PSMC Gathering Embraces Nonconforming “Third Way” in 500 Years of Following Jesus Theme

Stanley W. Green, executive conference minister of Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference, shared his background as a South African native involved in the student movement that dismantled legal apartheid. His prior roles included executive director of Mennonite Mission Network and various leadership positions in South Africa, Jamaica, and the United States.

The Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference (PSMC) held its gathering in Upland, California, on October 10-11, 2025, with participants from California and Arizona. The event, themed “500 Years of Following Jesus: The Nonconforming ‘Third Way,’ Then and Now,” featured worship, prayer, and messages from keynote speaker Michael Danner, associate executive director of Church Vitality at MC USA. Danner challenged attendees to reflect on the core convictions of early Anabaptist forebears.

The day before the gathering, the PSMC Board visited the Full Circle Thrift Store in Altadena, California, where staff had been affected by the Eaton Canyon Fire. The store was closed for six months due to smoke damage. The Board decided to fund staff at full salary during the shutdown, despite no revenue being generated.

The Board also declared PSMC as an “apartheid-free” conference, affirming its commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people and all people. It opposes all forms of racism, bigotry, discrimination, and oppression and pledges to work against support for apartheid regimes, settler colonialism, and military occupation.

Source: Read the original report