News & Stories

This painting by Ray Dirks, entitled “There is surely a future hope for you,” is from a series of 14 paintings from his personal experiences in several countries, all with titles taken from the book of Proverbs. (Image courtesy of Ray Dirks)

The Mennonite Heritage Centre (MHC) Gallery is featuring Ray Dirks’ exhibit, Thankful: moments, memories, and some art , in which the gallery founder and retired curator reflects... Read More
December 21, 2022 | People | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe

Sandy Plett is MC Canada’s new climate action coordinator. (Photo courtesy of Mennonite Church Canada)

Sandy Plett of Morden, Man., is the new climate action coordinator for Mennonite Church Canada. Having started the half-time role on Nov. 28, Plett shared some thoughts with... Read More
December 21, 2022 | People | Amy Rinner Waddell

Gerry Grunau, right, moderator of MC B.C., presents outgoing executive minister Garry Janzen with a retirement gift. (Photo by Amy Rinner Waddell)

In his 15 years as executive minister of Mennonite Church B.C., Garry Janzen ordained, preached, led, coordinated and worked to inspire the pastors and congregations of the... Read More
December 21, 2022 | People | Amy Rinner Waddell

Present-day Old Bethlehem. (Photo by Byron and Melita Rempel-Burkholder)

Christian Palestinians have asked the global church to stand with them, and Mennonites in Canada have now asked their government to do the same. In September, Mennonite Church... Read More
December 7, 2022 | News | Emma Siemens

This image­—entitled “Before Grace”—and the one opposite—entitled “Endless Cycle”—tell of artist Lynda Toews’ experience growing up in a violent home. They were part of the exhibit, ‘Breaking the Silence on Domestic Abuse,’ at the Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery a year ago. (Photo courtesy of Lynda Toews)

Research shows that rates of domestic abuse are just as prevalent in religious communities, and even higher in more conservative forms of religion, says Val Peters Hiebert,... Read More
December 7, 2022 | News | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe

MDS volunteer Frank Guenther works on Johnny Parson’s house in Glace Bay, N.S. (Photo by John Longhurst)

As hurricanes go, Fiona wasn’t as bad as some when it hit Atlantic Canada—just lots of trees blown down into yards, and shingles and siding blown off houses. Unless it was your... Read More
December 7, 2022 | News | John Longhurst

Geraldine Balzer

Geraldine Balzer, a member of Nutana Park Mennonite Church in Saskatoon, was elected moderator of Mennonite Church Canada in July, replacing Calvin Quan, who served in the role... Read More
December 7, 2022 | People | Emily Summach

Evelyn Greenwood, who died a year ago in September, was remembered for her dedication to Mennonite Disaster Service’s mission at a ceremony in British Columbia, where her husband, son and son-in-law were volunteering in Monte Lake. (Photo by Kevin Greenwood)

All was quiet on Sept. 6, at 9 a.m., as Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers in Monte Lake put down their tools and paused for a moment of silence. They were doing it in... Read More
November 23, 2022 | People | John Longhurst

Greg Thiessen, manager of the Metzger Collection at Columbia Bible College, discusses the origins of dice, chess and other ancient games at the museum’s current display of ‘Let’s Play!’ The exhibit invites visitors to explore the origins of table games and their place in cultures throughout history. (Photo by Amy Rinner Waddell)

The commonality of playing games throughout history, and how and why civilizations have played those games, are the foci of the current featured exhibit, “Let’s Play!” at Columbia... Read More
November 23, 2022 | News | Amy Rinner Waddell

The annual Christian-Muslim Interfaith Dialogue at All Saints Anglican Cathedral in Edmonton. (Photo by Suzanne Gross)

“Our theme for the dialogue today is ‘Drawing the circle Bigger,’ ” said Scott Sharman, emcee for the annual Christian-Muslim Interfaith Dialogue, held on Oct. 29 in Edmonton. “We... Read More
November 23, 2022 | News | Jessica Evans

Jared Siebert, right, founder of the New Leaf Network, shares his story of encountering God in the failures of church planting, as Cindy Wallace of the Backyard Church in Saskatoon looks on.

In the current cultural climate, many churches, Mennonite ones included, are wrestling with the question of how to help members talk about faith and God’s work in their own lives... Read More
November 23, 2022 | News | Emily Summach

Ian Thomas, left, of Kindred Credit Union and Malcolm Gladwell. Kindred was an important sponsor of the MCC fundraising dinner. (MCC photo by Shoua Vang)

Malcolm Gladwell, a widely acclaimed writer and podcaster, drew a crowd of 650 people to a fundraising dinner hosted by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Ontario on Oct. 27 at... Read More
November 23, 2022 | News | Barb Draper

Joyce Ngumbao feeds the chickens on the family farm in Kwa Kavisi, Kenya. (MCC photo by Matthew Lester)

For Joyce Ngumbao, a mother of five living in Kenya, a brood of chickens has made all the difference. Joyce Ngumbao holds a chicken in the coop of her family’s farm. (MCC photo by... Read More
November 21, 2022 | Web First |

One of the soccer matches during the annual Mundialito por la Paz (Little World Cup for Peace) soccer tournament organized by MCC's partner Creciendo Juntos (Growing Together).

Each summer for the last four years, a community on the outskirts of Soacha, Colombia, has gathered to watch its children play in a soccer tournament for peace, their own local... Read More
November 21, 2022 | Web First | Laura Miller

A new denominational survey provides important insights into Mennonite Church U.S.A., says executive director Glen Guyton, pictured here in 2019. (MC U.S.A. photo)

Mennonite Church U.S.A. has released the completed report from its denominational survey, “The Mennonite Experience: MC USA Membership Study 2021-22.” “The Mennonite Experience:... Read More
November 18, 2022 | Web First |
Online Media Manager Aaron Epp and guests, Justin Sun, Moses Falco and Kim Penner discuss why Mennonite/Anabaptist faith is relevant today and what is meaningful about connecting... Read More
November 16, 2022 | Past Events |

Melanie Kampen speaks about making Christian theology trauma-informed and justice-making at the first event of Winnipeg First Mennonite Church’s queer theology series that ran from the end of October to late November. (Photo by Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe)

Affirming LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church has been discussed for years in many Christian circles, yet congregations and regional churches tend to not move beyond the initial... Read More
November 15, 2022 | Web First | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe

On Sept. 30, the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Dave Neufeld and Rebecca Seiling talked about Indigenous history and issues as part of the Amish bicentennial celebrations. This side of “The Landed Buggy” exhibit depicts the Ojibwe creation story. (Photo by Fred Lichti)

Of all the events planned by the Amish bicentennial committee for this fall, the most popular were the hymn sings held at Maple View Mennonite Church near Wellesley, Ont., on Sept... Read More
November 9, 2022 | News | Barb Draper

On a Sunday in Advent, Point Grey traditionally sings the Christmas portions of Handel’s Messiah. This photo was from the fellowship’s 2015 rendition. (Photo by Janice Kreider)

Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship asked the British Columbia Conference of Mennonite Brethren (MB) Churches to be released from conference membership, which was granted on Aug... Read More
November 9, 2022 | News | Henry Neufeld

Mackenzie Nicolle was baptized by Pastor Judith Friesen Epp at Home Street Mennonite Church in Winnipeg, a year ago this month. She waited until Manitoba’s public-health restrictions were temporarily loosened to be baptized. The province went into a full lockdown the following month. (Photo by Brenda Suderman)

In a time when hope was hard to find, expressions of faith became even more significant. As a ritual necessitating proximity and touch, baptisms were something Mennonite churches... Read More
November 9, 2022 | News | Emma Siemens

The warring rulers, Hocken Grabber and Loopen Snatchem, seek to make amends as Selah and her father look on. (Photo by Emily Summach)

After a “too long” hiatus due to the pandemic, Theatre of the Beat is once again on tour. The theatre company, based out of Toronto, delighted audiences in Saskatchewan with its... Read More
November 9, 2022 | News | Emily Summach

Natalyia Venger leans against an offspring of the Chortitza oak tree in Ukraine on the campus of Canadian Mennonite University. The original Chortitza oak tree was an iconic landmark in the village of Chortitza. It was estimated to be between 700 and 800 years old when it died. (Photo by Dan Dyck)

Like a gem miner with a headlamp, Natalyia Venger scans microfilms, hunting for treasures rescued from Russian archives now stored at the Mennonite Heritage Archives (MHA) in... Read More
November 9, 2022 | People | Dan Dyck
Theology, Spirituality Anabaptist Political Theology after Marpeck. Weaver, J. Denny, Gerald J. Mast and Trevor Bechtel, eds. Cascadia Publishing House, 2022, 262 pages. This... Read More
November 9, 2022 | Focus On Books & Resources | Barb Draper

‘A Mennonite Draft Dodger in Canada’ updates personal stories from Sam Steiner's blog.

While working on his book In Search of Promised Lands: A Religious History of Mennonites in Ontario , Sam Steiner began writing a weekly online blog about his research, and... Read More
November 9, 2022 | Focus On Books & Resources | Barb Draper

Erwin J. Wiens

How does one go about writing a novel? For author Erwin J. Wiens, the idea for his book To Antoine came to him about 30 years ago and haunted him for about 10 years before he... Read More
November 9, 2022 | Focus On Books & Resources | Maria H. Klassen

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