Even after Presbyterian Church win, gay clergy likely to remain limited
Categories: Web FirstGay and lesbian advocates celebrated a landmark victory on May 10 when the Presbyterian Church (USA) entered the expanding ranks of Christian denominations that allow openly gay, partnered clergy. The…
The path to forgiveness
Categories: UncategorizedIt has been a very long and incredibly hard journey, but Cliff and Wilma Derksen of Winnipeg have finally come to a bright and sunny clearing in their lives. Their…
Inspired to alleviate suffering
Categories: UncategorizedThree years ago, in the middle of reading Roméo Dallaire’s traumatic first-hand account of the Rwanda genocide, David Barker decided his future would be in disaster response. “It was the…
‘I’ll take it from here’—Metzger
Categories: UncategorizedAll indicators point to the old structures giving way to new ways of being the church, Willard Metzger told the nearly 400 delegates gathered for the 2011 annual church gathering…
Seven gestures of contemplation
Categories: ViewpointsI find hope as I tend to my mystical side. As a youth growing up in church, I did this through prayer. But, in spite of my earnestness, it often…
Capitulate no more
Categories: ViewpointsCapitulation is tantalizing. Tucking our tails is tempting. This is why stories of the persevering human spirit are so inspirational. Those who overcome the black hole of capitulation surprise us…
Finding pastors in your backyard
Categories: ViewpointsFinding a good fit in a pastor is not an easy thing. Meeting a congregation’s present reality and hopes for the future is a daunting task for a search committee—given…
Readers write
Categories: ViewpointsPrayer needed as MC Canada prepares to downsize Re: “‘The signs are clear’: MC Canada leadership discerns a smaller church system,” April 4, page 18. While the factors feeding into…
For discussion
Categories: Feature Articles1. What emotional responses have you experienced in the presence of creative art? Is something creative always good? When should art be evaluated? Does censorship abuse creativity? 2. How does…
Creative connections
Categories: Feature ArticlesLike many pastors, Donita Wiebe-Neufeld, who co-pastors First Mennonite Church in Edmonton with her husband Tim, enjoys creating space for creative gifts to flourish. “It’s totally selfish. I love working…
Art that speaks volumes
Categories: Feature ArticlesThe success of In the Spirit of Humanity, a series of art workshops encouraging acceptance of others across cultures and faith groups, prompted Mennonite Church Canada’s Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery…
Art with a mission
Categories: Feature ArticlesWhile some creative arts like prose and hymnody have been accepted as natural forms of expression and worship in Mennonite churches, visual arts are often viewed with less certainty. For…
A political lament
Categories: EditorialAs an American living and working in Canada, I am both intrigued and saddened by two political events of the past ten days in these two North American countries—the take-out…
Brazilian council of churches joins disarmament effort
Categories: Web FirstThe National Council of Christian Churches of Brazil has joined a national disarmament campaign to combat violent crime in the country. Launched May 6, the Disarmament Campaign of the Ministry…
Christian-Muslim clashes in Egypt leave 12 dead, Coptic churches burnt
Categories: Web FirstChristian and Muslim clashes in Egypt have left 12 people dead, 238 injured and two Coptic churches in Cairo burned, the state media reported. Faith and political leaders condemned the…
Seeing the Other Side
How resilient are people? Do we really fall apart in every situation of grief? How is it that we can recover from horrendous trauma to life normal lives again? In…
Changes occurred in biblical text over hundreds of years
Categories: Web FirstWorking in a cluster of offices above a LifeWay Christian Bookstore, Bible scholars are buried in a 20-year project to codify the thousands of changes, verse by verse, word by…
New Eyes
When I went downstairs near the beginning of In-House (our local drop-in) to get the dodgeballs, two young boys were sitting on the stairs outside the washrooms, eating watermelon. We…
Crossing borders marks anniversary of full communion relationship
Categories: Web FirstIn a world where crossing borders is becoming a literal fact of life in economics, work and culture, U.S. and Canadian Lutheran and Episcopal/Anglican church leaders crossed the borders of…
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