Spring 2022 List of Books & Resources
Theology, Spirituality And If I Don’t: Reimagining the Single Life. April Klassen. Schleitheim Press, Kelowna, B.C., 2021, 130 pages. With frankness and honesty, the author explores what it means to be single in today’s culture, and what the Bible has to say about marriage. Although she values marriage, Klassen suggests that it is not…
Writer’s struggles offer reassurance to young mothers
When it comes to motherhood, Shari Zook asks, “Why don’t we get more training for the hardest job of our lives? Why do we feel that we have to do it alone?” Because she is so open and honest about the challenges of raising young children, this book can provide comfort and reassurance for others…
Podcast creator shares insights into his craft
Ken Ogasawara counts it a “sacred gift” when he is trusted with another person’s story. As he shapes that into a podcast episode, he is mindful of “doing justice to their story.” Ogasawara, who works on the community engagement team at Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Ontario, is the producer and host of Undercurrents, a podcast…
Book mixes Menno history, cocktail recipes
There are countless Mennonite cookbooks, but last month saw the debut of what is likely the world’s very first Mennonite cocktail book. Menno-Nightcaps: Cocktails Inspired by that Odd Ethno-Religious Group You Keep Mistaking for the Amish, Quakers or Mormons arrived on bookshelves on Oct. 12 via B.C.-based publisher Touchwood Editions. Written by Sherri Klassen, the…
What happens when we read together?
When my family moved to Canada, I was amazed to learn that the Canadian Broadcasting Company ran a reality show featuring—of all things!—books. Each year, the Canada Reads program selects five books it encourages Canadians to read, with each title being championed by a public personality. Over several months, CBC runs interviews with each of…
Digital corner
To watch “Who cares? The elderly among us… ” (length 1:27:30). In the light of COVID-19, a panel explores how the pandemic has challenged systems that care for elders and offers insight into the experience of seniors. Part of the Face2Face series offered by Canadian Mennonite University at cmu.ca/face2face. “Voices Together Launch III: For the…
New hymnal will be ‘part of the fabric of our lives’
It’s the result of an idea proposed over a decade ago and the culmination of more than four years of intense work. It includes close to a thousand hymns and worship resources that were chosen from a body of work more than 10 times that number. It represents the efforts of hundreds of Mennonites from…
Living at ‘home together’
Using the metaphor of home, a new book relates the history of the Menno Simons Centre, a residence community for university students in Vancouver for more than 30 years. ‘Home Together’ Home Together: Student Ministry at the Menno Simons Centre by Thomas Bergen was introduced at a virtual book launch on Oct. 24, with some…
Pastor channels love of stories into children’s books
When Kevin Drudge needed a children’s story for his church’s Sunday morning worship service, he decided to write one himself. But what began as a one-time occasion has become more than two dozen stories and a deal with a publisher. Kevin Drudge’s children’s books are fun, relatable stories with a simple yet meaningful biblical message.…
Fall 2020 List of Books & Resources
Theology, Spirituality Born Again and Again: Jesus’ Call to Radical Transformation. Megan K. Westra. Herald Press, 2020, 226 pages. Westra examines the meaning of salvation, calling for radical transformation of life rather than praying the sinner’s prayer. She discusses the Christian approach to such things as race and gender, politics, finances and attitudes toward creation. …
