MCC.

Journey of a Comforter: Assembly

Material Resources is one of the most popular ways for MCC to support the needs of our global neighbors. People at home contribute materials for relief kits, hygiene kits and more to be sent to those in need in countries like Ukraine and Jordan. Very often these materials come along with a comforter that was handmade by an MCC supporter here in Canada – someone like Linda from Linden, Alberta.

“MCC is a part of my family heritage,” she says. “My parents and my husband’s parents came over to Canada from Ukraine through MCC refugee assistance in the 20s.” Linda learned to sew from her mother, taught sewing in her classroom as a teacher, and now works as a seamstress, doing alterations. A few years ago, her passion for sewing and compassion for others led her to form a group based out of Linden Mennonite Brethren Church to making comforters for Material Resources.

Making a comforter is a daunting process, and more so when trying to make as many as you possibly can. The group tries to balance high production and high quality, and so it can be a challenge to find the materials they need. They recently switched their supplier for batting (the material that fills the middle of a quilt) to a company that’s closer to home.

It’s hard to say how long each comforter takes, Linda says. There are different steps, and in their group, they assign each step to different members, forming a high-efficiency assembly line in the church basement. One member cuts material into nine-inch squares, and another arranges them on a quilt board. Yet another sews them together, forming the quilt top, and after that, someone pins the batting and backing to the top. Finally, another member sews it all together, and a finisher comes along to do the final stitches and ties.

With this method, the group has been able to produce 185 comforters a year for two years, despite the pandemic. Keeping the production organized and coordinated can be a fun challenge, Linda says – “By the time the day is over… I’m done for!”

To learn more about Material Resources in Alberta and how to help, contact Linda Dickinson at lindadickinson@mccab.ca or click here.

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Peace and Justice Student Seminar

The MCC Peace & Justice Student Seminar is an opportunity for young adults to meet MCC staff, engage with parliamentarians and civil society actors, and hear from experts in a variety of contexts about how they are building bridges to create a more sustainable future for all.

The virtual seminar is on February 22-24, 2022, and costs $20 to attend.

For more information and to register, click here.

CMU.

Consider CMU: Where my Learning and Career Connect – Our virtual open house February 23, 6 PM CST. If you are interested in a Business Degree visit our informational webinar on February 24, 7:30 PM CST. Open house and webinar can be found here.

CMU’s Master of Business Administration – This graduate program is designed for working professionals with a focus on leadership for the common good. For information or to register for the Fall 2022 cohort, click here or contact vsmith@cmu.ca.

Xplore: At the Intersection of Faith and Life – Xplore offers life-long learning investigating dimensions of the Christian faith, our world, and life in it. All without any assignments or examinations! Xplore happens in a six-week block, with online courses offered Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings, beginning March 1. Click here.

John & Margaret Friesen Lectures: Reading Mennonite Writing Now – Mennonite literary studies in North America is in a period of transition with a fast-growing body of Mennonite fiction, poetry, and life writing. What does Mennonite literature look like today, and how can we read it most productively? Join Dr. Robert Zacharias (Associate Professor of English, York University) on March 3 at 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM. Details can be found here.

The February edition of On the Level is now available from Mennonite Disaster Service. In our current issue: Meet two sisters who carry on the family tradition of MDS service, learn how Mennonites and Catholics are working together in Ontario to reunite a family separated for nearly two years, and relive the excitement and hear memorable stories from the MDS Annual Celebration in Sarasota last month. Click here to read more.

Discernment is a gift and an art by which we make both daily and major life-changing choices. Through prayer and practice we can better attune ourselves to the invitation and guidance of the Spirit. We can then not simply make more healthy decisions but find more grace-filled rhythms to live in relationship to others, ourselves, the world, and the Divine. This three-part workshop will offer ways to understand and enter more deeply into discernment as an intention, a process, and a way of life.

Register at www.providencerenewal.ca                                                  780-701-1854

Faith Nostbakken, PhD, is an experienced spiritual director and retreat facilitator rostered at the Providence Renewal Centre. She is an ordained deacon and ecumenical officer of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and a graduate of Newman Theological College (MTS). She has previously guided individuals and groups through the understanding and practice of discernment.   For more about Faith, click here.