FAQs: MC Canada sexual misconduct policy
Doug Klassen Marilyn Rudy-Froese Occasionally readers ask questions about investigations into misconduct by Mennonite leaders. Guiding the process is the “Ministerial Sexual Misconduct Policy and Procedure,” a 40-page document released by Mennonite Church Canada and MC U.S.A. in 2016 (available at commonword.ca). This document is currently under revision by a binational committee. Below, Doug Klassen, MC…
‘Trust is foundational in Christian community’
Mennonite Church Canada and MC U.S.A. are collaborating to create a centralized, comprehensive guidebook for regional churches, conferences and congregations that addresses prevention of abuse by lay and credentialled leaders, as well as leadership accountability. The prevention and accountability project is expected to be completed in early 2023. The new resource will incorporate, and build…
Restorative justice program faces uncertain future
“There’s certainly a sense of urgency and immediacy to our request,” says Kerry Reimer, director of Parkland Restorative Justice, based out of Prince Albert, Sask. One of Parkland’s main programs, Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA), has been sustained largely through a federal funding initiative, but that funding is set to expire on March 31.…
Crossing barriers to reach out to the other
César García With the 17th Mennonite World Conference (MWC) assembly set for Indonesia this July, Canadian Mennonite magazine’s senior writer, Will Braun, talked to César García, the Colombian who serves as MWC’s general secretary. They talked about Assembly 17, challenges facing Anabaptists globally and the unique Mennonite churches of Indonesia. The interview has been edited…
Training course helps navigate difficult COVID-19 conversations
Right now it feels hard to believe, but eventually the COVID-19 pandemic will end. What will last longer are the strained and hurt relationships the virus has created. Mediation Services in Winnipeg launched a new training program on Dec. 6 to help people learn how to navigate difficult conversations and maintain relationships when they disagree.…
Pandemic parameters during the fifth wave
At the beginning of this pandemic, long-term-care homes were hit hard, with residents contracting the COVID-19 virus and many of them died of it. Walter Sguazzin, executive director of the United Mennonite Home in Vineland, Ont., is happy to declare that not one resident had contracted, or died, of COVID-19 and its variants during the…
Moses Mugisha’s gift of song to God
Born in the African country of Rwanda, Moses Mugisha and his family moved to Tanzania, because of poverty and other circumstances. They lived there as refugees for almost six years. “I always loved to sing. I would find myself walking long distances just to get to church to practise, and then again the next day…
