Category: faith life Page 1 of 4

Faith and community at CMU | Cassidy Brown

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On April 1, 2021

In 2020-21, faith life

As a bright-eyed 18-year-old looking at the overwhelming number of universities to choose from, I settled on CMU for one reason that stood out from the rest: the impact of faith on community and vice versa. I knew that finding a community that would simultaneously challenge and inspire me in faith is what I needed to supplement my university experience.

My first year was wonderful for me. I was part of a group that led Wednesday Night Worship monthly and I attended a fellowship group on a weekly basis. And I always had the opportunity to attend chapels during the week if I so desired! I had the ability to grow my faith at my fingertips. Even though my second year was busier, I still felt like I had a solid faith community to hold me as I deconstructed and built up my understanding of my faith.

And now, here we are! With Wednesday Night Worship on hiatus, chapel online, and other extra events either cancelled or happening virtually, I lament what cannot be this year. With a year having passed since we were asking ourselves whether or not Covid-19 would even affect us here in Winnipeg, I find myself thinking that I should be done lamenting what cannot be. But honestly? I don’t think I am yet. Yes, I want to recognize that I have a lot of good going on, and I’m blessed that we have the hybrid learning model! But that doesn’t change the fact that I still feel this sadness that comes with the loss of faith and community in the way I know it.

Don’t get me wrong, I think this is the right decision. CMU has done an excellent job at creating a healthy space for students to learn and engage with class content in-person. And we must do what it takes to ensure the safety of all students, staff, and faculty. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s hard to navigate both knowing that this is for the best, and wishing it could be another way.

 I’ve frequently had to remind myself that faith is rarely easy, and that I am called to rise to the occasion of engaging in my faith, even when it’s challenging. I went on the search for some news articles, to see what other people and faith communities had to say about this topic. I came across an article from the BBC, and the most compelling part of this article is an interview with Bruxy Cavey, pastor of the Meeting House. “We’ve seen not only the numbers grow, but the kind of people, the people who wouldn’t typically feel comfortable even going to church, or setting a foot inside a new church . . . Covid has slowed us down and destabilised our regular routine. It has become an exploratory time. People are developing new habits, new interests, and finding new ways of just being in this world,” Cavey says in the article.

I also found an article from the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary on what it means to live as Christians in pandemic times. It reads, “Psalm 46:1 reminds us that ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.’ The psalmist continues by reminding us that God’s presence allows us not to fear the calamities that may befall us. What is not promised is that we will be prevented from experiencing problems and trials. Rather, God’s promise is that he will be our source of strength to persevere and endure through them.”

So how do we allow ourselves to lean on this? I believe that we have the capabilities to create and invest in faith communities, and hopefully it’s not too far off that we can continue harmonizing in the chapel. It often seems hard to dive deep into our faith when it looks so different from what we’re used to, but I continue to find people who challenge and encourage me in my faith.

Even though I wish we could return to everything as normal, I’ve been challenging myself to think creatively in these times. I’m eternally grateful for the ways CMU has helped me through this.

If you’re looking for more places to engage in faith communities, I encourage you to check out CMU. If you’re already a student, read the CMU Daily for all events! Chapels and small groups are an excellent place to start, and there’s bound to be something there for you.

Cassidy Brown is a third year Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies student.

Hilarity, belonging, and mission: An interview with two summer camp staff members

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On October 2, 2019

In 2019-20, faith life

Ah, the summers of my childhood. Bike rides to the ice-cream place down the block, afternoons at the local pool, and best of all, summer camp.

For many CMU students, summer camp isn’t only a memory of summers past, it’s an everyday summer adventure as they make up the staff of camps far and wide! I interviewed two summer camp staffers (Marnie Klassen and Johanna Klassen) who recently worked with Camps With Meaning. We talked about past camp experiences, the word “average”, and how their CMU and camp experiences flow into one another.

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Hey friends! Tell me a little about yourselves and your camp/CMU roles.

Johanna: My name is Johanna Klassen. I’m 19, and I worked as a Senior Counsellor this summer, at both Camp Assiniboia and Camp Koinonia. I’m currently in my second year of music studies at CMU, with the goal to pursue education.

Marnie: My name is Marnie Klassen. I’m in my 4th year at CMU, and spent the summer as the Bible Instructor at Camp Assiniboia, one of Mennonite Church Manitoba’s two summer camps. I’m studying Social Theology.

Did you go to summer camp as a child? Did that influence your decision to work at camp at all?

Johanna: Growing up I went to Camps with Meaning from as early an age as possible. I went to Camp Assiniboia when I was a younger child, and as got older I began going to Camp Koinonia because I wanted a camp experience that included more camping experiences, including canoe trips out on Max Lake and beyond.

Marnie: I only started going to camp as a pre-teen. At that time, my older siblings were both camp staff and my mom was on the board of the camp we were involved with, so in some ways I was more of a staff kid than just a camper. The sense of ebbing and flowing community really struck me and I was hooked. I knew I wanted to be part of something that combined hilarity with a deep sense of belonging and mission.

Why did you decide to work at camp?

Johanna: The main reason I began working at camp was because of the wonderful, inspiring, faith-forming weeks I had as a camper, and I wanted to make that a reality for youth in the future. I was encouraged by my counsellors the year before I could volunteer in the Day Camp Program at Camp Assiniboia, and I had a multitude of friends that also were planning to work at camp—I knew it would be a fun way to spend the summer! Now my friends have grown into a supportive community which has been shaped at camp, and I am lucky to be a part of it not only during the summer but also throughout the year, which is a big reason why I keep going back.

Marnie: This summer I ended up at Camp Assiniboia largely because I wanted to laugh more. As with most people my age, I’m learning a lot about myself and the world and came to a point where I realized I needed to take myself less seriously. So I went to camp to laugh more!

Johanna, middle, with CMU friends

Tell me a bit about an average day at camp.

Johanna: I don’t believe I had an ‘average day’ this summer, as I worked only one week with each age, every week with a different schedule. But, usually: I attend morning prayer, sit down to eat at least five times throughout the day, sometimes cook supper at campout, sleep outside under the stars, song-lead during Bible time, lead Camp Skills (including fire-building and natural tea making), run around with kiddos, and swap stories about God with campers and staff alike in the evening.

Marnie: A day in my role this summer could be compared to an obstacle course. You think you know what’s coming, there’s a ton of variety, and inevitably you end up being surprised by something. We started the day with morning prayer, breakfast, and staff meeting/devos, before Bible, which was my biggest part of the day. I was teaching about Community, based on Colossians 3:12-14, and we did tons of fun activities. Afternoons looked like filling in wherever needed, making sure that program was running and staff were getting their time off. In the evenings I facilitated Fireside, a time of worship and faith story sharing. I usually finished off the night either with some office work or a leadership meeting. Long, fulfilling days.

Wow! I definitely shouldn’t have used the word “average”. So what motivates you to work in such a high-energy environment all summer?

Johanna: Knowing that even though it doesn’t always feel like it, what I’m doing has a positive impact on someone. I know this because I experience it every day at camp myself, this coming from someone else. Spending quality time with people who raise important questions, are not afraid to be silly, willing to listen. Understanding the beauty of creation and community so well that I can feel it in my bones.

Marnie: It’s a wonderful thing to be part of faith embodiment. Every conversation is a chance to honor someone’s story or encourage someone. Yes, it’s exhausting. But it also matters. The energy of the staff and the delight of the campers is very fueling.

Marnie (right) at Camp Assiniboia

Did you see any of your CMU classes, learning, or experiences come into play while you worked at camp?

Johanna: More generally, my first year at CMU taught me to ask questions, and to be resilient in the midst of stress and confusion. More specifically, in the spring I had a camper who was quite anxious, and stuck to one staff member throughout the day. She wanted to sing in the talent show, but was nervous about where she would stand, what it would be like and the music itself. I suggested we practice, and because I had taken Music Skills, I was able to accompany the camp songs on piano more easily and sing with her. This made me feel like I could do something to ease her anxiety, and CMU gave me some of those tools.

Marnie: I certainly drew on my learning from Pastoral Care and Counseling as I spent a lot of time this summer in conversation with younger staff, helping them make sense of their stories. It was a huge honor to be trusted with those stories, and I think I was able to do that in part because of that class, as well as others that have touched on things like narrative theology.

Are there any stories or moments that immediately come to mind when you think about this summer?

Johanna: Every time I try to think of a moment to share, this one always pops up in my mind: one camper really stood out to me this year made me laugh more than any other, and also asked me the most thought-provoking questions. One evening before bed in a cabin full of seven-year-olds, she was sitting on her bunk, engrossed in the task of quietly putting on bug spray and sunscreen. When asked why? she replied, “I just like to.” I kept coming back to this situation realizing that sometimes, we do things even though they don’t make sense, just because we like to. And every time I think about it, I earnestly laugh out loud. On our walk in the forest to our campsite, she held my hand and asked, “why do the mosquitoes have such a nice home?” in moments of chaos and quiet, she was able to put a smile on my face, and remind me how much wonder is in the world.

Marnie: This summer was my first time working with adults with disabilities, and I learned oh so much. I learned about grace and communication and kindness and absurd and hopeful laughter and love. I will never forget listening to Roam by the B-52’s seven times and dancing with one camper as she prepared to go to bed. I’ve seldom known grace in such a way as that.

These stories are so wonderful and heartwarming. Thank you two for sharing your stories and experiences with me!

Chloe Friesen, 3rd-year Communications and Media student

“So, you’re all Mennonite, right?” A reflection

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On September 25, 2019

In 2019-20, faith life, student life

“So, you’re all Mennonite, right?”

I should’ve began counting how many times I’ve been asked this question the first time I heard it. The number would be laughably high.

Most often, I receive the question in response to me stating that I go to Canadian Mennonite University. They hear the word “Mennonite” paired with the word “university” and their eyes narrow, the wheels in their brain spinning. The person I’m talking to has most definitely never visited campus; they don’t know what we all know.

If you head to the “Fast Facts About CMU” page on the CMU website, you get a quick rundown of what’s going on here on campus regarding faith backgrounds.

  • 44% of students are from diverse Ecumenical traditions
  • 37% of students come to CMU from Mennonite or Anabaptist related backgrounds
  • 19% of students disclose no faith or church background.

Wait a minute… we’re not ALL Mennonites? I laugh as I’m writing this, because I am Mennonite and I have met plenty of other Mennonites during the past few years, but I have also met the most culturally and religiously diverse student body that I have ever been a part of.

Last week in my Theology and Art class, we went around the classroom stating what our faith backgrounds were, just to get a sense of the different angles we would be approaching the art and readings we were about to dive into.

I began writing down what I heard, the “so you’re all Mennonite, right?” question surfacing in my mind. Here’s the list I gathered:

We're all different...

 “Pentecostal”

“Agnostic”

“Evangelical”

“Christian”

“Muslim”

“I’m still figuring things out”

“Not religious”

“Roman Catholic”

“Swiss Baptist”

“Buddhist”

“Mennonite Brethren”

“Mennonite General Conference”

“Anglican”

“Protestant”

“Ethiopian Orthodox”

The diversity of the list was interesting, sure, but what interested me more was the confidence in which these words were being said. No one felt like they were “wrong” or “an outsider”, and there was no perceivable judgement coming from the professor or the class. If anything, there was an feeling of gratitude emanating. If you’re a student or staff member here at CMU, you’ll recognize this feeling.

We all had this amazing opportunity to gather together twice a week, to have conversations about art and theology, and we were already being blessed with such rich conversations because of the religious diversity within our classroom. We were all different, and that was good.

I truly believe that CMU is a place for everyone, not just Mennonites. Yes, the university is built upon a foundation of important Mennonite values (check out the Mennonites and CMU page on the website for more info), but we’re a stronger institution when we recognize our differences. And students, professors, and staff all know it! My education has only benefitted from my conversations with and the contributions of everyone here.

So, are we all Mennonite? Definitely not. Am I thankful for that? Yes.

Chloe Friesen, 3rd-year Communications and Media student

A place of belonging: A thank you to our donors

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On November 28, 2018

In 2018-2019, faith life, finances

CMU would not exist without the generous support of our donors, and for them we are so incredibly grateful. Many students rely on and benefit from financial aid, and every year CMU celebrates the people and organizations who make this aid possible! This wonderful speech was given by 3rd year student Marnie Klassen, who thanked our donors on behalf of the students this past Tuition Freedom Day. Enjoy!

Marnie KlassenNearly three months ago, I sat behind the steering wheel of my friend’s car, driving towards Winnipeg after a summer home in BC, and listening to an interview with social researcher Brene Brown. She was talking about true belonging and said, “Fitting in is when you want to be part of something. Belonging is when other people want you.”

I grinned at the passing prairies because I knew that was exactly what I was returning to.

CMU is a place of making connections, and a place of belonging. I’d like to tell you a bit about my experience with these things, and how being able to make connections has created a space of belonging for me.

I arrived at CMU two years ago, pretty sure that I knew what I was doing. I would major in Communications and Media, and double minor in Biblical and Theological Studies alongside Peace and Conflict Transformation. Yeah…that didn’t happen. After a few classes, it was clear which conversations made me come more alive. My plans were upturned.

Since abandoning my 18-year-old-self’s plan, something miraculous has happened – I have begun seeing and making connections. What does this look like exactly?

Technically, it means that I’m pursuing an interdisciplinary degree in Social Theology with a communications minor. But technical terms don’t tell you much—let me instead tell you what I’ve experienced here at CMU.

I lived in dorm for two years, and was drawn into a community full of commonality and difference. A few months into my time here, I found myself a part of a group of friends all studying different things—there was the composer, the music therapist, the philosopher, the poet, the peacemaker, among others. There we were, sharing cafeteria meals and constantly gleaning from each other’s learning. I still sometimes forget that I did not, in fact, take Business Ethics last year, for all of the wonderful and intriguing tidbits that permeated dinner conversations.

"CMU is a place of making connections and a place of belonging"I didn’t only eat with peers. Eventually I began eating a lunch or two a week with professors, and realized that not only was I developing relationships with them and the ideas they brought to the intellectual table, but they had their own relationships that they were happy to welcome me into. I would eat quiche with faculty members Kenton Lobe and Chris Huebner, and would be drawn into conversation not about sustainable development or Michel Foucault, but about cyclocross racing. The people and ideas I was dovetailing with were also constantly connecting.

The real learning came when the connections began to move from conversation to classroom to experience.

In Introduction to Sociology, I wrote about bicycle commuting, interviewing three winter cyclists from Winnipeg and postulating that their interaction with their place increased the ways they were able to build social relationships, rooting their identity as neighbour in their concrete neighborhoods. At the time it was very theoretical for me, as I felt I did not have a neighbourhood, living at CMU and all, and I was not a cyclist. Months later, in The Study of Voluntary Simplicity, I took up a simplicity practice. In an effort to discover what this simplicity business was all about, I began to spend time outside every day. Suddenly I had a neighbourhood. The trees of the Assiniboine Forest and the deer prancing frantically across Grant Avenue were my neighbours, inviting me into their space of belonging.

This fall, I am living off campus for the first time, and while my academic work is still significant, I wonder if my most important work is not my walk to and from church each week. The theoretical learning in which I partook a year ago has translated into the way I live my life with others, the very grounding notion of belonging in a neighborhood, to a community rooted in its place.

This is not a small thing. Entering a space at CMU where I can make these connections between disciplines, and between academia and my own life has allowed me to find a space of belonging. Coming from three provinces away, it is no insignificant feat to build a home in a place. And yet that is what I have been enabled to do here. I keep coming back to a line from a friend’s thesis which she presented two years ago. She wrote, “Learning is a practice in community,” and I think that’s exactly right. We would not be able to learn and become in the same way in isolation.

And so, dear donors, government, and churches, thank you. Thank you for making possible this space where not only can we students learn to read and write and study well, but where we can make connections to the other parts of our lives and learn to belong to each other. Thank you for your prayers, your participation in our community, and your generosity of heart and resource. May we receive these gifts well and continue to create spaces of belonging, as might fit in the Kingdom of God.

Seeing God through a fish | Guest blogger Sara Wolowich

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On October 31, 2018

In 2018-2019, faith life, practicum

This past summer I had the opportunity to do my practicum with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), at the Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg.

carmine shiner minnowOver the course of the summer I learned so much and experienced what it would be like to be a research scientist. I began working with Rachel Krause, Assistant Professor of Biology at CMU, on a partnership project with DFO studying carmine shiners, a type of minnow, and the parasites found inside these fish. DFO wanted to continue this project over the summer and they hired me to conduct dissections.

The field research brought me to Birch River, where the elusive carmine shiner can be found. This species is endangered, and this project is an effort to know more about the species and its changing metabolic rates related to temperature and climate change. In short, what we did was go out to the field (or river) and conducted respirometry experiments by placing the fish in tubes and measuring their oxygen consumption. These experiments are being done in the fall, spring, and summer, to measure metabolic rates related to temperature. In search of a relationship between metabolic rate and parasite load, the fish were then examined for parasites.

Sara Wolowich field workI also had the opportunity to go out and do nearshore surveys in the south basin of Lake Winnipeg, learn about fish tagging and receivers, and bathymetry. It was very cool to be working in a place where everything I learned in my CMU ecology classes was so relevant.

God was also brought into this summer in a weird variety of ways. I have always believed that whatever I do I am working for the Lord. Somedays in this job it felt so real.

There were times when I stood in the river for hours, as we were running experiments, and just got to stand in the middle of creation and admire it. I stared down the mud and what the small invertebrates crawl around. I watched tadpoles and small fish. I listened to the birds and the water flow by and enjoyed the sun. I took time to see all the life around us that we usually ignore. I remember one time just looking at one drop of water and seeing multiple things move within it.

Sara Wolowich conducting testsWe are part of a world and a creation that is intricate and so much bigger than what we see. I never imagined myself dissecting fish, never-mind looking for parasites, but it was very fascinating. When you are studying something for a period of time under a microscope you see how intricate and amazingly created it is. Once you know more about something you want to care for it and protect it.

I also encountered God in the lab as I was faced with questions of life and death. It broke me to take these little fish that thrive so well in their natural environment and euthanize them so I could look for parasites. One surprising question that arose for me during my time at DFO was do I really have the right to experiment and in many cases take the life of different organisms to hopefully gain insight to help the rest of the species in the future. I found myself asking for forgiveness and apologizing as well as praying that each fish we killed would protect more of its kind in the future.

Sara Wolowich Lab WorkI also struggled a lot with working alone in the lab looking through a microscope for days. This work is not simple. Science is not easy and the questions we ask about the world around us are not easy to answer. I dissected fish all summer long and I still found new parasites. Somedays I needed to show up at work at 7:00 AM a few days in a row in and work long days in order to complete field work.

I also was pushed in the type of work I did in different environments. I love being outside but have never been an outdoorsy/back-woods type of person. Though, this job required me to work in a waist deep river in the cold rain seining for fish. It also required me to walk through the bush carrying heavy equipment needed for data collection. I learned that rain, bugs, mud, and sometimes sleep is not important in order to gather the information to the questions you are asking. I gained strength physically and mentally. And I know that God gave me strength to do this work.

Sara WolowichAnother lesson I learned was that there is a lot of work that must be done to plan and prepare for going out into the field, and that once you are outdoors you are at mercy of the environment. As scientists we do not control the environment we go into and we must adapt and be creative in order to make our projects attainable in the field. I feel that I gained valuable skills of planning out a project and also being able to think on my feet when actually carrying out the experiment.

I have read so many journal articles for class and in those papers the emotions, the work, the failures, and frustrations are not shown. Science is objective but there has to be emotion in it. Why do we do things like protect these tiny fish that seem to have no known value to us?

Because we believe they are innately valuable and in my mind this value is given to them by God. He gave them life as he gave us life.

That is why I am so grateful for my faith and for this experience, because when I was in the river or at my microscope I could seek God’s Kingdom first.

Sara Wolowich is a 4th year Environmental Studies student.

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