Volume 15, Number 1
New realities for Mennonite schools
The 10 members of the Canadian Association of Mennonite Schools (CAMS)—located in every province between Ontario and British Columbia—can all trace their lineage to a Mennonite conference or group.
A well-rounded education
‘Westgate . . . is a school grounded in the Anabaptist tradition. It is the mission of the school to provide a well-rounded education, which will inspire and empower students to live as people of God.’
Book launch aids newcomers centre
On Nov. 10, Greenwoods Bookshoppe hosted a book launch for Canadian literary legend Rudy Wiebe’s newest book, Collected Stories/1955-2010, at Edmonton’s Oldtimer’s Cabin, a log building maintained by the Northern Alberta Pioneers and Descendants Association.
From program partners to friends
Gillian Mayers, left, was mentored by Maggie Martens for six years beginning in 2002 as part of an intentional intergenerational program at Edmonton First Mennonite, Alta. Although the mentorship relationship is now officially ended, the two remain close.
It is not normally an unusual sight, good friends finishing each other’s sentences and laughing, except that Maggie Martens and Gillian Mayers have something special, perhaps even rare. They have a true friendship that transcends age barriers.
Gift bags go to women in need
Chris Buhler, Ashley Martin and Shirley Martin pack Christmas bags, a gift of Level Ground Mennonite Church, for residents of Peardonville House.
Christmas was a little merrier for women of Peardonville House treatment centre, thanks to some generous members of Level Ground Mennonite Church, Abbotsford.
The Prince of Peace is Jesus Christ
The Fractor.
Arden Thiessen, author of Keeping in Step With the God of Peace, preaches at Grace Mennonite Church, Brandon, Man.
Grace Mennonite Church is engaged in an ongoing and earnest conversation about the Anabaptist peace position.
The changing look of ‘peace’
Maria Krause, back row right, is spending a year working for MCC in Lusaka, Zambia, with the Millennium School Peace Club. Issa Sadi Ebombolo, front row right, is a Peace Clubs founder.
As a Mennonite, peace is a part of my everyday vocabulary.
I know it is a good thing—Jesus is the Prince of Peace after all—and I know that peace is found in right relationships, justice and grace. But what does peace look like, exactly?
Treasure in clay jars
This fall, a controversial exhibition in Winnipeg, Man., grabbed my attention. After weeks of plodding mindlessly past graphic advertisements with bold letters announcing “Bodies: The exhibition,” I belatedly clued in to the fact that the bodies in the exhibition were in fact very real, formerly live bodies.
Things I know
I was chatting with friends about the good old days. We recalled becoming independent adults and making our own decisions. We laughed as we reminisced about the wise decisions as well as the mistakes we’d made, consequences we’d survived and advice from parents that was usually right and sometimes ignored.
Gifts of the church for a New Year
How do we understand the “new” in this New Year?
That which is new isn’t always new, at least in the sense of having never existed before. Anyone who has worn a sibling’s hand-me-down knows how “new” can be a relative term. What is new for one person is old for another.
The past as prelude
As a people of hope, what should we, as a Mennonite faith community, expect on the road ahead in 2011?
If the past is prelude, as the adage goes, there are road signs, some of them giving helpful direction, others giving us warnings. At the risk of oversimplifying, we will deal with only three: cultural shifts, ecumenism and a new mission/service focus.
