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Mennonite Church USA joins multifaith coalition
WASHINGTON, DC – The Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) at Georgetown Law has filed a lawsuit on behalf of over two dozen Christian and Jewish religious denominations and associations in response to the Trump Administration’s rescission of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “sensitive locations” policy that had restricted Immigration and Customs Enforcement…
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Fired couple reach agreement with MCC
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has reached a financial settlement with John Clarke and Anicka Fast who were terminated in August 2023. MCC will pay the couple $180,000 in exchange for Clarke and Fast withdrawing complaints filed with the Quebec labour board and assuring that no other legal action will follow. The January 22 agreement was…
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Celebrating 500 across Canada
While there have been no reports of baptisms taking place in Canadian Mennonite churches on January 21—the 500th anniversary of the first Anabaptist baptisms—Mennonites across the country marked the start of this quincentenary in a variety of ways. Vancouver-area congregations gathered for a joint service at Peace Mennonite in Richmond, B.C., on January 19. The…
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A pastoral letter for Anabaptist-Mennonites in DR Congo
Beloved brothers and sisters, We received a request for prayer from our leaders in DR Congo. Pastor Jean-Pierre Muya, president of MWC member church Communauté Mennonite de Congo (CMCo), writes: “This is a difficult time in our country. Please continue to pray for the restoration of peace and for the injured.” We recognize how the…
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De Jongs complete term in Ethiopia, move to Kenya
When asked what they’ve learned from their time working at Meserete Kristos Seminary in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, Joanne and Werner De Jong say it’s more about their own transformation. The couple began their term as Mennonite Church Canada International Witness workers in Ethiopia in January 2022. Werner, a former pastor of Holyrood Mennonite Church in Edmonton,…
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MCC meat cannery grand opening
On January 18, 2025, over 700 people gathered at the MCC Hub in New Hamburg to celebrate the grand opening of the new MCC Meat Cannery. This 10,000-square-foot facility is set to make a significant impact on vulnerable communities worldwide, with a goal of producing 60,000 cans of nutritious food annually for families in crisis.…
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MCC investigation finds harassment by senior personnel
An investigation commissioned by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in response to complaints put forward by John Clarke and Anicka Fast, who were abruptly terminated in August 2023, found that “MCC processes and some decision making by senior personnel as a whole … is reasonably understood to fall within the threshold of harassment as defined by MCC’s…
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Menno-Nazi ties in the press
During the week of December 13, the Waterloo Region Record, the Toronto Star (the highest circulation newspaper in Canada) and other TorStar publications ran Terry Pender’s in-depth article, “Bending the rules: How Canada opened its doors to Nazi war criminals,” which discusses Nazi links to Mennonites and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) specifically. The occasion for…
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Irene Baergen honoured for work with newcomers
On December 5, Irene Baergen of Edmonton First Mennonite Church received the King Charles III Coronation Medal at Government House in Edmonton for her years of volunteer service with Edmonton’s Newcomer Centre (formerly, Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers). “My claim to fame is that the first organization meeting was held in our living room over…
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MCEC reduces salary costs by 17 percent
Due to ongoing budgetary pressure, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada is making a 17-percent reduction in salary costs for the 2025–26 budget year. The leadership have made the difficult decision to lay off four staff. A November 20 open letter to MCEC churches from Ann L. Schultz, intentional interim executive team leader, and moderator Ben Cassels,…
