Category: News Releases

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CMU Press Author Dora Dueck To Give Reading In Steinbach

For release July 23, 2010

Winnipeg author Dora Dueck will be reading and signing her second novel, This Hidden Thing, in Lichtenau Church at the Mennonite Heritage Village on Monday, August 2, at 1:30 pm.

This Hidden Thing tells the story of Maria Klassen, a young Mennonite woman who has recently emigrated from Russia. She soon finds work as domestic for a wealthy English family in Winnipeg, while her family settles in the nearby town of Winkler. Later in the novel, we meet Maria in adulthood – devout, industrious, and dedicated to her family. Yet she is reserved and intensely private. This is the story of a life that contained passion and suffering that no one knew.

Dora Dueck is the co-editor of Northern Lights: An Anthology of Contemporary Christian Writing in Canada. Her stories have been featured on CBC Radio, and in journals such as Room, Prairie Fire, Rhubarb, and Journal of Mennonite Studies.

For more information about This Hidden Thing, visit www.cmu.ca/cmupress.

CMU PRESS is an academic publisher of scholarly, reference, and general interest books at Canadian Mennonite University. Books from CMU Press address and inform interests and issues vital to the university, its constituency, and society. Areas of specialization include Mennonite studies, and works that are church-oriented or theologically engaged.

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is a Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, offering undergraduate degrees in arts and science, business and organizational administration, communications and media, peace and conflict resolution studies, music and music therapy, theology, and church ministries, as well as graduate degrees in Theological Studies and Christian ministry. Located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). Visit www.cmu.ca

For CMU PRESS information, contact:
Jonathan Dyck , CMU PRESS Project Manager
cmupress@cmu.ca
204.487.3300.

For CMU information, contact:
Nadine Kampen, CMU Communications & Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca
Tel. 204.487.3300 Ext. 621

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Hot Pursuit Riders Post Record Times, Complete Race On July 21, 2010

For release July 21, 2010
Arvid Loewen posted a tremendous personal best over this race distance that saw him reach the perimeter of Winnipeg at 12:43 pm, a time that shaved 18 hours off of earlier rides. Loewen arrived downtown at the Legislature today at 1:45 pm, accompanied through town by a police escort and met by a large crowd of supporters and the other Hot Pursuit riders. Loewen raced solo in support of the Mully Children’s Family Charitable Foundation, riding at record pace from July 17, 7:00 a.m. through to July 21, 1:45 p.m., stopping only 4 hours per day for rest periods. For race statistics, visit www.hotpursuit2010.com/Hot_Pursuit/Home.html

Says crew member Paul Loewen: “Arvid biked 2330km in 99h 43m. Of that time, 14 hours was off bike. So his riding time was about 86 hours. That makes his on-bike average about 27km/h. His previous best was 118 hours, so he beat that time by 18 hours.”

Team CMU, racing in relay format with five riders cycling non-stop from July 18 to July 21, for a total of 65 hours, reached the Legislature at 2:43 am July 21, posting a race finish time of 2:01 am at the perimeter. Team CMU finished 19 hours ahead of their estimated racing time. Team CMU’s fundraising efforts will provide financial support for CMU’s international student financial assistance programs and practica. Riding for Team CMU were CMU faculty members Chris Huebner and John Brubacher, along with Kevin Kilbrei, and alumni Craig Penner and Jon Guenter.

The Gogos team of four women “grannies,’ including 80-year old Shirley Polson along with Elsie McKinnon, Evely Ko, and Jo Maetche, completed their race from Calgary to Winnipeg this morning, also riding in support of the Mully Children’s Family Charitable Foundation.
The Gogos riders were cycling today at a pace of 31.5 km per hour. Because Arvid was out in front of them, they decided to end their race 10 kilometeres past Portage la Prairie and drive the final stretch in their van, in order to arrive in Winnipeg on time to welcome Arvid at the finish.

“This is about the children of the Mully Children’s Family and support for them,” says crew member Maureen Kehler. “We really wanted to support the work that Arvid does, and we wanted to help welcome him at the end.” The team ended their race logging 45 hours and 52 minutes and estimated that had they continued at that pace, their arrival at Winnipeg’s perimeter would have been at 1:28 pm.

Team Winnipeg Police accompanied Arvid on the final leg of his journey as part of a police escort. Although circumstances caused Team WPS to withdraw part way through the race, the team continued their support for Hot Pursuit in raising funds for The Children’s Wish Foundation.

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Hot Pursuit Race Begins Saturday, July 17 In BC

Solo rider Arvid Loewen leaves White Rock July 17; pursuit riders start July 18
 For release July 15, 2010

Arvid Loewen opens the race on July 17 at 7:00 am, with Team CMU leaving 24 hours later and Team WP leaving 27 hours later. The solo and team riders will cover 2330 kilometres in a round-the-clock race back to Winnipeg.

The two Winnipeg pursuit teams will attempt to overtake Arvid Loewen, who is racing for the Mully Children’s Foundation. CMU’s team of five cyclists, made up of faculty members Chris Huebner and John Brubacher, along with Kevin Kilbrei, and alumni Craig Penner and Jon Guenter, will race from Vancouver to Winnipeg to raise money for international student financial support. Team Winnipeg Police are raising funds for The Children’s Wish Foundation. Riders anticipate arriving at Manitoba’s legislative grounds on Wednesday evening, July 21.

Team GoGo joins the race at Calgary. Shirley Polson, 80 years of age, and four of her “granny” friends will leave Calgary as a relay team on July 18 at 8:00 am. They expect to be in Winnipeg in advance of the other teams, waiting at the finish line for the riders. They have named their team the “Gogos” after the Kenyan word for “grandmother.”

“Arvid has incredible endurance and can cycle 20 hours a day,” says Team CMU’s Chris Huebner. “We are not in his league, but we will be working as a team, cycling day and night, trying to catch him.”

Located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, CMU has over 1,800 students at its Shaftesbury Campus in Southwest Winnipeg, at Menno Simons College in downtown Winnipeg, and enrolled through its Outtatown discipleship program. CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC).


SEE CONTACT DETAILS BELOW…

See websites (listed below) for:
• daily race updates
• race progress maps
• blog commentary
• photo galleries
• audio/video files

www.hotpursuit2010.com/Hot_Pursuit/Home.html
www.cmu.ca/hotpursuit
www.wpscopsforkids.ca

MEDIA CONTACT IN WINNIPEG
 Nadine Kampen nkampen@cmu.ca
204.487.3300 ext. 621 | toll free 1.877.231.4570

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History Group Hosted with goal of “MAPPING THE PAGES”

Research focuses on Canadian Prairie public and private collections

For release July 14, 2010

Canadian Mennonite University recently hosted a meeting of a unique history research group comprised of scholars from the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Manitoba, and CMU. With a special project of “Mapping the Pages,” the group’s purpose is to bring to light the little-known, unknown, or otherwise surprising medieval and early modern books that are in Canadian Prairie collections, either public or private.

“This group is developing a database that will facilitate the gathering of information about these books as well as their further study,” says CMU Associate Professor of English Paul Dyck. “One of the goals is that book owners will be able to enter information about their own books in the database. We see this is a natural and promising connection between our institutions and the public, and an important way to capture and share information about unique and valuable history resources.”

The project is headed by Sharon Wright of St. Thomas More College, with STMC providing support for travel, meals, and accommodation, and the host institution, CMU, providing meeting space and a luncheon meal. The group held its first meeting last year at Notre Dame in Wilcox, Saskatchewan. This second meeting, held June 28 & 29, included trips to the University of Manitoba’s Archives and Special Collections, the Mennonite Heritage Center Archives, and the Hudson’s Bay Archives, as well as to CMU’s letterpress print shop.

2010 meeting participants were Dietrich Bartel (CMU), Sarah Benson (Theological Union, U of S), Paul Dyck (CMU), Frank Klassen (U of S), Shelley Sweeney (U of M), David Watt (U of M), and Sharon Wright (STMC).

Canadian Mennonite University is a Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, offering a broad range of undergraduate degrees and two graduate degree programs. CMU has over 1,800 students, including Menno Simons College and Outtatown students, and is member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) .

For information, contact:
Nadine Kampen
CMU Communications & Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621

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New Book From CMU Press Brings Radical Orthodoxy Into Dialogue With Radical Reformation Theology

Essay collection includes works by theologians Craig Hovey, Harry Huebner and Stephen Long
For release July 5, 2010

CMU PRESS is pleased to announce the publication of The Gift of Difference: Radical Orthodoxy, Radical Reformation edited by Chris K. Huebner and Tripp York. The Gift of Difference is a collection of essays in which theologians such as Craig Hovey, Harry J. Huebner, and D. Stephen Long consider the strengths and weaknesses of Radical Orthodoxy in dialogue with the Radical Reformation tradition. Writers in this volume engage topics such as ecclesiology, martyrdom, worship, oath-taking, peace and violence.

In recent years, Radical Orthodoxy has become an important and influential movement in contemporary theology and philosophy. Spearheaded by John Milbank, Catherine Pickstock and Graham Ward, Radical Orthodoxy enlists the resources of classical theology to engage the current strongholds of secular and religious thought.

Proponents of Radical Orthodoxy argue that the Enlightenment project to remove reason, ethics, politics and economics from a theological framework culminates in the nihilism of postmodern discourse. They suggest that much contemporary theology is idolatrous in nature because it takes the isolation of such disciplines for granted.

In the Foreword, John Milbank writes that “[modern Mennonites] see the Church itself as the true polity and (unlike most of the magisterial Reformation) they see the possibility of ‘living beyond the law’ in terms of a new sort of social and political practice.” What might this concrete expression of Christian discipleship have to suggest to a movement like Radical Orthodoxy? What gifts does Radical Orthodoxy offer academics, ministers and laypeople from Radical Reformation tradition?

“This book explores both common and divergent themes between Anabaptist/Mennonite theologians and their counterparts in the Radical Orthodoxy movement,” says co-editor Chris K. Huebner. “For example, while they jointly reject as false the dualisms characteristic of modernity, the manner in which questions of peace and justice get framed remains an ongoing debate.”

Chris K. Huebner is Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Canadian Mennonite University. He is the author of A Precarious Peace: Yoderian Explorations on Theology, Knowledge, and Identity (Herald Press, 2006) and co-editor, with Peter Dula, of The New Yoder (Wipf & Stock, 2010).

Tripp York is an Instructor of Religious Studies at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He is the author of The Purple Crown: The Politics of Martyrdom (Herald Press, 2007) and Living on Hope While Living in Babylon: The Christian Anarchists of the 20th Century (Wipf & Stock, 2009).

The Gift of Difference: Radical Orthodoxy, Radical Reformation (CMU PRESS) is available from the CMU Bookstore, located at 600 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg. Contact cmubookstore@cmu.ca; telephone 204.487.3300. The cost is $29.50.

CMU PRESS is an academic publisher of scholarly, reference, and general interest books at Canadian Mennonite University. Books from CMU Press address and inform interests and issues vital to the university, its constituency, and society. Areas of specialization include Mennonite studies and works that are church-oriented or theologically engaged. Visit www.cmu.ca/cmupress

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is a Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, offering undergraduate degrees in arts and science, business, communications, peace and conflict resolution studies, music, theology, and church ministries, as well as graduate degrees in Theological Studies and Christian ministry. Located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC).

For CMU PRESS information, contact:
Jonathan Dyck CMU PRESS Project Manager
cmupress@cmu.ca
204.487.3300.

For CMU information, contact:
Nadine Kampen CMU Communications & Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca
Tel. 204.487.3300 Ext. 621

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Hot Pursuit 2010 Media Advisory

TRAINING RACE & NEWS CONFERENCE JUNE 28 8:00 AM
This summer (July 17-21), as a charitable fundraising event, Hot Pursuit 2010 will take ultra-marathon cyclist Arvid Loewen from White Rock, BC, to Winnipeg, MB, in under five days. He will be chased by pursuit relay teams leaving White Rock only 24 hours behind him. Four members of the Winnipeg Police Service and five professors and alumni from Canadian Mennonite University will race after him in the ultimate HOT PURSUIT. Along the way, a team of four “grannies” relaying from Calgary to Winnipeg will join the competition, with Arvid and the grannies are all riding in support of Mully Children’s Family (MCF). The Winnipeg Police riders are raising funds for Children’s Wish Foundation; and the Canadian Mennonite University team is raising funds to help bring international students to CMU.
Together, they make up HOT PURSUIT 2010.

JOIN US THIS MONDAY FOR INTERVIEWS WITH WINNIPEG’S HOT PURSUIT RIDERS
AS THEY COMPLETE THEIR 24-HOUR PRE-EVENT TRAINING RACE
Date: Monday, June 28, 2010
June 28 News Event: Hot Pursuit Riders will gather for a road-side news conference at the close of their 24-hour training race
News Event Location: Hyland Park, North of Winnipeg’s Perimeter Highway, west side of Henderson Highway
Participants:
Ultra-marathon cyclist Arvid Loewen
Winnipeg Police Department Riders
Canadian Mennonite University Riders
(The “GoGo Grannies” team, cycling for The Mully Foundation, join the pursuit once it reaches Calgary and are not available at the June 28 raining ride and news conference).
June 27-28 TrainingRace: Training race commences Sunday 8 am and continues until Monday 8 am
Training Ride Location: Commencing in Birds Hill Park, with a route change to external highways after 11 pm and overnight.

MEDIA MATERIALS will be available for radio, tv and print coverage of Hot Pursuit.
Hot Pursuit communication units travelling with the teams and stationed in Winnipeg will provide daily updates via blog postings complete with audio and video sound clips and photographs made available regularly throughout the race.

LOGISTICS OF RACE FINALE
The pursuit riders intend to reach Winnipeg’s Legislative buildings on July 21, between 4 pm and 10 pm

Winnipeg Media Contact for Hot Pursuit 2010:
Nadine Kampen: nkampen@cmu.ca; 487.3300 ext. 621

Race information contacts:
Arvid Loewen: arloewen@gmail.com Home 204-667-0445; Cell 204-996-8758
Team CMU Contact Chris Huebner: chuebner@cmu.ca; 229-5949 (cell preferred); 772-6813 (h)
Team Cops for Kids Winnipeg Police Contact Cst. Darrell Hees: dhees@winnipeg.ca (204)986-7386 (w); (204)612.8398 (c)

Website information sources:
www.cmu.ca/hotpursuit
www.hotpursuit2010.com/Hot_Pursuit/Home.html
www.wpscopsforkids.ca

To view CMU Hot Pursuit web photos, visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/cmumedia/HotPursuitTrainingRaceNewsConference#

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General News News Releases

CMU Press Author Dora Dueck To Give Reading In Winkler

Novel This Hidden Thing offers one woman’s compelling, ordinary, and surprising life
For release June 24, 2010

Following the release of her second novel, This Hidden Thing, Winnipeg author Dora Dueck will be reading at the South Central Regional Library in Winkler on Tuesday, June 29, at 7:30 pm.

“This book is of special interest to our area because part of the story is set in Winkler and provides insight into the experience of Mennonite families who emigrated from Russia,” says branch librarian Elaine Dyck. “Many may be reminded of a grandfather or grandmother, aunt or uncle in the characters of the book.”

This Hidden Thing tells the story of Maria Klassen, a young Mennonite woman who has recently emigrated from Russia. She soon finds work as domestic for a wealthy English family in Winnipeg, while her family settles in the nearby town of Winkler. Later in the novel, we meet Maria in adulthood – devout, industrious, and dedicated to her family. Yet she is reserved and intensely private. This is the story of a life that contained passion and suffering that no one knew.

Dora Dueck is the editor of Northern Lights: An Anthology of Contemporary Christian Writing in Canada. Her stories have been featured on CBC Radio, and in journals such as Room, Prairie Fire, Rhubarb, and Journal of Mennonite Studies.

For more information about This Hidden Thing visit: www.cmu.ca/news/may6doradueck.html

Order directly from:
CMU Bookstore
600 Shaftesbury Blvd. Winnipeg MB R3P 2N2
Toll-free: 1-877-231-4570 Tel: 204-487-3300
Fax: (204) 487-3858
E-mail: cmubookstore@cmu.ca

Ordering Information:
This Hidden Thing
Dora Dueck
CMU Press 2010 | 350 pages, paper | $19.50
ISBN 978-0-920718-86-5

Praise for This Hidden Thing:

“Dora Dueck tells a compelling woman’s story too often obscured by history. She inhabits her characters in such a way that the reader is drawn into a living, breathing world that lingers even after the covers of the book are closed. This Hidden Thing offers a worthy female, urban counterpart to Rudy Wiebe’s Peace Shall Destroy Many.”

Ann Hostetler, author of Empty Room with Light and editor of A Cappella: Mennonite Voices in Poetry

“Dora Dueck’s powerful and deeply engaging novel follows the fortunes of Maria Klassen, a young immigrant whose heart’s purest desires are in tension with domestic service, sexual passion, and the demands of family and church. Beautifully and intelligently written, the story transcends its Mennonite particulars to shed light on the universal and timeless struggles of the human spirit.”

Sarah Klassen, author of A Feast of Longing and A Curious Beatitude

“I never knew what the next page of This Hidden Thing would bring, never could guess what way the story would go, never imagined what the end would be for Maria, whom I had come to love so deeply.”

Katherine Arnoldi, author of The Amazing True Story of a Teenage Single Mom and All Things Are Labor

For more information about CMU Press visit: www.cmu.ca/cmupress

For CMU PRESS information, contact:
Jonathan Dyck CMU PRESS Project Manager
cmupress@cmu.ca
204.487.3300.

For CMU information, contact:
Nadine Kampen CMU Communications & Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca

Categories
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CMU’s Shaftesbury Campus, Menno Simons College, and Outtatown Celebrated the Accomplishments of 219 Graduates and Program Participants

For release June 18, 2010

Canadian Mennonite University in April celebrated the graduation of 95 students at its Shaftesbury campus and, last week, recognized 60 graduates in Conflict Resolution Studies and International Development Studies at its Menno Simons College, located in downtown Winnipeg at The University of Winnipeg. In April, CMU also celebrated the safe arrival back in Canada and program completion of 64 Outtatown students returning from South Africa and Guatemala. In total, CMU celebrated the accomplishments of 219 students in recent ceremonies.

“We applaud our graduates for their achievements,” says CMU President Gerald Gerbrandt. “As CMU students enter into their careers or continue with further studies, we take deep satisfaction from the fact that their achievements have been earned not only by their own efforts, but through the support of parents, faculty, staff, and friends and donors. It is gratifying to consider how our community helps and encourages our students to shape their faith and their futures through their studies and experiences, while also helping our university to attain its overall vision and mission.”

At the April 25 graduation services, the Canadian Mennonite University Shaftesbury campus saw a weekend of special activities as the community celebrated CMU’s largest graduating class to date, with 95 graduates awarded Bachelor and Master degrees: four with four-year Bachelor of Arts degrees with honours; 39 with four year Bachelor of Arts degrees; 35 with three year Bachelor of Arts degrees; three with Bachelor of Arts in Church Ministries degrees; 11 with Bachelor of Music degrees; two with Bachelor of Music Therapy degrees; and one with a Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies. Speaking at the Graduation Service this year was Dr. David T. Barnard, President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Manitoba. Offering a context for the graduates in decision-making after leaving university, Barnard invited graduates to “read responsibly, and then live responsibly.”

Valedictorian Michael Bueckert, a four year Bachelor of Arts graduate majoring in International Development Studies (IDS), encouraged his peers to take a broad view of their education, acknowledging that education is a gift from many people. Bueckert told the graduates that, while they have had a hand in this process; education is not a product that they created, or even earned, but rather a gift bestowed in many ways, including through experiences inside and outside of the classroom. Bueckert drew on examples from his own practicum in Olepolos, Kenya working in a Maasai community.

The Menno Simons College (MSC) graduation services took place June 10 in beautiful Convocation Hall, following The University of Winnipeg’s morning convocation services. MSC graduates and families were then welcomed to a luncheon and a special graduation program. Of special note, among this year’s 60 graduates was the winner of three UWinnipeg gold medals, MSC graduate Caitlin Eliasson. Program participants included (outgoing) Dean Dr. Paul Redekop, CMU President Dr. Gerald Gerbrandt, and UWinnipeg’s Global College Principal Dr. Marilou McPhedran, with reflections shared by new Menno Simons College Dean Dr. Richard McCutcheon and CRS and IDS major, student Candace Préjet.

In her address, Préjet expressed appreciation on behalf of the graduating class to faculty and staff who are “the heart and soul” of MSC and “whose time, effort, and dedication make it such a great place to be.” Préjet spoke in particular about what she sees as a significant challenge to today’s society – that of indifference. “We have lost touch with our sense of community and with it, our responsibility to that larger community.” Yet, she reminded her audience, “One person can be incredibly powerful and transformative.” She encouraged her fellow graduates to “choose the route that requires courage, sacrifice, compassion, caring, responsibility, and engagement” rather than the route of indifference – and silence – on inequalities and social ills that plague today’s communities. “You can make a difference,” she said. “We all have something of value to contribute to those around us.”

Menno Simons provides education flowing from Anabaptist Mennonite understandings of faith, peace, and justice while engaging other religious traditions and intellectual perspectives. The College fosters a learning community that prepares students from diverse backgrounds for participation and leadership in local and global communities. Considered a pioneer in International Development Studies and Conflict Resolution Studies, MSC offers a wide range of courses and experienced faculty in these areas, along with practicum opportunities and supporting scholarships.

On April 17 and 18, the week prior to the general CMU graduation services, Outtatown celebrated the homecoming of its site leaders and 64 student participants just returned from their memorable year in the Outtatown discipleship program, having recently experienced the patterns of daily life, faith journeys, and hospitality of their host communities in South Africa and Guatemala.

“The opportunity for students to leave their comfort zones, entering into a cross-cultural learning environment that examines world issues from a Christian faith perspective will give shape to their faith, their self-understandings, and their direction in life,” says Outtatown Director Paul Kroeker.  During this eight-month program, which is eligible for university credit,  students travel together in what many refer to as a “spiritual pilgrimage,” as students learn to know God, to know their own gifts and abilities, and to open themselves to personal growth and transformation.

A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU offers undergraduate degrees as well as two graduate degree programs. CMU has over 1,800 students, including MSC and Outtatown students, and is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC). CMU operates a number of schools and institutes, including The School of Writing at CMU and the Canadian School of Peacebuilding, currently underway at the CMU Shaftesbury campus.

For MSC information, contact:
Ruth Taronno:  r.taronno@uwinnipeg.ca; tel. 204.953.3846
http://mscollege.ca

For Outtatown information, contact:
Paul Kroeker, Director of Outtatown: pkroeker@cmu.ca; tel. 204.487.3300 ext. 649

For CMU enrolment information, contact:
Abe Bergen, Director of Enrolment: abergen@cmu.ca; tel. 204.487.3300 ext. 652

For CMU general information, contact:
Nadine Kampen CMU Communications & Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2

Categories
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Denominational Leaders Jack Suderman And David Wiebe Welcomed

For release June 18, 2010

Canadian Mennonite University today welcomed well respected denominational leaders on campus as part of its ongoing commitment to maintain vital relationships with two church bodies, Mennonite Church Canada and the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.  2010 marks significant leadership transitions within both denominations.

Jack Suderman, Executive Secretary of Mennonite Church Canada, retires on July 23 after serving in this capacity since 2005.  David Wiebe, Executive Director of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, transitions from his leadership position at the end of 2010, having served in this capacity since July of 2000.

At the invitation of CMU, Suderman and Wiebe today joined faculty and staff for a time of reflection, at which event the University acknowledged the significance of their leadership commitments and created an opportunity for conversation with CMU faculty and staff.

“It proved to be an absorbing hour of interaction as both church leaders reflected on the present and future of each denomination,” says CMU Vice President (External) Terry Schellenberg. “Both David and Jack expressed gratitude and joy in the personal and congregational relationships which they have cultivated during their leadership tenure. Each reflected on the deep and faithful integrity of so many within the church. And each spoke about the present reality of their respective denominations and the challenges their churches face within Canadian society.”  Suderman and Wiebe also identified the hope and optimism they hold in and for the church in the coming decades, even as they spoke about the significance of the challenges that lie ahead for the church.

This was an important opportunity for a university community, committed to be a ‘university of the church for the world,’ to be in direct dialogue with leaders of the church with whom they partner.   “David and Jack affirmed the work and importance of faith and leadership formation as it is occurring at CMU,” said Schellenberg. “They reflected on the fact that each of their children graduated from CMU, with each having been formed deeply by their experience.”

CMU faculty and staff expressed gratitude for the leadership and vision that each has embodied and affirmed the importance of ongoing connections between university and church.

A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU offers undergraduate degrees as well as two graduate degree programs. CMU has over 1,800 students, including MSC and Outtatown students, and is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC).

For information, contact:
Nadine Kampen CMU Communications & Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University , 500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2

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Canadian School Of Peacebuilding Welcomes Renowed Instructors to Campus for Week Two

Professors Marc Gopin, Karen Ridd, and Harry Huebner featured in School’s second session

For release June 9, 2010

The second session of Canadian Mennonite University’s (CMU) Canadian School of Peacebuilding (CSOP), running June 21 to June 25, will feature three renowned instructors, each to teach a weeklong intensive course that will shed further light on the issues surrounding peace, justice, and conflict resolution.

Professor and Rabbi Marc Gopin of George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution in Arlington, VA will teach Agents of Change in Intractable Conflicts: Lessons from Middle East Peacebuilding, based on his book, To Make the Earth Whole: The Art of Citizen Diplomacy in an Age of Religious Militancy.

Karen Ridd, sessional instructor in Conflict Resolution Studies at The University of Winnipeg (UWinnipeg) and associate of Training for Change in Philadelphia, is teaching Peace Skills Practice, which will examine numerous approaches to dealing with conflict and give participants the opportunity to practise peacebuilding.

CSOP’s second session will also offer the course Mennonite Approaches to Peace and Justice, taught by Harry Huebner, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Theology at CMU and co-founder of Christian Peacemaker Teams.

Gopin, Ridd, and Huebner are part of a group of 12 instructors participating in CMU’s second-annual CSOP, which offers eight one-week intensive courses in peacebuilding, social justice, and conflict resolution, divided into three sessions, for academic credit and professional development. CSOP offers insights and perspectives from, and to, peacebuilders from all faiths, countries, and backgrounds.

The first session runs from June 14 through June 18 and brings together seven instructors for courses in the music of social justice, indigenous practices of nonviolence, and contested food systems. The third and final session will be held June 28 to July 2, featuring Howard Zehr on Perspectives on Restorative Justice and Lois Edmund on Congregational Peacebuilding.

Canadian Mennonite University, through Menno Simons College (MSC, CMU’s campus at UWinnipeg) and its southwest Winnipeg Shaftesbury campus, offers one of the most comprehensive undergraduate programs in peace and conflict studies in the world.

CSOP WELCOMES THREE INSTRUCTORS TO CSOP
FOR JUNE 21 to JUNE 25 SESSIONS

AGENTS OF CHANGE IN INTRACTABLE CONFLICTS:
LESSONS FROM MIDDLE EAST PEACEBUILDING

Marc Gopin, Rabbi, Professor of Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, and the Director of the Center on Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution (CRDC) at George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR).

This course will help participants examine and measure in a new way the dynamics of their own potential impact on war and peace. It explores: the theory and practice of positive incremental change and citizen diplomacy; a central case study from the Middle East; and the philosophical and spiritual ethics, East and West, of decision making in conflict.

Marc Gopin
Marc Gopin is the James H. Laue Professor of Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, and the Director of the Center on Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Gopin has lectured on conflict resolution in several countries and numerous academic institutions. He has trained thousands of people worldwide in peacemaking strategies for complex conflicts in which religion and culture play a role. Gopin conducts research on values dilemmas as they apply to international problems of globalization, clash of cultures, development, social justice and conflict and he has engaged in back channel diplomacy with religious, political and military figures on both sides of conflicts. Gopin was ordained as a rabbi at Yeshiva University in 1983 and received a PhD in religious ethics from Brandeis University in 1993.

PEACE SKILLS PRACTICE

Karen Ridd, Sessional Instructor in the Conflict Resolution Studies department of UWinnipeg, Associate of Training for Change in Philadelphia, and Associate Trainer for Resolution Skills Centre.

Participants examine a variety of approaches to dealing with conflict in diverse locations such as: first party conflicts (responding to your own conflicts), third party to conflicts (helping others in conflicts) and learning to recognize the cultural elements of conflict resolution (moving beyond your own culture). Students will practice the role of the peacebuilder in situations when gossip, venting, and advice-seeking are being experienced.

Karen Ridd
Karen Ridd is a dynamic educator, facilitator and speaker with experience throughout North America and overseas, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Thailand and Cambodia. Karen is presently a sessional instructor in the Conflict Resolution Studies department of The University of Winnipeg, an associate of Training for Change in Philadelphia and as well as an associate trainer for Resolution Skills Centre. Karen holds a Bachelor of Arts (1984), a Master of Arts in Peace and Justice (2009), a Diploma in Mediation Skills, and has been working and studying in the field of conflict resolution since 1986. Karen began her affiliation with Mediation Services in 1995, when she became the Training Coordinator, responsible for carrying out and developing trainings, as well as overseeing the program as a whole. Karen presently lives in rural Manitoba, and is the delighted mother of Ben and Daniel. She has received numerous honours for her work, including the 1992 Government of Canada 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation Governor-General’s Award, the 1990 Canada YM/YWCA Peace Medal and the 1989 Manitoba International Human Rights Achievement Award.

MENNONITE APPROACHES TO PEACE AND JUSTICE
In collaboration with Mennonite Central Committee Canada

Harry Huebner, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Theology at Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg, author, formerly with Mennonite Central Committee in Jerusalem, and co-founder of Christian Peacemaker Teams

This course draws from the professor’s experiences in peacemaking as one who has been involved in both Christian Peacemaker Teams and Mennonite Central Committee. It examines peace and justice literature by both Mennonite and non-Mennonite authors, including John H. Yoder, Gordon Kaufman, J. Denny Weaver, A. James Reimer, Duane Friesen, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Stanley Hauerwas, and it seeks to develop a viable peace/justice theology especially for organizations like MCC.

Harry Huebner
Harry Huebner graduated from University of Manitoba with a BA in Philosophy/Psychology and an MA in Philosophy. He earned his PhD in Theology at the University of St. Michael’s College. Harry has been teaching at Canadian Mennonite University and its predecessor colleges from 1971 – present. He took one year off to do PhD work in Toronto from 1974-5 and served with Mennonite Central Committee in Jerusalem from 1981-3. Harry was also involved in the founding of Christian Peacemaker Teams. In his spare time Harry enjoys traveling, especially to the Middle East. Harry Huebner hails from Crystal City, Manitoba. He and his wife Agnes attend Charleswood Mennonite Church, where Harry has taught Sunday School, has been Congregational Chair, and has served in several conference and MCC committees.

Visit www.cmu.ca/csop

For CSOP information, contact:
CSOP Co-Director Valerie Smith
vsmith@cmu.ca; Tel. 204.487.3300 Ext. 315
Canadian School of Peacebuilding at CMU
500 Shaftesbury Blvd.
Winnipeg, MB R3P 2N2

For CMU information, contact:
Nadine Kampen, CMU Communications & Marketing Director
nkampen@cmu.ca; Tel. 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd.
Winnipeg, MB R3P 2N2