Helping the stranger and connecting with the neighbour
When Sterling Mennonite Fellowship received an invitation from St. Vital Evangelical Mennonite Church (EMC) to partner in sponsoring a refugee family, it felt like an answer to prayer. Members of the Winnipeg Mennonite congregation had felt called to support refugees for a long time, because of their history as refugees and the clear need for…
Keeping culture and faith
Mennonite Church Eastern Canada already had several Chin congregations in its midst, with all of them having roots in the Hakha-Chin community. Like many languages, though, the Chin language from Myanmar has several dialects, and, as of this spring, the regional church is now home to the Matu-Chin Christian Church in Kitchener, whose members speak…
Learning to rejoin the world
On the weekend of May 11, Jennifer Symonds, a participant at the Westview Centre4Women, shared her story as part of a conference hosted by the Niagara churches of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada. Held at Westview Christian Fellowship in St. Catharines, Ont., and at Vineland United Mennonite Church, “The End of Us and Them” explored stories…
Putting words into actions
The Spruce River Folk Festival is held annually at Ray Funk’s farm north of Prince Albert. Mennonite Church Saskatchewan and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Saskatchewan help sponsor the event, which raises awareness of, and support for, landless Indigenous bands, in particular the Young Chippewayan First Nation. Wilbur Sargunaraj, a cultural intelligence facilitator from India, performed…
Learning to be human
When I was first hired as a disability support worker at enVision Community Living in Steinbach, Man., I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know many people with intellectual disabilities and I certainly didn’t know what it meant to support someone with intellectual disabilities. Not only did I have no idea what…
Rethinking the Safe Third Country Agreement
Did you know that Canada is a signatory to the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States? It is an agreement based on the idea that both countries are equally safe places to seek asylum, something clearly disproven by recent world events. When I learned of this, I was shocked. Canada’s participation in the…
Creole-speaking congregation joins MCEC
Westerne Joseph has been in Canada for ten years. The political situation in Haiti meant that he, his wife and their children had to flee, landing in Canada as refugees. In 2010 they received refugee status, making their home in Montreal, where their children have finished high school and attend university. Joseph has Mennonite roots…
Buildings crumble but faith remains
In the old city of Aleppo, Syria, Rev. Ibrahim Nseir stands on the pile of rubble that used to be his church. The building where his congregation once worshipped is now a pile of broken stones and dust. Although its church building has crumbled, the faith of the National Presbyterian Church of Aleppo has held…
Mennonites attend Indigenous theological studies symposium
The 20-or-so Mennonites who attended the North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies (NAIITS) symposium were humbled by the grace of their hosts who welcomed them, without hesitation, into the conversation. They gathered in early June at the Acadia University campus in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, for this symposium on white supremacy, racial conflict, indigeneity and…
Edmonton store to contribute to Ten Thousand Villages sustainability plan
On June 27, 2018, supporters of the Edmonton Ten Thousand Villages (TTV) store voted overwhelmingly to grant its board the authority to gift $100,000 to the TTV program of Mennonite Central Committee (Canada), in a one-time attempt at a sustainability plan. The Edmonton store was the final partner to agree to the plan that also…
