The allure of horror films
Halloween is a few weeks away, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to watch some horror movies to get into the spirit. I just stopped and re-read that first sentence and I can’t help feeling like a deviant. This is Canadian Mennonite after all, a magazine in which you’re more likely…
Copyright matters
Life is funny. When something breaks down in the church, whether an oven or an elevator, we fix it. And if we can’t fix it, we buy a new one. We understand that physical property must be paid for. But what about intellectual property? What if we have no one who can write songs, worship…
Readers write: September 28, 2020 issue
Pandemic provides ‘extra bonuses’ for elderly congregant Re: “In a time of uncertainty: COVID-19 prompts churches to rethink gatherings,” March 30, page 15. The Japanese Mennonite Christian Fellowship meets in Surrey, B.C., at Living Hope Church every Sunday afternoon. I would love to attend but cannot make that drive of 45 minutes on the freeway.…
Our need for community
In my work with high-risk single mothers, I’ve been meeting one-on-one this summer with women, as our weekly group program was put on hold due to the pandemic. Over and over, I’ve seen the positive effects that a caring community has on individuals and how vastly important it is. One remarkable woman that I’ve been…
‘A little mercy now’
In early August, I heard about the devastating impact of floods and a landside on a Mennonite congregation in Kerala in southern India, with mud covering the building and many church members missing. Paul Phinehas, head of the Anabaptist conference there, asked for prayers for: People to be safe, with loss of lives avoided; Relief…
Grinding gears
This summer, our neighbours had a total of four trees taken down that bordered either side of our property. I really miss those big, beautiful trees. One tree was at least 50 years old, the other three were probably closer to 100, but it took only a few hours to reduce them to small piles…
From pew to pulpit
Valerie Alipova arrived in Canada for the first time five years ago, on a one-year Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) assignment. In September, she became an associate pastor of Bethel Mennonite Church in Winnipeg. “The craziest part is that the first day I arrived here [at Bethel] . . . I remember walking past this office,…
An eye for beauty
Natalie Stevanus, 36, of Bloomingdale, Ont., likes how her photographs bring joy to people, which inspires her to take even more. (Photo by Jane van Pelt) Natalie Stevanus has an eye for beauty. She loves to take photographs that make people happy. It is a winning combination! Stevanus, 36, recently won the Judges’ Choice Award…
‘I can see this church coming’
Part educator, part listener, part mentor and part bridge-builder. The mandate for Fanosie Legesse, appointed as Mennonite Church Eastern Canada’s intercultural mission minister in March 2020, is broad. But, as someone who has always bridged cultural gaps, Legesse says, “I cannot help but think that throughout my whole life God was giving me an opportunity…
