For most attendees, the Mennonite Church USA convention in Pittsburgh officially begins with the joint worship service for adults and youth at 6:45 p.m. on Monday.

Shane Hipps, the author of The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospel, and Church (Zondervan, 2006) and Church and Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith (Zondervan, 2009), will be the keynote speaker. Hipps is the teaching pastor at Mars Hill in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Directly after worship, around 8:45 p.m., the exhibit hall and recreation center will open.

For many pastors, the convention begins at 9 a.m. on Monday, the beginning of activities associated with Pastors Day. The theme for the day is “Leading communities of healing and hope.” Speakers include Mary Thiessen Nation, an affiliate professor at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, and John Stahl-Wert, the president and chief executive of Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation.

mPress will provide coverage of these events as well as other news associated with travel, registration and the start of Pittsburgh 2011.