Mennonite Church USA —The Mennonite Church USA Executive Board staff has released a year-long spiritual practices resource that explores the 2017 convention theme Love is a Verb through the lens of Richard Foster’s six spiritual streams.

The resource is intended for use by delegates, youth groups, presenters, planners and other convention attendees from July 2016 through June 2017. Leo Hartshorn of Portland, Oregon, is the author; he also wrote the six-week discernment guide leading up to the Delegate Assembly in Kansas City in 2015.

“I am particularly excited about this resource in that it provides a wide range of spiritual practices for a diverse constituency that has the potential for deepening our spiritual lives as a faith community at a crucial juncture in our corporate history,” said Hartshorn, a retired Anabaptist minister, peacemaker, poet, songwriter, musician and artist who attends Portland Mennonite Church. Hartshorn has a doctorate with a focus on Anabaptist preaching from Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Theological Seminary.

The resource is designed to span the year leading up to the Mennonite Church USA convention in Orlando, Florida (July 4–8, 2017), with monthly themes and suggested weekly practices beginning in July 2016 and ending in June 2017. The first six months focus on the theme of love found in 1 John. The second six months delve more deeply into the theme of love in each of the six spiritual streams — contemplative, holiness, charismatic, social justice, evangelical and incarnational — exploring how each stream reflects the spiritual diversity present with Mennonite Church USA.

To download a copy of this resource, click here: Love_Is_A_Verb:_Spiritual_Practices_Resource_2016-17.