Ministry in Richmond and in the Punjab
I’m not exactly a new Canadian as I arrived in Vancouver back in 1989, leaving behind my hometown of Dadwan, Punjab, India. My grandparents were traditional Hindu and Sikh, but my father joined the British army and so converted to Christianity, though he was a very nominal Christian. My mother had been born into a…
How should Anabaptists celebrate 500 years?
Mennonite World Conference held its first assembly in 1925, which was the 400th anniversary of the beginning of the Anabaptist movement. With the 500th anniversary now only 10 years away, many people are wondering how MWC plans to commemorate it. A workshop on July 24 at the MWC Assembly in Harrisburg, Pa., addressed that question.…
Readers write: July 27, 2015 issue
Thanks to those who attended TRC report in Ottawa I would publicly like to thank and acknowledge the presence of Mennonite Church Canada personnel and other Mennonite workers who attended the Truth and Reconciliation Report in Ottawa. I think it is awesome that you took time out of your busy schedules and made this a priority…
Garden dreams
“All through the long winter I dream of my garden. On the first warm day of Spring I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy and my spirits soar.” ~Helen Hays, quoted in Like a Garden: A Biblical Spirituality of Growth by Sara Coven Juengst (Westminster John Knox Press,…
Interruptions
So Jesus was striding down the street one day when a kid in front of him turned around and asked for a bus ticket. Jesus had noticed the boy—a skinny teenager wearing a too-big T-shirt—aimlessly tapping a stick on a nearby fence. Jesus had wondered why the boy wasn’t in school, and if he was…
When a little becomes a lot
“Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’” (John 6: 8-9) I’ve always loved the story of Jesus and the disciples feeding the five thousand. Crowds of people have been following…
Where you start matters
The fragrance of old books mingled with stale pipe tobacco washed over me like finely aged wisdom, fermented from years of deep contemplation. Every wall of the late history professor’s study was concealed behind rows of shelves fully stocked with hardcover and paperback treasure. My sense of gratitude for the invitation to come “pillage” Robert’s…
The future of poverty
In the year 2000, world leaders set themselves a deadline for dramatically decreasing global poverty. That deadline was 2015. The global betterment plan was contained in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which committed the international community to: eradicate extreme hunger and poverty; provide universal primary education; promote gender equality; reduce child mortality; “ensure environmental sustainability;”…
Reconsidering sacred symbols
I have had a recurring dream that began after a trip to Italy. During my time there I visited at least 50 churches and was struck with the fact that many claimed to be the home of sacred relics—especially bits of the cross of Christ. After reporting this to my historian friend, he responded with…
Readers write: July 6, 2015 issue
If Christ is not the head, the church suffers dementia My wife has Alzheimer’s disease and is presently in long-term care. While visiting her I have observed other residents suffering from various forms of dementia and thought of the persons they had likely been before illness robbed them of their ability to think rationally. Some…
