Amplifier of youth voices moves on
The end of summer 2024 also marks the end of over a decade of commitment to youth ministry for Kirsten Hamm-Epp, regional church minister for Mennonite Church Saskatchewan. The Manitoba native, now 34, took over the reins of the Saskatchewan Youth Ministry Organization (SMYO) in the summer of 2013 after graduating with an English degree…
Not your typical youth mission trip
“That was a test. True servants are always listening.” Jacques was our new friend. He was always barefoot and wouldn’t say how he had ended up living in his van, but he spoke six languages, and he enjoyed chatting with us about faith and making the world a better place. For a few days, he…
Young asylum seekers showcase art
“I’m always amazed at how quickly people dismiss the arts,” says Steve Norton, a pastor and film critic at Connect City Ministries, which is part of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada. He joined young artists from families seeking asylum for the Resonate Art Exhibition at The Don on Danforth in Toronto on June 23. A group of…
Eastern Canada churches discuss youth engagement
On Thursday, March 21, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada hosted an online forum to discuss youth engagement in church. Leading up to the forum, two MC Eastern Canada pastors shared about youth work. Ruth Boehm is pastor at Faith Mennonite Church, the smallest among three Mennonite congregations in Leamington, Ontario. Sometimes, she says, it feels like…
Watch: Youth ‘rattled by the radical’
“Shake: Rattled by the Radical,” a gathering for youth from across Mennonite Church Canada, wrapped up this past Thursday. Watch a five-and-a-half-minute video recapping the event below. Held at Shekinah Retreat Centre, north of Waldheim, Sask., Shake took place from July 28 to Aug. 1. More than 85 youth from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchwean and Alberta attended…
Young people invited to be ‘rattled by the radical’
Leadership from two of Mennonite Church Canada’s regional churches are inviting youth from across Canada to a gathering in Saskatchewan next summer. “Shake: Rattled by the radical” is happening from July 28 to Aug. 1, 2019, at Shekinah Retreat Centre, near Waldheim. The event will feature worship, learning and activities for young people in grades…
Equipping leaders at home and around the world
People often say that young people are the future. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is working with partners in Canada, the United States and around the world to invest in opportunities for young people to serve. It is committed to nurturing and developing the leadership skills of a new generation, with a focus on Anabaptist values…
Young people key to resilient church
Throughout its history, the people of the Vietnam Mennonite Church have never failed to demonstrate their resilience and their commitment to live out the peaceful way of Christ. First established in 1964 in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), the church went through many periods of hope, suffering and then restoration. And we have a…
Strengthening faith and soccer skills
When Sigifredo Godoy talks about living out his faith, he’s talking sweat and strategy—the commitment, knowledge and skills that shaped him as a professional soccer player. That’s what he’s now passing on to young men from some of the most violent areas of his home city, Cali, Colombia. “I’ve always thought that if God gives…
Making a difference
In the Bible, there’s a well-known story about Jesus miraculously feeding five thousand with only a few loaves and fish. That story inspired the Arnaud (Manitoba) Mennonite Church youth group in its quest to help make a difference for hungry people around the world, but its success wasn’t due to a miracle—at least not the…
