Two big surprises, two big questions
Categories: OpinionRecently, a Kubota utility vehicle pulled into my driveway where my sons and their friends were playing hockey. Out popped Tim Taylor, a former NHL player and two-time Stanley Cup champion, holding the Stanley Cup. He put it in the…
Readers write: July 22, 2019 issue
Categories: OpinionHeadline ‘diminishes and sensationalizes’ church article Re: “Church ditches ‘overt religiosity’ to become ‘community resource,’ ” May 27, page 18. We were delighted to connect with John Long-hurst when he expressed interest in writing an article about our recent Calgary…
Things I noticed at Gathering 2019
Categories: OpinionI didn’t used to get nervous leading singing. There were times before leading at Mennonite Church Canada’s Gathering 2019 when I was nervous. I was less nervous leading 6,500 youth and sponsors at the St. Louis ’99 Youth Convention than some…
Centennial celebration
Categories: OpinionNew Canadian initiatives around multiculturalism in the 1970s—celebrating anniversaries like Canada’s centennial in 1967, Manitoba’s in 1970, and the arrival of Mennonites in Manitoba in 1974—created a new energy and appreciation for history in Canada. During these years, the Mennonite…
Millie, my lions and me
Categories: OpinionIn early June, a sermon was delivered by a mother-daughter team in Tiefengrund Rosenort Mennonite Church in Saskatchewan. The daughter, Abby, is 12. From time to time, the growing whiteness of my hair and whiskers seems to dictate that I…
Walking with youth toward a fearless faith
Categories: OpinionIt is difficult to know what the future holds for youth ministry within Mennonite churches in Canada. Change is happening fast for some churches as they experience more immediate declines in the number of youth and children in their congregations.…
7 digital tools for discipleship
Categories: OpinionWith mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers within easy reach, Christians have many ways in which to learn, ponder their beliefs and strengthen their faith. Here are some ways you can cultivate your digital discipleship. Digital Word. Every Sunday…
From darkness to light
Categories: OpinionNo matter how many times you visit India, the overcrowded cities, hazy air and animal-people-vehicle-jammed streets of this country with more than 1.3 billion people are an assault to your physical senses and inner spirit. The contrast between light and…
Readers write: June 24, 2019 issue
Categories: OpinionWhere is the ‘just and redemptive path forward’ for Dalton Jantzi? Re: “MC Eastern Canada apologizes for causing pain to abuse survivors,” May 13, page 16. It appears to me that this article is all about Mennonite Church Eastern…
Building resource connections
Categories: OpinionCommonWord is just over four years old. In that short time we have doubled our sales (reaching more than 10,000 retail customers last year), more than doubled the number of website users, and have continued to circulate half of our…
Cayuga church
Categories: OpinionFrom halfway across the world, a loyal MAID watcher noticed an error. This was not the Rainham church in 1965, as originally labelled by the photographer, but South Cayuga Mennonite Church, Dunnville, Ont. Comparing it to another photo of South…
Passionate about front-yard living
Categories: OpinionMy pastor husband co-preached about living a front-yard life at a large joint worship service at the park last weekend. With three churches gathered together and probably half of our town at the park, the message of interacting with our…
202 columns later
Categories: OpinionSome years ago, I screwed up my courage and sent off an email to the editor of Canadian Mennonite. I offered to write a column on family relationships. Proposing the column was one of the hardest things I ever did.…
Reaching out requires letting in
Categories: OpinionA recent CBC news article projected that 9,000 Canadian churches will close over the next 10 years. That’s approximately one-third of Canadian churches gone in a decade. It’s not news that the church in Canada is dying, but it is…
Confronting the fear of our history
Categories: Opinion“Yet we Christians have also been called to take a good hard look at ourselves. To reflect on our Christian beliefs, to scrutinize our missional practices. And to decolonize. It’s not that Christianity is inherently colonial, but for generations the…
Readers write: June 10, 2019 issue
Categories: OpinionCarbon answers Re: “Carbon questions” letter, April 29, page 8. Carbon is created in stars and distributed through the universe as dust, which, in turn, forms the next generation of stars and their planets. Carbon is one of the…
Church relations on so many different levels
Categories: OpinionYou are what you eat, or can it be said you are who you work with? There’s also the phrase, “two peas in a pod,” but this time there’s three of us. On the surface, it could be said that…
Namaka cutting wheat
Categories: OpinionA farmer cuts wheat on a farm in Namaka, Alta., in the 1920s. Food and its production continues to be a central driving force in society, affecting our health, quality of life and where we live. Forces such as mechanization, urbanization,…
No ‘happy clappy Christians’ for Blake
Categories: OpinionMy friend Blake Rooks died in early May. He was large, unkempt, unhealthy, opinionated and occasionally rude. He was an atheist. His kidneys didn’t work. He loved people. He carried a measure of English charm. All of these were qualities,…
Layers of faithfulness
Categories: OpinionA mentor once told me that, in her view, a female preacher should wear “straight lines” behind the pulpit. That is, a suit. Straight lines command greater authority, which means people are more likely to give your words credit. As someone…
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