Palestine Israel Network Alberta Events

Join others to hear Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac and Rev. Dr. Jack Sara as they visit Alberta!

The Garden and the Table

I think maybe we could even use a single word to describe the lovely place beyond our control where things grow to provide for us outside our plans, like an offering of warm biscuits from a friend that goes with the soup: faith.

Buffalo Shout Reflections

Buffalo Shout is a small group at Foothills Mennonite Church exploring what a life of reconciliation means.

One-voiced Harmony

Altar calls and emotional worship music won’t save our churches, and neither will committee slates and four-part harmony singing. Jesus’ voice is the harmonization of the law, the prophets, and the epistles. We should listen to Jesus’ voice, not harmonize it with others.

A CMU Student's Reflection

At CMU I always knew that I had a strong support network, especially in residence. If I was in for a long night of studying for a midterm the next day, I could head over to the main residence lounge to work in solidarity with fellow students, or meet up with a couple of friends and help each other review.

A CMU Student's Reflections

... we always want to feel valued. Having a church body which supports us, believes in us, and loves us (enough to let us go, sometimes) means the world to us.

MC Canada endorses For the Love of Creation

MC Canada’s Joint Council has approved a recommendation from the Sustainability Leadership Group (SLG) to endorse the For the Love of Creation (FLC) - read the full story here to learn about our newest partner in Climate Action!

Jeff Schellenberg: Here, There, and Everywhere

Most of us who are at all connected with Camp Valaqua know, or at least have met, Jeff Schellenberg.  Jeff has been a constant, a familiar figure at Camp Valaqua as he has been the manager since 1996. However, he’s hard to get a photo of as he is here, there, and everywhere.

A CMU Student's Reflections

I was anxious to enter CMU at first. I made sure I had back ups for when (I did not think ‘if’) things went wrong and wound myself in defense mechanisms only to be beckoned out of my shell by the Creator’s people.

A CMU Student's Reflection

Being a part of MCA and MC Canada provides me with a faith community in which there are many opportunities to engage and interact. These interactions pave the way for spiritual growth and also form relationships with others in the community.

A Fond Farewell

Thank you to the pastors, leaders, and members of each of the MCA churches.
Thank you to our immediate church family, Bergthal.
Thank you to the Camp Valaqua staff.
Thank you to the MCA staff team.

“Nuggets for nudging” from the MC Alberta Bridge Building Network

What is happening in our communities during the summer months where we might have the opportunity to “show up” as guests, or welcome guests into our midst. 

How do we create or experience belonging in our spaces?

Food, Glorious Food

Thank you to those who have kept staff and campers well fed throughout the years! And to those who continue to do so.

Come let Us all Unite to Sing, God is Love

What songs are near and dear to your hearts, ones you call on in joy and sorrow, ones for praise, thanksgiving and petition? 

Roots on Six

For the past many years, I have been tasked with giving the refugee update through data and stories gleaned from UNHCR, MCC, and local sources.  It was my honor speak again this year, as MCA's Bridge Building Facilitator.  

Open my Eyes, Lord: Photography as a spiritual practice

A contemplative photography walk can be like the mud that Jesus put on the blind man’s eyes.

Energy Efficient Faith Buildings Webinar

FREE Energy Efficient Faith Buildings Webinar on June 14 @ 7:00pm CDT.

Making the world feel a little closer: RJC celebrates 20 years of student trips to Guatemala

This year marked the 20th time that RJC has taken a group of students for a learning and service opportunity in Guatemala. The first trip took place in 2000 when Lorne Friesen first had the idea. As a teacher Lorne believed that education was much bigger than just a classroom with textbooks. “RJC had the slogan ‘Education with a Plus’,” he says, “And I was hoping that plus included experiencing cultures much different than what we were used to as a way to help us better understand and appreciate the role we have in this world.”

“Mennonite” - A Word of Opportunity

“Mennonites? Aren’t they the ones who ride in horse-and-buggies”? This is just one of the many common misconceptions I have come across when I tell them that I attend a Mennonite Church and/or work for Mennonite Church Alberta. You’ve probably heard them too.

Peace Progress in Philippines

It’s been seventeen years since Dann and Joji Pantoja’s peacebuilding vision took hold in the violently conflicted island of Mindanao, Philippines. Now it is time to hand it over to other leaders.

Donation channels open for Malipayon Peace Hub

Mennonite Church Canada’s International Witness ministry is inviting donations to complete the construction of the Malipayon Peace Hub in Mindanao, Philippines.

Becoming Mennonite

I’ve often joked that my memoir will be titled Becoming Mennonite: The Emily Summach Story.
I became a member of a Mennonite church for the first time when I was 29. I didn’t grow up in an Anabaptist church, nor am I ethnically Mennonite. When people ask me how I found the Mennonite church, I used to tell them the story of a providential google search and a welcoming little congregation in rural Saskatchewan.

A Bridge Building Network

Did you know that MCA has a Bridge Building Network? 
We have only just begun, and anyone with an interest in Bridge Building can join.

MC Canada announces Emissions Reduction Grant

Mennonite Church Canada will provide grants to congregations wishing to upgrade their facilities with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).

Reflections on the LIVING HOPE Climate Conversation

Thank you to Mennonite Church Alberta and Manitoba for the opportunity to learn and grow in God’s creation and for putting it all together! 

Fast Food Joints and Worship Houses

Yesterday morning I greeted a homeless young man sitting quietly in a corner of our local McDonalds, a greeting which turned out to be a nice conversation.

A Taste of MCA!

"We had a wonderful time." Pastor Mezgebu Tucho, Bethel International (Ormo) Church

Created in the Image of God

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.  All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.  Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.1 Corinthians 13:12-13 (New Living Translation)

Dancing like a Twirling Warthog

“You Christians in the west are thinking your way into heaven, but we Christians in Africa are dancing our way into heaven!”  I don’t know about you, but I hope to do both, in a beautiful harmony of mind and heart. Perhaps we can get ready for this by swaying a little to the music this coming Sunday?

Tribute: Carl Epp

Dr. Carl Epp served the Mennonite Christian Hospital in Taiwan from 1972 – 1991.

The Spaces Between

“The real "work" of gathering - conversations and more conversations.”

I envision God looking over our gathering, blessing each group of two or three or more. I picture God’s joy for this time where we were living and being the community that God calls us to be.

Peacemaking emphasized in new storybook Bible

From beginning to end, the Bible reminds us that we are made in God’s image and that God’s table has room for us all. God’s presence and peace become real to children of all ages in The Peace Table (Shine, July 2023), a comprehensive family storybook Bible with artwork from 30 illustrators.

Kienna Krahn: An RJC Interview

Kienna Krahn is a first-year Grade 11 THRIVE student at RJC. Originally from Calgary, Kienna shared with us some of what she has taken away from moving provinces to complete her high school education.

2022: Latin America Transmission Film Released

The third production in the Transmission series focusing on creation care is ready for viewing.

What are you afraid of?

We’re all afraid of something, right?
Maybe it’s just something small we are not comfortable doing so we avoid it.

A Plot of Potatoes

Growing up on a farm near Pincher Creek, there was one constant which followed me from childhood to the present, a large garden.

A global church pilgrimage with Menno Simons

From a centuries-old church in Pingjum, Netherlands to a dim library in Tokyo, Doug Klassen tells stories of Menno and Mennonites in five countries.

Camp Valaqua Celebration Forest

For the past year or so a conversation has been taking place about creating a place at Camp Valaqua which would be available anytime to anyone wishing to spend time in this special place.
 
The concept of a “Celebration Forest” which would hold possibility for memorial benches, a labyrinth containing commemorative stones, and a fully accessible boardwalk is being imagined. An area has been identified and the trail for the boardwalk has been tentatively marked.

Unboxing Boxing Day

I spent Boxing Day unpacking boxes. I moved into my new condo six days before Christmas and was excited to make it home, after living out my suitcase for seven weeks.

Bridge Building in Edmonton

As we expand our intercultural and interfaith horizons, one area to look for opportunities to connect is through our local Indigenous organizations who often offer opportunities to join them in activities in their spaces. 

Community: A Core Conviction

Community is a core conviction of Anabaptist congregations. Becoming a part of Foothills Mennonite Church this year has drawn me back into a quality of the church that gives me life. I commit to not taking being together for granted because I know what it is to be apart.

The headline read, “So long, 2022, let us hope 2023 will be better."  

As we look back, may we recognize the many ways God has been with us, even as we anticipate God’s presence in the future to come!

The state of Christian Unity

Winnipeg – During the pandemic, Christian churches across various faith traditions have disagreed with public health orders restricting in-person gatherings.

It's Christmas!

As I watch my son’s joyful anticipation of Christmas, I find myself reflecting on it was like for those in Israel who were waiting centuries for the Promised One. Generation after generation, the prophecy of a Messiah passed down. Each generation hopeful that this coming would happen in their lifetime, but day after day, year after year and century after century…nothing.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2023

After a multi-year pause in participation due to systems restructuring followed by covid challenges, Mennonite Church Canada is again inviting regional church congregations to participate in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) from Jan. 18 – 25, 2023.

Actively Watching

“Do you see what I see?” (… do you see what I see? …)

In Praise of Beauty

We can’t live off flowers. Pretty pictures won’t cover for bad theology. But maybe our churches can benefit from seeing more beauty in our sanctuaries, in our homes, and in our relationships.

Sandy Plett hired as Climate Action coordinator

Mennonite Church Canada is pleased to welcome Sandy Plett as climate action coordinator, a position that will coordinate efforts across the regional churches to build understanding and action around and in response to the climate crisis.

Jonathan Neufeld welcomed as Indigenous Relations coordinator for Mennonite Church Canada

Mennonite Church Canada is pleased to announce the hiring of Jonathan Neufeld as Indigenous Relations coordinator, a role that will seek to coordinate and resource the regional churches in their relationship-building with Indigenous communities.

What if everyone said “No”?

What if everyone said “no?” How would we as MCA continue? How would our local congregations continue? What would be left of what we call “the church?” 

A Global Youth Summit Experience

It’s easy to forget the vastness of our global church community when we are geographically so removed from one another. And it can be daunting when we are confronted with linguistic, cultural and theological differences. But if there’s one thing I left Indonesia wanting more of, it was time together and more opportunities to learn from my church family.

My YL Experience

Hello! My name is Elijah, and I was fortunate to attend Mennonite Church Canada’s We Declare Gathering 2022 this past summer, which was my very first conference of any sort.

‘A Creative God’ resources explore visual arts in worship in intercultural Anabaptist congregations

New resources on visual arts in worship are available from Together in Worship (togetherinworship.net), an online collection of worship resources from Anabaptist sources.

The Fear for God

“God, I know this is kind of rude, but what about ___________???”

MC Canada Witness and PIN networks co-host lecture series by Bethlehem Bible College

MC Canada Witness, together with Palestine Israel Networks from four regional churches and eight theological schools and seminaries across Canada is hosting an lecture series offered by Bethlehem Bible College (BethBC) over the coming year.

Philippines Learning Tour January 2023

Mennonite Church Canada is pleased to announce a Philippines learning tour from January 12-22, 2023.

MC Canada welcomes Sarah Wood as cross-cultural intern

Sarah Wood is excited to travel to Thailand to serve with Witness workers Tom and Christine Poovong and the Friends of Grace Church Association network.

New titles chosen for Common Read

Mennonite Church Canada, MC USA and Herald Press have chosen three new titles for the 2022–23 Common Read. Beginning with When We Belong by Rohadi Nagassar in fall 2022, the Common Read will continue in January 2023 with Grace Can Lead Us Home by Kevin Nye and Finding Our Way Forward by Melanie Spring Mock in April 2023.

Called to Bridge Building

I am honored and humbled to be writing to you as your new Bridge Building Facilitator. We have discerned together that the work of expanding our circle is important work that requires guidance, imagination, and courage to step into new spaces! I invite prayers as we embark on this work in all of our varied Mennonite communities as Mennonites in Alberta!

Statement and from MC Canada’s Executive Ministers on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

‘When the table is set, go’: an interview with Edith and Neill von Gunten

Since the release of their book Walking Together: Intercultural Stories of Love and Acceptance, earlier this year, Edith and Neill von Gunten have been busy.

South Sudanese students sponsored by MCA arrive at the Meserete Kristos Seminary

These two men are a wonderful answer to prayer for the South Sudanese Mennonite Church in Ethiopia (and in Edmonton) who have been trying to find help to disciple their people for many years. And MCA is part of making it happen!

MennoMedia seeking 500 study groups for Anabaptist at 500 Bible project

In preparation for the 500^th anniversary of Anabaptism in 2025, MennoMedia, MC Canada and MC USA’s publishing ministry, is looking for five hundred study groups from various Anabaptist communities across North America, to participate in creating the first-ever Anabaptist Bible.

MC Canada joins MCEC's call to prayer for people of the East Coast

We call our family of faith to pray for the people on Canada’s east coast in the wake of tropical storm Fiona, one of the strongest ever to hit Canada.

Gerald and Rie Neufeld called to be ‘relationship catalysts’ in Japan

Mennonite Church Canada is pleased to announce Gerald and Rie Neufeld as “relationship catalysts,” fostering connections between the nationwide church and Mennonite churches in Japan.

Empty Pockets

But sometimes my pockets come out empty, the only evidence of having been worn will be coffee dripped into a careless lap or mud on the hems from the short walk to and from my office at the lodge. At these times I note that the absence of detritus and wonder what I was thinking as I walked or where my eyes were cast as to not notice the bits of out of place colour on our camp’s grounds.

Mennonite Church Canada Joint Council approves addendum to policy on ministerial misconduct

Mennonite Church Canada has approved an addendum to the Ministerial Sexual Misconduct Policy and Procedure (MSMPP) that clarifies terms, policy and procedures regarding non-sexual misconduct incidents, what it terms “ministry conflict.”

International Witness Sunday - October 16, 2022

Join congregations across our nationwide community of faith as we celebrate International Witness Sunday on October 16, 2022. This year we consider the question, “What is in your hands?” What has God given you and your congregation to use to bless your community and strengthen the global Body of Christ?

God Sightings

Fall is a time when I see God Sightings everywhere.

Mennonite Church Canada encourages donations to Transmission film series

Mennonite Church Canada encourages donations to a film series about Anabaptists from around the world.

A Message worth Declaring

Our ongoing faith is not dependent on fancy theological explanations, but must be empowered by our stillness in Presence of Almighty God! Here is a message, and it is worth declaring – in many and varied ways by now in many cultures.

Every Journey is an Adventure with God

“Every journey is an adventure with God, there is always joy in being part of adventures with God.”  Words of wisdom from Siaka Traoré, a well-known and respected leader from Burkina Faso, as he described travelling, in early May, 2022, with a delegation from the Evangelical Mennonite Church of Burkina Faso from Orodara, Burkina Faso to Bamako, the capital of Mali.

Foothills Mennonite Guest House

The first guest arrived at the Foothills Mennonite Guest House (FMGH), Calgary, Alberta, in October 2007. The last said goodbye at the end of June 2022.

How Do We Declare?

The word “evangelist” literally means, “bringer of good news.” We have good news to share. The good news that Jesus brings freedom and joy as we grow into a personal relationship with God, and the good news that Jesus inaugurated God’s reign of peace and justice.

Tears and Tears: Gathering 2022

Tears and tears. As a church, according to one of our speakers, we are an emergent people. We are becoming. We are not a static entity but a wild, free, evolving, organic body. 

I Cannot Wait!

As we all know, when a child is excited about something, there is very little you can do to still their mind (or body). I often forget what it is like to be filled with such eager, childlike anticipation for something, but this year I have been reminded of what that feels like because, I too, have been experiencing those feelings in the lead-up to Gathering 2022.

God has kept me alive for a Purpose

"Pray for me – If God wants to use me here, or if God wants to take me home.”

What is a Story?

What could be a story from our congregation that would be of interest to others?

Gathering 2022 Report Book now available

Now available through CommonWord.

Song commissioned for Gathering 2022 blends virtual voices from across Mennonite Church Canada

"Greater Than These" was commissioned by Doug Klassen for Gathering 2022, We Declare: what we have seen and heard in Edmonton, from July 29 to Aug. 1.

Random Closing Thoughts and Queries on Intercultural/Interfaith Relationships

How do you seek to see and experience God’s image reflected in your neighbour, at home, at school, in grocery stores, in community gatherings?

The ART of Hope

Poverty is the name we give to this condition. When we think about poverty, we usually think about a lack of money and the things it can buy. But is the goal of reducing poverty simply to make people better consumers? Or is it to envision a different world where all people can flourish? Perhaps such a world is what Jesus envisioned when He spoke of the “kingdom of God”. Seeking that kingdom, He said, is the key to God’s provision.

Mennonite Church Canada leadership approves updated Operating Agreement

Mennonite Church Canada’s Joint Council approved updates to the Mennonite Church Canada Operating Agreement at its latest meeting on June 8, 2022.

Mennonite Church Canada announces Young Leaders Experience at Gathering 2022

Ten young adults from across the nationwide church will take part in the Young Leaders Experience (YLE) at We Declare: what we have seen and heard, Gathering 2022 in Edmonton, from July 28 to Aug. 1.

A Journey of Hope

If we are making adjustments towards living as if in the peaceable kingdom, there is hope of moving in the right direction, even if the steps are small along the way.

MC Canada invites congregations to register for virtual We Declare for discounted rate

Mennonite Church Canada is offering all of its member congregations a discounted registration fee of $150 to view Gathering 2022 sessions on August long weekend. Individual registration fees have also been reduced to $75.

Reflecting God's Image

“Im“Imagine a room covered with hundreds of thousands of mirrors on the walls and the ceiling. Everywhere is covered by mirrors. Mirrors in different shapes, mirrors in different sizes, mirrors in different colours. agine a room covered with hundreds of thousands of mirrors on the walls and the ceiling. Everywhere is covered by mirrors. Mirrors in different shapes, mirrors in different sizes, mirrors in different colours."

A Design for Living

My work and commitment is to engage and to adapt, and yet never waver in its principles.  What a beautiful Design for Living!

Wedler Graduates from Seminary: Congratulations!

ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) — Adela Friesen Wedler of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, graduated from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), Elkhart, Indiana, on April 30, 2022, with a Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies. She plans to continue volunteering in her congregation and in area churches, seeking to apply her seminary learnings there.

Wedler previously earned a Bachelor of Education with a major in Music from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and a Licentiate in Music in Piano Performance from the Western Board of Music, also at the University of Alberta. Her home congregation is First Mennonite Church of Edmonton, a congregation of Mennonite Church Alberta of Mennonite Church Canada. She is married to Mel Wedler; they have two married adult children and five grandsons.

“How we move with our bodies for or against others—all of that matters deeply”

John Boopalan, assistant professor of biblical and theological studies at Canadian Mennonite University, will be the first guest speaker at We Declare: what we have seen and heard, Gathering 2022, in Edmonton this summer.

MC Canada caught up with him to find out what’s on his mind these days when it comes to the “good news,” and how his research ties in to the big questions that inevitably come from discerning just what the “good news” really is.

A Day for Spiritual Leaders - July 29, 2022

Mennonite Church Canada welcomes spiritual leaders across its nationwide community of faith to a special one-day event at Edmonton First Mennonite Church on July 29, 2022.

Connecting Communities: RJC students visit Calgary Chin Christian Church

From May 2-6 RJC students set out on their Alternative Learning & Service Opportunities (ALSO) week. This time of experiential learning is intended for students to practice the lessons of service, community, and peacebuilding that are taught in the classroom out into the world. This year three groups traveled to Oliver, B.C., Saskatoon, SK, and Calgary, AB.

Mennonite Church Canada donates $50,000 to MWC Assembly Fund

Mennonite Church Canada is donating $50,000 to help Mennonite World Conference meet its expenses for MWC Assembly in Indonesia this summer, and is calling on its member congregations to help match the donation.

In the ‘wilderness’: the church’s identity crisis and the need to ‘go local’

It’s going to be a busy summer for Kara Carter.

Early bird registration deadline extended for Gathering 2022

The early bird registration deadline for Gathering 2022 has been extended to Friday, May 20.

Why Volunteer for MCA?  Why Not?

If you receive a call from one of our Nominating Committee members asking you to consider an MCA volunteer role, ask yourself “why not?”

MC Canada sets up carbon levy for travel to Gathering 2022

Gathering 2022 registrants can offset greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from their travel to Edmonton by donating to a new fund established by Mennonite Church Canada.

MC Canada invites nationwide church to Gathering 2022

Executive Minister Doug Klassen invites members from across our nationwide community of faith to Gathering 2022, in Edmonton and online. For event info, visit mennonitechurch.ca/gathering2022.

“Why students are our favourite part of serving at MKC”

The best part of our MC Canada Witness assignment at Meserete Kristos Seminary (MKS) in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, is the students.

Gathering 2022 virtual registration now open

Registration for Mennonite Church Canada’s virtual Gathering 2022 experience is now open.

Spring Work Day

One of my favourite truisms is “Many hands make light work.” 

Respond, Rebuild, Restore: Foothills does MDS

“My dad thought this was a brilliant idea. I thought this was the worst idea my dad had ever had. I thought this would be the worst week of my life.” And then, “This easily became one of the best weeks of my life. I have to admit, my dad’s not-so-great idea turned out to be a great one.”  Such was Liesel Retzlaff’s summary of a week of volunteering with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) in Princeton, B.C.

Mennonite Church Canada transitions Indigenous-Settler Relations program

Mennonite Church Canada is transitioning its Indigenous-Settler Relations (ISR) program to the five regional churches that make up its nationwide community of faith.

Buffalo Shout

Truth and Reconciliation -- in action.

Mennonite Church Canada, MC USA and Herald Press begin another Common Read

The Common Read continues April–June 2022 with Not Quite Fine: Mental Health, Faith, and Showing Up for One Another by Carlene Hill Byron.

Introduction. Check.

With just over a month under my belt as the new Alberta correspondent for the Canadian Mennonite, I would like to introduce myself.