Readers write: February 17, 2020 issue
Categories: OpinionChurch press seeks to report ‘in an honest, balanced fashion’ Re: “Freedom of speech for Christian media?” Dec. 9, 2019, page 9. Putting aside for the moment a rather odd expression for division in the church—“bombing the church”—I have difficulty…
Dear MC Saskatchewan:
Categories: OpinionIn 2018, Mennonite Church Saskatchewan began a three-year journey called “Deepening our walk.” In year one, we opened ourselves to encounters with God’s presence by “Deepening our walk with Christ.” This theme grew out of an awareness that, if we…
David Neufeld
Categories: OpinionYou can find all kinds of things in the archives, including humour. In a report dated Jan. 25, 1963, Rev. David P. Neufeld wrote, “During the course of the last year I have come to sympathize with a man who…
‘Unusual kindness’
Categories: OpinionOn Feb. 2, I attended a worship service that mattered. It was an ecumenical service, held as part of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Here in Laird, Sask., population somewhere south of 300, three churches participated. All are,…
Slow down for nature
Categories: OpinionOne of the most profound experiences of my life was when I bought a bicycle at the police auction at the precise midpoint of my two-year term of service with Mennonite Central Committee. For the first year, I’d walked everywhere,…
Lessons from the wheel
Categories: OpinionMy best friend, Mike, is a potter. Our friendship has afforded me the occasional opportunity to sit at his wheel and try my hand at pottery. I’ve learned that it isn’t easy. Mike is a good teacher, though, and during…
An overview of Christianity’s ideas about God
Categories: Web First – OpinionBecause we live in a time of change and upheaval in our culture, Anthony G. Siegrist argues that the church needs to improve its biblical and theological literacy, writing, “It’s important that Christian communities nurture their ability to speak about…
Readers write: February 3, 2020 issue
Categories: OpinionOld photo brings back ‘fond memories’ Re: “Moment from yesterday” photo of the Rosengart church in Poland. The picture brought fond memories back. It was my home church. I was baptized in it. I think the church was the only…
Expressions of encouragement
Categories: OpinionOver the years, I’ve attended many youth gatherings, even organized a few. But none were like the one I attended on Sept. 20, 2019, when the Manitoba Youth for Climate Action called students to gather for a Die-In in Winnipeg.…
Cornelius Penner
Categories: OpinionIn 1944, Cornelius Penner was separated from his wife and four children in Poland. He was sent to a German work camp while the rest of the family was taken to Siberia and later Tajikistan. Cornelius came to Winnipeg in…
Giving up a dream
Categories: OpinionI didn’t make New Year’s resolutions this year but I definitely jumped into this new decade with a challenge to choose what matters most to our family. My husband and I came incredibly close to buying our dream house, and…
‘We discuss and we divide’
Categories: OpinionIn early December, I received an email from Jeremiah Choi, our Mennonite World Conference (MWC) regional representative for Northeast Asia, about the situation in Hong Kong, where he lives and pastors: “Please pray for Hong Kong churches for unity. We…
Dwell in, not on
Categories: OpinionScripture encourages us to bring our requests to God in prayer. The problem is when we get attached to our desired outcome, which we usually do, resulting in our joy, peace and contentment becoming dependent on things turning out the…
A bit of ‘colour’ inside
Categories: Web First – OpinionI like to bring simple card-making supplies into the secure unit of the Edmonton Institution for Women. The inmates enjoy the chance to be creative but, more than that, they crave an opportunity to make something to send to family…
Readers write: January 20, 2020 issue
Categories: OpinionHigh praise from a loyal reader I look forward to reading Canadian Mennonite. The contributions are usually wide-ranging, with sermon-based feature articles that I find uplifting and confirming. The Opinion section with its “Readers write” letters gives me an idea…
No longer predictable
Categories: OpinionThe church we inhabit today is a lot different than the one I grew up in. Whether it was an English congregation or a German one, the worship services tended to have a familiar look and feel. “Mennonite” was somewhat…
MCC annual meeting
Categories: OpinionIn 1984, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) held its annual meeting in Richmond, British Columbia. Pictured from left to right are board members Hugo Jantz, Leo Driedger, Henry P. Yoder, Bruce Janzen and Florence Driedger. Money is a form of power.…
Partying ‘behind the wall’
Categories: OpinionThrough the frantic Christmas season, I was part of many gatherings connected to churches, families, schools and workplace settings. All were good. However, none were better, or more significant to the Christmas season, than the banquet sponsored by Parkland Restorative…
Transformative experiences
Categories: OpinionA thoroughly ragged and stained potholder has hung next to my kitchen stove ever since 1988. It was stitched together from scraps of cloth by some unknown Pennsylvania Mennonite. In those days, a group of women made potholders for every…
Eating God’s words
Categories: OpinionTwo years ago I embarked on a Bible reading challenge. What started as an attempt to read the Bible in a year, morphed into a slower reading and reflection practice. I realized I didn’t want to read everything just to…
Opinion/columns
