The downside of digital
Some days I would like to just unplug my computer, walk out into the sunshine and warmth of an autumn day, breathe in the clear air and pretend I was living in a time before the Internet. Find a close friend and chat face to face, rather than “like” his thoughts on Facebook. Wouldn’t it…
A tale of two ethnic groups
To start, a little bit of history. The Mennonites evolved out of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. As Anabaptist pacifists who practised adult baptism, they often held themselves apart from the surrounding communities, and in turn often had trouble finding safe havens. They were persecuted by Catholics and Protestants alike, but in this persecution they found…
Readers write: October 12, 2015 issue
Relationships in an age of ‘impacts and outcomes’ Re: “The future of MCC,” Aug. 31, page 11. Certainly relationship has been at the core of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) for many years. But is that still really the case? I began my first MCC assignment in 1990 when we used to talk about the importance…
Recapturing the momentum of reconciliation
Since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission events, there has been limited movement and engagement for local churches with regard to first nation relationship development. Many have been asking, “What can we do next?” The better question is, “How can we be better in walking out this talk of reconciliation with our indigenous neighbours?” There are…
Jesus in a world in upheaval
A number of weeks ago I boarded a plane in Toronto for Istanbul. It’s a long flight—more than nine hours—and I secretly hoped that the seat beside me would remain empty so I could stretch out and sleep. It wasn’t to be. A young man in his late 20s plopped down beside me. I did…
Adopted and given my wings
I was born in Bukavu in Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaïre). My parents were polygamous so I didn’t have a great family structure. I grew up Roman Catholic and then, at age 17, I was baptized in the Pentecostal church. As a child, life in Congo was extremely difficult. I lived under the dictatorship…
Keeping alive stories of hope
Forty years after refugees fled Vietnam and communist oppression for Canada’s shores, the Vietnamese community in B.C. expressed gratitude to God at a celebratory evening on Aug. 30, 2015. The event was co-sponsored by Vancouver Mennonite Church and Abbotsford’s Emmanuel Mennonite and Vietnamese Christian churches, and was hosted by Emmanuel. In welcoming the guests, April…
Leon Kehl campaigns for Syrian refugees
For years, Leon Kehl of Floradale (Ont.) Mennonite Church, has been working to build understanding and friendship between Christians and Muslims in Waterloo Region. Long before the media carried stories about the flood of Syrian refugees trying to reach Europe, he was concerned about Syrians forced from their homes due to violence. He spearheaded the…
Let the children come!
Why would a church of predominantly greying members build a playground for children? Betty Brown was thinking about children as she drove past the abandoned playground at Midway School in the summer of 2014, so she stopped in to ask a few questions. A year later, at a dedication celebration on Aug. 28, 2015, 46…
