From a closed community to an open heart
Categories: Feature ArticlesGrowing up in a very conservative Old Colony Mennonite home in the 1950s and ’60s, I soon learned that education was not encouraged. Church was meant only to attend. I…
Women in ministry
Categories: Feature ArticlesCanadian Mennonite profiles the inspiring stories of women pastors from each of Mennonite Church Canada’s five area churches, beginning with Eve Isaak from British Columbia and working east to Martha…
Creating a new culture for recovery
Categories: Feature ArticlesDr. Mark Ragins, a well-known American psychiatrist who has dedicated his life and practice to recreating, improving and sustaining mental health recovery programs, spoke to 200 people who attended the…
A crash course in grace
Categories: Feature ArticlesEvery one of us deals with mental health challenges. Whether we’re losing sleep about the math exam tomorrow or are hospitalized for schizophrenia, whether we’re on medication for depression or…
The changing face of mental illness among Mennonites
Categories: Feature ArticlesAmerican Mennonite conscientious objectors (COs) working in mental hospitals during World War II decried the deplorable and inhumane treatment of patients. One symbolically powerful way they objected—and advocated for better…
For discussion
Categories: Feature Articles1. Do you remember comments about physical appearance from when you were young? What attitude did your parents and family have about physical appearance? How did they communicate that attitude?…
Breaking down the pretty/ugly altars
Categories: Feature ArticlesI think you know a lot about Jesus’ body, so I invite you to close your eyes and picture some things. Picture Jesus as a baby, his tiny body wrapped…
For discussion
Categories: Feature Articles1. What has your congregation done to help members dealing with personality disorders, addiction or family dysfunction? How effective has it been? How involved should the congregation or the pastor…
‘Hi, my name’s Steve* and I’m a porn addict’
Categories: Feature ArticlesMy first experience with pornography was at a corner store when I was nine years old. On a dare, I picked up a Playboy magazine and found that those glossy…
When the pain doesn’t go away
Categories: Feature ArticlesJane’s nightmares kept her from getting a good night’s sleep. “They are just terrifying,” she told her doctor. “I wake up almost every night. It’s like someone is suffocating me—like…
Choosing life
Categories: Feature ArticlesEvery morning I look in the mirror and do not know who might be looking back at me. I wonder what the day will hold. Will it be a day…
Building up God’s kingdom together
Categories: Feature ArticlesDuring the course of an evening of socializing with mostly pastors and deacons at some denominational committee meetings, discussion turned to the roles and practices of responding to the needs…
Embarrassing gratitude
Categories: Feature ArticlesA woman—a good family friend—pours perfume worth $25,000 on Jesus’ feet at a dinner party held at her house in his honour. She removes her head scarf, shakes her hair…
For discussion
Categories: Feature Articles1. The Christmas season is a time of giving. How does your congregation and/or community get involved in giving during this season? What are we saying when we give gifts?…
What a difference a year makes
Categories: Feature ArticlesChristmas will be different this year for Winnipeg’s Kathy Okolita. She stands in her newly renovated home surrounded by 18 people who have come to offer a house blessing. She…
Alternatives to a ‘Consumer Christmas’
Categories: Feature ArticlesMany people spend their evenings and weekends leading up to Christmas scouring the local mall for the perfect gifts for their loved ones, planning their Christmas feast or decorating their…
Israeli development thwarts peace on earth
Categories: Feature ArticlesEmbedded in the Christmas story is God’s desire for peace on our planet. Luke announced that “peace on earth” was the theme that the angelic choirs sang over the skies…
For discussion
Categories: Feature Articles1. In what ways are the people of your congregation involved with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)? Which generations are most involved? How high are the feelings of support and loyalty…
‘For such a time as this’
Categories: Feature ArticlesWorship is remembering, said the prophet Jeremiah. The past holds regenerative power. I’m a human being living in Canada today because of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC); some of my family…
MCC centrality questioned
Categories: Feature ArticlesMennonite Central Committee (MCC) is the largest and most influential Anabaptist organization in the world. It has nearly 1,200 workers and an annual budget of $82 million. Its reach extends…
Feature articles
