‘God only knows how much impact they have had on society,’ organizer says
Graduates from the 1953 classes of two of Canadian Mennonite University’s (CMU) predecessor colleges gathered at the university’s Fall Festival Sept. 28 for their 60th class reunion.
Seven alumni from Canadian Mennonite Bible College (CMBC) and Mennonite Brethren Bible College (MBBC) reunited for a time of sharing, remembering, fellowship, singing, and prayer.
“A good number of us are still alive and with it—we can’t take that for granted,” said John B. Epp, who helped organize the reunion.
John Unger, another reunion organizer, said that a highlight for him was a “ministry map” the committee put together indicating the places in the world where 1953 graduates have worked and served.
Of the seven CMBC graduates and 20 MBBC graduates from that year, seven went into pastoral ministries and four went into church conference ministries. Twelve went into education, with seven acquiring PhDs in fields including mathematics, sociology, and history, and teaching throughout North America.
At least five went into missions, with their work taking them to countries that include Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, Israel, China, and Japan.
Almost all are or were affiliated with a church congregation where they served as well.
“We’re amazed at what God can do with 27 people if they really are the salt of the earth and the light of the world,” Unger said. “God only knows how much impact they have had on society.”
The organizing committee wanted to plan a 60th reunion after hosting a successful 50th reunion in 2003. At that reunion, the Class of 1953 established a $20,000 endowment for a student bursary. To date, more than $6,000 has been distributed to CMU students in need.
By now, members of the Class of 1953 are in their 80s. Eight class members have passed away, and some were not able to make it to the reunion due to health concerns.
Still, those who were there enjoyed connecting with one another.
“I’m glad we can celebrate together,” Unger said. “My bottom line is the thought that was mentioned in Job 19:25 – ‘I know that my redeemer lives.’ We have to keep our central focus on the Lord, and He is still ruling, and we want to live by faith day by day until He calls us.”
Henry Visch, one of the organizers of the CMBC/MBBC Class of 1953 60-year reunion, stands with a “ministry map” he created. The map indicates where members of the Class of 1953 have worked and served, including Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, Israel, China, and Japan.Members of CMBC’s and MBBC’s Class of 1953 gathered at CMU on Sept. 28 for their 60th class reunion. From left to right: George Wiebe, Hedy Sawatsky, Leo Driedger, Henry Visch, John Unger, John Epp, and Peter Penner.
Themes of bridges, building, and relying on Jesus Christ were explored as Canadian Mennonite University faculty, staff, students, alumni, and supporters gathered to mark the beginning of the 2013 school year.
“Walls, Bridges, and Living Stones” was the title of CMU’s opening program, a time of worship held on Saturday, Sept. 28 as part of the university’s Fall Festival.
In a meditation he gave during the program, Andrew Dyck, Assistant Professor of Ministry Studies, drew from 1 Peter 2:4-5, suggesting that each person in the room—students, donors, friends, and employees—were living stones.
At the centre of CMU’s mission statement is Jesus Christ, whose life, teachings, death, and resurrection moves and transforms the community, Dyck added.
“When we build on this living cornerstone—both wonderful and inscrutable—we will eventually discover that God is using our various efforts at building walls and bridges to accomplish something greater than anything we could ask or imagine: a house of healing, a house for all peoples, a house for God’s Spirit!”
Earlier in the program, during his CMU update, Vice President External Terry Schellenberg noted that the university’s enrolment is up two per cent from last year, with 629 students at the Shaftesbury campus. This includes students from 12 countries, including Chile, Cina, Congo, Germany, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Paraguay, South Korea, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.
Schellenberg added that construction has started on CMU’s new Library, Learning Commons, and Bridge. $10.2 million of a total $14 million has been given and committed, and people are invited to contribute in a variety of ways.
“If it takes a village to raise a child, it certainly takes a generous and visionary community of supporters and alumni to move CMU forward for a new generation,” Schellenberg said. “Thank you for your support of this project and your interest in a vital university mission, of the church, in and for the world.”
The opening program was the culmination of Fall Festival, CMU’s annual homecoming weekend.
Fall Festival started on Friday, Sept. 27 with the presentation of the 2013 Blazer Distinguished Alumni Awards, which celebrate alumni who, through their lives, embody CMU’s values and mission of service, leadership, and reconciliation and society. CMU President Cheryl Pauls presented the awards to John Siebert, Leonard Doell, Robin & Zachary Heppner Entz, and Carol Penner.
Pauls also presented the Blazer Distinguished Community Service Award to Selma Loewen, Sara Stoesz, Susan Giesbrecht, and Linie Friesen, the four women who started the first Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Thrift Shop.
The evening concluded with, “Oh My God! – Making Sense of Everyday Talk,” a presentation by CMU professors David Balzer and Gordon Matties on the use of the phrase “Oh my God” in today’s culture.
Earlier in the evening, CMU’s women’s and men’s basketball teams won their pre-season games, 62-45 and 101-85, respectively
Fall Festival continued on Saturday, Sept. 28 with a variety of different activities, including a farmer’s market that included more than 10 vendors from the community, as well as a pie bakeoff.
A bicycle race, folk music festival, learning samplers—where faculty and staff shared an aspect of their teaching and work—were also part of Fall Festival, as well as a community supper and class reunions.
Reflecting during opening program on her time at Canadian Mennonite Bible College (CMBC), one of CMU’s predecessor colleges, alumna Sherry Sawatzky-Dyck said that CMBC taught her that the love of God and the peace of Christ are the cornerstones of her faith and work.
“What I learned here, and who I learned it from, became my foundation,” she said. “Like those pillars that will support our new bridge over Grant Avenue, my foundation became strengthened.”
CMU President Cheryl Pauls talks about the university’s future during a learning sampler at Fall Festival 2013. Enrolment at the university is up for 2013-14, and construction began this past July on a new Library, Learning Commons, and Bridge.During CMU’s opening program on Sept. 28, Vice President External Terry Schellenberg gave an update on the university and thanked the constituency for its support. “If it takes a village to raise a child, it certainly takes a generous and visionary community of supporters and alumni to move CMU forward for a new generation,” he said.Seven alumni from the 1953 classes of two of CMU’s predecessor colleges, Canadian Mennonite Bible College and Mennonite Brethren Bible College, gathered for their 60-year reunion during Fall Festival.
Social entrepreneur Sarah J. Smith to spend week meeting with students and business people
The Redekop School of Business (RSB) welcomes Sarah J. Smith to Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) as its 2013 Social Entrepreneur In-Residence. Ms. Smith will spend September 23-27 mentoring students and meeting local business people to share her story, which combines business, social justice, and Biblical principles.
Sarah J. Smith
Ms. Smith, who holds a number of degrees including a Doctorate of Theology and Bachelor of Business Administration, is founder and president of Sarah’s Hope Jewelry. The Wisconsin-based for-profit company was started in 2004 to fund non-profit organizations that provide small business micro-loans and training for women in the USA and developing world.
Ms. Smith’s week-long visit will include a number of classroom appearances and one-on-one sessions with RSB students. Additionally, she will also be the keynote speaker at a luncheon presented by MEDA Winnipeg, scheduled for September 26 at the Notre Dame Avenue Independent Jewellers location. There she will share how her business model has helped small business owners in less developed countries overcome poverty and become viable contributors to their local communities.
“Through the combination of Sarah J. Smith’s business acumen and pastoral ministries, Sarah’s Hope Jewelry is a testament to the impact one individual can have on communities around the world,” say RSB Director, Dr. Ray Vander Zaag. “The opportunity for our students and faculty to experience her passion for international development and business will prove there is room for social justice in a commerce environment.”
For more information regarding Ms. Smith’s background and a schedule of events, please visit www.cmu.ca/business.
RSB’s 2012 In-Residence guest was Art DeFehr, Winnipeg-based businessman, humanitarian, and philanthropist who has bettered the lives of others in Manitoba and around the world.
MCC thrift shop founders to receive university’s Distinguished Community Service Award
WINNIPEG – A public policy expert, a man working at building relationships between First Nations people and Mennonites, two international development workers living in West Africa, and a pastor who donated one of her kidneys are the recipients of Canadian Mennonite University’s (CMU) 2013 Blazer Distinguished Alumni Awards.
CMU President Cheryl Pauls is pleased to present the awards to John Siebert, Leonard Doell, Robin & Zachary Heppner Entz, and Carol Penner on Friday, September 27 during the university’s Fall Festival.
The Blazer Awards celebrate alumni who, through their lives, embody CMU’s values and mission of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society. The awards are presented annually to alumni from CMU and its predecessor colleges: Canadian Mennonite Bible College (CMBC) and Mennonite Brethren Bible College (MBBC)/Concord College.
“We want to honour and celebrate the significant contributions that alumni make to the church and the broader community,” Pauls says. “In telling their stories, it’s an encouragement and an inspiration to the rest of us. It awakens those of us who hear their stories to new possibilities for ourselves.”
Pauls will also present the university’s Blazer Distinguished Community Service Award to Selma Loewen, Sara Stoesz, Susan Giesbrecht, and Linie Friesen, the four women who started the first Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Thrift Shop.
“The vision, initiative, and level of commitment these four women displayed is remarkable,” Pauls says. “They had the imagination to create a project that was able to create good in multiple ways.”
The awards ceremony honouring these men and women takes place at 7:00 PM on Friday, September 27 in CMU’s Laudamus Auditorium.
Information about the award recipients:
John Siebert attended MBBC from 1977 to 1979 and has worked on public policy issues for the past 30 years. He is currently the executive director at Project Ploughshares, a Waterloo, ON-based non-governmental organization that works with churches, governments, and civil society, in Canada and abroad, to advance policies and actions to prevent war and armed violence, and build peace.
Historical research and writing have been strong interests throughout Leonard Doell’s life. Since attending CMBC in the late ‘70s, he has written extensively about Mennonite and First Nations history. Doell works as the Aboriginal Neighbours Coordinator at MCC Saskatchewan, where he helps build relationships between Mennonites and First Nations peoples.
Robin and Zachary Heppner Entz earned degrees from CMU. They have spent the past six years working in the West African nation of Mali as community development consultants advocating on behalf of the Fulani communities as they seek to retain ownership of their communal lands. Robin and Zachary work with World Renew, the development, disaster response, and justice arm of the Christian Reformed Church in North America.
With a PhD in Systematic Theology, Carol Penner has taught courses at Conrad Grebel University College, enjoys freelance writing, maintains a blog of worship resources, and has worked as a pastor for the past 13 years. Last year, Penner, who graduated from CMBC in 1981, donated one of her kidneys to a stranger after watching the process that her husband, Eugene, went through when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2008 and had his diseased kidney removed.
In 1972, Selma Loewen, Sara Stoesz, Susan Giesbrecht, and Linie Friesen started a thrift shop in Altona, MB to raise funds for MCC’s work overseas. It was the beginning of a network that has grown to more than 100 shops across North America that has generated contributions totaling $167 million for the work of MCC.
New Songs for Worship to be held November 2; will also address issue of musical style
WINNIPEG, August 15, 2013 – With so many new songs in so many different styles being written for worship these days, how can worship leaders even begin to sort through them all?
“Some people suggest that more songs have been written for worship since 1970 than were written in the two thousand years prior,” says Christine Longhurst, who teaches at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU).
“We can’t know if that’s true, but it often feels like it. There’s a steady stream of new songs coming at today’s song leaders and worship leaders. It’s tough to keep up.”
Helping worship leaders discover the best new songs is the goal of New Songs for Worship, to be held Saturday, November 2, 9:30 AM – 12:15 PM at CMU’s Chapel, 600 Shaftesbury Boulevard in Winnipeg.
Led by Longhurst, a former worship pastor and author of the popular re:Worship blog (re-worship.blogspot.ca), the workshop will also address issues of musical style.
“We’ll look at new music in a wide range of styles—new contemporary hymns, Praise & Worship, and everything in between,” says Longhurst. “The goal is to help leaders find ways to bridge the stylistic gaps that often exist in congregations.”
This year’s workshop will also include a look at the recent resurgence of traditional hymnody.
“Many of today’s contemporary songwriters are drawing from traditional hymn sources for their inspiration,” Longhurst says. “We’ll take time to look at these new trends.”
The workshop is also “a chance to interact with song leaders and worship leaders from other congregations who face similar challenges and opportunities,” she adds.
New Songs for Worship is presented by CMU, with sponsorship from the Mennonite Brethren Church Manitoba, Go Mission!/EMMC, and Mennonite Church Manitoba. Cost of the workshop is $35 ($25 for additional registrants from the same congregation). Students and seniors are $20. For more information, or to register, contact Cori Braun at cbraun@cmu.ca or 204-487-3300.
A second New Songs for Worship workshop is planned for January 25, 2014 in Winkler, MB.
WINNIPEG, July 8, 2013 – Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) President Cheryl Pauls, with MP Rod Bruinooge and City of Winnipeg Councillor Paula Havixbeck, broke ground today on the university’s new $13.9-million expansion project. They were joined by well over 100 friends and supporters from the university and the broader community.
Joining President Pauls were local businessmen Elmer Hildebrand, the capital project’s Campaign Chair, and Art DeFehr who is Vice-Chair of CMU’s Board of Governors.
“What is being done today really sets the pace for the future,” said MP Bruinooge, who chairs the Federal Government’s Post-Secondary Education Caucus. “I’ve seen many different schools across Canada and I know that the people here care at such a deep level—it brings such life to our community.”
CMU President Pauls stated, “The range of activities being planned for this Library and Learning Commons will make it the hub of the campus—linking the learning of the classroom with cutting edge research techniques that cross people and books and e-resources with invigorating forms of collaborative engagement.”
Havixbeck affirmed this vision, stating this project “goes beyond bricks and mortar as education is the life blood of our community. I am excited about this project.”
Planned for the heart of the CMU’s Shaftesbury campus in South Winnipeg, the Library and Learning Commons will generate vital resources and services, study and collaborative spaces, and welcome the constituency and wider community into the life of the university. Meanwhile, the new pedestrian bridge will connect CMU’s Shaftesbury Campus, which is currently separated by Grant Avenue.
To date, roughly $10-million has been raised. This funding comprises donations from private donors and foundations, as well as the Winnipeg Foundation, the Richardson Foundation, and the C.P. Loewen Family Foundation. The target for the project’s completion is September 2014.
(l-r) Art DeFehr, Vice Chair CMU Board of Governors; Elton DeSilva, MB Church Manitoba Executive Director; Cheryl Pauls CMU President; Elmer Hildebrand, CMU Capital Campaign Chair; Willard Metzger, Executive Director MC Canada; Paula Havixbeck, City of Winnipeg Councillor; MP Rod Bruinooge
WINNIPEG, July 3, 2013 – Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) President Cheryl Pauls will gather with Federal, Provincial, and Civic representatives on July 8, 2013 for a groundbreaking celebration to mark the start of construction of the University’s new library and learning commons and pedestrian bridge.
Funding for the new complex, the impact of which will be experienced by students, faculty and the broader constituency and community for decades to come, has been generated by the CONNECT fundraising campaign. Under the leadership of Campaign Chair Elmer Hildebrand, CEO of Golden West Broadcasting, roughly $10-million of the $13.9-million goal has been raised. This funding comprises donations from private donors and foundations, as well as the Winnipeg Foundation, the Richardson Foundation, and the C.P. Loewen Family Foundation. The target for the project’s completion is September 2014.
The new library and learning commons will provide a space where students and faculty can give their full attention to learning as they study, collaborate, and research together. The facility will also include both a café and a ‘conversation corner’ in which events such as book launches, readings, stand-up receptions, and opportunities for engaging conversation of significant issues to CMU and the broader community will be hosted.
The adjacent bridge will provide students and faculty with a safe, accessible route across a major thoroughfare, while creating a greater sense of community by joining the north and south campus areas separated by Grant Avenue.
Media and members of the community are invited to attend the groundbreaking event, which will take place near the site of the new Library & Learning Commons and Bridge (Shaftesbury at Grant Avenue). In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place indoors in the Great Hall, accessed via the main entrance at 500 Shaftesbury Boulevard.
CMU Groundbreaking Celebration:
July 8, 2013, 10:30 AM
500 Shaftesbury Boulevard, Winnipeg, MB
Nicole Richard and David Thiessen take home President’s Medals for scholarship, leadership, and service
Winnipeg, May 3, 2012 – Nicole Richard and David Thiessen are the 2013 recipients of Canadian Mennonite University’s (CMU) President’s Medals.
CMU President Cheryl Pauls with Nicole Richard and David Thiessen
CMU President Cheryl Pauls awarded the medals during CMU’s 2013 Graduation Exercises this past Sunday, April 28. Richard, who graduated with a Bachelor of Music Therapy degree, and Thiessen, who graduated with a four-year Honours BA in Biblical and Theological Studies, received the award in recognition of their qualities of scholarship, leadership, and service.
“I was very honoured to receive it,” Richard says. “I was a little surprised … because I know there are a lot of students that really deserved it.”
Richard, 23, and Thiessen, 21, were chosen from a group of 93 graduates.
“Nicole and David are incredibly fine people,” Pauls says. “For those of us who teach and work at CMU, they humble us and exemplify the best ideals of the mission and vision of CMU, which is to inspire and equip women and men for lives of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society. Students like Nicole and David don’t merely live out the CMU mission; they extend it beyond what we’ve already seen and imagined. In turn, they are the ones who inspire and equip faculty and staff.”
The selection process focuses especially on students whose academic achievements are matched by their growth as well as potential in the practical application of their education.
While at CMU, Richard—who has a broad musical background that includes playing violin for 19 years, as well as the piano and guitar—led a Fellowship Group and worked as a tutor. She is also involved with leading music at her church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and volunteers with Faith and Light, a L’Arche outreach for people with intellectual disabilities and their families.
Thiessen was also involved with music during his time at CMU, playing guitar in a number of worship bands. His involvement in his home congregation, McIvor Avenue Mennonite Brethren, includes volunteering as a youth group leader as well as working to establish a young adults group. He has also participated two short-term missions trips to Peru with MB Mission, a Mennonite Brethren organization that supports international and local missionaries worldwide.
He is currently speaking with MB Mission leaders about the possibility of doing an apprenticeship with the organization.
Richard, meanwhile, will move to Kitchener, Ont. in September for an eight-month internship with kidsLink, an organization that offers multi-disciplinary services for children who have mental health issues.
Both describe their time at CMU as transformative.
“Being in class reminded me of how particular my own perspective is,” Thiessen says, adding that engaging with faculty and fellow students challenged that perspective. “It really broadened out the way I see the world and the way I see my own tradition within it.”
Richard also describes the conversations she had with fellow students as a highlight of her time at the university.
“Being a Roman Catholic at a Mennonite university has been really neat,” she says. “I’ve enjoyed such excellent conversations with people where we’ve been able to share our own faith experiences … [and] the different ways God has led us from different backgrounds. That’s been really inspiring for me.”
Winnipeg, May 1, 2013 – Four choirs from Canadian Mennonite University’s School of Music presented a concert celebrating the mystery and wonder of music Saturday night.
“We often use words like wonder and mystery to describe our experiences of music,” said CMU President Dr. Cheryl Pauls. “But we also connect a sense of wonder and mystery with those places where we experience the spirit of the Lord.”
The phrase Where the Spirit of the Lord Is provided the overall theme for the evening, and was also the theme for all CMU chapel services this year.
The theme was highlighted by the performance of Psalm 46 by the CMU Singers, composed by CMU faculty member Timothy Corlis.
Commissioned for CMU’s Worship + Imagination conference in February, the piece features a variety of percussion instruments, including handbells and a gong.
Dr. Janet Brenneman is Dean of the School of Music at CMU and conducts the CMU Women’s Chorus and the CMU Chamber Choir.
“We are proud of the way our students continue to carry on CMU’s rich tradition of choral music,” she said.
“It’s exciting to see so many students engaging with choral music at such a high level. This year’s spring concert was an exceptional performance and a wonderful inclusion to the weekend’s graduation ceremonies.”
CMU Associate Professor of International Business Jeff Huebner showcases the university’s new business space and the video-conferencing technology.
Winnipeg, April 30, 2013 – More than 40 businesspeople, students, and teachers gathered at CMU on April 9 as the university’s Redekop School of Business (RSB) partnered with the Winnipeg chapter of Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) for a luncheon.
The luncheon allowed CMU Associate Professor of International Business Jeff Huebner to showcase the university’s new business space, and the video-conferencing technology now available to RSB faculty and students.
The luncheon also included a 30-minute live videoconference with Veronica Herrera, the CEO of MiCredito in Managua, Nicaragua. MiCredito is a microfinance organization funded in part by MEDA.
“It was a great event,” Huebner says, noting that while CMU has had a business program for five years, it was only in the last year-and-a-half that it became known as the Redekop School of Business and started offering the Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
The luncheon included a 30-minute live videoconference with Veronica Herrera, the CEO of MiCredito, a microfinance organization in Nicaragua funded in part by MEDA.
“The luncheon was a spotlight event where we could profile the school to the business community,” Huebner says.
MiCredito creates business solutions that include both social and financial support to micro and small entrepreneurs in Nicaragua, providing for a more prosperous future. It employs 54 people in seven branches, with a portfolio worth more than $4 million USD.
Six business students from CMU will visit the organization during an international study tour April 29-May 13.
Huebner says he organizes travel study programs so that students see and experience first-hand how their business knowledge and skills can be applied in other countries.
Huebner says he organizes travel study programs “so that students see and experience first-hand how their business knowledge and skills can be applied in other countries and among those who are less fortunate or who have different needs.”
At the luncheon, Huebner also introduced a new RSB scholarship. Worth approximately $6,500 in tuition savings, the scholarship has been established for a student endorsed by MEDA.
Established in 2011, the Redekop School of Business is developing the potential of future business leaders to bring together sound business practice with commitments of faith, generosity, and service.
