Fall list of books & resources
(Graphic by Betty Avery)
Theology, Spirituality
Focus On Books & Resources
Mennonite leader offers approaches to polarization
J. Nelson Kraybill bluntly states that his book has no special formula that will save the church or the world from destructive polarization. Instead, it offers guidance on how individuals and congregations can navigate in the midst of conflict, using Jesus as the prime example.
Experiences of violence to be overtly named and resisted
Over the past several decades, a particularly painful and dissonant question has arisen within the Mennonite church: What is a faithful response to violence perpetrated by the church, especially one that professes to be a peace church?
Spring 2023 List of Books & Resources
Theology, Spirituality
Interest in women’s stories leads to novel about Mary
Lorne Brandt has authored a book on Mary, the mother of Jesus, entitled A Sword Shall Pierce Your Soul. (Photo courtesy of Lorne Brandt)
Getting into the mind of Jesus’ mother inspired a retired psychiatrist to write a novel about what Mary might have experienced during her son’s life.
Fall 2022 List of Books & Resources
Theology, Spirituality
Anabaptist Political Theology after Marpeck. Weaver, J. Denny, Gerald J. Mast and Trevor Bechtel, eds. Cascadia Publishing House, 2022, 262 pages.
This collection of essays explores the life and ideas of Pilgram Marpeck of the 16th century and reflects on Marpeck’s significance for the church today.
Sam Steiner’s memoir reflects on life
‘A Mennonite Draft Dodger in Canada’ updates personal stories from Sam Steiner's blog.
While working on his book In Search of Promised Lands: A Religious History of Mennonites in Ontario, Sam Steiner began writing a weekly online blog about his research, and occasionally he would include personal stories. In this memoir, A Mennonite Draft Dodger in Canada, he has expanded and updated those personal blog stories.
Author explains why he wrote ‘To Antoine’
Erwin J. Wiens
How does one go about writing a novel? For author Erwin J. Wiens, the idea for his book To Antoine came to him about 30 years ago and haunted him for about 10 years before he began to do some serious research. The first draft was finished nine years ago.
Novel examines Mennonite ethics in Second World War
‘To Antoine’ is a powerful story, according to reviewer Barb Draper.
E.J. Wiens has written a powerful story that explores the question of Mennonite collaboration with the Nazis during the Second World War. Hesets this question within the broader context of Mennonite history and helps the reader to understand the nuances and moral discrepancies faced by Mennonites who fled Russia (present-day Ukraine) in 1943.
Bridges over fences in Saskatchewan
It is heart-warming to read the stories in ‘Bridges Over Fences,’ writes reviewer Ernest Epp.
Bridges Over Fences provides in story form an impressive portrayal of first-hand experiences of non-Indigenous populations interacting with, and living next to and among, Saskatchewan’s Indigenous populations located on historically established reserves.
Pastors meet for coffee and books
Pictured from left to right: pastors Will Loewen, Bill Christieson, Caleb Kowalko, Ryan Dueck and Tany Warkentin enjoy coffee and a book at Blackwood Coffee Co. in Claresholm, Alta. (Supplied photo)
“We marked up our books like crazy with the things we wanted to talk about,” says Tany Warkentin, pastoral leader at Springridge Mennonite Church in Pincher Creek.
‘Our blood can change things in your country’
Disarmed: The Radical Life and Legacy of Michael ‘MJ’ Sharp
MJ Sharp, a young Mennonite peacemaker from the United States, was killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo five years ago. This book by Marshall King explains not only how and why he died, but it also tells the story of his remarkable life.
Not just a book of big ideas
Self-portrait of Jonathan Dyck.
Four panels on page 108 of Jonathan Dyck’s graphic novel Shelterbelts are stuck in my mind.
Overcoming the fear of not being believed
Jaymie Friesen (left) and David Driedger (right).
Guide for responding to congregational sexual abuse
Five years ago, a congregant of First Mennonite Church in Winnipeg asked David Driedger about church policy addressing sexual abuse and harassment between members of a congregation, following an incident with another congregant.
A peacemaker’s guide to Revelation
‘Upside-Down Apocalypse: Grounding Revelation in the Gospel of Peace’ will be available from Herald Press in July 2022.
Menno Media: Jeremy, your book Upside-Down Apocalypse is being referred to as a peacemaker’s guide to the Book of Revelation. What prompted you to write about Revelation?
Laughs at book launch
Manitoba humorist/author Andrew Unger introduced and signed books at an April 2 event at Abbotsford, B.C.’s, Mennonite Heritage Museum. (Photo by Wendie Nickel)
After several years of pandemic-induced Zoom book launches in B.C., satirist Andrew Unger winged his way to Abbotsford to face a living, breathing audience at the Mennonite Heritage Museum on April 2.
‘I wanted to know more about it’
Marion Roes’s book tells the history of funeral businesses in Ontario’s Waterloo Region. (Photo by Barb Draper)
This hearse, acquired by Chris Dreisinger about 1915, was the first motorized funeral vehicle in the area. (Photo courtesy of Marion Roes)
When Marion Roes began researching her family history, she came across some surprises connected to her family’s business. Intrigued, she tried to find out more about local undertakers, but there was almost no material available. So she began collecting information and doing interviews.
Spring 2022 List of Books & Resources
(Graphic by Betty Avery)
Theology, Spirituality
New digital resources for ‘Peaceful at Heart’
Mennonite Men has created an audiobook, study guide and a podcast/video interview series based on the 2019 book, ‘Peaceful at Heart.’
Peaceful at Heart was released in 2019 to present a vision of peaceful living as an alternative to the expectations for masculinity widely held by society. The goal has been to engage as many men as possible in this important conversation.
Fall 2021 List of Books & Resources
(Photo compilation by Betty Avery)
Theology, Spirituality
Retired church workers archive MC Canada history
Thousands of files languish in the basement of Mennonite Church Canada’s Winnipeg office, holding decades of history but forgotten by many. Jack, left, and Irene Suderman are bringing these records to light, reviewing and organizing them to be stored in the Mennonite Heritage Archives. (Photo by Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe)
Thousands of files languish in the basement of Mennonite Church Canada’s Winnipeg office, holding decades of history but forgotten by many. Irene and Jack Suderman are bringing these records to light, reviewing and organizing them to be stored in the Mennonite Heritage Archives (MHA).
Writer’s struggles offer reassurance to young mothers
The title of the book is never directly explained, but Zook finds herself licking peanut butter as a way of getting physical nourishment while rethinking the relationship between spirituality and the physical body.
When it comes to motherhood, Shari Zook asks, “Why don’t we get more training for the hardest job of our lives? Why do we feel that we have to do it alone?”
Because she is so open and honest about the challenges of raising young children, this book can provide comfort and reassurance for others who are feeling inadequate.
Podcast creator shares insights into his craft
Ken Ogasawara (facing camera), the producer and host of the podcast Undercurrents, interviews Ly Vang for Episode 10, which was just recently released. (Photo courtesy of Ken Ogasawara)
A screenshot of Ken Ogasawara’s timeline, in the middle of editing an episode of the podcast Undercurrents, which he hosts and produces as part of his communications role at MCC Ontario. (Screenshot by Ken Ogasawara)
Ken Ogasawara counts it a “sacred gift” when he is trusted with another person’s story. As he shapes that into a podcast episode, he is mindful of “doing justice to their story.”
Book mixes Menno history, cocktail recipes
Amateur mixologist Sherri Klassen is the author of Menno-Nightcaps. (Photo by Emma Klassen-Brulé)
There are countless Mennonite cookbooks, but last month saw the debut of what is likely the world’s very first Mennonite cocktail book.
Finding connection through communion cups
When Lois Siemens travelled to Ukraine, she took several communion cups with her. Pictured are two communion cups in a former Mennonite church in Petershagen. (Photo by Lois Siemens)
The first stop Lois Siemens made in her communion photo project was at Springfield Heights Mennonite in Winnipeg. Here the cups are photographed on a ledge overlooking the sanctuary. (Photo by Lois Siemens)
While photographing in Altona (Man.) Mennonite Church, Lois Siemens met a woman who told her she had kept her communion cup from the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) assembly that was held in Winnipeg in 1990. This image shows the woman’s MWC cup framed by the MC Canada cups. (Photo by Lois Siemens)
Peace Mennonite is a house church that meets at the home of Florence and Otto Driedger in Regina. Lois Siemens noticed that even in this house church there was a place for children. (Photo by Lois Siemens)
Communion cups photographed in the pews at Eden Mennonite in Chilliwack, B.C. (Photo by Lois Siemens)
Communion cups nestle among candles at Hamilton (Ont.) Mennonite Church. (Photo by Alissa Bender)
What does one do with a cracker box full of used communion cups? This was the dilemma facing Lois Siemens as she drove from Saskatoon to Winnipeg in July 2016.
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