Volume 26, Number 22
Five pastoral callings
Martin So, pastor of Vancouver Peace Church.
A quiet, years-long journey. A voice speaking in a mosh pit full of teenagers. A love for the church. An unexpected second career. These are just some of the ways that Mennonite Church Canada pastors from across the country entered into pastoral ministry. Pastors shared with Canadian Mennonite their stories of pastoral calling and what keeps them in ministry.
Parting thoughts
Virginia A. Hostetler (second from left) at work in the CM office in 2017 with publisher Tobi Thiessen, editorial assistant Barb Draper and managing editor Ross W. Muir. (CM file photo by D. Michael Hostetler)
My adventure with Canadian Mennonite began in October 2013, when I stepped into the newly created role of web editor. In March 2017, I became executive editor, teaming up with Tobi Thiessen, who began as publisher.
Readers write: October 31, 2022 issue
(Graphic by Betty Avery)
Protest organizers accused of ‘revisionist history’
Re: “The sweet solace of polarization, Part 2,” Oct. 17, page 20.
Eco-theology: On Earth as it is in Heaven
“Stunning sunsets, stars, aurora borealis.... All of this was a source of awe…” (Photo by Serey Kim/Unsplash)
Our shared home, planet Earth, is a miracle. I've known this intuitively since I was a child growing up under the expansive skies of the Saskatchewan prairies. Stunning sunsets, stars, aurora borealis, long winter nights and long summer days with brilliantly clear skies, thunderstorms rolling in from a distance.
David K. Jantzi
(Photo: Conrad Grebel University College/Mennonite Archives of Ontario)
David K. Jantzi came from an Old Order Amish family.
‘There’s enough for all’
Bryan Moyer Suderman’s song “There’s Enough For All” is included in Voices Together.
“Jesus had a lot to say about money, but the songs we sing in worship rarely do.” These words from the album description of Bryan Moyer Suderman’s 2007 album, My Money Talks, provide a snapshot into the goal of the album: to intentionally provide songs for churches that help them talk about money.
Kelowna church celebrates 75 years of faithfulness
The first families of First Mennonite Church, Kelowna, B.C., gathered for worship in homes. (Archival photo supplied by First Mennonite Church, Kelowna)
On Sept. 10, First Mennonite Church in Kelowna, B.C., held a meeting to decide on the congregation’s future directions. (Photo by Johann Funk)
Members and friends gathered to mark the 75th anniversary of First Mennonite Church, Kelowna, in a celebration service on Sept. 11. The service was a time of reflection on the church’s identity as an Anabaptist congregation, the individual and collective history of worship and service, and a renewal of the church’s commitment to the vision and purpose of the church for the future.
The end is probably nigh, but I’m optimistic
(Photo by Greg Rosenke/Unsplash)
This summer, I met a wildlife conservationist named Leo. His life passion began in California as a young adult, when he joined the California Condor Recovery Program. In 1987, there were only 27 California condors left in the world. Today, thanks to the efforts of people like Leo, there are more than 500 California condors.
What you see is what you get
Lethbridge Mennonite Church and L’Arche join for worship, pre-pandemic. (Photo by Ryan Dueck)
“When L’Arche comes, the lack of pretense, the joy, the enthusiasm, the simple faith and the light in Jesus, it was and is so refreshing,” says Ryan Dueck, pastor of Lethbridge Mennonite Church. He has thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between his congregation and L’Arche Lethbridge, which has been cherished for three decades.
Passing the conductor’s baton
Richard Janzen poses with the cast of Anastasia after RJC High School’s final performance in June. It was also Janzen’s final performance. (Photo courtesy of Richard Janzen)
“I remember so fondly the tours and travelling,” says Richard Janzen, the long-time music educator and choir director at RJC High School. “In 2002, we went on a tour along the Oregon coast of the United States. We stopped by the Oregon state legislature building, just to take a peek around. There was this massive common area with a huge dome and great acoustics.
One decade, two deaths and a wealth of affirmation
Old notebooks. (Photo by Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov/Unsplash)
On my first day as senior writer for Canadian Mennonite, one of the two most important elders in my life died. Gene Herr, along with his wife Mary, created the Hermitage, a spiritual retreat centre in Michigan, which served as a spiritual home for myself and many others. Gene died on Jan. 1, 2012.
CM online event asks ‘Why are you a Mennonite?’
Menno Simons.
“Why are you a Mennonite?” That question is the basis of Canadian Mennonite’s next online event.
Hosted by Aaron Epp, CM’s online media manager, the event will take place on Zoom on Nov. 16 at 8:00 p.m. EST. Register to attend at canadianmennonite .org/events.
The sweet solace of polarization, Part 3
A bridge over Highway 6 near Twin Butte in southern Alberta, 2022. (Photo by Will Braun)
I’m nervous about presenting non-orthodox views about COVID. Some of my mandate-abiding friends will look askance.
“Yes, but . . . ,” they will say, then demarcate limits of tolerance.
Rigidity was a spiritual variant of COVID. Questions became unwelcome. A singularity of narrative prevailed, spawning a minority reaction.
Finding and calling a pastoral leader
(Photo by Gift Habeshaw/Unsplash)
Times have changed. Few argue the accuracy of that statement as it relates to congregations seeking and calling individuals for pastoral leadership. Congregations rarely receive multiple candidates to fill an opening for a pastoral leader. Congregations need to anticipate that it could take 12 months for a search process to conclude.
What is the future of Mennonite church leadership?
(Photo by eze cmf/Unsplash)
Like Amos, I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet. Yet it is apparent to most people involved in church ministry that, to quote another non-prophet prophet, Bob Dylan: “The times, they are a-changin’.”
