Prayer ‘keeps us going’
As the world deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mennonite community in Kudus, Central Java, Indonesia, joins hands and works with the local government to mitigate the risk and manage the spread of cases in the city of more than 800,000 residents. Mardi Rahayu Hospital was built in 1969 by members of the Gereja Kristen…
JoinHands grant approved for Calgary Chin Christian Church
Church discernment and decision-making can be challenging at the best of times. Making critical decisions about the purchase of property in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is monumental. For the congregants and leaders of Calgary Chin Christian Church in Alberta, the culmination of their dreams for the purchase of a church home landed right…
When pandemics are disasters, MDS is there
Twenty Mennonite Church Canada congregations are among the first 40 churches that have received grants from the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada Spirit of MDS Fund. The fund was created by MDS Canada in April to help Canadian churches respond to people in their communities facing hardship due to COVID-19. “MDS normally responds to natural…
COVID-19 outbreak in Bolivian colonies
Although precise data does not exist, Die Mennonitische Post reports numerous presumed COVID-19-related deaths on several Mennonite colonies in Bolivia. Kennert Giesbrecht, the Post’s editor, who is highly regarded among colony Mennonites in Latin America, is in regular contact with people on many colonies. One clinic reported having treated patients from more than a dozen…
Keeping the arts alive during the pandemic
Cedric Martin, artistic producer of Theatre of the Beat, knows that live theatre “will be one of the last gatherings to be allowed again” as businesses reopen in the shadow of COVID-19. That reality forced the staff of the Canadian touring company to get creative. With the goal “to keep the arts alive and…
Engaging with ‘people not like us’
A group of Mennonite young adults from Alberta has been gathering on Zoom for six Sundays in a row to learn about engaging with “the other.” Topics included “Engaging the religious other,” with a focus on Islam, and “Engaging the culturally other,” with a focus on connecting with people from other races and cultures, and…
Churches cautiously resume worship together
With most churches remaining closed four months into the pandemic, some in Mennonite Church British Columbia are finding innovative ways to worship together—with limitations. On July 5, members of Sherbrooke Mennonite Church in Vancouver held an outdoor service in the church parking lot, their first physical gathering since March. “We took advantage of the good…
A life dedicated to helping others
Nour Ali’s name is known in households across Manitoba because of his passion for helping people and for making the world a better place. On June 13, Ali died in a boating accident on Lake Winnipeg. He was 42. Ali and four others were in a boat on the lake when it took on water…
A COVID-19 commandment
It is now month five for Canadian communities struggling with the COVID-19 crisis. In this time, we’ve heard many pronouncements by health authorities on what members of the public should and should not do to protect themselves against the novel coronavirus. As it spreads, health experts continue to research and learn, experiment and make recommendations.…
