Cathrin van Sintern-Dick (left), Carrie Lehn and Lou Bruno, at Lehn’s ordination. (Photo by Dennis Gruending)
Carrie Lehn, associate pastor of Ottawa Mennonite Church, was ordained in the Sunday morning service on June 18. For Carrie, it was a sacred and special moment, and a milestone affirmed and celebrated by Ottawa Mennonite Church (OMC), where she has worked for the past decade.
Ian Funk, pastor of Langley Mennonite Fellowship, recently graduated from AMBS. (Photo by Amy Rinner Waddell)
After eight years of study, Ian Funk was thrilled to finally receive his Master of Divinity degree in May, albeit in absentia.
Funk, pastor of Langley Mennonite Fellowship, completed his MDiv courses from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), located in Elkhart, Indiana, through the seminary’s distance education program, which combines online and hybrid classes.
An exhibit now on display at Gallery in the Park in Altona, Manitoba features more than 20 Mennonite clocks. (Photos courtesy of the Kroeger Clocks Heritage Foundation)
Arthur Kroeger of Winnipeg, who died in 2015, revitalized the tradition of Kroeger clockmaking. (Photo courtesy of the Kroeger Clocks Heritage Foundation)
A detailed image of the 'Schulz' clock. (Photo courtesy of the Kroeger Clocks Heritage Foundation)
Clockmaking was a skilled trade among certain Mennonites for more than two centuries, and a striking exhibit at Gallery in the Park in Altona, Manitoba, displays the art and heritage of the Kroeger clocks, as they are commonly known.
David Cramer with his copy of Major Awards. (Photo courtesy of David Cramer)
Pastor, professor and rock music impresario—David Cramer’s CV is diverse.
An image of part of the famous Khortitsa Oak, part of an art installation by Kandis Friesen at Waterloo Park. (Photo by A.S. Compton)
(Photo by A.S. Compton)
An offspring of the Khortitsa Oak at Conrad Grebel University College. (Photo by A.S. Compton)
I sat in the shade of an oak tree on the first day of summer outside Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo and listened to a recording of the sounds of a spring morning at the site of that oak tree’s parent in Ukraine.
David Scott (centre) talks about an important Ojibwe gathering and ceremonial site on the banks of what is known in English as the Dead Horse Creek near Morden, Manitoba. (Photo by Will Braun)
Standing at an intersection of mile roads on the more-or-less open prairie near Neubergthal, Manitoba, David Scott explained how members of the Ojibwe Grass Dance Society once called that area home.
“This landscape has changed so much,” he said, noting that he came to the area in his youth for ceremonies.
Sydney River Protestant United Church in Sydney, Nova Scotia. (Supplied Photo)
“Everyone is excited—there’s a buzz in the air.”
That’s what Dana Feltmate, the minister at Sydney River Protestant United Church in Sydney, Nova Scotia, said about hosting the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) response to Hurricane Fiona in Cape Breton.
The Fairmont Château Frontenac, first stop on the “Russlaender 100.” (Photo by Billy Wilson, Flickr)
One hundred years ago, the first of 21,000 Mennonites who left the former Soviet Union boarded a train in Quebec City for new lives across Canada. On July 6, some of their descendants, along with others, will replicate that journey. Over 120 people have signed up for all or parts of, “Memories of Migration: Russlaender Tour 100,” a three-stage train trip from Quebec City to Abbotsford, B.C.
Land acknowledgement quilt by Angela Hildebrand and Melanie Gamache. (Photo by Dietrich Schonwetter)
Land acknowledgments are usually spoken, but Angela Hildebrand was curious how they could be expressed in other mediums. “Being a very visual person, I resonate a lot with things I can see, touch,” she said. “So I began to think about, what would that look like for me, for our fellowship?”
The home Cathy Abbott shares with refugees in Waterloo, Ontario. (Supplied photos)
Cathy Abbott’s home during renovations.
Cathy Abbott remembers the preacher’s phrase that got her to consider taking a big step toward providing shelter for refugees arriving in Canada.
It was 2015 and Canadians were learning about the Syrian refugee crisis. The conflict had pushed millions of people to camps in neighbouring countries, with millions more displaced internally.
Assistance provided by the Uman Help Centre, a partner of the Mennonite Centre in Ukraine. (Photos courtesy of Uman Help Center)
Uman Help Centre supports Ukrainians.
Parents in Molochansk, Ukraine, awoke one morning in May to a message from Russian authorities: “Dear parents: Evacuation has been announced at the school. Today, arrive at the school building with documents for the child and a minimum of things for a couple of weeks.”
MaryLou Driedger drew on her own life experience to write her new book. (Photo by Aaron Epp)
There was no magic lamp or genie involved when MaryLou Driedger made her wish, just a felt tip marker and a famous pond.
Dan Driediger with one of his 42-inch map printers. (Supplied photo)
Map of the Boreal Trail East in Saskatchewan, one of Dan Driediger’s favourite maps. (Photo by Taylor Summach)
When Dan Driediger closes his eyes, he sees rivers, rises and roads. His unique photographic memory comes in handy. Driediger is a cartographer: He creates, prints and sells maps to people and organizations across Canada.
Seated (left to right): Henry Fast, George Epp, Edith (Koop) Krahn, Gertrude (Janzen) deKleine, Myrna Zacharias. Standing: Henry Schroeder, Richard Epp, Peter Neufeld, Harold Epp, Sigrid (Martynes) Warkentin, Guenther Toews, Rudy Dahl (partially hidden), Evelyn (Janzen) Roden, Peter Rempel, Violet (Schapansky) Atwell, Tony Funk, Art Hildebrand, Verna (Wiens) Ewert, Ken Rempel, Edna (Friesen) Koop, Elsie (Bergen) Epp, Caroline Martens-Clappison, Ruby (Isaac) Harder, Barry Toews, Mervin Dyck (partially hidden), Eileen (Epp) Ewert, Walter Klassen, Elsbeth (Epp) Moyer, Ed Bergen. (Photo by Henry Schroeder)
To the sounds of much laughter, along with moments of sadness, the Rosthern Junior College (RJC) class of 1960 met in Saskatoon on May 18-19 to mark 63 years since graduation. Given that students generally complete high school at age 18, most of us at the reunion had reached the age of 81. More than one walker and cane were noted.
Pinegrove Place in Richmond, B.C. (Photo by Frank Dawson)
A little-known Mennonite mission, hidden away in a quiet residential neighbourhood on the flats of Richmond, B.C., celebrated its fortieth anniversary on June 7.
Skies ablaze over the airtanker base in Edson, Alberta on May 5. (Photo by Art Koop)
‘I didn’t think we’d be the ones evacuating,’ says Art Koop. (Photo courtesy of Art Koop)
Art Koop was cleaning up after teaching his last class of the day when the emergency alert blared from his cell phone. The message called for an immediate, mandatory evacuation. A wildfire threatened Edson, Alberta, the community where Koop lives and works. The sky was an eerie orange colour and thick with smoke.
‘It’s always been about making space to listen,’ says Sarah Hodges-Kolisnyk, director at MHC Gallery. (Photo by Aaron Epp)
Kinetic by Sarah Hodges-Kolisnyk
Two photographic works by Hodges-Kolisnyk: Prairie Dance (left) and Fairies. (Artwork by Sarah Hodges-Kolisnyk)
Sarah Hodges-Kolisnyk approaches art through the lens of storytelling.
“My journey as an artist and a curator has always been linked to exploring the world and sharing stories with others,” she says. “I approach everything with a questioning and a searching for the story, and hoping those stories bring people together.”
When this vacant home was destroyed by fire, the MCC Furniture Thrift Store next door was forced to close for a month. (Photo by Aaron Epp)
A recent fire forced the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Furniture Thrift Store in Winnipeg to temporarily close its doors due to smoke and water damage. A vacant house beside the shop went up in flames on May 11, just after 1 a.m., with the cause of the fire still under investigation.
Mennonites in a train car en route from Russia to Canada in 1923. (Photo by Arthur Slagel, courtesy of Mennonite Heritage Archives)
Nearly 100 years have passed since 21,000 Mennonites fled disease, starvation and violence in some of the same areas now experiencing war in Ukraine. Many came to Southern Manitoba, and their trauma quietly came with them.
A serving of soup, with book discussion for dessert, are on the menu every Thursday in May and June as part of the Books and Borscht series at the Mennonite Heritage Museum in Abbotsford, B.C.
Anita Shevchuk is eager for a new future. (Photo courtesy of Anita Shevchuk)
Anita Shevchuk moved from Ukraine to Mexico, where she married, then to Canada. (Photo courtesy of Anita Shevchuk)
Anita Shevchuk (left), Cheryl & Bob Wideman. (Photo courtesy of Anita Shevchuk)
When 19-year-old Anita Shevchuk found herself in the streets of downtown Toronto in the summer of 2022, she held onto her faith in God and her then-husband’s promise that everything would be okay.
People visit outside following a service at a Mennonite Brethren church in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of Congo. (Justin Makangara/MCC/Fairpicture)
Antoine Kimbila, general secretary of CEFMC, speaks at a church in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of Congo, in February. (Justin Makangara/MCC/Fairpicture)
Map of the conflict zone in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Photo by Betty Avery)
Ever since survivors of brutal fighting in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo fled to the city of Kikwit in 2017, the Mennonite Brethren Church has been ministering to them with faith and action.
Amanda has worked at The Raw Carrot since its inception nine years ago. (Photo Courtesy of The Raw Carrot)
Leah Cober serves as kitchen manager for the MCC/Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church branch of The Raw Carrot. (Photo Courtesy of The Raw Carrot)
(Photo Courtesy of The Raw Carrot)
(Photo Courtesy of The Raw Carrot)
A simple job creation project that started with two women’s concern for a young church member is now seeking new church partners to expand beyond its four current locations.
Mennonite Church Canada will provide grants to congregations that wish to upgrade their facilities in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Grants will cover 50 percent of project costs, to a maximum of $6,000.
Yael, a Grade 7 student from Calgary, won third in the Original Artwork category for her piece, “The story of Christmas.” (Photo courtesy of Menno Simons Christian School)
Canadian Mennonite received seven awards from the Canadian Christian Communicators Association in May.
