Fair trade falls on hard times
On March 18, shock waves rippled through the small community of New Hamburg, where the headquarters of Ten Thousand Villages Canada is located, and beyond, as store closures and staff lay-offs were announced. According to Ryan Jacobs, the organization’s general manager, if TTV had not restructured aggressively now, in as little as a year the…
Quilt to make space for dialogue on sexuality
Jonah Langelotz and three of his classmates needed to participate in a nonviolent action for their History and Strategies of Nonviolence course at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU). It did not take them long to decide on an issue. “We are aware of the dialogue around inclusion of all sexual identities in our community that is…
Responding to a more religious Canada
Living a life of witness among our neighbours is what the church is about. Because only a small percentage of Canadians attend church regularly, we Mennonites have put energy into figuring out how to live in a secular society. Most assume globalization creates a huge secular force in the world community, but that was not…
Re-imagining touch as a spiritual practice
Pinch the skin on the back of your hand, then release it and watch it fall. Your skin gradually slides back into place. Constantly healing and being recreated, our skin both protects us and offers us the sense of touch through which we experience the world. In our modern times, touch and religion can make…
