Palestinian family from Gaza in Winnipeg for medical care gets help from Mennonite Central Committee, Muslim organizations

 

A Palestinian family that came to Winnipeg from Gaza to get medical care for their son is adjusting to life in Winnipeg, thanks to help from local organizations like Mennonite Central Committee, the Manitoba Islamic Association and the Canadian Muslim Women’s Institute.

The couple and their four children, who are under the age of 12, were brought to Manitoba in mid-November by the provincial government so that one of the children, a boy, can receive complex medical care.

When MCC was approached by the Manitoba government to be the lead partner in helping the family, the organization was quick to agree, said Darryl Loewen, executive director of the MCC Manitoba office.

“Welcoming and supporting this family is a small but concrete act of care and kindness in the face of an unprecedented, human-made humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,” he said. “We’re helping one family find safety and essential medical care because we can, and because it’s what MCC tries to do by being the hands and feet of Christ.”

 

Read my story in the Winnipeg Free Press.

Photo above: Palestinian family members gather in their apartment. MCC photo by Jessica Burtnick.

Small but big-hearted church makes sure lonely residents of a local personal care home get a present at Christmas

In the Dr. Seuss story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch’s heart grew “three sizes that day” when he realized Christmas wasn’t about getting presents yourself—but about giving joy to others.

That is something members of the Church of St. Stephen and St. Bede here in Winnipeg don’t have to learn. They already know it. 

The small congregation of 20 to 25 people put their big hearts on display again at a recent service when they lined up presents at the front of the church for 24 lonely residents of the Charleswood Extendicare personal care home on Roblin Boulevard—people who, because they have no family, would otherwise not get a gift on Christmas Day.

Read my story about this small but big-hearted congregation in the Free Press.

Photo above: Phyllis Graham, Kari Hagness, Marilyn Lund, Karen Samsom, Chris Salstrom of St. Stephen and St. Bede.

Removal of religious exemption from the Canadian Criminal Code; is it such bad thing? A few thoughts to consider

The Canadian government may remove a religious exemption to the Criminal Code that says “no person shall be convicted of an offence . . . if, in good faith, the person expressed or attempted to establish by an argument an opinion on a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text.” 

The government is considering doing that because they need the support of other parties to pass Bill C-9, the “Combatting Hate Act. The Bloc Québécois has indicated it is willing to support the Bill—if the religious exemption is removed. 

This move—which is not yet finalized—is being criticized by religious groups, which say it could have a chilling effect on clergy and others who fear sharing traditional teachings could be seen as hate speech. 

But philosopher Gary Gutting says that history shows that it’s a good thing when governments limit the harm religion can cause—like how states in Europe in times past passed laws against jailing and executing people because they had a different set of beliefs. 

Or, as Arnold Neufeldt-Fast, a theologian and dean at Tyndale Seminary, put it: It’s not such a bad thing when governments remind Christians and others “not to weaponize their sacred texts to incite hatred.” 

Read my latest column in the Winnipeg Free Press.

Everyone is welcome at Gordie's coffeehouse at Winnipeg's Big Red Church

It’s cold outside, but it’s warm and comfortable inside Gordie’s coffeehouse on a Thursday evening in the Winnipeg neighbourhood of Glenelm. 

That’s where a full house of around 50 people is gathered to listen to folk and blues music. 

People have been coming to weekly concerts at Gordie’s since 2007, listening to local groups like the Nite Snackers, Agassiz Railroad, the Cat’s Advice and Two Crows for Comfort. There’s also an open mic for anyone who wants to perform a song or two. 

But what makes Gordie’s unique isn’t just the music — it’s the location: Gordon-King Memorial United Church. Or, as it’s known in the neighbourhood, the Big Red Church. 

Read my story about Gordie’s and the Big Red Church in the Free Press.

Faithful whistleblowers resist ICE in the U.S.

When Dan and Emily Coyne attend Sunday services at their church in Evanston, Il, they bring their Bibles — and their whistles. 

The Bibles are so they can follow along with sermons. The whistles are so they can blow them to warn their neighbors if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are in the area. 

“They’re with us all the time,” said Coyne of the whistles that he and his wife, Emily, carry with them to Reba Place Church. 

The church, which is part of Mennonite Church USA, is located in an area targeted by ICE to round up and deport undocumented people. The operation, called Midway Blitz, has resulted in the detentions of over 600 people since September. 

“The whistles are a non-violent way to resist,” said Dan, saying people blow three short blasts to warn that ICE agents are in the area and three long blasts when people see agents in the process of trying to detain someone. 

Read my column about the Coynes and how other people of faith are resisting ICE in the U.S.

Photo above: Dan and Emily Coyne outside their church.