Readers write: October 12, 2020 issue
Reactions to recent ‘A moment from yesterday’ photographs Re: A photograph of a volleyball game beside a row of tall poplar trees with a lake in the background, Aug. 17, page. 4. The site is Camp Elim on the north end of Lac Pelletier, 50 kilometres southwest of Swift Current, Sask. The poplars were replaced…
Exploring the Anabaptist family online
As a self-described church nerd, I love to learn about my larger church family, and I’ve found much to explore online related to the Anabaptist-Mennonite world. I’m curious about my faith family’s projects past and present; I appreciate hearing stories of faithfulness and failure; I gain insight into the values and vision that have guided…
Smile!
Are you finding it hard to smile these days? So much heaviness weighs down on the world. In the face of all that is wrong around us, we strive to be responsible citizens, kind people and faithful followers of Jesus. But sometimes it’s hard to find much good news. Recently, I’ve been on the lookout…
I felt the Spirit under an umbrella
It’s Sunday morning and, instead of sitting comfortably in a sanctuary, I’m standing with my family in the pouring rain in downtown Vancouver. We’re soaked. The stroller is collecting water, we only have one umbrella and we’re running out of snacks. And, of course, we’ve forgotten the soother. We’ve bussed downtown to take part in…
Listening for church harmony
The Wailin’ Jennys recorded a song on their debut album which included the following lines: “This is the sound of voices three / Singing together in harmony /Surrendering to the mystery / This is the sound of voices three” This stanza from the song “One Voice” comes to mind not because we have ever been…
Mandela as Messiah
The world seemed very different when I awoke last Friday morning and heard the news: “Mandela is dead.” I first heard about it in an e-mail from a friend in Canada who, so he told me, saw the headline while reading an article I had written in 1994 at the time Mandela was inaugurated as…
Moments of kindness
It wasn’t really a bad day, but there had been enough inconveniences to put me in a bad mood. I tripped and bruised my knee. The milk was sour, a fact I only discovered after it was in my mouth. I was stood up at a meeting I’d confirmed. The zipper on my jacket…
Celebrating the good
The March 15, 2020, entry in our household calendar reads: “We started COVID-19 social distancing today.” It’s been one year since the worldwide community began confronting the reality of the latest coronavirus. In the past twelve months, this pandemic has brought confusion, fear, anger, illness, death and more. No need for details—you know what I’m…
Carrie Lehn ordained at Ottawa Mennonite
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. It is also a historic moment for the denomination,…
