Let’s go on an adventure!
Every year Mennonite Church Alberta offers education bursaries to students who attend a regional-church congregation who have successfully enrolled in a Mennonite or Anabaptist post-secondary institution. In 2019, Claire Dueck, a member of Lethbridge Mennonite Church, was one of eight recipients. Dueck, 18, just completed her first year at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, B.C.,…
‘It felt like a big deal . . . it was so powerful’
Craig Friesen and Matthew Wiens rang in 2015 by joining their hands and committing their lives to one another in front of friends and family at a New Year’s Eve wedding, the first same-sex wedding to ever be publicly officiated by Mennonite Church Canada pastors. Wiens and Friesen, who attend Nutana Park Mennonite Church in…
‘Wholehearted giving’
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (II Corinthians 9:7). My two-year-old daughter examined the chocolate doughnut hole for a moment before taking a bite. Her face lit up instantly, and in her excitement she began to…
Three church-related views on refugees
Three high profile Mennonite-connected politicians expressed their views this week on how to handle the 25,000 Syrian refugees newly-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to resettle in Canada by the end of 2015. Newly appointed Health Minister Jane Philpott, who has been handed the file on resettling the refugees, told CBC’s Power and Politics…
Ten insights from CM’s latest online event
“Are we too progressive for our own good?” That was the title of an online panel discussion Canadian Mennonite hosted on March 8. More than 70 people tuned in to hear from the panel, which included Ryan Dueck, pastor of Lethbridge (Alta.) Mennonite Church; Cynthia Wallace, an English professor and member of the Backyard Church…
Life’s Big Questions and how to avoid them
At this moment, I am sitting in the warmth of a sunbeam, sipping a cup of tea, and enjoying a quiet afternoon while both my girls nap. What a glorious moment. Or, at least it would be, except for the dead ladybug sitting in a jar on the windowsill next to me. It’s springtime. Dead…
Art and inspiration at B.C. Women’s Day
Women of Mennonite Church B.C. once again gathered in person for the spring Women’s Day on May 7, following a two-year pandemic-related hiatus. The event, held at Emmanuel Mennonite Church in Abbotsford with 32 participants, was limited to the morning hours only this year. This year’s speaker was Tammy Roy, the author of Nudges from…
Attunement
I was sitting in a room by myself when it occurred to me there were hundreds, probably thousands, of radio signals streaming all around me. In all likelihood, one of my favourite tunes, along with countless other songs, commercials and news updates were all playing right now, in the very room I was sitting in,…
Physical appearances don’t reveal what’s inside
Matt Ferguson is smart, likes rocking out to music such as the Tragically Hip, is a big fan of the Winnipeg Jets and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and has cerebral palsy. He relies 100 percent on other people to attend to all his bodily needs, such as putting food and liquids in his mouth. When in…
Rhythm and Song Camp breaks into rap
According to camp counsellor Laura Moolenbeek, Silver Lake Mennonite Camp’s first Rhythm and Song Camp was an incredible week for campers and staff. Seven- to 16-year-olds came with a huge range of musical experience. They brought a wide range of perspectives to each session. The boys cabin chose to write and perform a rap for…
