People & events

Pines Bible Camp in Grand Forks, B.C. had a wonderful summer under the theme “The Amazing Race!” Staff (pictured above) were in place in good time for camp, with key program assistance provided by Kyle Fletcher and Christa McLaren. Online registration and credit card payment improved the registration process, and campers brought their energy and excitement. Speakers who shared the love of Jesus Christ with the campers were Bettina Unrau, Ben Hall, Ian Sharpe, Todd Anvick, Matt Jagers and Brian West. There were 62 first-time decisions to follow Jesus and 175 re-commitments. Directors Dylan and Amy Zorn are already busy working on and dreaming about next summer.

—from report

Response to Pakistan: Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) committed $300,000 as an initial response to the Oct. 8 earthquake disaster in Pakistan. The funds will provide shelter and food for nearly 1,000 families in some of the worst hit areas. All of the supplies (such as tents, sheeting, blankets and food) will be purchased in Pakistan. “The need is absolutely enormous,” said MCC international program director Ron Flaming, “so we expect there will be more MCC can do in the near future.”

—MCC website

Ricardo Esquivia, Mennonite peacemaker in Colombia, has been given the 2005 Peacemakers in Action Award by the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding in New York. A leader in the Colombian Mennonite Church, former vice-president of the Council of Evangelical Churches of Colombia and founder of Justapaz, an organization that works for peace and justice, Esquivia is organizing a variety of churches to work for peace. The award includes $15,000 US to fund his efforts.

—Mennonite World Conference

A change in government regulations about how much food aid can be purchased within developing countries is welcome news for organizations like the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFB). Previously only 10 percent of the funds CFB gets from the government could be used for purchasing food locally; the new regulation allows for 50 percent. Local purchase saves money and allows many more people to be fed. Food aid cannot be purchased from Canada’s agricultural competitors, however, only from stipulated developing countries.

—CFB release

Christians throughout India spent a week in prayer and fasting earlier this fall after a government delay in determining equal rights for Dalit Christians. Dalits (or “untouchables,” the lowest of India’s caste groupings) who belong to Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh faiths qualify for a government plan that reserves 26 percent of jobs and educational places for them. Under current laws, Dalits who convert to Christianity or Islam lose these privileges. The Supreme Court was to hear the matter Aug. 25, but the government demanded a four-month adjournment.

—Compass Direct

“What are they thinking?” Kidsbeer, a nonalcoholic brew aimed at children, is catching on with young drinkers in Japan and its makers are looking to expand into European and North American markets. The advertising hook for the sweet, frothy Coca-Cola–like beverage is, “Even kids cannot stand life unless they have a drink.”

—japantoday.com

A 40-foot chassis valued at about $12,000 was recently donated to Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) by Lode King Industries of Winkler, Man. It will be used to transport material resources around the world. Containers can now be loaded directly onto the chassis, says Wilf Unrau, manager of MCC Canada’s warehouse in Plum Coulee, Man. Lode King provided the materials and employees donated their time, 80 to 90 hours.

—MCC Canada

Twelve stories in the latest Chicken Soup for the Soul book, Stories for a Better World, launched in August, are written by Anabaptists. One is about a friendship between Carolyn Schrock-Shenk, a peace rally organizer in Goshen, Ind., and Dana Schmucker, mother of a soldier in Iraq. The book’s editor, Linda Williams, is a longtime peacemaker shaped by her Church of the Brethren background.

—Mennonite Church USA

A skateclub that formed at Vancouver Mennonite Brethren Church is the subject of steps, a short documentary film, produced and directed by Donna Williams for her documentary film class at Vancouver Film School. Instead of telling local skateboarders not to use the church steps, the church’s youth leader, Jon Leskewich, decided to get involved with them. He set up a refurbished quarter pipe along with a new one for weekly skate meets. “Loving kids is so much more effective than talking at them,” he says.

—B.C. Christian News

Alpha is growing within Canada’s Catholic churches. In August, Nicky Gumbel, founder of the popular evangelistic program, met with Catholic clerics in Quebec and Ontario, where a number of parishes are offering Alpha. His meeting with Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Canadian Catholics’ senior leader, was seen by many as particularly significant. Gumbel was impressed with Ouellet’s “vision for Canada, the Holy Spirit and evangelization – and his concern for young people.”

—ChristianWeek

Leprosy is still far from being eradicated worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there will be some 500,000 new cases of leprosy this year. Also called Hansen’s Disease, leprosy attacks the nervous system and numbs extremities in the cooler parts of the body – hands, feet, face. The age-old prejudice associated with leprosy continues to cause additional suffering for those who have it.

—The Leprosy Mission Canada

An historic first occurred in the Paraguayan Chaco in August when German, Latin and Indian churches cooperated in an inter-ethnic evangelization crusade. Alberto Mottesi, well-known Latin evangelist, was the speaker. During three days, more than 25,000 attended and more than 1,500 made decisions for Christ. The crusade was also taped and broadcasted on radio and television.

—Alberto Mottesi Evangelistic Association release

Ten Thousand Villages has launched a new e-commerce website. It features online shopping for more than 250 fairly-traded gift and home decor items, as well as information about the worldwide fair trade movement and links to other alternative trading organizations. Each item available for purchase includes a photo and story about the artisan who created it.

—Mennonite Central Committee News