Volume 20, Number 22
No more closed doors
The pastors of Mennonite Church British Columbia got together recently in a closed meeting to discuss their response to the Being a Faithful Church 7 resolution passed at Assembly 2016.
Instilling faith at home
At times we have been both inspired and overwhelmed by the parenting books that crowd bookstore and library shelves. We have also found useful advice, and a dauntingly high bar, in countless parenting blogs and social media posts. This abundance of resources is one indication that we live in a society that takes child-rearing very seriously.
Readers write: November 7, 2016 issue
Philpott deserves better from us
Re: “Put not your trust in ‘princesses’ ” letter, Sept. 26, page 10.
I am irritated when the press and the public berate our government ministers for spending money on hotel rooms and taxis.
‘ReLearning’ community
As a Mennonite baby boomer, going to church was family reunion, Christian faith and social life all rolled up into one tight-knit package. Floradale (Ont.) Mennonite Church was my community.
Our heritage is . . .
Our family was invited to an Indo-Canadian family birthday celebration. A one-year milestone, particularly for a son, is a monumental occasion in our friend’s culture.
Expressing love with food
Fred Redekop often reminded his congregation that preparing food for others who may be struggling with illness or a death in the family is a way of showing love and care.
‘Swiss Mennonite’ cherry platz
When Floradale Mennonite Church planned a farewell event for our pastor Fred Redekop, this is a recipe we prepared.
(For the story that goes with this recipe, see “Expressing love with food.”)
Carwash
A 1978 car wash at Mennonite Brethren Bible College in Winnipeg, Man. Pictured, Don Wiens, right, soaks Adrienne Wiebe, left. Car washes, bake sales, quilt raffles, pie auctions, coffee houses, work days, cookbooks, and chocolate and cookie drives are methods that churches and church-related institutions have used to raise funds. There are so many good causes to financially support.
Making diamonds out of us
Often in the morning as I awake, God gives me songs which become prayers. Usually, it’s just a phrase or tune that causes me to search out the rest of the song and leads to a time of worship in the shower, or as I wait for the kettle to boil. I praise God for this gift. It was not always so.
MC B.C. divided on BFC7
“Who is MC B.C.? What kind of family are we and what kind of family do we want to be?”
Donna Entz has ‘a lot of sun in her bones’
Donna Entz, an outreach worker for Mennonite Church Alberta, has many friends in the North Edmonton communities in which she lives and works.
‘Social media: The good, the bad and the beautiful’
Paul Heidebrecht, left, the director of Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement at Conrad Grebel University College, discusses David Balzer’s presentation on social media with him during Rockway Mennonite Collegiate’s Spiritual Emphasis Week on Sept. 28. (Photo by Dave Rogalsky)
Selfies just might be God’s idea. Remember, you are smarter than your smartphone. What if virtue went viral?
Faith formation for leaders today
Spending half of Canadian Thanksgiving in the U.S. away from my family is not how I usually like to plan things. But this past summer as I was thinking through my fall schedule, the speakers and themes from the Deep Faith conference that was being planned at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind., kept coming back to me and drawing me in. And I’m glad I went.
The journey of a feather
Among many aboriginal people the eagle feather communicates respect, humility, courage and wisdom. Several years ago, I received an eagle feather as a sign of appreciation for my ministry at the prison in Saskatoon. I was honoured but troubled because the feather did not feel like it belonged to me.
Serving at the centre
Church planter Mario Marchand responded to being licensed toward ordination on Oct. 16 by reciting his vision for the church in Québec: “Jesus, the centre of faith; the community of faith, the centre of life; and reconciliation, the centre of our mission.”
Church growth the result of actions, not words
Recently, I have become curious about the life of the early church. What did its members believe? What did they preach and what did they practise? More to the point, what did they do that made the church grow? We read of no great missionaries spreading the Word after the time of the apostles.
Reaching out to help other people
Being involved on campus at the University of Manitoba is important to Johise Namwira. (Photo courtesy of Johise Namwira)
Johise Namwira, pictured with two of her students, Ester Nyelele, left, and Ephemie Sumaili, says karate has given her the confidence and drive to succeed. (Photo courtesy of Johise Namwira)
Johise Namwira’s acting credits include a role on the CBC adventure-crime show, The Pinkertons. (Photo courtesy of Johise Namwira)
Johise Namwira, 19, was born in the Congo. (Photo by Aaron Epp)
For Johise Namwira, being a student and being an activist go hand in hand.
Give a little means a lot
Two-and-a-half years ago, I took over a long-running column that appears in the Winnipeg Free Press. Each week, I write about a different volunteer in the city.
Devastation in Haiti: ‘Yesterday, we lost everything’
When rushing water of the River Gris, overflowing with rain from Hurricane Matthew, washed away Sarditren Dete’s and Antovan Enit’s houses and possessions, it destroyed their livelihoods too.
“Yesterday we lost everything: our chickens, our pig and our garden. This is how I eat, this is how I feed my children, this is how I keep them safe at night,” Dete said.
