Words and community
How can helpful, respectful conversation happen in the church? Who can speak? What are they allowed to say? How can words cause harm? These questions emerge from time to time in response to content in this magazine. As a Christian community, we need to talk about hard topics, things that we value greatly and things…
Phoebe, the bright one
The Epistle to the Romans has been called the Apostle Paul’s great masterwork, the summing up of all his thought. It is a rich, dense and complex work of theology that has stimulated some of the most powerful reform movements in Christian history. But, once upon a time, almost 2,000 years ago, it was a…
Readers write: April 26, 2021 issue
The value of solar power Re: “Avoiding an environmental shipwreck,” March 29, page 4. A few comments related to Tim Wiebe-Neufeld’s feature on reducing his carbon footprint by using solar panels. Before people run out to buy solar panels in the rest of Canada, they should be aware that Alberta is one of the only…
Helping each other follow Jesus
How can we help each other to follow Jesus? I’m sure I’m not alone when I relate that my own journey of discipleship has sometimes felt more like a solo expedition than a corporate adventure. I have longed for more camaraderie on the road, to share with fellow disciples the questions, doubts, struggles, joys and…
B.C. baptism
A baptismal group from 1967 at Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church in Abbotsford, B.C. Baptism was an important event in the life of an individual and the church, and people dressed for the occasion. Baptism was often done in the spring around the Easter season. Standing in the very back is minister Jake Tilitzky. For more information about…
‘I shall not be moved’
Strong, hopeful and resilient. Are those words that describe you today, after a year of pandemic restrictions, with all the predictions of doom in regards to climate change, and ongoing evidence of systemic and individual racism directed against people of many colours in Canada? Are these words that you use to describe church in light…
Are you okay with okay?
It’s been a while since you dared listen to the whispers of your innermost being, calling you to discover who you truly, fully are. That inner voice suggesting there is a power at work within you capable of doing far greater things than you could ever hope for or imagine. But hope is a dangerous…
Digging into diet
My family farms, raising plants and animals on a small scale—40 hens, five cows, two sows—both to feed ourselves and as a source of income. So I read with great interest “What would Jesus think about factory farms?” a critique and encouragement to move towards a vegan diet by Sandy and Jason Yuen. I have…
Churches weigh in on bill to ban conversion therapy
A proposed federal law to criminalize conversion therapy is creating controversy, not because anyone is openly defending the practice of seeking to convert LGBTQ+ people to heterosexuality, but because some fear Bill C-6 will extend beyond its stated target. Among the concerned is the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), of which Mennonite Church Canada…
