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How fear and mistrust gave way to friendship
First nations, Lutheran and Mennonite movie-goers crowded into Saskatoon’s Roxy Theatre on March 13, 2016, popcorn in hand, to watch the premiere of Reserve 107: Reconciliation on the Prairies. The 30-minute documentary, directed by Brad Leitch and produced by Adrienne Leitch of Rebel Sky Media, tells the story of the Young Chippewayan First Nation, the…
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European Mennonites reject violence against Syrian refugees
Mennonite churches in Europe are responding to the violence and displacement in the Middle East that is affecting their society. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Gemeiden (AMG, Mennonite Church in Germany) and Algemene Doopsgezind Societeit (ADS, Dutch Mennonite Society) each wrote a letter to their governments urging peace. The AMG recognizes its country’s compulsion to respond to terrorism…
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Sir James MacMillan finds ‘the spiritual in music’
Conrad Grebel University College hosted Sir James MacMillan as the 2016 Rodney and Lorna Sawatsky Visiting Scholar. The Scottish composer and conductor, best known for his sacred choral works, gave his Sawatsky Lecture address, “The spiritual in music,” on March 1, 2016. An eloquent—and occasionally humorous—speaker, MacMillan drew on a vast range of references, both…
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My taxes for peace, not war
Because I grew up in the Mennonite tradition, conscientious objection is not a foreign concept to me. I was raised to value peace over violence and to treat every human life as sacred and precious. These values have stayed with me throughout my life. I furthered my passion for finding nonviolent resolutions to conflict through…
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MC Canada provides resource on indigenous-settler reconciliation
Steve Heinrichs is passionate about healing broken relationships between indigenous and settler peoples. As Mennonite Church Canada’s director of indigenous relations, he is committed to responding positively to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Call to Action No. 48: Adopting and implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. But he also…
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I feel it’s my country now
The greeting you get when visiting Yhya Al Kurdi’s apartment is full of excitement. Before you actually reach the door, Al Kurdi has opened it and stands at the end of the long corridor, waiting as you walk the rest of the way. Though he doesn’t know much English yet, he’ll give an enthusiastic, “Hello,…
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Vietnam Mennonite Church ordains 26
After six years of training and preparation, the Vietnam Mennonite Church (VMC), a Mennonite World Conference member, ordained 26 pastors in Ho Chi Minh City on 5 December 2015. Pastor Nguyen Quang Trung, president of VMC, officiated at the ordination service for 26 Mennonite pastors who had come from provinces and cities all over Vietnam.…
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Prairie Meadow Place is ‘a wonderful place’ for seniors
Dorine Russell sits in a comfortable armchair in her new room at Prairie Meadow Place, a cup of coffee by her side. “This is a wonderful place,” she says. “I love it here.” Russell moved to Rosthern, Sask., from Ontario a year ago to be near her daughter, who lives in Waldheim. She’s one of…
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Learning firsthand about hunger in Nicaragua
Karla Fehr, a member of Blumenort Mennonite Church in Gretna, Man., was part of a food study tour group organized by the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. They travelled to Nicaragua for about two weeks earlier this year to learn about the link between global hunger and small-scale farmers. Participants saw how the Foodgrains Bank is responding,…
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Growing up strong and healthy in India
It’s only 8:30 a.m., but the temperature in the Sundarbans region of India is already hovering around 35 degrees Celsius. If Tarijmana Bibi, 20, is bothered by the heat she isn’t showing it. She’s crouched low to the ground in the shade of her father-in-law’s compound, humming as she chops a mix of fresh vegetables…
