Before you share
“What is truth?” Pontius Pilate asked Jesus two thousand years ago. Today, as we read the newspaper, watch YouTube and TV news, listen to the radio, and scroll through social media, we confront that same question. In this time of pandemic, social upheaval and political strife, the distinction between truth and falsehood seems especially nebulous. …
Faith forged in disorientation
This is an unprecedented time. Unprecedented—it’s a word we’re hearing a lot in the last few months. The sense of disorientation has been palpable, from eerily empty streets to new protocols at the grocery store, an ever-increasing number of masks and people performing acrobatic feats to maintain a two-metre buffer. Somehow, this feels like a…
Readers write: October 26, 2020 issue
Voluntary service important in cross-border interaction Re: “Cross-border interaction in decline since integration” letter, Sept. 14, page 9. I appreciated Fred Martin’s letter listing some of the lost relations between Mennonite Church Canada and MC U.S.A. One area that was missed is a long history of cross-border service work. Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) was the…
Reaping what you sow
As I finish off another growing season on the farm, I reflect on how things grew, what went well, and what to tweak for next year. Aside from our various pastured livestock, I also grow a market garden and, after nine years, I still feel that I have so much to learn. With each season,…
Brubacher House
Within this Mennonite hearth, we can read an environmental history. By 1850, when John E. and Magdalena Brubacher built this house, the forest stands of southwestern Ontario were well on their way to being transformed into farmland. The harvesting and sale of wood and its products was the engine of the economy. Settlers, used to…
The neighbourhood community
Since living in a pandemic that has suddenly limited indoor socializing, I have been particularly thankful for the neighbourhood friendships we’ve created. In March and April, when we were all isolating, we actually got to know our neighbours far better. Since everyone was home and working on their yards, and our kids were always outside…
‘You must be a Mennonite!’
As a young adult I entered a Mennonite college knowing little about Mennonites. I grew up (mostly) Baptist. I was astonished to hear people say over and over again, “You must be a Mennonite!” I sputtered that just because my last name is Klassen does not make me Mennonite, and that, in fact, I was…
Finding the ‘growth edge’ in our lives
My focus on growth may seem strange during this difficult season we’re in, but I believe that the best way to get through this pandemic is by growing. My understanding of growth is simple. It’s the process of becoming who someone (or something) was created and designed to be. There are many ways for us…
Anabaptist health network responds to COVID-19
“We are bound together as a community not only through this global pandemic, but through our faith,” says Rick Stiffney, steering committee member of the Global Anabaptist Health Network. The global network held its first webinar on Sept. 16, which was attended by two dozen Anabaptist-related health professionals from Asia, Africa, North America and the…
