Mutual aid or financial institution?
Fifty years ago—March 21, 1964—22 Waterloo County Mennonites got together and deposited a dollar each in a cash box to create a credit union to serve members of their faith community. From the beginning it was envisioned as an extension of mutual aid, a significant component of Mennonite self-identity, practice and theology. As J. Winfield…
Small self vs. whole self
In my last article I wrote that Spirit attunement and ego consciousness are rival states of being. Jesus refers to this internal rivalry by pitting the self against the Self. Jesus teaches that in order to truly live, one must deny one’s self, crucify one’s self or lose one’s self. Paul teaches this as well,…
It’s time to divest
It’s been called the greatest human rights issue of our time. Or if that sounds too secular for Anabaptist Mennonites, let’s translate it to say it is the most pressing justice issue of our time. We’re talking warming of the planet (an increase of 3 degrees Celsius predicted by 2050) that is not only bringing…
The shape of church to come?
The skyline is liberally punctuated with steeples, but they loom like tombstones over the churches of Montréal. The beautiful buildings are mostly dead on Sundays, and I wonder where the church has gone. As part of a four-month sabbatical, our family spent several weeks in Montréal, living in a student residence at-Maison de l’Amitié (House…
The deadly sin of wrath
“The only problem with them,” my friend said as we admired the soft closure hinges on my kitchen cupboards, “is that you can’t slam the doors when you’re mad.” Door slamming isn’t one of my main outlets for anger; instead, I’m more prone to loud stomping or yelling. I could readily see the appeal of…
For kids too!
As the mother of two boys aged 6 and 11, I am happy to see the wide variety of faith-shaping resources for parents of young children available from Mennonite Church Canada’s Resource Centre. Children are sponges. Adding Anabaptist faith-based books, DVDs and downloadable resources to the other materials they view helps shape their faith as…
‘The truth was hard’
I was standing beside Neill Von Gunten, former co-director of Mennonite Church Canada Native Ministries, and trying to peer over heads to see into the “Churches Listening Area” at the final Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) national event in Edmonton last month. An aboriginal leader had just prayed, and a church leader suggested a song;…
‘A foolish act of love’
Because Jesus asked us to love our neighbours, a group of Christians from Winnipeg were willing to walk 550 kilometres to honour and remember their indigenous brothers and sisters who have survived the Indian Residential School (IRS) system. I was one of the organizers of this journey, which we called the Honour Walk. The idea…
A modest proposal for truth, reconciliation
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is in the closing stretch of its five-year mandate. The most important truth being conveyed is the experience of former Indian Residential School (IRS) students. Only they can tell their stories. The TRC appears to have effectively created the venues infused with ceremonial significance for this to happen with…
‘Four-directional thinking’ on indigenous-settler relations
If a buffalo shouts or a salmon cries in a forest, does anybody hear? A packed room of 50 people at the Toronto School of Theology (TST) hung on every word of four panelists gathered on March 18 to discuss Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry: Conversations on Creation, Land Justice and Life Together, the 2013 Herald…
