A century ago, bread was the beginning of the work of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Relief kitchens in Ukraine (then southern Russia) fed families who had been displaced and... Read More
News & Stories
Sami and Amina (real names withheld for security purposes) were displaced from their home in Aleppo, Syria. This photo was taken in February 2018 in the home where the family of seven lives in Breike, in the Qalamoun valley. They receive monthly food packages from MCC through local partners. (MCC photo by Emily Loewen)
May 20, 2020 | News | Vurayayi Pugeni
Arnie Nickel leads a 45-minute exercise session for seniors on Zoom. (Screenshot by Howard Giles)
Three times a week, Arnie Nickel leads a 45-minute exercise session for seniors on Zoom, a virtual-meeting app. Participants are enthusiastic and their numbers are growing. It all... Read More
May 20, 2020 | News | Donna Schulz
Johann E. Funk took the cover photo for Mennonite Village Photography: Views from Manitoba 1890–1940 in 1903.
Hundred-year-old images on fragile glass negatives, discovered in a dusty barn in the heritage village of Neubergthal, Man., open a window to Mennonite life in Manitoba in the... Read More
May 20, 2020 | News | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
Columbia Bible College student Claire Dueck, right, and new best friend Sarah Trentalance. (Photo courtesy of Claire Dueck)
Every year Mennonite Church Alberta offers education bursaries to students who attend a regional-church congregation who have successfully enrolled in a Mennonite or Anabaptist... Read More
May 20, 2020 | People | Joanne De Jong
Garry Janzen, executive minister of MC B.C., keeps in touch with members of his condo complex through the Nextdoor.ca app. (Photo courtesy of Garry Janzen)
Garry Janzen and his wife Diane, who live in a condominium in Ladner, B.C., have found a new way to relate to those around them during the current pandemic: the Nextdoor.ca app... Read More
May 20, 2020 | News | Amy Rinner Waddell
Many offline Mennonites are staying connected by phone. (Image by Alexas_Fotos/Pixabay)
When the novel coronavirus pandemic hit, life went online. From school classes to fitness workouts to worship services, everything started streaming on the web. But what happens... Read More
May 19, 2020 | Web First | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
Mike Wiebe filmed the video for 'Letters' at his church. (Photo courtesy of YouTube)
Singer-songwriter Mike Wiebe has given the public a taste of his new project. The Winnipeg musician released a video for his song “Letters” last Friday. It’s the first single from... Read More
May 15, 2020 | Web First | Aaron Epp
Kingsfield-Zurich Mennonite Church, pictured last month. (Photo courtesy of Instagram.com/kingsfieldzmc)
Earlier this spring, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada released the following statement: “We announce with great sadness Kingsfield-Clinton and Kingsfield-Zurich Mennonite Church,... Read More
May 12, 2020 | Web First | Janet Bauman
‘Our separation as churches at this time is difficult, but it also presents an opportunity to take a step back and think critically about what it means to be the church,’ says Kim Penner, who sits on the planning committee for Mennonite Church Canada's upcoming study conference. (Photo courtesy of YouTube)
Mennonite Church Canada is moving ahead with its first study conference in October 2020. Titled “Table Talk: Does the Church Still Have Legs?”, the conference will examine what it... Read More
May 11, 2020 | Web First |
Ken Esau, professor of Old Testament at Columbia Bible College, blows a ram’s horn as he addresses the graduating class on what it means to seek first God’s kingdom. (Screen grab of Columbia Bible College 2020 commencement ceremony (YouTube))
Graduation for Columbia Bible College’s class of 2020 looked a little different this year. Rather than proudly walking across the stage in cap and gown to receive their diplomas,... Read More
May 6, 2020 | News | Amy Rinner Waddell
Leah Reesor-Keller, the incoming MC Eastern Canada executive minister, is pictured at her computer while participating in the regional church’s annual gathering, this year via Zoom. (Photo by Luke Reesor-Keller)
“We are one body in Christ . . . even when scattered. We are members of one another. We can still encourage and pray for and learn from each other.” With these affirming words,... Read More
May 6, 2020 | News | Janet Bauman
Terry Stefaniuk, Mennonite Church Saskatchewan’s moderator, welcomes delegates and guests to the regional church’s 2020 annual delegate sessions. (Screenshot by Donna Schulz)
After a year spent exploring the theme, “Deepening our walk with each other,” Mennonite Church Saskatchewan continued, inadvertently, to ponder what this means during its annual... Read More
May 6, 2020 | News | Donna Schulz
The home windows of Moses Falco, pastor of Sterling Mennonite Fellowship in Winnipeg, who started the #whiteoutMB movement with Karen Schellenberg. (Photo by Moses Falco)
Over the past two years, thousands of Manitobans have gathered in the streets of Winnipeg to cheer on the Winnipeg Jets in the hockey playoffs. Many were hoping to don their all-... Read More
May 6, 2020 | News | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
Matoli and Zavi Braun deGroot enjoy the rhythms of farm life during the pandemic. (Photo by Will Braun)
COVID-19 has permeated the collective psyche. And although kids may not be watching The National or spending their coveted screen time on the Health Canada webpage, COVID-19 is on... Read More
May 6, 2020 | News | Will Braun
After 46 years, Margie Steingart still works at the Christian Benefit Thrift Shop in St. Catharines, Ont. (MCC 100 stories for 100 years photo)
Many people have given their time to volunteering, but few have a record of volunteering for the same organization for 46 years. Margie Steingart has that distinction. She has... Read More
May 6, 2020 | People | Maria H. Klassen
Lule Begashaw is a psychotherapist and team lead at the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers. (Photo by: Nafkot Begashaw)
According to Lule Begashaw, psychotherapist and team lead at the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, the mental-health team is seeing a big increase in requests for help... Read More
May 6, 2020 | Focus on Mental Health | Joanne De Jong
Andrew Ardell brings a global perspective to his work at Communitas Supportive Care Society. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Ardell)
Andrew Ardell is a friendly person who smiles readily and is thoughtful in his conversation. He cares deeply about the people he serves and is aware of how much he gains from the... Read More
May 6, 2020 | Focus on Mental Health | Angelika Dawson
New Dawn Educare Center caregivers and clients make dumplings. (Photo courtesy of New Dawn)
Health work first brought Mennonites to Taiwan in 1948 through Mennonite Central Committee’s relief work, but there was also local interest in starting a church. The Mennonite... Read More
May 6, 2020 | Focus on Mental Health |
(Image by StockSnap/Pixabay)
WINNIPEG—According to Dr. Bill Thomas, an expert in aging, the three greatest “plagues” facing residents of nursing homes are loneliness, boredom and helplessness—all things... Read More
May 5, 2020 | Web First | John Longhurst
In Lebanon, where Foodgrains Bank member World Renew is working with Syrian refugees, personal protective equipment and hygiene kits were distributed to local church partners so they can stay safe as they distribute food to families in need. (Photo by MERATH Lebanon)
The number of people facing crisis levels of hunger in the world could double due to COVID-19, the World Food Programme (WFP) warns. The WFP is estimating 265 million people could... Read More
May 4, 2020 | Web First | Shaylyn McMahon
Maya Morton Ninomiya, a student at Conrad Grebel University College, created an illustrated reflection on how the school was socially and politically active during the winter 2020 term. (Photo courtesy of YouTube)
When a Conrad Grebel University College student was asked to reflect on how the Waterloo, Ont. school was socially and politically active during the winter 2020 term, she went... Read More
May 1, 2020 | Web First | Aaron Epp
Pat, a volunteer at the Brandon MCC Thrift Shop, tells her story in a new video about the shop produced by Volunteer Manitoba and CTV. (Photo courtesy of YouTube)
A new video highlights the impact a Mennonite Central Committee thrift shop in southerwestern Manitoba has on its surrounding community. Volunteer Manitoba, an organization that... Read More
April 24, 2020 | Web First | Aaron Epp
The Easter worship service of Cedar Valley Church in Mission, B.C., was livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook. It included singers and instrumentalists performing from separate locations, a message from Pastor Rob Ayer, and information about a Minecraft Easter egg hunt for children. (Photo from YouTube video)
“We’ve been thrown out of the boat and now we’re learning to walk on water!” This lighthearted metaphor comes from Cathrin van Sintern-Dick, as she considers changes in... Read More
April 22, 2020 | News | Virginia A. Hostetler
Thiciano Pareja Saucedo, 8, washes her hands at El Comedor de Niños, an after-school program for children in the Montero area of Bolivia, about an hour from Santa Cruz. One of its main goals is to improve nutrition and health outcomes in the community by teaching children about healthy eating, gardening and hygiene. (MCC photo by Matthew Sawatzky)
As COVID-19 spreads and worsens, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) continues its worldwide work while attending to the health and well-being of its staff. MCC is well positioned... Read More
April 22, 2020 | News | Linda Espenshade
A poster explaining the Queenston Street Neighbourhood Association’s rainbow symbol campaign in St. Catharines, Ont.
How does a community fellowship deal with the current physical distancing and self-isolation situation that everyone is facing? Caleb Ratzlaff, the convener of Westview Christian... Read More
April 22, 2020 | News | Maria H. Klassen