Upcoming Mediation Training

Lombard Mennonite Peace Center Mediation Skill Training Institute

Gain skills to deal effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict. All are welcome!

May 18-22

Monday 1:00 to 4:30 PM;

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM;

Friday 9:00 AM to noon

Location: Delmar Reformed Church, Delmar, NY

Register Here

This intenstive event is designed to equip church leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to deal effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict. It also includes a component o

n congregational mediation and consultation, placed within the context of family systems theory. Although focused primarily on the church setting, the skills learned are directly transferable to other settings, including the business and academic worlds. Join us and find out for yourself why a previous participant described MSTI as “The best and most thorough model for mediation with individuals and congregations that I have experienced in more than three decades of ordained ministry”!

Conflict is an inevitable part of life, whether in the home, school, community, church, or workplace. Having the skills to function effectively in emotionally intense, conflicted situations is important for all of us, especially those of us who are leaders. Lombard Mennonite Peace Center has trained thousands of church leaders from a wide range of denominations in the skills that are needed to deal with conflict in the church setting through its Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders.

Schedule

The Mediation Skills Training Institute runs daily; Monday 1:00 to 4:30 PM, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Friday 9:00 AM to noon.

Overview

The Institute includes lectures, discussion, and guided practice in role-plays. Active and practical in focus, the sessions emphasize hands-on skills training and real-life role-plays based on the kinds of conflicts faced by participants. A more detailed description of the sessions is available upon request.

Registration Fee

For the Regional Synod of Albany, event there is varied fee schedule. $950 for non-RSA Members, $850 for RSA Members, $425 for those considering joining the RSA Mediation team and helping with mediation, and free for current members of the RSA Mediation Team. The registration fee includes five full days of instruction and a hard copy of the MSTI training manual. We strongly encourage you to register at least two weeks before the event begins so that your manual arrives in time.

Trainer

Jay Wittmeyer, Executive Director of the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, is the facilitator for MSTI. 

Meals & Lodging

Daily refreshments will be provided. Participants will need to arrange their own lodging and meals.

MediationTrainingFlyer_May2026.pdf

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RSA Middle Assembly Transition Teams: Update!

The Transition Teams working to create Middle Assemblies which will best serve the churches in our region are up and running.  The Transition Team of the Upstate NY Middle Assembly (UNYMA) met for an in-person meeting on Saturday, August 9.  See photos below!  And the second Transition Team initiated by Montgomery Classis will be meeting in-person next week.

These initial meetings are focused directly on discussing and discerning the identity, vision, and values of their respective Middle Assemblies.  By having these in-person meetings, members are able to get to know each other, seek the Lord together, and combine their different experiences and outlooks as they begin to craft the way all congregations of the RSA can move forward in ministry within the new structure. 

Each team will be working diligently over the coming months.  We have an aggressive, but doable, timeline.  You can read more about the work assigned to the teams and the timeline in a letter from Albany Synod president, Dirk Gieser, published in our July Newsletter. The first public output from each team will occur at the October meeting of the Regional Synod of Albany.  

The Upstate team members are: Nancy Landrigan, Trey Tirpak, Patti Varga, Amy Katt, Randy Karcher, Steve Meyer, Amy Burdett, David Vander Wal, David Walsh, Richard Dykstra, David Patterson, Noreen Fargione, and Immanuel van Tonder.

The second team is made up of: Jeff McIlrath, Brian Engel, Matt Draffen, Jeff Kelley, Marian Engells, and Dirk Gieser.

Lindsey De Kruif and Bob Hoffman are staff to both Transition Teams, and Sherri Meyer-Veen is serving as an additional resource person.

If you have feedback or questions for either Transition Team, please contact Lindsey De Kruif, Albany Synod Program Coordinator.

The UNYMA Transition Team meeting at Fonda Reformed Church

Now Available! Handbook for Collaborative Ministry!

The CMLC on retreat at Camp Fowler: Greg Town, Paige Convis, Becky Town, Sherri Meyer-Veen (RSA staff), and Jennifer Legg. Not pictured: Chuck Wiessner, who participated in the retreat by zoom.

Over the past year, Albany Synod's Collaborative Ministry Learning Community (CMLC) has been meeting, studying, researching, interviewing, and writing about all they've learned as they have explored many of the paths that Collaborative ministry can take. You can read the benefits of their work by exploring the Handbook for Collaborative Ministry they produced. Any church that is considering how to work together with another church or agency in ministry would benefit from studying this terrific handbook.

Here are some excerpts from the introduction to the Handbook:

The CMLC emerged from the recommendations of the Adaptive Change Task Force of the Regional Synod of Albany, recognizing the need for new approaches to ministry in an ever-changing landscape. We are committed to exploring innovative models of shared ministry—reimagining what has been done before and discovering what has yet to be tried.

We see ourselves as pioneers and practitioners in collaboration, embracing both the successes and setbacks that come with experimentation. Our role is not just to implement what is already known, but to test, adapt, and refine models of ministry that respond to the needs of today’s church. We believe that collaboration is not merely a practical necessity for churches and ministers, but a theological and missional calling - a way of being the body of Christ together.

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Through this handbook and the ongoing learning of many who are involved in collaborations of various kinds, we aim to equip and encourage congregations, pastors, and church leaders as they step into collaborative ministry. We believe that when churches work together—sharing leadership, resources, and mission - they become stronger, more resilient, and better able to serve their communities.

Whether you are just beginning to explore shared ministry or are looking to strengthen an existing partnership, our goal is to walk alongside you, offering insights, encouragement, and practical tools to navigate the journey ahead.

Are you feeling intrigued? What are you waiting for, go check out the Handbook! Bring it to your consistory, read it together, and then let us know how your discernment process progresses! The CMLC will be continuing to work together for the foreseeable future, and they'd love to hear from you how you make use of the Handbook.

To offer an edit, add a story of your own, offer the addition of a resource you’ve found useful, or just give your feedback, please email Greg Town at gnbtown@gmail.com This handbook will be continually edited and added to, in order to build on and deepen our shared learning in the collaborative work to which we’re all called to enter.  Peace!