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MCEC welcomes five churches at annual gathering
Over 200 people from 75 of the 110 Mennonite Church Eastern Canada congregations attended the MCEC annual gathering at the UMEI high school in Leamington, Ontario on April 26 and 27. During the sessions, MCEC welcomed five congregations as provisional members, marked the 200th anniversary of two churches, discussed a major new study on youth engagement…
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Learning unity
As Christians, we are called to be in the world but not of the world. We are urged to be transformed and renewed by the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:2). Whatever the dominant culture in the world says to us is not who we are. Instead, we are a community of faith that has Jesus at the centre of our lives. I believe that Jesus Christ came to tear down the walls that divide people, and that the Holy Spirit unites us to be one in Christ. The intercultural church must reframe a new kind…
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Rehoboth inner Healing Church among five churches joining MCEC
For Paulos Berhe, being Anabaptist means taking what has been received from Jesus Christ and sharing it with others. He serves as pastoral leader at the Rehoboth Inner Healing Church (RIHC) in Toronto, a small congregation that will be among the churches officially joining Mennonite Church Eastern Canada at the annual gathering at the end of April. “It’s good to have an umbrella,” says Berhe about joining MCEC. He and other members of the congregation look forward…
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One more on unity and diversity
I’ve been writing this column for four-and-a-half years, and I’m sure I’ve used the same ideas more than once. In this, my last column, I return to the two core ideas that I get passionate about the most often. There is plenty of danger in a single story, and yet my story is not dissimilar…
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Seek the blessing of your city
“That’s great!” That is my usual response when I speak with individuals and churches who name a desire to engage their neighbourhoods more actively, or to be a mission presence in their community. And yet, at some point in every one of these conversations, I need to ask the question, “Why?” Why do you want…
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Victim or Perpetrator: What am I?
In the aftermath of an investigation by two Mennonite institutions, that found my late father guilty of sexual misconduct (June 7, 2021, page 24), I am trying to decide whether I am a victim or a perpetrator. My father, Frank H. Epp, died 35 years ago. I have lived longer without him than with him…
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‘He kept looking ahead’
David Martin is passionate about curling. He is competitive and once won Steinmann Mennonite Church’s version of The Amazing Race. He is a bit nerdy and techy, and he loves a great superhero movie now and then. As a pastor, he is a gifted worship leader and he is great at telling stories to children.…
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Three churches withdraw from MC Eastern Canada
Earlier this spring, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada released the following statement: “We announce with great sadness Kingsfield-Clinton and Kingsfield-Zurich Mennonite Church, Living Water Christian Fellowship and Maple View Mennonite Church have left the MC Eastern Canada family. After healthy conversation with leadership from each congregation, we mourn their leaving, and we bless and pray God’s…
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MC Eastern Canada appoints first intercultural mission minister
Fanosie Legesse has been appointed as the first intercultural mission minister of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, a new position within the regional church team. He will begin his duties on March 1. More than 20 percent of MC Eastern Canada’s 104 churches are newcomer or first-generation Canadian congregations. “Intercultural awareness has become a growing edge”…
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Three congregations leave MC Eastern Canada
In September 2019, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada reported: “We announce with great sadness that River of Life, Calvary Church Ayr (Mennonite), and Milverton Mennonite Fellowship [all in Ontario] have left the MC Eastern Canada family. After healthy conversation with leadership from each congregation, we mourn their leaving and we bless and pray God’s best for…
