B.C. delegates engage together in ‘God’s mission’
Delegates at the Mennonite Church B.C. annual meetings at Peace Mennonite Church in Richmond, Feb. 23, found themselves walking alongside each other, encouraging each other and sometimes disagreeing with each other, yet with a common goal to fulfill “God’s mission: Our mission” as a church body. A presentation by the leadership of Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church…
Teaching horse sense
No one likes to be told, “Hey! You need to change your attitude!” But that bitter pill is much easier to swallow when it’s administered by a horse. Cheralyne Gibson is horsemanship director at the Valley Equestrian Centre, a ministry of Youth Farm Bible Camp, which is owned by Mennonite Church Saskatchewan. Not only is…
The future is now
I posed one question to the 186 Mennonite Church Canada congregations for which my search engine found email addresses. My question: “What changes has your congregation experienced as a result of the Future Directions decisions of October 2017?” The most succinct reply was one word: “None.” End of email. That was also the best summation of…
Searching for a ‘generous space’
A handful of Christians were looking for community and a place to meet with others with similar experiences. They found it at Queerly Christian. The participants identify under the LGBTQ+* umbrella and take the time to sing queer hymns, pray, take communion, reflect on Scripture and take part in a community meal. They gather twice a…
‘I feel like it is God’s will that I am here’
For a week in early February, North Leamington United Mennonite Church played host to the annual mid-year conference of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP), including an international worship service on Feb. 10. The pews were filled with 50 IVEPers from 29 nations surrounded by their 16 host families from four…
Couple enjoys being ‘on the road’ with MDS
A year off to travel and volunteer—that’s what Neil and Audrey Rempel are doing. The semi-retired couple from Winnipeg are part of the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) recreational vehicle program, whose volunteers drive their RVs to worksites to assist with rebuilding. Neil, 66, was a painter for 20 years, and he also built homes. Audrey, 67,…
Learning through space and time
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary organized a trip to Egypt in January 2016. The goal was to encounter the long history of Egypt as well as to get to know Christian and Muslim communities. Of the 37 participants from Canada, the United States and Australia, seven took the trip as a seminary course. Together we engaged…
Great Trek from Russia to Central Asia remembered
“[In Tashkent] the nearby river was full of fish and the banks were lined with trees loaded with apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, pomegranates, lemons, oranges and many fruits we had no name for. “It seemed like the ideal place to settle,” wrote Elizabeth Unruh Schulz, reflecting on the Great Trek migration from Russia…
‘A community of friends around the world’
Building “a community of friends around the world” is a driving force behind Dashir Lodge and Safaris, based in the Arusha area of Tanzania. Darryl and Shirley Peters’ vision is founded on bringing Africans and guests together as friends. Dashir, a blend of Darryl and Shirley’s names, is also a way for them to live…
Insights from abroad
Since I began as director of intercultural studies (ICS) at Columbia Bible College in 2013, the college has sent out 45 young adults to serve in a variety of contexts—Mongolia, Mexico, Mayotte, Myanmar, Macedonia, Moldova—and those are just the countries beginning with “M”! After two years of academic learning, leadership equipping and spiritual preparation on…
