A strange act of fealty
I was on the cusp of starting a family, engaged to an honorable girl. It is one of the commands of scripture to “be fruitful and increase in number,” so marriage and then children (in that order) are a critical part of being obedient to God and fulfilling my purpose. But then, out of nowhere,…
More camp questions
Mennonite Church Saskatchewan continues to deliberate on the future of its camping ministry. The regional church operates Camp Elim, Youth Farm Bible Camp and Camp Shekinah. On November 25, over 40 people from across the province gathered at the Fall Leadership Assembly to hear an update on the future of the camps. The challenge facing…
Part VI: Stories of hope
This six-part series draws on Kara Carter’s PhD studies, for which she conducted five focus groups with Mennonite Church Eastern Canada pastors. Advent celebrates the coming of light, the light of love that “darkness cannot extinguish” (John 1:5). This light shines in our congregations amidst real and present challenges as well as fruitful and life-giving…
A cry of the heart
Overwhelmed, distraught, touched and compelled by the stories and images from Gaza, Canadian Mennonite reporter Madalene Arias has interviewed many people—Palestinians and Jews—she found through various connections and means. Below are interviews with two people Arias has spoken with recently. We share this as a cry of the heart and a prayer for mercy. –…
To thine own self be true?
Baptism rates among teenagers and young adults who grew up going to church have plummeted. Why? In response to this drop-off in baptisms, I could talk about what faith formation is, the role of ritual or how to make baptism feel less like graduation, but I think that would just be rearranging the deck chairs…
MC Manitoba partners with B.C. church
One of the latest churches to partner with Mennonite Church Manitoba is outside the province—2,047 kilometers outside of Winnipeg, to be exact. Estuary Church, an emerging congregation in Delta, B.C., is receiving guidance and support from MC Manitoba as it gets established and finds a denomination. MC Manitoba signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in…
Ambassadors of God’s kingdom
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). These words of the apostle Paul are part of a letter addressing a church audience that likely included both Gentiles and Jews. Some were Roman citizens, and others were not. However, Paul…
