Convention planners are seeking proposals for equipping seminars at MennoCon21, the Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) biennial convention slated to take place July 6-10 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The deadline for submissions is October 10.

“The worship experience and equipping seminars are the main reasons people give for coming to convention,” says Scott Hartman, director of event planning for MC USA. “We are always impressed with the quality and diversity of the proposals our people submit, which enable us to offer an amazing selection of seminars.”

The convention planning team is calling for seminars, workshops and trainings to provide interactive learning experiences and introduce practical tools, skills, habits or frameworks that youth and adult participants can take home and put into practice. Convention planners are also seeking seminars to be presented in Spanish or other languages.

“Seminars at convention are a significant faith formation setting for youth and adults,” says Shana Peachey Boshart, MC USA denominational minister for faith formation and coordinator of convention seminars. “That’s why we work hard to create a slate of offerings that covers a broad range of contextually relevant topics that align with a missional Anabaptist theology, reflect our commonly-held ideals and build up the church.”

Seminars are 60 minutes long and typically cover a variety of categories, including church vitality, leadership development, peace and justice, health and well-being, stewardship and youth ministry. There are 180 available seminar slots targeting the following audiences: youth, adult, intergenerational, young adult and youth sponsor. Anyone with specific expertise may submit a proposal. Youth are invited to co-present with an adult sponsor.

Visit the convention website for a list of seminar criteria and to access the submission form.

MennoCon21 is scheduled as an in-person event but the convention planning staff are monitoring the impact of COVID-19 on the event.

“We are exploring various modes of meeting, including in-person, distance participation and a combination of these,” says Hartman. “We also are paying attention to the precautions we need to take as we gather. We’re proceeding with planning as usual, with the understanding that we likely will need to make adjustments along the way.”