Mennonite Church USA lives into its Accessibility Resolution by removing barriers and providing resources to make the Follow Jesus ’25 convention accessible to all.
By Jessica Griggs for Mennonite Church USA
ELKHART, Ind. (Mennonite Church USA) — For the fourth consecutive convention, MC USA Follow Jesus ’25 convention planners are working with Anabaptist Disabilities Network to create a welcoming and accessible convention for those with disabilities. Follow Jesus ’25 will take place in Greensboro, North Carolina, July 8-12.
In 2022, Mennonite Church USA delegates passed the MC USA Accessibility Resolution, which encourages all members of MC USA, including the denomination itself, to “remove the barriers to belonging in architecture, communications and attitudes that prevent individuals with disabilities from participating in church life, and to bring wholeness to the Body of Christ as those barriers are removed, and all people are fully integrated into the community of faith.” One way that the denomination seeks to participate in this resolution is through providing accessibility resources for anyone who requests them during the Follow Jesus ’25 national convention.
The following accommodations are available, upon request, for the MC USA Women’s Summit, the Follow Jesus ’25 convention and the Delegate Assembly: convention-provided wheelchairs or scooters, assisted listening devices, accessible slide content for screen readers/tablets and guided walk-throughs of the convention center for those who have low vision or are blind, American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, sound-reducing ear plugs, and a quiet/sensory room. Other needs may also be accommodated, if registrants indicate those needs on their registration form with enough advanced notice. It is imperative, though, that anyone who plans to take advantage of these offerings should register as early as possible and indicate the services they need on their registration form, to ensure that all their needs are fully met.
During the worship services and delegate session, Spanish interpretation will be made available. At lunch, which is included with convention registration, gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options will be provided, and for the duration of convention, there will be a private room for lactating mothers to nurse or pump.
“Making convention accessible is good for people with disabilities and good for the church, because it means that we more fully represent the body of Christ in our gathering, using our collective gifts for the good of all,” said Jeanne Davies, executive director of Anabaptist Disabilities Network.
Mennonite Church USA is an Anabaptist Christian denomination, founded in 2002 by the merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. Members of this historic peace church seek to follow Jesus by rejecting violence and resisting injustice. MC USA’s Renewed Commitments state the following shared commitments among its diverse body of believers: to follow Jesus, witness to God’s peace and experience the transformation of the Holy Spirit. Mennoniteusa.org
The 2025 MC USA biennial national gathering and leading faith formation event, Follow Jesus ‘25, will take place July 8-12, 2025, at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, North Carolina.