News & Stories

An image of part of the famous Khortitsa Oak, part of an art installation by Kandis Friesen at Waterloo Park. (Photo by A.S. Compton)

I sat in the shade of an oak tree on the first day of summer outside Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo and listened to a recording of the sounds of a spring morning at... Read More
June 29, 2023 | News | A.S. Compton

David Scott (centre) talks about an important Ojibwe gathering and ceremonial site on the banks of what is known in English as the Dead Horse Creek near Morden, Manitoba. (Photo by Will Braun)

Standing at an intersection of mile roads on the more-or-less open prairie near Neubergthal, Manitoba, David Scott explained how members of the Ojibwe Grass Dance Society once... Read More
June 29, 2023 | News |

Sydney River Protestant United Church in Sydney, Nova Scotia. (Supplied Photo)

“Everyone is excited—there’s a buzz in the air.” That’s what Dana Feltmate, the minister at Sydney River Protestant United Church in Sydney, Nova Scotia, said about hosting the... Read More
June 29, 2023 | News | John Longhurst

The Fairmont Château Frontenac, first stop on the “Russlaender 100.” (Photo by Billy Wilson, Flickr)

One hundred years ago, the first of 21,000 Mennonites who left the former Soviet Union boarded a train in Quebec City for new lives across Canada. On July 6, some of their... Read More
June 29, 2023 | News | Memories of Migration release, with files from CM Staff

Land acknowledgement quilt by Angela Hildebrand and Melanie Gamache. (Photo by Dietrich Schonwetter)

Land acknowledgments are usually spoken, but Angela Hildebrand was curious how they could be expressed in other mediums. “Being a very visual person, I resonate a lot with things... Read More
June 29, 2023 | News | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe

The home Cathy Abbott shares with refugees in Waterloo, Ontario. (Supplied photos)

Cathy Abbott remembers the preacher’s phrase that got her to consider taking a big step toward providing shelter for refugees arriving in Canada. It was 2015 and Canadians were... Read More
June 15, 2023 | News | Madalene Arias

Assistance provided by the Uman Help Centre, a partner of the Mennonite Centre in Ukraine. (Photos courtesy of Uman Help Center)

Parents in Molochansk, Ukraine, awoke one morning in May to a message from Russian authorities: “Dear parents: Evacuation has been announced at the school. Today, arrive at the... Read More
June 15, 2023 | News | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe

MaryLou Driedger drew on her own life experience to write her new book. (Photo by Aaron Epp)

There was no magic lamp or genie involved when MaryLou Driedger made her wish, just a felt tip marker and a famous pond. In 1991, the Manitoba writer’s family visited Walden Pond... Read More
June 15, 2023 | News | Aaron Epp

Dan Driediger with one of his 42-inch map printers. (Supplied photo)

When Dan Driediger closes his eyes, he sees rivers, rises and roads. His unique photographic memory comes in handy. Driediger is a cartographer: He creates, prints and sells maps... Read More
June 15, 2023 | News | Emily Summach

Seated (left to right): Henry Fast, George Epp, Edith (Koop) Krahn, Gertrude (Janzen) deKleine, Myrna Zacharias. Standing: Henry Schroeder, Richard Epp, Peter Neufeld, Harold Epp, Sigrid (Martynes) Warkentin, Guenther Toews, Rudy Dahl (partially hidden), Evelyn (Janzen) Roden, Peter Rempel, Violet (Schapansky) Atwell, Tony Funk, Art Hildebrand, Verna (Wiens) Ewert, Ken Rempel, Edna (Friesen) Koop, Elsie (Bergen) Epp, Caroline Martens-Clappison, Ruby (Isaac) Harder, Barry Toews, Mervin Dyck (partially hidden), Eileen (Epp) Ewert, Walter Klassen, Elsbeth (Epp) Moyer, Ed Bergen. (Photo by Henry Schroeder)

To the sounds of much laughter, along with moments of sadness, the Rosthern Junior College (RJC) class of 1960 met in Saskatoon on May 18-19 to mark 63 years since graduation... Read More
June 15, 2023 | News | Henry Fast

Pinegrove Place in Richmond, B.C. (Photo by Frank Dawson)

A little-known Mennonite mission, hidden away in a quiet residential neighbourhood on the flats of Richmond, B.C., celebrated its fortieth anniversary on June 7. Pinegrove Place,... Read More
June 15, 2023 | News | Andre Pekovich

Skies ablaze over the airtanker base in Edson, Alberta on May 5. (Photo by Art Koop)

Art Koop was cleaning up after teaching his last class of the day when the emergency alert blared from his cell phone. The message called for an immediate, mandatory evacuation. A... Read More
June 15, 2023 | News | Emily Summach

‘It’s always been about making space to listen,’ says Sarah Hodges-Kolisnyk, director at MHC Gallery. (Photo by Aaron Epp)

Sarah Hodges-Kolisnyk approaches art through the lens of storytelling. “My journey as an artist and a curator has always been linked to exploring the world and sharing stories... Read More
June 1, 2023 | News | Aaron Epp

When this vacant home was destroyed by fire, the MCC Furniture Thrift Store next door was forced to close for a month. (Photo by Aaron Epp)

A recent fire forced the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Furniture Thrift Store in Winnipeg to temporarily close its doors due to smoke and water damage. A vacant house beside... Read More
June 1, 2023 | News | Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe

Mennonites in a train car en route from Russia to Canada in 1923. (Photo by Arthur Slagel, courtesy of Mennonite Heritage Archives)

Nearly 100 years have passed since 21,000 Mennonites fled disease, starvation and violence in some of the same areas now experiencing war in Ukraine. Many came to Southern... Read More
June 1, 2023 | News | Sherry Sawatzky-Dyck
A serving of soup, with book discussion for dessert, are on the menu every Thursday in May and June as part of the Books and Borscht series at the Mennonite Heritage Museum in... Read More
June 1, 2023 | News | Amy Rinner Waddell

Anita Shevchuk is eager for a new future. (Photo courtesy of Anita Shevchuk)

When 19-year-old Anita Shevchuk found herself in the streets of downtown Toronto in the summer of 2022, she held onto her faith in God and her then-husband’s promise that... Read More
June 1, 2023 | News | Madalene Arias

People visit outside following a service at a Mennonite Brethren church in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of Congo. (Justin Makangara/MCC/Fairpicture)

Ever since survivors of brutal fighting in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo fled to the city of Kikwit in 2017, the Mennonite Brethren Church has been... Read More
June 1, 2023 | News | Linda Espenshade

Amanda has worked at The Raw Carrot since its inception nine years ago. (Photo Courtesy of The Raw Carrot)

A simple job creation project that started with two women’s concern for a young church member is now seeking new church partners to expand beyond its four current locations. It... Read More
June 1, 2023 | News | Diane Talbot-Schoenhoff
Mennonite Church Canada will provide grants to congregations that wish to upgrade their facilities in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Grants will cover 50 percent of... Read More
June 1, 2023 | News |

Yael, a Grade 7 student from Calgary, won third in the Original Artwork category for her piece, “The story of Christmas.” (Photo courtesy of Menno Simons Christian School)

Canadian Mennonite received seven awards from the Canadian Christian Communicators Association in May. Troy Watson received first place in the Column category for Life in the... Read More
June 1, 2023 | News |

Ernie Regehr (Photo courtesy of Conrad Grebel University College)

Ernie Regehr—a prominent Canadian voice on disarmament and peacebuilding for over 40 years—shared his unique analysis of the Ukraine conflict at Grace Mennonite Church in St... Read More
May 18, 2023 | News | Maria H. Klassen

Members of Shalom Worship and Healing Centre lead worship. (MCEC photo by Paul Schmidt)

At its annual gathering, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada welcomed new congregations, announced a break from status quo spending and heard bold challenges from Fanosie Legesse and... Read More
May 18, 2023 | News | Will Braun

Joan Perrott (left), Dolly Jeffares, Marah Rafih and Sana Almotlak at the 2020 Great Winter Warm-up event in Edmonton. (Photo by Donita Wiebe-Neufeld)

Decolonization, interfaith dialogue, intersectionality—these terms can feel heady and intimidating, but Suzanne Gross says they can all happen through the well-practiced Mennonite... Read More
May 18, 2023 | News | Emily Summach

Coffee beans drying outside at the Malipayon Peace Hub. (Photo by Dorothea Enns)

Over brunch on Sunday, April 23, at Niagara United Mennonite Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, two members of the church shared about the Mennonite Church Canada learning... Read More
May 18, 2023 | News | Maria H. Klassen

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