Meet MC Canada’s new moderator, Geraldine Balzer
Geraldine Balzer, a member of Nutana Park Mennonite Church in Saskatoon, was elected moderator of Mennonite Church Canada in July, replacing Calvin Quan, who served in the role for six years. We asked her to share about her life and vision. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Emily Summach: Where did you…
‘MDS was such a big part of her life’
All was quiet on Sept. 6, at 9 a.m., as Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers in Monte Lake put down their tools and paused for a moment of silence. They were doing it in memory of Evelyn Greenwood, a long-time volunteer with MDS, who was killed in a tragic accident exactly one year earlier. They…
An ‘accidental’ visiting scholar
Like a gem miner with a headlamp, Natalyia Venger scans microfilms, hunting for treasures rescued from Russian archives now stored at the Mennonite Heritage Archives (MHA) in Winnipeg. She is here from Ukraine to study Mennonite colonies under Russian nationalism in the early 20th century. It was a time of great upheaval for Mennonites. She…
Passing the conductor’s baton
“I remember so fondly the tours and travelling,” says Richard Janzen, the long-time music educator and choir director at RJC High School. “In 2002, we went on a tour along the Oregon coast of the United States. We stopped by the Oregon state legislature building, just to take a peek around. There was this massive…
The sweet solace of polarization, Part 3
I’m nervous about presenting non-orthodox views about COVID. Some of my mandate-abiding friends will look askance. “Yes, but . . . ,” they will say, then demarcate limits of tolerance. Rigidity was a spiritual variant of COVID. Questions became unwelcome. A singularity of narrative prevailed, spawning a minority reaction. Friendships withered. Families ruptured. Churches bled…
Growing hope, one acre at a time
“We all believe that in our core values it’s important that if there is something that you can do, you do it,” says Emily Lappage of Gatez Farms. She is the eldest daughter of Blaine and Laura Gatez, and has grown up surrounded by farm life and family values. Gatez Farms is a third-generation family…
MC Eastern Canada executive minister resigns
Mennonite Church Eastern Canada’s Executive Council regretfully announced the resignation of Leah Reesor-Keller, executive minister on Sept. 28. “We are grateful for Leah’s service and leadership over the last two years,” says Arli Klassen, chair of the Executive Council. “We remain committed to the identity, purpose, values, vision and priorities that were heartily approved at…
The sweet solace of polarization, Part 2
Caleb Brown was a lead organizer of the Freedom Convoy protest outside the Manitoba legislative building last winter. I asked how he responds to people who dismiss all protesters as white nationalists. I asked how he felt about people who drove by and gave him the finger, as one of my friends did. To back…
Sparking community life again at Nutana Park
“How can we bring people back to church?” It’s a familiar question for churches across the country and across the denominational spectrum. The arrival of COVID-19 in March 2020, and the ensuing public health restrictions kept many people home on Sunday mornings for months. Now, as the pandemic moves into endemic status, churches are wondering…
Stories by the shore
After a rainy day on Aug. 30, about a hundred guests enjoyed a balmy evening on the shore of Lake Ontario, listening to stories shared by various Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Ontario staff. Abe Epp, a longtime fruit farmer on Lakeshore Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake, invited MCC to use his beach-front property to host this event…
