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MoM 100: A final post
I like telling stories. And I like trains. So when organizers of the “Memories of Migration: Russlaender 100 Tour” asked if I would join the cross-country train tour as a reporter, it wasn’t a hard decision to make. Yes! Through the tour, which ran from July 6-24—I was on the first and third legs—I was…
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Million-dollar fraud hits Winnipeg church
Members of a Winnipeg church are feeling shocked and bewildered after the revelation that multiple households in the congregation were defrauded of a total of more than $1 million. Leaders at Bethel Mennonite Church informed the congregation last month of the case of affinity fraud—an investment scam based on assumed trust that targets members of…
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Bus tour visits Stó:lō sites in B.C.
A nine-hour bus tour gave 30 participants a taste of the history of places that Indigenous people had inhabited for 10,000 years prior to the arrival of Mennonites in B.C. in the 1930s. The July 14 tour was guided by Sonny McHalsie, a cultural advisor and historian at the Stó:lō Nation’s Research and Resource Management…
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High school students visit Middle East
On the last night of Westgate’s 2023 Middle East trip, students and staff met on the rooftop of the Ecce Homo Convent in the Old City of Jerusalem to reflect on their experiences. Fittingly, their gathering was interrupted by the call to prayer echoing across the city. No one seemed to mind. All of us…
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CMU launches master’s program in spiritual care
Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) has added a new master of arts degree to its Graduate School of Theology and Ministry (GSTM) programming. As of fall 2023, students will be able to earn a Master of Arts in Spiritual Care, in addition to the three pre-existing master’s options: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Theological…
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Songwriters’ retreat creates new music for churches
Nichelle Bauman felt pressure going into a weekend retreat of Mennonite songwriters. What would she come up with? What could she contribute? She also had a strong desire to learn. Organizers had suggested in advance that the 23 participants from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico ponder the Beatitudes in preparation for the retreat. One night…
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Foodgrains fundraiser in Leamington
The 10-acre corn field owned by Tiessen Acres near Leamington, Ontario, has a purpose. The proceeds of the field will be donated to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB), as part of the Sun Parlor Growing Project. On Sunday, June 25, the project organizers hosted a fundraiser for CFGB in the Tiessen Acres machine shed. Over…
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Tim Khoo’s experience at Grebel leads to baptism
When Timothy Khoo was choosing a university, he looked for something that stood out. “I kept hearing about this Mennonite residence from my family and church community, and it piqued my interest,” he said. Khoo is now a second-year Honours Physics student at the University of Waterloo and a returning upper-year student at Conrad Grebel…
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Niagara church supports seasonal ag workers
The May 4 issue of Canadian Mennonite stated that “Niagara United Mennonite Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, will use a grant of $5,000 to build a laundry facility for seasonal workers who come to the area each year from Jamaica and Mexico to work on local farms.” The money is from the “Spirit of MDS Fund,”…
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MoM 100: Tour’s first leg comes to an end
And that’s it: The first leg of “Memories of Migration: Russlaender Tour 100” is over. From July 6-11, 60 people travelled by train and bus from Quebec City to Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, getting to know each other, sharing stories and learning more about the journeys taken by their ancestors 100 years ago. Laureen Harder-Gissing points to…
