Men weave plastic milk bags into sleeping mats
It takes 250 plastic milk bags to make a one-metre-x-two-metre washable, waterproof sleeping mat. And it takes hours of volunteer work to flatten, cut, loop and weave strips of the bags together. A group of men from Wilmot Mennonite Church has been doing this work for years, sending the finished mats to Christian Aid Ministries…
Small size makes Mennonite school adaptable in COVID-19 reality
Last year was supposed to be full of celebrations for the 75th anniversary of UMEI Christian High School (formerly United Mennonite Educational Institute). Instead, the pandemic shut things down right after the first big event, a coffee house of music and drama by staff and alumni of the small Mennonite school. The 2020-2021 student body…
MDS a partner in Texas rebuilding effort
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) and Disaster Aid Ohio, in partnership with the Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group, dedicated the last 13 homes in the Tierra de Esperanza, or “Land of Hope,” community in Woodsboro, Texas, on May 20, bringing to completion an unprecedented three-year effort. At a dedication ceremony, held at Sainte Therese Catholic Church…
Rituals for reconnecting as we emerge from the pandemic
Each year in the Christian worship: Theory and practice class at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, students spend a couple of weeks considering rituals. “Classic” rituals like baptism, communion, weddings and funerals, while important, don’t exhaust the need for ritual action, so students are asked to create new rituals that emerge at the intersection of a…
‘Woodworking is my meditation’
When looking for a spiritual activity, a mental-health strategy, or a chance to reflect and see things from a new perspective, woodworking may not immediately come to mind. But, according to Gerry Giesbrecht, a member of Foothills Mennonite Church in Calgary, and associate professor in the departments of pediatrics and community health sciences at the…
Newcomer youth raise money for MCC
Edmonton newcomer youth from seven countries raised funds and assembled 131 hygiene kits for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) recently. Families who have fled their homes due to war or disaster struggle to afford simple necessities that are vital to health, especially during the pandemic. Students could relate. The youth, who have mostly been living in…
