Irene Baergen honoured for work with newcomers
On December 5, Irene Baergen of Edmonton First Mennonite Church received the King Charles III Coronation Medal at Government House in Edmonton for her years of volunteer service with Edmonton’s Newcomer Centre (formerly, Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers). “My claim to fame is that the first organization meeting was held in our living room over…
Newcomer youth raise money for MCC
Edmonton newcomer youth from seven countries raised funds and assembled 131 hygiene kits for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) recently. Families who have fled their homes due to war or disaster struggle to afford simple necessities that are vital to health, especially during the pandemic. Students could relate. The youth, who have mostly been living in…
‘Mennonite’ ministry flourishes
In May 1981, the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers opened its doors with 1.5 full-time-equivalent employees, one classroom and a little office. It was started by six Mennonite churches in Edmonton that saw settlement services for newcomers were inadequate and felt convicted that God called them to welcome the stranger. Now the Centre has four…
