Navigating pastoral transitions
My interview with the pastoral search committee was wrapping up when one of the members asked me if I had any questions. They were not expecting the one question I…
Flooding displaces 200,000 in Kenya
“Unprecedented and devastating” flooding in Eastern Africa has caused the displacement of 235,000 people in just five days, according to a UN report. Countries most affected include Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda,…
Young adults plan spiritual retreat in B.C.
Categories: UncategorizedThe call of Jesus to transform the world for the better is radical, and young adults say they are willing to answer that call. Attendees at next month’s Young Adult…
Learning unity
As Christians, we are called to be in the world but not of the world. We are urged to be transformed and renewed by the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:2). Whatever the dominant culture in the world says to us is not who we are. Instead, we are a community of faith that has Jesus at the centre of…
Running toward Jesus
Categories: PeopleMy faith story is one of conversion. I was not simmered in the faith like many people, nor did I have a lightning bolt experience where I remember the exact…
Hawkesville closes with gratitude
Categories: NewsA year ago, Hawkesville Mennonite Church made the difficult decision to close as a congregation as of June 2024. Their numbers had dwindled and there were no children. Facing the…
Catholic and Mennonite worlds collide on YouTube
Categories: NewsThe Hertzogs, who married in 1996 and who attend Forest Hill Mennonite Church—a Mennonite Church USA congregation near Lancaster—started the channel in 2022 to uplift, educate and entertain viewers. In the videos, Kristen draws from her…
Rehoboth inner Healing Church among five churches joining MCEC
Categories: NewsFor Paulos Berhe, being Anabaptist means taking what has been received from Jesus Christ and sharing it with others. He serves as pastoral leader at the Rehoboth Inner Healing Church (RIHC) in Toronto, a small congregation that will be among the churches officially…
Third way community
Categories: NewsIf Joe Heikman had to choose a single distinctive Anabaptist value, it would be community. “That’s how I met Jesus,” he says, in community, growing up as part of a Brethren in Christ church in Pennsylvania. He did not arrive where he is at on his own. When I spoke with Heikman, he was preparing a series of sermons…
From the ‘centre of the military universe’ to central Alberta
Categories: PeopleDebbie Bledsoe wants people to know about the beauty she sees in the Mennonite Church. “I think people who grew up in it lose sight of what makes Anabaptism unique,” she says. Today, Bledsoe is the pastor at First Mennonite Church in Edmonton, Alberta. But…
What is the Essence of Anabaptism?
Categories: Feature ArticlesWe asked numerous people to share three to five words that express the essence of Anabaptism for them. We also invited them to elaborate if they wished. Personal faith. Christocentrism. Discipleship. Community…
Married In
Categories: NewsMennonites, they love sweet things,” Nicole Weber says with a laugh. “Mennonite stores make the best desserts, and if you go to a [Mennonite] party or event and bring sweets, they will love it.” Nicole is married to my cousin Josh. We attend the same family gatherings, and at those gatherings the dessert table is usually…
Writer reflects on 50 years of ministry in Latin America
Categories: NewsHelen Dueck occupied herself during COVID lockdowns by writing. The result is a book that tells the story of her life in ministry. Published at the end of 2023, Going Out and Coming In recounts the nearly 50 years Dueck and her late husband, Henry, spent living and working in Latin America. From Brazil to Bolivia, Uruguay to Colombia and Mexico, the couple were invited to teach, first with immigrant churches and institutions before working with national churches in leadership preparation. “Because we had…
To talk about God
When I started seminary three years ago, I realized I didn’t know how to talk about God. I was motivated to go to seminary because of my love for the Mennonite church. I wanted to deepen my understanding of…
Risking Introspection
Categories: EditorialI recently met someone who is new to Anabaptism after decades in other churches. He was unrestrained and exuberant about the distinctive gifts that Anabaptist churches can offer young people in our society. I could have spoken with him for hours about Anabaptist values. At the same time, some discussions of…
Raising the steaks
Categories: NewsJason and Sandy Yuen grew up in traditional Chinese-Canadian homes where meals included meat, but today the Toronto couple and their three children follow a vegan diet. “This is one way that our family can sort of live out in some small way what we think God’s will for us is,” Jason said The Yuens shared their story during an online discussion hosted by Canadian…
Life in the 80s
Categories: PeopleFrom southern Manitoba to B.C., and from Idaho to India, Bill Block had a long and varied career as a pastor. Along the way, he and his wife Dolores, who…
Am I Mennonite?
Although I’ve been a Mennonite pastor for over 25 years, I’m reluctant to call myself Mennonite. For several reasons. First, there’s an ethno-cultural component to the Mennonite identity that I lack. One does not simply become Mennonite,…
Life in the 80s
Categories: PeopleModel As, bucket lists and dwelling in God Fran Schiller, 87, grew up on a farm near Goshen, Indiana, the ninth of 10 children. She attended Goshen College, where she…
Cedar Valley a faith-based community centre
Categories: NewsCedar Valley Church in Mission, B.C., often has a full parking lot, and not just on Sunday mornings. Each week, 500 to 1,000 people enter the doors of the church…
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