Surely there are more of us
“If I’m here, surely there are more of us, and one of us just needs to start it.” With those words in mind, Rachel Reid decided to reach out to all the churches in Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) in hopes of starting a young adult network. Her home church—Hamilton Mennonite in Hamilton—doesn’t have a…
Spurring action with deep reflection
Two dozen young adults came together at Camp Squeah in Hope, B.C., for a weekend of listening, conversation, reflection and music to envision their future and that of the Anabaptist church. The June 7-9 “Young Adult Anabaptist Conference For An Active Future” involved participants from across Canada and the state of Washington, with most coming…
Canadian delegates sought for GYS 2021
Applications for young adult representatives to the Global Youth Summit (GYS), to be held from July 2 to 5, 2021, in Salatiga, Indonesia, are being sought by Mennonite Church Canada’s Joint Council. The theme of GYS 2021 is “Life in the Spirit: Learn, serve, worship.” MC Canada is looking for one young adult from each…
Youth panel explains what keeps them in church
Christian youth and young adults are seeking church spaces that are authentic, safe and open, but also supportive of their role in leadership. At least, that’s what five people who took part in a youth panel had to say at the 2019 Bechtel Lectures at Conrad Grebel University College, Waterloo, Ont., on Feb. 8. The…
Tending the in-between spaces
In the midst of significant structural change in Mennonite Church Canada, a group of Canadian Mennonite University students came together in December 2015 around the question, “Do young people care about the future of the church?” This initial gathering generated surprising energy among the participants. Soon a group of 15 of us began gathering over…
Forming intentional community with young adults
When Thomas and Terri Lynn Friesen met, Terri Lynn was a guest at the Burrow, an intentional community Thomas was living in with eight other young adults. This coming September, a few weeks before the couple’s second wedding anniversary, they will embark on a new adventure together: opening their Saskatoon home to form an intentional…
A biblical call—to justice and peacebuilding
Jessica Reesor Rempel enjoys bringing people together and helping them find meaning. She recalls an incident just before Christmas a few years ago, when she was thinking about going into ministry. She was home with her siblings and their partners on the family farm in Markham, Ont., and everyone was about to go for a…
‘The tensions of taking Scripture seriously’
Scripture is a massive, ancient, messy archive of God’s relationship with humanity that many claim to interpret correctly. But with such diverse understandings of the Bible, how can Christians approach it with humility while granting God’s words authority over their lives? How can young people take Scripture seriously in an increasingly secularized world? These questions…
The in-between years
Emerging adult: it’s a relatively new category to describe the life stage between adolescence and the adult they will become. They are no longer teens but are not yet fully independent adults. The term “emerging adults” usually describes young adults who don’t have children, who don’t have their own home, probably have not determined their…
A big fan of Jesus . . . the church not so much
A lot has been said and written about millennials: What’s wrong with them? What’s influenced them? What does their future hold? Google “millennials and the church” and dozens of articles pop up: “5 things millennials wish the church would be,” “12 reasons why millennials are over church,” or “Is Christianity dark enough for millennials?” So…
