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Care comes around
It’s been 20 years since Rebecca Harder, now 46, and her husband decided to permanently move into her family’s intergenerational home in Winnipeg’s western suburb of Charleswood. Harder’s grandparents, Mildred and David “Doc” Schroeder, who passed away last summer and in 2015, respectively, were the original proprietors, both of the 2,400-square-foot house and of the…
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Divine mandate to heal and reconcile
I am a Palestinian Christian—a Christian whose roots run deep in the Holy Land. My story is one of resilience and seeking peace in a land torn by ongoing conflict. However, this journey wasn’t easy. It began as a law student at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict confronted…
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Adventures in reading the Bible together
With the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism this year, I am looking forward to receiving my copy of the Anabaptist Community Bible. During the winter of 2022–23, I was part of two Bible study groups which were formed in response to a call from MennoMedia as part of this Bible project. The idea was to have…
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Follow the water
It’s Sunday afternoon, and I’m staring at a storm drain. The “Adopt-A-Drain” website led me here. The commitment seems simple. Name the drain, check it regularly and clear debris before and after storms. The promise? Cleaner rivers and less flooding. I name it “Singing in the drain.” Others in my neighbourhood include “Catherine the Grate”…
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A word about winter blues
Note: This article discusses suicide and depression Suicide is a delicate and complicated subject. As I’ve walked with people enduring the brutal grief process in the wake of such loss, I’ve had few words to offer. As I’ve reflected on my own relationships with people who’ve taken their lives, I have only questions. The primary one being, “Is there something I could have done?” This past holiday season, I found myself being…
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Shalom and First Mennonite co-own church
Shalom Worship and Healing Center and First Mennonite Church entered a new covenant this past fall as co-owners of the facility and property at 800 King Street East in Kitchener, Ontario. Shalom, a Tigrinya-speaking congregation that joined Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) in 2016, worshipped at First Mennonite, an historically Swiss congregation, from 2010 to…
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Readers Write: January 2025
Effects of dismissal linger for decades In 1980, I returned to Canada from my mission assignment, happy to be home after four very difficult years. I looked forward to telling the mission staff about my experience, but the very people I thought would be the most supportive did not listen or ask about my time…
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MCEC reduces salary costs by 17 percent
Due to ongoing budgetary pressure, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada is making a 17-percent reduction in salary costs for the 2025–26 budget year. The leadership have made the difficult decision to lay off four staff. A November 20 open letter to MCEC churches from Ann L. Schultz, intentional interim executive team leader, and moderator Ben Cassels,…
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Peace Train arrives in Ottawa
For Winnipegger Gordon Matties, being part of the November 15-23 Peace Train from Vancouver to Ottawa was about imagining “a hopeful future, a future without war, a future of peace with justice for all of creation.” Gordon was one of four people from River East Church, which is affiliated with Mennonite Church Manitoba, who went…
