MC B.C. wrestles with tough issues
Despite meeting under the theme of “Building healthy connections,” many delegates who gathered for Mennonite Church British Columbia’s annual general meeting on Feb. 25, 2017, wondered how the future might look for their connections as an area church family when the day was done. The meeting at Emmanuel Mennonite Church in Abbotsford was the third…
WEW wows Waterloo women
Exuding excitement and purpose, Nancy Mann, associate pastor of Floradale Mennonite Church, exclaimed “WEW!” for the newest chapter of Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) Women Empowering Women organization. The kick-off event, at which 75 women were in attendance, was held on Feb. 2, 2017, at 50 Kent Avenue, the “Mennonite hub” in Kitchener. Helen Loftin,…
Personal-care home will fill gap in care for seniors
Joan Lemauviel recalls her aging father needing more care than he received with assisted living, yet not qualifying for long-term care. “He was falling through the cracks,” she says. As administrator of Mennonite Nursing Homes, Lemauviel knows that her father’s experience is far from unique. “About eight to 10 years ago it became evident that…
Signs of welcome in Ontario
“No matter where you are from, we’re glad you’re our neighbour.” Kitchener (Ont.) First Mennonite Church and Mennonite Church Eastern Canada are promoting “welcome signs” with this message in English, French and Arabic in the community and beyond. Rebecca Yoder Neufeld of First Mennonite first saw the sign in Elkhart, Ind., last November. A trip…
Trump reality spills over into Mennoland
The potent Trump phenomenon is rippling around the globe and Mennonites in southern Manitoba are not immune. Waves of mostly Somali asylum seekers, driven in part by fear of deportation under the Trump administration, cross covertly from the U.S. into a region of Manitoba heavily populated by Mennonites. This year, more than 130 asylum seekers…
Field of dreams
What are the risks and rewards for people who choose a life on the farm? Young Voices spoke with three young Canadian Mennonites who work in agriculture to find out. Jedidiah Morton, 23 Didsbury, Alta. Jedidiah Morton isn’t the first person in his family to work in the dairy industry. His great-grandfather, Abram Lowen, settled…
Finding belonging
Finding a new church to belong to can be difficult. Just ask Katrina Woelk. Woelk grew up at Emmanuel Mennonite Church in Winkler, Man., but now lives in Winnipeg, where she is studying social work at the University of Manitoba. After four years of commuting home for weekends, the 22-year-old is ready to deepen her…
