UYO, Nigeria — I had a light-bulb moment last December during the annual convention of Mennonite Church Nigeria. I was with Femi Fatunmbi, pastor at Royal Dominion International Church in Los Angeles. He...
[read more]If Eastern Mennonite University had been the same over the last almost 100 years, then Ken Fellenbaum (online comment on “Myron Augsburger and the Mennonite history of the CCCU”) would have...
[read more]Working for MWR over the last three years has often given me a front-row view of church process during a time some will always remember as tumultuous, painful or conflict-ridden. I’ve certainly witnessed...
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Why should I care for the environment? A lot of Christians are asking that question, either out loud or in their hearts. We know it’s the right thing to do, but what’s a Christ-centered...
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ELKHART, Ind. — When Obed and Phena Dashan told students and faculty at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary how they feel God’s love surrounding them in spite of facing death every day in their ministry...
[read more]Jeanette Harder (“Five Discoveries about Amish Families, Communities”) highlights what my wife and I are experiencing at Fairmount Homes near Ephrata, Pa. Fairmount is a creation of the Old Order...
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A million-dollar fundraiser, and even a rainy day, were reasons to celebrate at the seventh annual Pedaling for Hope Cyclathon in Abbotsford, B.C. “Because of, not in spite of, the rain, the general...
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Aw, shucks. Larry beat me to it. I’ve been dreaming of writing a memoir of pastoral life describing critical moments of formation and practice. But Hauder, a Mennonite Church USA pastor and retired area...
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Every morning, before Samer al Laham goes to work, he checks to make sure it’s safe to go outside. That’s because in Syria there are some days when “people wake up in the morning and then see that there...
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While a seminary student at Andrews University, I visited the Menno-Hof museum in Shipshewana, Ind. There I learned an amazing story that captured my imagination. In May of 1569, Dirk Willems, an Anabaptist in...
[read more]A Mennonite Brethren study conference later this month will focus on sexuality in a way that goes beyond only homosexuality concerns. The Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches will host “God,...
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Dead to the world would I be, O Father. Dead unto sin, alive unto thee. — Elisha A. Hoffman The hymn, “Lord, I am fondly,” has been popping up in my head at random times. It is intensely personal. To...
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A few days ago I received a phone call from a friend in Africa. I’m accustomed enough to international calls that I did not immediately fear bad news. Thirty years ago I might have assumed the worst, but...
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AKRON, Pa. — Mennonite Central Committee is operating a brand new mobile cannery as it begins the 2015-16 season of canning meat for people in crisis around the world. This mobile cannery, the first new...
[read more]Every Christian should have to sit in a pew next to someone he or she disagrees with. Not all the time, but sometimes. This is where growth happens. Each has something to learn and something to teach. Members...
[read more]At several church conferences, 90 percent (I’m guessing) of what was said came from straight presenters. No one can find any equality when there is such a big disparity. Parents with a disabled child would...
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While Saul is stowed away in his native Tarsus, the action moves back to the cities of Lydda, Joppa and Caesarea in Palestine, along the Mediterranean seacoast. Peter is now center-stage. He heals Aeneas, a...
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Life is complicated for Daniel. Training to become a civil servant in a foreign country is tricky. Taking classes on the wisdom and literature of the Chaldeans is confusing. Studying astrology, omens and myths...
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Bethel College in North Newton, Kan., is the brightest spot among U.S. Mennonite college and seminary enrollments, with six of the eight institutions showing declines. Enrollment at Bethel has returned to...
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As the forces of discontent continue in our communities, recent headlines have indicated that the South is more racist than other areas. It is easy to regionalize the focus on racial tension while ignoring the...
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Lancaster Mennonite Conference’s Bishop Board will meet Oct. 23 to consider an updated proposal to withdraw from Mennonite Church USA, effective on or before Dec. 31, 2017. The proposal, given as a draft to...
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Two years ago, Christian Peacemaker Teams saw a need on a small island in the Aegean Sea. In July, that hunch was confirmed when a refugee crisis on the Greek island of Lesbos dramatically escalated. The...
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MÜNSTER, Germany — In the city infamous as the site of an attempt to establish an Anabaptist kingdom by force in 1535, more than 100 people participated in a conference on “Mennonites in the Era of...
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WASHINGTON — I’m sure I was the only Mennonite there. It was a cool, clear morning, with stars visible even through the urban twilight, as I cruised the six-mile bicycle ride from northeast Washington to...
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