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Mennonite Central Committee issued a call Oct. 12 for blankets and handmade comforters for Afghan refugees. An increasing number of Afghans have fled the country due to drought, war and threats of military strikes, and winter is approaching. MCC is also contributing $158,000 for relief supplies, which will be purchased in Pakistan and distributed by Medair, a European church-based relief agency. A shipment of over 20,000 comforters, scheduled to arrive in Iran by late November, will be distributed by the Iranian Red Crescent Society. MCC volunteers in Iran, Wallace and Evelyn Shellenberger, will assist in this distribution. Two more MCC volunteers will arrive by December to assist in further distributions. MCC needs an additional 20,000 new store-bought heavy blankets by Dec. 1 for a second shipment to Iran. A suggested $31 cash donation per blanket will buy additional blankets and relief supplies. MCC also welcomes comforters to replenish its stock. MCC has already committed to supplying 616 tonnes of food in storage in Pakistan (Medair planned to move 200 tonnes of this into Afghanistan in October); $312,000 for food, shelter and blankets; and 5000 tonnes of lentils (valued at $3.25 million) through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. For drop-off locations contact a local MCC office or call (888) 622-6337. – Mennonite Central Committee
MCC volunteers Jake Wiebe (left) and Peter Wiebe load winter comforters destined for Afghan refugees currently living in Iran. These comforters, packed in Winnipeg, are part of a shipment of 20,000 comforters that MCC recently sent from its warehouses in Canada and the US. The comforters will arrive in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Nov. 19. |
Dennis M. Good has been named president and acting publisher of Mennonite Publishing House, Inc., the publishing arm of the new Mennonite Church, effective Aug. 1. He replaces J. Robert Ramer, who retired July 31. Good, who has been executive vice president of MPH since March, was instrumental in bringing about the combining of Mennonite Publishing House (Scottdale, Pa.) of the Mennonite Church and Faith & Life Press (Newton, Kan.) of the General Conference Mennonite Church to form MPH, Inc. MPH includes four divisions: Herald Press (trade publications), Faith & Life Resources (congregational publications), Provident Bookstores, and Faith & Life Press (printing). Previously, Good was executive secretary for the General Conference Mennonite Church’s Commission on Education and publisher of Faith & Life Press. – Mennonite Publishing House, Inc.
Focus on the Family is facing a $2 million US budget deficit, prompting founder James Dobson to make an “unprecedented” request for more money from supporters. The group has a $129 million budget for 2001 and reaches 98 countries through its radio shows, magazines and other programs. Dobson blames a sluggish economy and increased use of the Focus web site for the financial slump. (Web surfers are less likely to make donations than people who call or write for advice, books or other products.) – Christianweek
The YMCA in the West Bank town of Beit Sahour runs rehabilitation programs for Palestinians with disabilities. Since the 1990s, Mennonite Central Committee has supported this work. Because the number of permanently-debilitating injuries to Palestinians has risen this past year, MCC is increasing its support to $84,000. The YMCA also works with schools throughout the West Bank, raising awareness about disabilities and encouraging them to make classrooms more accessible for children with disabilities. Over 2500 Palestinians have permanent disabilities caused by Israeli military fire. – MCC
A recent survey by Leger Marketing found 53% of Canadians were in favour of capital punishment, 43% were against it and 4% had no opinion. A 1995 Angus Reid poll found 69% in favour of bringing back the death penalty, which was banned in 1975. A free parliamentary vote held in 1997 went against restoring it. The Leger poll was conducted prior to the Sept. 11 attacks in the US. – Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, The Globe and Mail
Nguyen Hong Quang, a Vietnamese Mennonite pastor who has been regularly harassed for exposing religious liberty abuses in Vietnam, was arrested Aug. 17 along with his wife and another man in the capital, Ho Chi Minh City. Their identity cards were confiscated, and they are reportedly on a hunger strike. Quang, who trained as a lawyer, has been arrested and detained numerous times because of his efforts in documenting attacks on the Vietnamese Mennonite community and his evangelistic activities. Four times during the first six months of this year, security police have burst into his house during worship times, stopping these services twice and writing up charges against church members. This harassment is part of a continuing campaign by Vietnamese authorities to crack down on the activities of unofficial house churches. – Compass Direct
Members of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, a network of Christian churches and aid agencies, are concerned that the simultaneous air strikes and airdrops of food and supplies by the US government in Afghanistan will confuse humanitarian and military actions and make Afghanis suspicious of future relief offered by genuine humanitarian organizations. They also say that the dropped food may not reach the people who really need it. Before the Sept. 11 attacks on the US, over 3 million Afghanis were already dependent on food aid. The United Nations Food Program says 7.5 million people are facing starvation due to years of drought and civil war. Those living in or fleeing to remote mountainous areas could be especially at risk because they will be cut off from the outside once the first snows fall around mid-November. – Evangelical Press News Service
Promontory Community Church, Chilliwack, B.C., has a new office at 7484A Vedder Road in Sardis. The storefront location on a busy road provides offices, meeting rooms and opportunities for outreach. The mailing address remains the same: Box 2512, Sardis Station Main, Chilliwack, B.C. V2R 1A8. The new phone number is (604) 824-6844, and the new fax number is (604) 824-6855. – Promontory Community Church
The Supreme Court of B.C. ruled Oct. 3 against allowing homosexuals the right to marry. Justice Ian Pitfield said that such discrimination is justified under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms because the main purpose of marriage is to provide a structure in which to raise children. The eight “couples” who first brought the case to court plan to appeal the decision to the B.C. Court of Appeal. Two other court cases over the marriage definition issue – one in Ontario and one in Quebec – are expected to be heard in November. – Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, National Post, The Globe and Mail, Ottawa Citizen
Provincial justice ministers have asked the federal government to raise the age of sexual consent from 14 to at least 16, making it illegal for an adult to have sex with a child under 16. The changes would strengthen proposed Internet luring laws and give police authority to arrest predators who lure away 14-and-15-year-olds they meet over the Internet. The Manitoba-led resolution was unanimously passed by the provincial justice ministers at their annual conference Sept. 11, but media coverage of their decision was overshadowed by the terrorist attacks on the US. The resolution was part of a larger package dealing with children and Internet safety. – EFC, Winnipeg Free Press, Today’s Family News
The Supreme Court of Canada has given a homosexual primary school teacher in B.C. leave to appeal a B.C. Court of Appeal ruling in his battle with the Surrey School Board. The teacher, Mr. Chamberlain, had wanted to use in his kindergarten and Grade one classroom three storybooks depicting same-sex parents, but the School Board refused. The B.C. Supreme Court sided with the teacher and ordered the School Board to approve the books for use in the classroom. The B.C. Court of Appeal, however, overturned that Court’s decision. – EFC
Ten Thousand Villages, a program of Mennonite Central Committee that helps market handicrafts made by artisans in the developing world, is celebrating its 55th year. Total sales in 2000 were nearly $22.7 million, generating over $8.2 million for artisans in 30 countries, including India, Guatemala, Kenya and the Philippines. Ten Thousand Villages has 180 stores across North America, from Victoria, B.C. to Atlanta, Ga. – MCC
An MCC thrift store in Winnipeg’s north end is doing more than just generate money for Mennonite Central Committee. The Selkirk Avenue Thrift Shop, which officially opened Jan. 4, 2001, attracts people to the area, helping to revitalize the low-income neighbourhood, according to Marty Donkervoort, director of business development for the North End Community Renewal Corporation. – MCC Manitoba
Almost 20% of children who use the Internet have been solicited sexually online, according to a recent study of 1501 children in the US who had used the Internet once a month in the six months before the survey. The study found that girls and youth aged 14–17 were most likely to be solicited. The risk was greater for children who used the Internet several times a week or for two or more hours a day, and for children who joined chat rooms, talked to strangers online, visited X-rated sites on purpose or used the Internet at someone else’s home. The Canadian government introduced legislation that would make it illegal for anyone to communicate with a child on the Internet for the purpose of committing a sexual offence, but the legislation was not passed before Parliament recessed for the summer. – EFC, National Post
The Quebec Supreme Court has ruled in favour of the “eruv” in the Montreal suburb of Outremont. An eruv is created by a series of barely visible wires or fishing lines that symbolically extend the Jewish household. The eruv allows traditional Jews to do basic tasks outside the home on the Sabbath that their tradition only allows in the home, such as carrying a prayer book or food. A small group of Outremont residents objected to the fishing line although it is strung high up so that it does not interfere with pedestrians. The Outremont residents accused the Jews of being “fundamentalists” and “taking over their territory”. Justice Allan Hilton ruled that Outremont is simply being asked to “tolerate a religious practice that has not been shown to cause any inconvenience or undue hardship to Outremont residents”. – EFC, The Globe and Mail
Up to one million Canadians are problem gamblers, according to a new report published by the Canada West Foundation. In 1999, provinces spent $28 million on gambling treatment and prevention programs. However, in 2000, Ontario alone spent $39.4 million on advertising and marketing its lotteries, casinos and race tracks. In 2000, Canadians spent $18 billion on casinos, slot machines, lotteries and horse races, netting $5.5 billion in revenue for the provinces. Charities, including some Christian charities, received about $1.3 billion in revenue. – Christianweek, EFC, Toronto Star
The “gaming industry” is developing electronic games and toys for children based on typical gambling games. Toys being advertised this Christmas feature “realistic casino sounds” and slot machine action. Studies from across North America show that problem gambling among young people is two to four times higher than in the adult population. – EFC, Toronto Star
Thirty students of the 1969 class of Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute in Winnipeg gathered at a cottage by Lake Winnipeg on Sept. 22 to celebrate a milestone – turning 50 years old. They came from as far away as California, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. The day was marked with much laughter and reminiscing. They had brought photos, not just of their spouses and children, but also of their grandchildren. Former basketball “stars” paraded their MBCI jackets. A highlight was that the steadfast goodness and grace of God was a common thread running through their stories. Perhaps the most poignant story came from the sister of a deceased classmate. It was noted that four classmates had died. Updates were given on those unable to attend. Pictured are (back, l-r) Carl Pauls, John Pauls, Henry Thiessen, Eric Fast, John Derksen, Ernie Boschmann, Gareth Neufeld, Neil Buller, Al Toews; (middle) Marianne Wall, Linda Reimer, Anita Remple, Danny Hogg, Leona Boschmann, Lorna Boge, Dianne Wahl, Martha Koslowsky; (front) Ellen Neufeld, Lydia Giesbrecht and Elsie Flette. Not pictured is Viola Labun.
Seven graduates of the 1941 class of Mennonite Collegiate Institute in Gretna, Man. held their 60th year reunion at Viscount Gort Hotel in Winnipeg on Sept. 28. The grads, along with their spouses, shared stories, photos and laughs. Frank Isaac gave a devotional and opened with prayer. Ed Plett closed with a devotional. MCI had 23 graduates in 1941. Pictured are (back, l-r) Jack Klassen, Nick Dyck, George Kroeker, Gerhard Ens, Frank Isaac; (front) Mary Plett and Marie Funk.
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Last modified November 21, 2001.
© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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