Readers write: May 5, 2023 issue
Reader finds assurance in the Holy Spirit’s presence Troy Watson has exposed us to the topic of the Holy Spirit among us as believers, in his April 7 column, “Many Christians do not believe in the Holy Spirit.” The presence of the Holy Spirit gives us comfort, guidance, conviction and much joy. Let’s discuss it…
‘Camp shapes people’
I am looking ahead to my last summer as associate program director of Mennonite Church Manitoba’s Camps with Meaning (CwM) program; my last summer spent travelling to and from Assiniboia and Koinonia; my last summer training and supporting an amazing group of young adults; and my last summer watching staff, volunteers and campers make connections…
Pauingassi Trading Post
This picture is of the Pauingassi Trading Post, located 276 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg and 16 km from the Manitoba and Ontario border. Mission worker Henry Neufeld brought a request from community elders for a store focused on community well-being, as well as economic viability to the Conference of Mennonites in Canada, and a partnership…
Talking more about power
It was Easter Sunday, and after the sun came up over the horizon during our congregational sunrise service, we all tramped inside to share an amazing potluck breakfast spread. My husband Keith landed at a men’s table, and I watched with interest as they became very animated in their discussion. Keith was sitting with Ravi,…
Darkness and light in worship
When Sarah Kathleen Johnson was an undergraduate student at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ont., she wrote a hymn text based on Psalm 139. More than a decade later, Len Enns, her former choir director at Grebel and a prominent Mennonite composer, would set the text to music, and the pairing would become Voices…
Extending grace instead of labelling enemies
According to a recent Wall Street Journal-Norc poll, the smallest percentage of Americans (12 percent) said they were “very happy” since 1972. These “very happy” people share a number of common traits. They are more likely to value community, personal relationships and marriage, above things like careers and money. They are also more likely to…
Revisiting intentionality
Once upon a time, there was a belief in the Canadian Mennonite church that if it welcomed new people of colour, immigrants and refugees, these newcomers would eventually join and integrate into the church. This was an illusion. The church’s initial welcome may have played as a curious gesture to get to know the new…
