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First Mennonite series explores queer theology
Affirming LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church has been discussed for years in many Christian circles, yet congregations and regional churches tend to not move beyond the initial question to discover the rich scope queer theology offers. First Mennonite Church in Winnipeg is pushing past that boundary with its new series, “Queer theology and the church:…
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‘A Creative God’ resources explore visual arts in worship in intercultural Anabaptist congregations
A new group of resources on visual arts in worship is available from Together in Worship, an online collection of worship resources from Anabaptist sources. The centrepiece is “A Creative God,” a 45-minute video documentary about how seven intercultural Anabaptist congregations use visual art in worship. “Mennonites have been starved, historically, of visual art in…
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MCC begins 2022-2023 meat canning season
As Mennonite Central Committee begins its 2022-2023 meat canning season, the need for food in Ukraine and other countries around the world is growing. In Ukraine, millions of people have been displaced, and many are without access to food, water and healthcare since the Russian military invaded in February. This summer, MCC’s Ukrainian partner organizations…
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Grebel launches new strategic plan
Marcus Shantz, Conrad Grebel University College’s president, provided an overview of Grebel’s new strategic plan during the school’s annual general meeting on Oct 4. Entitled “Renewing an inspired community,” Shantz said, “The main hope our stakeholders expressed was for Grebel to thrive in the future. No one advised us to radically change our identity, our…
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Grebel prof contributes to global study of Bible
Derek Suderman, a professor at Conrad Grebel University College, is passionate about connecting with global Anabaptist churches and contributing to cross-cultural teaching. This summer, he taught courses in Cuba and Thailand to resource the global Mennonite church. Amid food shortages and electricity blackouts, he travelled to Palmira, Cuba, this past June to teach a 26-hour…
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The Meeting Place joins MC Eastern Canada
The Meeting Place started under the leadership of Sue Carr. (Photo courtesy of fivefortyone.ca) Earlier this year, the Meeting Place, an urban church plant in Hamilton, Ont., joined Mennonite Church Eastern Canada and was welcomed at the annual church gathering. The Meeting Place started about 15 years ago under the leadership of Sue Carr, formerly…
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The gift of sewing
Working in a long-term-care home in Vineland, Ont., Helga Bergen saw a need among the elderly residents. She came up with an idea to alter clothing for the bed-ridden residents, so they would be comfortable wearing their own clothes. She took an item of clothing, cut open the back, sewed a panel onto each side,…
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Cultural markers and faith markers
When Hyejung Jessie Yum first encountered Mennonites, she found value and inspiration in the writings of the 16th-century Anabaptists and adopted them as her faith ancestors. At the same time, she sensed some unspoken rules that seemed to make some groups of Anabaptists “more authentic” than others. “At first, I thought it was only my…
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MC Canada leaders promote National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Today marks Canada’s second-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a federal statutory holiday that recognizes the impact of residential schools on the country’s Indigenous people. Mennonite Church Canada’s executive ministers have made a statement encouraging people to make Sept. 30 a day for listening, learning and seeking reconciliation. Released yesterday afternoon, the statement was…
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MDS volunteers begin cleanup in Nova Scotia
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada began cleanup work in Antigonish, N.S., on Sept. 30 in response to Hurricane Fiona. That’s when volunteers from the Bethel Mennonite Church in Waterville, N.S., about a three-and-a-half hour drive from Antigonish, arrived to start cutting down fallen trees in the coastal town of 4,300 in the northeast part of…
