Uncommon global access
The fact that Mennonites are spread throughout much of the world provides the global Anabaptist community with rare access to on-the-ground, first-person comment from both hotspots and forgotten corners of the globe. Sometimes we make good use of this access, sometimes we do not. In this issue—the first of three digital-only issues this summer—we hear…
Tim Khoo’s experience at Grebel leads to baptism
When Timothy Khoo was choosing a university, he looked for something that stood out. “I kept hearing about this Mennonite residence from my family and church community, and it piqued my interest,” he said. Khoo is now a second-year Honours Physics student at the University of Waterloo and a returning upper-year student at Conrad Grebel…
Niagara church supports seasonal ag workers
The May 4 issue of Canadian Mennonite stated that “Niagara United Mennonite Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, will use a grant of $5,000 to build a laundry facility for seasonal workers who come to the area each year from Jamaica and Mexico to work on local farms.” The money is from the “Spirit of MDS Fund,”…
Where do transformation, inspiration and calling come from?
The book of Hebrews argues that nothing compares with Jesus. Jesus is the living God, the everlasting high priest and the redeemer of humanity. The author uses a metaphor of running an agonizing race to describe the believer’s call, a call to carry one’s cross and walk to Calvary to crucify all that is against…
What We Owe the Future
In a time of great uncertainty, do we give up on worldly concerns, or try to return to a storied past? Or do we look ahead to what we can do for the future? In his 2022 New York Times bestselling book, What We Owe The Future, Scottish author William MacAskill makes the case for…
Last German service held at St. Catharines United Mennonite
On June 4, St. Catharines United Mennonite Church held its last German language service, marking the end of 78 years of providing support for the spiritual life of German speakers in the language of their heart. Many German-speaking Mennonites had come to Canada from Russia in 1923 and thereafter, escaping famine, revolution and civil war.…
Ex-prisoners plant church
The following is an excerpt from the June 2023 issue of MKC News, the newsletter of Meserete Kristos Church (MKC), the Anabaptist denominational body in Ethiopia. Reprinted with permission. ETHIOPIA—Ejere Prison in the West Shewa Zone of Oromia Regional State is one of the prisons where the MKC Prison Ministry has been serving. In…
Mennonite Centre building in Ukraine under Russian control
At first glance, the office appears unremarkable, but for the photograph of Vladimir Putin on a bookcase and the Russian flag on the desk. The woman in the picture looks awkward, her hands seem to rest uneasily, holding neither paper nor pen. The photograph was shared on a chatroom called “Collaborators of Molochansk.” The room…
What is a picture worth?
In May, a painting sold for $18,900 at the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Christian Benefit Thrift Shop in St. Catharines, Ontario. Bidding started on the progressive silent auction item in mid-December, and closed on May 28, after no new bids had been placed for six business days. The donor of the painting has not been…
