Healthy citizens
My husband and I decided to live in the United States this fall. Flexible work made it possible to move temporarily to a small town near where we grew up, with a primary goal of providing support to my 85-year-old mother. Belatedly, we realized that meant we would be immersed in a presidential election, a…
Thinking outside the gift box
As our family sat around the Thanksgiving dinner table discussing our plans for Christmas and the virtue of giving gifts, someone piped up and said: “We already have too much stuff. Please don’t buy us anything for Christmas this year. We don’t need anything!” Have you heard this statement before? When people complain that individuals…
Goodbye Berlin
Gordon Eby captured the moment when families in Berlin, Ont., said goodbye to local troops at the start of the First World War in 1914. In 1916, concerned that its Germanic name was bad for business, the city would say ‘goodbye’ to Berlin and ‘hello’ to Kitchener. The Berlin Mennonite Church faced a dilemma. Should…
Wisdom, where art thou? (Pt. 2)
A school teacher asked her class of first graders, “What colour are apples?” Some children said “red!” Others exclaimed “green!” A few said “yellow.” Then one little boy raised his hand and said, “Apples are white.” The teacher patiently explained that apples could be red, yellow or green, but never white. However, the boy insisted.…
Readers write: November 7, 2016 issue
Philpott deserves better from us Re: “Put not your trust in ‘princesses’ ” letter, Sept. 26, page 10. I am irritated when the press and the public berate our government ministers for spending money on hotel rooms and taxis. I have travelled for my work and, in my experience, it gets old very quickly. I…
‘ReLearning’ community
As a Mennonite baby boomer, going to church was family reunion, Christian faith and social life all rolled up into one tight-knit package. Floradale (Ont.) Mennonite Church was my community. Community is a core strength of Mennonite churches. Surviving and thriving came from a dependence on God and each other. Even though my tribe…
Our heritage is . . .
Our family was invited to an Indo-Canadian family birthday celebration. A one-year milestone, particularly for a son, is a monumental occasion in our friend’s culture. The colourful dress, curried-sensations and dancing were a little overwhelming and invitingly beautiful for a white bloke like me who grew up in southwestern Ontario, where dancing was verboten and…
Expressing love with food
Fred Redekop often reminded his congregation that preparing food for others who may be struggling with illness or a death in the family is a way of showing love and care. So when it came time to say farewell to him after 25 years as our pastor, we wondered what food was appropriate for our…
‘Swiss Mennonite’ cherry platz
When Floradale Mennonite Church planned a farewell event for our pastor Fred Redekop, this is a recipe we prepared. (For the story that goes with this recipe, see “Expressing love with food.”) The recipe originated from Annie Redekop (Fred’s mother), and I adapted it for a 10’’x15” cookie sheet. I call it “Swiss Mennonite” platz…
Carwash
A 1978 car wash at Mennonite Brethren Bible College in Winnipeg, Man. Pictured, Don Wiens, right, soaks Adrienne Wiebe, left. Car washes, bake sales, quilt raffles, pie auctions, coffee houses, work days, cookbooks, and chocolate and cookie drives are methods that churches and church-related institutions have used to raise funds. There are so many good…
