Why I Covenant
Néstor Quiroa
Since Lombard Mennonite Church started its yearly Covenant Sunday in 2012, I feel that this celebration has given my family and me opportunities to reflect on why we choose to commit our Sunday mornings to being part of the LMC faith community. Covenant Sunday is an open invitation to join an active group of brothers and sisters who, each in their own diverse way and with their own talents, witness deep faith, hope, acts of justice, peace, and love for our neighbors.
I view this covenant practice as an inclusive act, rather than an exclusive definition of membership, where someone decides whether I have the required attributes to be included (like a club or professional association). Covenant Sunday affirms my choice to live out LMC’s five core values with a Christocentric community.
Over the years, I have enjoyed the artistic symbolism used to physically capture the complex, yet strong nature of our community. Projects have included the decoration of wooden blocks for a wall display, mixing different colors of sand, and even stamping our fingerprints on a wall hanging. Upon reflection, stamping my fingerprints was deeply meaningful, as this expressed a unique attribute of my human essence. Yet, on that Covenant Sunday, my fingerprints also became an affirmation of my faith in the ongoing, radical work of the LMC community.
We’ll celebrate our annual covenant renewal on November 9. Click here to learn more about our membership covenant.
In This Issue
Giving Lags Behind Expenses
Eric Nelessen
I want to start by thanking you all for how you’ve financially supported our church so far this year! Together we have raised over $260,500 for LMC’s ministry and mission in 2025.
Through October 31, 2025, our expenses are $315,154, resulting in a net loss to date of $48,786. To be transparent, this has put us in a less-than-ideal liquidity situation; we are running short on cash to pay all our obligations. To offset the poor cash flow, we’ve postponed some payments for expenses that don’t have rigid due dates, such as mission contributions to Mennonite agencies and certain staff benefits.
It’s common to make annual contributions (such as a qualified charitable distribution from an IRA or one lump sum donation) in December at the end of the year. If this is your practice, would you consider giving a bit earlier than normal this year or splitting your donation into two parts? An influx of giving would be very helpful for the church to continue paying our bills and making our contributions in a timely manner.
Please let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything I can clarify for you!
Profit & Loss as of October 31, 2025
| General Fund Giving | $260,508 |
| Other Income | $5,859 |
| Total Revenue | $266,367 |
| Total Expenses | -$315,154 |
| Net Income | -$48,787 |
A Lesson in Kurdish Hospitality
Nathan Perrin
Ed. Note: Nathan recently returned from a 16-day Community Peacemaker Teams delegation in Iraqi Kurdistan.
I had the blessing of experiencing the Kurdish healthcare system while traveling. Eating a bad peach turned out to be the ultimate diagnosis, but I was sicker than I was used to from past experiences. After a long night, I decided to go to the ER just to get some fluids. The doctor admitted me when he saw I had a fever.
The next three hours were a blur as I drifted in and out of sleep. Still, I can confidently say it was the best medical care I’ve ever received in my life. Once the tests confirmed my illness wasn’t viral, they discharged me, and one of the deputy directors even took me out to lunch while I waited for the CPT team to pick me up. (All of this care was free, by the way.)
There was something profoundly touching about the way they cared for me. It was classic Middle Eastern hospitality. I think Jesus was onto something when he described the Good Samaritan as taking care of all the needs of the man broken in the ditch. We often think that throwing money at a problem will fix it, but it’s when we take the time to care for the people right in front of us that God truly shows up.
I’ll never outmatch Kurdish hospitality, but I can strive to be a little better than I was yesterday.
MYF Tests Sunday School Curriculum on Mental Health
Adrien Keables Hayward
The MYF (LMC’s high school youth group) is off to a good start! We recently enjoyed a trip to Abbey Farms with the Venture Club. Upcoming activities include fall workday at Camp Menno Haven, lock in, and ice skating.
We are about halfway through testing one of the new youth curriculum units which Shine is developing. The unit is called Whole People, Holy People: Faith and Mental Health. It has a number of themes, including a growing awareness of God’s love for the entire person (not just the happy, successful, churchy bits), helping teenagers name emotions and experiences, giving them skills and opportunities to better support one another, increasing empathy around mental health, and finding hope in scripture (even the tough parts).
So far, we’ve engaged with familiar parts of the Bible—such as the passion story in Mark’s Gospel—as well as Lamentations, which the youth hadn’t encountered before. Our teenagers have been so thoughtful and engaged during discussion and prayer.
We just did our first Question Sunday, when the youth decide what we talk about by submitting their own questions. I was blown away by the questions they brought in—this is a cool group of youth, and we are enjoying walking with them this year!
VC: Looking Forward to a Great Year!
Alice Kabira
The school year has started off and the Venture Club is busy! We have a large group this year of nine members, many of whom are regular attendees.
Our Sunday school classes use the Shine curriculum, and we study the word through acting, games, and thoughtful discussions. The curriculum moves chronologically through the Bible, connecting stories through people and events. Currently, we have been looking at different kings and how they affected the people’s relationship with God.
Our events for the year started off strong with an outing to Abbey Farms with the MYF, where we didn’t get lost in the corn maze! Towards the end of the year, we’ll have our annual lock in—making monkey bread, playing games, watching a movie, and staying up late.
Looking ahead to 2026, we will attend the Menno Haven Junior High Winter Retreat, which is always a great opportunity for our youth to get to know kids from other congregations. We’ll likely go ice skating in the winter as well with the MYF at the ribbons in Maggie Daley Park in Chicago, and possibly try an escape room. The Venture Club loves spending time with each other—and if you see one of our members, ask them what they ate that week!
What’s New? The LGBTQ+ Support Fund
Carlen Sellers
After Annabeth Roeschley came to LMC on March 23, 2025 and made a presentation called “Rebellious Cultures of Care,” several LMCers wondered what we could do to support the LGBTQ+ community and especially transgender persons, who are being demonized by MAGA adherents. We subsequently coordinated with leadership to set up a fund—the “LGBTQ+ Support Fund”—to work with the Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests and with Pink Haven. Pink Haven is an organization founded by the Universalist Unitarian Church to support trans and non-binary persons who need to leave their homes and relocate to another city because of threats to their safety, lack of medical care, etc.
Here’s how you can get involved.
- Contribute to the LGBTQ+ Support Fund. We are currently partnering with Pink Haven through quarterly donations. If you would like to take part, you can make a donation to LMC designated for the Support Fund.
- Consider becoming a housing host. If you have extra bedrooms in your home and are willing to occasionally host a family in the process of relocating, please contact Carlen S. We have two families in our congregation who have already volunteered. While this may feel intimidating, please be aware that the families involved are carefully vetted and screened by Pink Haven.
- Explore becoming a “Welcome Village.” If there is enough interest at LMC, we could serve as a “Welcome Village” for families or persons who relocate to our area. This would be similar to the support we gave to the A. family when they arrived from Iraq.
The Support Fund is administered by a committee consisting of Katrina Baugh, Jeremy Kropf, Hilary Rhodes, and Carlen Sellers. Please feel free to reach out to any one of us.
Matching Grant Brings Hope in Bolivia
Nina Balmaceda
Rooted in the love of Christ, the Paz y Esperanza (Peace and Hope) Bolivia team serves in Santa Cruz de la Sierra with a heart for just peace and neighborly love. The team has 30 members—29 of them volunteers—who joyfully offer their time and talents to bring hope, restoration, and dignity to people in poverty.
The team’s work currently focuses on two main areas. First, they provide immediate support to children, youth, and vulnerable adults who have suffered—or are at risk of suffering—physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. They offer free legal advice and representation in court, especially in cases of sexual violence or domestic abuse. They also provide individual and group therapy for survivors, including children, women, and families, as well as workshops on building resilience and navigating trauma.
Second, the team serves at Palmasola, the largest maximum-security prison in the country. Their goal is to promote a more humane prison system and to equip inmates with the tools and emotional support they need to successfully reintegrate into their families and communities after release. The Paz Bolivia team offers reflection groups, individual counseling, and support to increase the inmates’ contact with their family members—steps that encourage personal transformation and reduce violence within the prison.
Guided by Christ’s compassion and a commitment to justice, the team walks alongside inmates and cares for them, facilitating access to medical care and essential services when they face illness or violence. The Paz Bolivia volunteer attorneys offer their time and expertise to review cases and monitor judicial processes in order to defend the inmates’ right to due process.
We are deeply grateful for your faithful prayers and generous financial support. Your partnership in this ministry empowers us to continue serving with compassion and hope. With warm greetings from the PyE Bolivia Team and from Roberto and Nina.
