RJC music teacher wins national award
Adelle Sawatzky has a new piece of hardware to put on her desk at RJC High School in Rosthern, Saskatchewan. In early November, the 27-year-old from Kindersley, Saskatchewan, won the 2024 Builders Award for Newer Teachers from the Canadian Music Educators’ Association. “A lot of times [awards recognize] lifetime achievement so it is an encouraging…
Working groups on climate and Indigenous relations hold retreat
Twenty-five people involved in climate and Indigenous relations working groups within Mennonite Church Canada regional churches, as well as people from related organizations, gathered at Wilderness Edge Retreat and Conference Centre in Pinawa, Manitoba, from October 4-6, to discuss their work and hopes. The retreat was led by MC Canada’s climate action coordinator Sandy Plett,…
The ‘Yes, and’ of Rockway’s solar project
An array of 875 solar panels now sits atop the roof of Rockway Mennonite Collegiate in Kitchener, Ontario. Installation was completed in mid-October by VCT Group, with connection to the power grid expected by December. The panels are owned by CED, an alternative energy co-op. After 20 years, Rockway—which was not required to make a…
The future of Mennonite Men
Mennonite Men says its ministry may soon meet its end. Don Neufeld, Canadian coordinator of this bi-national organization which saw its beginnings in the 1950s when men fundraised for projects like new church builds, wrote a letter to MC Canada’s leadership and area churches of MC Canada questioning the viability of their organization: “Our donation…
MC Sask hires Evan Bueckert as interim youth minister
For the next 10 months, Evan Bueckert will be at the helm of youth ministry in Saskatchewan. Bueckert, 30, is half-time associate pastor at Mount Royal Mennonite Church in Saskatoon. He steps into the role after Kirsten Hamm-Epp stepped away from it at the end of August after 11 years. “I’m excited to be working…
Praying with their feet
On the afternoon of Saturday, October 5, approximately 60 people gathered in the shade of Holy Trinity Church in Toronto to support the Palestinian Youth Movement one year into the Gaza war. Organizations represented at the gathering included Christians for a Free Palestine, Christians for Just Peace, Bathurst United Church and Mennonite Action. “A number…
Words that matter
Pádraig Ó Tuama is a theologian, poet and the author of several books including the forthcoming Kitchen Hymns (2025) and 44 Poems on Being with Each Other (2025). He is a member and former leader of Corrymeela, Northern Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation organization. He grew up Irish-Catholic near Cork, Ireland. Canadian Mennonite approached Ó Tuama as someone who…
Plaque commemorates conscientious objectors
Descendants of conscientious objectors (COs) gathered around a new plaque to permanently mark the location of the Montreal River Alternative Service Camp. More than 50 people made the two-day bus trip to Montreal River, 120 kilometres north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, on the shore of Lake Superior, to participate in this event Sept. 28,…
Update from war-stricken Myanmar
Greetings from Myanmar. We are facing a significant challenge for our youth. As the number of soldiers in the junta [military] has dwindled, [youth] are being forcibly recruited to serve in the army, with men and women collected in different ways. The airport is strict regarding young people leaving the country, and young people rarely…
Medicine wheel dedicated to elder
On Sept. 7, Westminster United Church in Regina dedicated a medicine wheel in its Kâkesimokamik, “healing garden,” to local Elder Lorna Standingready. Standingready, who is from Peepeekisis First Nation and is a residential school survivor, was an Elder for the United Church of Canada. She provided guidance to Westminster in their decision to create the healing…
