Web First
South Africa BICC celebrates joining conference
Energetic music, lively dance, and passion for the church they belonged to was apparent to those who came, both church delegates and visitors, to the conference held just outside of Johannesburg from April 15-17, 2011.
Ecumenical group cites increased attacks against Palestinian villages
The homes at the edge of this Palestinian village are located a few hundred meters from houses in the Jewish settlement of Yitzhar. But the relationship is anything but neighborly.
Honduran Mennonite pastor killed
Aid for East Africa Too Slow
Was aid for people suffering from drought in East Africa too slow?
Yes, says a new report from two international aid agencies.
According to the report, prepared by Oxfam and Save Children, most rich donor nations waited until the crisis in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya was in full swing last summer before donating a substantial amount of money.
Nigerian Archbishop calls for inter-faith action
Methodist Archbishop Michael Kehinde Stephen of Ibadan, Nigeria has appealed to Christian and Muslim leaders worldwide to act together in the face of extremist violence that threatens to divide Nigerians along religious lines.
Cairo congregation ministered to Tahrir Square protesters
Kashmir Shariah court order expels Christians
Lutherans in Saxony allow gay pastors to cohabit
Conservative Presbyterians in U.S. launch new denomination
In South Sudan, agencies aid victims of inter-ethnic fighting
Christian humanitarian agencies are delivering relief aid to thousands of people displaced in inter-tribal conflict in South Sudan, the world's newest nation.
Is it time to tell contemporary martyr stories?
From November 14-30, 2011, Jack and Irene Suderman and Bert Lobe participated in a series of workshops and training sessions with Asian Mennonite and Brethren in Christ leaders in several venues in India. These sessions were sponsored jointly by Mennonite World Conference and the Mennonite Christian Service Fellowship of India.
Gene Herr: A shepherd after God's heart
Over a lifetime of ministry Gene Herr served as a wise, lively and ever-affirming companion to many pilgrims on the path to deeper spiritual wholeness. Along with his wife Mary, who survives him, Herr helped introduce Mennonites to the ancient tradition of contemplative spirituality.
Paul Simon's long meandering spiritual journey
In a career that has spanned half a century, American musician Paul Simon says there's always been a spiritual dimension to his work. But the overt religious references in his most recent album, "So Beautiful or So What," surprised even him. There are songs about God, angels, creation, pilgrimage, prayer and the afterlife, reports Religion News Service.
Christian population grows slowly in Israel
Christian roots of African movement recalled at centennial celebrations
The Christian roots of the African National Congress (ANC) were cited during weekend celebrations in South Africa marking the centennial of Africa's best known liberation and political movement. More than a dozen African heads of state and representatives from around the world attended to honor the movement that eventually overcame the apartheid system of racial segregation.
Pope Benedict's cardinals: more Roman, less 'catholic'
Pope Benedict XVI's announcement on Jan. 6 of 22 new cardinals shows that he is continuing a pattern of stacking the College of Cardinals with Europeans (mainly Italians) and with leaders of the Roman curia, the papal bureaucracy whose officials are often considered more conservative than prelates in dioceses around the world.
'We don't know who really won in the Congo'
On November 28, 2011 the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) held its second presidential and legislative election.
Heifer sale planned for February 17
After 30 years of raising funds for the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), volunteers for the Heifer Sale are still going strong.
Egyptian Christian leaders consider dialogue with Islamic groups
God's new beginning
One of the most famous announcements the world has ever heard is stated in this way: “For unto us is born this day ... a Savior.” It is no accident that the fulcrum of human history rests on a birth narrative. Given the limitations of human language, we struggle to find the vocabulary for momentous events. What better metaphor than a birth story!
Haifa's Holiday of Holidays festival embraces differences
Both Christmas lights and Hanukkah dreidels (spinning tops) are appearing as decorations as the northern Israeli port city of Haifa throws a multi-faith party on December weekends.
Christopher Hitchens, atheist to the end, dies at age 62
Both opponents and advocates of religious faith are mourning the death of author, polemicist, and atheist Christopher Hitchens, who died Dec. 15 after a long battle with esophageal cancer.
In Canada, Jewish, Muslim comedians joke about Christmas
Irony and challenge in Durban
For Mennonite Church Canada Executive Director Willard Metzger, the 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa was an eye-opening experience that began with a twist of irony.
On the eve of the event, Durban was in the midst of a dramatic and destructive increase in rainfall – after a spring of exceeding dryness.