Working Together

01:00 pm MCC in Lancaster County Tour

For those arriving a day early, join Ken Sensenig for a 2-hour tour exploring MCC’s work in Lancaster County. We will visit the Material Resources Center in Ephrata to see volunteers preparing relief shipments, quilts, and other items for global distribution. The tour includes stops at MCC headquarters in Akron and an MCC thrift shop.

08:30 am Amish and Mennonite Countryside Tour

This 3.5-hour tour, led by John H. Denlinger, begins with the 17-minute film We Believe at The Mennonite Life Visitors Center, then continues through Lancaster’s scenic “Garden Spot of America.” Stops include Riehl’s Quilt Shop in Intercourse, the Clinic for Special Children, and Lapp Valley Farm Ice Cream and Emma’s Popcorn.

Departs 1:00 PM from Riehl’s Construction and returns by 3:30 PM. Cost: $20 pp (cash or check at the MDS registration table). Please arrive 15 minutes before departure

11:30 am Lunch at Riehl’s Construction

01:00 pm Welcome

Begin the afternoon with prayer, greetings, and an invitation to listen for God’s leading in our time together.

01:45 pm Gathering Sessions

Gathering Session A: MDS Executive Director Q&A

Join Kevin King (MDS U.S. Executive Director) and Ross Penner (MDS Canada Executive Director) for an open conversation about how God is moving through disaster response ministry. Bring your questions and hear how faith in Christ shapes MDS’s decisions, priorities, and service.

Gathering Session B: Working Together with Partners

A panel conversation with representatives from several VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) partners. Learn how our organizations collaborate to respond to disasters and explore ways to strengthen partnerships in your own community.

02:45 pm Break

03:00 pm Gathering Sessions

Gathering Session C: MDS’s Anabaptist Community

Steve Nolt (Elizabethtown College) will share the history and variety of the Anabaptist groups that make up the MDS community. Includes time for Q&A.

Gathering Session D: Polarity Management: Grassroots and Staff-Led

Explore how MDS navigates the dynamic between grassroots volunteer engagement and centralized staff leadership, and how managing these natural polarities can bring greater clarity and purpose in our mission to bring people home.

04:00 pm Break

04:15 pm Region 1–4 Gatherings

Gather with others from your region to pray together, share stories of God’s work, and seek God’s direction for the year ahead.

05:00 pm Dinner

07:00 pm Celebration Service

A time of worship including a devotional, hymn sing, and the MDS Year-in-Review video—giving glory to God for the ways God has worked through volunteers and communities over the past year.

08:15 pm Fellowship

Continue the evening with informal conversation and connection.

08:30 am Fellowship

A relaxed time to connect over coffee and conversation with fellow attendees before the morning program begins.

09:30 am Program Begins

Hear updates, inspiring voices from across MDS, and testimonies of lives changed through God’s love.

11:00 am Closing

A time to reflect on the weekend, express gratitude, and share final thoughts as we look ahead to the year to come.

11:30 am Lunch

01:00 pm Lancaster: Off the Beaten Trail Tour

This 2.5-hour tour, led by Ken Sensenig, explores hidden Lancaster stories starting in Bird in Hand, where a Quaker community once aided freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad. Visit Misty Creek Goat Dairy to meet the goats and sample their products, tour MCC’s Material Resources Center in Ephrata, and step inside an Old Order Mennonite Church for a glimpse into historic worship practices.

Tour departs 1:00 PM from Riehl’s Construction, returning by 4:00 PM. $30 pp. Cash or check accepted at the MDS registration table. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to departure.