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Glimpsing the face of God
Why are we doing international ministry? As I engage with people in many regional churches I often get this question. It is my favourite question. Don’t ask unless you are prepared for my long answer, but I can also point you to the answers of others for a shorter version. The Ministry Initiative Development Guide…
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New vision, new life
Adjust the dial. Pick a colour. Pop, snap. A new pair of glasses is ready to wear in five minutes. This is the project of Global Vision 2020 (GV2020), an organization based in the United States, that works internationally to screen vision and distribute prescriptive eyeglasses to the 2.5 billion people who need them…
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Two knitters and a potter
Many people dream of having a business but it never comes to pass. Barb Heidebrecht of Bergthal Mennonite Church in Didsbury, Alta., wondered if it was just a pipe dream as her daughter Mikaela Heidebrecht and daughter-in-law, Lori Pauls talked about how bored they were and how they should open a store together. “I didn’t…
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Who goes canoeing with their mother-in-law?
Kyle Penner’s December wasn’t filled with just Christmas preparations, but with a multitude of book launches. The associate pastor of Grace Mennonite Church in Steinbach, Man., released his first book, a compilation of tales of his outdoor adventures entitled Who Goes Canoeing With Their Mother-in-Law? The Misguided Tales of an Avid Paddler. Last summer,…
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Behind the scenes of Voices Together
When some of the individuals working on the forthcoming Voices Together hymnal needed help with a big task, they called their moms. The task was daunting. The text committee, the group responsible for researching and preparing all aspects of the more than 750 song texts to be included in the collection, needed draft files…
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Tourtiere recipes – regular and gluten-free
This French Canadian meat pie has become a Christmas Eve tradition in Leona Dueck Penner’s family. Tourtiere – regular Ingredients: 5 lbs. (approx. 2 kg) lean minced pork 3 large onions, finely chopped 5 clove garlic, minced 4 med. potatoes, finely grated 2 ½ cups water 3 bay leaves 1 ¼ tsp. ground cloves 1…
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Christmas Eve tradition brings comfort and joy
Celebration is necessary for survival. It renews the spirit and recreates hope. It nourishes and strengthens both giver and receiver, and it helps to lighten the crosses in our daily lives. That’s what our friends at the Christian Council of Mozambique taught us over and over again in the 1980s, when Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)…
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Knitting project portrayed as pilgrimage
The audience was absolutely amazed when Kirk Dunn finally revealed his “Stitched Glass” knitted panels at the end of his one-man show, The Knitting Pilgrim, held at Floradale Mennonite Church on Oct. 26. The performance described his 15-year knitting pilgrimage of making three panels in the style of stained-glass windows representing the three Abrahamic faiths. …
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Expiring City
Michael Veith grew up across the world in Macau, where his parents were Mennonite Church Canada Witness workers. This November, seven years after moving to Canada, he launched a photo exhibit featuring the city where he was raised. Titled Expiring City, the show ran at the gallery space at Forth Café in Winnipeg, where a…
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A plausible, persistent passion
On a spring morning in 1970, Henry Regier walked out of the residence assigned to guest lecturers at the University of Wisconsin and turned east. Student riots related to the Vietnam War had broken out on campus, and the night before National Guards with bayonets had deployed tear gas. Wanting to avoid the brewing violence…
