On shaky ground
When the massive earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) was one of the fortunate non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to receive money for its relief work from the government fund set up to match donations from Canadians, but by then the ground beneath Canadian NGOs had already shifted. MCC received $2.1 million for relief…
Meeting our neighbours
Two neighbouring Winnipeg congregations, one Mennonite and the other Lutheran, decided to share their Sunday lunches and learn more about each other. In the process, they discovered that they had much in common. For four consecutive Sundays in early 2012, members of Home Street Mennonite Church and First Lutheran Church met after their respective worship…
Keeping the faith
In the summer of 2010, my family and I experienced a history lesson that made us really think about what it means to be Mennonite. With my wife, Geraldine Balzer, our two daughters, and my wife’s sister and mother, I travelled back to the “old country,” Ukraine and Russia. Our first stop was Zaporozhe, where…
Saying nice things
“Will you say nice things about me at my funeral like you did at Jay’s?” my mother-in-law asked as she and I were driving alone in a car shortly after my brother-in-law’s funeral, where I had offered memories on the family’s behalf. Given the recent family death, there was a good reason my mother-in-law was…
Cool tool . . . but is it a motivation to give?
Tools. Gadgets. Thing-a-ma-jigs. Whatsits. No matter what you call them, they are designed to help us do things more easily. Recently, I found an interesting tool from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) called the donation credit calculator. Here is how it works: Select your province of residence and tax year, then enter in a charitable…
For discussion
1. Do you know people like Sue and Bill in the story? Does your congregation provide Sunday school classes that appeal more to Sue or to Bill? Do you see the world in a modernist or postmodernist way? Are younger people more apt to be postmodernists? 2. Do you agree with Dave Rogalsky’s explanation of…
Essentials of the postmodern church
Be honest in everything. Be open about our ignorance. Be open to questions and discussion about anything. Care for the other (locally and globally), without hope of them joining us. Put an end to “imperialistic” thinking that everything about us is better than anyone else, and that we have the right…
Christianity no longer dominates western society
Should Christians in North America and Europe understand the Bible in fresh ways in an era when Christianity no longer dominates western civilization? Yes, says a British professor, Lloyd Pietersen, who wrote a book on the subject that was published by Paternoster Press in his country and by Herald Press in North America. Western Christians…
Just what is ‘postmodern’?
“Staying for Sunday School, Bill?” “I’m staying, Sue, but not for Sunday school. I’m going to hang out with the ‘coffee drinkers’ in the kitchen. We have some really good conversations about religion and spirituality there, not dry discussions about traditional meanings of an ancient book.” “Hey, I happen to like the book. I find…
