It takes a special kind of person to be a nurse. It takes someone who will stay up all night rocking and singing to a screaming child. Someone like Carly Penner who will respect diverse faith traditions and care for a child while their mother goes to say her prayers five times a day as required by the Islamic faith.
Fred Ritchie reads a peace book to great-grandson, Simon Clark. (Photo courtesy of Jake Buhler)
Charlie Clark, who grew up in the United Church tradition, listened carefully to the stories of his beloved Grandpa Ritchie on his fruit orchard in Naramata, B.C. The stories came from a gentle man who had seen war up close and who believed there was a better way to solving problems.
For Bruno Epp, school was an exciting place to be. Before he was old enough to attend the one-room Plum Hollow school next to his family's farm near Lena, Manitoba, he would slip onto the playground when the school kids were out and then sneak into class with them, staying until the teacher would notice him and shoo him back home.
It was a life-long dream of Frank “Carl” Peter Zacharias to be on the radio, said his daughter, Lisa Zacharias, in the eulogy she gave at her father’s funeral on May 2, 2012. That dream became a reality when he started his own radio ministry about three years ago. Zacharias Fetalt, was a half-hour weekly Low German program that aired from 30 radio stations in seven countries.
Forty years ago, four women in the southern Manitoba community of Altona opened a thrift shop to raise funds for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). It was the beginning of a network that has grown to 56 shops across Canada and 57 in the U.S. that have generated $167 million for the work of MCC.
Dusting off the Bible? Does that mean we aren’t using our Bibles, or is it an overstatement meant to capture our attention? Perhaps it implies looking at scripture with new eyes, learning to see beyond the familiar so that we can apply biblical teachings to life in today’s world.
According to Moses Znaimer, founder and CEO of ZoomerMedia Limited, “Everybody wants to live long, but nobody wants to be ‘Old’.”
Will it matter a hundred years from now? This is a question I have come to ask myself when I’m tied up in knots about a family or work situation. I find it to be especially helpful when I’m stuck on my perspective and having difficulty being open to others’ perspectives.
With a Canadian average life expectancy of about 80.7 years, many of us are—or will be—classified as “seniors” for the last third of our lifespan. Researchers on aging now claim people in North America live through more life stages as seniors than they experienced in the first third of their lives!
Mennonites can serve Jesus Christ . . . or Stephen Harper
Doug Klassen, pastor of Foothills Mennonite Church, Calgary, Alta., served as Pastor in Residence at Canadian Mennonite University in late January and early February 2012. His presentation about the role of men in society at the CMU Monday forum sparked lots of discussion. He reflected further on the topic in a sermon at Foothills Mennonite on February 12, 2012.
His voice was anxious. Member of Parliament Paul Calandra was on the other end of the line. From his office in Ottawa, he seemed uncomfortable with the interview, hesitating, from time to time, to answer my questions. There were several mixed messages.
Canadian Mennonite earned the top award given by the Canadian Church Press in an awards banquet here Friday, May 10, 2012, a recognition called the A.C. Forrest Memorial Award which is presented annually for “excellence in socially conscious religious journalism.”
