MCEC welcomes five churches at annual gathering
Over 200 people from 75 of the 110 Mennonite Church Eastern Canada congregations attended the MCEC annual gathering at the UMEI high school in Leamington, Ontario on April 26 and 27. During the sessions, MCEC welcomed five congregations as provisional members, marked the 200th anniversary of two churches, discussed a major new study on youth engagement…
Author imagines a way forward amid environmental upheaval
A new book offers practices for leaders and communities to foster healthier cultures during a time of ecological devastation. In Tending Tomorrow: Courageous Change for People and Planet, Leah Reesor-Keller shares her own journey of meaning-making amid environmental and social upheaval with the hope that readers will use it to make sense of their own experiences,…
Circles of Support and Accountability closing in three locations
Mennonite Central Committee Ontario (MCCO) has announced the June closure of the Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) programs in Hamilton, Toronto and Kitchener, as well as the Faith Community Reintegration Initiative. The programs supported people coming out of incarceration. An MCCO release states that “sustainable funding from both federal and provincial governments has remained…
Winnipeg churches hold Nakba Day service
A call from Christians in Palestine to lament and pray for people suffering in Gaza prompted Mennonites in Winnipeg to organize a service. The May 15 service took place on Nakba Day, the day when Palestinians commemorate what they call The Nakba, or catastrophe. That’s when over 750,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes during the founding of the state of Israel…
Flooding displaces 200,000 in Kenya
“Unprecedented and devastating” flooding in Eastern Africa has caused the displacement of 235,000 people in just five days, according to a UN report. Countries most affected include Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Ethiopia and Tanzania. In total, the UN estimates 637,000 people are affected, including tens of thousands of refugees. Over 200 people have died. In…
Hawkesville closes with gratitude
A year ago, Hawkesville Mennonite Church made the difficult decision to close as a congregation as of June 2024. Their numbers had dwindled and there were no children. Facing the future with courage, the congregation decided to express gratitude for 74 years of ministry and disperse. Hawkesville is a village near Waterloo, Ontario and there…
Catholic and Mennonite worlds collide on YouTube
The Hertzogs, who married in 1996 and who attend Forest Hill Mennonite Church—a Mennonite Church USA congregation near Lancaster—started the channel in 2022 to uplift, educate and entertain viewers. In the videos, Kristen draws from her experiences to share the joys and challenges of being part of the Mennonite culture in Pennsylvania’s Amish Country. She explores the struggles she’s faced being an outsider and how she’s…
Rehoboth inner Healing Church among five churches joining MCEC
For Paulos Berhe, being Anabaptist means taking what has been received from Jesus Christ and sharing it with others. He serves as pastoral leader at the Rehoboth Inner Healing Church (RIHC) in Toronto, a small congregation that will be among the churches officially joining Mennonite Church Eastern Canada at the annual gathering at the end of April. “It’s good to have an umbrella,” says Berhe about joining MCEC. He and other members of the congregation look forward…
Third way community
If Joe Heikman had to choose a single distinctive Anabaptist value, it would be community. “That’s how I met Jesus,” he says, in community, growing up as part of a Brethren in Christ church in Pennsylvania. He did not arrive where he is at on his own. When I spoke with Heikman, he was preparing a series of sermons on the basics of Anabaptism for Wildwood Mennonite Church, the Saskatoon congregation he serves as pastor. The series will cover some history— Heikman loves history—and then shift to material…
Married In
Mennonites, they love sweet things,” Nicole Weber says with a laugh. “Mennonite stores make the best desserts, and if you go to a [Mennonite] party or event and bring sweets, they will love it.” Nicole is married to my cousin Josh. We attend the same family gatherings, and at those gatherings the dessert table is usually larger than the main dish table. Our family is Swiss Mennonite; Nicole is Chinese. Josh, who taught English in China, introduced her to Mennonite theology and values when they…
