Spiritual lessons learned from wood
When Ken Roth retired, he was looking for a hobby that would be creative, be a blessing to himself and others, and needn’t be profitable. A member of East Zorra Mennonite Church near Tavistock, where he lives, Roth has served on the pastoral care team there for many years. Having worked in construction and as…
Review: Refugees grow faith from seeds of hope
Episcopalian priest Michael Spurlock has a problem. His diocese has ordered him to oversee the closing of the dying All Saints Church in Tennessee, but then a group of Karen refugees from Southeast Asia start attending. Michael senses God’s call and sees an opportunity for both the congregation and the immigrants to prosper through farming…
Lamenting the ‘discovery’ of North America
An American theatre company with Mennonite roots performed its newest production, which explores indigenous-settler relations, to a capacity crowd in Winnipeg earlier this summer. Hundreds gathered at Home Street Mennonite Church on June 28, 2017, as Ted and Company TheaterWorks presented Discovery: A Comic Lament. The play explores the Doctrine of Discovery, the legal framework…
Audience finds CO play deeply moving
Glenn Martin’s voice was deep with emotion as he expressed appreciation for Yellow Bellies, a drama that describes the experiences of Mennonite conscientious objectors (COs) during the Second World War. During the talk-back time after the evening performance, Martin explained that his father had been a CO, serving at Montreal River Alternative Service Camp in…
What does the past mean for the present?
The past two years have seen the publication of two interesting new collections of academic writing on Mennonite themes, one theological and the other historical. While other reviewers such as Jamie Pitts and Ben Goossen have reviewed these books in detail elsewhere, I would like to reflect on them in much broader terms and ask…
CM honoured by national church press association
Canadian Mennonite executive editor Virginia A. Hostetler attended the Canadian Church Press (CCP) awards banquet, held in Quebec City on June 22, at which she received writing and layout/design certificates for work published in 2016. CCP, an association of 62 publications, exists to “encourage higher standards of religious journalism and a more positive and constructive…
‘The perfect synergy’
What’s the sound of an award-winning song? Matt Epp and Faouzia know. This past May, the singer-songwriters won the grand prize for their duet “The Sound” in the International Songwriting Competition. Judges chose “The Sound” from more than 16,000 entries from 137 countries. Epp and Faouzia are the first Canadians to ever win the grand…
Stephanie Martin ends on a high note
Grace Church on-the-Hill Anglican Church was full of concertgoers lined up waiting for open seats from no-shows on April 30. Stephanie Martin’s last concert as artistic director of the Pax Christi Chorale after 20 years was a hot ticket, never mind the content and performers. Edward Elgar’s “The Apostles” had never been sung in Canada…
So every creature can sing
If you find the notion of caring for and healing creation formidable—or even hopeless—Mennonite Creation Care Network has a resource that just might change your perspective. With an accessible approach that draws upon science and faith, the Network has shaped a special 13-week creation-care curriculum around biblical teachings. The original edition of Every Creature Singing…
New book an aid to ‘identity formation’
Palmer Becker’s “little book,” What Is an Anabaptist Christian? has been translated into many languages and used globally. But as he taught from it in various places around the world, it became apparent that a longer version would be welcome. To that end, Anabaptist Essentials was published by Herald Press last year after testing in…
