City, contemporary concerns
In this issue David Eagle provides an assessment of the challenge facing the urban church. He talks about the city, yes, but his definition of it – one less of size and structures than the malaise of anonymity and unbound freedom affecting our culture – helps us think about the task of the church in any one of our settings, whether it be in a metropolis or in a farming community.
The photo story, “A look at the beginning,” opens small glimpses into the first Mennonite Brethren city congregation in Canada. Looking closely, we see that buildings and places matter but that people matter even more. Imagine the relationships and stories implied in each of these old pictures! Angeline Schellenberg’s article about Oprah makes much the same point about the importance of people.
Laura Kalmar and Sam Dick address “emergent,” a movement of considerable current interest within the Christian church, and Eric Wingender talks about The Da Vinci Code, the book that’s become a phenomenon. And in our People section, Paul Schrag introduces Victor Wall, head of the global body of Mennonite Brethren called ICOMB.
—Dora Dueck | 
