What We Believe

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Jesus is the centre of our faith | To be a Christian means to follow Jesus in daily life; it means more than having a spiritual experience or affirming a belief. For the Anabaptist Christian, following the teachings and the example of Jesus has the power to not only change our attitudes and our actions but it can also change who we are as living participants in the story of God and God’s people.
Community is the centre of our lives | One of the first things that Jesus did when he began his ministry was to form a community and, in time, they became the core of a new society called the church.  Jesus wanted his followers to not only believe in him, but also to have a strong sense of belonging to each other.  
Reconciliation is the centre of our work | Jesus came to reconcile all those who would respond to God and to each other. He addressed brokenness and injustice of all kinds, and trained a group of followers who became ambassadors of reconciliation.  Reconciling people not only to God but also to each other is at the center of the work to which Jesus calls us.

 

To learn more about us and our beliefs you can read our Statement of Faith and Mission Statement. 

 

WHAT DOES WORSHIP MEAN TO US AT LMF?
 
Worship at LMF is a warm and inviting gathering of people in which we, together as a group, want to respond to God’s love which is known most fully in Christ’s birth, life, teachings, death and rising to life. 
Worship is a time of confession and of celebration; we know our frailties, aches and yearnings, yet we positively and joyfully are hopeful because, with Christ, life is irrepressible and abundantly filled with meaning. 
At LMF, worship is led by the community; everyone leads and participates according to their gifts and calling.  We love singing together; it is a thoughtful and meaning-filled way for us to connect with one another, feeling the presence of our Creator, Redeemer, and Guide. 

 

       
ARE PEOPLE OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY WELCOME
TO WORSHIP AND PARTICIPATE FULLY IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH?

Yes. LMF is committed to live as a family, faithful to Christ’s teachings of love, acceptance, humility and hospitality. As children in God’s family, we are all wonderfully made and ought to be loved, affirmed and built up as the people we are, whatever our gender and sexual orientation. 
As our family grows and becomes more and more diverse, and as we get to know one another, our relationships can be strained but ultimately affirmed. We are transformed by our genuine encounters with one another, particularly if we meet one another in the self-giving spirit of God’s unconditional love.  

 

CONNECTIONS 
In This Together is a network of people from Anabaptist communities across Canada working toward a just world where LGBTQ+ people are fully integrated, recognized, respected, and valued in a spirit of mutuality.

The Listening Church project creates space for hearing Mennonite LGBTQ+ people speak about their experiences in Mennonite Church Canada congregations.  Drawing on the wisdom of their experiences in the church, the participants share insights for the church as it discerns how we faithfully live as the body of Christ, which is made up of diverse expressions of gender and sexual orientation. 

 



WHAT DOES RECONCILIATION LOOK LIKE AT LMF?  
 
At LMF we care deeply about restoring broken relationships. In all things, we seek to follow the teachings of Jesus which guide us to peacemaking, unity, and reconciliation with those who have been wronged. We support restorative justice initiatives and seek reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
We acknowledge that we gather on the unceded, traditional, and ancestral territory of the Kwantlen and Stó:lō Nations. The Mennonite expression of Christian faith is beautiful and has incredible strengths, but it has been deeply impacted by colonial thinking and practices. The Kwantlen people know what it means to be indigenous to our specific location and it humbles us to know that we have not listened enough to learn from the wisdom of our gracious hosts.
 
Please see our Community Concerns page for more.

ROOTED IN HISTORY.

Our story is part of the larger story of the Anabaptist movement, with roots in the radical wing of the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Part of the group known as Anabaptists (because they re-baptized adult believers), the Mennonites took their name from Menno Simons, a 16th century Dutch priest from Friesland who converted to the Anabaptist faith and became an influential leader.
Although Mennonites were traditionally part of a European movement, modern day Mennonites number about 1 million worldwide, and are a cross-cultural group both here in Canada and around the world. Mennonites are known for their emphasis on peace, justice, simplicity, community, service, and mutual aid.
In keeping with their spiritual roots, Mennonites still believe in the close textual readings of the Scriptures and a personal spiritual responsibility at the core of their faith. Radical from their beginning, but later considered conservative in many of their beliefs, Mennonites have come to represent a spectrum of backgrounds and beliefs. Pacifism is one of the cornerstones of the Mennonite faith and service to others is an important way of being an expression of God’s love in the world.
 
If you want to learn more about Anabaptist Christianity you can read a short booklet.   READ HERE