Together, in song
The last time my church sang together was March 8, the second Sunday in Lent. Since then, my singing has consisted of one backyard, physically distant, “Happy Birthday” and my lone voice following the congregation’s pre-recorded music on the screen. For those of us who count congregational music as a vital part of our…
Crisis in Lebanon
The Humanitarian Coalition salutes the commitment of the Canadian government to match the donations made to provide assistance to people in Lebanon after the disaster that devastated the city of Beirut, Lebanon. It is estimated that the explosion on Aug. 4 of a warehouse in the port of Beirut has left more than 200 people…
Low German community in southwestern Ontario experiences persecution
Members of Low German-speaking Mennonite communities in southwestern Ontario have experienced public discrimination recently because of a surge in COVID-19 cases in their population. Incidents include negative online comments, cancelled playdates with children in the Low German community, and aggressive verbal attacks at the grocery store. The Windsor-Essex region of the province has been a…
Practising prayer with the Psalms
My kids are old enough to start playing ball, and weekly practices and physically distanced games are a regular part of the Barkman routine. In high school, I was a catcher, and Christina played third base, so we want our kids to grow into confident athletes. That means they are learning to practice. Continuous repetitions…
Musings of a CM board member
Since I was a young boy, I’ve been fascinated by words, stories and ideas. So when I heard that I had an opportunity to be a regional representative for Alberta on the Canadian Mennonite Publishing Service (CMPS) board of directors, which acts in an advisory capacity for the direction of the Canadian Mennonite periodical, I…
Church podcast explores living lightly on the earth
Seeds Church in Altona, Man. has started a new podcast for hosts and guests to explore what it means to live lightly in relation to God’s creation. The church had intended to do the interviews in-person on Sunday mornings for its Lenten series. But when COVID-19 hit, and congregants and leaders could no longer meet…
Evangelical path to truth and reconciliation
I started out by digging into the commitments recently made by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) in relation to Indigenous peoples, commitments that include renouncing “white supremacy” and “unsettling” evangelical theology. I finished off by having candid conversations with three friends from three different First Nations about how churches can make things better. The commitments…
Resurrecting Emmanuel
It is not unusual to hear of a small rural church closing its doors. It is, however, a rare thing to hear about a rural church reopening after being closed for more than 40 years. And yet this is the story of Emmanuel Church, a tiny congregation whose building is situated about 15 kilometres southwest…
‘A different kind of ministry’
A longtime B.C. pastor and church leader is making a transition to a different kind of ministry. After 30 years as a pastor, most recently of Level Ground Mennonite Church in Abbotsford, Karen Heidebrecht Thiessen began a new career chapter on Aug. 1 as dean of students at Columbia Bible College. “After 20 wonderful years…
