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Pastor reports amid violence in DR Congo
Speaking from his home in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, on February 23, Josué Seleman told of the turmoil in the city after M23 paramilitary rebels entered Bukavu on February 14, three weeks after capturing nearby Goma in the east of the country. Seleman is a medical doctor and pastor of a church that is…
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Leading with care
In the 15 years he was the executive director of Community Justice Initiatives (CJI) in Kitchener, Ontario, Chris Cowie felt it was important to lead the organization with the same relational and restorative justice principles CJI uses with clients. Doug Klassen, executive minister of Mennonite Church Canada, describes a similar model of operating. “We have…
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Publisher-pastor
Maxwell Kennel and I often engaged in friendly theological debates as students at the same high school, so it was not a surprise his career has taken him where it has. In 2022, Kennel became the director of Pandora Press, and in October 2024, he also took on the additional role of pastor for Hamilton…
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Life in the 90s
Angus Martin, 96, is a retired mechanic and teacher. He was married to Florence Martin, who died in 2016, and is the father of Bryan Martin and the late Bonita Martin (who died in 1982). Angus Martin has attended Hamilton Mennonite Church since 1964. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. What is your earliest…
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De Jongs complete term in Ethiopia, move to Kenya
When asked what they’ve learned from their time working at Meserete Kristos Seminary in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, Joanne and Werner De Jong say it’s more about their own transformation. The couple began their term as Mennonite Church Canada International Witness workers in Ethiopia in January 2022. Werner, a former pastor of Holyrood Mennonite Church in Edmonton,…
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Jeff Schellenberg steps down after 28 years at Valaqua
Jeff Schellenberg can attest to the magic effect that Camp Valaqua has on people. After 28 years of living and working on and near Valaqua land, it’s home. “[When this job] came up we thought it would be a really fun thing to do for a year or two while we figure out what we…
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Floored by historic beauty
On November 8, the “Resurfacing: Mennonite Floor Patterns” exhibit launched at the Conrad Grebel University College Gallery in Waterloo, Ontario. Guests engaged with Margruite Krahn (pictured), the Neubergthal, Manitoba, artist whose natural, hand-cut stencils showcase historic Mennonite floor patterns. Margruite’s passion for this art form began unexpectedly while renovating her historic “house barn” home, where…
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Divine mandate to heal and reconcile
I am a Palestinian Christian—a Christian whose roots run deep in the Holy Land. My story is one of resilience and seeking peace in a land torn by ongoing conflict. However, this journey wasn’t easy. It began as a law student at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict confronted…
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Shalom and First Mennonite co-own church
Shalom Worship and Healing Center and First Mennonite Church entered a new covenant this past fall as co-owners of the facility and property at 800 King Street East in Kitchener, Ontario. Shalom, a Tigrinya-speaking congregation that joined Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) in 2016, worshipped at First Mennonite, an historically Swiss congregation, from 2010 to…
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Irma Fast Dueck reflects on lectionaries, honesty and worship
As some churches within MC Canada and MC USA embrace the Narrative Lectionary, Canadian Mennonite caught up with Irma Fast Dueck to ask about the use of lectionaries in Mennonite worship. Fast Dueck is associate professor of practical theology at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) where she has taught for over 30 years. She attends Bethel…
