On behalf of the Bridgefolk Board, we are pleased to announce that we will be holding our 2005 conference in Harrisonburg, Virginia, at Eastern Mennonite University. Dates for the conference remain the same: Thursday evening July 21 through Sunday noon July 24.
Why the change?
The idea came from several participants–some Catholic, some Mennonite–not from anyone on the board. These persons felt that after three years of Mennonites experiencing Catholic community at Saint John’s it was time for Catholics to have the opportunity to experience Mennonite life in a Mennonite community.
After weighing the matter the board decided to circulate a questionnaire to people on the Bridgefolk mailing list. The response to this was quite strong, with 77 people responding, but there was no clear consensus.
The board discussed this matter at the December meeting, and after long and prayerful discussion concluded that we should make the move to a Mennonite location this year.
Why now?
We would have preferred to wait until 2006 to make this change, but 2006 is the 150th anniversary of Saint John’s and in connection with the anniversary celebrations the Abbey is hosting a conference on the new lay movements, and would like Bridgefolk to participate in that.
Why EMU?
The invitation to hold the next conference at Eastern Mennonite University came from Ken Nafziger, who is on the faculty there. Ken was the music leader at last summer’s conference. EMU has similar facilities to those at Saint John’s, and is located in a large and active Mennonite community. It provides an opportunity to experience the full spectrum of Mennonite life, from the most traditional to the modern. There are local people interested in hosting the conference. And it is located in a scenic and historic area.
What does it mean?
We are not leaving Saint John’s. It will remain our Catholic home for the foreseeable future, and the present plan is to continue to meet there every other year. But it is also a recognition that the bridge has two sides, and if our conversation is to have real integrity we must meet on both sides of the bridge.
It already appears this move will bring a significant number of new Mennonite participants into our conversation. This could be an important step forward in the Bridgefolk process. But that will depend on the willingness of people–both Catholic and Mennonite–who have attended past conferences to come to EMU this summer. This is especially important for Catholics. Because there is large Mennonite population in the EMU area, we will likely have many new Mennonite participants. Catholics will have to come from other areas to preserve the balance we have tried to maintain.
Marlene Kropf and Abbot John Klassen O.S.B.
Bridgefolk co-chairs