August 2009

CMU builds chemistry lab; Oil-dependant lifestyle about to change; Regular churchgoers less likely to be suicidal; EFC to develop Code of Best Practice in Short-term Mission; Chinese government provides more openness and legal standing to house church Christians; German Christians “tweet” the Bible; Police raid on Russian human rights organization; New Direction Ministry creates synchro-blog; MCC Festival and Relief Sale; Word Guild awards gala, 2009; Joseph Scriven celebrated

The sound of gospel songs filled King Road MB Church, Abbotsford, B.C., June 14, for an evening of singing and learning about the songs popular in our churches in the last century. The event was sponsored by the Mennonite Historical Society of B.C.

When Katie Funk Wiebe stepped off the train to attend Mennonite Brethren Bible College in 1945, it was but the next step in a journey of discovery begun with her childhood in Blaine Lake, Sask. Many more steps would follow, through marriage, being widowed, raising four children alone, and her work as professor and well-known writer and speaker.

Introducing David Warkentin, Cam Priebe

Farewell to Rick Schellenberg, Susan Enns, Paul Morgun

Changes for Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba

A Piece of Forever
Author: Laurel Dee Gugler
When my children were younger, I was always on the lookout for good books to push their way or read aloud to them. Laurel Dee Gugler’s A Piece of Forever qualifies as a pleasurable reading experience but also conveys a “message” I believe in. It would definitely have landed on my list.

I’ve learned that often when I think I’m helping, I’m actually interfering.
That’s what happened one day in Colombia, South America. During the first year my husband, Harold, and I pastored a church in a barrio in Medellin, we were newly arrived from Canada and had never attended a Colombian funeral. But when a young man, our church member, suddenly passed away, we were in charge of conducting the service.

The ancient tradition of carving olive wood brings hope and fulfillment to Mu’in Al-Atrash, 24, a paraplegic man from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem.

In my new-found role as conference junkie, I’ve been hearing a lot about leadership development. From provincial conventions, to the Regenerate 21-01 process, to the encouragement of my own pastor, developing leaders is on the agenda.

Mennonites of all shades and stripes from around the world gathered in Paraguay for Mennonite World Conference, July 14–19.

She’s written six books and seen some of them translated into a half-dozen languages. She’s told stories young adults want to read. She’s won awards. She’s been a mom who wrote within a 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. window on school days.

Last summer, we were Gramma and Grampa B at Maple Springs Bible Camp, a Canadian Sunday School Mission camp on the western shore of Okanagan Lake, B.C.

The executive board provides overall direction, governance, and fiduciary oversight to the Canadian MB Conference. We want to put “a face” to the current board by introducing its members. We began last month, and continue this month with another 5 of its 20 members. Profiled are Ron Dyck, Nancy Boese, Ginette Rolland, Don Petker and Ike Bergen.

Culture through small acts
Author: Andy Crouch
Go and make something of the world! That is Andy Crouch’s new book in a nutshell.

I was born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam, with Chinese parents who worshipped ancestors, Buddha, and other idols. My father’s business was seized in 1975, when the Communists took over Saigon. In 1978, for the sake of freedom, our family escaped the country. We travelled by train to China, then spent 30 days on a 40-foot sailboat to Hong Kong. My first contact with Christianity was at the refugee camp when a pastor came to preach every Sunday.

On June 6, Cedar Park Church in Delta, B.C., staged its second annual Breath of Life Animation Festival, using cartooning and claymation workshops to intrigue both kids and their parents. Under the guidance of church member Ken Priebe, a faculty member at Vancouver Institute of Media Arts, church and community members were invited to learn how to draw a cartoon character, make clay models “move” for frame-by-frame storytelling, and do related skills. The event attracted nearly 100 participants.