When Ramsy Unruh was informed that he had been awarded “Citizen of the Year” by the community of Oakville, Man., his first response was, “What for? What did I do?”
April 2011
New website promotes hydro debate; Anabaptist services work together; MDS eliminates 4 staff positions; CMU launches presidential search; Tsunami unleashed in Japan; TWU establishes chair in Anabaptist/Mennonite theology; Pakistan federal cabinet member targeted; Coca-Cola routes deliver medicine
I don’t know about you, but when I first became a Christian, I tried to have it all together so that I would be a good advertisement for the faith. I imagined myself a walking billboard, flashing “Believe in Jesus, and you too can have a perfect life!”
Mennonite German Soldiers: Nation, Religion, and Family in the Prussian East, 1772–1880Author: Mark JantzenMennonite German Soldiers offers a fascinating, carefully researched study of Prussian Mennonites during much of the 19th century. The author describes with exacting detail how persistent state and societal pressures coerced Mennonites into becoming “good German citizens.”
In what way is Jesus “good news” for someone trying to “find” herself? Where can one find stories of redemption and grace for a neighbour unfamiliar with the Bible? How do you share the gospel with “a good person” who doesn’t feel a burden of guilt for wrongs done?
Introducing Mark Wessner
As southern Sudan moves toward becoming the world’s newest nation this July, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) workers in the war-torn region see people’s jubilation in the outcome of January’s vote for independence – and a sense of the challenges in store, including poverty and financial instability, and a war-shattered infrastructure.
Spring is here and with spring comes new life and growth. Things are greener, more vibrant and colourful. Spring brings to mind thoughts of rebirth, renewal, and regrowth.
I suspect a lot of people would find this question quite amusing. For instance, the very notion of sin as an offence against a personal and righteous God now appears to have mysteriously vanished. Overreliance on technology and corporate greed are what really plague us; who needs a Saviour when you have a social activist? G. K. Chesterton once observed that confession without absolution was really what people were looking for; who needs a Saviour when you have Dr. Phil?
A new ministry in downtown Winnipeg is unfolding at an exciting pace. Rachel Twigg-Boyce, House Blend’s pastor and leader, is convinced that progress would be much slower but for the prayer – prayer that started four years ago among those with a vision for reaching the inner city with Christ’s love.
Just GrowingFive Door Films, 2010Produced by award-winning filmmakers Kevin Nikkel and Rob Haacke, the 10-minute documentary Just Growing introduces a garden project organized by the local chapter of Christian conservation agency A Rocha.
Canoe some 10 miles down the Swift Current Creek from West Bank Bible Camp in southwest Saskatchewan, and you find Brent and Colleen Eliason: Brent, behind the wheel of a John Deere tractor; Colleen, on her way to a substitute teaching assignment.
Many of us, when we look back on our student days, remember certain professors who, through their teaching ability or personal character, left an indelible and formative impression that lasted a lifetime. For me, one of those professors was Dr. Henry Krahn, president of Winnipeg’s Mennonite Brethren Bible College from 1974–82.