“I wonder where my wrapping paper is,” my mother mused. “I know I’m not supposed to go to the attic, but I did. Maybe it’s up there.” (The attic is a garage loft, accessible by a... Read More
Opinion
There once was a congregation called Peach Blossom Community Church. It was approaching the end of the year with a significant financial shortfall, needing $60,000 to meet its... Read More
January 27, 2016 | Viewpoints | Darren Pries-Klassen
I’ve had a number of conversations recently where the topic of truth has come up. Without exception, someone inevitably says, “There is no truth with a capital T. You have your... Read More
January 27, 2016 | Viewpoints | Troy Watson
This is a photo of Mennonite writer Katie Funk Wiebe and her family driving to church circa 1940. Katie’s father, Jacob J. Funk, took the picture in front of Eigenheim Mennonite... Read More
January 27, 2016 | Viewpoints | Jon Isaak
“We know that the North American context and culture, and Christianity within it, is in the midst of immense change. Conversations with and feedback from hundreds of our... Read More
January 13, 2016 | Editorial |
Are dreams and visions welcome in the Mennonite church? Re: “ Retreat sparks women’s spiritual gifts ,” Nov. 23, 2015, page 17. I saw the advertisements for the Mennonite women’s... Read More
January 13, 2016 | Viewpoints |
When I was a kid, I took great pride in taking the dimes that I earned from my paper route and placing them in the dime cards that we received from our denominational mission... Read More
January 13, 2016 | Viewpoints | David Martin
Just before midnight on Dec. 29, with our little ones nestled snug in their beds, the earth shook. While earthquakes happen all the time—there were more than 40 in Canada in the... Read More
January 13, 2016 | Viewpoints | Phil Wagler
I’ve written before about not driving to church and what this might mean for how we worship: planning a longer bike ride or walk each Sunday morning, trying out the church in our... Read More
January 13, 2016 | Viewpoints | Katie Doke Sawatzky
Climate is back on the global agenda, but still not squarely on the Mennonite agenda. Following a period of major global attention that peaked around 2007—with heads of state,... Read More
January 13, 2016 | Viewpoints | Will Braun
The illustration in the children’s story book showed a wagon with three flower pots. My three-year old grandson counted four. I asked him to count them again. “I don’t need to,... Read More
January 13, 2016 | Viewpoints | Naomi Unger
Do you enjoy the TV show Star Trek ? If so, thank Allan Kroeker, who directed 39 episodes between 1996 and 2005. Kroeker continues to direct and this year is working on two... Read More
January 13, 2016 | Viewpoints | Conrad Stoesz
About a week after New Year’s Day 2014, my friend Keith asked me what resolutions I’d made. Keith is an insightful, non-conformist “Red Letter Christian” in his mid twenties. I... Read More
December 30, 2015 | Viewpoints | Troy Watson
The year was 587 BC. Our spiritual ancestors, the Israelites, were deported to Babylon, where they felt like refugees in a foreign land. Their place of worship, the temple, had... Read More
December 23, 2015 | Editorial |
Lolita fashion article ‘marks a significant shift’ in church discussions Re: “Solace in a subculture,” Nov. 9, 2015, page 28. I want to express appreciation for Katrina Brooks’s... Read More
December 23, 2015 | Viewpoints |
Interviewing guests for more than 100 episodes of Mennonite Church Canada’s radio podcast, Church Matters , has blessed me with the opportunity to learn and grow from the stories... Read More
December 23, 2015 | Viewpoints | Dan Dyck
“It takes a village to raise a child,” we’ve often heard. Does it also take a village to grow old? I wondered after a phone call with a friend who is a generation older than me... Read More
December 23, 2015 | Viewpoints | Melissa Miller
Most of us are not very good at receiving compliments. A friend had just delivered a fine sermon, so I gave him a heartfelt compliment. His deflective, “humble” response was to... Read More
December 23, 2015 | Viewpoints | Arnie Friesen
Second World War conscientious objectors (COs) were often sent to provincial parks for manual labour, as part of their alternative service assignments. This photo, taken between... Read More
December 23, 2015 | Viewpoints | Korey Dyck
Sexual misconduct cases by our pastors are difficult to process. These stories, numbering three in the last two years in congregations across Canada, are even harder to report in... Read More
December 9, 2015 | Editorial |
Demographics play a big role in the future of MCC Re: “ The future of MCC ,” Aug. 31, page 11. I appreciated Will Braun’s attempt to ask this question. Mennonite Central Committee... Read More
December 9, 2015 | Viewpoints |
It may sound a little odd, but I really like my mechanic. I like him because I am very inadequate in my mechanical knowledge and I am grateful for anyone who can provide expertise... Read More
December 9, 2015 | Viewpoints | Rick Neufeld
“We’re at war.” These were the words of French President Francois Hollande after the Paris attacks. This Friday the 13th will be remembered like 9/11. Is war the new reality? Or... Read More
December 9, 2015 | Viewpoints | Phil Wagler
“A society that does not recognize that each individual has values of his own which he is entitled to follow can have no respect for the dignity of the individual and can not... Read More
December 9, 2015 | Viewpoints | Joseph M.Wuol