Opinion

Readers write: April 1, 2019 issue

Thoughts for the Easter season The season of Lent and Easter is a time of mystery and power. God is much bigger and more than a warm security blanket wrapping the Earth, and... Read More
March 27, 2019 | Opinion | Various Contributors

“A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Image by corinna-kr/Pixabay)

Interdependence

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12, NIV). Most likely, you have heard these words during... Read More
March 27, 2019 | Opinion | Jason Martin

Photo: Mennonite Archives of Ontario

Graduating class

This adorable, and very formal, group is the “graduating class” of the Steinmann Mennonite Church Kindergarten in Baden, Ont., in 1964. The Kindergarten was started in 1962 by the... Read More
March 27, 2019 | Opinion | Laureen Harder-Gissing

'I am bothered by the ongoing negative messages about aging. Even more so, I am bothered that I share them in some ways... Our dominant culture fears aging and devalues the aged.' (Image by Free-Photos/Pixabay)

Can we talk about ageism?

A Winnipeg winter has many pleasures: plentiful sunshine, thick river ice for skating, cozy cafés and a wealth of artistic treasures. A Winnipeg winter is also long and... Read More
March 27, 2019 | Opinion | Melissa Miller

'I pray that the church will wholeheartedly welcome every individual with open, gracious and caring arms and show the love of Jesus to each.' (Image by MetsikGarden/Pixabay)

Equally welcome

The other day I hosted a diverse group of women from church: some single, some widowed, some married with kids, some married without kids, some in their 20s and some in their 80s... Read More
March 27, 2019 | Opinion | Christina Bartel Barkman

'Confession isn’t about convincing God to forgive me. It’s letting God shine a light on everything that hinders me from becoming the person God created me to be.' (Image by Ralf Mühe/Pixabay)

Confession as a personal spiritual practice

This Lenten season I find myself reflecting on the spiritual discipline of confession. What does a healthy practice of confession look like both individually and collectively?... Read More
March 27, 2019 | Opinion | Troy Watson

‘Sometimes the vision for the trip hasn’t been very clear. Who’s driving this car and where are we going?’ (Photo by Rudy and Peter Skitterians/Pixabay)

Are we there yet?

Do you remember those family car trips? In the front seat, Mom and Dad are navigating, driving and planning for the next pit stop. In the back seats, kids are staking out their... Read More
March 13, 2019 | Editorial | Virginia A. Hostetler

Readers write: March 18, 2019 issue

Should Thrift Store purchases be ‘designated’ to First Nations communities? Re: “ MCC Canada cuts Canadian programs to focus on advocacy ,” Feb. 4, page 14. This article raises... Read More
March 13, 2019 | Opinion | Various Contributors

'To hear from each other about what ignites our imaginations is a great idea.' (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

Welcome to Gathering 2019

Mennonite Church British Columbia is excited to welcome the nationwide Mennonite church to Gathering 2019 in Abbotsford, B.C. The imagination of the church is still unfolding and... Read More
March 13, 2019 | Opinion | Garry Janzen

Photo: Klaas Brandt Photo Collections

Swords into ploughshares

“They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” These famous... Read More
March 13, 2019 | Opinion | Conrad Stoesz

'Donny’s life had obviously not been easy, as he displayed in her room with great anger and frustration... He hated school, he hated kids, he hated teachers, he even hated his own name.' (Photo by PDPics/Pixabay)

A friend tells a story

My friend Catherine* teaches at a community school in the core of our city. Given her experience and her skill set, she manages a classroom that is not so much age- or grade-... Read More
March 13, 2019 | Opinion | Ed Olfert

'As we seek to love our earthly home and the neighbours God has given us, maybe our task is not as impossible as we think.' (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

Moving beyond ‘climate grief’

Last December, unbeknownst to each other, my daughter-in-law and I bought each other bamboo toothbrushes as Christmas presents. Earlier in the year, she had heard me lament the... Read More
February 27, 2019 | Editorial | Virginia A. Hostetler

Readers write: March 4, 2019 issue

Author Miriam Toews a ‘two-trick’ pony Re: “ Modern ghosts of a horse-drawn scandal: Pt. IV,” Nov. 26, 2018, page 18. Unfortunately, Miriam Toews has only two themes she writes... Read More
February 27, 2019 | Opinion | Various Contributors

'We pray that a significant number of our dreams come to be fulfilled,' Vince Friesen writes. (Illustration courtesy of Pixabay)

Dreaming of possibilities

As we explore new possibilities in our journey with a new church structure, the Mission and Service Committee of Mennonite Church Alberta has been dreaming about possibilities in... Read More
February 27, 2019 | Opinion | Vince Friesen

Photo: Der Bote Photograph Collection

Canadian Women in Mission

These Saskatchewan ladies are hovering over baked goods at a sale circa 1964. “Ladies groups” have been significant organizations that have contributed to the social and spiritual... Read More
February 27, 2019 | Opinion | Conrad Stoesz

'If we are unable to speak of the crushing struggle that compels someone to end his or her life, we give it even more power,' Melissa Miller writes. (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

Can we talk about suicide?

A few months ago, a preacher at our church included suicide in his sermon. Philippians 1 was the text, where the Apostle Paul sets out his dilemma between preferring life or death... Read More
February 27, 2019 | Opinion | Melissa Miller

Church can be a beautiful way to be still and meet with the Lord, but it can also be a place where kids are fighting, stealing way too many cookies and running laps through the sanctuary, Christina Bartel Barkman writes. (Courtesy of Pixabay)

The beautiful chaos of kids at church

As a mother of four little ones, I find church can be pretty chaotic. For six years while living in Manila, our Filipino church gathered in our home while my kids played around... Read More
February 27, 2019 | Opinion | Christina Bartel Barkman

'When we come together to collectively recognize and respond to God’s presence in our midst, something happens that we don’t experience on our own,' Troy Watson writes. (Photo courtesy of MC Canada)

Worship as an act of loving God

I’ve run into a number of people who are “spiritual but not religious,” who have recently started attending church. They told me they skip the opening worship and just show up to... Read More
February 27, 2019 | Opinion | Troy Watson

Can church be more like camp?

Every winter, I hear a radio advertisement for a back-to-the-woods summer children’s camp in Ontario. The ad closes with the tagline, “You send us your child, and we’ll send you... Read More
February 13, 2019 | Editorial | Tobi Thiessen

Readers write: February 18, 2019 issue

Colombian reader moved by CM feature article Re: “ Holding hands with the FARC ,” Jan. 7, page 4. I read this story with tears and with profound sentiments. I’m part of a... Read More
February 13, 2019 | Opinion | Various Contributors

'Throughout the biblical story there is a direct correlation between our love of God and our call to love each other,' Ryan Siemens writes. (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

Deepening our walk with each other

During this past year, Mennonite Church Saskatchewan has focused on the theme of “Deepening our walk with Christ,” in the hope of increasing our openness to encounters with God’s... Read More
February 13, 2019 | Opinion | Ryan Siemens

Photo: David L. Hunsberger / Mennonite Archives of Ontario

Chesley Lake accordion

An accordionist serenades a literary society meeting at Chesley Lake Camp in Ontario, in 1949. Chesley Lake was the first Mennonite church camp in Ontario and one of the first in... Read More
February 13, 2019 | Opinion | Laureen Harder-Gissing

‘I think I saw yellow’

I drove to the nursing home to visit a dear old friend. She was sleeping when I entered her room, so I pulled up a chair to wait. Waiting would not be a chore. As I gazed at her... Read More
February 13, 2019 | Opinion | Ed Olfert

Bible commentary geared for younger readers

Reading the Bible can be challenging; it is a complex collection of books written thousands of years ago in different cultures. The Bible Unwrapped has easy-to-read explanations... Read More
February 13, 2019 | Opinion | Barb Draper

MW Manitoba committee members Larissa Pahl, left, and Elsie Wiebe were active participants in the Conversation Circles last fall. (Photo courtesy of Kathy Giesbrecht)

‘Conversation Circles’ offer encouragement, hope

Last fall, ignited by curiosity about what we would hear if we invited women to share their experiences of life within Mennonite Church Manitoba congregations, Mennonite Women... Read More
February 13, 2019 | Opinion | Kathy Giesbrecht

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