We Mennonites hail from a rather iconoclastic tradition, but Christmas seems to be a partial exception to this. You see, this is a time of year when many of us set up small scenes... Read More
Blog
Well, we’re already up to Third Advent, meaning Christmas is right around the corner. As the shops near my apartment have gotten busier and busier, I’ve been thinking about the “... Read More
December 13, 2013 | Susie Guenther Loewen
In reading Nelson Mandela biography, as well as a book by Richard Stengel called 'Mandela's Way', I was inspired to write the prayer of a peace leader. This prayer is informed by... Read More
December 2, 2013 | Brandi Friesen Thorpe
Okay, so now that I’ve got your attention, let’s talk about the “f” word: feminism. (What did you think I was going to say?!) Feminist theology is part of what I’m studying and I... Read More
November 30, 2013 | Susie Guenther Loewen
Recently the Conrad Grebel College newsletter and the Canadian Mennonite have lent some publicity to the fact that myself and a fellow MTS student have received SSHRC research... Read More
November 30, 2013 | Max Kennel
A few weeks ago, my little family (my husband, my baby son, and I) celebrated parent/child dedication along with our church community. Though it’s obviously a different sort of... Read More
November 11, 2013 | Susie Guenther Loewen
This past summer, the worship theme at my church, Toronto United Mennonite, was about how the church is or can be salt and light, as per Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:13-16. The... Read More
October 30, 2013 | Susie Guenther Loewen
Before a couple years ago, I couldn’t pinpoint Cambodia on a map. I mean, generally I knew it was in Asia somewhere near Vietnam and Thailand. Really I didn’t have a clue about... Read More
October 29, 2013 | Brandi Friesen Thorpe
This past summer, the worship theme at my church, Toronto United Mennonite, was about how the church is or can be salt and light, as per Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:13-16. The... Read More
October 27, 2013 | Susie Guenther Loewen
Monday October 7th marked an anniversary of 250 years since the Royal Proclamation of 1763 was made. This proclamation, or promise, recognized the Aboriginal people of Canada as... Read More
October 8, 2013 | Brandi Friesen Thorpe
Ever since I read this article by the current president of the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary and this editorial in a recent issue of the Canadian Mennonite , I’ve been... Read More
September 29, 2013 | Susie Guenther Loewen
For those of you who are justice minded and love a good conversation starter, I want to direct you to Kris Miner's blog. LINK: Kris' blog - http://circle-space.org/2013/08/19/... Read More
September 29, 2013 | Brandi Friesen Thorpe
Like me, you may be following the recent news from Quebec about the “Charter of Values” that’s being proposed, and, like me, you may be feeling appalled at the very idea... Read More
September 21, 2013 | Susie Guenther Loewen
A few weeks ago, my sister and I swapped stories about our summers spent working for Camps with Meaning. In a conversation that ranged from outrageously horrible mosquitoes to... Read More
September 1, 2013 | Sarah Ens
This is a follow up sermon in the two-part series I preached at Crosshill Mennonite Church called 'The Work of Love'. The first part can be found here. This morning we heard the... Read More
August 31, 2013 | Max Kennel
I preached for the first time a few weeks ago--a challenging, stressful, and rewarding experience. I chose the topic of generosity with the help of one of the pastors from my... Read More
August 29, 2013 | Sarah Ens
The other day my housemates and I had an interesting conversation. We asked ourselves: if we are dreamers and made in the image of God, what is God’s dream? This is what we... Read More
July 31, 2013 | Brandi Friesen Thorpe
The other day my housemates and I had an interesting conversation. We asked ourselves: if we are dreamers and made in the image of God, what is God’s dream? This is what we... Read More
July 31, 2013 | Brandi Friesen Thorpe
With my colleague Doug being away on holidays, this past Sunday and next Sunday I'm going to try my hand at a two-part sermon series on some themes in the second and third letters... Read More
July 29, 2013 | Max Kennel
What does cross-cultural learning have to do with our faith? I believe it's at the heart of the good news that Jesus taught and lived: Reconciliation with God and reconciliation... Read More
July 28, 2013 | Cheryl Woelk
“When unbelievers lead the way in inventions and artistic expression, its because the church has embraced a false kind of spirituality” --- Pastor Bill Johnson, of Redding,... Read More
July 25, 2013 | Brandi Friesen Thorpe
A mini-retreat this week for me, with a couple nights spent at a local camp while my spouse leads the Bible time. Good time for reflection, writing, thinking, reading scripture,... Read More
July 25, 2013 | Cheryl Woelk
We Shall Remain is the title of a documentary series by PBS. We watched a few of the episodes while living in Virginia, where we heard very little of indigenous people, culture,... Read More
July 21, 2013 | Cheryl Woelk
My hand rested on the shelf of books and I looked at the title of the volume under my palm. It was the same book that I'd remembered. Another time, in the same small library, I'd... Read More
July 19, 2013 | Cheryl Woelk
One class from my MA studies at Eastern Mennonite University's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding which continues to stick in my mind is a course called "Narrative Negotiation... Read More
July 18, 2013 | Cheryl Woelk