Leaving a church that left
Harv Wiebe—not his real name—did not agree with his congregation’s decision to leave the regional church, but still, he hoped things would work out for the congregation he had once pastored. Questions about the conference had been discussed in the small-town congregation for many years, Wiebe says. (Canadian Mennonite is not identifying Wiebe due to…
A recipe to reverse the economy
The Mennonite more-with-less ethic is something I have always connected with. Shopping for clothes at the thrift store, commuting by bicycle and eating simple, tasty food are practices that have defined my life in the Mennonite community. These values ultimately steered me toward work in environmental policy, and today I work at one of the largest…
A slow, simple obedience
My introduction to Anabaptism began with fire. Let me explain. I grew up in a Presbyterian household, but when I went off to the University of Toronto, a roommate introduced me to the Living More With Less book and its companion, the More-with-Less Cookbook. To say I devoured them would be an understatement. In fact, a new world…
Hillsboro Resolution
In 1974, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) approved a resolution that encouraged each Mennonite household in North America to “examine its lifestyle” and adopt a goal to “reduce consumption and expenditures by 10 percent.” It came to be known as the Hillsboro Resolution, as the meeting in question took place in Hillsboro, Kansas. Five years after…
Actually, love your enemies
A couple of years ago my sister and I had hammock party at the park with our friends. The goal of a hammock party is to set up all your hammocks close enough together that you can still hear each other without yelling. On this occasion my sister and I, or rather my sister, packed up…
How to disagree with the beloved of God
Ian Funk remembers the last time he arrived on campus at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS)—how he walked into the guest house late at night and was welcomed by a fellow student sitting at the dining room table. People heard them exchanging greetings and popped out of their rooms. Within minutes, a group of students…
Reflections on Spiritual Transformation
“I think you are a contemplative.” Spoken by my spiritual director, those words caught me off guard. I’m not . . . am I? But the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right. At least in terms of orientation. A crisis in ministry had caused pain and anger for myself and my family. I felt betrayed and…
Involuntary: Terminated MCC workers call for accountability and change
“I still use it,” Anicka Fast says of the brownish knitted potholder she received at Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) orientation in Akron, Pennsylvania, in 2009. Fast and her husband John Clarke were en route to their first MCC assignment at the time. Fast is grateful to the women who, for many years, offered those hand-crafted…
Jeep Weekend
If I’m not careful, I find myself surrounded by similar-minded individuals who are great at reflecting my own perspectives and values back at me. In a society that continues to grow increasingly polarized and tribalistic, the ease with which this can happen worries me. After all, part of what made Jesus’ ministry so dynamic stems…
Faith Before Flags
I spent my mid-twenties holding my disability flag high, confident that I’d found my calling. This was my cause. These were my people. Wholly devoted to the disability community and its quest for equality, I wrote and spoke, adding my voice to the throng of those already raising the battle cry. This was where I…
