Volume 26, Issue 23
Amish Mennonites commemorate 200 years in Canada
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On Sept. 30, the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Dave Neufeld and Rebecca Seiling talked about Indigenous history and issues as part of the Amish bicentennial celebrations. This side of “The Landed Buggy” exhibit depicts the Ojibwe creation story. (Photo by Fred Lichti)
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Among the artifacts and memorabilia at Steinmann Mennonite Church was a display of traditional Amish clothes and explanations of how dress changes at different stages of life. (Photo by Barb Draper)
Of all the events planned by the Amish bicentennial committee for this fall, the most popular were the hymn sings held at Maple View Mennonite Church near Wellesley, Ont., on Sept. 11, and at East Zorra Mennonite near Tavistock on Sept. 25. Both events had between 200 and 300 people.
Point Grey leaves MBs
Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship asked the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren (MB) Churches to be released from conference membership, which was granted on Aug. 15.
Zoom baptisms in a time of pandemic
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Mackenzie Nicolle was baptized by Pastor Judith Friesen Epp at Home Street Mennonite Church in Winnipeg, a year ago this month. She waited until Manitoba’s public-health restrictions were temporarily loosened to be baptized. The province went into a full lockdown the following month. (Photo by Brenda Suderman)
In a time when hope was hard to find, expressions of faith became even more significant. As a ritual necessitating proximity and touch, baptisms were something Mennonite churches across Canada struggled to maintain and accommodate within the public-health restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Theatre of the Beat returns to Saskatchewan
After a “too long” hiatus due to the pandemic, Theatre of the Beat is once again on tour. The theatre company, based out of Toronto, delighted audiences in Saskatchewan with its production of Selah’s Song recently.
An ‘accidental’ visiting scholar
Like a gem miner with a headlamp, Natalyia Venger scans microfilms, hunting for treasures rescued from Russian archives now stored at the Mennonite Heritage Archives (MHA) in Winnipeg. She is here from Ukraine to study Mennonite colonies under Russian nationalism in the early 20th century.
3 lessons from a bumpy Sunday
The pastor of a big rural church asked me to preach about climate. He had read my article, “Grace, guilt and CO2.”
Fall 2022 List of Books & Resources
Theology, Spirituality
Anabaptist Political Theology after Marpeck. Weaver, J. Denny, Gerald J. Mast and Trevor Bechtel, eds. Cascadia Publishing House, 2022, 262 pages.
This collection of essays explores the life and ideas of Pilgram Marpeck of the 16th century and reflects on Marpeck’s significance for the church today.
Readers write: November 14, 2022 issue
What should we do?
I have watched with great interest the flight of Russian soldiers from Russia and Ukraine following Russian president Vladimir Putin’s conscription of men into the Russian army.
‘Keeping the Ball Rolling’
I recently attended a performance by crys cole, a Berlin-based sound artist at a small art gallery in Winnipeg’s Exchange District. The piece performed that night was entitled “Keeping the Ball Rolling.”
Sam Steiner’s memoir reflects on life
While working on his book In Search of Promised Lands: A Religious History of Mennonites in Ontario, Sam Steiner began writing a weekly online blog about his research, and occasionally he would include personal stories. In this memoir, A Mennonite Draft Dodger in Canada, he has expanded and updated those personal blog stories.
Ron J. Sider
Ron J. Sider was an inspirational Canadian-American leader in the Christian community. It was his sermon at the Mennonite World Conference assembly in 1984 that spurred the formation of Community Peacemaker Teams in 1986. His sermon called Anabaptists to be formed by their persecution history to bring hope to the world by being ready to die in the name of peace.
Author explains why he wrote ‘To Antoine’
How does one go about writing a novel? For author Erwin J. Wiens, the idea for his book To Antoine came to him about 30 years ago and haunted him for about 10 years before he began to do some serious research. The first draft was finished nine years ago.
‘Bring your best self’
In the final days of October, Holly and I reached an anniversary.
Recently a relative reminded us that, in 1972, five cousins headed to five altars with their partners. Marie, a widow, pointed out that Holly and I would be the only ones to reach the 50-year milestone.
Novel examines Mennonite ethics in Second World War
E.J. Wiens has written a powerful story that explores the question of Mennonite collaboration with the Nazis during the Second World War. Hesets this question within the broader context of Mennonite history and helps the reader to understand the nuances and moral discrepancies faced by Mennonites who fled Russia (present-day Ukraine) in 1943.
Writing for the foyer
Bridges over fences in Saskatchewan
Bridges Over Fences provides in story form an impressive portrayal of first-hand experiences of non-Indigenous populations interacting with, and living next to and among, Saskatchewan’s Indigenous populations located on historically established reserves.
Priests of what are not gods
Abijah, fifth king of Judah, is standing with his 400,000 men on the cusp of battle, badly outnumbered. Jeroboam, king of Israel, confidently stands with his 800,000 men, ready to get this battle started.
Listening to the Spirit, with John
At an Anglican church I know, the congregational response after the reading of Scripture is: “Listen to what the Spirit is saying to the church.” This response captures the dynamic nature of Scripture that respects the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the lives of the many authors in the biblical canon.
Pastors meet for coffee and books
“We marked up our books like crazy with the things we wanted to talk about,” says Tany Warkentin, pastoral leader at Springridge Mennonite Church in Pincher Creek.
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