Ed Willms had high hopes when he organized a Sept. 13 event for about 45 pastors and other leaders from the Ontario Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (ONMB) to talk about... Read More
News & Stories
Ed Willms, former executive director of the Ontario Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.
December 21, 2022 | News | John Longhurst
MDS funds churches in Canada to be the hands and feet of Jesus. (MDS photo)
A Mennonite Church Eastern Canada congregation is among five Canadian churches that received grants this fall from the 2022-23 Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada Spirit of... Read More
December 21, 2022 | News | John Longhurst
Mark von Kampen, the Menno Office chaplain, and U of M student Andrew Enns at IMCA’s annual meeting. (Photo by Gladys Terichow)
After two years of online learning during the pandemic, Andrew Enns is finally experiencing in-person learning on the University of Manitoba campus. Enns, a third-year student in... Read More
December 21, 2022 | News | Gladys Terichow
Ethiopians gather to share meals and storytelling at Christmas. (Mennonite World Conference photo)
One of the most outstanding Christmas traditions among communities in Kenya is having vigils popularly know as “Kesha” on Christmas Eve. Most worshippers come together to... Read More
December 21, 2022 | News | Valary Otieno
In the wake of Hockey Canada’s recent scandal, some Mennonites are re-thinking what it means to be a hockey fan. (Flickr photo by Brad Saunders)
Like other Canadians, many Mennonites watch or play hockey. But in the wake of Hockey Canada’s recent sexual-assault scandal, some Canadian Mennonites are considering what it... Read More
December 21, 2022 | News | Emma Siemens
Religious make-up of Canadian population. (Pie chart by Betty Avery)
Every 10 years Stats Canada collects religious data. Recently, World Vision and WayBase —another Christian organization—partnered to distill the numbers related to changes in... Read More
December 21, 2022 | News |
(Flickr photo by Lawrence OP)
In the Christian tradition, the story of Christmas is grounded in the truth that God took on human form and came to live among us. Isaiah 7:14 says: “Therefore, the Lord will give... Read More
December 21, 2022 | News | Emily Summach
(Mennonite World Conference photo)
“We raise a cry of alarm to the different faithful members of the Mennonite church around the world,” writes Reverend Alphonse Kisubi Kassa, a leader of Communauté des Églises des... Read More
December 21, 2022 | News |
CMU faculty David Balzer, a key figure in launching the radio-style show, has more than a decade of experience working in broadcast radio in Winnipeg. (Screenshot by Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe)
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Karen Ridd was struck by how many people around her immediately called for military troops to be sent. “In those moments it becomes really... Read More
December 21, 2022 | News | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
Andy Brubacher Kaethler teaches a graduate-level course at AMBS in June 2022. (Photo by Peter Ringenberg)
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) is now accepting applications for a new doctor of ministry degree—the first of its kind. Not only is the seminary’s doctor of... Read More
December 21, 2022 | News | Annette Brill Bergstresser
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 |