Apr 27, 2014

Our Scholarship Recipients

Mennonite Church Eastern Canada held its Annual Gathering on Friday and Saturday, April 25 and 26 at Niagara College in Niagara-on- the-Lake. I attended and set up a Mennonite Women Canada display as I have for the past several years. I was pleased when I found my display table was right next to the main doors going into the meeting area - a perfect place to meet a lot of people. Many stopped by the display to chat and  my supply of chocolate ran out by lunch time!

I truly felt energized and encouraged by the smiles and comments! A highlight for me was to meet some of our scholarship recipients and hear them voice again their deep appreciation for the funds from MW Canada and how much it meant to them. Carrie Martens is now pastoring at Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church; Kara Carter at Wellesley Mennonite; Alissa Bender at Hamilton Mennonite and Jessica Reesor Rempel from Stirling Avenue Mennonite is continuing her studies at Toronto School of Theology and Conrad Grebel University College. Alicia Good, who received the scholarship in 2011 and 2012 is now pastoring at North Leamington United Mennonite.  

We thank God for our young Mennonite women pastors across Canada!

I am currently working on trying to locate all of our recipients since 2002 and would like to write a "Where are they Now?" article for our page in the Canadian Mennonite for September.  Their names are listed in a previous blog posted in February 2012.  Click here to read more about our Scholarship Fund on that blog post.


Apr 23, 2014

MW Canada Annual Meeting


All women are invited to attend our Annual Meeting on Friday July 4, 2014 at 6:30 pm. Enjoy dessert and coffee while hearing about the work of Mennonite Women Canada. The Faith and Life Women's Chorus will present a musical program at 7:30 pm to which all are invited.  Tickets for the annual meeting/dessert and coffee event are $5.00 and you must pre-register. Click here to register on-line if you have not already done so. Local women can contact Elsie Wiebe at 204-822-1433 or to order a ticket. Early registration ends May 15, 2014.  



Apr 21, 2014

Easter Metamorphosis

Having had a very busy Easter weekend I didn't find time to post this so am doing it now.  It is an excerpt from Saturday's St. Catharines Standard 
written by regular Religion page columnist Bob Ripley.


Easter, like New Year's Day, can be a time for renewal, 
a time to start over again...
We think it's impossible to start fresh, 
just like we look at a crawling caterpillar and can hardly imagine 
that it is destined to fly; that it will burst its cocoon, 
and its wings, wet with rebirth, will slowly open.  
Then this creature of fragile loveliness 
will hoist delicate sails into the fragrant air 
and fly into the blue vault of the sky.
The first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, 
the Christian festival of Easter, 
might be a morning for our metamorphosis; 
a land of beginning again
where we leave our cocoon and take wing above the mud and milkweed, 
with new eyes and wings we never knew we had.

Apr 18, 2014

How Deep the Father's Love for Us....

At the Good Friday Communion Service this morning our congregation sang the song "How Deep the Father's Love for Us".  As you read the words below my prayer is that you will feel the love of the Father and recognize the great sacrifice He made for each one of us!  May you have a Blessed Easter!


How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure,
That he should give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss; the Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon a cross, my sin upon His shoulder;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life—I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer,
But this I know with all my heart: His wounds have paid my ransom.

Music and Lyrics by Stuart Townend. Copyright 1995, Kingsway's Thankyou Music (PRS). Admin. EMI Christian Music Publishing. CCLI License #923708

Apr 15, 2014

Gift Ideas from MennoMedia

I just received an email from MennoMedia with a lot of good suggestions for gifts and resources for Easter and Mother's' Day.  Some of the items featured include an Easter Hallelujah! CD, Mennonite Girls Can Cook Celebrations, Sacred Pauses by April Yamasaki and Ordinary Miracles by Rachel S Berger. Clicking here will take you to MennoMedia's website where you can make a purchase or just browse their wonderful selections of books and resources. 



Apr 14, 2014

MW Canada 2014 Executive

At our Spring Leadership Assembly Executive meetings in March, we posed for our new photo!  You'll see it in the sidebar with our names listed below it.  Do you know any of these women?  If you do, why not send them a note of appreciation (or leave a comment below) for the time and energy they devote to women's ministry in their provinces and across Canada.  Together we can do so much more!


Apr 6, 2014

CONNECTIONS is here!

Our latest newsletter is now available. Click here to read updates of our projects, dates of upcoming events, 4 feature interviews from women involved in church music, our contact information and more -- all in one place!

Apr 2, 2014

WMCEC receives recognition!


This plaque was presented to WMCEC (Women of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada) for their highly valued participation in MCEC's Partners in Ministry Program on Saturday, April 28th, 2013 at the MCEC Annual Church Gathering.

February Update from Nathan and Taryn Dirks

Greetings everyone!  I just realized that the letter from Taryn (which I posted yesterday) is not yet on our web page.  I'll let you know when it becomes available.  But the Dirks' February Update is so please CLICK HERE to read it!

Apr 1, 2014

A letter from Taryn Dirks

This month I received a letter from Taryn Dirks.  She and her husband Nathan serve as MC Canada Witness Workers in Botswana and are recipients of our Pennies and Prayer Legacy Fund.  I have posted the letter on our web site under Dirks Update and want to share some excerpts from it as well as some photos that she sent.  

Taryn writes: "I've been wanting to connect with you ladies for awhile now and will hopefully be connecting more often this year with more things being established and relationships growing."

"This year has started a bit rougher then we would have liked it to. Our truck with most of our personal belongings were stolen including our passports....."

"We have seen many blessings come out of the events of the new year....." 

"I am very happy to say that we have a girls' soccer team with the Spiritual Healing Church.....the group of girls that are coming to the practices are also the girls that have expressed an interest in a girls' bible study."

"Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers.  May God's blessings pour down.  All the best, Taryn"

Click on 'Dirks Update' above to read the entire letter!

     The Koogotsitse Family that we stayed with when we first arrived
17 girls came out to our first meeting!
Ladies playing Dutch Blitz1

Getting ready for rock climbing
Wheelbarrow team!
Taryn and Tlotlo