-
A sobering, optimistic challenge
Stuart Murray’s Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World is a bold project. Murray is a church planter, founding director of the Centre for Anabaptist Studies in Great Britain and author of The Naked Anabaptist. In this book, he takes on the brave task of naming the time the Western church is in,…
-
Just as interested in life
Hugo and Doreen Neufeld, 84 and 88 respectively, co-directed the Welcome Inn Community Centre in Hamilton before they were both ordained. Doreen was one of the first ordained Mennonite women in Canada. They are now deacons at Trinity Mennonite Church in Calgary. What is your earliest memory of church? Doreen: I remember being about three or…
-
The blessings of life with Opa
Throughout my 20s, I’ve struggled with feeling “behind.” Whether it’s marriage, finances or career success, I’m tempted to look at the blessings others have and to resent the fact that I don’t have the same things. It’s not that there are set paths—people in my generation choose incredibly diverse ways of life. And yet, as…
-
A localized pilgrimage
As I write this, the birds are flying south. Their migration has me thinking about pilgrimage. I wonder about Mennonite understandings of pilgrimage, and what place pilgrimage might have in our lives and faith. For much of Western Christian history, pilgrims went from their home to a sacred place, often one where the relics of…
-
2024 highlights
Maoz Inon: In February, we held a pair of online events. Jewish Israeli social entrepreneur and peace advocate Maoz Inon shared his audacious and infectious vision for peace. Inon’s parents were killed by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The Wall Between: In the second event, Raja Khouri—a Palestinian-Canadian—and Jeffrey Wilkinson—an American Jew—expanded on the message…
-
Floored by historic beauty
On November 8, the “Resurfacing: Mennonite Floor Patterns” exhibit launched at the Conrad Grebel University College Gallery in Waterloo, Ontario. Guests engaged with Margruite Krahn (pictured), the Neubergthal, Manitoba, artist whose natural, hand-cut stencils showcase historic Mennonite floor patterns. Margruite’s passion for this art form began unexpectedly while renovating her historic “house barn” home, where…
-
Menno Court celebrates 50th and looks to expand
In July, a 170-unit residential building serving low-income seniors in Vancouver celebrated its 50th anniversary. Menno Court was built in 1974 as a joint project of Mennonite Brethren and General Conference congregations in Greater Vancouver. At the time, many senior Mennonites, particularly women, were living in unsuitable accommodations. In response to a 1969 call to…
-
Two parents, two kids and an in-law
Halfway up the street in midtown Kitchener, Ontario, is a single, detached home much like the other houses around it, but inside, something unusual is happening. At least the neighbours think so. How does it work? they ask. What are the common areas? How do you get privacy? Is there a limit if they start…
-
Commitment to accommodate
Thomas Bumbeh talks about cultural commitment to care for aging parents Living with extended family under the same roof has made sense to Thomas Bumbeh on several different levels throughout the years. After arriving in Edmonton from Liberia in 2001, Bumbeh shared a house with three cousins. Now, the 50-year-old realtor and entrepreneur who attends…
-
Tying Grandpa’s shoelaces
Grandpa’s shoelaces were round, not flat like my own. They were a challenge to tie up, even for my nimble fingers. He sat in his straight-backed chair at the kitchen table, and, since his fine motor skills had declined, it became my job to tie up those laces before school each morning. Sometimes he would…
