Amish Mennonites commemorate 200 years in Canada
Of all the events planned by the Amish bicentennial committee for this fall, the most popular were the hymn sings held at Maple View Mennonite Church near Wellesley, Ont., on Sept. 11, and at East Zorra Mennonite near Tavistock on Sept. 25. Both events had between 200 and 300 people. “Singing a capella, four-part harmony…
Point Grey leaves MBs
Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship asked the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren (MB) Churches to be released from conference membership, which was granted on Aug. 15. In its letter of request, the church wrote: “Given the . . . requirement that every church be led by a pastor [or designated leader], we acknowledge that we…
Zoom baptisms in a time of pandemic
In a time when hope was hard to find, expressions of faith became even more significant. As a ritual necessitating proximity and touch, baptisms were something Mennonite churches across Canada struggled to maintain and accommodate within the public-health restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the uncertainty of the pandemic, however, committing oneself to faith through…
Theatre of the Beat returns to Saskatchewan
After a “too long” hiatus due to the pandemic, Theatre of the Beat is once again on tour. The theatre company, based out of Toronto, delighted audiences in Saskatchewan with its production of Selah’s Song recently. According to its website, “Theatre of the Beat is a Canadian touring theatre company working to catalyze conversations on…
3 lessons from a bumpy Sunday
The pastor of a big rural church asked me to preach about climate. He had read my article, “Grace, guilt and CO2.” But between the invocation and the worship leader’s call for me to step up to the stout wooden pulpit, I fully considered ditching my notes. It was my first time at that church…
An ‘accidental’ visiting scholar
Like a gem miner with a headlamp, Natalyia Venger scans microfilms, hunting for treasures rescued from Russian archives now stored at the Mennonite Heritage Archives (MHA) in Winnipeg. She is here from Ukraine to study Mennonite colonies under Russian nationalism in the early 20th century. It was a time of great upheaval for Mennonites. She…
Readers write: November 14, 2022 issue
What should we do? I have watched with great interest the flight of Russian soldiers from Russia and Ukraine following Russian president Vladimir Putin’s conscription of men into the Russian army. How reminiscent of what many American men did during the Vietnam War. Many of us were conscientious objectors, and we were afforded the path…
Fall 2022 List of Books & Resources
Theology, Spirituality Anabaptist Political Theology after Marpeck. Weaver, J. Denny, Gerald J. Mast and Trevor Bechtel, eds. Cascadia Publishing House, 2022, 262 pages. This collection of essays explores the life and ideas of Pilgram Marpeck of the 16th century and reflects on Marpeck’s significance for the church today. Anabaptist ReMix: Varieties of Cultural Engagement in…
‘Keeping the Ball Rolling’
I recently attended a performance by crys cole, a Berlin-based sound artist at a small art gallery in Winnipeg’s Exchange District. The piece performed that night was entitled “Keeping the Ball Rolling.” First initiated in 2014, “Keeping the Ball Rolling” is an ongoing work of cole’s with no intended end, continuously unveiling itself in new…
