Young people invited to be ‘rattled by the radical’
Leadership from two of Mennonite Church Canada’s regional churches are inviting youth from across Canada to a gathering in Saskatchewan next summer. “Shake: Rattled by the radical” is happening from July 28 to Aug. 1, 2019, at Shekinah Retreat Centre, near Waldheim. The event will feature worship, learning and activities for young people in grades…
Looking back and looking ahead
Canadian Mennonite asked eight young adults from across Mennonite Church Canada to look back on the year that was and to look ahead to the year that will be. These are their reflections, which have been edited for length and clarity. What did you learn in 2018? “In 2018, I learned the importance of accepting…
Gifts symbolize Indigenous relations
A vest and moccasins presented to the Mennonite Church Canada director of Indigenous-settler relations symbolized the ongoing work of Indigenous relations in B.C. During an Oct. 27 meeting of the regional church’s volunteer Indigenous Relations Group, Lorne Brandt, chair of Mennonite Church B.C.’s Service, Peace and Justice Committee, honoured Steve Heinrichs with the gift of a…
Is ‘you do you’ an ethical base for living?
When discussing the question of ethics in the church or in society at large, there is an increasing cacophony of voices laying claim to the ideological space governing the collective sense of right and wrong. What’s more, the loudest and most prominent voices tend to drive home the idea that what is right for one…
Modern ghosts of a horse-drawn scandal, Part 4
Eight men went to prison, the media gaze moved on, and colony life resumed. But the saga of mass rape in the Bolivian corner of our family of faith is far from over. It’s hard not to talk about something as sensational and consequential as a mass rape case on an intensely conservative colony in…
Hitting reset
Anyone who has operated a computer knows that, from time to time, it’s necessary to hit reset. The same is true in the life of faith. “Resetting is an affirmation of God’s grace,” said Rachel Miller Jacobs, an associate professor of congregational formation at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind. “Things do not have…
Online extras: Modern ghosts of a horse-drawn scandal, Part 4
Eight men went to prison, the media gaze moved on, and colony life resumed. But the saga of mass rape in the Bolivian corner of the Mennonite family of faith is far from over. This supplement accompanies Part 4 of “Modern ghosts of a horse-drawn scandal,” a four-part series on the ongoing legacy of the…
Peace pole reflects prayer for peace and harmony
The peace pole and peace garden in front of Steinbach Mennonite Church connect the congregation with more than 200,000 groups and churches worldwide that desire a world at peace. The pole displays the prayer, “May peace prevail on Earth,” in eight languages. Surrounding the pole is a newly planted peace garden with an inviting path…
Christian-Muslim dialogue expands to Calgary
For the first time in its six-year history, the annual Christian-Muslim dialogue in Alberta held an event in Calgary as well as in Edmonton. On Oct. 25, 2018, Trinity Mennonite Church hosted an evening presentation by Wes Thiessen, who holds a doctorate in Islamic history. Dale Ibsen of A Common Word Alberta, which sponsors the…
A deep love for the church
On Nov. 4, tears and well wishes were intermingled at Foothills Mennonite Church in Calgary when Pastor Doug Klassen told his congregation that he had accepted Mennonite Church Canada’s call to the position of executive minister. “While I grieve the thought of leaving the congregation that I have loved deeply for 20 years, I look…
