‘Whatever you want, God’
Doug Snyder retired (again) on Aug. 28, 2016, this time as pastor of St. Agatha Mennonite Church, west of Waterloo. Born in 1941, Snyder remembers going forward at a Brunk tent meeting in 1952 and being baptized that year at Erb Street Mennonite Church in Waterloo by his pastor, Bishop J. B. Martin, who was…
Build a bigger table, not a higher fence
Ted and Darlene Enns Dyck came in the late 1980s to Conrad Grebel College in Waterloo, Ont., from Winnipeg, Manitoba’s urban capital. When they completed their time at Grebel, they felt a call to co-pastor and expected to do that in “more liberal” southern Ontario. But no call came to them from there. When a…
‘One team’ at MCI
Our purpose at Mennonite Collegiate Institute (MCI) in Gretna, Man., is to educate young people in an Anabaptist/Christian context, seeking to develop their God-given potential in terms of physical, intellectual, aesthetic, emotional, social and spiritual well-being, and to develop in them an appreciation of our Mennonite heritage. Our aim is that our students accept Christ…
A learning community
I recently enjoyed a visit with a Rosthern (Sask.) Junior College (RJC) alumnus whose graduating class is from decades past. There were many smiles as we talked about old classmates, teammates, teachers and coaches. His stories were certainly evidence that RJC is a place where one makes friendships that last a lifetime, and that RJC…
EMU expands restorative-justice course catalogue
This fall, Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) debuted an expanded course catalogue featuring its new MA in Restorative Justice program. In keeping with CJP’s long-established leadership in the field of restorative justice, the degree is the first of its kind offered by a traditional, residential graduate program at any North American…
‘The heart of our song’
On a hot June weekend, more than 100 Rockway Mennonite Collegiate alumni rehearsed, relived and performed a Rockway choral experience. Three beloved choral directors—Jan Overduin, Robert L. Shantz and Ann L. Shultz, a 1984 graduate—each chose a hymn and two pieces that, with prayer and reflections, were melded into a moving, worshipful experience. As we…
CMU recognizes distinguished alumni with 2016 awards
Two members of Mennonite Church Canada congregations are among four recipients of 2016 Distinguished Alumni Awards from Canadian Mennonite University (CMU): • Peter Guenther, a 1969 graduate of the former Canadian Mennonite Bible College, worked for 39 years in corrections, serving as the head of numerous correctional institutions, including director of the Saskatoon Correctional Centre,…
Schools report on 2016 fall enrolment
CMU Preliminary fall enrolment figures at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) in Winnipeg show stability of student registrations across all programs, with an overall full-time equivalent (FTE) of 829. Fall registrations at the university’s Shaftesbury campus have increased over last year by 2 percent, with 630 students and a FTE of 561. Marginal growth reflects an…
Bearing witness to something greater
In recent months, Krista Loewen has been thinking a lot about Jeremiah 29:11: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” For Loewen, who serves as associate pastor of Wildwood Mennonite Church in Saskatoon, the…
Growing up on record
For some people, writing a song is a laborious process. Not for Michaela Loewen. Most of the time, the music and lyrics come to her in under half an hour. “I know if I can write it in 20 minutes or less, it’s a good one,” the Winnipeg musician says. Loewen wrote her first song…
