MWC census shows increased numbers
“Uganda is ripe for evangelism and the church is growing,” says Bishop Simon Okoth, national coordinator of Uganda Mennonite Church. The new Mennonite World Conference (MWC) member church, accepted by the Executive Committee in 2017, grew from 310 members in seven congregations in 2015 to 553 members in 18 congregations in 2018. Every three years,…
New things ahead
In this first issue of 2019, you’ll notice some things are different on the pages of this magazine. There are changes in the design, thanks to the creative work of designer Betty Avery. After 11 years, it was time to refresh how CM looked on paper. Gone are the shaded boxes that strained the eyes…
Holding hands with the FARC
There we were, standing in a prayer circle holding hands. While not really that unusual, what was extraordinary was that some of the hands we were holding were likely bloody. They were the hands of guerrillas—high-ranking, long-time members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). For me, this moment last fall was especially significant.…
Readers write: January 7, 2019 issue
‘There needs to be understanding’ Re: “Worship happened,” Nov. 5, 2018, page 8. Ed Olfert’s column left me in tears. I facilitate many Kairos blanket exercises, where I act out the part of the “grandmother.” Chi miigwech (thank you) for doing this in your church group! It is my hope that more churches will do…
Come and let your imagination be ignited
“Igniting the imagination of the church.” That’s the theme of Mennonite Church Canada’s Gathering 2019, to be held from June 28 to July 1 in Abbotsford, B.C. Powerful words, those! What might they mean for us as congregations comprising five regional churches and the nationwide church? In the latest edition of Anabaptist Witness, César García,…
The daily phone-call prayer
Over the course of our lives, we likely offer many prayers in a variety of ways. Some are formal, memorized prayers said for specific occasions. A family table grace recited before meals. The comforting words of Psalm 23. The Lord’s Prayer spoken as one body during worship. Author Anne Lamott categorizes “essential” prayers into three…
A ‘village’ in our home
When our family lived in the Philippines from 2012 to 2018, we hosted our Peace Church community in our home every weekend and opened our doors to countless friends throughout the week. I remember reading articles about the absence of “the village” in today’s society and how families struggle to feel cared for and connected.…
The clarity of divine call
I believe every human being has a divine call. This divine call is more explicit than the generic “call to ministry” associated with the clergy. It’s a specific expectation God has given each person to fulfill. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote: “Over and above the din of desires there is a calling, a demanding, a waiting,…
‘Called to be a church for others’
The August sky was an eerie brownish-orange as the morning news warned Edmontonians not to exert themselves outside. Thick smoke smelling of charred forests blanketed the city, and the air quality was so poor that even healthy young people stayed indoors. On a family vacation, we drove through heavy smoke in southern British Columbia, never…
