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Learning about waiting
I’ve been learning about waiting. After avoiding it for three years, I tested positive for COVID-19 at the beginning of July—just in time to disrupt the return of the Grand Wallace Road Trip. Each year we pile the kids into our vehicle and drive hard from Saskatchewan to Montana to Michigan and back to visit…
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Executive road trip
It was a tour to remember: three days, seven venues, spanning Manitoba from east to west. Recently, Mennonite Church Canada Executive Minister Doug Klassen and I travelled around the province to meet with 45 pastors and other congregational leaders from 24 of our Mennonite Church Manitoba congregations. We wanted to know: How are our congregations…
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Where do transformation, inspiration and calling come from?
The book of Hebrews argues that nothing compares with Jesus. Jesus is the living God, the everlasting high priest and the redeemer of humanity. The author uses a metaphor of running an agonizing race to describe the believer’s call, a call to carry one’s cross and walk to Calvary to crucify all that is against…
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A plastic chair partnership
I was recently tasked with writing a “giving catalogue” that will highlight various activities of Mennonite Church Canada International Witness. For some organizations, this would be easy—one goat costs $15—but how do you reduce leadership development and mentoring, relationship building and the development of Asian-based, post-colonial peace theology into easy bite-size, or wallet-size, pieces? Part…
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Are pick-and-shovel prayers still tearing through God’s rooftop?
In Mark 2:1, Jesus teaches the word to crowds gathered at his home. (Most readers don’t realize this was likely Jesus’s house). Jesus didn’t want the crowds. In the previous verses he healed a leper and told him not to tell anyone. However, the healed leper couldn’t keep his mouth shut, which resulted in large…
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The idol of neutrality
During a Mennonite Church gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, some years ago, I decided to go to a local restaurant for lunch. I left my name tag and swag bag behind so that I would look less vulnerable to thieves, but I was so successful at hiding my foreign identity that I attracted another kind…
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Time to be a champion
These days I’ve been thinking about youth and the church. Connecting youth to the church is a passion of mine, and I’m fortunate that the wonderful people of Saskatchewan see fit to pay me to do this work. I am also fortunate to have had a number of people invest significant time encouraging me to…
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‘Camp shapes people’
I am looking ahead to my last summer as associate program director of Mennonite Church Manitoba’s Camps with Meaning (CwM) program; my last summer spent travelling to and from Assiniboia and Koinonia; my last summer training and supporting an amazing group of young adults; and my last summer watching staff, volunteers and campers make connections…
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Jesus and the 4 Cs
Have you ever heard of the 4 Cs? In education, the 4 Cs refer to 21st century learning skills including critical thinking, creative thinking, communicating and collaborating. In my role now, I have been thinking about how Jesus connects to the 4 Cs, and how they can connect to our work in the church and…
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Book recommendations from leaders
The regional churches have identified several key ministry areas which receive nationwide coordination and support from Mennonite Church Canada: International Witness, Indigenous Relations and Climate Action. Most regional churches have volunteer working groups in each of these areas. CommonWord, in turn, provides resources for these important conversations. Our novels and biographies, introductory references and…
