Purposeful and meaningful
The numerous staff changes at Mennonite Church Eastern Canada in the last year have been coming for a long time.
Mennonite Church Eastern Canada
Mennonites in Montreal aid refugees
Hochma’s worshipping space was repurposed as a donation centre for refugees. (Photo by Michel Monette)
Michel Monette
Not feeling safe in the United States, a young woman climbed on a plane and flew to Montreal with her children. But the U.S. is considered a safe country for refugees, so she was forced to return. Still afraid, she crossed the border into Quebec and ended up at Coalition d’aide aux réfugiés à Montréal (Coalition to aid refugees in Montreal), housed in the Hochma church building.
Evangelistic work still paying dividends today
Bible study in the Martins’ basement apartment in 1958. Pictured left to right: Pauline Reesor, Marc Reesor, Christian Chano, Deborah Martin, Harold Reesor and Mr. Chano from France, their first contact. (Historical photo courtesy of Tilman Martin)
Tilman Martin in October 2016, at age 89. (Photo by Dave Rogalsky)
Tilman Martin knocks on doors as he begins to plant a church in Montréal Nord in 1958. (Historical photo courtesy of Tilman Martin)
House in Ville Lemoyne on Montreal’s South Shore, where the Martins lived while studying French. (Historical photo courtesy of Tilman Martin)
Harold Reesor and Tilman Martin in chapel 1960 at 11123 L'Archeveque, Montreal. Harold built the pulpit. (Historical photo courtesy of Tilman Martin)
Pictured from left to right: Harold and Pauline Reesor, with Janet and Tilman Martin, holding their daughter Deborah, at the front entrance of the Institute Biblique de Montreal in Longueuil, where they studied French from 1956 to 1957. (Historical photo courtesy of Tilman Martin)
Pauline and Harold Reesor and Tilman Martin in basement apartment on Avenue Lamoureux, Montreal, in 1957. (Historical photo courtesy of Tilman Martin)
Picture taken after a morning English service at the chapel entrance in 1962; there was also an evening French service. The Martins, including daughter Deborah, are in the back row. Harold Reesor is at left in the front row. (Historical photo courtesy of Tilman Martin)
Tilman Martin turned 90 on Jan. 3, 2017. He is the last of the four original church planters sent from Ontario to Quebec in 1956 whose work continues to pay dividends to this day. The other original planters were the late Harold (d. March 12, 2017) and Pauline (d. April 6, 1980) Reesor from Wideman Mennonite Church in Markham; and Janet (Mills) Martin (d. July 29, 2002) from St.
Finding God in my neighbourhood
Brian Quan (left) pastor of the Toronto Chinese Mennonite Church, and MCEC assistant moderator, and Missions Minister Brian Bauman give a plant to Jonathan Abraham, pastor of the Shalom Worship and Healing Centre, to welcome the congregation as an emerging congregation in MCEC. (Photo by Dave Rogalsky)
Jordan Thoms, church planter from Toronto, is introduced by Colin McCartney who works with supporting and training church planters in under resourced neighbourhoods in Toronto. Thoms also released a CD of his Christian infused rap music which was produced with help from the MCEC Legacy Initiatives Fund. (Photo by Dave Rogalsky)
Fred Driedger, Janet Woelk and Debbie Janzen welcome MCEC delegates to Leamington at the beginning of the birding season at Point Pelee National Park. (Photo by Dave Rogalsky)
Church planters Lyne Renaud and Michel Monnette, a married couple from near Montreal, share their vision of a church in the highly secularized environment of Quebec at the MCEC annual church gathering. (Photo by Dave Rogalsky)
Stuart Murray, author of The Naked Anabaptist, encouraged Mennonite Church Eastern Canada delegates to become mobile temples, moving out of their buildings and into the neighbourhood to speak out the good news of God’s redeeming presence.
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