What does it mean to be a Mennonite?
“What does it mean to be a Mennonite?” This is the question Winnipeg filmmaker Paul Plett seeks to answer in his latest film, I Am A Mennonite. Plett has been creating an extensive catalogue of movies for 10 years through Ode Productions, the company he founded that focuses on “conscious entertainment.” I Am A Mennonite,…
Making the best of a bad situation
“How do you deal with a bad situation? What is the best of the worst solutions?” These are questions Otto Driedger poses as he reflects on the past. In 1965, when Driedger was director of child welfare for the Saskatchewan Department of Social Services, he and a colleague started the Adopt Indian Métis (AIM) Program.…
Memories of migration
It’s been almost 100 years since 1923, when thousands of Mennonites from the Soviet Union began migrating to Canada. A train tour commemorating their journey will wind across Canada in the summer of 2023 to mark the anniversary. Ingrid Moehlmann, the event’s initiator, remembers her father’s final wish that started it all. “On his deathbed,…
Sharing food with hungry guests
Between the years 1969 and 1984, my husband Hardy Schroeder and I lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Hardy was working on translating the Bible into Kikongo ya Leta (a trade language). One day we invited a number of men, who were working for our church garage, for lunch. Simon, my house…
Chicken with Peanut Sauce
Elfrieda Schroeder says that meat stew can be stretched to feed more people by adding hot peppers and vegetables. Read her story here. This recipe is from Extending the Table, ©2014 Herald Press. Reprinted with permission. Heat in large saucepan: 2 tablespoons / 30 ml oil Fry until cooked through: 1 (3-pound /…
The end of an era at MHC Gallery
The founder and curator of the Mennonite Heritage Centre (MHC) Gallery, Ray Dirks, retired after 23 years of leadership. His career at the gallery, which ended on July 31, has included producing four books and countless exhibits, receiving multiple awards and building dozens of relationships with artists and visitors. Dirks established the MHC Gallery in…
New book is ‘essential reading’ on conflict
At the Sept. 9 launch for Betty Pries’ new book, called The Space Between Us: Conversations About Transforming Conflict, Jennifer Ball called it a “handbook for being human,” and “essential reading for anyone navigating conflict.” Paul Okoye, senior consultant at Credence & Co., where Pries is founder and CEO, facilitated the evening. Credence, based in…
Calligrapher creates facemask artwork for fun, reflection
Whether they’re covering faces, hanging from rear-view mirrors, lining pockets or lying in gutters, facemasks are ubiquitous. But for Lois Siemens they are also a blank canvas. Siemens is spiritual-care director at Bethany Manor, a seniors housing complex owned and operated by the Mennonite churches of Saskatoon and area. When residents at Bethany Manor were…
‘This is my learning, my journey’
Like many Canadians, Winnipegger Kim Thiessen was devastated when she learned about the 215 unmarked graves of children at the Kamloops, B.C., residential school earlier this year. “I didn’t know what to do with the sadness, despair and rage I felt,” says the 57-year-old mother and grandmother. After giving it some thought, she decided to…
Seminary bids farewell to Safwat Marzouk
In July, Safwat Marzouk concluded his roles as associate professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and chair of the Bible Department at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), after 10 years of service. He is now serving as associate professor of Old Testament at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Va. Marzouk, who came to AMBS in July…
