Voices in the wilderness
Raising awareness and funds for the ongoing demands of the global refugee crisis was the goal of a “ration meal” lunch hosted by Canadian Foodgrains Bank at Sam’s Place in Winnipeg on June 20, 2016, to honour World Refugee Day. Ahmad Khattab, a former refugee from Syria who is now settled in Winnipeg, was a…
Art, theology and peace come together at global festival
Take almost 200 mostly Mennonite peacebuilders from around the world, bring them together for four days in June 2016, at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, liberally mix in keynote speakers, 30-plus workshops, warm sunshine, a concert and original play on conscientious objectors, and you have the making of a fabulous four days of building…
Fifty years of funding relief
The way Ross Shantz remembers it, his father Ward contacted his buddies from the Second World War conscientious objector camp at Montreal River and they began the New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale in 1967. It is more complicated than that, though, as these buddies and their spouses came from many different Mennonite and Anabaptist groups,…
Moments to remember
The auction began. Among the crowds in Coaldale for the annual Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Alberta Relief Sale on June 10 and 11, stood two Syrian men whose families had recently been assisted by MCC and sponsored by Mennonite churches to resettle in Canada. To their surprise, a loaf of bread was auctioned off for…
Walk of hope in support of refugees
The rain that fell on the morning of June 18 didn’t stop a group of walkers from making a three-kilometre trek in support of the upcoming World Refugee Day. Starting out from the Abbotsford Pentecostal Assembly church, the group—including adults and children, the able-bodied and those in wheelchairs, long-time community residents and newly settled refugees—ended…
‘Imagine’ a bright beginning
“This is our first kick at the cat,” quips Rosthern Junior College (RJC) principal Jim Epp. Nevertheless, he is confident his school’s new integrated learning program will be “a dynamic learning experience” for Grade 10 students. “Recognizing that pedagogy and student learning styles are different than they were, we’re offering an educational opportunity that’s different…
On the path to wellness
Popular wisdom suggests the way to deal with mental health issues is to talk them through. Pete McAdams, an uncomplicated, 43-year-old, Hutterite long-distance cyclist, has discovered a quieter path. While he prefers to focus on biking rather than himself, his decidedly atypical Hutterite last name begs explanation. Having grown up on the “fringes” of a…
Exploring alternative ways of living
Jonas Cornelsen jokes that, at the age of 22, he’s retired. While most of his peers are looking to start their careers, the Winnipeg native and recent university graduate moved to Vancouver last month to live with, and care for, his 97-year-old grandfather, Erwin Cornelsen. Although he is as healthy as a 97-year-old can be,…
Follow the money
What is the real cost of the things we buy? That’s the question I asked myself during Uprooted, a three-week learning tour for young adults through Mexico, Guatemala and Arizona that took place in May. Organized by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Alberta and MCC Saskatchewan, the tour looked at issues surrounding migration in Central America…
