Stories
How people are experiencing faith in new communities
Some grew up Mennonite. Many didn’t. Here’s how people who were hurt by church, or had drifted away, are experiencing faith in our emerging communities.
Liann and her family found a church home at Moveable Feast.
Moveable Feast · Chicago
Healing
“I think this is what you’re looking for!” Liann’s friend proclaimed as she forwarded an email from Moveable Feast, an emerging faith community in Central District Conference pastored by Celeste Kennel-Shank.
Liann’s journey to Moveable Feast was driven by a deep longing for a church that embodied peacemaking, justice, and true inclusivity. This desire stood in stark contrast to the “barriers for gender and sexuality” she and her husband had encountered in many churches and in college. They yearned for a space where their children could witness an authentic representation of Jesus’ boundless love and acceptance.
Before finding Moveable Feast, their search for a church in Chicago was characterized by uncertainty. They visited 12 churches without success. The accumulated hurt from past church experiences, including the sting of power abuse, cast a long shadow, making the prospect of finding a truly safe and welcoming space feel daunting.
Since joining Moveable Feast, Liann and her family have experienced firsthand the transformative power of a truly inclusive community. The focus on shared purpose—to love their neighbors and make a tangible difference for the marginalized—has provided a sense of belonging and purpose that was previously missing. Moveable Feast’s emphasis on a co-created community, where everyone has a voice, resonated deeply with their desire to move beyond hierarchical structures and experience an authentic, lived-out faith. The community’s embrace of interfaith connections has further fostered a sense of expansive welcome.
In Liann’s words, the experience has been “really transformative” and “really healing,” bringing her to tears of gratitude.
The Intention Church · Online
Authentic self
Jessica is what you might call chronically online. Years ago, she stumbled upon Trey Ferguson on Twitter. His continual refrain, “love is committed to wholeness,” resonated with her. Her journey to finding a spiritual home had been marked by experiences of exclusion and the need to hide parts of herself. She was excited to learn that Trey was launching The Intention Church and that she could be a part of it.
What she found was a deeply accepting space, the kind of community she had desperately needed, where she could be her authentic self without fear of judgment. The Intention Church embraces diversity in all its forms, celebrates LGBTQ+ individuals, and prioritizes open and honest dialogue. Within this community, made up of people gathered from across the globe, vulnerability is met with compassion, questions are encouraged, and both joys and sorrows are shared openly.
“I haven’t had to fracture any parts of my identity,” Jessica reflected. She has finally discovered a place where she feels genuinely seen, heard, and valued, a community built on authenticity, connection, and shared purpose.
A poem
An Ode to the Peeps at Intention
by Jessica Chung
I.
I have felt my being
crack and fracture,
tucking away the parts of myself
the people who swore to love me
would sneer at,
would condemn,
would simply not understand.
I Hokey Pokey-ed my way
through these groups,
one foot in and back out again.
My head was on a swivel ’til
I turned around and never came back.
II.
I found people who
moved and breathed with intention,
who knew how to repair and joke
in equal measure.
I arrived with my whole self,
every part of my identity intact,
not splintered.
My feet have stilled.
There is rest here in this company
of grievers and dreamers.
I look at this bunch
and don’t turn away.
Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship
In the thick of things
Ted was raised in the Mennonite tradition and took a meandering path through different Christian traditions before finding a home at Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship. Over time, he grew uneasy with certain elements in the evangelical and charismatic circles he’d experienced, such as the celebration of nationalism and justification of war. He also wrestled with how specific scriptures applied to the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals.
Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship provided a counter-narrative, modeling a serious commitment to justice, peace, and following Jesus. The fellowship encouraged Ted to fully embrace inclusion and to actively engage in addressing social issues, and the authenticity and vulnerability of the community fostered a deep sense of connection and mutual respect.
Now Ted says that “Christ is more present in my life in our gatherings than any other time in my life.” He is grateful for GRMF’s emphasis on Scripture, their willingness to grapple with hard questions, and the support he has found for his desire to follow Christ. Ted feels at home among people who are “out in the thick of things,” working towards justice and caring for the marginalized.
Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship
Missing connection
Ben grew up in the Mennonite tradition, with his mother’s side of the family deeply rooted in Mennonite churches in places like Kansas and Idaho. But he became disconnected from the church when he moved to Michigan. His grandmother tried to reconnect him by sharing an article about Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship, but Ben didn’t initially engage.
Attending his grandmother’s funeral changed that. Witnessing the strong community come together made him miss that connection in his own life, and the longing prompted him to visit Grand Rapids Mennonite Fellowship, where he soon began to connect with others.
Since February 2024, Ben has been regularly attending the fellowship. He values reconnecting with a community with connections to MC USA and Anabaptism, and he is actively involved in developing the children’s ministry. He finds it meaningful to express faith through deeds, showing love, and engaging in pacifism, especially in the current climate.
Books from our pastors
Read more from our leaders
Trey Ferguson · The Intention Church
Theologizin’ Bigger
Homilies on Living Freely and Loving Wholly (Lake Drive Books, 2024)
Trey, pastor of The Intention Church, writes sermons that invite you to think for yourself about faith and point toward a common-sense, accessible view of God rooted in real life and context. A good companion if you’re deconstructing, or if you want a bigger faith rather than a smaller one.
Celeste Kennel-Shank · Moveable Feast
What You Sow Is a Bare Seed
A Countercultural Christian Community during Five Decades of Change (Wipf & Stock, 2023)
Celeste, pastor of Moveable Feast, tells the story of Community of Christ, an ecumenical community in Washington, D.C., that gathered around a shared table for five decades while working for church renewal and justice. A rich resource if you’re dreaming of a table-centered, justice-minded community of your own.
These stories and the poem are adapted from Emerging Congregations Stories (Central District Conference, 2025).
Your generosity makes these stories possible
Gifts to Central District Conference directly enable emerging communities like these to live out the love of Jesus, offering healing and a true sense of belonging. Thank you!