MCC accused of inadequate response to sexual assault allegation in Mozambique
“I wanted to help people gain access to water,” Katie Moyer says of her motivation for taking an assignment with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Mozambique in 2016. It was her first job after earning an engineering degree from Messiah University in Pennsylvania, her home state. During her four years with MCC, Moyer worked on…
Diverse responses to Hockey Canada scandal
Like other Canadians, many Mennonites watch or play hockey. But in the wake of Hockey Canada’s recent sexual-assault scandal, some Canadian Mennonites are considering what it means to be a Mennonite hockey fan. Opinions differ. “It’s devastating, but it’s not surprising for me,” Curt Warkentin, the associate director of athletics at the University of Manitoba,…
A survivor of sexual abuse speaks out
Yet again, I read last month about another pastor, an Anabaptist leader at that, being accused of sexual misconduct. It was Bruxy Cavey, pastor of The Meeting House, a Be in Christ megachurch. I thought to myself: “yet again.” Our denomination, has also had, has, and will have, pastors among our congregations who will be…
Report names Jean Vanier as an abuser
On Feb. 22, L’Arche International released a summary report of the abuse investigation of their deceased founder, Jean Vanier. It concluded he had sexually abused six women over a period of 35 years. Vanier was a celebrated Canadian theologian and activist famous for his advocacy for people with developmental disabilities. He founded L’Arche, a community-based…
Intimacy is not an invitation to abuse
Every 17 minutes, a woman in Canada experiences sexual assault. Many times these women are assaulted by someone they know, sometimes even by someone they’re in a romantic relationship with. The latter was true for Jessica (a pseudonym), who grew up attending a Mennonite Church Canada congregation and agreed to speak to Canadian Mennonite anonymously…
