One by one, they slipped inside the large tent, out of the drizzle. They came from far and near to hear stories, share a meal, play games and enjoy each other’s company. On Aug... Read More
News & Stories
Donavan Arcand, kneeling centre, teaches participants how to play Indigenous hand games. (Photo by Donna Schulz)
September 8, 2021 | News | Donna Schulz
Kenai Warkentin participates in a ladder-ball-toss game at this year’s Springridge Mennonite Church picnic. (Photo by Tany Warkentin)
The all-day annual Springridge Mennonite Church picnic was held this year at Fishburn Park on Aug. 15. Beginning with worship in the morning, the day included a potluck lunch;... Read More
September 8, 2021 | News | Joanne De Jong
Circle of Friends participants connect at their 2019 fall gathering. (Photo courtesy of MCC Ontario)
Circle of Friends is described as a “humble program” with “humble goals.” Margaret Smart, the program’s coordinator, believes it is “an amazing example of the power of small... Read More
September 8, 2021 | News | Janet Bauman
Living Hope Christian Fellowship of Surrey, B.C., hosted a Vacation Bible School program in August, with half the children attending coming from the community. (Living Hope Christian Fellowship photo)
In a summer when many public activities, including church services, were curtailed, Living Hope Christian Fellowship of Surrey, B.C., hosted a Vacation Bible School (VBS) program... Read More
September 8, 2021 | News | Amy Rinner Waddell
‘As a settler, I know very little,’ says Kim Thiessen of Winnipeg. ‘But I am trying. . . . I have a burning desire to set things right and do what I can.’ (Photo by John Longhurst)
Like many Canadians, Winnipegger Kim Thiessen was devastated when she learned about the 215 unmarked graves of children at the Kamloops, B.C., residential school earlier this year... Read More
September 8, 2021 | People | John Longhurst
An image from Kindred Credit Union’s Community Inspiration Framework illustrates one of the 10 themes—financial empowerment—that guides how Kindred makes its purpose statement tangible. (Image by Maya Morton Ninomiya)
Recent research shows a “high percentage of people . . . find personal financing incredibly intimidating,” says Frank Chisholm, director of brand and marketing for Kindred Credit... Read More
September 8, 2021 | Focus on Money | Janet Bauman
Tallying up deposits and withdrawals, monitoring budgets and submitting forms, the ‘numbers people’—treasurers and bookkeepers—toil in basement corners and home offices, month in and month out. (Photo by Susan Klassen)
Every church has a plethora of creative ministries, but a couple roles will show up everywhere. Tallying up deposits and withdrawals, monitoring budgets and submitting forms, the... Read More
September 8, 2021 | Focus on Money | Charleen Jongejan Harder
Natasha Wiebe
“I don’t want to support banks,” says Natasha Wiebe, statistician at the University of Alberta and a member of Edmonton First Mennonite Church. “For me, banks are primarily about... Read More
September 8, 2021 | Focus on Money | Joanne De Jong
(Flickr photo by Mike Cohen)
Financial giving from Mennonite Church Canada congregations and individuals was stable in 2020 despite pandemic economic uncertainty. By year-end, the regional church bodies and... Read More
September 8, 2021 | Focus on Money | Tobi Thiessen
Adults and children living on Isla Iquitos in Peru survey the damage at the site where their church and five houses burned to the ground the night of Aug. 29. Children stand on the stairs that once led to their space for worship and learning. (Photo by Juan Carlos Moreno)
The night of Aug. 29, a fire raged through a Mennonite church building and five neighbouring wooden houses on Isla Iquitos, Peru, a small island near the main island where the... Read More
September 7, 2021 | Web First |
Mennonite World Conference is calling on its members to donate to UNICEF’s campaign to provide coronavirus vaccinations around the world. (Photo: UN/Nick Sells)
Tanzania, home to 66, 744 baptized members of Kanisa la Mennonite Tanzania, less than one percent of the population has received vaccination protection against COVID-19. Mennonite... Read More
August 25, 2021 | Web First |
Mohamed Al-Attar, at right in blue, lost his wife, children and his home during the violence in Gaza in May. Rifqa Hamalwai, far left, and Khaled Abu Sharek, centre back, staff members from Al Najd, MCC’s local partner, visited Mohamed and his nephews, Yaser Dia Al Attar, bottom left, and Ali Tamim Al Attar, back left. All local COVID-19 protocols were followed in this photo. (Photo courtesy of Al Najd)
Nighttime was the hardest for Mahmoud Alhalimi. With the electricity cut and bombs falling, the hours were dark and loud, as he tried in vain to help his two young children fall... Read More
August 25, 2021 | News | Emily Loewen
The MennoCon21 crowd responds to worship leaders and musicians in Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati. (Mennonite Church U.S.A. photo)
Mennonite Church U.S.A.’s smallest and first hybrid convention, “Bring the peace!” drew more than 1,000 people—608 at Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and at... Read More
August 25, 2021 | News |
A photo collage of screenshots, including all 19 live speakers for the 2021 aging and spirituality conference held on Zoom.
This past June, scholars, practitioners, support workers, health-care experts and interested parties from across the globe gathered together virtually over the course of three... Read More
August 25, 2021 | News | Margaret Gissing
The Timber Bay Children’s Home at Montreal Lake, Sask., as it appeared in 1974. (Mennonite Heritage Archives photo)
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) supported an Indigenous boarding home that is under investigation by the Saskatchewan RCMP. The Mounties say a complaint was made in 2020 about a... Read More
August 25, 2021 | News | John Longhurst
The hosts of The MennoCast, pictured clockwise from top left, are: Carrie Lehn, pastor of Ottawa Mennonite Church; Moses Falco, pastor of Sterling Mennonite Fellowship in Winnipeg; and Ryan Dueck, pastor of Lethbridge (Alta.) Mennonite Church. (Screenshot courtesy of Moses Falco)
The MennoCast , a new podcast aimed at connecting Mennonites across Canada, launched on June 23. “It’s been a dream for years. I’m just so happy that it’s out!” says Moses Falco,... Read More
August 25, 2021 | News | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
‘Austin’ stands ready to filter the air in a classroom at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate, Kitchener, Ont., and keep it circulating. Rockway supporters donated enough funds to purchase all the ‘Austins’ the school needs for September. (Rockway Mennonite Collegiate photo)
In April, prior to Ontario schools returning to online learning, two Rockway Mennonite Collegiate families set out to make the learning spaces in the school safer for students... Read More
August 25, 2021 | News | Janet Bauman
A July 1 satellite image of the forest fire that destroyed much of the village of Lytton, B.C., this summer. (Antti Lipponen image / Creative Commons Licence (http://bit.ly/cclicence2-0))
When the village of Lytton, B.C,. was nearly destroyed by wildfires in mid-August, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) B.C. was among those that moved to help. This is one of more... Read More
August 25, 2021 | News | Amy Rinner Waddell
Safwat Marzouk
In July, Safwat Marzouk concluded his roles as associate professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and chair of the Bible Department at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS... Read More
August 25, 2021 | People | Annette Brill Bergstresser
Employees of Boxbrite Technologies—pictured from left to right: Aaron Neufeld, Enes Demirsoz, Joseph Olmez, Lori-Ann Livingston, Niloofar Abbasvandi, Alina Kehl, Shirin Talaei, Seyma Nur Ozcan and Leon Kehl—attend a rally against Islamophobia. Kehl, who started the company, intentionally hires newcomers to Canada, and fosters a sense of community among his employees who work from home. (Photo by Aaron Neufeld)
It has happened more than once. Someone approaches social entrepreneur Leon Kehl with the name of a highly qualified person who needs help getting a start in Canada. Kehl has... Read More
August 25, 2021 | People | Janet Bauman
Dona Park designed the cover art for Mennonite Church U.S.A.’s study program, ‘Defund the Police? An Abolition Curriculum,’ meant to help Christians think about police abolition within a biblical context and as a practical alternative to policing. (Artwork by Dona Park)
Dona Park, a young Korean-Canadian artist, is one of the first two recipients of Mennonite Church U.S.A.’s #BringthePeace Award, sponsored by the denomination’s Church Peace Tax... Read More
August 25, 2021 | People | Amy Rinner Waddell
RJC High School’s outdoor education class brings back fond memories for alumni Emily Hand, left, and Ian Epp (holding son Peter Isaac), who are now making their living in the agricultural sector. (Photo courtesy of Emily Hand and Ian Epp)
For many students, the outdoor education class at RJC High School was fun, memorable and character building. But for most, the skills aren’t ones they now use in their everyday... Read More
August 25, 2021 | People |
Members of First Mennonite Church, Kelowna, B.C., are coping with the dual challenges of health restrictions and forest fires this summer. (Kelowna First Mennonite Facebook page photo)
Between fires and a COVID-19 outbreak, residents of Kelowna, B.C., including members of First Mennonite Church, have been doubly hit this summer. Rising cases of COVID-19 in the... Read More
August 11, 2021 | News | Amy Rinner Waddell
Florence Irasubiza of the Democratic Republic of Congo, left, and Helena Chokpelleh, a Liberian who attends Holyrood Mennonite Church in Edmonton, clean gutters as a fundraiser to buy Wi-Fi boosters for low-income newcomer families. Community connector Emmanuel Mbonimpa is in front of the ladder. (Photo by Joanne De Jong)
Two Mennonite high school students from African countries were interviewed and accepted into the Civic Engagement by Newcomer Youth program last fall through the Edmonton... Read More
August 11, 2021 | News | Joanne De Jong
Dear to the hearts of congregants at Hamilton (Ont.) Mennonite Church over the past year of the pandemic are two prayer books used for the weekly midday prayers, the children’s prayer boxes and a bookshelf quilt. (Photo by Alissa Bender)
At a time when many churches are dealing with declining numbers in their pews, Hamilton (Ont.) Mennonite Church has grown. Membership in 1965 was 28; before the pandemic... Read More
August 11, 2021 | News | Maria H. Klassen