Deborah Tewelde, a member of Meheret Evangelical Church in Kitchener, Ont., a Mennonite Church Eastern Canada congregation, received the 2019 Lincoln M. Alexander award given by... Read More
News & Stories
Deborah Tewelde received an award late last year given by the Province of Ontario to youth who have shown strong leadership in eliminating racial discrimination.
March 22, 2021 | Web First |
‘It is a text that, if made flesh in Canada, would revolutionize the church’s relationship to Indigenous peoples, spiritualities and lands,’ Steve Heinrichs says of ‘Beloved Amazonia.’ (Photo by Steve Heinrichs)
Mennonite Church Canada’s Indigenous-Settler Relations program is running a five-week online book club beginning this April. The chosen text is Beloved Amazonia , a courageous... Read More
March 20, 2021 | Web First |
‘We’re all crazy Mennonites,’ musician “Weird Al” Yankovic sang in 1996.
It’s been 25 years since legendary music parodist “Weird Al” Yankovic lampooned the Amish, mentioning Mennonites along the way. Bad Hair Day , Yankovic’s ninth album, was released... Read More
March 12, 2021 | Web First | Aaron Epp
Take two exuberant Mennonite Church workers, give one a bunch of balloons and the other a camera, and what do you have? Spontaneous joy on the streets of Calgary. (Photo by Ruth Bergen Braun)
Louisa Adria, Foothills Mennonite Church’s congregational support worker, and Ruth Bergen Braun, communications coordinator of Mennonite Church Alberta, sparked joy when they... Read More
March 10, 2021 | People | Joanne De Jong
International friendships develop. (Photo by Virginia A. Hostetler)
A formative experience for me was a youth work camp I participated in during my teenage years. The event was organized in connection with the ninth assembly of Mennonite World... Read More
March 10, 2021 | People | Virginia A. Hostetler
John Braun is pictured in 2010 by the ancient steps that lead from the upper city of Old Jerusalem down to the Kidron Valley and the Mount of Olives. (Photo courtesy of John Braun)
Deuteronomy urges people to “fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds,” and Ken Quiring has dedicated himself to this call. Telling Scripture by heart is an integral part... Read More
March 10, 2021 | News | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
A meal of rice and beans makes a frequent appearance on every Brazilian table. (Photo by D. Michael Hostetler)
I grew up in Brazil, a child of missionary parents. One regular item on our family menu was the traditional Brazilian rice and beans meal. These are the daily staples of cuisine... Read More
March 10, 2021 | People | Virginia A. Hostetler
Members of the Edmonton Menno-Catholic dialogue pose for a picture in the remains of the city of Ephesus during a two-week study tour in Turkey, sponsored by Edmonton’s Intercultural Dialogue Institute. Pictured from left to right: Roger Thiessen, Eleanore Woollard, Marvin Bloos, Ibrahim Cin, Bob Thiessen, Doreen Bloos, Julien Hammond and John Woollard. (Photo courtesy of Marvin Bloos)
The Roman Catholic Church has a global baptized membership of 1.3 billion parishioners. Mennonite World Conference (MWC), on the other hand, has just over 0.16 of one percent of... Read More
March 10, 2021 | News | Joanne De Jong
A sample of cookies baked as evidence in ‘the cookie war’ were preserved at the Amish Historical Library and donated to the Mennonite Archives of Ontario. In Laureen Harder-Gissing’s virtual archive tour, they helped to document one of the food stories from Mennonite history. (Photo courtesy of the Mennonite Archives of Ontario)
Big city lawyers paid Old Order Mennonite women $20 an hour to bake cookies, all in an effort to gather evidence in “the cookie war.” This “sweet and true tale” was shared... Read More
March 10, 2021 | News | Janet Bauman
Despite the reality of COVID-19 this year, the 2021 annual general meeting of Mennonite Church B.C. took place virtually on Feb. 27 with participation exceeding that of previous years. (Photo by Amy Rinner Waddell)
Although faces on screens had to replace in-person contact, participants at the 2021 Mennonite Church B.C. annual general meeting, held on Zoom on Feb. 27, managed to create a... Read More
March 10, 2021 | News | Amy Rinner Waddell
A Mennonite World Conference food relief kit. (MWC photo)
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, stories poured in from Mennonite World Conference (MWC) member churches about job losses and hunger in their congregations... Read More
March 10, 2021 | Web First |
Phil Campbell-Enns has two compositions in the new hymnal: “Mountain of God” and “Fill Us with Your Feast.” He wrote the latter as part of Leader magazine’s 2007 Lent material. (Screenshot)
Winnipeg pastor and songwriter Phil Campbell-Enns is the latest person featured in a new video series from MennoMedia showcasing Anabaptist contributions to the new Voices... Read More
February 26, 2021 | Web First | Aaron Epp
Celebration of Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday at Bethel Mennonite Church, Balodgahan, India. (Photo courtesy of Ashish Milap)
“Together on [Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday], we feel connected to our brothers and sisters all over the world,” said Jannie Nijwening, pastor at Doopsgezind Gemeente... Read More
February 24, 2021 | News |
Rachel Siemens, pastor of Carman (Man.) Mennonite Church, created her congregation’s website. It launched in August 2020 as part of Mennonite Church Canada’s website hub. (Photo by Mary Anne Falk)
Fifteen congregations have launched new websites through the Mennonite Church Canada congregational website hub. “On the one hand, it’s hard work but it’s creative work,” says... Read More
February 24, 2021 | News | Katie Doke Sawatzky
Jared Regier displays some of the fruits of his labour: winter squash and garlic, ready for storage. (Photo courtesy of Jared Regier)
The seed that eventually grew into the Vegetable Academy was planted when Jared Regier was a boy working, somewhat reluctantly, in his parents’ garden. “Good food was always part... Read More
February 24, 2021 | News | Donna Schulz
Stephen Kriss, executive minister of the Mosaic Mennonite Conference in the United States, poses for a selfie after getting his COVID-19 vaccination in January. (Photo: Stephen Kriss)
Should Mennonite Church Canada leaders promote vaccines during this public health emergency? That question arose in January when Dr. Theresa Tam, the chief public health officer,... Read More
February 24, 2021 | News | John Longhurst
Brian Froese, associate professor of history at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), takes a break from his walk along the Walls of Avila, Spain. He recently led a CMU Portable titled ‘You had to be there: A history of humour, laughter, and comical Christianity.’ (Photo by Lorelee Froese)
It may seem obvious when humour crosses the line, but Christians have not always agreed when it is appropriate and when it is not. In fact, throughout many periods of history,... Read More
February 24, 2021 | News | Joanne De Jong
When Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) moved its Xplore classes online for the fall 2020 semester due to COVID-19, Marlene Janzen was thrilled. Janzen lives in Ottawa, so the... Read More
February 24, 2021 | News |
Sisters Joanna, left, and Anneli Loepp Thiessen presented several hymns in the Voices Together collection by women composers, at a recent lecture-recital. (Screenshot by Janet Bauman)
Celebrating the contribution of women composers in Voices Together means reclaiming the voices of historical women whose work has been overlooked and also to “elevate the voices... Read More
February 24, 2021 | People | Janet Bauman
Angelika Dawson of Abbotsford, B.C., has been corresponding by mail with some members of her church during the pandemic. She is surrounded by some of the many cards and letters she has received. (Photo courtesy of Angelika Dawson)
In this time of isolation, some members of Abbotsford’s Emmanuel Mennonite Church are discovering the delights of a relationship based on the old-fashioned medium of handwritten... Read More
February 24, 2021 | People | Amy Rinner Waddell
Melissa Bollinger Seiling observes nature during a forest walk. (Photo by Deb Simpson)
Everyone knows how a good walk in nature makes them feel: relaxed and refreshed. Due to pandemic guidelines, though, many activities have been restricted, but walking is not one... Read More
February 24, 2021 | People | Maria H. Klassen
Michael Pahl, standing right performs a baptism at Morden Mennonite Church in 2014. (Photo by Larissa Pahl)
Michael Pahl Michael Pahl’s first month as Mennonite Church Manitoba’s new executive minister was a traffic jam of Zoom meetings and a steep drive around the learning curve. Pahl... Read More
February 24, 2021 | People | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
The ‘Lamenting Racism’ team, from left to right: Dave Johnson, Rob Muthiah, John Ragsdale, Tamela Kelly, Jessica Wai-Fong Wong, Abigail Gaines, Anthony Powell and Brian Lugioyo. (Photo courtesy of MennoMedia)
Racial injustice is a blight on our society, yet many Christians have been hesitant to speak up about racism. In Lamenting Racism (Herald Press, January 2021), a multiracial team... Read More
February 23, 2021 | Web First |
Members of several Anabaptist groups in Thailand met together for the first time on Nov. 25, 2020. (Photo courtesy of Pat and Rad Houmphan)
Living Water Church in Borabu, Thailand, was honoured to host the first Anabaptist gathering in that country from Nov. 25 to 27, 2020. Five Anabaptist missions organizations were... Read More
February 22, 2021 | Web First |
John Cornies with his grandson Henry at the Out-Spok’n Bike-A-Thon, MennoHomes Ride for Refuge in support of affordable housing. (Photo courtesy of the Cornies family)
“Leadership can be rewarding as well as lonely,” wrote the late John Cornies in his memoir. “I have, however, felt God's leading and calling in these endeavours. While I felt that... Read More
February 22, 2021 | Web First | Lisa Williams