‘An ample opportunity to try something new’
One could say that, in a musical sense, 1955 was the best of times and the worst of times when compared to today. From a Swiss-South German Mennonite perspective, we were heirs to a rich tradition of unaccompanied four-part congregational singing that had its origins in the Singing School movement of the 19th century, when…
Spanish lessons
Walking to my conversational Spanish class, I rehearsed phrases in my head, hoping practice would strengthen my fledgling skills. In spite of my efforts, I knew I would stumble to find and pronounce the right word. Sure enough, in class I attempted to say I had eaten lunch with friends, but instead said I had…
Carving a new peace path
A young woman in Waterloo, Ont., is using her passion for peace to positively impact students. Katie Gingerich, 24, is director of The Ripple Effect Education (TREE), a peace-education initiative that integrates conflict resolution and social-justice concepts into social studies curriculum in elementary school classrooms. During the course of six lessons that take place over…
Moving forward
“You can’t really talk about mission without talking about the End.” This was a conclusion that a colleague and I came to after reflecting on Bible verses that hold these two images together. From expansive, cosmic hymns (Colossians 1:15-20 and Ephesians 1:3-14), the joyful anticipation of creation’s new birth (Romans 8:18-25), and the foretelling of…
An open letter to MC Canada
I was grateful for the opportunity to attend your biennial meeting in Saskatoon in early July. As always, I was impressed by the creativity expressed in your worship services and the focussed, thoughtful discussions in your business sessions, along with the comic relief I’ve come to expect in your gatherings. I enjoyed the conversations that…
‘Our truth has been discovered’
“God has given us a toolkit,” said Wilma Derksen. First it was forgiveness when Wilma and Cliff’s daughter Candace was murdered in 1984. Then it was learning to love when they learned that Mark Edward Grant was arrested and charged with her murder in 2007, and then truth and justice as they sat through his…
My camp journey
Every summer for as far back as I can remember, I would pack my suitcase a week early in anticipation of going up to Fraser Lake Camp near Bancroft, Ont. I lived for the moment when the camp bus, packed full of eager campers, would turn into the laneway and make its way past the…
Playing with numbers
Teaching may not be an unusual career, but Willi Penner has made a unique contribution to the field. Penner is the creator of Mathopoly, a curriculum-based math learning tool. The game is gaining the attention of educators and parents, and last October it was featured on the CBC’s Dragon’s Den, a TV show that gives…
The paths and ditches of Biblical interpretation
Path #3: Scripture already interprets scripture By Robert J. Suderman For the Being a Faithful Church Task Force “Scripture already interprets Scripture. It is very important to pay close attention to this inter-textual interpretation because this already gives us essential clues in the ways we need to understand how various passages relate to each other.”…
