Jan 29, 2013

WEB SITE IS BEING UPDATED

NEW DONATIONS PAGE 


If any of you visit our WEB SITE you will have realized that some of our pages are being re-designed by the folks at MC Canada.  Right now we are working on updating our donations page where we list our 'Opportunities for Giving' along with a brief description of the various projects.  We hope to have it ready fairly soon!  Other sections will be updated as we have time to work on them.  For most of us on the executive the past decade has been filled with  many new learning experiences especially in the area of computer and internet technology. So please bear with us as we continue our journey.  We'll let you know as soon as the page is up and running. 

Jan 22, 2013

SGAF Recipient - Alicia Good


I am enjoying my final semester of studies and looking forward to graduation this April.  Right now I have begun working on my thesis, which will explore ways in which the Lord's Supper forms the church's worshiping community and provides an alternative narrative which allows the church to resist the false narrative of consumerism.  I am grateful for the presence of AMBS Professor Emeritus John Rempel in Toronto, whose work on the Lord's Supper in the Anabaptist tradition is a major influence on my thinking.  I hope to argue that the worship traditions of the Mennonite Church are essential for our peace and justice work.
    
Over the past several months I have been very involved at Toronto United Mennonite Church in a congregational discernment process over potentially providing sanctuary for a family of Hungarian Roma refugees.  I have been teaching Adult Education classes and leading a working group to provide information to the congregation on this project.  I also continue with my field education placement with Mennonite Central Committee at Sanctuary walking alongside of people who are street involved in downtown Toronto.
    
When I graduate in April, I hope to begin pastoral ministry in an MCEC congregation in Southern Ontario.  Right now I am prayerfully entering into the candidating process and I am excited about finding a congregation which is a good fit with my gifts and skills. 
    
I am very grateful for the financial assistance provided to me my MW Canada.  This has been very helpful for my studies and for my future in ministry.

Blessings, Alicia Good

Jan 21, 2013

SGAF Recipient - Deborah Ferber


Dear Friends,
Greetings in the name of Christ.  Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to study at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana.  My first semester of seminary has been exhilarating, inspiring, challenging, diverse, and everything in between.  I often like to say that I am learning just as many life lessons which I will take with me into the ministry as I am learning academically.

This past semester at AMBS has really helped cement for me certain concepts of social justice and pacifism and to think about marginalization in ways that I never have before.  Living in Elkhart is quite a bit different than living in Toronto (which is where I did my undergrad), but I find that being in the U.S. has given me a different perspective and has helped me to see things from a different point of view.

I really appreciate how at AMBS we are given the freedom to challenge, question, and discern what we believe for ourselves.  I think the professors are all very approachable and helpful not only when it comes to questions that come up in class, but also when it comes to advice for future pastorates.  I thank you once again for making the opportunity possible for me and other Mennonite women in Canada.  I know that I could not be at AMBS without your generous support.  More than that, having you support me shows that you believe in the ministry and in young leaders.

Deborah

Jan 4, 2013

SGAF Recipient - Annika Krause

Annika is one of the recipients of our Spiritual Growth Assistance Fund which provides scholarships to successful applicants.  Our other 2012 recipients are Deborah-Ruth Ferber and Alicia Good.  Annika also receives some financial support from MCBC Women's Ministry and earlier this fall, took the time to write to us with an update of her activities.

Hello Everyone at BC Women in Ministry and Mennonite Women Canada!

             I want to thank all of you for the support you have given me for this school year. It has been truly a blessing and I appreciate it very much. I used the financial support (from BC Women's Ministry) you generously gave me to pay for this semester’s rent. I live on campus at AMBS with a roommate.

            My classes are going well. I am taking four classes and a colloquium this Christian Formation, Performing the Faith and Peace Colloquium. Reading the Bible is an overview of the entire Bible (including the Apocrypha). In that class we are learning about the history of the Bible, how certain books were canonized and others not, as well as where Bible stories took place and the governments that had influence. Christian Theology I is about how the Bible has been interpreted in history and is continuing to be interpreted today. Human Development and Christian Formation is focused on how the different age groups and genders are represented in the church and how they should be represented in the church. We were put into pairs and each pair had to do a presentation on an age group. My partner and I got elderhood and learned a lot about how to help people in dependent living situations feel like they are participating in a service. Performing the Faith is about bringing fine arts into the church. We each have to do a “performance” by the end of the semester. I am doing a photography portfolio, since this is a hobby of mine and something I would like to see used more in the church. Finally, Peace Colloquium is a 1 credit class and we meet during lunch break on Tuesdays to hear guest lecturers speak about local and global issues. We are also expected to do research outside of class on related topics of our own choosing. I have chosen ethical farming and youth violence.

            Outside of class, there are a lot of community events. AMBS works hard to ensure that the students and faculty are in community with each other and have opportunities to interact outside of the classroom. We have a potluck dinner weekly as well as other events that run during the semester. One such event took place this past week, Race and Media Circles. Students and staff were encouraged to sign up to watch a movie (or a few movies) that deals with the issue of prejudice and culture. Each movie was hosted by a different person and was a different mix of people. I signed up for 3/5 movies…I really like watching and discussing movies.

            I also run cooking classes out of my apartment. This is not an event that is advertised by the school, but has been spread by word of mouth. It is a way for students who enjoy cooking to get together and prepare a meal. The idea is that once a month a different teacher comes in and teaches his or her specialty. So far we have been asking AMBS faculty as a way to better connect with them. The idea, suggested by a friend of mine, did not come into fruition until half way through the semester, so we have only had two classes so far, one from a vegan activist in October, and another on Indian cooking (with shoofly pie for dessert, which I had never made before) in November. Come January, a professor who did his graduate work in Scotland and is vegetarian is going to teach us how to make vegetarian haggis…Don’t ask me how that’s going to work.

            Despite the fun I have been having here in Indiana, I am looking forward to being back in BC for Christmas. I miss my friends and family back home. I can feel the love and support emanating from Canada, and I will be glad to spend some time on the West Coast. Thank you all for your generosity and prayers.

Peace and blessings in the name of our living God,

Annika Krause