Blog
Since its inception, L’Arche has been built on the values of mutual sharing, building relationships and being a signpost to the world that friendships with people who have... Read More
February 20, 2020 | Deborah-Ruth Ferber
“What do you want?” The tone says it all. The words are more of a put-down than a question spoken by a belligerent teen or a ticked off boss. But when the question is asked by... Read More
February 13, 2020 | Donna Dinsmore
The man sits as he died 2,000 years ago, in a position that looks like weeping. Surrounding him are amphorae jugs used to import wine, olive oil and fish sauce that fed the huge... Read More
February 6, 2020 | J. Nelson Kraybill
For various reasons, I watched fewer films in 2019 than in any of the previous five years. In general, the films listed below are not as strong as films on previous lists. In the... Read More
January 23, 2020 | Vic Thiessen
Let me be honest with you: I don’t want my kids to be evangelical Christians when they grow up. It was only recently, in one of those rare moments of fatherly self-awareness, that... Read More
January 16, 2020 | Paul Cumin
Editor’s note: Last year at this time, Gary Harder, a retired Mennonite Church Canada pastor in southern Ontario, related the following on his blog. 'Tis a New Year. We have laid... Read More
January 9, 2020 | Gary Harder
To get and to receive. These are the two modes of living which sustain us. Both of these paths provide for us, but there is a marked difference between them. In one, I am the... Read More
December 19, 2019 | Scott Tolhurst
waiting in the dark this season and place tilted away from the sun provides generous hours of darkness darkness may harbour breathtaking fear endless dread of unknowns aching... Read More
December 12, 2019 | Eileen Klassen Hamm
I don’t recall talking about Advent in the church in which I grew up, an Anabaptist church with a conservative evangelical bent. Certainly we didn’t mention Lent. And those other... Read More
December 5, 2019 | Michael Pahl
As the days get shorter and darker it’s worthwhile to take some time to think about the connections between creation care and self care. If you’re anything like me, the increasing... Read More
November 28, 2019 | Zoe Matties
In the fall of 2015, members of the neighbourhood community association asked if they could use our lower auditorium at Foothills Mennonite Church here in Calgary for a group of... Read More
November 21, 2019 | Erwin Strempler
On Nov. 9, 1989, I held on to my mother’s hand as hard as I could as we pushed through the crowds on the dark streets of Bonn, the capital of Germany at the time. At one point we... Read More
November 14, 2019 | Leona Lortie
I was working from home early last month when the doorbell rang. A delivery man handed me a box. An initial shake gave me the impression it contained books. Occasionally I do... Read More
November 8, 2019 | Anthony G. Siegrist
There are one hundred and seven Hutterite colonies in Manitoba and those colonies are home to a talented enclave of visual artists. I recently visited the Mennonite Heritage... Read More
October 31, 2019 | MaryLou Driedger
When I was a kid, Halloween was one of the best nights of the year. We lived in Drumheller, Alta. then. My mom and dad were both quite into Halloween and often lent their skills... Read More
October 24, 2019 | Steve Bell
Does this sound familiar? “At George’s request, cremation has taken place. There will be no funeral home visitation or service. As expressions of sympathy, donations to the... Read More
October 18, 2019 | Fred Redekop
The climate strike in Waterloo last month raised awareness and got people talking about climate change, which is a good thing. What's a lot more important but a lot more difficult... Read More
October 11, 2019 | Jonathan Klassen
Around this time last year, someone forwarded an email to me about “Pastor Appreciation Month.” I think I vaguely knew that this was a thing, but I had no idea that it was upon us... Read More
October 3, 2019 | Ryan Dueck
This is a prayer we are reluctant to pray because it is so hard to name what we fear out loud. We go through our days trying to pretend that life as normal will continue forever,... Read More
September 26, 2019 | Carol Penner
As the policy analyst for Mennonite Central Committee Ottawa, I’m constantly engaging with Canadian politics. I mostly love politics, but it’s also so easy to get drawn into toxic... Read More
September 19, 2019 | Bekah Sears
One of the terms I heard repeatedly at Gathering 2019 from June 29 to July 1 in Abbotsford, B.C. was “institutional church.” As in, “The institutional church would do things that... Read More
September 5, 2019 | Anthony G. Siegrist
Most of us are at least dimly aware that our thinking and behaviour is influenced in important ways by our social circumstances. We tend, in general terms, to think and act like... Read More
August 22, 2019 | Ryan Dueck
Four weeks ago, just over 40 volunteers returned to Winnipeg from a week of service, learning and community engagement in Cross Lake, Man. This marked the 10th year that our... Read More
August 15, 2019 | Moses Falco
To “vacate” means to “leave a place once occupied.” In North America, summer is the time many people choose to leave home and travel somewhere else in order to rest and relax from... Read More
August 8, 2019 | Gareth Brandt
My peace and reconciliation ministry is motivated ultimately by my love of the Creator, my service to Christ and my submission to the Comforter. Yet, I also have familial... Read More
August 1, 2019 | Dann Pantoja