Almost two years ago now, I received a tentative email from a young woman asking if she could have her upcoming wedding at our church. She and her fiance were Christian. They wanted a church wedding, and a friend had told her that she might be able to get married at Peace Mennonite in Lawrence.…
I will admit that I was a bit skeptical going into the Mennonite Women’s retreat this past Friday evening. In my experience, women’s retreats are kind of like that little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. You remember the rhyme? When she was good, she was very very…
To summarize many stressful months as succinctly as possible: I officiated a same-sex wedding; the Leadership Commission of Western District Conference (Mennonite Church USA) found my ordination credentials in order; some people are not happy about this. So, to those who are deeply troubled by my action and by the Commission’s decision: I understand that…
Last week I attended the Mennonite Church USA biennial convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Thanks to recent articles in The Mennonite and the Mennonite Weekly Review, I found myself in many discussions about the inclusion of sexual minorities in the church. I’d like to highlight three of the lessons I learned (or re-learned) about “the dialogue”…
(To be sung to the tune of . . . Oh, you can figure it out.) I’m dreaming of a Mennonite Christmas, the kind that all the righteous know, where gifts are handmade or maybe fair trade, and wrapped with last year’s bags and bows. I’m dreaming of a Mennonite Christmas, with every Christmas card…
Spacious Faith 