‘As we forgive those who trespass against us’
Mark Bauman’s eyes still tear up when he recalls worshipping at the St. Francois-Xavier Roman Catholic Church in Attawapiskat. Most of the service in the First Nation community, located on the western shore of James Bay in northwestern Ontario, was in Cree, but the Lord’s Prayer was repeated in English. It was when the congregation…
Looking at life differently now
“You can watch a thousand World Vision commercials and still not fully understand what life is like for some,” says Emily Hildebrand, one of 12 students from Mennonite Collegiate Institute (MCI), Gretna, Man., who spent her spring break living and working with the children of Hope Community Centre in Kenya. The work-and-learn trip was the…
The R’s beneath a radical sabbath
I was asked to preach on Earth Day. If I was a typical Mennonite minister, I would start with a few statistics, cite high levels of consumption, touch on some exotic form of injustice that doesn’t implicate us too directly. I’d gently exhort that we’re called to care for creation, be good stewards and drink…
No longer, but not yet
I was engaged for four months before the big day. Engagement is an interval in time determined by things that are no longer and things that are not yet. The engaged are not really single, but not yet spouse. My experience of engagement was of a time in between. It involved longing (hey, I’m a…
75 years of church
So what does it mean to be the church in one place for 75 years? Actually we’re the church in many places, yet we are all under one umbrella. Sometimes we call Mennonite Church British Columbia a conference, sometimes an area church, sometimes even a denomination, but how about a network? We learned from Stuart…
Readers write
‘African’ titles misleading
For discussion
1. What are some ways that parenting today is similar to, and different from, earlier generations? Were yesterday’s parents also “scared and overwhelmed”? Do today’s parents tend to hover too much? What role should cell phones play in parenting? Are our children too closely programmed? To what degree is materialism a threat to our families?…
Parenting resources for parents and churches
Parenting resources at the Mennonite Church Canada Resource Centre are available to borrow or purchase. Visit online www.mennonitechurch.ca/tiny/183 From MennoMedia
It takes a church to raise a child
Are my children going to be okay?” This is the overriding concern that Kathy Giesbrecht, associate director of leadership ministries for Mennonite Church Manitoba, hears and senses from parents. Parents are scared and overwhelmed, and there is no manual for them to keep in their back pocket. If parents a generation ago felt overwhelmed, today’s…
Are we an endangered species?
Are our Mennonite institutions an endangered species? Are they headed for extinction in this post-Christian era when the emphasis seems to be more on “spiritual” than “religious”?
