Participants at Hope for the Future 2026, San Antonio, Texas.
MC USA brought together two dozen BIPOC leaders for an intimate Hope for the Future gathering at Cristiana Iglesia Roca de Refugio, San Antonio, Texas, on Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2026.
Unlike larger past gatherings, this year’s event focused on deep discernment and strategic visioning. The Hope for the Future planning team, led by Sue Park-Hur, MC USA’s director of racial/ethnic engagement, created a space centered on listening, rest and mutual renewal. Together, they reflected on the vision of Hope for the Future’s founders, celebrated the launching of new resources by younger BIPOC leaders, and envisioned how to build sustainable, adaptive support for leaders serving in diverse contexts.
Dianne Garcia, pastor of Cristiana Iglesia Roca de Refugio and keynote speaker, called participants to embrace interdependence in ministry and community life in her study, “Building Connections in Times of Division,” based on I Corinthians 12.
“There is no hierarchy of love; our love for God, people in the margins, community, family and ourselves are all interconnected and abundant,” she said, adding, “We need to build a culture of interdependence. We are not complete without the other.”
The message resonated with attendees, including Jonny Rashid, pastor of West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship, who reflected on the need for solidarity across communities, saying that the key to overcoming division is to “…move toward mutual transformation and shared liberation, knowing that our liberation is bound up with one another.
“To be united, we need to work toward collective liberation. We need to ally with all minorities because our liberation is linked.”
For Stanley Green, executive conference minister of Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference and one of the founders of the Hope for the Future conference, the weekend renewed a spirit of perseverance and faith.
“I am filled with hope. It may yet be rocky ahead, but the body of Christ will live and light the way in the dark valleys … until we arrive at the mountaintop from which we will behold the dawning light of a new day.”
Hope for the Future 2026 invited participants to reimagine leadership formation rooted in spiritual grounding, shared liberation and genuine care for one another — a vision that continues to guide MC USA’s commitment to equity and inclusion across the denomination.
Look for more reflections from Hope for the Future 2026 in MC USA’s Menno Snapshots in the coming weeks.
See photos from the event here.
Support MC USA’s ongoing work to develop leaders and empower local ministries here.
Written by MC USA staff.