Bus tour visits Stó:lō sites in B.C.
A nine-hour bus tour gave 30 participants a taste of the history of places that Indigenous people had inhabited for 10,000 years prior to the arrival of Mennonites in B.C. in the 1930s. The July 14 tour was guided by Sonny McHalsie, a cultural advisor and historian at the Stó:lō Nation’s Research and Resource Management…
Final motorcycle ride in B.C.
Five bikes with seven riders embarked on this year’s annual Mennonite Church B.C. motorcycle ride over a weekend in late August. Meeting in Chilliwack on the morning of Aug. 20, the group took Highway 1 to Cache Creek, then Highway 99 to Lillooet for the night. The next morning they returned to the Fraser Valley…
Advent 2021 a time of sharing in MC B.C.
Congregations in Mennonite Church B.C. have been observing Advent in various ways through December. Yarrow United Mennonite celebrated First Advent, the Sunday of joy, with a bulletin display set up in the church foyer. Church members could write what brings them joy on the display to share with others. At Cedar Valley Church in Mission,…
B.C. bikers continue annual tradition
A longstanding tradition continued on July 17 with the 14th annual Mennonite Church B.C. motorcycle ride, organized by executive minister Garry Janzen. Participants began with coffee in Chilliwack, then rode to Manning Park for lunch at Manning Park Resort, followed by a ride to the Cascade Lookout and Lightning Lake on either side of the…
In a time of uncertainty
With the spread of the COVID-19 virus prompting provincial health authorities to recommend social distancing, including public gatherings not to exceed 250 people, Fraser Valley Mennonite churches scrambled to react appropriately for the third Sunday of Lent on March 15. Mennonite Church British Columbia’s chair, Gerry Grunau, sent a letter on March 13 to all…
Living into a new imagination
Once upon a time, around 35 years ago, God brought into the world some new people. These people have grown up to love Jesus and follow him with all of their lives. They have also responded to the impulse of the Holy Spirit and God’s call to serve as leaders in the church. Some of…
B.C. congregations seek God’s voice in 2020
Congregations in Mennonite Church British Columbia are greeting the new year with efforts to deepen spirituality and to hear God’s voice more clearly through group study and Bible reading. Learning more about Jesus is the goal at Peace Church on 52nd in Vancouver for the new year. Members of the congregation are challenged to read…
Living in the best of times
The church in North America is shrinking. We see signs of it everywhere. God is pruning back his church. We have a choice to frantically hold on to all that is dying or to pay attention to what Jesus is doing and join in with his new growth initiatives. It is difficult to remember that…
‘A rich storehouse of treasure awaiting learners’
Scripture and community were the focus when Mennonite Church B.C. members gathered at Level Ground Mennonite Church in Abbotsford on April 14, 2018, for Reading the Bible Together. Resource person Tim Geddert, a professor of New Testament at Fresno Pacific University’s Biblical Seminary in California, called the Bible a “rich storehouse of treasure awaiting learners.”…
