Are we there yet?
Do you remember those family car trips? In the front seat, Mom and Dad are navigating, driving and planning for the next pit stop. In the back seats, kids are staking out their individual spaces, trying to stave off boredom and bickering. Everyone is looking forward to the adventure ahead. Someone calls out the question,…
Raspberry capital beckons Gathering 2019
The raspberry capital of Canada, the most charitable city in Canada, the Bible Belt of Canada. These terms have all been used to describe Abbotsford, the site of Mennonite Church Canada’s Gathering 2019, to be held from June 28 to July 1. Nestled in the scenic Fraser Valley just over the border from Washington state,…
Readers write: March 18, 2019 issue
Should Thrift Store purchases be ‘designated’ to First Nations communities? Re: “MCC Canada cuts Canadian programs to focus on advocacy,” Feb. 4, page 14. This article raises some serious concerns regarding Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada’s Indigenous programming. Executive director Rick Cober Bauman indicates that less Thrift Store income and more money designated overseas…
Welcome to Gathering 2019
Mennonite Church British Columbia is excited to welcome the nationwide Mennonite church to Gathering 2019 in Abbotsford, B.C. The imagination of the church is still unfolding and becoming. We have said that the local congregation is the foundational unit of the church. We believe that the role of the regional and nationwide churches is to…
Swords into ploughshares
“They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” These famous words from Isaiah 2:4 have been enacted in various ways over the years. Sculptures have been created, jewelry made and roads built with former military…
A friend tells a story
My friend Catherine* teaches at a community school in the core of our city. Given her experience and her skill set, she manages a classroom that is not so much age- or grade-specific, but rather contains children whose behavioural issues make them difficult to manage in normal classroom settings. After the Christmas break, a new…
Get ready to be shaken
Ready to be rattled by the Radical? Youth from Mennonite Church Canada congregations in grades 6 to 12 (including new graduates) are invited to take part in “Shake: Rattled by the Radical,” which takes place at Saskatchewan’s Shekinah Retreat Centre, located 75 kilometres north of Saskatoon, from July 28 to Aug. 1. “Shake” is being…
‘Audacious preacher’ tackles racism at School for Ministers
Through worship, workshops and keynote addresses, Anthony Bailey challenged participants at Mennonite Church Eastern Canada’s annual School for Ministers to be audacious: bold, daring, provocative and courageous. Bailey, lead minister at Parkdale United Church in Ottawa and a community activist for racial justice and reconciliation, explained to the gathering at Conrad Grebel University College last…
New structure brings challenges and opportunities
The people of Mennonite Church Manitoba discussed and dreamed what the new structure of MC Canada means for their regional church, at this year’s annual delegate gathering. Nearly 150 delegates and other attendees representing 35 churches from across Manitoba gathered at Steinbach Mennonite Church on the first weekend in March. Budget matters The main focus…
