Canadian voices on racism
What follows is a companion piece to “White Mennonite static” by American scholar Tobin Miller Shearer. To read Mennonite Church Canada offers several resources, through its office of Indigenous-Settler Relations, including the “TRC Trilogy”: Wrongs to Right; Yours, Mine and Ours; and The Quest for Respect. Borrow or purchase from commonword.ca. The Skin We’re In.…
Fair-trade store emulates Ten Thousand Villages
The Ten Thousand Villages (TTV) store in Vancouver has closed, but the idea of fair-trade products continues to inspire a new generation to shop both ethically and globally. Kasandy/Locally Global occupies the space that TTV formerly had on Granville Island. “We are a fair-trade shop in exactly the same ethos, values and beliefs as TTV,”…
Defeating Goliath
It’s been 40 years since David battled Goliath on the plains of Saskatchewan. David, in this case, was a group of ordinary citizens, many of whom were Mennonite, and Goliath was the nuclear industry. In 1976, when the Saskatchewan Economic Development Corporation optioned to purchase 583 hectares of agricultural land east of Warman, Sask.—about 25…
MCC connects with supporters through digital media
“One bar of soap isn’t just a drop in the ocean of need. The ripples keep moving out in ways we may not even be able to count.” Sophia Bezoplenko, who coordinates material resources for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Winnipeg, insists that “the small things are not as small as we think.” The reality…
‘It’s a bit overwhelming’
Camp Valaqua received great news recently. As of Aug. 26, its annual hike-a-thon raised a record amount of $34,456, nearly double the previous record of $18,000. Ron Janzen, who is often the biggest fundraiser, beat his own record, raising more than $10,000 this year. Why was so much raised in 2020? Jon Olfert, Valaqua’s camp…
Steady giving sustains churches through COVID-19
Among the multitude of concerns COVID-19 has caused, the novel coronavirus’s effect on congregational giving has been one of them. What do church finances look like when congregations close their doors and stop passing offering baskets through the aisles on Sunday mornings? It turns out that in many Mennonite congregations across Manitoba, they look just…
MDS Canada issues second call for Spirit of MDS Fund applications
The Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada Spirit of MDS Fund is issuing a second call for applications from churches in Canada. The goal of the Spirit of MDS Fund is to provide financial support to Canadian Anabaptist-Mennonite congregations that are assisting people in their communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of $100,000 has…
