By Kevin Wiebe
Any one of us can take a quick look around us and realize that our world is full of conflict, darkness and pain. Beyond that, and perhaps as a result of that, I also believe that we all have a deep ache within our souls that longs for complete peace, for the blissful and eternal reign of God, who will remove all of our suffering and crying and pain. So what are some of the reasons there is such a need for peace in our world? Continue reading Our Profound Need for Peace
A Legacy for Landmark
By Merrilee Plett
LANDMARK, Man.—On Saturday, October 2, Legacy Children’s Centre celebrated its Grand Opening. It was a morning where years of dreaming and work finally came together!
In 2016, Heartland Community Church (HCC) asked the question, “How do we serve the community of Landmark in a tangible way?” As a community church, HCC believes we have a mission to reach out in our community. As we were challenged to “think big,” an idea was born to see what it would take to create a daycare. A team was assembled to research and develop a plan, with Marilyn Plett (my mom) as team leader. Continue reading Heartland Community Church
By Roddy Hamilton
Create a throne room for yourself here, O Christ,
but let it be the empty seat beside the anxious
the lonely chair next to the confused
the vacant pew next to the hungry
and reign, O Jesus,
as sovereign over the forgotten Continue reading Pastoral Prayer: Reign of Christ
by Jenaya Groen
WINNIPEG, Man.—Bang! Crestview Fellowship Church began September 2021 with many events!
To start, Crestview Fellowship hosted their annual Free Sale on September 11. Fortunately, restrictions allowed for this event to take place again, after having to take a break from it last year. The Free Sale ran from 8 a.m. to noon in the church parking lot. Continue reading Free Sale Allows Community Connections
Men Can Cook competition transforming a community in Zimbabwe
By Jason Dueck
All of Joseph Gudo’s hard work was summed up in one small plate of food. He’d laboured for months in the field and uncountable hours in the kitchen all in service to this dish—a neat pile of mashed cowpeas (or black-eyed peas), buoyed by a bold pinch of cayenne pepper and dressed up with pops of colourful diced tomatoes and green peppers. This was everything he’d been working for, his heart and soul on a plate.
That simple meal was the dish that won Gudo and his teammates the top prize in the very first Men Can Cook competition. It also cemented what he’d been learning all year—that cooking wasn’t solely a job for women. Continue reading The Great Mwenezi Cook-Off
The sacredness of the land beyond cultural boundaries
By Joshua Dueck
I remember the first time meeting the post-secondary student advisor from my home reserve of Fisher River Cree Nation, I had never met anyone from here before and I was nervous. I was nervous because for basically my whole life I have struggled with knowing how to identify. I was also nervous because I have never lived on reserve, and I struggled with knowing whether I would be accepted as one of their own or seen as an economic burden.
Those that know me well, know that I am not very touchy and certainly someone who avoids hugs at all costs. Though it feels like I have cried this whole week [Truth and Reconciliation week], probably most people would think I have no emotions either.
However, when I met my advisor, she embraced me; I remember just wanting to hold that hug and wanting to weep. My fears of being accepted were definitively abandoned. After regaining my composure, she said some of the most profound words I had ever heard: “Josh, you are from Fisher River Cree Nation. You are welcome home anytime. It is the land where your dead are buried.” Continue reading The Land Where Your Dead Are Buried
Volunteers needed for December 6 in Princeton
WINNIPEG, Man.—Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada is calling for volunteers to help with cleaning out homes in Princeton, B.C. following the catastrophic flood that hit that town in mid-November. Around 20 volunteers are needed by December 6 to help people in that interior community clean out their flooded homes.
The call comes after a visit to Princeton on November 23 by Ross Penner, Director of Canadian Operations for MDS Canada, and Walter Wiebe of Abbotsford, who is serving as response coordinator on behalf of the MDS B.C. Unit. Continue reading MDS Canada calling for volunteers to help with B.C. flood clean-up
A testimony to the effectiveness of fasting
By Darcy Sproule
Have you ever seen a vehicle where the dash in front of the driver is full of papers or books? It has scraps of notes, receipts, work sheets from a project or any other such thing cluttering up the top of the dash. While it doesn’t interfere with the driver’s line of sight, it does interfere with looking through the window. The reflection in the windshield distracts from seeing clearly ahead. Similarly, our lives can get cluttered—with things both good and bad. Continue reading Living on the Word of God Alone
By MCC UN/MWC
What Is God’s Kingdom and What Does Citizenship Look Like? Mennonite World Conference general secretary César García explored these questions in a book in the “The Jesus Way: Small Books of Radical Faith” series by Herald Press in February 2021.
Mennonite Central Committee’s United Nations Office asked him questions about the subject. This is a shortened version of an interview originally published in the May 2021 UN Office Global Briefing. Continue reading MWC General Secretary Says, ‘Politics Matters’
God calls for reform and renewal of churches in exile
By Terry Hiebert, Ph.D.
It started with a Bible study. Young families sensed God moving in revival. The good news of salvation in Jesus transformed their lives. Bible studies formed to discover the meaning of new life in Christ. Still, their church remained traditional and legalistic. Ministers resisted these new gospel songs and “born again” sermons. Eventually the young leaders started a church to proclaim Jesus for lost friends and family. Continue reading Church Renewal: Can These Bones Live?
