Your Church at Work - CommonWord · Mennonite Church Canada invites you to share these Church at Work stories with your Congregation through your church newsletter, bulletin board,

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 3:11

Mennonite Church Canada invites you to share these Church at Work stories with your Congregation through your church newsletter, bulletin board, website or other communication avenue. They take no more than 2 minutes to read.

Your Church at WorkNovember 2015, Equipping #161

Book on Alternative Service says “This thing is in our blood”Conrad Stoesz, Mennonite Heritage Centre (MHC) Archivist, is passionate about pursuing peace. He loves sharing the story of conscientious objectors during World War II with audiences that have never heard it before. War commemorations, he says, tend to favour military activity. He says the experience and societal contributions of conscientious objectors is often overlooked by historians.

Conrad’s long-held convictions inspired him to contribute a chapter to a new book on the subject, Worth Fighting For, Canada’s Tradition of War Resistance from 1812 to the War on Terror (www.commonword.ca/go/283).

Stoesz led the creation of the award-winning website exploring the history of COs, www.alternativeservice.ca. He’d love to visit your youth and/or young adult groups, congregations, and adult education classes.

He can be reached at [email protected] or 1-866-888-6785.



Essays in Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry share a wide variety of sometimes conflicting voices about the lamentable clash between European and Indigenous cultures and explore truths we must understand as we move toward reconciliation. The book can be found at www.commonword.ca/go/282 and a free study guide is available for download www.commonword.ca/go/382

Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry becomes a theology textBuffalo Shout, Salmon Cry (Herald Press, 2013) is now a required textbook for the 2015 Toronto School of Theology course, Engaging Aboriginal Theologies.

It’s not the first time the book edited by Mennonite Church Canada’s Director, Indigenous Relations has been acknowledged by academia. Walter Brueggemann of Columbia Theological states, “Steve Heinrichs has edited a courageous and urgent book. The voices that speak here sound from outside the theo-political, social-economic domination system of our society. The book is an invitation to rethink both policy and attitude. Attention must be paid!”




CommonWord KidsOn Oct. 6, a group of toddlers, their mothers, and one grandmother joined Elsie Rempel to share God’s love through action, story and song at CommonWord – a new collaboration of Mennonite Church Canada’s former Resource Centre, and Canadian Mennonite University’s Book Store. Elsie, who is a mother and grandmother with many years of teaching experience serves as Mennonite Church Canada’s Formation Consultant. She’s passionate about bringing God’s love to the younger generation through an approach to worship they can relate to. This unique Tuesday morning opportunity is intended to sow seeds of faith and good relationships in Winnipeg’s CommonWord neighbourhood on Grant Avenue in Winnipeg.




Leaves of GratitudeMennonite Church Canada staff celebrated Thanksgiving last month by attaching leaf-shaped notes of gratitude to a tree fashioned from electrician’s tape in their lunchroom at 600 Shaftesbury Blvd. in Winnipeg, Man.

Leaves reflected personal gratitude for gifts such as God’s grace and forgiveness, friends and family, and extended to our congregational family noting our hard working pastors, international partners, volunteers and the opportunity to engage with the Truth and Reconciliation process.

“We’re blessed to be part of a diverse and active national church,” said Dan Dyck, Director of Church Engagement-Communications. “Our family is large, and we’re deeply thankful for every person who is a part of it.”


(L to R) Ryan Roth Bartel (Graphic Designer); Nyoman Klassen (Bookkeeper & Accounts Receivable Administrator); Elsie Rempel (Formation Consultant); Irma Sulistyorini (Communications Assistant, Mennonite Central Committee IVEPer from Indonesia); Gordon Janzen (Director, Asia, Europe & Middle East Ministry); and Willard Metzger (Executive Director) were among Mennonite Church Canada staff who shared leaves of gratitude to celebrate Thanksgiving 2015.



Metzger to attend UN Climate Change ConferenceFor Willard Metzger, creation care and concern for the climate are natural extensions of Christian faith. “When people are left hungry, thirsty and homeless, there is no justice and there is no peace. When we care for creation, we take fundamental steps toward peace.” Climate change is widely expected to increase poverty, challenge supplies of clean water, and make some parts of the earth unliveable.

The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) is sending Metzger, Mennonite Church Canada Executive Director and a CCC Vice-president to Paris, France from Nov. 30 - Dec. 11, 2015 as their representative to the United Nations Framework Climate Change Conference. In 2011, he attended the UN’s Climate Change Forum in Durban, South Africa as an unofficial observer for the World Council of Churches (WCC).


Mennonite Church Canada Executive Director Willard Metzger (far right) marched through the streets of Durban in support of climate justice with other people of faith at the UN Climate Change Forum in 2011. Photo by Kaitlin Bardswich.



Building equal opportunityThe church is thriving in Ethiopia, and Mennonite Church Canada is partnering with MKC Link Canada to help support that growth through student scholarships at Meserete Kristos College. Pictured above are just four of over 100 women representing women’s ministry groups of Meserete Kristos Church.

The College currently has a focus on graduating more female students. Ministry student Betelhem Zelek (not pictured) is grateful for the opportunity to study at Meserete Kristos College. After she graduates she says, “I intend to support my college financially and in whatever way I am asked as much as I can.”

Meserete Kristos Church is the fastest growing Mennonite Church in the world. Leaders project that by 2025, they will have one million members – double their current membership.


Four of the 100 women representing women’s ministry groups at the Meserete Kristos Church Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in Sept. 2015. – photo by Darrell Jantzi



Peace Scholarship for PeaceChurch activistPeaceChurch member Jeff Reyes is studying Psychology at a college in Manila, Philippines with the help of a Peace Scholarship from Mennonite Church Canada. Along with a very busy school schedule and high academic standards – he is on the Dean’s list – Jeff works part time to help his family while his Dad is recovering from an appendectomy. He comes from Tondo, the poorest area of Manila, and plans to bring has skills as a counsellor back to the community after graduation by opening a wellness centre. He is also a member of Theo Sa Kanto, or “God on the Street Corner,” a mobile worship community in Tondo closely connected with PeaceChurch.

PeaceChurch is the church plant of Mennonite Church Canada workers Darnell and Christina Barkman. PeaceChurch is the church plant of Mennonite Church Canada workers Darnell and Christina Barkman.


PeaceChurch member Jeff Reyes is a passionate Anabaptist and peacebuilder striving for a Masters in Psychology and a goal of establishing a wellness centre in Tondo, the poorest area of Manilla. He is studying with the assistance of a Peace Scholarship from Mennonite Church Canada. Photo by Fread De Mesa.



Ride for Refuge - Thailand raises over $13,000 onlineOn Oct. 3, 2015, forty cyclists on ten teams plus a large youth contingent from Saskatchewan raised over $13,000 online to support a neighbourhood outreach initiative from the emerging Christian community of Maliwan Mennonite Church in Khon Kaen, Thailand.

Poverty marginalizes many families in the community surrounding Maliwan, and pastoral leaders Christine and Tom Poovong, Mennonite Church Canada workers, strive to create sustainability for the church and the community through various business initiatives. Menno Nursery opens the door to interaction with neighborhood families and children and frees parents to explore income generating opportunities. It mentors community leaders and invites people into the church community and the way of Jesus.

Thank you for supporting Ride for Refuge and Menno Nursery! https://donate.mennonitechurch.ca/project/ThaiNursery


Listowel Mennonite Church Peace Pedallers (sic) aimed to raise $2,000 for Mennonite Church Canada’s Ride for Refuge on Oct. 3, 2015 and exceeded their goal by 40%. Way to ride, Listowel! Front, L-R: Julie Gallinger, Amanda Zehr, Claire Martin, Janel Hiemstra, Sharon Carter. Back, L-R: Arlin Martin, Jessica Martin, Dan Wideman, Sara Martin, Joel Reesor, Amanda Cleland, Cheryl Carter



Mennonite Church Canada contributes to national museum exhibitPart of a Mennonite Church Canada produced documentary is featured in a permanent exhibit at The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, in Halifax.

Nation to Nation: Honouring the Royal Proclamation of 1763 was produced in 2013 when a delegation of First Nation leaders and supporters visited London, England on the 250th anniversary of the Royal Proclamation – a document that remains relevant today. Steve Heinrichs, Director of Indigenous Relations from Mennonite Church Canada, was invited to join the delegation. A three minute clip from the film is part of the “Negotiating Settlement” exhibit in the newly-opened Canadian Immigration Hall at the museum.

The history of immigration is directly connected to the experience of Indigenous people in Canada. Pier 21 National Historic Site of Canada marks the location where almost one million immigrants – including Mennonites – entered Canada between 1928 and 1971.


Documents

Your Church at Work - CommonWord · Mennonite Church Canada invites you to share these Church at Work stories with your Congregation through your church newsletter, bulletin board,