Alberta event explores wild hope for creation
Categories: NewsDon’t get “stuck in rage or paralyzed by fear,” said Joanne Moyer. “[Be] defiantly hopeful, despite the odds.” Moyer, associate professor at The King’s University in Edmonton, was presenting at…
Seeing beauty and injustice
Since her death in 1943, Simone Weil’s philosophy has impacted dozens of writers, thinkers and theologians. T.S. Eliot named her a saint. Simone de Beauvoir envied her spirit. Now, in The Literary…
Tokyo Anabaptist Centre a hub of activity
Categories: NewsThe Tokyo Anabaptist Centre has been a busy—and sometimes dusty—place this year, reports Gerald Neufeld, Canadian church worker in Japan. Neufeld and his wife, Rie, who serve as relationship catalysts with…
Windsor church addresses toxic drug crisis
Categories: NewsRielly McLaren says the grief caused by toxic drug deaths feels staggering and palpable in his community. McLaren, who pastors Windsor Mennonite Fellowship, also serves as chaplain to men transitioning…
MCEC welcomes five churches at annual gathering
Categories: NewsOver 200 people from 75 of the 110 Mennonite Church Eastern Canada congregations attended the MCEC annual gathering at the UMEI high school in Leamington, Ontario on April 26 and…
Circles of Support and Accountability closing in three locations
Categories: NewsMennonite Central Committee Ontario (MCCO) has announced the June closure of the Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) programs in Hamilton, Toronto and Kitchener, as well as the Faith Community…
Winnipeg churches hold Nakba Day service
Categories: NewsA call from Christians in Palestine to lament and pray for people suffering in Gaza prompted Mennonites in Winnipeg to organize a service. The May 15 service took place on Nakba Day, the day when Palestinians commemorate…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Notable actions and Manitoba AGM
Categories: NewsDelegates welcomed a new congregation into Mennonite Church Manitoba and passed a resolution to endorse a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty at the regional church’s annual gathering on March 1-2. More…
Klassen urges outreach at Saskatchewan AGM
Categories: News“The gospel begins with ‘hello.’” This was the challenge Doug Klassen, executive minister for Mennonite Church Canada, gave to those gathered for the Mennonite Church Saskatchewan Annual Delegate Sessions on…
Alberta AGM marked by hope and diversity
Categories: NewsParticipants celebrated the diversity of the family of God, strategized ways to improve inclusivity and marked leadership transitions at Mennonite Church Alberta’s 2024 delegate sessions. Mennonites from across the province…