What is this about?

The NE wall of the church (facing the Urbana/Uxbridge intersection) has a blank brick surface above the church marquee. This surface is the most public of any of our outer walls. The Board is proposing that we use it to give a message/sign/declaration from Foothills to Calgary and the broader community as to whom we are.

Where did this idea come from?

There are a number of sources. Some years ago Foothills had a peace flag as a witness to the peace theology of the Anabaptist Christian churches. That flag gradually succumbed to the weathering of outdoor life and was never replaced. Last year, and again this year, Mennonite Church Canada passed resolutions asking that every affiliated congregation undertake activity to re-emphasize the peace witness of the Mennonite Church. At a recent congregational meeting, the need to identify our motivation for peace grows from a theology of peace centered in Christ over the broader secular understanding of peace was underscored. Our discussions around the Safe Church policy also have at their root a wish to promote peace, not just for ourselves, but the entirety of God's creation. Finally, our summer worship series has been focused on peace, so ideas should abound.

What will the message on the wall be?

The message should be short and convey to the public what our congregation believes and who we are as a Christian community in the Anabaptist understanding of Jesus Christ and scripture. It can be a Scriptural verse, but other messages/sources might be equally appropriate (title of a hymn, invitation to join us, a challenge etc) within those broad guidelines, the question restated is...

What would I want the message from Foothills Mennonite Church to the world to be?

Entries for "Name-the-wall" will be in every member's mailbox and extras for anyone else who wishes to enter will be at the ushers' table. When all the entries are collected a process of discernment with the congregation as a whole will be undertaken to name the wall! Entries to the Chair's mailbox up to and including Sept 29th are accepted.