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Sexuality has ‘the potential of taking us into fragmentation’
With the future of the church and issues of sexuality being prominent issues up for discussion at Assembly 2014, Karl Koop, a Canadian Mennonite University professor, asked César García, Mennonite World Conference’s general secretary who spoke about the global Anabaptist mosaic, how these topics could affect the global church. While García said he recognizes that…
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For discussion:‘Finding faith for an unknown season’
1. As Mennonite Church Canada ponders the future, it recognizes that the church is changing. What changes have been happening in your congregation? What fears do you have about the future of your congregation and the denomination? Is maintaining the status quo an option? 2. David Driedger says that claiming to have the final revelation…
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The changing face of congregations
In the face of an uncertain future, trepidation of shrinking budgets and programs, tired and fewer volunteers, and changing realities, encouraging stories were shared over two days of Assembly 2014 of vibrant Mennonite churches that are responding in creative and varied ways. In the small Manitoba town of Pinawa, which was created by the government…
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Biblical visions of ‘wild hope’
Where in the Bible can Christians turn to for “wild hope” if they are to have faith in an unknown season? That was the question Dan Epp-Tiessen, associate professor of Bible at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, addressed during the seminar he led at Assembly 2014 on July 4. In the seminar, entitled “Wild hope:…
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Deconstructing Muslim myths
The biggest obstacle to working with people of other faiths is to deconstruct all the stereotypes and myths that the media have created and perpetrated, especially about Islam, Donna Entz told her packed “Experiencing hope with people of other faiths” workshop. After 20 years of living in a Muslim village in Burkina Faso, she established…
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‘There is abundance’
What might a flashlight symbolize about how you were brought up to believe about generosity? That was one of the questions faced by participants during a weekend seminar at Assembly 2014 that aimed to get young adults thinking about the way they use their money. Arnie Friesen and Dori Zerbe Cornelsen, stewardship consultants for Mennonite…
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‘Jesus is with us’ in our creation-care efforts
“Last year, Mennonite Church U.S.A. passed a resolution on creation care at its Phoenix assembly. Is it time for [MC] Canada to have a resolution as well, and, if so, what should it look like?” Joanne Moyer, a member of the Mennonite Creation Care Network Council (www.mennocreationcare.org.), a ministry of the two national churches that…
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Leon provides B.C. prof a paw to stand on
It’s hard to organize a trip to Mennonite Church Canada’s assembly, knowing what to pack, how many books to bring and how to plan visiting times. The who to travel with, however, is a no-brainer for Bonnie Sawatzky. Leon, a black lab service dog, is her constant companion. Leon helps Sawatzky pick things up, walk…
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Prayer to heal the heart
Who gets the help when a pastor marries a psychiatrist? At the 2014 Mennonite Church Canada minister’s conference, the answer was no joke, yet everyone left feeling better. Dr. Karl Lehman, a psychiatrist, and pastor Charlotte Lehman team up in both life and work to teach people how to help each other heal through prayer.…
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What exclusive allegiance to Jesus looks like in a pluralistic culture
Embodying the love that Jesus Christ modelled and treating people the way we want to be treated are the best ways to face an increasingly pluralistic society. That’s the message Ryan Dueck, pastor of Lethbridge (Alta.) Mennonite Church, delivered during a July 4 Assembly 2014 seminar entitled “Hope in disorienting times: Navigating the challenge of…
