Short stuff

India now has seven states (out of 28) with legislation banning unregistered or unethical religious conversions. Analysts link the enactment of anti-conversion laws to the Hindu nationalistic agenda of the extremist Bharatiya Janata Party. Extremists commonly use the legislation to falsely accuse Christians of converting people through force or allurement. The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada has asked Canadian government officials to raise concerns with the government of India about reportedly increasing religious persecution.

—Compass Direct, EFC

Learn the world in a small town: Mennonite Central Committee is enriching the learning component of its Akron, Pa.–based voluntary service program, now called Akron Connection. Members work at jobs in the MCC office, ranging from mail clerk to international program administrative assistant, but will also work with their supervisors to develop individualized learning plans that take advantage of the experience and expertise of MCC staff and partners. “We’re looking to get a new generation of people excited about MCC,” coordinator James Boulton says.

—MCC News

Albert (Al) Hiebert has been named the first executive director of the recently formed organization, Christian Higher Education Canada (CHEC). He has served in several leadership positions in Christian higher education, including 26 years with Providence College & Seminary. CHEC is an association of higher education institutions associated with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

—release

Gospel Light Bible Camp in Clear Lake, Man. is celebrating its 50th anniversary June 9–10 at Richmond Park MB Church, Brandon, Man. The camp began as a ministry of the Brandon church while it was still a mission work of the province’s western district congregations. Lawrence Warkentin, pastor in Brandon at the time, will speak at the anniversary celebrations. Contact Abe Funk at 204-728-5798 for more information.

The face-to-face meeting of 13 U.S. religious leaders with President Ahmadinejad of Iran in February, the first of its kind since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, was the unexpected fruit of nearly two decades of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) work there, according to its director, Ed Martin. MCC entered Iran to provide humanitarian aid after a devastating earthquake in 1990. It continued to build networks that led to the meeting, which was co-sponsored by MCC and American Friends Service Committee. The delegation called on the U.S. and Iranian governments to engage in direct talks and cease using “enemy” language for one another.

—MCC News

New degree: Canadian Mennonite University is launching a new Master of Arts in Theological Studies degree this fall. A unique aspect of its program is the possibility to take courses at other local schools through the Winnipeg Theological Cooperative, to which CMU belongs.

—CMU

The 13th Anabaptist–Mennonite Congress of the Southern Cone addressed the role of women in the life of the church and models for the household of God. More than 250 delegates from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and fraternal participants from Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and America gathered in Montevideo, Uruguay, Jan. 22–28. Teacher, theologian, and author John Driver, who has ministered 60 years in Latin America, presented Bible studies on the topic of women; he was also celebrated for his contribution to a Latin American Anabaptist theology.

—Mennonite World Conference

Web-anthropy: Mennonite Economic Development Associates has launched medatrust.org to provide hands-on experience with micro-finance. Donors set up a personal portfolio and then donate to real life loans that finance small business ventures for the working poor, who usually have no access to financial institutions or credit. The first phase of the website is focused on Nicaragua, but other countries will be added.

—MEDA release

Please clear the backlog: Ed Wiebe, coordinator of MCC Canada’s national refugee program, recently urged a parliamentary committee on citizenship and immigration to make the backlog of refugee sponsorship cases an immediate priority. Worldwide, more than 14,000 applicants are waiting to come to Canada; their lives are often in danger and long processing delays are routine. Wiebe said MCC Canada is prepared to find more resources to respond to the desperate situation of refugees.

—MCC Canada

Larry W. Nikkel, president of Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan. since 1998, has announced he will retire at the end of 2007. During his presidency, Tabor’s endowment grew from $2.6 million to $4.5 million and the campus increased in size. Nikkel is currently convalescing after double bypass surgery, but said he views his work as far from over.

—Mennonite Weekly Review, reports

Remembering Expo: Quebec evangelicals of various denominations will celebrate April 28 as the 40th anniversary of “the most eventful summer” in the province’s spiritual history. The summer of 1967 saw Quebec’s small evangelical churches collaborate in the Sermons from Science pavilion at Expo ’67 – the world fair hosted by Montreal; 840,539 watched the popular presentation of science and gospel and 4,500 made decisions for Christ. It was a “tipping point” for Quebec’s evangelicals.

—ChristianWeek

The megachurch founded by Ted Haggard, who was fired over drug and sex allegations, has laid off 44 people because of falling income following the scandal. The cuts amount to about 12 percent of the church’s work force; church income has fallen 10 percent.

—Evangelical Press News

Dig that hole! Ken Wiebe put a shovel to the ground, Mar. 11, as worshippers at Fort Garry MB Church, Winnipeg, gathered on their parking lot to launch a building project that will double the footprint of the existing facility. The 11,000 square foot expansion will include a gym, kitchen, library, and meeting space. “This is about serving our community,” says senior pastor John Unger. “Our dream is that this building will function very much like a community centre where students, families, and seniors are welcomed with a wide variety of services.”

Dolly not for sale! Customers like Dave Peart use the four-wheel dolly under this cabinet to move furniture and other large purchases from Toronto’s Global Closet Thrift Shop to their homes. The majority of people living within a 10-block radius of the MCC shop are newcomers to Canada who live in high-rise apartments and don’t own vehicles. Workers estimate the dolly has been pushed more than 1,000 kilometres over the past 18 months, allowing consumers to avoid transportation costs.

“Construction commencing February 2007 – Completion Autumn 2007”

Four of the eight sod-turners dig into the ground at a ceremony marking the start of a new $2.5-million gymnasium complex at Stillwood Camp and Conference Centre near Cultus Lake, B.C. They are (l–r) project contractor Wally Rempel, donor Henry Schroeder, board member Shirley Esau, and architect Ron Martens. About 100 people looked on. The two-storey complex, complete with an all-season climbing wall in the silo structure, is scheduled to open this autumn.