Notable actions and Manitoba AGM
Delegates welcomed a new congregation into Mennonite Church Manitoba and passed a resolution to endorse a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty at the regional church’s annual gathering on March 1-2. More than 160 people, including 104 delegates from 31 of the 39 MC Manitoba churches, gathered at Emmanuel Mennonite Church in Winkler. Fanosie Legesse, who serves…
Life in the 80s
From southern Manitoba to B.C., and from Idaho to India, Bill Block had a long and varied career as a pastor. Along the way, he and his wife Dolores, who died in 2019, raised four children. Block, who is a founding member of Hope Mennonite Church in Winnipeg, spoke with Canadian Mennonite four days after…
Ojibwe tour of Mennonite reserve
Standing at an intersection of mile roads on the more-or-less open prairie near Neubergthal, Manitoba, David Scott explained how members of the Ojibwe Grass Dance Society once called that area home. “This landscape has changed so much,” he said, noting that he came to the area in his youth for ceremonies. That spot was one…
Watch: “Mennonites Put the Oba in Manitoba”
While there are Mennonites aulawäajen (everywhere) in Manitoba, Jeremy Giesbrecht and Darren Kehler of the Quonset Brothers have found that such is true internationally now that thousands of people have watched the video for their song, “Mennonites Put the Oba in Manitoba.” Written by Kehler to the tune of a classic country song, the lyrics…
Bluegrass band enjoying ‘a real music summer’
After more than two years of putting a pause on performing, Manitoba bluegrass quintet the Stanley County Cut-ups is finally playing again. “I would say that the cogs are back in motion for musicians,” says Jess Reimer, the band’s bassist. For the Cut-ups, this is a busy summer. The group has already played at multiple…
Paul Bergman returns with new single
It’s been more than five years since Paul Bergman’s last album, but the wait for new music is over. “I Just Want to Walk in the Dark with You,” a three-minute single from the southern Manitoba singer-songwriter, is out today. Bergman wrote the song almost 15 years ago. He recorded it during the sessions that…
Manitoba’s Winter Hour releases debut album
Manitoba musician Mike Wiebe released his debut album, You Made a Shadow, on May 31 under the name Winter Hour. He wrote the album’s 10 songs over a period of five years, starting in 2015. “Those songs all included my experiences in getting to know Winnipeg as a city, getting to know new people in…
Offline life during COVID-19
When the novel coronavirus pandemic hit, life went online. From school classes to fitness workouts to worship services, everything started streaming on the web. But what happens if you don’t have internet access? How are those Mennonites staying connected with their churches? “It is a little different without being able to go [to church]. We…
Writing that ‘really, really works’
Justin Rempel has been making up stories ever since he learned to write. The animals on his parents’ hobby farm near Gretna, Man., and the stories he heard while attending Sunday school at Blumenort Mennonite Church in Rosetown, Man., were his initial inspiration. “Very naturally, the first stories that came to me at 6 were…
Serving students and learning from mistakes
In addition to faculty and staff, student council members can play a key role in shaping campus life at colleges and universities. By advocating for their peers, planning social events and organizing service projects, these young leaders have a big impact on what goes on between and after classes. Canadian Mennonite spoke with the student…
