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On a warm August 4 afternoon, some 200 people gathered near Winkler, Man. to dedicate a cairn erected in honour of Gerhard Wiebe, pastor of the first MB church in Canada. The polished rock, established by Wiebe’s descendents with support from the Canadian and Manitoba MB Conferences, stands at the baptism site near the old Burwalde Church that later moved to Winkler. “May it inspire us and all who will visit this site in years to come, to remember, to give thanks, and to commit ourselves to a similar faithfulness and dedication to you, the Lord of the church,” sounded the prayer of dedication. Wiebe served from 1888 to 1895.
“Silence was a gift the Calcutta nun wanted for us,” said Globe and Mail columnist Lorna Dueck, on the 10th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death. Nevertheless, Teresa’s deep doubts about God were made known when her handwritten letters spanning 60 years were released from Jesuit archives in Calcutta. The letters, some of which she wanted destroyed, reveal “a soul and psyche surrounded by darkness, angst, loneliness and despair.” They were published under the title Come Be My Light and are meant to celebrate her humility in service.
—Globe and Mail, Sept. 4.
Quebec’s Ministry of Social Services threatened to remove the children of 15 Mennonite families in Roxton Falls if they continued to refuse to follow government sponsored school curriculum. Don Hutchison, general legal counsel for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, has written to Quebec’s minister of education in support of the family’s religious freedoms. Meanwhile, the families have moved out of the province.
—evangelicalfellowship.ca
The Supreme Court of Canada said Sept. 14 it would not hear the appeal of the Three Parent Case, leaving intact the decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal to recognize that a child may have more than two legal parents. “This decision is extremely regrettable as it leaves the judgment of the Court of Appeal to establish social policy for Ontario where the elected government should be taking responsibility,” said Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s general legal counsel, Don Hutchinson.
—EFC release
“Why are young people not returning to the Mennonite church?” BikeMovement: the Documentary, explores this question by following a group of young adults who rode bikes across the U.S. from July 10 – Aug. 25, 2006, and summarizes their conversations with more than twenty Mennonite communities along the way. The documentary attempts to identify common threads among diverse experiences and offer suggestions for comfortable intergenerational dialogue.
—BikeMovement release
Mennonite Central Committee is providing blankets and canned meat worth $229,000 Cdn. to survivors of an Aug. 15 earthquake in the central coastal region of Peru. The magnitude 8.0 earthquake toppled many buildings in the Peruvian state of Ica, killing hundreds of people and leaving thousands homeless.
—MCC release
An in-depth exploration of Anabaptist–Mennonite faith and human rights will be offered through a six-session course at Canadian Mennonite University this fall. The question of human rights creates a “dynamic tension” among Mennonites, said Kenton Lobe, chair of the Mennonite Committee on Human Rights. The group was formed in 2006 to develop exhibits and programs for the proposed Canadian Museum for Human Rights to be built in Winnipeg. “As a faith community we need to decide what we want to say about injustices and how we want to say it, particularly when talking to government.”
—CMU release
“We don’t know what to do with the many new believers coming out of the Muslim faith,” said an Arabic leader in North Africa. In response, Family Life Network is taking all follow-up calls from three Christian TV programs aired around the world. Phone lines are often jammed with up to 600 calls. A team of three men and one woman located in Winnipeg answer questions through virtual office telephones and online chat. The most recent convert was from Saudi Arabia. “He was happy and grateful to God who helped him learn of God’s love through unknown people,” says FLN’s director of Arabic ministries, Emmanuel El-Sharif.
—FLN release
The Church of the Brethren celebrated their 300th anniversary in 2008. Though not part of the original Anabaptist movement, they are close theological and cultural cousins to the Mennonites, emphasizing a pietist “love theology.” With no creeds or confessions of faith, the church has withstood relatively few schisms compared to Mennonites.
—Mennonite Weekly Review
Benoit Cloutier, a member of St. Jerome (Quebec) Church, has been nominated as a finalist in 35 Under 35, a program recognizing young Christian leaders throughout Canada who are “leading amidst the complexities, challenges, and opportunities of the 21st century.” Cloutier serves as director of Centre Accroche, an outreach ministry of Christian Direction that serves Montreal’s at-risk teenage population. The 35 finalists, chosen from 200 nominations across the country, will attend a leadership retreat near Vancouver and be featured in a special printed report.
—35under35.ca
Avante Records, a division of Family Life Network, received 12 nominations for the 2007 Gospel Music Association Canada’s Covenant Awards, to be given Oct. 24–26 in Calgary, Alta. Amanda Falk is once again up for Female Vocalist of the Year, while Drew Brown, Fresh I.E., and Kerri Woelke were also nominated.
—FLN release
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