Book explores divergent views on food, farming
Since 2012, the “Germinating Conversations” initiative has brought together small farmers, bigger farmers and urban folks who care about food. At public and private events around Manitoba over the years, the goal has been to foster open dialogue on tough questions. The original impetus came from Kenton Lobe, an instructor at Canadian Mennonite University. Mennonite…
Pandemic forces couples to reassess wedding plans
The bride and groom may have hoped for a traditional church wedding with an entourage of attendants, surrounded by all their friends and extended family, followed by a fabulous catered wedding dinner. What they ended up with might have been a scaled-down gathering of fewer than a dozen people and a simple backyard meal with…
The growing phenomenon of cohabitation
“What questions does cohabitation raise for you?” asked Irma Fast Dueck at a Portable CMU event hosted by Springridge Mennonite Church in Pincher Creek, Alta., in May. The associate professor of practical theology at Canadian Mennonite University delivered a series of three workshops on Zoom entitled, “Without strings, without rings: Couples living together.” Springridge Mennonite…
Author, bookstore owner dispute ‘censorship’ claim
“Manitoba book store censors retired pastor’s book” was the title of a press release sent to Canadian Mennonite earlier this year by author Ray Friesen, a retired Mennonite pastor in Swift Current, Sask. “Hull’s Family Bookstores in Winnipeg and Steinbach (Man.) recently pulled all copies of Wandering the Wilderness: A Guide for Weary Wanderers and…
The gospel is a seed buried within the church
Peace Mennonite Church gathers for Bible study every Tuesday evening. Since the pandemic began, the Regina-based house church has been meeting via Zoom, enabling members who no longer live in Regina to also attend. Since Easter, the group has been studying the Book of Acts. Co-pastors Otto and Florence Driedger invited guest speakers to help…
Public-health nurse postpones retirement to work in northern Ontario
After more than 40 years as a nurse, Lily Hiebert Rempel was starting to ease into retirement. That is when COVID-19 hit, and the health-care system needed more nurses, not fewer. She was not prepared to go into full-time critical care nursing but, with her public-health experience, she did have much to offer. At the…
Making space for grief
When Kari Miller tells people her major in university, they either look uncomfortable and walk away, or begin sharing deeply personal stories. That’s because she studied thanatology—the study of death. “Death is a fascinating subject, but also a very scary one for many people,” she says. “I think a lot of us fear death and…
