Thank You!
It is with heartfelt gratitude that we thank and recognize the generosity of the 835 donors, including 45 new ones, to our 2016 spring and fall fundraising drives that brought a record $119,403 into our coffers toward operating expenses and our endowment fund. While every gift, small or large, is appreciated, we want to give…
A new recipe for church
Why do you go to church? One of the main reasons is that there is something there that feeds your soul. If there was nothing nourishing there, you would find other things to do with your time. Jesus fed people. He fed them literally . . . and he fed them with stories. They had…
Soup’s on
In the feature “A new recipe for church” pastor and professor Carol Penner reflects on how the “recipe” or model for the church is evolving and adapting to new realities. She finds the metaphor of soup a helpful one. The first soup Carol learned to make was Hearty Lentil-Sausage Soup, according to the recipe on…
Readers write: February 13, 2017 issue
How much have funding losses affected Future Directions? We have heard that the Future Directions process came primarily due to funding issues. We have also heard that it was not about funding, but about renewing vision. And we have heard that people have been laid off due to budgetary constraints. Although the messages about Future…
Making the heart stronger
For once, I know what I’m giving up for Lent early this year: social media. I’m writing this column the Monday morning following the annual Saskatchewan Mennonite Youth Organization’s senior-high retreat, at which, due to a new location, youth had cell service for the first time in the event’s recent history. As the organizer, I…
Why aren’t we telling these stories?
It has been my experience that the church of Jesus Christ is chock-full of glorious stories of the power and presence of our Lord. It’s also my experience that many of these stories remain untold. The church is poorer for this silence. Why aren’t we telling these stories? Lend me a moment to share a…
Heinrich Winter
This photo tells the story of a congregation’s diaspora. The last ältester (ordained elder) of the Chortitza Mennonite Church in Ukraine was Heinrich Winter. The church was the first Mennonite congregation organized in Imperial Russia, and thrived up until the Soviet era, when the government made religious activities extremely difficult. In 1943, most of the…
‘Departure conversations’
Henry Neufeld’s feature last summer (Aug. 29, 2016, page 4) about the firing and layoff practices of some Mennonite organizations touched a nerve. Only one Canadian Mennonite story last year was viewed more times online, and numerous people responded with letters to the editor. (See “When your services are no longer required.”) Some people shared…
Making space for disagreement
After stormy weather prevented many rural members from attending a Mennonite Church Manitoba meeting in Winnipeg on Jan.12 on how to implement the Being a Faithful Church (BFC) 7 resolution passed last summer in Saskatoon, Morden Mennonite Church hosted a second gathering late last month. Even before any talking began, the physical format of the…
