Radio host Esther Horch, 1958
Radio host Esther Horch interviews school children live on a Saturday morning broadcast of Children’s Party in 1958. This education and entertainment show for children aired daily on CFAM from Altona, Man. Founded in 1956 by Mennonite shareholders, CFAM could reach 90 percent of Manitoba’s population. The station broadcast a mix of news, commentary, meditations,…
‘Being good neighbours to those around us’
Gregory Rabus and Jennifer Otto, Mennonite Church Canada Witness workers in Germany, are finding ways to respond to the needs of refugees flooding into the country from Syria and Iraq. In September 2015, German chancellor Angela Merkel threw open the doors of her country to welcome tens of thousands of refugees, saying that doing so…
Hatching peace
While the physical space has been there since the Mennonite Savings and Credit Union (MSCU) Centre for Peace Advancement was inaugurated a year ago, the Frank and Helen Epp Peace Incubator got its official opening on Sept. 22, 2015, at Conrad Grebel University College. The space is made up of six desks equipped with computers,…
It takes three villages to send 18 kids to camp
What does it look like when two churches and Camp Valaqua partner toward a common goal? It looks like 18 enthusiastic campers! This past summer, the Service and Outreach branch of Edmonton’s First Mennonite Church learned that a number of young people from the city’s South Sudanese Mennonite Church were interested in going to Camp…
Singing with the Spirit
“I will sing with the Spirit, but I will sing with understanding.” These words, from I Corinthians 14:15, formed the basis of Marilyn Houser Hamm’s recent music workshop at Nutana Park Mennonite Church in Saskatoon. Houser Hamm, who hails from Manitoba, is well known within Mennonite Church Canada as a musician, music educator, composer and…
Remembering the man who was ‘Doc’
His name was David Schroeder, but those who knew him affectionately and respectfully referred to him as “Doc.” Schroeder, who worked as professor of New Testament and philosophy at Canadian Mennonite Bible College (CMBC), one of the predecessor institutions of Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), died peacefully at his home in his 92nd year. A theologian…
A lesson I want my kids to learn
As a parent of young children, I read a lot of picture books. Some books I read under duress—my children love them and I tolerate them—and some books I read to my kids despite the fact that they will never become their favourites. Then there are those books that appeal to both me and my…
Storks, sparrows, wind and peace
Two Mennonite authors in British Columbia have recently published children’s picture books, both with across-the-world themes. Barbara Nickel of Yarrow is the author of the recently released A Boy Asked the Wind, illustrated by Gillian Newland and published by Red Deer Press. A question her young son asked years ago, “Where does the wind live?”…
Fall 2015 Books & Resources List
Theology, Spirituality Changing Lenses: Restorative Justice for our Times. Howard Zehr. Herald Press, 2015. First published 25 years ago, Herald Press has re-issued this textbook on restorative justice. As well as updated terminology, this edition provides additional resources and recommended reading. Galatians: Believers Church Bible Commentary Series. George R. Brunk III. Herald Press, 2015, 336…
A prophetic voice for the excluded
“Mennonites talking about sex? That would probably make world news!” So observes the latest original production by Ontario-based theatre company Theatre of the Beat. The hard-hitting play, This Will Lead to Dancing, tackles this “taboo” topic and encourages Mennonites to talk about lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer (LGBTQ) inclusivity at least in our congregations. The story revolves around two…
