Canadian students enjoy benefits of distance education
In 2009, the high percentage of Canadian participants in the pastoral studies distance education program at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) left program administrators scratching their heads. Ten of the 16 students were from Mennonite Church Canada, with eight of these coming from MC Eastern Canada. Last year, six of the eight continuing students were…
A serious interest in student well-being
“Most universities are good at academics,” says Sue Sorensen, who teaches English literature at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) in Winnipeg, adding, though, “If you turn up on our campus, people are going to care about you, whether you want them to or not!” Lindsay Braul can vouch that Sorensen’s words aren’t just good PR. Braul…
Grebel students leading a solar revolution
It started as an altruistic dream, but almost two years later a vision for a cleaner and greener Grebel has been realized. A student group began meeting in 2009 with the hope of taking a more active role in environmental issues in their immediate community. Named Solar Grebel, the group proposed a cluster of solar…
The trouble with the Bible
Different people have different problems with the Bible, but what has troubled me the most over a few decades of reading the Bible and preaching regularly is that a lot of the Bible is not practical. Make it relevant, they taught me when I was a seminary student. But most of the Bible is hard…
A more inclusive overview of Mennonite history
The book Through Fire and Water: An Overview of Mennonite History was first published in 1996 by Herald Press and presented the Mennonite faith story within the sweep of church history for youths and adults wanting to learn more about the denomination or their heritage. Now, 14 years later, it needed to be revised and…
A lifelong joy of words
If you open the front cover of the Merriam-Webster’s Primary Dictionary, you’ll find acknowledgement of Victoria Neufeldt’s contribution in the preface. Lively illustrations make the book visually appealing and invite children inside where they can learn and discover the joy of words. The joy of words is what initially led Neufeldt, a member of Saskatoon’s…
A new direction for Sam’s Place
Sam’s Place, a used book store, café and performing arts venue, has developed into a welcoming meeting place for people living in Elmwood, a working class neighbourhood in the northeast part of Winnipeg. But during its first 20 months of operations, the venture has not met the expectations that it could generate enough funds to…
Former panhandler wows MEDA audience
For Frank O’Dea, a second chance led to the founding of Second Cup, Canada’s first specialty coffee chain. Speaking to the annual convention of Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) in Calgary, Alta., last fall, he said he had hit rock bottom on the streets of Toronto, a homeless panhandler begging for nickels and dimes to…
An online voice for the ‘quiet in the land’
“The simple and quaint have raised their voices, loudly, on AnabaptistBlogs.com,” says the blog’s founder, Jeff McLain. Several hundred years ago, Mennonites and their Anabaptist predecessors educated and addressed their congregants in small rooms, mountainside caves and hidden in barns. Early thinkers like Michael Sattler and Menno Simons wrote their letters and theological statements by…
Growing and sustaining church leaders
Indeed the body does not consist of one member, but of many (I Corinthians 12:14). Mennonite Church Canada has identified the challenge of growing leaders for the church as one of our main priorities. To find out what kind of leadership development is needed in a world that continues to grow more diverse and complex,…
