From print to podcasts
Canadian Mennonite is at an exciting place in its history, Larry Cornies told board members of the Canadian Mennonite Publishing Service (CMPS) at their annual meeting and fundraiser on March 24 at Toronto United Mennonite Church. “We’ve come to the intersection of Christendom’s decline, the rise of new communication tools and a new paradigm in…
Exposing society’s appetite for violence
The Hunger Games is on its way to becoming one of the biggest blockbuster films of all time. Two sequels are assured. Since it is aimed at a teenage/young adult demographic—in spite of its 14A rating—it is important to take note of what our young people are watching. The film is based on the bestselling…
Learn, serve, play
Gerd Bartel retired from his position as Mennonite Church Canada’s western director of resource development late last year, a job he describes as primarily visiting and saying “thank you” to the generous donors who support national church ministries. Bartel officially served in the position since 2000, but he fundraised for the church and its institutions…
Manitoba churches experience smudging ceremony
Northern Manitoba aboriginal churches that met with Mennonite Church Manitoba congregations in the southern part of the province last month for their semi-annual Partnership Circle meetings continued the work of building understanding and breaking down cultural barriers. One of the guests, Eva Solomon, whose work focuses on the enculturation of faith, led a smudging ceremony…
Between culture and faith
The relationship between culture and faith is intimate and difficult to describe. But understanding that relationship is the first step towards building bridges between culture and faith traditions. At the annual Building Bridges event on March 16, 2012, 150 people gathered to hear Sister Eva Solomon, Father Francois Paradis and Brander “Standing Bear” McDonald reflect…
Modest fundraising plan, fiscal year date change approved
After an unsettling year of cuts to ministry and staff, financial news from Mennonite Church Canada’s spring leadership assembly is cautiously hopeful. “Individuals and corporate donors have increased their giving compared to last year,” executive director Willard Metzger reported, adding that congregational giving remained nearly flat. Preliminary signs for next year are encouraging, but it’s…
MC Canada leaders revisit priorities, refocus efforts
Taking a hard look at how to prioritize activities in the face of change proved central to council discussions at Mennonite Church Canada’s spring leadership assembly at First Mennonite Church, Winnipeg, last month. Christian Witness Council At a plenary session following council meetings on March 9, Christian Witness Council chair Rudy Dirks noted that the…
Germinating conversations
Doug Dyck operates an 850-hectare mixed-grain farm near Plum Coulee with his brother-in-law and nephew, where he faces two realities: that of the wonderful, intergenerational, diverse nature of farming life, and that of rising fuel and machinery costs, which have increased tenfold while the price of wheat has barely doubled since 1972. “I am concerned…
Show and tell a different world
The gospel is good news. It is not therapy, opium or merely a good idea among many good ideas. The gospel is a journey into a foreign land. It is power. It is surprise. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once reflected, “I have noticed that the most effective sermons were those in which I spoke enticingly of the…
Behind Anglican lines
I have a hard time not thinking of myself as a Mennonite. I grew up in a Mennonite community, attended a Mennonite seminary and have worshipped predominantly in Mennonite churches. Yet it’s now been almost five years that my family and I have been camped out in evangelical territory. I teach at an evangelical college,…
