Features

Dr. Mark Ragins, a well-known American psychiatrist who has dedicated his life and practice to recreating, improving and sustaining mental health recovery programs, spoke to 200... Read More
February 16, 2011 | Feature | By Ken Reddig
Every one of us deals with mental health challenges. Whether we’re losing sleep about the math exam tomorrow or are hospitalized for schizophrenia, whether we’re on medication for... Read More
February 16, 2011 | Feature | By Byron Rempel-Burkholder
American Mennonite conscientious objectors (COs) working in mental hospitals during World War II decried the deplorable and inhumane treatment of patients. One symbolically... Read More
February 16, 2011 | Feature | By Evelyn Rempel Petkau
1. Do you remember comments about physical appearance from when you were young? What attitude did your parents and family have about physical appearance? How did they communicate... Read More
February 2, 2011 | Feature | Canadian Mennonite
I think you know a lot about Jesus’ body, so I invite you to close your eyes and picture some things. Picture Jesus as a baby, his tiny body wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in... Read More
February 2, 2011 | Feature | Carol Penner
1. What has your congregation done to help members dealing with personality disorders, addiction or family dysfunction? How effective has it been? How involved should the... Read More
January 19, 2011 | Feature | Canadian Mennonite
My first experience with pornography was at a corner store when I was nine years old. On a dare, I picked up a Playboy magazine and found that those glossy pictures aroused... Read More
January 19, 2011 | Feature | Mennonite Publishing Network
Jane’s nightmares kept her from getting a good night’s sleep. “They are just terrifying,” she told her doctor. “I wake up almost every night. It’s like someone is suffocating me—... Read More
January 19, 2011 | Feature | Mennonite Publishing Network
Every morning I look in the mirror and do not know who might be looking back at me. I wonder what the day will hold. Will it be a day of relative calm? Or will it be a day when my... Read More
January 19, 2011 | Feature | By Ingrid Peters Fransen
During the course of an evening of socializing with mostly pastors and deacons at some denominational committee meetings, discussion turned to the roles and practicesRead More
January 19, 2011 | Feature | By Joe Neufeld

What if justice and care for the most vulnerable in our community and our world is not primarily a duty or even a mandate, but rather an act of gratitude and devotion to God?

A woman—a good family friend—pours perfume worth $25,000 on Jesus’ feet at a dinner party held at her house in his honour. She removes her head scarf, shakes her hair loose, bends... Read More
January 5, 2011 | Feature | By Sue C. Steiner
1. The Christmas season is a time of giving. How does your congregation and/or community get involved in giving during this season? What are we saying when we give gifts? Do you... Read More
December 15, 2010 | Feature | Canadian Mennonite
Christmas will be different this year for Winnipeg’s Kathy Okolita. She stands in her newly renovated home surrounded by 18 people who have come to offer a house blessing. She can... Read More
December 15, 2010 | Feature | By Evelyn Rempel Petkau

Gabrielle, Katrina and Natasha Plenert decorate their Christmas tree with ornaments they have received over the years from overseas or from Ten Thousand Villages.

Many people spend their evenings and weekends leading up to Christmas scouring the local mall for the perfect gifts for their loved ones, planning their Christmas feast or... Read More
December 15, 2010 | Feature | By Rachel Bergen

That our planet is troubled and in need of the ‘light of the world’ to dawn on Christmas morning is evidenced by the first of our three seasonal feature articles, ‘Israeli development thwarts peace on earth . . . at least in Bethhehem.’

Embedded in the Christmas story is God’s desire for peace on our planet. Luke announced that “peace on earth” was the theme that the angelic choirs sang over the skies of... Read More
December 15, 2010 | Feature | By Alex Awad
1. In what ways are the people of your congregation involved with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)? Which generations are most involved? How high are the feelings of support and... Read More
November 24, 2010 | Feature | Canadian Mennonite

Clayton Kratz

Worship is remembering, said the prophet Jeremiah. The past holds regenerative power. I’m a human being living in Canada today because of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC); some... Read More
November 24, 2010 | Feature | By Jack Dueck

The MCC revisioning process seeks to address the tension of being rich Christians in an age of global inequality—an age in which golf tournaments in Manitoba (as shown by the cover of MCC Manitoba’s annual report, left) fund hurricane recovery efforts in Haiti. (MCC file photo by Ben Depp, right)

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is the largest and most influential Anabaptist organization in the world. It has nearly 1,200 workers and an annual budget of $82 million. Its... Read More
November 24, 2010 | Feature | By Will Braun
1. How many trees are planted annually in your community? Are they part of a community initiative? Who plants and waters them? How important is it to plant more trees? 2. In what... Read More
November 10, 2010 | Feature | Canadian Mennonite
“Richard Branson has offered a large prize to anyone who invents a device that will pull greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. God already invented this device, and we call it a... Read More
November 10, 2010 | Feature | By Jack Dueck
On Oct. 2, 2006, the world was stunned by the killing of five Amish schoolgirls in a small schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pa. Within hours, the Amish community forgave the gunman... Read More
October 27, 2010 | Feature | Goshen College
A few years ago, when conducting research for my Ph.D. on Amish women in business, I visited a gift shop and noticed a rack of romance novels with pictures of Amish women on the... Read More
October 27, 2010 | Feature | By Beth E. Graybill
1. How well would you score on a college entrance biblical literacy quiz? Do you know the answers to the quiz on this page? How/where did you gain knowledge about the Bible? 2... Read More
October 13, 2010 | Feature | Canadian Mennonite
1. Put the following biblical characters in chronological order. A. Daniel / B. Adam / C. Moses / D. Paul / E. David 2. Match the quotes (A-E) with the speakers (1-5). Extra... Read More
October 13, 2010 | Feature | By Ross W. Muir
If I want to become a citizen of the U.S., I need to take a citizenship test. Something similar occurs in Canada when someone wants to become a citizen of this country. The... Read More
October 13, 2010 | Feature | By John Longhurst

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