Goodbye ‘model minority’
Categories: Opinion“I refuse to be your model minority,” Simu Liu tweeted. Liu played Jung Kim on the award-winning Canadian sitcom, Kim’s Convenience. This drama portrays a Korean immigrant family’s life in Canada. Liu’s character is the estranged eldest son of the…
Is it time to cancel cancel culture?
Categories: OpinionAt first I thought cancel culture was a good idea. The phenomenon, which emerged a handful of years ago, refers to “ending (or attempting to end) an individual’s career or prominence to hold them accountable for immoral behaviour.” That’s according…
Invitation to freedom: A lenten practice
Categories: OpinionWho wants to talk about sin? Not me, that’s for sure. Most people I know are pretty stressed out; they want good news, not something that makes them feel worse. As I write this my autocorrect keeps changing the word…
Readers write: February 27, 2023 issue
Categories: OpinionComplexities of pacifism Below are four responses to “Conscientious” (Jan. 30), which critiqued the Canadian government purchase of fighter jets. Horrors in Ukraine If countries do not stand up to dictators like Putin, Hitler, Mussolini and Napoleon, we would not…
Camp really matters
Categories: OpinionThe smell of pancakes on the griddle, the roar of laughter while trying new activities, and the joyful noise of campfire singing are forever etched in my heart. Summer camps and camp programming have long been a passion of mine.…
CMC Yearbooks
Categories: OpinionThe Konferenz der Mennoniten in Canada—now Mennonite Church Canada—was formed in 1902. In 1928, the conference started publishing an official Jahrbuch (yearbook) which documented proceedings and decisions at the annual gatherings. Starting in 1946, an increasing an amount of Jahrbuch…
Dump truck affirmation
Categories: OpinionIn this new-ish year, I find myself searching out new-ish challenges. My youngest brother and I have been trading off shifts driving a dump truck in Saskatoon, which is still cleaning up after the great Christmas Day 2022 snowfall. It…
Beyond free speech
Categories: OpinionThe fellows at the next table were running on and on about refugees. So many false statements! I gritted my teeth as I sipped my coffee that morning. “No!” I wanted to holler, millions of refugees were not going to…
A shielded sleep
Categories: OpinionWhat keeps you up at night? Do the anxieties of your day taunt you as you lay awake? I don’t usually have much trouble falling asleep—my wife can attest to that—but sometimes if I wake up in the middle of…
Readers write: February 8, 2023 issue
Categories: OpinionMaking God manageable I really appreciate what Ryan Dueck is trying to get at, as well as the powerful responses (“To set a soul aflame,” Jan. 30). When Karl Barth visited European Mennonite Bible School near Basel in 1967, a…
New ventures in faith formation
Categories: OpinionReflecting and reshaping is what I have been witnessing congregations doing in the ministries of formation. Across the board, in ministries that engage adults, youth, seniors and children, people are ready to venture into new territory. There seems to be…
Henry Gerbrandt, missionary to Mexico
Categories: OpinionHenry Gerbrandt (far right) in Mexico ca. 1947. Henry and Susan Gerbrandt began their mission work with the fledgling Mennonite Pioneer Mission, arriving in northern Mexico on Dec. 21, 1945. Because money was scarce, their first Christmas dinner was macaroni…
The wider church and church budgets
Categories: OpinionIt is the time of year when churches—whether local, regional or nation-wide—set their annual budgets. I’ve had interesting conversations in this process. Many churches are experiencing declining and/or aging participation. A decline in revenue comes with that. From Africa, one…
Untidied worship
Categories: Opinion“When we gather for worship, we bring all of ourselves, though some experiences or emotions might feel harder to name. Or maybe we feel pressure to keep them tidied away,” explains Alissa Bender when describing her worship resource in Voices…
The complexity and simplicity of Christian unity
Categories: OpinionUnderstanding how to pray and work towards unity with all “Christians” has been a struggle for me. How do I seek unity with people who call themselves Christian, but embody attitudes, values, behaviours and beliefs that, in my opinion, are…
Forever hybrid
Categories: OpinionNiklaus Mikaelson, Valerie Tulle, Lizzie Saltzman, Stefan Salvatore . . . do you know who these folks are? If not, maybe that’s because they are not from the Mennonite heritage but from a supernatural world featured in the TV series,…
Readers write: January 30, 2023 issue
Categories: OpinionTell your story of faith The article “Eyes to see” (Nov. 28, 2022) discussed, “how to help members talk about faith and God’s work in their own lives.” Many of us would rather talk about Mennonites in the past or…
Gift for the Queen
Categories: OpinionFifty years ago, in June 1973, Queen Elizabeth II visited the Waterloo region. What gift could she be given to represent the area? These two bronze figures of an Old Order couple by Waterloo artist Renie Ellis were chosen. At…
Embracing diversity
Categories: OpinionOne of the identified priorities for Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) is embracing diversity. With this priority, we articulate our intention to: “Invite and challenge the church to explore the variety and richness of God’s people. This will require transformation…
Welding a Mennonite reality
Categories: OpinionIn January I was tasked with providing a meditation on Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday at a local church. As I peck out this column, that day has not yet arrived and I’m spending my time welding up a sermon. I’m…
Opinion/columns
