Obituaries

Obituary: Peter J. Thiessen

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1931-2018

Thiessen-Peter-J
Peter J. Thiessen

Peter J. Thiessen passed into the presence of his heavenly Father on Dec. 8, 2018, at the Portage General Hospital at the age of 87.

He leaves to mourn his passing his loving wife of 66 years, Susie; his children, Mary Ann (Terry) Smith, Beverly (Leonard) Funk, daughter-in-law Debbie Thiessen, Jerry (Sherry) Thiessen, Randy Thiessen, Karen (Ken) Nicholls, and Laura McLeod; as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Cory (Dana) Thiessen, Ella, Owen and Hazel; Marcie (Jeff) Rudyk, Riley and Joshua; Kristen Funk, Tarryn and Noah; Tracy (Kyle), Sierra, Avery, and Michael; Jon, Derek; Alex (Colleen), Ashley (Curtis), Riley, Lucas, and Lexi; Kass (Michael); Kenneth, Huxley; Tessa; Laurie, Bailey, Brooklyn; as well as many extended family and friends. Continue reading Obituary: Peter J. Thiessen →

Columns, Kids' Corner

What Can You Do?

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by Loreena Thiessen

Now is a different time. It’s different because you and your family are together at home more than you have been. You are not at school.

You do your lessons at home, maybe through a video link or lessons sent to your house. Your teacher isn’t at school either. Your parents may work from home. You play at home. You watch church at home instead of going to your regular church building on Sunday morning. Continue reading What Can You Do? →

Columns, Window on Missions

What is Happening Now in Nicaragua? 

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By Pedro Luis Espinales with Ken Zacharias, Director of Global Outreach 

Pedro Luis Espinales, a pastor in the FIEMN, our sister conference, and member of the Anabaptist Emergency Committee, updated us on the pandemic’s effects on Nicaragua and FIEMN within it. Here’s his report with additional thoughts.

Nicaragua is vulnerable in health, economy, and environment. Since 2018 we have been in an economic recession because of the socio-political crisis. Many companies have closed and there are many unemployed people. Then COVID-19 arrived and it spread rapidly through Central America, affecting us with illnesses, deaths, and more unemployment. Continue reading What is Happening Now in Nicaragua?  →

Columns, Further In and Higher Up

A Cornered Cat or Hungry for Honey?

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by Layton Friesen

Christians have a complicated relationship with the law of Moses.
As far as we can tell, Jesus and Paul kept Moses’ law faithfully all their lives. For them this was part of how they lived their Christian lives. But in passages like 1 Cor. 15:56 and Rom. 7:5 the law is described as arousing sinfulness, goading it in almost demonic fashion. Continue reading A Cornered Cat or Hungry for Honey? →

News

Council Discusses Boards’ Questions

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by Terry M. Smith

WORLD—Conference council delegates on June 27, 2020, met by Zoom, heard updates on boards’ activities, and discussed questions proposed by the boards.

Welcome and Devotional

Moderator Barry Plett welcomed delegates to the Zoom meeting and encouraged them to view any video reports previously posted to avoid “redundant” questions. Tim Dyck, executive director, outlined the electronic process. Continue reading Council Discusses Boards’ Questions →

News

Ministerial Looks at ‘Pentecost, Pandemic, and Possibility’

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by Terry M. Smith

WORLD—The EMC’s ministerial on June 26, 2020, held its national meeting by Zoom, spending an afternoon where it listened to opening thoughts by the BLO chair and learned of coming events, heard five challenges based on Acts 2, met in small groups for discussion and prayer, and shared thoughts as an entire group. 

Continue reading Ministerial Looks at ‘Pentecost, Pandemic, and Possibility’ →

Canada, With Our Missionaries

Expectations: What Do Missionaries and Churches Say to Each Other?

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A missionary and their sending church need a strong family bond, and yet, like a family, can suffer from misunderstood needs and expectations. Each needs to communicate expectations and serve their partner well. Even a supporting church should clarify its expectations and might need to assume a larger role. If your church is welcoming a missionary for home assignment (HA) or sending a new worker, be open about your expectations. Circulate your commitments. Perhaps these examples will help. Continue reading Expectations: What Do Missionaries and Churches Say to Each Other? →

A Path to Peace, Columns

Getting Help Without Being a Gossip

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by Kevin Wiebe

Things were going just fine, or so you thought. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but what is? Then out of nowhere what you thought was going well just turned out to have been naive optimism, and now you get to be the next person to take your turn going for a ride on the conflict carousel. You don’t know what to do and you could use some advice, but you truly love the people you are in conflict with and don’t want to be spreading gossip about them. And, yet, you feel that if there is any hope for things to get better you will need to talk to someone. So, what do you do? How do you involve someone without becoming a gossip? Continue reading Getting Help Without Being a Gossip →

A publication of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference