EMC is grateful for the dedication and service of Ken Zacharias, who has served as Foreign Secretary to the Board of Missions, and more recently as Director of Global Outreach. During his 16 years of service, Ken supervised the expansion of EMC Missions into Guadalajara, Mexico and ministry in Bolivia. He also spearheaded the more recent expansion efforts to south Spain. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Ken and his wife Val and wish them joy as they enter retirement.
EMC is grateful to Andrew Walker for his eight years of service on the national office team. Andrew has provided graphic design and video production expertise to the communications team. He also served as Assistant Editor of The Messenger. Andrew is returning to school for further training in graphic design. We extend our thanks and best wishes to Andrew and his wife Aubrey in this new phase of their lives.
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has released the findings of its research on the organization’s historical entanglements with German National Socialism (or Nazism) and its legacy before, during and after the Second World War. Articles examining this history are available in the Fall 2021 issue of Intersections: MCC Theory and Practice Quarterly. Continue reading MCC releases research findings on historical entanglements with National Socialism→
INDONESIA—In multi-religious Indonesia, many people have never been inside a church. The pandemic is changing that for residents of Semarang (population 1.8 million) and surrounding area.
In coordination with the local government, police and military forces, the 2022 MWC Assembly host venue JKI Injil Kerajaan (Holy Stadium) is holding a vaccine clinic, dosing up to 8,000 people per day in a country struggling to vaccinate citizens amid a severe infection wave. Continue reading Only God Could Turn Disaster into Ministry→
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→
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.
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’→
The HavenGroup organization in Steinbach, Man., had its beginnings 75 years ago, caring for six clients in an old “invalid home” on Hanover Street. Today, the organization is poised to open its doors to a new 143-bed facility for seniors who need nursing care. In addition, it provides suites for 400 more seniors in five residences. Continue reading HavenGroup Celebrates 75 Years of Senior Care→
STEINBACH, Man.—Steinbach Bible College celebrated the graduating class of 2021 with a livestreamed celebration over April 23–24. In total, 38 graduates were recognized with seven Certificate of Biblical studies, nine Associate of Arts, and 22 Bachelor of Arts degrees.
With a third wave of COVID-19 looming in Manitoba ahead of the official graduation date, provincial restrictions in place with more likely to come, SBC was tasked with celebrating graduates while maintaining safety and adhering to public health guidelines. Continue reading SBC Celebrates Graduates of 2021→
On June 19, 2021, EMC Conference Council delegates met by Zoom to hear and discuss the work of the Conference. Among items shared is a church merger taking place in Calgary, Alta., between Abbeydale Christian Fellowship and Iglesia Emanuel. A church partnership is also forming between Kingdom Life Church (an outreach church plant for Syrian refugees) and St. Vital EMC in Winnipeg, Man. The details of what that partnership will include are still in process. Continue reading Cross-Cultural Church Partnerships Happening in Calgary, Winnipeg→
More than 100 people attended a Zoom meeting of the EMC Ministerial on June 18, 2021. Discussion took place and a vote was held on a recommendation from the Board of Leadership and Outreach (BLO) about women in ministry. Ultimately, the recommendation did not receive the level of acceptance it needed to pass. Continue reading Ministerial Hears From the Holy Spirit, Holds Women in Ministry Vote→
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