Mental health awareness incorporates art and poetry
Poetry and visual art proved to be a powerful combination as members of Emmanuel Mennonite Church observed Mental Health Sunday this year on May 1. In 2015, Angelika Dawson, member of Emmanuel and communications manager for Communitas Supportive Care Society, helped develop worship resources for Communitas called “God of All Comfort: Mental Health Resources for…
Depression resurrection
Today begins like any other, the type that has become common for me. I cheerfully get out of bed at a decent time, feed my children a healthy breakfast, tidy up and then do a boring 20 minutes on the elliptical machine while they begin their chores. It may not sound revolutionary, but I marvel…
‘We all need counsellors’
Theresa Driediger has been a counsellor for almost 30 years. “I think it’s a calling, or I wouldn’t still be doing it,” she says. Driediger completed an undergraduate theology degree at Canadian Bible College in Regina, Sask., then earned a master of arts degree in marital studies and counselling at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa.…
Helping to prevent suicide
It’s painful for Ken Reddig to tell his story, but he says, “If I can help prevent one loss, then it’s worth it.” Reddig spoke to the adult Sunday school class at Tiefengrund Mennonite Church, north of Laird, Sask., with guests from Laird and Eigenheim Mennonite churches also participating in the April 24 session. At…
Leaders being equipped to build up the church
Statistically, most mental illnesses show their first warning signs between the ages of 15 and 20—roughly the same age group encompassed by most church senior-youth programs. For this reason, those church members serving in youth ministry are both profoundly affected and on the vanguard of healing. Niverville Community Fellowship, a Mennonite Church Manitoba congregation in…
‘There is love in this room’
“Living Room Ministries” is a name coined by John E. Toews and Eleanor Loewen in the 1990s. In their book No Longer Alone: Mental Health and the Church (MennoMedia, 1995), they explore “the inter-relatedness of social, emotional, physical and spiritual selves; emotions that hurt or heal; depression; addictions; schizophrenia; grief; and suicide.” Their premise is…
Finding God in my neighbourhood
Stuart Murray, author of The Naked Anabaptist, encouraged Mennonite Church Eastern Canada delegates to become mobile temples, moving out of their buildings and into the neighbourhood to speak out the good news of God’s redeeming presence. At the annual church gathering held in Leamington on April 28 and 29, 2016, he encouraged the church to…
Wisdom in legacy
Recalling the legacies passed down through generations, women gathered on April 30, 2016, for the 77th annual Mennonite Church B.C. women’s Inspirational Day at Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church. With II Timothy 1:3-7 as her text, speaker Ingrid Schultz used the examples of Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, who both passed their faith on to him.…
Together in lament, prayer and hope
Colourful paper cranes folded neatly over words of prayer. Bowls of floating candles melting together as one. A smudging ceremony rich with prayer that took five times as long as organizers thought it would because so many people took part. These elements brought symbolic meaning to a March 20, 2016, service of lament and prayer…
Future of the church appears grim
Following in the footsteps of Reginald Bibby, sociologist Joel Thiessen examines how Canadians of today view Christianity. In his book The Meaning of Sunday, he concludes that religion is increasingly being pushed to the margins of society and is regarded as less important as the years go by. Canadians tend to believe that religion should…
