Ly Vang was 16 and stuck in a refugee camp in Thailand with a pair of shoes and two sets of clothes. She was lonely and sad. She struggled with suicidal thoughts. “What is the... Read More
News & Stories
Ly Vang holds the MCC school kit bag she received as a teenager in a refugee camp in Thailand. ‘If the person who made this is still alive,’ she says, ‘I would like to say thank you.’ (Photo by Janet Bauman)
September 11, 2019 | People | Janet Bauman
Children make planets at the VBS craft station, on the theme of ‘To Mars and beyond.’ (Photo by Barb Burkhard)
“I’m so sad that it’s over!” said one young participant after a week of high-energy Vacation Bible School (VBS) activities at First Mennonite Church in Kitchener last month. That... Read More
September 11, 2019 | News | Janet Bauman
Matt Falk’s latest comedy special came out last month. (Photo courtesy of Instagram.com/MattFalkComedy)
“Truthfully, comedy is very hard,” comedian Matt Falk asserts in a clip from his new special. “Probably because the best joke in the entire world has already been written, and not... Read More
September 6, 2019 | Web First | Aaron Epp
MDS Canada is “ready to respond” when Hurricane Dorian is over, says Ross Penner, the organization’s executive director. (Photo courtesy of Facebook.com/MennoniteDisasterService)
As Americans follow updates about Hurricane Dorian, Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada is keeping an eye on the storm, too. The organization, which rebuilds and repairs homes... Read More
September 5, 2019 | Web First | Mennonite Disaster Service
Korean translations of Mennonite books are a boon to seminarians and lay leaders in Anabaptist house churches, but they also appeal to other Christians in Korea. (Image by Free-Photos/Pixabay)
“Although each congregation has its own history and social and cultural background, it is common to experience the same sorts of conflicts, troubles and situations,” says Ellul... Read More
September 5, 2019 | Web First | Mennonite World Conference
The women who opened the first MCC Thrift Shop in 1972 are portrayed in a new video. (Photo by Paul Plett)
The story of Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) thrift shops is given a unique retelling in a new video. Filmed in one camera shot, the video starts with the creation of the... Read More
August 30, 2019 | Web First | Aaron Epp
Children prepare to go for a tractor and wagon ride at a local farm for one of the West Hills congregation's ‘out’ Sundays. (Photo courtesy of West Hills Fellowship)
Two years ago, West Hills Fellowship, in Baden, Ont., faced up to its small-church realities. It had lost some families for a variety of reasons, and found it challenging to run... Read More
August 28, 2019 | News | Janet Bauman
Children and adults play games at Grantham MB Church in St. Catharines. (Photo by Jared Both)
Connecting with children can be a rewarding experience. When someone says thank you, it feels good. This is what happened at a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) newcomers... Read More
August 28, 2019 | News | Maria H. Klassen
Horses were among the items for sale at the Amish school auction. (Photo by Se Yim)
Each summer, on the third Saturday of July, the Milverton Amish communities organize a large auction to raise funds for their parochial schools. Hosted on Amish farms throughout... Read More
August 28, 2019 | News | Fred Lichti
Al Friesen prunes tomatoes in Emmanuel Mennonite Church’s community garden in Abbotsford, B.C., which offers free vegetables to anyone who wants them. ‘It’s been fun,’ says Friesen of the experiment. (Photo by Amy Rinner Waddell)
It’s been said “there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” but it turns out there is at Emmanuel Mennonite Church. Passersby at the church on Clearbrook Road this summer have been... Read More
August 28, 2019 | News | Amy Rinner Waddell
Members of North Star Mennonite in Drake pack relief kits for Mennonite Central Committee as part of Sunday worship devoted to service. (Photo by Heidi Martens)
When summer comes, many churches experience a drop in attendance. But being fewer in number can be an opportunity to try new forms of worship. Singing together This summer,... Read More
August 28, 2019 | News | Donna Schulz
Jasem Mohammed carries a food package distributed by MCC partner Zakho Small Villages Project at the Garmawa displaced persons camp in Iraqi Kurdistan. MCC is an example of an organization that expresses values important to Mennonites. (Photo by Ryan Rodrick Beiler)
At the end of May, Parliament passed a motion declaring the second week of September as Mennonite Heritage Week. The motion, put forward by Abbotsford MP Ed Fast, cited the role... Read More
August 28, 2019 | News | Barb Draper
Jon Lebold, Beth Hovius and Bob Lebold agree that continuing the legacy of their mother and grandmother at MCC has been a blessing. (MCC photo by Shoua Vang)
Bob Lebold made his first donation to Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) when he was about 10 years old. It was Christmas, sometime in the late 1960s, when he tagged along to the... Read More
August 28, 2019 | People | Ken Ogasawara
North American delegates to GYS 2015 are pictured from left to right: Chris Brnjas of Canada, Rianna Isaak-Krauss, Andrea De Avila, Larissa Swartz and Trent Voth. (MWC photo by Emily Ralph Servant)
Are you over 18 years old with a love for your regional, nationwide and global Mennonite church? Mennonite Church Canada is seeking representatives from each of the five regional... Read More
August 28, 2019 | People | Rachel Bergen
Matthew Bailey-Dick (checkered shirt) leads an Anabaptist Learning Workshop event at 50 Kent in Kitchener last year. (Photo courtesy of Conrad Grebel University College)
The creators of the Anabaptist Learning Workshop (ALW) are starting a new chapter for Anabaptist-Mennonite education in Eastern Canada. As a program offered by Mennonite Church... Read More
August 26, 2019 | Web First | MC Eastern Canada/Conrad Grebel University College
Glen Guyton, executive director of Mennonite Church USA, sings “Come As You Are” at the 2019 MC USA Convention in Kansas City last month. (Photo courtesy of MC USA)
Imagine Doug Klassen, executive minister of Mennonite Church Canada, singing a song by an acclaimed ‘90s grunge band at MC Canada’s next nationwide gathering. It may sound far-... Read More
August 23, 2019 | Web First | Aaron Epp
Campbell Nisbet (right) with his wife, Chris (second from right), and their four children. (Photo courtesy of Facebook.com/HiddenAcresCamp)
After 33 years as the executive director of Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp, Campbell Nisbet is grateful for all the growth he has witnessed. Whether it is the trees he planted on the... Read More
August 21, 2019 | Web First | Janet Bauman
The Vine and Table is located in Saskatoon’s Riversdale neighbourhood. (Photo courtesy of Terri Lynn Friesen)
The coordinators of the Vine and Table, an intentional Christian community house in Saskatoon, are inviting you inside. In a video they posted on YouTube last week, Thomas and... Read More
August 16, 2019 | Web First | Aaron Epp
Lydia Grigoryevna, second from left, gets a birthday hug after worship at Nikolaipolye Mennonite Church on June 16. (Photo by Paul Schrag)
Welcoming visitors from North America, Ivan Kapelushniy, pastor of Nikolaipolye Mennonite Church, led his congregation of about 15 people in singing “For God So Loved Us” in... Read More
August 14, 2019 | News | Paul Schrag
Natalia Mezentseva, second from left, director of New Life, a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) partner in Ukraine, accepts an MCC centennial paperweight from North American visitors. Looking on are MCC board member Robert Enns of Calgary, left, and Viktoria Rabchenyuk, second from right, and Tatiana Yorzh, right, New Life women’s house residents. (Photo by Paul Schrag)
Natalia Mezentseva oversees a household of “women in difficult circumstances.” With an affirming and instructive place to live, thanks to a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)... Read More
August 14, 2019 | News | Paul Schrag
‘It takes every ounce of . . . love to cope with the success of God’s gathering,’ Tom Yoder Neufeld told delegates at this year’s MC U.S.A. conference in Kansas City, Mo. (Photo by Vada Snider)
God’s success is our problem. But it’s a good problem. From these thoughts of Tom Yoder Neufeld came a catch phrase of MennoCon19: “The church is a mess. Thanks be to God!” A... Read More
August 14, 2019 | News | Paul Schrag
Organizer Martha Smith Good, left, chats with Amanda Witmer, instructor and lecturer who led a group of women in exploring biblical and Gnostic references to Mary Magdalene, at an event held at Wilmot Mennonite Church on July 22. (Photo by Janet Bauman)
Who was Mary of Magdala? What impressions do people have of her, and where do those impressions come from? With these questions, Amanda Witmer, an instructor in religious studies... Read More
August 14, 2019 | News | Janet Bauman
The play’s five-member cast performed The Mennonite Fairytale 13 times in under three weeks. (Photo courtesy of Real Live Entertainment)
Hansel and Gretel—I mean Peter and Tina—enter the woods and end up at a house made entirely of waffles and white sauce, where they are led by their evil stepmother to pick rhubarb... Read More
August 14, 2019 | News | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
Patricia Erb received an honorary doctorate in June from Vancouver Island University for her social justice and development work. (Photo courtesy of Patricia Erb)
“I’ve had many teachers, most of them children,” says Patricia Erb. “The best ones.” It could be seen as a surprising assertion from Erb, who, at 63, has been involved in human-... Read More
August 14, 2019 | People | Joelle Kidd
Cedar Klassen presents the new collection to The Hymn Society. (Photo courtesy of The Hymn Society)
Growing up, Cedar Klassen loved singing hymns. Klassen’s family would gather around the dinner table singing verses from Hymnal: A Worship Book , and later Sing the Journey and... Read More
August 14, 2019 | People | Rachel Bergen