A video produced by two teenagers from Waterloo and Kitchener, Ont., won first place in the first Cornelius Krahn Mennonite Multimedia Contest for high school students.
Michael Born and Matthew Steinman created “Deepening Community Rap,” a five-minute video based on the book, Deepening Community: Finding Joy Together in Chaotic Times, written by Michael’s father, Paul Born. Along with collaborator Nathan Martin, they sing of hindrances to life in community and suggest ways to make one’s community life a richer experience.
A statement from Michael says, “I believe that community is the most important Mennonite value and that is why I am proud to be Mennonite. Community is why I associate myself as a Mennonite, and it is part of my identity.”
The rap’s refrain captures the vision for the video: “Caring for everyone in your life/working toward the end goal/making the world a better place/for every soul.”
The Cornelius Krahn Mennonite Multimedia Contest is run by Mennonite Life, an online journal published by Bethel College, Newton, Kan. In the past, the journal published winning high school contributions in the John Horsch Essay Contest. That contest was terminated in 2012, but the board decided to launch a new contest that accepts essays, creative writing, multimedia projects and original works of art or music on topics related to Mennonite or Anabaptist history, identity and theology.
The other winners in this year’s contest come from Albania and the United States, writing in the genres of poetry and fiction.
The video appears in the fifth annual issue of Mennonite Life (May 2014), which can be viewed at mennonitelife.bethelks.edu.
—Posted August 1, 2014
An article by Paul Born, “Deepening community,” appeared in the June 9, 2014, issue of Canadian Mennonite and is available online.
Michael Born (left), Nathan Martin and Matthew Steinman sing in their award-winning rap video.
Add new comment
Canadian Mennonite invites comments and encourages constructive discussion about our content. Actual full names (first and last) are required. Comments are moderated and may be edited. They will not appear online until approved and will be posted during business hours. Some comments may be reproduced in print.