Volume 21 Issue 10

Land is the heart of the matter

'If you understand nothing else about the history of Indians in North America, you need to understand that the question that really matters is the question of land.' —Thomas King in The Inconvenient Indian (Photo © iStock.com/Nina Henry)

In the opening half of Steven Ratzlaff’s play Reservations, first staged in Winnipeg in 2016, an Alberta Mennonite farmer informs his two children that he plans to give a section of land—most of what he owns—to the Siksika First Nation. The farmer has heart troubles and he’s already renting the land out.

Freedom powered by love

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of his dream. His dream was that people would be judged by the content of their character and not the colour of their skin. His dream was that there would be equality for all, that the ground would be level for everyone. His dream was that all would work together in peace and nonviolence until there is freedom for all.

Jeremiah Ross

Mennonite Church Canada has created lasting relationships with indigenous communities such as Cross Lake, Man. In 1943, Henry Gerbrandt served the community in fulfilling his commitment as a conscientious objector to war. In 1956, Otto and Margaret Hamm moved to the community. A church was built in 1957, and a new one in 2005.

Stations of the Cross on Broadway

On Good Friday, April 14, 2017, pilgrims from Winnipeg and beyond gather at Broadway Disciples United Church to walk the Stations of the Cross on Broadway, one of Winnipeg’s oldest and most historic thoroughfares.

Before observing the first station at the church, and setting out against the day’s damp cold, guests are invited to warm themselves with music, snacks and hot coffee.

‘A downstream solution to an upstream problem’

Volunteers show off food baskets in front of the newly rebuilt House of Friendship Emergency Food Distribution Centre on Guelph Street in Kitchener, Ont. (Photo by Dave Rogalsky)

The House of Friendship Emergency Food Distribution Centre on Guelph St. in Kitchener, Ont. At the left is the entrance and welcoming waiting room, and at the right are the delivery, sorting, picking and packing areas. (Photo by Dave Rogalsky)

Gail Martin, marketing and communications specialist, and Matt Cooper, program coordinator, are pictured in the sorting and picking room at the House of Friendship Emergency Food Distribution Centre on Guelph St. in Kitchener, Ont. (Photo by Dave Rogalsky)

Candace Perry, a five-year volunteer, packs halal meat for a Muslim family of eight at the House of Friendship Emergency Food Distribution Centre on Guelph St. in Kitchener, Ont. Her T-shirt reads ‘I survived tent city,’ a reference to the tents erected on a neighbouring property to keep the distribution centre open during the re-build from last August to December. (Photo by Dave Rogalsky)

When the first food bank was created in Canada in 1981 in Edmonton, it was seen as a short-term project that would be unnecessary when the economy improved. Fast-forward to 2017 and Kitchener’s House of Friendship’s emergency food program that distributes food to 1 in 20 people living in Waterloo Region.

Laying it on the line

Bruxy Cavey is unapologetic about particularism. In his new book, the pastor/author sums up the good news in one word (Jesus), three words (Jesus is Lord) and 30 words (Jesus is God with us, come to show us God’s love, save us from sin, set up God’s kingdom and shut down religion, so that we can share in God’s life).

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