Readers write: August 15, 2016 issue
What about the pastors who are forced to refrain from moonlighting? Re: “Meet the pastors who moonlight,” June 20, page 4. The flip side of the scenarios presented in this feature is that of full-time pastors who attempt to moonlight in their off hours, but find that their congregations do not agree that they have…
Creating space
After nine years of working together on the Being a Faithful Church (BFC) process, by an 85 percent majority, delegates at Assenbly 2016 in Saskatoon approved the BFC7 recommendation. (See “Delegates vote to allow space for differences.”) In essence, the recommendation had four parts: to continue to hold the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite…
Battleground
We have abandoned the battleground. In a hope-desiring but hope-diminishing article, columnist Robyn Urbeck asks: “How do we know when to stop praying for Orlando and Texas, and start praying for Nice?” This is a penetrating question, as wave after wave of terror and sorrow lap upon the beaches of our age. It’s one thing…
India crate
Helen Warkentin was a long-term missionary to India from 1920 to 1957, and took many orphans ‘under her wing.’ She received support from family and friends back in Winkler, Man. Pictured, Manitobans proudly gather around a large crate of goods they are sending to Warkentin, to be used for the care of the poor in…
Readers write: July 25, 2016 issue
Use land for food production, not burying the dead For some time, I have wondered whether we are good stewards when we use precious real estate to bury our dead. I do not now own real estate, and I question why, upon my death, I should own a piece of land for the next thousand…
Delegates have spoken
In a much-anticipated assembly, delegates have clearly spoken on behalf of Mennonite Church Canada. After an eight-year Being a Faithful Church (BFC) process, delegates approved the BFC7 recommendation with an 85 percent majority. This is clear affirmation for seeking a way forward together in responding to committed same-sex relationships. Delegates affirmed that the Confession of…
Healthy diversity
“What does a healthy congregation look like?” I asked a pastor friend recently. He responded by telling a story of how he had led his congregation through a contentious issue. In the process, people spoke openly of their views, listened carefully, and, in the end, came to a satisfactory understanding about how to live with…
Joy proposition: Give till it feels good
In my childhood home, we had a unique red velveteen bag. When you pressed on the bag in the right place, you heard the sound of someone laughing, really guffawing. The recording went on for at least a full minute and you could almost hear the person wiping the tears from his eyes. We often…
The pursuit of truth (Pt. 7)
American architect Frank Lloyd Wright said, “The truth is more important than the facts.” I agree, although I’m not sure that I could explain why. What is the difference between truth and fact? There are differing answers to this question depending on whom you ask. One author on the subject says that facts are more…
Old Order Mennonite farmer
An Old Order Mennonite farmer in Waterloo Region, Ont., works the fields by horsepower in 1950, much as his 19th-century counterparts would have done. We take the cycle of the seasons for granted, yet in 1816 Mennonite settlers in Upper Canada (now Ontario) experienced “the year without a summer.” When Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted…
