Imperilled world, imperfect choices
Categories: NewsI interviewed five people who care about climate, yet, like many of us, they take actions not backed by their beliefs. I wanted to gently pull back the veil on…
Planting trees, nurturing a dream
Categories: NewsAs they walk the length of their 32-hectare (80-acre) property, it is evident that Wayne and Carry Dueck share a deep love for the place they simply call The Land.…
Church garden provides produce for soup kitchen
Categories: NewsIn the summer of 2004, Joy Neufeld opened the first soup kitchen in Steinbach. Fifteen years later, Soup’s On is still serving its community and is thriving. Neufeld, a member…
Rearranging pews a symbol of deeper discernment
Categories: NewsIn what church member Karl Dick calls a “bold summer experiment,” the congregation at Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church decided to unscrew some of its hardwood benches and re-arrange them in…
Duet bikes an opportunity for young and old to connect
Categories: NewsPeople walking around Abbotsford, B.C.’s Mill Lake might have caught an odd sight of seniors riding on duet bikes this summer. Duet bikes are wheelchair tandem bikes that enable people…
Exhibit features professor’s paintings of historic Anabaptist sites
Categories: NewsA love for the arts, combined with an interest in Anabaptist history, has inspired a professor at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford to create paintings depicting early Anabaptist history. The…
MMI golf tournament aids Edmonton Mennonite Guest Home rebuild
Categories: NewsMennonite Mutual Insurance (MMI) in Alberta had its first-ever golf tournament fundraiser at the Eagle Rock Golf Course in Leduc County, just south of Edmonton, on Sept. 7. Chosen as…
Building relationships with residential school survivors
Categories: News“It’s personal, there are names and faces. It’s not just textbook information now.” That’s how Timothy Khoo, 16, describes what it was like to meet residential school survivors while volunteering…
Picnics galore!
Categories: NewsMany church programs eventually come to an end, but there’s one event that still remains after many decades—and that’s the church picnic! Almost every church in Alberta had a church…
‘Beyond expectations’ with the help of God
Categories: News“I’m so sad that it’s over!” said one young participant after a week of high-energy Vacation Bible School (VBS) activities at First Mennonite Church in Kitchener last month. That is…
West Hills congregation tries ‘messy church’
Categories: NewsTwo years ago, West Hills Fellowship, in Baden, Ont., faced up to its small-church realities. It had lost some families for a variety of reasons, and found it challenging to…
A rewarding experience
Categories: NewsConnecting with children can be a rewarding experience. When someone says thank you, it feels good. This is what happened at a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) newcomers engagement project, held…
Auction raises funds for Amish private schools
Categories: NewsEach summer, on the third Saturday of July, the Milverton Amish communities organize a large auction to raise funds for their parochial schools. Hosted on Amish farms throughout the community,…
An experiment in generosity
Categories: NewsIt’s been said “there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” but it turns out there is at Emmanuel Mennonite Church. Passersby at the church on Clearbrook Road this summer…
Singing, serving and studying
Categories: NewsWhen summer comes, many churches experience a drop in attendance. But being fewer in number can be an opportunity to try new forms of worship. Singing together This summer, several…
12 organizations worth recognizing during Mennonite Heritage Week
Categories: NewsAt the end of May, Parliament passed a motion declaring the second week of September as Mennonite Heritage Week. The motion, put forward by Abbotsford MP Ed Fast, cited the…
‘We became Mennonites’
Categories: NewsWelcoming visitors from North America, Ivan Kapelushniy, pastor of Nikolaipolye Mennonite Church, led his congregation of about 15 people in singing “For God So Loved Us” in Russian. “There are…
MCC partner serves people ‘society doesn’t want’
Categories: NewsNatalia Mezentseva oversees a household of “women in difficult circumstances.” With an affirming and instructive place to live, thanks to a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) partner, their circumstances are better…
Shackled together in perfect unity— ‘Blame it on God’
Categories: NewsGod’s success is our problem. But it’s a good problem. From these thoughts of Tom Yoder Neufeld came a catch phrase of MennoCon19: “The church is a mess. Thanks be to…
Who was Mary Magdalene?
Categories: NewsWho was Mary of Magdala? What impressions do people have of her, and where do those impressions come from? With these questions, Amanda Witmer, an instructor in religious studies at…
