‘We Declare’ and beyond
In this issue you will find reports about Mennonite Church Canada’s Gathering 2022. Recently over 300 of us met in person and virtually to explore the theme, “We declare.” I was impressed by the turnout of delegates in Edmonton and by the engagement of younger folks in the business sessions, worship times, workshops and on…
Gathering 2022
For the first time since 2019, members from across the five regions of Mennonite Church Canada gathered in person for learning, inspiration and decision-making. Meeting at a conference centre in Edmonton, from July 29 to Aug.1, approximately 215 people experienced the joy of being together again in a large gathering. Because of the pandemic, some…
Readers write: August 22, 2022 issue
Point: Teachers are fallible, but God can use them Over the past decades, as a “dyed-in-the-wool” Anabaptist Mennonite, I have come to value the teaching/preaching of several “new Anabaptists.” Recently, Brian Zahnd’s sermon of May 29 (Word of Life Church, St. Joseph, Miss.) reminded me of how often we Mennonites, as historic keepers of Anabaptist…
A season of Jubilee
“Called to proclaim good news to the poor . . . release to the captives . . . sight to the blind . . . freedom for the oppressed . . . and the time of the Lord’s favour” (Luke 4:18-19). Practices of Jubilee are particularly relevant today when we consider this new season of being…
J.J. Thiessen
“All beginnings are hard” said J.J. Thiessen. He began his public ministry in 1930 in Saskatoon, hired by the General Conference Mennonite Church to operate the Maedchenheim, helping young women find work and providing spiritual guidance, and to give leadership to the emerging congregation in Saskatoon. The 1930s were financially difficult for everyone—including Jacob and…
Can we see it?
It’s a summer of church gatherings. It’s a summer of truth-telling about the devastating impact of colonization by the church. It’s a summer of reflection on what it means to be a post-colonial church. I took in what I could of the Pope’s visit to Canada. His language around the impact of the colonial church…
Sharing across languages
“Dear friends, we’re one in Jesus’ love, restored to hope, so trust him fully, he’s the Lord who calls us friends.” Voices Together’s No. 525, is a simple and lilting Laotian traditional melody, with lyrics that describe Jesus’ followers as friends. The song is featured in the “Sharing our Stories: Family, Friendship, and Marriage” section…
In the tension
A couple weeks ago, I came across this verse in I Samuel 18: “David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.” I stopped reading and paused to process this bizarre statement. You see, the context of this passage revealed what David had succeeded in the most—the killing of his…
A focus on rest and renewal
Pastors and other leaders from across the five regional churches joined together at First Mennonite Church in Edmonton for Spiritual Leaders Day, part of the Mennonite Church Canada’s Gathering 2022. After breakfast together on July 29, attendees were invited to spend the morning in worship. The theme for the morning was “be at rest.” “We’d…
