Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (Elkhart, Indiana) will be hosting a conference entitled My Spirit Rejoices in God my Savior: Mary in Anabaptist Dress in late March. Bridgefolk board members Mary Schertz and Marlene Kropf are among the event coordinators.
From the conference website:
We recognize Mary as woman who said yes to God. We recognize her as the first disciple in Luke’s Gospel. We identify her as a revolutionary. She tugs at us in art, music, poetry and drama.
As Mennonites have become more involved in ecumenical conversations, we realize that Mary plays a role in those discussions as well. While we will examine Anabaptist perspectives in particular, we want to encourage dialogue on the biblical figure of Mary and to examine recent interest in her from a variety of perspectives.
This conference, sponsored by the Institute of Mennonite Studies, will initiate and encourage wide-ranging discussion about Mary, including biblical, theological, pastoral and practical aspects. We are inviting people from a variety of disciplines to join us, so that these conversations involve pastors, church members, scholars, artists and church leaders. Our hope is that all who participate will join in conversations about Mary and will experience art—music, poetry, story and visual art—that will help us understand the place of Mary in our lives and thoughts
Click here to visit the conference site directly. A short article in the Mennonite Weekly Review can be found here.