A latecomer’s discovery of MW Canada
For the many years I worked as an educator in several Mennonite institutions, I did not participate in, nor identify with, organized activities of Mennonite Women Manitoba or the national MW Canada. As a young mother who needed the fellowship of other women, I found great meaning in a congregational women’s fellowship group and appreciated…
Readers write: February 27, 2017 issue
Visit to the West Bank might enlighten letter writer Re: “MC Canada should retract BDS resolution and apologize to Israel” letter, Jan. 2, page 10. This letter is unfair and misleading. As a mover and author of the resolution, I am baffled by the false assertion that it grew out of complaints from West Bank…
‘The darkness of the womb’?
“[Y]ou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. . . . ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). Oxford Dictionaries named “post-truth” as their Word of the…
In defence of masks
The subject of masks came up in the adult Sunday school class. Not literal ones, but the invisible ones we wear in an attempt to hide that which we don’t want to be seen. I ventured that such masks are unhelpful barriers, interfering with connectedness and intimacy. Quickly a woman responded, “We wear masks because…
Journey of generosity
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. . . . [I]nstead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do…
Elmer Martens
Elmer Martens, kneeling bottom left, was born in 1930 in Main Centre, Sask. He went on to become a leading authority on the Old Testament. His career was based at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, but he also taught at numerous seminaries in North America and beyond. In addition to books, articles, preaching and pastoring, he…
Wisdom, where art thou? (Pt. 5)
The king was looking for someone possessing great wisdom to join his council of advisors. So he contacted the elders of the 12 regions of his kingdom and asked them to send their wisest man or woman to his palace to participate in a challenge. The winner would then be invited to join his council.…
Readers write: February 13, 2017 issue
How much have funding losses affected Future Directions? We have heard that the Future Directions process came primarily due to funding issues. We have also heard that it was not about funding, but about renewing vision. And we have heard that people have been laid off due to budgetary constraints. Although the messages about Future…
Making the heart stronger
For once, I know what I’m giving up for Lent early this year: social media. I’m writing this column the Monday morning following the annual Saskatchewan Mennonite Youth Organization’s senior-high retreat, at which, due to a new location, youth had cell service for the first time in the event’s recent history. As the organizer, I…
Why aren’t we telling these stories?
It has been my experience that the church of Jesus Christ is chock-full of glorious stories of the power and presence of our Lord. It’s also my experience that many of these stories remain untold. The church is poorer for this silence. Why aren’t we telling these stories? Lend me a moment to share a…
