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Mennonite Men of Canada
By 1961, men’s groups in General Conference churches had proliferated to the point where a national organization, “Mennonite Men of Canada,” was formed. Here, in 1962, are executive members Henry M. Dick (Calgary), Carl Ens (Saskatoon) and Ted Friesen (Altona, Manitoba). Men’s groups met for fellowship, service projects and to run boys’ clubs. They served…
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Amish bicentennial
You are looking at one of the oldest original photographs in the Mennonite Archives of Ontario, likely taken in 1867. The father and daughter are John (or Jean) and Anna (“Annie”) Kennel. John was an Amish immigrant from France, like many of the first Amish settlers in Canada, who began arriving here 200 years ago.…
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La Crete river landing
“How did the North become the North?” asks historian Gerald Friesen. By the Second World War northern Canada was experiencing an influx of “new technology, money and people.” River landings like this one near La Crete, Alta., were vital links to supplies and markets of the south. Although the first Mennonites who settled here came…
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Cat train
In this Mennonite Pioneer Mission photo, a “cat train,” powered by a caterpillar tractor, travels along an ice road, hauling supplies to northern Manitoba communities in the 1950s. Ice roads provide an economical way to transport goods to communities not connected to the all-weather road system. For more historical photos in the Mennonite Archival Image…
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Ron J. Sider
Ron J. Sider was an inspirational Canadian-American leader in the Christian community. It was his sermon at the Mennonite World Conference assembly in 1984 that spurred the formation of Community Peacemaker Teams in 1986. His sermon called Anabaptists to be formed by their persecution history to bring hope to the world by being ready to die…
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No longer, but not yet
I was engaged for four months before the big day. Engagement is an interval in time determined by things that are no longer and things that are not yet. The engaged are not really single, but not yet spouse. My experience of engagement was of a time in between. It involved longing (hey, I’m a…
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Needlework from the Middle East
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) worker Alice Snyder (right) shows needlework done by rural and refugee women in Jordan and the West Bank to Esther Weber at the MCC Ontario offices in Kitchener in 1964. The Overseas Needlepoint and Crafts Project would become SelfHelp and later, Ten Thousand Villages. —With files from GAMEO.org For more historical…
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Solitude and community
A peculiar thing happened to me last Sunday while I was on holidays. I felt a strong desire to attend a church service. Curious, to say the least. You see, by the time summer arrives, I’m usually churched out. As a pastor, church is not only my work life but a significant part of my…
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MC Canada leaders promote National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Today marks Canada’s second-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a federal statutory holiday that recognizes the impact of residential schools on the country’s Indigenous people. Mennonite Church Canada’s executive ministers have made a statement encouraging people to make Sept. 30 a day for listening, learning and seeking reconciliation. Released yesterday afternoon, the statement was…
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MoM 100: A visit to Grosse Isle
When Mennonites came to Canada by ship between 1923 and 1930, their first stop in their new country would have been at Grosse Isle, located in the middle of the St. Lawrence River about an hour east of Quebec City. Mennonite tour participants at Grosse Isle. That’s where all ships coming from Europe anchored so…
