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What is a Mennonite?
Last month I was sleeping in my hotel in Vietnam when loud karaoke music started playing outside. The music was so loud that I thought my window was open, so I turned the lights on to check, but no, the window was closed. I put my earplugs in, put my pillow over my head and…
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Driving Miss Darcie
A few weeks ago I sent a text to a friend who I hadn’t seen for quite some time. Although we’d been in touch several times throughout the pandemic, we were long overdue for a face-to-face visit. I had no idea that the timing of this text would set my schedule askew for the next…
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Camp really matters
The smell of pancakes on the griddle, the roar of laughter while trying new activities, and the joyful noise of campfire singing are forever etched in my heart. Summer camps and camp programming have long been a passion of mine. Although I didn’t grow up as a die-hard camper, camp-related experiences in my childhood, youth…
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New ventures in faith formation
Reflecting and reshaping is what I have been witnessing congregations doing in the ministries of formation. Across the board, in ministries that engage adults, youth, seniors and children, people are ready to venture into new territory. There seems to be a desire, perhaps prompted by new realities, to flex muscles that were awakened during the…
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Embracing diversity
One of the identified priorities for Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) is embracing diversity. With this priority, we articulate our intention to: “Invite and challenge the church to explore the variety and richness of God’s people. This will require transformation of our hearts, minds, policies and structures as we live out our calling to be…
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What exactly do regional churches and MC Canada do?
Annual congregational meetings are just around the corner, a time when budget lines designated for regional churches are often queried. I’m reminded that many people do not have the history or know the people who stand behind the dollar figures. I’m immensely grateful for the foresight of our elders who founded and supported, both financially…
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Jesus doesn’t stop where we think he should
I’ve probably preached half a dozen sermons on “Doubting Thomas” over the last decade or so. Thomas shows up faithfully in the lectionary readings each year after Easter Sunday. Thomas, the recalcitrant empiricist. There are many of us, I suspect, who silently nod along with Thomas each year. Thomas is our guy; he thinks for…
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Fun, smart and committed
One of my farmers annually invites me for a combine ride to educate this city slicker on “Ag 101.” It’s a thrill to watch the header of the harvesting machine munch through swaths, hawks diving behind us for mice. He’s a captive audience for my complaints and occasionally hits a badger hole on purpose. Good…
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Eco-theology: On Earth as it is in Heaven
Our shared home, planet Earth, is a miracle. I’ve known this intuitively since I was a child growing up under the expansive skies of the Saskatchewan prairies. Stunning sunsets, stars, aurora borealis, long winter nights and long summer days with brilliantly clear skies, thunderstorms rolling in from a distance. All of this was a source…
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Only together can we heal
A former Maoist rebel, a Muslim corporate lawyer, a conservative Baptist pastor and an Indigenous coffee farmer walk into a coffee shop . . . and sit down for a board meeting for PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. In Mindanao, Philippines, these people and others are part of the community that works together with Lakan and Lakambini…
