Holding out the Christ-light
“We can all have good mental health. It is about having a sense of purpose, strong relationships, feeling connected to our communities, knowing who we are, coping with stress and enjoying life,” says a statement by the Canadian Mental Health Association. Statistics indicate that each year 6.7 million Canadians—one in five people—experience some form of…
When it’s hard to go to church
“I love my church. It is very important to me, but you won’t be seeing me on Sunday morning as often,” Cara Baergen told her congregation in a sermon preached at Edmonton’s First Mennonite Church this spring. Consciously choosing to speak from a music stand away from the pulpit, she candidly named hard experiences, health issues…
Readers write: May 13, 2019 issue
A shotgun is ‘a tool to put meat on the table’ Re: “Swords into ploughshares, guns into art,” March 4, page 23. A great sculpture. Irian Fast-Sittler does great work; keep it up! But I do have a problem with Paul Dyck calling this old shotgun a “weapon.” When I was a young boy, living…
Morden motorcycles
Summer is a time when many set aside time to explore. Pictured are five men on their motorcycles on Railway Street in Morden, Man., in 1913. From left to right on the motorcycles are: Isaac G. Brown, George G. Brown, Jacob E. Dyck, John J. Braun, and an unknown rider. New and familiar places are…
Walking together
This year, Mennonite Church Saskatchewan has been “deepening our walk with one another” as part of a three-year initiative to call us to deeper life with Christ, ourselves and our neighbours. In a report prepared by the regional church’s reference group, there is a quote by Frederick Buechner: “The place God calls you to is…
In court with ‘Clifford’
Recently, I attended a provincial court session. A released offender friend, “Clifford” (a pseudonym), had messed up rather significantly. It wasn’t a violent offence, but it was the third breach of his conditions. It was a reasonable assumption that the system would not see Clifford’s actions as “cute.” It had been a while. The business…
Join the (fashion) revolution
Who made my clothes? That’s what the organizers of the globally observed Fashion Revolution Week want people to ask themselves the next time they put on an outfit or choose what clothing to buy. Fashion Revolution began in response to the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh, which killed 1,138 people and injured another 2,500…
‘It’s all worship’
Representatives of 107 congregations from Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick gathered at Steinmann Mennonite Church for Mennonite Church Eastern Canada’s annual church gathering on April 26 and 27, framed around the theme of “Deepening our relationship with God.” There were opportunities to sing and pray, eat and socialize, listen and share, reflect, discern and make…
Finding the balance between grace and responsibility
It’s been eight months since Thomas and Terri Lynn Friesen opened their Saskatoon home as The Vine and Table intentional community. For Terri Lynn, those eight months have been “an interesting season . . . of challenge and great joy.” The Friesens thought their house would be a great home for students, but, because they…
