Mennonites connect over pancakes
It was more than 20 years ago when two Mennonites from Germany travelled to Ethiopia to explore the possibility of doing mission work with the Mennonite church there. After two weeks of searching for Mennonites in Addis Ababa, they finally located the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) office and received directions to a Meserete Kristos Church…
Mennonite pancakes
Pancakes played a role in the story told in “Mennonites connect over pancakes.” Here is a tasty recipe. In various Mennonite recipe books, this traditional “Russian Mennonite” fare is identified as German pancakes, Russian pancakes or Pflinzen. In Canada, they are sometimes referred to as crepes, to distinguish them from the more common raised pancakes,…
Shoplifting
Under the watchful eye of a Kitchener, Ont., store owner, a teenager browses the record collection. Shortly, she will slip one into her bag, and the owner will catch her in the act of shoplifting. This photo of a simulated crime is part of a slide show produced by the Access Project, a program of…
Readers write: April 23, 2018 issue
Spiritual directors thanked for their Lenten prayer guide Re: “Lenten prayer sheet reflects Lululemon spirituality” letter, March 12, page 7. The references to the Lenten prayer guide as “scriptural soundbites, social-justice propaganda and Lululemon theology” that is “hacking away at the roots of faith” are inflammatory rhetoric that is unproductive, not to mention deeply…
Trusting the Spirit
At our annual Mennonite Church Manitoba delegates meeting in Winnipeg in March, I concluded my time as a member of the regional church board. I served on this board as a rep from the southern area of Manitoba for six years (two full terms). I joined the board in the middle of a pretty intense…
Life-giving touch
Many years ago, a boyfriend who subsequently became my husband gave me a book about touch and its essential place in human well-being. At the time, touch was a delightful dynamic in our new relationship. Within the boundaries of our Christian ethics, we explored physical intimacies, one of the expressions of our deepening love. Then…
Cascading generosity
Many of us have experienced the way generosity seems to grow when we pay it forward. This phenomenon is even backed up by scientific research, which suggests that just witnessing acts of generosity can inspire people to be more generous in their own lives. One of the most exciting aspects of my job at…
I dare you to coach
After years of my gym membership not bearing fruit, I switched to a gym where a fitness coach leads each workout. It’s been a little over a year now, and I’m in better shape than I’ve been in 20 years. I had no idea how important a good coach is. The coach starts each session…
Readers write: April 9, 2018 issue
Feature writer breaks faith with Paul’s word to the Corinthians Re: “Unity of the Spirit,” Feb. 26, page 4. I found the adapted presentation of Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld disappointing and unhelpful. I cannot detect any engagement by him with parts of I Corinthians. This omission severely, if not completely, undermines this piece of…
Ordinary discipleship
How comfortable are you with change? Change seems to be the most consistent “unchanging” reality of our lives. We are always experiencing change. Thankfully many, or even most, of the changes we experience are small or gradual, like the steady change in my hair colour to ever-more grey! However, from time to time life events…
