A word to our digital subscribers
Twenty-five years ago, reading a magazine meant holding paper in your hands. Today, it just as easily means looking at a screen. Reading on a screen—whether it’s a smart phone, laptop, desktop computer or tablet—is the way increasing numbers of Canadian Mennonite readers are accessing news, information and opinions. It could be content provided by…
Leon’s ‘fifth step’ to sobriety
Throughout my years of ministry, being involved in the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step program has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. No, I am not an addict. But at times I’m called on to help addicts through their “fifth step.” The fifth step of the program comes after the “stepper” has…
Two big surprises, two big questions
Recently, a Kubota utility vehicle pulled into my driveway where my sons and their friends were playing hockey. Out popped Tim Taylor, a former NHL player and two-time Stanley Cup champion, holding the Stanley Cup. He put it in the middle of our driveway where we all took turns touching it, kissing it and drinking…
MCC boards approve five-year strategic plan
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has a loyal constituency, but its leaders don’t take the support for granted. “We can no longer assume Mennonite churches are familiar with MCC,” said board member Robert Enns of Calgary. “There are a lot of churches where MCC is just another organization out there.” To stand above the…
From Golgotha to the Pembina Valley
Every summer, more than a hundred volunteers from across Manitoba gather in the rolling hills of the Pembina Valley to bring to life the most important event of the Christian faith: Jesus’ death and resurrection. Manitoba’s Passion Play celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, welcoming around 2,000 audience members over the span of five…
‘Won’t you be my neighbour?’
Presbyterian minister Fred Rogers asked the question, “Won’t you be my neighbour?” every day for almost 40 years on Mr. Roger’s Neighbourhood. In the 2018 documentary of his life, Rogers says that asking this question is “an invitation for someone to be close to you.” Five years ago, Foothills Mennonite Church drew close to the Calgary…
Crokinole boards sold for China mission
Wooden game boards made in Yarrow, B.C., and a crokinole tournament at this summer’s Mennonite Church Canada Gathering 2019 have made a connection with modern-day Chinese Christians and a 16th-century Dutch Anabaptist martyr. Darnell Barkman, pastor of Yarrow United Mennonite Church, had received a crokinole board for his birthday last December, and after playing on…
Peacebuilding beyond borders
The second annual Global Mennonite Peacebuilding Conference and Festival took place in Elspeet, the Netherlands, between June 27 and 30. It brought people together with the aim of reflecting on Mennonite peacebuilding accomplishments, failures, opportunities and challenges in various settings. A number of Canadian Mennonite young adults took part in the conference, including Silvie…
Canoe trip deepens pastoral connections
For three days and two nights in June, six Mennonite Church Eastern Canada pastors journeyed by canoe and camped in the wilderness of Massasauga Provincial Park, near Parry Sound, Ont. Two of them were experienced in the backcountry. But the other four—pastors belonging to the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Ministerial, a group of pastors in Kitchener,…
