‘We Declare’ and beyond
In this issue you will find reports about Mennonite Church Canada’s Gathering 2022. Recently over 300 of us met in person and virtually to explore the theme, “We declare.” I was impressed by the turnout of delegates in Edmonton and by the engagement of younger folks in the business sessions, worship times, workshops and on…
Exploring the Anabaptist family online
As a self-described church nerd, I love to learn about my larger church family, and I’ve found much to explore online related to the Anabaptist-Mennonite world. I’m curious about my faith family’s projects past and present; I appreciate hearing stories of faithfulness and failure; I gain insight into the values and vision that have guided…
‘Following’ Mennonites
What are Mennonites up to these days? If you have within reach a smart phone, a tablet or a computer, the world of social media gives a glimpse into the larger Mennonite community. My first role with Canadian Mennonite was as web editor, and I was soon delving into the online world of Mennonites in…
Acting ‘a little strange’
“When you learn to follow Jesus, you will act a little strange.” This memorable line comes from a song by Mennonite singer/songwriter Bryan Moyer Suderman. Besides being an earworm, this simple song encourages children, youth and adults to consider what their lives will look like as they’re learning to walk in the way of Jesus.…
Responding, faithfully
What is a faithful response to the news in the world around us? Canadian Mennonite posed this question in our annual spring fundraising appeal. Each year CM needs to raise $150,000 on top of advertising and subscription revenue to ensure that people across the church, and newcomers online, have access to the important church stories…
Hybrid church
When you hear the words “church,” the first thing that pops into your head is probably not “tech team.” And yet, as we’ve lived through two years of pandemic worship, those folks operating the video camera, microphones and the Zoom controls have been vital to the church’s life together. The people managing the congregation’s YouTube…
Two things not up for debate
This editorial is not about abortion. Or maybe it is. I write this on the day after Mother’s Day, at a time when conversations are intense about the rightness or wrongness of ending a woman’s pregnancy. There is a lot to be said about the medical, legal and religious aspects of abortion, but not by me…
Speaking of faith
“How do we speak of our faith in a society of many faiths and no faith, a society that has seen all too well the harm the church can inflict in the name of Jesus?” This is one of the questions posed in the study guide for Gathering 2022, to be held in Edmonton this…
Steps on the path
On April 1, 2022, the world witnessed a remarkable event. On that day Pope Francis addressed a group of Indigenous people with the words, “I am very sorry.” Representatives of the Inuit, Metis and First Nations communities had come from Canada to Rome, meeting in smaller groups with representatives of the Vatican and sharing stories…
Trusting the Easter story
I have a vivid childhood memory of hearing my mother read C.S. Lewis’s book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Chapters 14 and 15 tell the story of the battle between life and death: the horrific killing of the hero, Aslan, the grieving of his faithful friends, and his triumphant emerging into life once…
