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A global conversation through books
“Although each congregation has its own history and social and cultural background, it is common to experience the same sorts of conflicts, troubles and situations,” says Ellul Yongha Bae, a Mennonite church leader and publisher in South Korea. “[Mennonite World Conference] communications is very helpful to show that, as Mennonite churches, we have raised similar questions…
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Building resource connections
CommonWord is just over four years old. In that short time we have doubled our sales (reaching more than 10,000 retail customers last year), more than doubled the number of website users, and have continued to circulate half of our loan materials outside Manitoba—and increasingly to people outside our immediate Mennonite Church Canada and Canadian…
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‘It Takes Raindrops to Fill a Lake’
More than 50 years ago, Walter Paetkau founded Abbotsford Community Services (ACS), an umbrella organization bringing various local service organizations under one roof. From humble beginnings in a two-room office, today ACS is now the largest community services organization in the province, with 90 programs fostering community well-being and social justice that encompass employment services,…
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Remembering Rachel Held Evans
When Rachel Held Evans died on May 4 at the age of 37, it shocked the thousands of people who follow her work. Through her four books, blog, social media presence, speaking events and podcast appearances, Evans “challenged conservative Christianity and gave voice to a generation of wandering evangelicals wrestling with their faith,” as the…
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CommonWord shares books by the dozen
Still a hidden gem for some, CommonWord Bookstore and Resource Centre is a well of resources for the Mennonite community and beyond. One of the ways it shares these materials and guidance is through its “Cheaper by the dozen” program. This bulk-loan initiative lends 12 different resources to a church for an extended six-week period,…
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Readers ‘zoom’ to discuss Unsettling the Word
In a large city like Toronto, attending a church small group or Bible study may not be feasible for those with families or busy schedules. But Toronto United Mennonite Church has found a technological solution. Congregants recently completed a six-week book study based around Unsettling the Word: Biblical Experiments in Decolonization and conducted remotely by…
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Translation valuable to Swahili-speaking pastors
In mid-February, 50 Tanzanian Mennonite Church leaders, under the guidance of Palmer Becker, a Canadian Mennonite author and teacher, studied spiritual leadership, pastoral care and Anabaptist essentials using a translation of Becker’s book Begin Anew: Christian Discipleship Seminars. The training sessions were hosted by Bishop Chris Kateti of the Shirati Diocese of the Tanzanian Mennonite…
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From power to pathos
Peter M. and Susanna Friesen. “The story of Mennonites in Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union and the Soviet successor states is relatively short, beginning only in 1789. Despite this brief history, our memories of Mennonite life in this region are etched with deeply contradictory images. “On the one hand, we remember a resplendent culture marked…
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‘Called to be a church for others’
The August sky was an eerie brownish-orange as the morning news warned Edmontonians not to exert themselves outside. Thick smoke smelling of charred forests blanketed the city, and the air quality was so poor that even healthy young people stayed indoors. On a family vacation, we drove through heavy smoke in southern British Columbia, never…
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From anger to action
Shawn Klassen-Koop never thought he would write a book before his 30th birthday but that’s exactly what he’s done. The Winnipegger is the co-author, with Montana-based permaculture expert Paul Wheaton, of Building a Better World in Your Backyard Instead of Being Angry at Bad Guys. Due out later this year, the 200-page book offers practical…
