Transformative. That’s the word Cheryl Woelk uses to describe the impact of language teaching and learning on human relationships. She recently co-authored a book on the subject,... Read More
News & Stories
Cheryl Woelk is an English-language teacher and peace educator from Saskatchewan, now living in Seoul, South Korea. She co-authored a book designed to build peace in the classroom. (Photos courtesy of Cheryl Woelk)
June 12, 2018 | Web First | Donna Schulz
In 2017, a group of North American travellers on a TourMagination tour of India joined the MCC team in Kolkata for morning devotions. Later in the day, the travellers visited several MCC projects. Whenever possible, TourMagination tour groups connect with MCC staff in countries they are touring. (TourMagination photo)
Recognizing shared values and an overlap between TourMagination travellers and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) donors, the for-profit business and non-profit organization... Read More
June 12, 2018 | Web First |
Speakers at the event, “Behold! I do a new thing: Emerging perspectives in ministry” spoke of their yearning for ecumenical interaction. (CMU photo)
“I wonder whether Jesus’ call for Christian unity isn’t an invitation to focus on what unites rather than divides us, in order to see that everyone brings something valuable to... Read More
June 12, 2018 | Web First | Craig Terlson
Roselyn Rodriguez and Arli Rojas wash Silmarys Rodriguez's hair at Community of Peace Mennonite Church on Isla Margarita. In foreground, Jazmin Tormes waits her turn. (Photo by Linda Shelly)
In the midst of constant inflation and economic uncertainty, Venezuelan Mennonites minister creatively in and through their churches, sharing food and supporting their communities... Read More
June 12, 2018 | Web First | Dani Klotz
The new worship and song collection for Mennonite Church U.S.A. and MC Canada will be called Voices Together . “In early February, more than 900 people responded to a title and... Read More
June 4, 2018 | Web First |
Bluffton University archivist Carrie Phillips holds a copy of the 1748 edition of the Martyrs Mirror, printed in Ephrata, Pa. (Bluffton University photo)
At Bluffton (Ohio) University’s Musselman Library, archivist Carrie Phillips stores seven copies of the 1748 edition of the Ephrata Martyrs Mirror in boxes specially designed to... Read More
May 30, 2018 | Web First |
Above: Donations from congregations and individuals to national and area/regional church bodies. (All dollar figures adjusted to 2018 dollars.)
Often our society relies too much on numbers. In gravitating to quantification we tend to short-circuit the truth, which is nuanced and multilayered. But when it comes to our... Read More
May 30, 2018 | God at work in the Church | Will Braun
Karen Ridd facilitates the Village Game during her workshop at this year’s Red River Heritage Fair at the University of Winnipeg. (Photo courtesy of the Red River Heritage Fair)
“In the Second World War there were over 10,000 loyal Canadians who served Canada without weapons. What were they called?” This is the question Conrad Stoesz has been asking... Read More
May 30, 2018 | God at work in the Church | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
Proposed Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Map (National Energy Board, 2013)
On April 20, 2018, Mennonite Church Canada’s Indigenous-Settler Relations director was arrested on the West Coast for protesting the proposed Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline... Read More
May 30, 2018 | God at work in the World | Donita Wiebe-Neufeld
John Klassen, a Rockway alumnus and board member and Kindred’s finance and compliance chief, right, helps a Rockway student mulch flower beds at Mennonite Central Committee Ontario’s building in Kitchener, where Thrift on Kent is located. (Photo by Jennie Wiebe)
As the presenting partner of this year’s Rockway Mennonite Collegiate Envirathon Servathon, Kindred Credit Union had its staff join 300 students and teachers, who fanned out... Read More
May 30, 2018 | God at work in the World | Christine Rier
Mary Derksen of Abbotsford, B.C., has chronicled the story of her Canadian missionary family serving in Japan in her new book, Rise and Shine! 45 Years in the Land of the Rising Sun. (Photo by Amy Dueckman)
Retired missionary Mary Derksen didn’t start out to write a book about the 45 years she and her late husband spent as missionaries in Japan. But she has just completed the story... Read More
May 30, 2018 | Artbeat | Amy Rinner Waddell
Terri Lynn and Thomas Friesen are the founders of the Vine and Table intentional community. (Photo courtesy of Terri Lynn Friesen)
When Thomas and Terri Lynn Friesen met, Terri Lynn was a guest at the Burrow, an intentional community Thomas was living in with eight other young adults. This coming September, a... Read More
May 30, 2018 | Young Voices | Aaron Epp
No stranger to the stage, Kenzi Jane grew up performing music with her family. (Photo by Lynette Giesbrecht)
If good things come to those who wait, exciting times are ahead for Kenzie Jane. The Winnipeg-based singer-songwriter recently released her debut EP, Love Me From Scratch , more... Read More
May 30, 2018 | Young Voices | Aaron Epp
Around a hundred people gathered at a busy intersection in Winnipeg on May 15, 2018, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Nakba. (Photo by Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe)
Around a hundred people gathered at a busy intersection in Winnipeg on May 15, 2018, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, which means “catastrophe” in Arabic. The... Read More
May 30, 2018 | God at work in the World | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
Palmer Becker gives the address at the 2018 commencement ceremony of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind. Also pictured is AMBS president Sara Wenger Shenk. (AMBS photo by Jason Bryant)
Palmer Becker of Kitchener, Ont., told Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary graduates that, as followers of Jesus, they have not only been given a mandate to teach, but also to... Read More
May 29, 2018 | Web First | Annette Brill Bergstresser
“We don’t have the luxury of not seeking peace. Peace has to be built,” asserted Bob Rae, former premier of Ontario, when he addressed guests at the gala celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Peace and Conflict Studies program at Conrad Grebel University College. (Photo by Jennifer Konkle)
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS), on April 20 Conrad Grebel University College hosted a sold-out gala dinner featuring Bob Rae, a former... Read More
May 29, 2018 | Web First | Jennifer Konkle
Canadian Foodgrains Bank is inviting Canadians to join Christians around the world in a Global Day of Prayer to End Famine on June 10. The call for this day of prayer comes from... Read More
May 29, 2018 | Web First | Amanda Thorsteinsson
Gaza, 2015. (Photo from Pixabay.com)
The following letter was drafted by representatives of the Mennonite Church Canada network of regional working groups on Palestine and Israel, and sent to Prime Minister Justin... Read More
May 16, 2018 | God at work in the World | Mennonite Church Canada
Nick Brandt, front row second from right, with his family in happier times. (Photo courtesy of the Brandt family)
No one saw it coming. Not family, not friends, not anyone at the university he attended. On March 23, 2018, after babysitting his nieces and nephews, 18-year-old Nicholas (Nick)... Read More
May 16, 2018 | Focus on Mental Health | Donita Wiebe-Neufeld
RJC students writing final exams in the school’s chapel. The pressure of assignments and exams is among the many stresses that can lead to mental health issues for some students. (Photo by Bev Epp)
Are more students struggling with mental health issues these days, or are they just better able to articulate their struggles than students once were? Jim Epp doesn’t know the... Read More
May 16, 2018 | Focus on Mental Health | Donna Schulz
Adriel Brandt reads his poem “The Crow” at the May 3, 2018, “Art and Poetry for Mental Health” reception in Abbotsford. In the background is the photograph by Dale Klippenstein (sitting behind Brandt) accompanying the work. Communitas Supportive Care Society sponsored the art exhibit, focusing on mental health issues. (Photo by Amy Dueckman)
Depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and eating disorders may not sound like subjects for art, but a recent exhibit at the Reach gallery proved that art is a powerful medium for... Read More
May 16, 2018 | Focus on Mental Health | Amy Rinner Waddell
Signs outside the sanctuary of Charleswood Mennonite Church, where the Resilience Road retreat was held. (Photo by Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe)
Society is witnessing mental health struggles increase at an alarming rate, and the push for women’s voices to be heard grows stronger. At the same time, Mennonite Women Manitoba... Read More
May 16, 2018 | Focus on Mental Health | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
Ellen Kim and Nick Hamm take part in an Anabaptist Learning Workshop exercise led by coordinator Matthew Bailey-Dyck at the 31st annual MC Eastern Canada church gathering at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ont. The purpose of the exercise was to write and draw together, and then reflect on the experience. (Photo Dave Rogalsky)
The theme of this year’s Mennonite Church Eastern Canada annual church gathering—stated in the headline—had many facets, both inspiring and challenging, for those gathered at... Read More
May 16, 2018 | God at work in the Church | Dave Rogalsky
Naim Ateek speaks to an audience at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and his new book on Palestinian liberation theology. (Photo by Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe)
“We have to begin by crying out for justice. You build peace on justice.” Naim Ateek uttered this plea on April 25 2018, before more than 150 people gathered at Canadian Mennonite... Read More
May 16, 2018 | God at work in the World | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
Members of the Assemblée de la Grâce and the Matu-Chin Christian Church are welcomed into emerging church membership by Brian Bauman, mission minister, at the 31st Mennonite Church Eastern Canada annual church gathering. (Photo by Dave Rogalsky)
Two new congregations were welcomed into emerging membership during Mennonite Church Eastern Canada’s annual church gathering at Redeemer College on April 27 and 28, 2018. • The... Read More
May 16, 2018 | God at work in the Church | Dave Rogalsky