Our newest blogger, Gene Stolzfus, comes to us with 45 years of peacemaking experience, 16 of those years as director of the CTP program. Now retired, he is living with his Canadian wife Dorothy Friesen near Fort Frances, a little known city of 8500 people that borders Minnesota in Northwest Ontario. “Our area,” he says, ” is dominated by the economics of pulp mills. About a quarter of my neighbours in the Rainy River District are native Ojibway people who have lived here for centuries. Besides peacemaking I am learning to make simple furniture from willow twigs and natural bushes and trees from the forests.” An American, he considers himself bi-national. –Dick Benner, editor/publisher
Author Archive for Canadian Mennonite staff
Allow me to introduce Canadian Mennonite’s newest blogger,
Paul Loewen from Winnipeg. An avid reader and writer, Paul has completed four full-length novels and is working on several more projects. He works as a youth pastor with his wife, Jeanette, at Douglas Mennonite Church in Winnipeg. He graduated from Canadian Mennonite University with a bachelor of theology in April 2009. You may have read some of his writing as a Young Prophet in our printed version.
We look forward to his creative thoughts, his vision and passion for life in upcoming posts. He will likely tell you more about himself in his first entry.
Greetings from Paraguay where winter has just begun. Spirits soar here in Asuncion, the capital city of 512,000, as more than 6,000 global Mennonites gather once again to celebrate their heritage, their diversity, their common bond in Jesus Christ. The gathering is of itself inspirational but it is the music in this free-spirited Latino culture that is the most moving. I could speak of many things, but this sampling gives you a taste of this happening. Listen to this video, compliments of Ray Dirks.
I’d like to welcome Hinke Loewen-Rudgers as a contributing author to this blog. Here’s how she described herself:
I am a third culture kid who spent most of my childhood in Tanzania and Kenya and moved to Virginia for college. After a very brief career in the pharmaceutical industry, I switched vocational gears and did a masters in theology in Manitoba and eventually ended up working for the Mennonite Church. Now I am a Witness International Volunteer with Mennonite Church Canada and am currently in Israel. I love learning about cultures, studying language and forming new relationships as part of living out my faith.
Welcome Hinke! I look forward to your contributions here.
Tim Miller Dyck
Editor/Publisher, Canadian Mennonite
I’d like to welcome Rebecca Janzen as a contributing author to this blog. Here’s how she described herself:
Rebecca Janzen grew up in Ottawa, and attended the Ottawa Mennonite Church. She spent most of her childhood in Ottawa, except for two years in Cairo, Egypt. She studied History and Spanish at the University of Waterloo and while studying, enjoyed living at Conrad Grebel. Last year, she participated in the MCC SALT program and lived in Managua, Nicaragua. She is currently studying Spanish at the University of Toronto. Currently, she spends her time reading, writing essays and drinking coffee.
Welcome Rebecca! I look forward to your contributions here.
Tim Miller Dyck
Editor/Publisher, Canadian Mennonite
I’d like to welcome Cheryl Woelk as a contributing author to this blog. Here’s how she described herself:
Cheryl Woelk grew up in Swift Current, Saskatchewan and graduated with a B.A. in English from Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She spent six years serving with MC Canada Witness as a peace educator at the Korea Anabaptist Center in Seoul. She is now on a “sabbatical year” adjusting to living between cultures. Her interests include eating fair trade chocolate, learning languages, and running marathons.
Welcome Cheryl! I look forward to your contributions here.
Tim Miller Dyck
Editor/Publisher, Canadian Mennonite
I’d like to welcome Will Loewen as a contributing author to this blog. Here’s how he described himself:
William Loewen has at different times been a playwright, a pastor, and a pontificater. A history committee he was in decided that a play would be the best way to tell their story and he was chosen as the writer, mostly because he had the most free time. He got the idea to write the second play, this time a musical, when he realized it would allow him to spend more time with a certain young lady. He also enjoys writing skits for church programs and worship services. He served for three years in youth ministry in Tavistock, Ontario.
One of the things he enjoyed the most about that job, besides the overnight pizza parties and early morning donut making sessions, was the regular challenge of preaching sermons that pleased seniors, inspired parents and didn’t put teenagers to sleep.
He is currently working in South Korea as a Mission Partnership Worker with Mennonite Church Canada Witness and Jesus Village Church, serving in an education and resource development role.
He and his wife (the aforementioned young lady) are eagerly anticipating the arrival of their first child literally any day.
Welcome Will! I look forward to your contributions here.
Tim Miller Dyck
Editor/Publisher, Canadian Mennonite
I’d like to introduce our first contributor, David Driedger.
David is a pastor at Hillcrest Mennonite Church in New Hamburg, Ontario. Before coming to Hillcrest Mennonite, he attended The Welcome Inn Mennonite church in Hamilton. He grew up in the Russian Mennonite tradition at Sommerfeld Mennonite Church in Altona, Manitoba.
Welcome David!
Tim Miller Dyck
Editor and Publisher, Canadian Mennonite
Welcome to Canadian Mennonite’s blog!
This is a new initiative at the magazine to provide a place for online posting and discussion of faith in life from a Canadian Mennonite perspective.
Online writing is often different in style than print writing, and a blog provides a place for immediate and frequent publishing, and for reader/author interaction through comments that isn’t possible in the print version of the magazine.
The posts here are exclusive online content; you will not find them in the print version of the magazine.
I hope this is a place that helps all of us reflect on our faith and see ways to live more faithfully to God’s calling.
Tim Miller Dyck
Editor and Publisher, Canadian Mennonite





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