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By Aaron Pierce  As I sat in a small cinderblock home housing a widow and her three daughters, all who shared a single bedroom in a very dangerous neighborhood run by drug lords and steeped in poverty, I remember crying out to God, saying, God, how could you create a world that is so messed up? What do you want me to do about it? How is my drop of impact possibly going to make a difference in the ocean of injustice? What am I supposed to do about it? This experience as a college student on a mission trip in Mexico shook me out of my comfortable Christian life and led me into a season of wrestling with God, honestly seeking to understand how a good God could allow such pain and suffering in our world. As I wrestled and sought the truth, God gave me a revelation of something I had understood intellectually in the past, but now it went from my head to my heart and it exploded and altered the trajectory of my life. The truth was this: God is far from indifferent to our suffering. In fact, He sent the most precious thing He had, Jesus, to enter into our suffering and to show us a way out. And all evil, all suffering, all pain, all injustice is the result of one thing, and that is sin. And there is only one solution to sin, and that is Jesus and the message of the cross. As someone who was very justice-oriented and desired to make a difference and address the social brokenness of the world, I recognized that the gospel was the only foundational solution to all the brokenness we experience in our world. But in order to go into the world with the conviction, courage, and sacrifice required to proclaim it in a relevant way to our lost world, each of us needs that revelation. Isaiah had that kind of encounter in Isaiah 6 when he saw the Lord on His throne and was confronted with pure holiness. Scripture gives us this incredible imagery of seraphim, these powerful, majestic beings beyond anything in our imagination. Seraphim literally means “burning ones,” and they are depicted with six wings: with two they cover their faces, with two they cover their feet, and with two they fly. Take all the might of the military power of the world, all the guns, bombs, tanks, missiles, submarines, and aircraft carriers, and stack them in one place. These angelic beings are more powerful than all of it. And yet they cannot look at the Creator. They shield their faces and cry out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.” Their voices are so powerful and profound that the doorposts and thresholds shake and the temple fills with smoke. This contrast reveals the holiness of God, and as Isaiah is confronted with this vision he is ruined by it. When you are exposed to a holy God, you see your own brokenness. Before salvation there is anguish and desperation for a Savior. Then comes atonement, pointing to what Jesus accomplished on the cross. And out of that revelation Isaiah responds to the call, “Here am I, send me.” Without a profound revelation of the holiness of God and the purpose of the cross, we will not go. With it, everything changes. We are living in a world that feels chaotic, anxious, and disoriented. There is confusion about truth, identity, justice, and purpose. People are searching for answers everywhere except God, and the solutions on offer cannot heal the root. The world does not ultimately need more outrage, activism, or commentary. The world needs followers of Jesus who have encountered the holiness of God and who are willing to offer the only true solution found in the cross. This is why Steiger exists: to raise up a radical missionary movement among young people who have encountered God deeply enough to actually go into the secular urban scene, proclaiming Jesus to a world that is desperately searching for answers.
 We are excited at Missionfest Manitoba to announce that Kait Lembke will be next year’s Logistics Coordinator! We have been deeply blessed and grateful for Lorraine Barton, who has faithfully served as our Logistics Coordinator and Mini-Missionfest Coordinator. While we are sad to see her step away, we celebrate with her as she moves into a new and exciting chapter of life.
Here is Kait’s article, which will be featured in the 2026 Missionfest Manitoba Magazine! I first attended Missionfest last year during my first season living in Winnipeg. New to the city and eager to find where I belonged, I invited a work colleague to come along with me. She had recently returned to her faith and, like me, was curious about Christ-centred communities and how her gifts might be used. Together—and sometimes separately as different booths and stages drew us in—we wandered, listened, learned, and absorbed far more than we expected. Growing up, missions were not a common topic of conversation in our church circles. Mission trips and global ministry often felt reserved for a select group—those who were specially trained, experienced, or “called” in a very specific way. That perception quietly discouraged many of us from engaging more deeply, myself included. Missions felt important, but distant. Admirable, but out of reach. So when I arrived at Missionfest, I didn’t come with a plan or a clear sense of direction. I didn’t know where to begin or what I was looking for—but I was excited to dive in regardless. One moment that stands out vividly was encountering a group of bikers whose presence immediately drew attention. Intrigued, I stopped to ask about their mission. Before I knew it, we were exchanging testimonies and stories of faith. In that conversation, something shifted. I felt as though I had stumbled upon people who shared a deep desire to reach those often overlooked—hard-to-reach places and communities where conversations about Christ don’t always come easily. It felt like a seed had been planted, quietly but firmly. As I continued through the exhibitor hall, I was struck by the sheer number of opportunities. It would have been easy to feel overwhelmed by the scope of it all—the big visions, the global needs, the many avenues of service. Yet instead of leaving discouraged or burdened with the thought, “I don’t even know where to begin,” I felt something entirely different. A small, hopeful whisper rose within me: “I can’t wait to get started.” There was no sense of panic or pressure. Instead, Missionfest offered something refreshing—clarity. Conversations were practical, detailed, and encouraging. People took the time to explain, step by step, how involvement could look at every stage of the journey. While the idea of a full missions trip initially felt beyond our scope, both my colleague and I were eager to learn more. As avid travelers with a shared desire to be His hands and feet, we discovered there were countless ways to serve—behind the scenes, front and centre, locally or globally, in quiet support roles or bold, outward-facing ones. Yet beyond the programs, pathways, and possibilities, it was the people themselves who left the deepest impression. Every interaction was marked by kindness, openness, and genuine joy. Missionfest didn’t just present opportunities—it reflected the heart of God’s people. And in that space, hope felt not only possible, but within our reach. Missionfest Manitoba, this year, will be at Church of the Rock in Winnipeg from February 6th to 8th (2026), and our theme will be Who is this King of Glory? This is taken from Psalm 24.
We believe strongly that all missions, in fact the whole Christian life, is founded on who God is as revealed in Jesus Christ. We will be exploring some of the paradoxes in God’s character (such as His uncompromising righteousness and unfailing love) and how that all is essential in moving us to “declare and display Christ together”. The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell in it Ps. 24:1 In Thai, the translation for “the LORD” is “the One who is the owner.” Again and again in the Bible, we see these claims to God’s rightful ownership of everyone and everything because He is the One who created it all. When we come to a greater understanding of who this God of all creation is, we will see this Mission of God as Good News. We have a great slate of plenary speakers for Missionfest Manitoba 2026: Jason Mandryk (Operation World), Aaron Pierce (Steiger International and speaker at MFM ’24), Dr. Mary Ho (International Director for All Nations International) and Dr. Timothy Tennent (former President of Asbury College). Aaron Pierce will speak at After Hours, and Danny MacKay will speak for the Youth Event. We hope you’ll join us for Missionfest 2026, February 6th to 8th at Church of the Rock in Winnipeg!  Missionfest in Steinbach! Missionfest Manitoba will be holding their first Free Boost event in Steinbach on Saturday, November 1 from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Daniel Krebs (Christian Fellowship Church), Arley and Janice Lowen (OM) and Sammy Bernard (MAF) will be our main speakers, and we will have several breakout workshops, representatives from several ministries, great worship music from Danny Plett (morning and afternoon) and a youth/young adult praise and worship service featuring Free Servant in the evening. Come join us and see how you are Empowered for a Purpose!
Schedule: 9 a.m. Doors open 10 a.m. Main session with Pastor Daniel Krebs and Danny Plett 11:30 a.m. Breakout Workshops, featuring: Andy Smith (OMF Philippines) Communicating the Gospel Cross-Culturally Howard and Kathy Weir The Ripple Effect of Christian Camping Peggy Kauffman Prayer: Making a Difference from Home Dave and Sharon Dickey Welcome to Our Home 12:30 p.m. Lunch 2 p.m. Main session with Arley and Janice Loewen and Danny Plett 3:30 p.m. Breakout Workshops, featuring: Carl Loewen (SBC) Travis Plett Hope and Purpose in an Empty World: Reaching the Next Generation Kody and Amy Friesen Creative Pathways: Art and Storytelling to Middle Easterners 7 p.m. Praise and Worship Service, featuring Free Servant and Sammy Bernard There will be representatives from Avant, Evangelical Mennonite Conference, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Ethnos, Frontiers, MAF (maybe even with their flight simulator!), OM, OMF Canda, One Hope Canada, Wycliffe and YWAM Island Breeze. (And more???) A prayer team will be available!  Congratulations to Leslie Yan, winner of our contest to develop the logo for Missionfest Manitoba 2026! We had over a dozen submissions, and it was incredibly difficult to choose a winner. Leslie will now be designing posters and invitation cards for the event. Well done, Leslie!!!
Missionfest Manitoba, this year, will be at Church of the Rock in Winnipeg from February 7th to 9th (2025), and our theme will be How Shall They Hear? This is taken from Romans 10.
We all long to see our friends, our family, our co-workers, our neighbours all come to know the Lord, as well as people from around the world. We long to see them know His grace, His love, His hope, and of course His salvation. In Romans 10, Paul sets out this reverse set of conditions for people coming to faith: “All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. But how shall they call upon the One in whom they’ve not believed? And how shall they believe in the One of whom they’ve never heard? And how shall they hear if nobody goes and preaches, proclaims this Good News to them? And how shall they go and proclaim this Good News if they are not sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News.’” However, Paul points out in verse 16 that not everybody who hears this Good News comes to faith for various reasons. What are these reasons? We’re going to explore these reasons at Missionfest ’25. One possible reason for people not coming to faith would be access: They never get a chance to hear the gospel! And that’s true for up to a third of the world’s population. Another possibility is that the gospel is proclaimed, but it’s not proclaimed clearly, in a way that people can understand. Or perhaps another obstacle is that the lives of the messengers are inconsistent with the truth of the gospel. Another possible obstacle is the conditions, the context for these people and how they live: poverty, persecution, even affluence can affect how a person responds to the gospel. Just consider the parable of the soils and the sower. And, of course, there’s one more obstacle: the obstacle of the cross itself, which Paul in 1 Corinthians notes that to some is foolishness and to others is a stumbling block. Of course, this is not an obstacle that we remove, but that we overcome through prayer and trust in the Holy Spirit. One of our speakers is Brian Hogan, who was at the beginning of the church in Mongolia in the early 1990’s. Another speaker is Nard Pugyao. Nard comes from the Philippines, and he lived in a village that had no access to the gospel until missionaries came to translate for his people. And another speaker is Andrew Goodman, who works among the Shan in Southeast Asia. We hope you’ll join us for Missionfest 2025, February 7th to 9th at Church of the Rock in Winnipeg. Come and hear, so that they can hear.  On behalf of the Missionfest Board, we are so very thankful for the incredible engagement we had for our Missionfest Manitoba 2024 weekend! We would like to make you aware that we are looking for individuals who would be willing to put their name forward as a candidate to serve on the Missionfest Board. We are looking for individuals who have a heart for missions and seek to fulfill the great commission (Matthew 28:19-20). If you believe you have the gift to serve in this role, or know someone who does, we would be glad to hear from you. The Missionfest Board is a Policy Governance board, which means that our Board is not a working Board. The Board engages the services of an executive director, (currently that person is Tim Noble) and that individual provides overall management leadership. Our Board meets four times a year. If this opportunity piques your interest, would you prayerfully consider reaching out to [email protected] with questions, or fill out the application form below to submit your name for consideration. We would love to hear from you! Cindy Friesen, Chair Missionfest Manitoba  “And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left – and also many animals?” – Jonah 4:11 “Should I not be concerned?” God’s concern, His pity, His love for those He has created, moves Him to act. He loves the world so much that He sent Jesus to die on the cross to redeem us from our sin. He has room in His great heart for all the pain and suffering of our world and has promised that He is making all things new (Rev. 21:5). As we wait for that great day when every tear will be dried, He calls us to be engaged in His work as ministers of reconciliation. Implicit in the rhetorical question, Should I Not Be Concerned? is another question: Should we not be concerned? Jonah reluctantly went to Nineveh to bring God’s urgent message to repent; Will we be concerned enough to respond to God’s call?
Bob Pierce, missionary to Korea, said, “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” Will we allow our hearts to be so broken, and to delight in the things that delight His heart? The theme for Missionfest Manitoba 2024 will be Should I Not Be Concerned? Each plenary session will focus on a different area of concern: The Unreached. The Newcomer. Global Youth. The Poor and Vulnerable. The City. Much can be said about each of these, but I’d like to say a few words about that last topic, lest I be misunderstood. Should I Not Be Concerned for the City? is not exclusive of God’s concern for those in rural areas. I am very aware of the problem of “perimeteritis” in Manitoba, and am working to build bridges with the churches outside Winnipeg. However, the influences of urbanization, migration, globalization and technology have left none of us untouched, and it seems the Church is just waking up to the reality that the future of missions must take the city into consideration. Dr. Timothy Keller was a pioneer in advocating for the Church’s concern for the City, and with his recent passing we have decided to dedicate the Sunday afternoon session to his memory. I hope you will join us for the weekend of February 2-4, 2024 as we gather in celebration of His concern for the world and His call for us to join Him in His concern. Grace and Peace to you. Tim Noble Executive Director, Missionfest Manitoba  Missionfest Manitoba is delighted to introduce Tim Noble as our new Executive Director. Tim is very familiar with Missionfest, having served on the Board as well as being an exhibitor.
Tim has extensive experience in missions both overseas and in Canada. He has been a member of OMF International since 1996, with 20 years of experience in Thailand and now serving on the Community Engagement Team as its Deputy CE Team Leader. Adding to this, Tim is the Regional Coordinator for the Perspectives course for Manitoba, as well as serving on the national administrative team and helping with the nationwide virtual Perspective courses. You can quickly see why we are so blessed to have someone with Tim's demonstrated passion for missions in general and specifically for Missionfest Manitoba by providing overall leadership to this initiative to see the cause of missions advanced in Manitoba and across Canada. Tim will formally take on his new role March 1, 2023. In the meantime he will be shadowing Tom Castor, our current Missionfest Executive Director, to ensure a seamless handing off of the baton. Tim, along with his team, will be taking over an organization which Tom along with his team has worked tirelessly to not merely maintain, but to move Missionfest to a new level of excellence and broadened its impact through having virtual sites for the Missionfest weekend. Church leaders and mission influencers can look forward to hearing from Tim or reach him at [email protected]. Serving together for His glory, Shannon Silvestri Chair |
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Church of the Rock
1397 Buffalo Place
Winnipeg, MB
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