Many Christians do not believe the Holy Spirit is real
In my eyes, Pauline (a pseudonym) is a more faithful and mature Christian than I am. She embodies the servant-hearted love of Christ. Her life and faith inspire me. Imagine my surprise when Pauline told me she has never experienced the Holy Spirit. She has prayed and asked God for Spirit baptism for many years,…
Less please: Pop theology for Lent
The customary practice of self-sacrifice during Lent carries tinges of earnest piety and religious compunction. It can feel like a moral “heavy.” But it also has a certain appeal.
A Prayer in Spoken Word for Joy Advent: Isaiah 35
Pt. I – Anticipation Behold! This is the season of waiting. We mirror And remember the shadows and hints of prophetic words That were actualized in the birth and life of Christ These weeks of waiting are reminders of the preparations And promises that the Lord gives us in participating In the narrative of Christ…
What I learned while walking the Camino
After 10 days of walking, I come to a small town in Spain called Belorado. The day before, I had walked a gruelling 31 kilometres up and down hills, in warm and sunny spring weather. Maybe it’s the long walk and my feet are tired, or, maybe it’s the constant climbing up and down the…
‘A place that gives life’
Larry Miller remembers one moment clearly when, as a 38-year-old, he was weighing whether or not to accept the nomination to lead Mennonite World Conference (MWC). The year was 1988 and he was sitting in a university library in Strasbourg, France, where he lived. “I was working on my dissertation, and I looked up and…
Henry Neufeld
Henry Neufeld, right, spent a lifetime building positive relationships among Mennonite and indigenous peoples. He is pictured standing beside Pastor Jeremiah Ross from Cross Lake, Man., at a Conference of Mennonites in Canada (now Mennonite Church Canada) conference in Vancouver in 1981. In 1968, Neufeld was given permission to build a house and to live…
The founding of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada
This photo depicts the founding of the Conference of Mennonites in Canada in 1902 at Tiefengrund, Sask. The men in this photo include (back row, l to r): David Epp, Laird, Sask.; Johann Dueck, Eigenheim, Sask; Heinrich Warkentin, Laird, Sask.; David Toews, Eigenheim, Sask.; Gerhard Epp, Eigenheim, Sask.; (front row, l to r): Benjamin Ewert,…
Walnut Receiving Home
In 1976, Jake and Trudy Unrau bought a home at 171 Walnut Street in Winnipeg and opened it up for Indigenous people visiting Winnipeg for medical appointments. In 1977, the Conference of Mennonites in Canada bought the home, and the Walnut Receiving Home became part of its ministry. From 1979 to 1983 Elijah and Jeannette…
Menno House
Menno House was formed by a group of young Mennonite students and recent graduates living in Toronto in 1956. The aim was to provide support and community to Mennonite students in the city. The group became involved in youth leadership at Toronto United Mennonite Church. Young Mennonite women attended events, though the residence remained open…
Maria Kroeker
In 1893, Maria Kroeker married Johann Neufeld in Reinland, Man. The couple moved to Lost River, Sask. in 1911. Then, in 1926, when the Saskatchewan government insisted that Mennonite children attend government schools, Maria and Johann moved their 11 children to Paraguay, where they helped establish the village of Bergthal. Of the 1,778 people who…
