In conversation
What are Mennonites talking about? As a national publication, Canadian Mennonite pays attention to the issues that matter to readers far and near. Here are some topics that emerged in 2018. In the spring, attention was on the protest against the Trans Mountain pipeline in B.C., particularly the involvement of Mennonite Church Canada’s Steve Heinrichs.…
Called to bleed and die for the sake of the nation
As a minister of the Mennonite church in Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland), Hermann Gottlieb Mannhardt knew how to challenge and encourage his congregants in matters of faith and moral conduct. He also knew how to energize a crowd in matters related to politics and patriotism. During the First World War, as Germany’s armed forces were…
Readers write: January 21, 2019 issue
Editorializing, apology weaken abuse survivor’s statement Re: “Decades-old sexual abuse comes to light,” Sept. 10, 2018, page 13. It seems to me that Canadian Mennonite and Dave Rogalsky (former Eastern Canada correspondent) owe Ruth-Ann Klassen Shantz an apology for the poor handling of her statement. Mixing the abuser’s apology in with the article has done…
‘To be more like them’
I often have the same thought when visiting a first-generation Canadian congregation: I wish my home congregation of Rockway Mennonite could see this! Invariably, when I visit a congregation that worships in a language other than English, I anticipate a service that is typically longer—because they often are longer—and I anticipate that it will feel…
Odessa state archives
As the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, staff at the state archives in Odessa, Ukraine, worked diligently to microfilm Russian Mennonite documents in its possession. Collected by Peter J. Braun during the turbulent years of the Russian Revolution and Civil War (1917-1920), and later confiscated by the Soviet state, the records languished in obscurity until…
‘What’s he doing out there?’
I have friends who live in Fond du Lac, a small, isolated community in northern Saskatchewan on the shore of Lake Athabasca, near the border with the Northwest Territories. A years-ago visit found me there in late November. One day, I found myself in a home with a half-dozen men visiting over mugs of coffee. Actually,…
‘The music ever changing’
In The Pastor-Congregation Duet, Gary Harder weaves together his love of pastoral ministry and his love of music. It is clear from the outset, that his call to ministry ran deep, and his love for making music and appreciating music helped to sustain him in his call, feeding him in times of drought and comforting…
Revisiting a third way
J. Lawrence Burkholder’s experiences as a relief worker in China in 1947 caused him to think about the nature of power. His dissertation, “The problem of social responsibility from the perspective of the Mennonite church,” was completed in 1958 but not published at the time because it challenged Mennonite teachings. Burkholder called for Mennonite social…
Church steps up to help local food bank
In December, Essex County was preparing to rest. The land had done its work, providing crops for farmers to harvest and get to market. The temperature dropped and the workload followed suit. Tractors were in the sheds and off the roads. Farmers and rural folk became shoppers and headed to urban centres to hunt down…
