Of mission and politics
Two articles in this issue point to a shift in our Anabaptist/Mennonite thinking about both our mission in international witness and our place in the government arena. “Toss aside western church culture and rhetoric,” Deborah Froese, the director of Mennonite Church Canada’s news service, opens her “What’s up with Mennos and mission?” feature on page…
What’s up with Mennos and mission?
About eight years ago, Daniel Pantoja shared the approach he and his wife Joji employed as Mennonite Church Canada Witness Workers in the Philippines: “Toss aside western church culture and rhetoric.” By shaping their approach from a Muslim context, they bridged the gap between perception and Jesus. “Don’t call it church-planting,” Pantoja cautioned then, since…
Readers write: April 25, 2016 issue
‘You betcha’ climate change is real Re: “Is climate change real?” by Will Braun, Feb. 29, page 17. Is climate change real? You betcha! Just ask northerners who are seeing their ice roads, permafrost and sea ice disappearing from warmer winters. Just ask people in Calgary, Toronto and along the Assiniboine River in Manitoba who…
Art can make a difference
My exhibit of paintings, Along the Road to Freedom, remembers and honours the journeys of Russian Mennonite women who led their families to freedom in Canada, mostly in the 1920s and 1940s. It also acknowledges those thousands who did not escape. It’s a story that is familiar to many cultures and faiths. During Along the…
My conversion
Recently the Listening Church video (listeningchurch.ca) was released, in which lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer (LGBTQ) people speak of their experiences in Mennonite churches. One speaker challenged people “who had changed their minds” to tell their stories. Here I take up that challenge. Although it was not always the case, I have viewed myself as “gay-positive” for many years.…
Reducing the potential for drama
There was an interesting scene on a recent courtroom drama in which a dying, wealthy woman had taken the time to place sticky notes on precious items around her home to indicate to whom the items should go after she died. Unfortunately, the woman passed away during the night. By morning, all of her carefully…
The pursuit of truth (Pt. 4)
In my experience, Mennonites live by the adages “Actions speak louder than words” and “Faith without works is dead.” One of the things that drew me to Anabaptism was its emphasis on “walking the walk” more than “talking the talk.” I was raised in a church in which passionate shouting was the hallmark of faithful…
Crowd surfing
Banff, Alta., has hosted numerous Mennonite and Mennonite Brethren national youth gatherings. Pictured are youth “crowd surfing” at a 1995 Mennonite Brethren event in Banff. Events like these have been important times of building friendships with youth leaders, people within one’s own church, and those from across the country. Youth were inspired to be faithful…
A search for common ground
The Ojibway word for medicine is mush-ki-ki, meaning “strength of the earth” or “power from the soil,” explained David Daniels of Long Plain First Nation, located near Portage La Prairie, Man., in First Nations Voice some years ago. More recently, Daniels has been working in collaboration with Morden researcher Jason Dyck to trace the paths…
