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‘God’s gonna trouble the water’
“Wade in the water. Wade in the water, children. . . .” Susan Beaumont had Mennonite Church Canada ministers sing the well-known spiritual at their “Leading in a season of change” conference preceding this year’s assembly on July 6, 2016. She invited them to stop, though, with the line, “God’s gonna trouble the water.” “God…
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Moonlight musings and redemption
Despite the standing ovation, I cannot imagine I was alone in having mixed feelings about the play we had just experienced. My mind was a full cup of queasiness and a dollop of laughter stirred with hard questions as I boarded the stuffy school bus with a crowd of other Mennonite Church Canada Assembly folks…
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Mennos march for ‘Steinbach Pride’
The march was set to begin at 11 a.m. on July 9, 2016. But at the top of the hour, Michelle McHale, whose fight for civil rights in Steinbach recently brought the city into the national spotlight, asked the crowd to indicate by applause whether they would mind “waiting for the folks on the highway,”…
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Decision roundup: Assembly 2016
Assembly 2016 may become known by delegates as a watershed event. By turns intense and emotional, joyful and worshipful, the gathered delegates made significant decisions that will impact the Mennonite Church Canada body for years to come. They met in Saskatoon, Sask., July 6 to 10, 2016. On Thursday evening, July 7, delegates voted in…
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What you need to know about Assembly 2016 discussions
About 500 Mennonites from across Canada will gather in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, July 6 to 10, 2016, for the Mennonite Church Canada Assembly. This event, which happens every two years, brings together people for worship, fellowship and to make decisions for the national church. (See here for the schedule, documents, and a video.) In case you’re…
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Assembly 2016 bits and pieces
Five hundred Mennonites from across Canada will gather in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, July 6 to 10, 2016, for the Mennonite Church Canada Assembly. This gathering brings together people for worship, fellowship and decision making for the national church. Go to the MC Canada website for information about Assembly 2016, schedule, discussion documents, a video and more. …
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Assembly 2016 speakers to focus on God’s covenant
One of the highlights of Mennonite Church Canada’s assemblies are the times of worship and spiritual enrichment. The theme of Assembly 2016 (July 6-9), God~Faith-People, is paraphrased from the Old Testament text Jeremiah 31:33: “This is the covenant . . . I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall…
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Songs of hope and struggle
Bryan Moyer Suderman released a new CD, I’m Glad You’re Here: Songs of Hope and Struggle, on May 6, 2016, in Stouffville, Ont. The concert was also a fundraiser for the “Welcome the Stranger” initiative for refugee support (an initiative of the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in the greater Toronto area), and on…
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Committee selected for Mennonite song collection
Six women and six men from across North America have been chosen to serve on the committee for the new song collection for Mennonite churches planned for release in 2020. The committee selections were announced by Bradley Kauffman, recently named project director for the collection, and Amy Gingerich, editorial director for MennoMedia, the agency managing…
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Nigerian peacemaking efforts recognized with Sattler Peace Prize
The 2016 Michael Sattler Peace Prize has been awarded to the Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN) and EYN’s “Christian and Muslim Peace Initiative” (CAMPI), founded in 2010 with Muslim partners. On May 20, 2016, the German Mennonite Peace Committee (Deutsches Mennonitisches Friedenskomitee, or DMFK) presented the prize to Ephraim Kadala, EYN pastor and peace coordinator,…
