This past spring, Mennonite Church Alberta held its first in-person annual delegate sessions in four years. Representatives from across the province were in attendance. Who hosted this grand gathering? One of the smallest churches in the province: Springridge Mennonite.

Anabaptists around the world are gearing up to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist movement in 2025. To mark this historic occasion, MennoMedia’s Anabaptism at 500 project has announced the creation of a commemorative story book that will capture the diverse and inspiring stories of Anabaptist witness from around the globe.

When Gordon Janzen was searching for a way to unwind, he found it by looking up.

Around 10 years ago, the Winnipegger realized he was working a lot and didn’t have many hobbies. Looking to develop his interests outside of work, Janzen got a pair of binoculars and started birding.

I like telling stories. And I like trains. So when organizers of the “Memories of Migration: Russlaender 100 Tour” asked if I would join the cross-country train tour as a reporter, it wasn’t a hard decision to make. Yes!

On a bright morning in April, Eva Booker and a team of student volunteers rolled out a 25-foot-wide tarp across Grebel’s front lawn in preparation for the College’s recent green initiative: a pollinator garden.

The premise of the “Memories of Migration” Russlaender centenary train tour is a complicated one.

The July tour commemorated the journey of the historic migration of 21,000 Mennonites from Russia to Canada by taking a train and various other forms of transportation from Montreal to Abbotsford. 

While Jakob and Sascha lived in Khiva—near Ak Metchet—they witnessed the final fate of the Mennonite colony of Ak Metchet, founded by Claas Epp and his followers in the nineteenth century.

I find myself in the middle of living and I am faced with death. Although it was expected, I was still surprised when a friend of mine died earlier this year. Another dear friend of more than 30 years was diagnosed with stomach cancer and four weeks later he had died. I had the privilege of helping to plan and speak at his celebration of life. One of the benefits of his death is that I am seeing his partner again regularly. Through these experiences, I have learned in a fresh way that death is unavoidable.

I don’t get out much.

That’s true for my personal life. My wife and I are homebodies and we jokingly refer to ourselves as “indoor kids”—a nod to the kind of children who choose watching TV or reading a book over getting outside and running around.

I’ve been learning about waiting.

After avoiding it for three years, I tested positive for COVID-19 at the beginning of July—just in time to disrupt the return of the Grand Wallace Road Trip.

In his new book Shattered, Arthur Boers writes, “I realized that I never understood my father, our relationship, or even myself.” In this coming-of-age story, Boers explores his relationship with his father, trying to make sense of why he both feared and loved him. How did his father’s violence shape the person that Boers became?