‘Following’ Mennonites
What are Mennonites up to these days? If you have within reach a smart phone, a tablet or a computer, the world of social media gives a glimpse into the larger Mennonite community. My first role with Canadian Mennonite was as web editor, and I was soon delving into the online world of Mennonites in…
Thoughtful and prayerful changeovers in ministry
Sometimes it is just best for the previous person to get out of here and let the new person start with a clean slate. Some say that pastors and denominational leaders should just give a month or two notice and then leave, and sometimes this may be what is best. When I said that…
Middle Eastern adventure for Winnipeg students
After two years of living through a pandemic, we never expected that we would be able to travel to the Middle East. After so much uncertainty, we were so fortunate to be able to be a group of 15 graduating Grade 12 students visiting Israel/Palestine and Jordan. We started our trip in Nazareth, where…
Interpretive path tells story of reconciliation efforts in rural Saskatchewan
An area of disputed land in Saskatchewan has become a seedbed of reconciliation with the launch of an interpretive path to make the story of that journey come alive for visitors. An official opening ceremony for the Stoney Knoll Interpretive Site, located between Waldheim and Rosthern roughly 45 minutes north of Saskatoon, was held…
What’s new at Westview Centre4Women?
Jane LaVacca, the executive director of Westview Centre4Women in St. Catharines, credits her listening ear for the latest project being built at the centre. In listening to the women who gather there, she heard that one of the biggest concerns these mothers had was the lack of a licensed daycare closeby. A child–minding program…
Humble confessions, compelling stories
As Neill von Gunten and his Black companions departed an increasingly volatile Chicago rally at which Martin Luther King Jr. had taken a brick to the head, KKK members and other whites attacked their bus at a red light. Bricks flew through windows. Rioters rocked the bus. Amid panic, the driver ran the red…
MC Canada announces young leaders experience at Gathering 2022
Ten young adults from across the nationwide church will take part in the Young Leaders Experience (YLE) at “We declare: What we have seen and heard,” Mennonite Church Canada’s gathering in Edmonton, from July 28 to Aug. 1. “The initiative comes out of a desire to identify and invest in the young leaders among…
Building community with migrant workers
In early 2021, when the migrant workers were coming to Niagara-on-the-Lake in southwestern Ontario to start working on local farms, COVID-19 had closed or limited the operating hours of thrift stores and retail outlets. It was difficult for the workers to buy work clothes, household items and basic groceries. Of the 2,000 workers that come…
‘Heeding Christ’s call to break down barriers’
In June, Altona Mennonite Church completed the construction of a new ramp, to help make its worship space more accessible. But, whereas many churches might have built the ramp and just left it at that, the Altona Man., congregation held a dedication for it during a Sunday morning worship service. The idea for the…
