Supporters of Grassy Narrows in Toronto on Sept. 27. (Photo courtesy of CPT)
Through the weight of ongoing struggles over logging, mercury poisoning and, most recently, mining, the people of Grassy Narrows First Nation in northwestern Ontario continue to defend their interests and make their voices heard.
(Art by Nick Schuurman)
With great hesitation, I pulled my car into the church parking lot. The winter morning was clear and brisk. After a short stop at a local coffee shop, Aaron and I had arrived at our destination: a local Mennonite church that was hosting a choir for “all abilities.” I had been warned about this event by the organization I work for.
Lydia Fawcett of Mennonite Central Committee B.C.’s End Abuse program. (Supplied photo)
Jesse Nickel is a professor at Columbia Bible College. (Supplied photo)
How to disagree well with fellow Christians was the topic of a forum held at Columbia Bible College (CBC) in Abbotsford, B.C., last month.
The Sept. 21 event, titled “Polarization and Disagreement in the Church,” was sponsored by the Faith in Today’s Church task group of Mennonite Church B.C.
Gerald Dyck (left) of MDS meets with residents of the burned-out town of Lytton, B.C. (Photo by Mark Rempel)
While Lytton, B.C., struggles to recover from a devastating fire that destroyed most of the small, remote village in June 2021, Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) stands ready to help.
(Unsplash photo by JK Sloan)
Editor’s note: In this six-part series for Canadian Mennonite, Kara Carter, lead pastor at Wellesley Mennonite Church in southern Ontario, will explore some of the things she learned while earning her PhD in pastoral leadership.
Little brown bats like this one took over cabin four at Camp Valaqua this summer. (Flickr photo by Ann Froschauer)
Things got a little batty at Mennonite Church Alberta’s Camp Valaqua this summer.
During spring cleaning at the camp, located an hour northwest of Calgary, staff discovered a maternal colony of little brown bats in one of the cabins.
Mark Olfert was raised to support those in need. (Photo by Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe)
Mark Olfert has always been passionate about helping people. He wishes the systems in Canada would do more to support people, too.
Olfert, 60, is an anti-poverty activist and a member of Hope Mennonite Church in Winnipeg, Man. He advocates for a guaranteed liveable income, something he says would have made a big difference numerous times in his own life.
Indigenous chef Sydney Keedwell speaks at Preston Mennonite Church. (Supplied photo)
On Sunday, September 24, members and friends of Preston Mennonite Church in Cambridge, Ontario, held a Three Sisters potluck. The date was chosen to commemorate The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, which followed a few days later.
Sarah Ens. (Photo by Lynette Ens)
Manitoba writer Sarah Ens has won the national ReLit Award (poetry category) for her book Flyway. ReLit is hailed by the Globe and Mail as “the country’s pre-eminent literary prize recognizing independent presses.”
One way that Peace Church on 52nd in Vancouver serves its local community is by hosting community dinners that are free and open to all.
Over the time it has been offering the dinners, the church, which is part of Mennonite Church B.C., has seen an increase in the number of people who come for food.
Joanne Moyer. (Supplied photo)
Joanne Moyer is looking for stories. Moyer, who is the associate professor and director of Environmental Studies and Geography at The King’s University in Edmonton, is undertaking a large-scale research project on environmental initiatives that involved Mennonites.
(Photo by Mortimer Mackenzie)
For Di Brandt, being a poet is a natural extension of her upbringing in the Manitoba Mennonite village of Reinland. She says the hymns of her youth were poetic, and poetry was part of sermons and family life.
(Photo by Amanda Pot)
(Photo by Amanda Pot)
(Photo by Amanda Pot)
(Photo by Amanda Pot)
(Photo by Amanda Pot)
(Photo by Amanda Pot)
(Photo by Amanda Pot)
(Photo by Amanda Pot)
“It’s so hard to explain something that feels so sacred to you,” Amanda Pot said when asked to describe Single Moms’ Camp at Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp in New Hamburg, Ontario. Pot has been running the camp for over a decade. “[It’s] absolutely exhausting,” she said, “but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Proclaiming the Good News: Mennonite Women’s Voices, 1972–2006 (book cover)
Esther Patkau
Debbie Bledsoe (Supplied photo)
Debbie Bledsoe began her role as a co-pastor at First Mennonite Church in Edmonton on August 23. Bledsoe, who is a recent graduate of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, describes her journey to pastoral calling as wrestling with God.
Ryan Wood (left), president and CEO of RJC High School, and David Epp, principal. (Photos supplied by RJC High School)
Students participate in RJC High School’s choir program. (Photo courtesy of RJC High School)
Four years ago, things were looking dire for RJC High School in Rosthern, Saskatchewan. Enrollment was the lowest ever, at 65 students. It had been slowly declining for 20 years, according to Ryan Wood. Wood, who served as principal previously, is now president and CEO of RJC.
Concerned citizens—including people from at least eight Mennonite Church Manitoba congregations—attended an ecumenical event in support of searching the Prairie Green Landfill. (Photo by Michael Pahl)
Mennonite Church Canada, along with the regional churches, has issued a statement calling on “all levels of government” to support a search of the Prairie Green Landfill near Winnipeg for the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, two murdered Indigenous women who are believed to be buried there.
Michael Young (in the orange T-shirt) stands with, from left to right: Barbara Young, Dylan Young, Cambria Harris and Kasyn Rapke. (Photo courtesy of Michael Young)
For David Driedger, who serves as leading minister at First Mennonite Church in Winnipeg, the Manitoba government’s refusal to fund a search for the remains of two murdered Indigenous women believed to be buried in a landfill feels like a continuity of a pattern.
Donita Wiebe-Nefeuld with her beloved horse, Ace. (Photo courtesy of Donita Wiebe-Neufeld)
Mission is the place where your passion and the needs of the world meet. Donita Wiebe-Neufeld’s passion for horses led her to participate in a unique fundraiser for Mennonite Central Committee.
(Photo courtesy of Facebook.com/CampSqueah)
Despite challenges including a fire ban and a staffing shortage, Mennonite Church B.C.’s Camp Squeah enjoyed a successful summer, according to camp director Rob Tiessen.
(Photo by Melita Rempel-Burkholder)
Mennonite Church Canada’s Palestine-Israel Network is inviting people to join its Palestine-Israel tour, scheduled for May 11-26, 2024.
If you’re passionate about peace wedded to justice, biblical perspectives on the land many call “holy” and the thriving of the global church, this may be the opportunity of a lifetime.
Local MLA Fred Tilley (second from left) presents a Nova Scotia flag to Ross Penner, executive director of MDS Canada; Ike Epp, MDS project director; and Roman Heuft, Cape Breton response coordinator.
For Amanda McDougall-Merrill, mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, volunteers with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada did more than repair homes damaged by Hurricane Fiona in Cape Breton.
John D. Roth, pictured in Waterloo last month during a meeting with the Anabaptism at 500 advisory group. (Photo courtesy of MennoMedia)
Local contributors to an Anabaptist Bible that is set for publication in 2025 met with the Bible’s advisory group last month.
The new settlement started by Low German-speaking Mennonites from Mexico is near Malanje, Angola. (Google Maps)
Several families from a Mennonite colony in Campeche, Mexico, arrived in Angola earlier this year to begin a new settlement in the African nation.
It is believed to be the first settlement developed by Low German-speaking Mennonites in Africa and could be the first such organized migration away from North and South America.
Kathryn Lymburner
On May 13, Canadian Mennonite Publishing Service (CMPS) held its 52nd AGM via video conference. CMPS is the non-profit body that publishes Canadian Mennonite magazine.
