MC Manitoba executive minister blessed by relationships
After nine-and-a-half years of service, Ken Warkentin concluded his time as executive minister of Mennonite Church Manitoba on June 30. But his ministry goes back much farther than that. He remembers the exact date he began at First Mennonite Church in Saskatoon—Oct. 4, 1981—where he was a music and youth minister for five years. In…
Russian connection comes full circle
Two members of Black Creek United Mennonite Church in British Columbia have found a common heritage that goes back 234 years to the Russian Empire. In the late 18th century, Empress Catherine the Great of Russia conquered land she called “New Russia”—now Ukraine—and invited Europeans, including Mennonite farmers from Prussia, to settle the southern plains.…
‘There is something beautiful’ about those people
“The people,” he said. “There is something beautiful . . . about all those people . . . being the presence of Christ in their communities.” This was David Martin’s first response when he was asked about highlights from his 15 years as executive minister of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, a job he will retire…
‘He kept looking ahead’
David Martin is passionate about curling. He is competitive and once won Steinmann Mennonite Church’s version of The Amazing Race. He is a bit nerdy and techy, and he loves a great superhero movie now and then. As a pastor, he is a gifted worship leader and he is great at telling stories to children.…
Global Mennonite enviro task force established
The mandate of a new Mennonite World Conference (MWC) creation care task force states that, “MWC is a global communion of Anabaptist churches that are together facing the climate crisis.” It then asks: “What does it mean to follow Jesus into this crisis?” The task force is to: explore ways in which MWC member churches…
Albertans raise money in creative ways for MCC
No soup and pie fundraiser in Rosemary. No Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Alberta relief sale in Sherwood Park. No golf fundraisers with barbecued lunches. In other words, no fun—and no money being raised through MCC for all the vulnerable people living in more than 50 countries in the developing world. This year, according to Robin…
Pandemic shifts Anglican-Mennonite Dialogue online
The Anglican-Mennonite Dialogue scrapped plans for a meeting at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ont., this spring, due to pandemic restrictions but met electronically on May 29 and 30. The pandemic also changed the theme of the meeting, originally planned on creation care and ecological justice. Instead, most of the meeting explored the impact of…
Embracing disequilibrium
“We have to embrace the disequilibrium we feel right now and let it teach us what it needs to teach us,” said Claire Ewert Fisher, interim pastor of Rosthern Mennonite Church, speaking at Mennonite Church Saskatchewan’s virtual town hall event, “Dreaming church beyond pandemic.” The gathering, held via Zoom on June 16, involved pastors and…
Coins count, and so do bottles
Every Saturday in May, Rosthern Mennonite Church members drove the streets of Rosthern, picking up bottles and other refundable beverage containers. The church’s Christian education committee normally collects $700 to $800 in loose change each May for Mennonite Central Committee’s My Coins Count project. Since the church wasn’t able to collect coins at church on Sunday…
