Smile!
Are you finding it hard to smile these days? So much heaviness weighs down on the world. In the face of all that is wrong around us, we strive to be responsible citizens, kind people and faithful followers of Jesus. But sometimes it’s hard to find much good news. Recently, I’ve been on the lookout…
What makes you happy?
“So . . . what’s next??” The dreaded question for every graduate. It’s been a few years (plus a few more!) since I graduated from high school and university, but I still remember this sense that, come graduation, I needed to have a roadmap of my future aspirations ready to explain in one easy sentence. No…
Lamenting the loss of young Indigenous lives
Following the discovery of the remains of 215 children on the grounds of the former Kamloops (B.C.) Indian Residential School by the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) laments the loss of these young lives. We acknowledge the deep grief this announcement causes all Indigenous peoples, especially survivors and intergenerational survivors of…
Members from MC Canada delegation share what they learned
Members of a Mennonite Church Canada delegation attended the virtual conference hosted by NAIITS—An Indigenous Learning Community from June 3 to 6. Each year NAIITS (formerly the North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies) hosts a theological conversation intended for people of all ages, including pastors and activists, and Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. This year…
‘I didn’t know that was going on’
What do a handful of library books, a white Christmas tree and coloured paper feathers have in common? They were all part of an interactive educational response to the injustice of Indian Residential Schools. When Angela Schmiemann heard the news that the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation had discovered the unmarked graves of 215 children…
T-shirts encourage Mennos to get vaccinated
When Ryan Polinsky designed T-shirts emblazoned with the words “Menno & Vaccinated” at the beginning of June, he intended to sell only a few to his family. He has since sold around 50 shirts, plus other merchandise like mugs, buttons and hats. Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead for the Manitoba Vaccine Implementation Task Force, even…
Memorial created from unearthed Mennonite gravestones in Ukraine
Two years ago, a Ukrainian researcher began excavating the foundation of a dilapidated brick barn in Zaporozhye, Ukraine. Using shovels and picks, he began to unearth the rubble. Then he started to notice the German inscriptions on the broken stones. These turned out to be Mennonite gravestones. The barn sat on the land where the…
After the pandemic, churches look to move forward
Congregations will resume some sort of gathering after the major concerns about COVID-19 are minimized and regulations are relaxed. Talk of getting “back to normal” is common. What will the new normal look like? “There is no way of going back, only forward to a new reality,” said Joel Thiessen, in addressing a recent Zoom…
Book study group explores healthy masculinity
For years Don Neufeld dreamed about providing a space where men could explore healthy masculinity from an Anabaptist/Mennonite perspective. During the month of June he co-facilitated an online book study for a diverse group of men, using a resource he co-edited with Steve Thomas, called Peaceful at Heart: Anabaptist Reflections on Healthy Masculinity. According to…
