Hold tenderly to death
The day before writing this marked three years since my sister died of cancer. We gathered as a family at her grave to mark the occasion. We talked about the day she died, things that remind us of her and how proud she would be of the two young boys who will always be her…
As he lay dying
There were nineteen beds in the hospice, that’s what I heard, most of them occupied, but I paid no attention to them. When we first arrived, yes, I’d glanced into the room next to his and saw a tiny woman in the bed, tucked up like a newborn, and the next morning the bed was…
Holy moments in the midst of grief
There’s one church service that Fran Giesbrecht makes a special point not to miss: Eternity Sunday. Observed at his Winnipeg church on the last Sunday before Advent, Eternity Sunday provides opportunity for Giesbrecht and others at Fort Garry Mennonite Fellowship to commemorate members of their community who have died. The church marks Eternity Sunday in…
WWII Alternative service camp
These men visited an alternative service camp in 1942. From left: D.P. Reimer (EMC, Steinbach), Jacob F. Barkman (Holdeman minister, Manitoba), David Schulz (Bergthaler bishop, Manitoba) and George DeFehr (Holdeman minister, Alberta). During WWII, Schulz supported men applying for conscientious objector status, advocating for those whose applications were denied. When the workload was too much,…
Readers write: November 3, 2023 issue
Gratitude for foyer discussions Today I got my COVID booster. Other than a barely perceptible soreness in my arm, I have never experienced side effects from these vaccinations. When it comes to being pro-vaccine, my wife and I are in the minority on her side of the family. Right now, I am tempted to boast…
Teach us to pray
On a Wednesday in mid-October, I’m at the auto shop for winter tires; a TV on the wall flashes tanks, rubble and protests alongside talking heads. On social media, I can’t look away from children held hostage or from parents pulling kids from collapsed buildings. When my church gathers on Sunday, I struggle for words…
Salt and light: Structures and policies
I like paying attention to structures and policies. My attention was caught on Sunday when the visiting preacher, Fanosie Legesse of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, said that wisdom is when churches shape structures and policies to be salt and light in the world. Every board or management team that I have been part of has…
Invisible barriers to becoming an intercultural church
At WBUR, Boston’s National Public Radio station, a very interesting testimony appeared three years ago titled “A Dual Degree from Oxford. A Medical Degree from Harvard. Neither Protected Me from Racism.” It’s from Tafadzwa Muguwe, a Zimbabwean-born Rhodes scholar and Harvard-trained physician. Back in the U.S., an early memory from medical school was seeing a…
Opened eyes
Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities nearly 200 years ago. His opening lines describe our world today, as aptly as anything published in recent years. He writes: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was…
