The Messenger Index: 2015
AN EDUCATION APP
Know what? The delegate was absolutely right! (January)
Menno Simons in bite-sized pieces (February)
Three overlapping commitments (March)
Colin Morris: ‘Little black men with shrunken bellies call the Church’s bluff’ (April)
What makes a good church? (May)
The paradoxes of teaching (June)
‘Don’t teach me doctrine. Just teach me the Bible.’ (July)
The value of not over-stating ‘Anabaptist distinctives’ (August)
Reformation Sunday, a time for education (September)
Is the Church present if a minister is absent? (October)
Tri-Con producing new Christian Life book (November)
Christian Education is important in the EMC! (December)
ARCHIVES ALCOVE
Elizabeth Dirks, martyrs, and sadness (July)
I will miss Box 105! (October)
A READER’S VIEWPOINT
Like the criminal on the cross, Karlene Thiessen (February)
Fight for joy! Dr. David Johnson (June)
Woman with a mop, Wally Kroeker (July)
ARTICLES
Let’s Have a Passion for What Jesus Had a Passion! Charles Koop (January)
TRU provides an amazing sense that we are not alone! Adam Friesen (January)
Entering Your Story, Dr. Arley Loewen (January)
It Takes a Long Time to Decipher Where You Are! Ervin Dueck (February)
Needed: More Workers for Current Challenges, Ken Zacharias (February)
The EMC Has Vision! Tim Dyck (February)
Parade or Protest (March): What Are We Celebrating on Palm Sunday? Timothy Geddert (March)
Another Day: Awakening to An Explosion In Syria, Ibrahim Nsier (March)
A Hard Question Posted in Malawi, Cesar Garcia (March)
Because We Want to be Faithful to Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord! Darryl G. Klassen (April)
EMC Young Adults Retreat: Where Similarities Draw Us Together, Diana Peters (April)
My Journey from Fear to Freedom, Brigitte (Bouvier) Toews (April)
The EMC is everywhere! (photo collage) (April)
Mark Buchanan: what it means to be a person after God’s heart, Amelia James-Thiessen (May)
Faithful Ambassadors for Christ, Dr. Justin D. Cooper (May)
Feeling Stressed Out? Dr. Ron Dyck (May)
Humpty Dumpty Meets Salt and Light, Ray Hill (June)
Mutuality: a Journey as People of Faith, Irma Janzen (June)
Never Under-Estimate the Power of the Gospel! Elaine Bevan (June)
Mennonite Packrats: Why Excommunication Should Be Saved For Another Day, Layton Friesen (July)
Prayer: Who Answers Whom? Andrew Dyck (July)
The Birth of Anabaptism: a Movement of Religious Renewal, Dr. Valerie G. Rempel (July)
Time for a Spiritual Checkup? Dr. Ernie Koop (July)
Believers’ Christmas in Matthew 2, Nik Ripken (August)
Pursuit: Running Life’s Race, Gord Penner (August)
Choose the Way of Shalom, Ray Hill (August)
Persecution Non-Negotiables, Nik Ripken (September)
Entering the Other Room, Dr. Arley Loewen (September)
The Typhoon of Life, Ervin Dueck (September)
Insanity in the Desert, Nik Ripken (October)
The Pharisees: a Second Look, Michael Zwaagstra (October)
A Question Provided to an Answer I’ve Always Had, Russell Doerksen (October)
Erna Plett, Esther and Benny Goertzen honoured for missions service, Terry M. Smith (October)
Victorious Living in Persecution, Nik Ripken (November)
We Do Not Misbehave, But Do Right, Menno Simons (November)
Broken, But Willing, Dr. James Regehr (November)
Soon Peace Will Come: Christmas, Advent, and the Coming Saviour, Russell Doerksen (December)
Spirit-Heat to Thaw Your Freezing Blood, Layton Friesen (December)
The Apostles’ Creed: in History and to be Lived, Terry M. Smith (December)
Canada Needs Colleges Like Bethany! Dr. Rob Reimer (December)
AT THE MOVIES
Not A Fan: A Follower’s Story (June)
BEEN THINKING ABOUT
Who Rules Us (January)
Living in a violent world (July)
Success and failure (August)
Picture Butte celebrates 10 years (October)
Ministry from the Centre (December)
CHURCH NEWS
Brandon (March)
Braeside (May), (October)
Burns Lake (March), (July)
Creighton (June). (October), (December)
Crestview (February), (April), (July), (November)
Dauphin (March)
Heartland (January), (February), (March), (April), (November), (December)
Kleefeld (August), (October), (November) (two)
La Crete (February), (September)
Love in Action (July)
Many Rooms (August)
Mennville (April), (November), (December)
Mount Salem (July)
Pansy (September), (November)
Picture Butte (July), (October)
Pleasant Valley (January), (May)
Portage (April), (July), (August), (September), (October), (November), (December)
Prairie Grove (August)
Prairie Rose (June), (November)
Redcliff (January), (October), (November)
Ridgewood (May)
Roseisle (February), (September)
Rosenort FC (April), (November), (December)
St. Vital (January)
Steinbach EMC (July)
Straffordville (May), (July)
Swan River (February), (July)
Taber (November)
Westpointe (June)
Wymark (December)
EDITORIALS
Let’s proclaim the positive message of Christ! (January)
Christians are not tourists on Planet Earth (January)
Christian education is important! (February)
Apologetics is needed (February)
As Easter approaches (March)
Yes, let’s plant more churches! (March)
Local and wider ties (April)
Progressive churches and ancient practices (April)
Biblical literacy: a look at local leadership (May)
As shifts are made, what safeguards are used? (May)
Pentecost, CPC, and EMC (June)
Is a new Western Gospel Mission era possible? (June)
God is at work in his Church! (July)
‘Average’ Christians? (July)
On preaching at any time (August)
Reporting on religion (August)
Respect farmers (September)
Refugees and Canadian Anabaptist history (September)
What a time for input! (October)
The costs of war (October)
A rickshaw driver (November)
Bright minds, horrible weapons (November)
Christ and Cynical People (December)
Advent, Hope, and the Cross (December)
FOCUSING ON
The persecuted church in Nigeria (March)
An assumption about you (April)
Convention 2015 (August)
MWC Assembly 2015 (September)
FURTHER IN AND HIGHER UP
Scratching your neighbour’s itch (January)
Are you more spiritual than Jesus? (February)
The password to the promised land (March)
The Church at war with itself (April)
Rough sex and assisted suicide (May)
Weeping willows and sighing birch (June)
Jesus does not ask you to volunteer! (August)
Love and battle in the Mennonite world (September)
Who is at the head of the Table? (October)
Jesus freaks and the quiet in the land (November)
God’s One Word (December)
GENERATIONS
Plan to attend Abundant Springs 2015! (February)
Where Do You Belong? (December)
HERE AND FAR AWAY
The simple truth: all help comes from Christ (January)
Come weary! (February)
That is sure! (March)
Being super-natural people (May)
Because of Who He is (June)
The benefits of having your hands tied (July)
The Gospel: the best gift (August)
Avalanche (September)
The pursuit of happiness (October)
The Yoke (November)
Enjoying God (December)
KIDS’ CORNER
How do your hands communicate? (January)
What are you wearing to school today? (February)
What happens in (March) (March)
God’s Plan (April)
Whom do you trust? (May)
Reading feeds your brain (June)
Lessons from the forest (July)
Some things are better together (August)
How do you do a task you don’t like? (September)
Be Thankful (October)
Do Little Things Count? (November)
Christmas Words that Tell the Story (December)
LETTERS
Approaching the cultures around us, Tim Moore (February)
Comprehensive understanding needed, Brad Nance (February)
The power of grace, Olga Nahnybida (March)
Perplexed by ‘The Password,’ John Schlamp (April)
MWC travel subsidy, Tim Dyck (May)
EMC voice belongs with MWC, Ron Penner (October)
Faithfulness, not effectiveness, Bethany Matejka (October)
Beware of rewriting history, Brad Nance (November)
Questions impression given, Eric and Jennifer Isaac (November)
MISSIONS
Mexico: John Reimer (January)
Paraguay: Benny and Esther Goertzen (January)
Wisconsin/PNG: Kim Field (January)
Europe: Marianne Fast (January)
Papua New Guinea: Tim and Laurel Schroder (February)
Lesotho: Melvin and Kari Peters (February)
Europe: Menno and Lydia Plett (February)
Mexico: John and Connie Reimer (February)
Paraguay: Joanna Martens (March)
Wisconsin/PNG: Kim Field (March)
Central Asia: Flo Friesen and Merle Plett (March)
Africa: A Follower of Jesus (April)
Northern Man.: Kyla Plett (April)
Mexico: Diane Koop (April)
Bolivia: Caroline Krahn (May)
Burkina Faso: Terry Smith (May)
Guadalajara Prayer Team 2015: Gerald D. Reimer (June)
Mexico: Tara Wiebe (June)
Washington: Cynthia Barkman (June)
Papua New Guinea: Tim Schroder (June)
Canada: Terry M. Smith (June)
Winnipeg: Andrew and Amie Reimer (July)
Wisconsin/Papua New Guinea: Kim Field (July)
South Sudan: Gordon Skopnik (August)
Lesotho/Kenya: Melvin and Kari Peters (August)
Burkina Faso: Paul Thiessen (August)
Brazil/Canada: Dwayne and Shannon Klassen (August)
Ethiopia/Canada: Rolf and Angela Kruse (August)
NW Ontario: Albert Martens (September)
Northern Manitoba: Albert Martens (September)
Northern Manitoba: Albert Martens (October)
Northern Manitoba: Kyla Plett (October)
Bolivia: Caroline Krahn (October)
Winnipeg: Kent Dueck (October)
Ethiopia: Rolf and Ang Kruse (October)
Mexico: Connie Reimer (October)
Bolivia: Helen Froese (November)
Kenya: Kari Peters (December)
Mexico: Darryl Guenther (December)
Christmas Project Opportunities (December)
NATIONAL
Council approves zero-increase budget for 2015 (January)
EMC and PTS sign letter of understanding on Anabaptist Studies Track (January)
Ministerial looks at ‘Healthy Ministry Families’ (January)
New Leaders’ Orientation held on (November) 26–27, 2014 (February)
Abundant Springs 2015: in Pursuit Because of Christ (June)
Day focused on caregiving reveals a theme: The Golden Rule (August)
How wired are you? (September)
Magazine continues, but grant funding ends (September)
EMC General Board signs Statement of Intent (September)
Convention donations for 2015 (September)
EMC Ministry Awareness event held at SBC (October)
Yes, The Messenger will continue! (October)
Responding to terrorism in Paris (November)
The Messenger: delegates to decide among Plans A, B, and C (November)
NEWS ITEMS
Marpeck Commons opened at CMU Jan
MWC: a global ‘conference’ serving an expanding Anabaptist Church (February)
CMU grad (February)
Duck Dynasty, rural Bangladesh style (February)
BFL Pamphlet Series responds to common issues (February)
Supreme Court of Nova Scotia rules on TWU case (February)
Canned meat provides drought relief in Central America (March)
Pennsylvania 2015 at a glance (March)
CFGB: 12 projects worth $5.2M committed in January (March)
Through MDS love awakens hope (March)
CMU rates at top among 28 universities (March)
MHSC continues to tell Anabaptist story (March)
KAR: a church on the move (March)
An Anabaptist light in isolated Albania (March)
Livestock herders begin farming in Ethiopia (March)
Millions of people near major food crisis in South Sudan (March)
MHSC continues to tell Anabaptist story (March)
Through MDS love awakens hope (March)
Top ten countries for persecuting Christians (April)
SCC rules in favour of religious freedom in Quebec case (April)
MAID service goes live for MHSC (April)
CMU celebrates Class of 2015 (May)
Briercrest, Providence, CMU graduates (May)
CMU presents Jean Vanier with inaugural CMU Pax Award (May)
CMU announces two new masters programs (May)
Cindy Klassen, CFGB, MCC team up to end world hunger (May)
Simply Christian—Christian Mennonite Conference (May)
Panama leaders ask for prayer in land struggle (May)
Part-time registration opens for MWC’s PA 2015 (May)
Rethinking Sunday School (May)
MEDA volunteer auditor reflects on work in Ghana (May)
Providence University College grads (June)
EMC Video Resource Library to close by summer (June)
Eight Projects Worth $1.7M Committed in (May) (July)
MWC Assembly celebrates faith, cultural diversity (September)
Mukawa calls for reconciliation with God, others (September)
The MWC General Assembly was a wonderful experience! (September)
Inter-church relations marks MWC meetings (September)
LWF’s Junge: ‘Transforming power of reconciliation’ (September)
‘The Holy Spirit is wooing the whole church to witness and service’ (September)
Project Builders has an impact on EMC missions (September)
MCC Ottawa celebrates 40 years (September)
Family in Pakistan finds relief from hunger (November)
World Fellowship Sunday materials available (November)
Nicaragua food security learning tour (November)
OBITUARIES
Henrietta Margarite Friesen (nee Hamm), 1922–2014 (January)
Gertrude Friesen, 1921–2014 (February)
Pauline Penner (nee Unger), 1924–2014 (March)
Werner Barkman, 1952–2015 (March)
Agatha (nee Teichroeb) Froese, 1933–2014 (May)
Peter Braun, 1962–2014 (May)
Annie Plett (nee Brandt), 1925–2015 (June)
John L. Thiessen, 1929–2015 (August)
Tina B. Loewen (nee Eidse), 1928–2015 (December)
PEOPLE MOVEMENT
Allison Schneck, BOM (September)
Crystal Friesen, EMM (October)
POEMS
The Enigma, Brigitte Toews (March)
And I Love You Too, Anicka Loewen (April)
Alone, Barbara Plett (April)
The Kindness of Strangers, Stephanie Unger (July)
There is Room, L. Marie Enns (December)
STEINBACH BIBLE COLLEGE
Buchanan to speak at SBC Leadership Conference (January)
Student numbers remain strong at SBC (February)
Ben Dueck new director of advancement at SBC (March)
SBC MissionX 2015 students serve nationally and internationally (April)
Mark Buchanan: what it means to be a person after God’s heart (May)
44 graduate from SBC (May)
SBC hosts successful 5th Annual Golf Tournament (July)
SBC focuses on young people entering the workforce (July)
Pursuit: Running Life’s Race, Gord Penner (August)
EMC Ministry Awareness event held at SBC (October)
SBC excited by numbers, overall student life (November)
Ben Eidse shares a lifetime of insights in new publication (November)
Canada Needs Colleges Like Bethany, Dr. Rob Reimer (December)
SBC students replace student’s damaged guitar (December)
STEWARDSHIP TODAY
Transformation to generosity (January)
Why an offering? (February)
Year-round generosity (March)
A helping hand (April)
Magical thinking and church budgets (May)
A severe case of generosi-phobia (June)
Developing our generosity skills (July)
Having a will: communication is key (August)
Ripples of generosity (September)
Wholehearted giving (October)
Regrets on parting with my old bicycle (not really) (November)
Sometimes you need to receive! (December)
WINDOW ON MISSIONS
Getting Dusty: Ascend Internship Program (April)
Three projects to consider (July)
WRITINGS SHARED
A Pie Plate Pilgrimage, William Loewen (April)
Fierce Convictions, Karen Swallow Prior (May)
The Fabulous Reinvention of Sunday School, Aaron Reynolds (May)
The Unkingdom of God, Mark Van Steenwyk (July)
The Great and Holy War: How World War I Became a Religious Crusade, Philip Jenkins (September)