1. What are the demographics of your congregation? What percentage is over 65? How many of those are frail elderly? What programs or ministries are designed specifically for... Read More
Features
Gloria Dirks, parish nurse at Waterloo-Kitchener United Mennonite Church, holds a plush “microbe” that she uses in children’s education in the congregation.
When Gloria Dirks was retiring from the joint position of Administrator and Director of Care at Parkwood Mennonite Home in Waterloo, Ont. in 2003, she knew she wanted to use her... Read More
February 15, 2012 | Feature | By Dave Rogalsky
Martha Brubacher, Florence Frey and Vera Martin work on a relief sale quilt at Floradale Mennonite Church.
Across the country, many MC Canada churches are staring at the numbers and scratching their heads. As young people drift away from the church and the baby boomers retire, church... Read More
February 15, 2012 | Feature | By Karin Fehderau
1. What technology does your congregation use in worship? What are the challenges to learning how to use new technology in worship? How much power is wielded by those who control... Read More
February 1, 2012 | Feature |
Youth worship at Charlotte 2005
Technology is the single most significant characteristic of modern western culture. Canadian philosopher George Grant contends it has long displaced democracy and capitalism as... Read More
February 1, 2012 | Feature | By Andy Brubacher Kaethler
“The Conversion of Zacchaeus” by Bernardo Strozzi, 1581 – 1644.
Money, business, salvation and the kingdom of God. You won’t often find these words sharing the same sentence, but they do belong together in the Gospel of Luke. It turns out Luke... Read More
January 18, 2012 | Feature | By Bruno Dyck
1. According to Larry Miller, the last two decades have been a time of fundamental change for Anabaptists around the world. What changes have you seen in Mennonite World... Read More
January 4, 2012 | Feature |
Ecumenical dialogue was a passion of Larry Miller’s. Monsignor John A. Radano of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity leads a meeting of the Mennonite-Catholic Dialogue (1998-2003), of which he was co-chair. To his left are Bishop Joseph Martino and Miller.
“You were a new kind of ‘migrant missionary’ described in John Howard Yoder’s As You Go,” said Bert Lobe, in an evening of memories of Larry Miller at Rockway Mennonite Church,... Read More
January 4, 2012 | Feature | By Dick Benner
Larry Miller’s tenure as MWC general secretary was marked by his gift of encouragement among other global leaders. In this 1991 photo, he stands behind his ‘big brothers’: Mesach Krisetya, left, of Indonesia, who was to become MWC president in 1997, and Reg Toews of Canada, then serving as treasurer.
Larry Miller remembers one moment clearly when, as a 38-year-old, he was weighing whether or not to accept the nomination to lead Mennonite World Conference ( MWC ). The year was... Read More
January 4, 2012 | Feature | By Phyllis Pellman Good
1. What experience have you had with the King James Version? Historically, how was it used in your congregation? How familiar do the words of the KJV sound to you? How do you... Read More
December 14, 2011 | Feature |
The King James Version was not the first attempt at an English translation of the Bible. John Wycliffe , together with others, had already published a complete English Bible by... Read More
December 14, 2011 | Feature | By Christine Longhurst
Superlatives for the KJV, as it’s known, abound: ‘The greatest work of prose ever written in English,’ ‘The most beautiful book in the world,’ ‘The most important book in English religion and culture,’ one of the ‘books of the millennium.’
Have you heard the Bible recently? Not read it, but listened to it—heard the words of Scripture, not just seen them on the page. We don’t hear the Word of God much anymore. The... Read More
December 14, 2011 | Feature | Christine Longhurst
Christmas came early at our house in Winnipeg this year. Most likely because now that we’re retired, my husband and I again have the opportunity of looking at the world through a... Read More
November 23, 2011 | Feature | By Leona Dueck Penner
My great-grandparents emigrated from Ukraine to central Kansas in 1874 and eventually purchased a farm. Towards the end of October 1894, the harvest was done and the year’s crop... Read More
November 23, 2011 | Feature | By Amy Dueckman
Joani Neufeldt is currently a member of First Mennonite Church, Edmonton, Alta., where she chairs the Christian Education and Worship Branch.
Sometimes a Christmas experience stands out in memory simply because it is so different from any other. When Joani Neufeldt , nee Goerzen , thinks of a memorable Christmas, it is... Read More
November 23, 2011 | Feature | By Donita Wiebe-Neufeld
When recalling a significant Christmas memory, Claire Ewert Fisher goes back some 30 years. The executive director of Mennonite Central Committee ( MCC ) Saskatchewan, Fisher and... Read More
November 23, 2011 | Feature | By Karin Fehderau
Hinke Loewen-Rudgers, second from left, poses with the Arab Christian family that took her in as their daughter. From left to right: Rajaa, Andera and Eman.
“I felt a very intense homesickness and wanted to go home [to Manitoba] for Christmas. Christmas is a very important holiday to me.” It was Christmas 2010 and Hinke Loewen-Rudgers... Read More
November 23, 2011 | Feature | By Evelyn Rempel Petkau
'We began reading it out loud to each other in 1981, and have done so every year since, finding more gems to think about each time.' (Photo by Aaron Epp)
Thirty years ago this Christmas, my wife Annemarie and I began a Christmas tradition we’ve continued year after year, with variations. Our first child was in utero the first time... Read More
November 23, 2011 | Feature | By Dave Rogalsky
1. Why might the idea of learning from other faiths make us uncomfortable or fearful? What are the risks and benefits of honest dialogue with other faiths? What are the faith... Read More
November 9, 2011 | Feature |
A group of Muslim men gather for prayer at a mosque in Israel/Palestine. Palmer Becker wonders if Mennonites, through their example and witness, might eventually help both male and female Muslim believers to pray and worship side by side.
In our increasingly multicultural and multi-faith society, can we learn from belief systems other than our own? I believe so, and offer what I have learned from two faiths—... Read More
November 9, 2011 | Feature | By Palmer Becker
Naomi Unger, standing, leads a small group discussion on the BFC 3 process at this summer’s MC Canada assembly in Waterloo, Ont.
Delegates to the 2011 Mennonite Church Canada assembly responded to the Being a Faithful Church (BFC) 3 process with more than 750 recorded comments being turned in from the 800... Read More
October 26, 2011 | Feature | Story and Photo by Dan Dyck
After more than two decades of being married, birthing and adopting children, and annually teaching two college sexuality courses, I have come to the not-terribly-startling... Read More
October 26, 2011 | Feature | By Keith Graber Miller
Andrew Suderman, right, preaches at Harvest Time Ministries, a church located in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa, with Pastor Ntapo handling translation duties. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Suderman)
One thing that I find so inspiring in South Africa is the countless people who participate in miraculous activities as they strive to make their communities better. In working for... Read More
October 12, 2011 | Feature | Andrew Suderman
1. Professional hockey is known for fighting and violence. Should this deter Mennonites from being avid hockey fans? Is hard hitting and fighting an essential part of the game? Is... Read More
September 28, 2011 | Feature |