A cry for ‘no revenge’
Stephanie Martin had often led practises with the Pax Christi Chorale at Calvin Presbyterian Church in Toronto. But during one practice in 2015 she was drawn to a plaque on the north wall of the sanctuary honouring nurse Mary Agnes ‘Nan’ MacKenzie, “who after three years of service lost her life by the torpedoing of…
Rhubarb runs out
On the edges of Canadian Mennonitism lies a disproportionately rich literary tradition. Or perhaps it lies just beyond the edges of our community. In either case, despite the exceptional accomplishments of Mennonite writers, a magazine that has showcased their work died rather peacefully last fall. Rhubarb, which published 42 issues starting in 1998, notified readers…
Growing community, one song at a time
At a time when many churches and their choirs are dwindling, music teacher Kim Friesen Wiens created something amazing in Edmonton with the potential to help reverse both trends. Inspired by the legacy of a church kids club and using funds donated in her grandmother’s memory, Friesen Wiens brought together children from her church, First…
RJC performs Godspell
Every year, as part of homecoming and graduation weekend at Rosthern Junior College, the students present a large-scale musical. This year they performed Godspell by John-Michael Tebelak and Stephen Schwartz. Godspell has been around since the late 1960s and is based on the story of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew. Through parables and lessons,…
Decolonization through unsettling Scripture
Mennonite Church Canada recently released Unsettling the Word: Biblical Experiments in Decolonization, the latest of several publications that explore reconciliation and Indigenous-settler relationships. The book, edited by Steve Heinrichs and illustrated by Jonathan Dyck, is a collaboration of more than 60 contributors who engage with the Bible in a new way to confront Christianity’s role…
Serving in Japan as ‘ordinary people’
Retired missionary Mary Derksen didn’t start out to write a book about the 45 years she and her late husband spent as missionaries in Japan. But she has just completed the story of the couple’s ministry there: Rise and Shine! 45 Years in the Land of the Rising Sun. She describes it as “the story…
Not a ‘mirage’
Karen Scott Booth, head of Rockway Mennonite Collegiate’s Grade 10-12 visual arts program, exudes pride in the work of her students. “Mirage: An exhibition of visual art,” held at the school on April 24, 2018, showed why. Working in many media—acrylic on canvas, watercolour, printmaking of many kinds, multimedia, industrial design and drama—the evening was…
A must-see for all Canadians
Only in the last decade has the extent of Canada’s mistreatment of its Indigenous peoples been widely recognized. The most horrific example of this mistreatment was the residential school system that saw 150,000 Indigenous children taken from their families in an attempt to forcibly assimilate them into white Christian culture by driving out Indigenous…
Singing into the future
Music is an integral part of Mennonite worship. Whether it’s in church, at camp, at school or in everyday activities, songs have been faithful companions to Mennonites for centuries. They can get so invested in music that it can be a point of unification but also a dispute that causes tension and division. The importance…
‘That’s the Spirit’
Talking birds, paper and rose petal beads, walking jewellery, found-art sculptures. With these and other works, Carolyn Good’s recent show at the WalterFedy-Architecture, Engineering, Construction offices on Queen Street in Kitchener showed off her Mennonite roots of reusing and recycling. Good, a member of First Mennonite Church in Kitchener, has long worked with paper beads…
