Mennonite Heritage Museum opens in B.C.
The dream of a heritage museum for B.C. Mennonites to tell their story became reality Jan. 22, 2016, when hundreds, including B.C. Premier Christy Clark, gathered for the grand opening of the Mennonite Heritage Museum (MHM) in Abbotsford. The project fulfilled the long-time aspiration of Peter Redekop, president of the Mennonite Museum Society, who as…
Hearing stories dispels fear
Retreats present opportunities for building relationships and hearing one another’s stories. Saskatchewan Mennonite Youth Organization’s senior high retreat, held January 29 to 30, 2016, at Shekinah Retreat Centre, was just such a retreat. Guest speaker Cory Funk addressed the theme “Sharing the well: faith and diversity in a time of fear and division.” As a…
Evangelical Anabaptist Network generates hope and frustration
On January 22 to 23, 2016, Maple View Mennonite Church, with its pastor Brent Kipfer, sponsored the first Canadian workshop of the Evangelical Anabaptist Network (EVANA). Located west of Kitchener/Waterloo, Ont., the church is a member of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC). EVANA arose in the United States as some evangelical congregations and conferences have…
Reconciliation requires an end to guilty white inhibition
The door to reconciliation is open further now than ever before in Canada. From Trudeau to church organizers I speak with, interest in improving relations between indigenous and non-indigenous people is far greater than even a few years ago. Yet most of the discussion leaves me feeling hollow. If we are to seize this moment,…
Young entrepreneur balances profit, community and faith
Matthew Penner loves airports. Sometimes he rides his bicycle to the airport in Steinbach and simply sits next to the runway. “I would call it a sacred place for me to go and experience God’s closeness,” he says. Penner, a pilot and a 29-year-old entrepreneur who founded his own marketing company called Three Six North,…
More than just punchlines
What makes Mennonites funny, and what does their sense of humour say about them? Those are the questions at the heart of That Mennonite Joke, a new documentary from Prairie Boy Productions. Written and directed by Winnipeg filmmaker Orlando Braun, the documentary follows Niverville, Man., comedian Matt Falk as he traces the roots of Mennonite…
Set up to succeed
I paid for my undergraduate degree with scholarships and my own savings, and graduated without student debt. I am touchy about this. I tell anyone listening about how expensive it was, how I kept my grades high and earned scholarships, what weird part-time work I did and the imaginative ways I found to save money.…
