Syrian children participate in a World Vision remedial education program in Jordan. They are tutored in subjects like math, Arabic and English to help the catch up on the school they’ve missed fleeing the violence. (RNS photo courtesy World Vision)
Dominating the news on World Refugee Day (observed on June 20, 2014), the annual commemoration of displaced peoples were photos and videos of people fleeing Syria and Iraq.
Professor Jesse Mugambi of the University of Nairobi Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, says such cultic reactions are not unique to Africa. (RNS photo by Fredrick Nzwili)
In the days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, al-Qaida became a household name. But today, other extremist Islamist groups, many in Africa, are vying for headlines.
Native Assembly is a biennial event co-hosted by Mennonite Church Canada and the Mennonite Church Manitoba Partnership Circle. Planners for the 2014 Winnipeg event include, from left to right: Norman Meade, Neill von Gunten, Jeff Friesen, Terry Zimmerly, Melanie Kampen, Sam Bergen, Edith von Gunten, Steve Heinrichs, Pat Palson, Dorothy Fontaine, and Ingrid Miller. (Credit: MC Canada)
For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island regularly gathered where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet in Winnipeg. From July 28-31, North Americans from all cultures, ethnicities and age groups are invited to the campus of Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg for Native Assembly 2014.
This past Mother’s Day I was reminded again of how fortunate I am to have been blessed with a wonderful family. My husband and I have four children, and we are so proud of each of them.
The Netherlands team star striker Robin Van Persie (#9), who scored two goals in the opening game on June 13. (Provided by author)
Bill Schroeder
The Netherlands! At least ethnic Russian Mennonites should, those whose ancestors came to Canada primarily in the 1870s, 1920s, or 1950s and still form a good portion of the Canadian Mennonite population.
Cheryl Woelk coordinates the Language for Peace website project.
Words are powerful, which is why the Language for Peace project aims to explore how Anabaptist and other philosophies of peacemaking are incorporated into various language courses – Spanish, German, Korean, French, English, etc. – in North America and around the world.
Each day of the PA 2015 will begin and end with singing—by the thousands of attendees, as well as by international choirs. (Credit: Merle Good)
Opportunities for visiting will fill the days—from small discussion groups each morning, to mealtimes, to relaxing in the Global Church Village in the afternoons. (Credit: Merle Good)
Storytelling and meditations will be shared by speakers from all of the continents. (Credit: Merle Good)
Mennonites, Mennonite Brethren, and Brethren in Christ of North America have invited sisters and brothers from around the world to come to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in a little more than a year from now—July 21-26, 2015.
Karl Lehman
Charlotte Lehman
Everybody needs healing prayer. But if you’re a pastor or church leader so many others depend on for therapy and support, where do you turn for help?
The National Council of Canadian Muslims is suing Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for defamation, alleging his spokesman linked the group to terrorism in January. The suit seeks a retraction and $100,000 in damages.
MCC Nigeria peace coordinator Mugu Zakka Bako speaks at a meeting for Emergency Preparedness Response Teams in Barkin Ladi, Nigeria. Bako and response-team volunteers were at the scene of the recent bombing in Jos, ready to address signs of violence. (MCC photo by Dave Klassen)
When Mugu Zakka Bako arrived at the scene of twin bomb blasts on May 20 at a busy market in the city of Jos, Nigeria, he saw more than the destruction and injured people.
Jessica Reesor Rempel was one of six LED talk speakers at the MCEC Annual Gathering.
You have heard about TED Talks—experts give informative, inspirational talks that are viewed and shared online. What about LED Talks?
For its annual gathering, held April 25-26, 2014, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) introduced a new format for conference speakers—LED Talks. The acronym stands for Lead, Equip, Disciple.
MEDA president Allan Sauder models his mountain climbing gear at a staff celebration lunch for the upcoming Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb. (Credit: MEDA)
MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) supporters have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this summer to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, along with president Allan Sauder. The trek will aid MEDA's work in creating business solutions to poverty around the world.
Rebecca Dali shows photos of violence in Nigeria. She leads the Center for Caring, Empowerment and Peace Initiatives, which collects stories of survivors and pictures following attacks. (Stan Noffsinger/Church of the Brethren)
Stevens Hill Community Church in Elizabethtown, Pa., included concern for the kidnapped girls in the congregation’s Mother’s Day worship May 11. (Credit: Stevens Hill Community Church)
As the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria entered the second month of a crisis involving hundreds of kidnapped girls, the U.S. Church of the Brethren continues to support its sister denomination with prayer, fasting and financial assistance for refugees fleeing violence.
A banner at the May 15 Stop the Violence rally in Jos, Nigeria. (Credit: J PRM)
Women of the city of Jos, Nigeria, march in a rally against violence. (Credit: J PRM)
Dave and Mary Lou are serving with Mennonite Central Committee, based in the city of Jos, Nigeria. They shared this reflection in their support network, following an incident in which two bombs were set off in that city.
The Bible encourages the “repression of women,” and it’s silent on such fraught topics as war or slavery.
As least, that’s what about one in five U.S. adults believe. But they’re wrong.
The American Bible Society’s annual “State of the Bible” survey reveals “the people of the book are not people of this book,” said Geof Morin, chief communication officer for the society.
Brian Quan
If you want to get Brian Quan’s attention, you may need to knock on his door three times. Even God had to do that.
Quan is the pastor of English Ministries at Toronto Chinese Mennonite Church, the church he grew up in. Although his pastor had encouraged him for years to enter ministry, God had to knock three times over a period of several months to convince him to do so.
Betty Pries
As a teenager, Betty Pries raised uneasy questions about church and the life of faith. Who is Jesus, really? What does it mean for Jesus to be called God’s son? What does it mean to be a Christian in a world of such diversity in faiths, beliefs, practices and lifestyles?
One of the original trailer trucks houses the new exhibit on the evangelistic campaigns of the Brunk family. The legend on the side reads: The Whole Gospel for the Whole World. (Credit: Joan Daggett/VBMHC)
The Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia, will hold a celebration and service of dedication for the Brunk Revivals exhibit on Saturday, May 24, 2014, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
The former Mennonite church building in the village of Snegurovka, Ukraine, is now being renovated for the use of a Greek Catholic congregation. (Mennonite World Conference photo)
With the help of Canadian Mennonites, a Greek Catholic congregation is now meeting in a former Mennonite church in Ukraine. (Mennonite World Conference photo)
In Ukraine a former Mennonite church building is being restored and transformed – with the help of Canadian Mennonites – into a Greek Catholic church.
This development, according to observers, is an example of Mennonite-Catholic collaboration in the spirit of other exchanges over the past decade or so.
Canadian Mennonite walked away with six awards here at the annual banquet May 2 of the Canadian Church Press, getting a first-place award for a “theological reflection” series by Bruce Hiebert, two second-place awards for Young Voices and for layout and design of a feature, and three third-place awards for an editorial, a photo essay, and layout and design of a single edition.
When Naomi Martin was three years old, she declared, “Mommy, I’m going to have a colouring recital.” Her mother, Sarah Martin, asked her what a colouring recital was, and Naomi’s response was simple, “A colouring recital is where everyone can come and see how good I can colour.” Her mother dismissed the idea as cute, but over the next several months, Naomi and her five-year-old sister Abigail h
Conrad Grebel University College (CGUC) is well into preparations for the third in a series of music festival-conferences, to be held from June 5 to 8, 2014.
David Driedger remains passionate about the church, but it’s not an easy passion. He continually wrestles with theology, his understanding of who God is, and how to live in the name of God.
On a sunny morning, to the sound of Canada geese and in view of the flowing Grand River, a group of adults and children (and one dog) took part in a Holy Saturday peace walk.
A crowd gathers for the Survivors Walk into the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) Coliseum in Vancouver, B.C., on Day One of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s British Columbia National Event. (Credit: Melissa Knapp, provided by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission)
In the fall of 2013 a Mennonite delegation of six Americans and Canadians went to Vancouver, B.C., for a Truth and Reconciliation event.
