Elementary and secondary schools adapt during pandemic
Mennonite schools are facing the challenge of operating during a pandemic, both now and into the fall, while staying true to their mission to deliver a faith-based, holistic program. Ontario At UMEI Christian High School in Leamington, principal Sonya Bedal praises her “great staff” and their dedication for the way they have “stepped up” to…
Fall plans for Mennonite post-secondary schools
Conrad Grebel University College, Waterloo, Ont. The COVID-19 pandemic has created many changes and challenges for Grebel. While construction on the kitchen and dining room expansion continues, many other activities have been curtailed or adjusted. The spring term that runs from May to August at the University of Waterloo is being taught entirely online in…
There will be fruit
When international travel was banned in March of this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Niagara fruit farmers were in shock. John and Jocelyn Thwaites and their sons, who attend Niagara United Mennonite Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., were among those farmers. Much of the work on their fruit farm is done by off-shore…
‘Superb helped me continue to have faith’
“I think they’re going to grieve for a while,” says Lois Siemens of Superb Mennonite Church, which held its final worship service on May 31. The church building, located 212 kilometres west of Saskatoon near Kerrobert, was home to a small but thriving congregation for more than 75 years. It took its name from the hamlet…
Manitoba’s Winter Hour releases debut album
Manitoba musician Mike Wiebe released his debut album, You Made a Shadow, on May 31 under the name Winter Hour. He wrote the album’s 10 songs over a period of five years, starting in 2015. “Those songs all included my experiences in getting to know Winnipeg as a city, getting to know new people in…
The ‘poet of ironwork’
If you are Mennonite and live in Alberta, you may not know John Wiebe, but you’ll recognize his work. Kate Janzen calls him the “poet of ironwork.” Every year since 1973, Wiebe has been creating artworks made from scraps of steel and donating them to the annual Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Alberta Relief Sale. With…
Legacy of the last great epidemic
Dave Penner recalls playing in the ditch with his brother in the summer of 1952. He was 5, his brother Henry was three years older. The freshly dug ditch on the expanded Highway 3 next to their yard near Morden, Man., had filled after a rain storm and Dave remembers having a grand time in…
