnerships coming up!
Cahoots is the festival of Faith, Justice and DIY - operated by a volunteer crew of passionate organizers, the festival brings together people to share skills and stories to equip us to create the world of inclusion and economic justice that God calls us to build. Cahoots strives to be a decolonizing, Queer and Trans-inclusive, intergenerational, youth-led, anti-racist and feminist space, a temporary community of learning and transformation each year.