Month: October 2011

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General News News Releases

CMU Welcomes Pastor-in-Residence Ken Peters

Pastor-in-Residence Program, introduced n the 2010-2011 academic year, continues this year, welcoming Ken Peters as the third Pastor in Residence…

October 31, 2011…Ken Peters, pastor at Saanich Community Church in Victoria since 2010, has arrived on campus as CMU’s campus Pastor-in-Residence, October 31 to November 4.   

Canadian Mennonite University’s Pastor-in-Residence program is designed to encourage out-of-province pastors to come live in residence, participate in the life of the CMU community and share their faith experiences through CMU chapel sessions. 

“In two chapels, I will chronicle my own spiritual pilgrimage in a talk entitled From Love to Love, and speak into our intercultural missional context, Redefining out Neighbour,” says Peters. “In the forum, I’ll be addressing Unspoken Conversations Surrounding the Atonement.  Some students may also have opportunity to hear me speak on An Anabaptist Sensitivity to the Use of Power in Preaching.” 

Peters will share stories on spirituality with students, staff and faculty. Marilyn Peters Kliewer, CMU Dean of Student Life, notes that the aim of the Pastor-in-Residence program is to encourage spiritual growth in members of the CMU community, while also helping to build and maintain stronger relationships with our churches.

Peters, serving in his 25th year of pastoral ministry, has had experience working in churches with a variety of denominations. Previous pastoral ministry include his roles as lead pastor at Killarney Park MB in Vancouver (1995-2010), associate pastor at Memorial United Methodist Church in Clovis, CA (1993-1995), and associate pastor at Coaldale MB in Coaldale, AB (1985-1992) where he was ordained in 1990.

Peters earned his Diploma in Agricultural Management from BCIT (’79), a BRS in Theology from MBBC and a BA in Religious Studies from U of W (’85), an M. Divinity in Pastoral Ministry from MBBC (’95) and wrote his thesis entitled Interculturalism: A Preferred Praxis for Ministry in Multicultural Contexts to graduate with his Doctor of Ministry from Carey Theological College in 2009. 

Peters has involved himself in denominational work throughout his pastoral ministry, serving on the Alberta boards of Education and Church Extension, the Canadian Board of Evangelism, the Planning Teams for Banff  ’86 and ’89, the BC Board of Pastoral Ministries and most recently eight years on the Canadian Board of Faith and Life from 2002-2010.

His work history extends beyond pastoral ministry, having worked for the Bank of British Columbia and for construction and agricultural firms in the Langley, BC area.

Ken and his wife Yvonne moved to Brentwood Bay in May of this year. With three adult children out of the home, Ken and Yvonne take time to enjoy cultural celebrations, travelling, and quiet walks.

Peters shares many common interests with those in the CMU community and will fit right in during his time spent here in residence.  He is an avid gardener and enjoys cycling. With the presence of the CMU Farm and the bike co-op on North campus, he should feel right at home. 

“As a MBBC/MBBS grad, I was never schooled on the current campus but look forward to sensing how the historical DNA lingers on in and through conversations in the classroom, hallways, and campus culture,” says Peters, who received his BRS in Theology and his M. Divinity in Pastoral Ministry from MBBC (now CMU) in the ‘90s.

“I hope to bring encouragement to students that God is present in and through all experiences and uncertainties.”  Peters also looks forward to observing and listening to how CMU students integrate shared convictions of Christian faith and the natural provocations associated with exploration of ideas.  

PASTOR-IN-RESIDENCE COMMUNITY GATHERINGS

October 31 – November 4

Monday Forum @ 11:30 A.M. (Chapel)
Unspoken Conversations Surrounding the Atonement
With Ken Peters, Pastor In Residence

Tuesday Chapel @ 11:30 A.M.
From Love to Love:  A Faith Story
With Ken Peters, Pastor In Residence
Music by Rudy Schellenberg

Wednesday Night Worship @ 9:30 P.M. (Conference Room, South Campus)
Led by the Faith in Life Committee

Friday Chapel @11:30 A.M.
Who really is my neighbour?
With Ken Peters, Pastor In Residence
Music by the Chamber Choir

Issued October 31, 2011 

Categories
General News News Releases

CMU Launches Redekop School of Business

On October 19, 2011, CMU launched its new Redekop School of Business, made possible through the generosity of the Redekop family of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia.

“We are deeply gratified to announce a significant gift from the Redekop Family that enables CMU to establish its new School of Business,” says Canadian Mennonite University President Gerald Gerbrandt. “Redekop School of Business has been established as an expression of thanksgiving for God’s providential care for the family of Jacob and Maria Redekop, and their children Mary, Jacob, John, and Peter.”

The two brothers, John and Peter, their nephew James, and the extended family, have together pledged a minimum of $6.5-million and potentially up to $7.5-million to found the School. Twenty-four members of the family travelled to Winnipeg from Alberta and British Columbia for the announcement.

Jakob and Maria Redekop, together with their four children, fled to Canada from the Soviet Union following World War II. They spent four months in Manitoba, where they were welcomed by family and church, before settling in British Columbia.

“Our family has been inspired to establish a school of business at CMU,” says Peter Redekop on behalf of the Redekop family. “We see the need to educate the next generation in commerce, marketing, and finance, and to do this in a university that inspires and prepares future leaders with skills complimented by Christian ethics, integrity, and service.”

“The School will greatly enhance the university’s ability to prepare and educate a significant number of Christian business leaders who will provide a positive influence on society and the life of the church, and who will have the resources to fund the church’s institutions,” says Redekop.

CMU’s business programming will use an inter-disciplinary approach in preparation for a global business environment. The goal is to prepare students to become engaged in business and not-for-profit organizations, with a worldview and character shaped within a Christian university community.

Redekop School of Business will offer rewarding career opportunities for students through the following programs:

  • a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (4-year, with a 5-year Co-op option) with Majors in Business Management, Not-for-Profit Management, Accounting, and Human Resources Management, and
  • a Bachelor of Arts degree (3- and 4-year), Major in Business and Organizational Administration

Students will benefit from a generous awards program, excellent professors, a supportive student-to-faculty ratio, opportunities for a term of study in an international setting, and interaction with business and not-for-profit leaders. CMU also provides the option of extending learning through a business co-op experience.

“We are convinced that the Redekop School of Business will have a positive impact on our church, our community, and all those who will be served by our business graduates,” says Gerbrandt.

Released October 19, 2011

For AUDIO interview with Dr. Gerbrandt about this significant gift, click here

Categories
General News News Releases

University Partners Awarded $6.4-M

 October 13, 2011 – Manitoba Universities and Project Partners Awarded $6.4-Million from Canadian International Food Security Research Fund for International Research…Principal Investigators include Professors Kirit Patel, Canadian MennoniteUniversity, and Wolé Akinremi, University of Manitoba…

The Honourable Steven Fletcher, Minister of State (Transport) and Member of Parliament for Charleswood – St. James–Assiniboia, today congratulated recipients on the funding of $6.4-million in awards from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), for projects supported through the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF).

In his remarks earlier this morning, Minister Fletcher said: “I am pleased to be here today to recognize two cutting-edge agricultural research projects that support two leading Canadian universities – the University of Manitoba and the Canadian Mennonite University and their university research partners. These universities will work to find practical solutions to help developing countries become more food self-sufficient. I am convinced that positive results will come out of this research and that it will contribute towards breaking the circle of poverty in developing countries.”

 

The research project “Revalorizing minor millets in rain-fed regions of South Asia” was awarded $3.5-million, shared among researchers from Canadian Mennonite University and other Canadian and international university and NGO partners.  CMU’s Dr. Kirit Patel is one of the principal investigators.  Patel is a professor of CMU’s Menno Simons College. Other principal investigators are: Muniappan Karthikeyan, Development of Humane Action Foundation (India); Ram Bahadur Rana, Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development, (Nepal); and Widanelage Sathis Pemruwan de Mel, Arthacharya Foundation (Sri Lanka). Dr. Derek Johnson of the University of Manitoba and Dr Shailesh Shukla of The University of Winnipeg are contributing investigators on the project.

The research project “Better vegetable growing opportunities for Nigerian women” was awarded $2.9-million, shared among researchers from the University of Manitoba and other Canadian and international university partners. The University of Manitoba’s Dr. Wolé Akinremi is one of the principal investigators.  Other principal investigators are: Cape Breton University’s Dr. Thomas Bouman; Dr. Joseph Oyedele; Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria; and Dr. Clement Adebooye, Osun State University, Nigeria.

“We are extremely proud of the success of Professor Patel and his team in securing this significant level of funding,” says Canadian Mennonite University President Gerald Gerbrandt.  “Professor Patel is passionate about his work in sustainable food production and international food security. This funding will enable the research team to make significant progress in gaining understanding and knowledge in their field of research, and will enable then to make a valuable contribution in developing practical applications in the future.”

“I congratulate Dr. Akinremi and his co-investigators in Canada and Nigeria on their success in receiving this funding award,” says University of Manitoba Vice-President (Research and International) Digvir Jayas. “The truly collaborative nature of this team of researchers will undoubtedly have an impact on the important issues facing the world today: safe and secure food supplies delivered in a sustainable and economically beneficial model.”

CIFSRF

The Canadian International Food Security Research Fund  (CIFSRF) is a key element of CIDA’s Food Security Strategy. This strategy is designed to empower the poorest and most disadvantaged by reducing their vulnerability to various factors that impact their food security —including food shortages, market barriers, and constraints to agricultural productivity. The Food Security Strategy builds on Prime Minister Harper’s 2009 G-8 Summit announcement made in L’Aquila, Italy, that Canada would more than double its investment in sustainable agricultural development with an additional $600 million in funding over three years. Canada is the first G-8 nation to have fully delivered on its L’Aquila commitments.

Thirteen research teams involving Canadian researchers and international partners are recipients of grants provided through CIFSRF.  These 13 grants represent two of three calls in the five-year, CA$62-million fund. Results of the third call will be announced in 2012.

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) work in partnership to fund the CIFSRF awards.   Refer to news release May 3, 2001: http://publicwebsite.idrc.ca/EN/Programs/Agriculture_and_the_Envirnonment/Canadian_International_Food_Security_Research_Fund/Pages/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsID=288

IDRC 
A key part of Canada’s aid program since 1970, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development. IDRC also encourages sharing this knowledge with policymakers, other researchers, and communities around the world. The result is innovative, lasting local solutions that aim to bring choice and change to those who need it most.

 UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA

The University of Manitoba is the only medical-doctoral post-secondary institution in the province and educates the majority of professionals in Manitoba. The U of M is a world leader in many research areas, including the search for a vaccine against the spread of HIV/AIDS.  umanitoba.ca 

CANADIAN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY

CMU is a Christian university offering undergraduate degrees in a variety of programs as well as two graduate degree programs. CMU has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury campus, Menno Simons College campus, and in the Outtatown program.  A College of CMU, Menno Simons is affiliated with The University of Winnipeg. CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC).  www.cmu.ca

IDRC/CIDA GRANTS

CMU’s Menno Simons College Professor Kirit Patel is one of the principal investigators for the $3.5-million project, “Increasing millet production in South Asia.” Other principal investigators of the team are:  Muniappan Karthikeyan, Development of Humane Action Foundation, India; Ram Bahadur Rana, Local Initiatives for Biodiversity Research and Development, Nepal; Wideanelage Sathis Pemruwan de Mel, Arthacharya Foundation, Sri Lanka. Dr. Derek Johnson of the University of Manitoba and Dr. Shailesh Shukla of The University of Winnipeg are contributing investigators on the project.

Project #106506:  Increasing millet production in South Asia
“Despite the nutritional benefits, tolerance for difficult growing conditions, and ease of storage, minor millets have been neglected by government agricultural policy in South Asia, which has put the emphasis on cash crops and cereals like rice and wheat. Minor millets have long been an important and nutritious part of the diets of small-scale farmers and indigenous groups in the area. Research is needed to help revitalize the development of improved millet species among small-scale farmers and indigenous groups in South Asia.” IDRC website

University of Manitoba’s Dr. Wolé Akinremi is one of the principal investigators for the $2.9-million project, “Better vegetable growing opportunities for Nigerian women.” Other principal investigators are: Cape Breton University’s Dr. Thomas Bouman; Dr. Joseph Oyedele, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria; and Dr. Clement Adebooye, Osun State University, Nigeria.

Project #106511: Better vegetable growing opportunities for Nigerian women

“Growing and gathering vegetables is an extremely important livelihood activity for women in rural Nigeria, who make up a majority of the rural labour force. Vegetables are major foodstuffs for poor rural women and their families, as they often cannot afford staples such as milk, eggs, and meat. New technologies and approaches must be developed to improve farming practices. Doing so will increase the range of commercially viable vegetable varieties that are grown, and will improve nutrition, income, and food security for Nigeria’s rural poor.” IDRC website

               

 

 

 

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CMU Honours Artist, Curator Ray Dirks

September 30, 2011 – Canadian Mennonite University honours Ray Dirks as its 2011 CMU Blazer Distinguished Community Service Award winner.

Established in 2010, this award recognizes distinguished achievement and service within the broader community or church, through business, leadership, artistic, political, or volunteer contributions. 

“We are delighted to recognize the dedication, achievements, and community service of artist, curator, photographer, and writer Ray Dirks,” says CMU President Gerald Gerbrandt. “He is a highly deserving recipient of this award.  His images, writing, and exhibitions are known, admired, and loved by people around the world. I have been especially impressed with how he has worked with Winnipeg students using art as a way of teaching peacemaking.  Through this award, we offer a gesture of appreciation for his artistry, his vision, and his commitment to bridging cultural divides and fostering respect, for all people, in all that he does.”

Dirks grew up in Abbotsford, British Columbia, graduated from Mennonite Educational institute in 1973, then studied commercial art and design at Vancouver Community College. He married Winnipegger Katie Reimer in 1977. The following year, the couple spent several months in Latin America, confirming Dirks’ interests in working across cultures. 

In 1982, he and Katie accepted an assignment with Mennonite Brethren Missions and Services in the Democratic Republic of Congo where he worked primarily as an illustrator. “This resulted in a passion for ordinary folk and a lifelong pursuit, through my art and the art of others I promote, to reveal the decency and dignity of marginalized, stereotyped, misunderstood, forgotten people from around the world,” he says. “Honouring the fact we are all created in God’s image is central to my work. “

They returned to Canada in 1985, settling in Winnipeg. Dirks began doing freelance design work for ChristianWeek and MEDA. In 1990, wanting to counter stereotypes of Africa,  he created an exhibition from four countries called Africa: Art of the People,  sponsored by CIDA, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, MCC, and Canadian Lutheran World Relief, among others. The exhibit toured in the United States and Canada.

“Its success led to my bringing together Rise with the sun: women and Africa in 1995,” says Dirks. Sponsored by CIDA and its partners, including MCC, the exhibition featured 44 artists from 12 sub-Saharan countries.  It toured across Canada, including to the Museum of Civilization, for three years, with Dirks giving presentations in schools across the country.

In 1998, the Mennonite Heritage Centre in Winnipeg became a fulltime gallery with Dirks as its curator.

Dirks says that his wish and prayer was twofold:  that the gallery be a place that heralds artists from Mennonite churches as God gifted and that those gifts should be used and respected in the church; that the gallery be a place where all artists and people of goodwill could meet and get to know one another in a respectful environment, recognizing that Canada is an increasingly multi-cultural and multi-faith society.

In 2000, Dirks began bringing together the In God’s Image: A Global Anabaptist Family project. As with the gallery, he raised the budget through donations. The result was an internationally touring exhibition, opening in Zimbabwe to coincide with the Mennonite World Conference assembly in Bulawayo in 2003, and a book distributed around the world by MWC.  In God’s Image featured art and stories and photographs of ordinary people of the church from 17 countries circling the globe. The exhibition toured in Africa, Europe, and North America.

Dirks spent four months in Connecticut in 2002 as artist-in-residence at the Overseas Ministries Study Center and a Research Fellow at the Yale University Divinity School.  “I was invited because of my work as an artist approaching African subjects as people of dignity,” he says. While there, he had a solo exhibition at Yale University.

He was invited in 2006 by Menno Simons College and the Church of Christ in Congo to go to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo to cover the Congolese elections as a photographer.  “I jumped at this opportunity to stand beside our Congolese Mennonite brothers and sisters,” says Dirks. His images were used in media in North America and Europe and by the United Nations.

Three years later, he served as photographer at the assembly of Mennonite World Conference in Paraguay.

Working as an artist and curator in approximately 30 countries around the world, Dirks has had solo exhibitions in Ethiopia, Cuba, India, the United States, and Canada. He has participated in exhibitions and workshops in Kenya, Sudan, Trinidad, Cuba, and the Netherlands.

Dirks has received recognition from a number of organizations, including in 2008 the Above and Beyond Award for the Arts from the Manitoba Foundation for the Arts, and the TEAL (Teachers of English as an Additional Language) Community Award.

Over the past few years, implementation of a school program called In the Spirit of Humanity, funded through The Winnipeg Foundation, has been a chief commitment.  Hindu artist, Manju Lodha, Muslim artist, Isam Aboud, and Dirks joined in giving presentations to over 2,000 students across Manitoba, from grade one students to adults. A DVD and book are planned for the fall.

Noting that much of his work is across cultures and with artists of other faiths, Dirks says his Anabaptist faith and roots remain central to who he is. “I am currently working on the Along the Road to Freedom project which will result in a series of my paintings honouring the faith, love, suffering, and strength of Mennonite mothers who brought their children to Canada as refugees from Stalin’s horrors,” he says.

 “I see my work with my own Mennonite story and the stories, lives, and art of others to be equally important, portraying and honouring all as created in God’s image, fortunate and thankful to God to be living in Manitoba, amongst Mennonites, Catholics, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, First Nations…”

Dirks is the second recipient of the CMU Blazer Distinguished Community Service Award. The inaugural award was made in 2010 to Altona citizen Ted Friesen.

Article Prepared by CMU, Based on Ray Dirks’ Autobiography

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CMU Recognizes Distinguished Alumni

 

September 30, 2011 – Canadian Mennonite University on September 30 recognized four Distinguished Alumni at a special presentation during its Fall Festival 2011.

“We are very proud of our Distinguished Alumni,” says CMU President Gerald Gerbrandt.  “It is gratifying to see how our alumni have been shaped by their education, and how, years later, they continue to demonstrate their understanding, creativity, leadership, and Christian faith in their everyday lives and professions.  Their achievements and contributions are outstanding. We congratulate this year’s CMU Blazer Distinguished Alumni Award winners – Lois Coleman Neufeld, Judith Klassen, David Loewen, and Robert Wedel.”

2011 Blazer Distinguished Alumni Award Winners

Lois Coleman Neufeld (MBBC ’80) 

Lois Coleman Neufeld attended Mennonite Brethren Bible College (MBBC, a founding college of CMU) – which she describes as being “one of only a few Bible schools offering university credit at the time.” She graduated in 1980.

Coleman Neufeld and husband Robert served with Mennonite Brethren Mission/Services in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). An initial three-year term ended up being a meaningful eleven years learning and serving together with the local churches and partner agencies.

Later, Coleman Neufeld served as Mennonite Central Committee’s Country Representative in Zambia for six years.

After serving in Africa for seventeen years, the family moved back to Canada. For eight years, Coleman Neufeld was the Director of National Programs for Mennonite Central Committee Canada. In her current role as executive director of Mediation Services, she enjoys the opportunity to explore perspectives of how people handle justice issues in the world beyond the church.

A self-proclaimed life-long learner, Coleman Neufeld continued to explore her interests in leadership, organizational change, and gender issues over the years. She recently earned a Master of Arts degree in Leadership from Trinity Western University.

 Coleman Neufeld worships with parishioners of River East MB Church.  Her passion for the church and love for community is also evident in her eight years of service on CMU’s board.  Coleman Neufeld and husband Robert Neufeld met at MBBC. They have three adult children and a granddaughter.

Judith Klassen (CMBC ’97)

The desire to study peace theology while also pursuing musical performance led Judith Klassen to study at Canadian Mennonite Bible College (CMBC, a founding college of CMU). Klassen was impressed with how faculty and staff were “people who cared and took time for students. There was a holistic approach to education.”

Klassen completed a PhD at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2008, where she was awarded the Governor General’s Gold Medal in Graduate Studies. Her doctoral research explored faithful defiance in the musical practices of Mennonites in northern Mexico; other research interests include music and creative protest in sites of conflict.

An ethnomusicologist and violist, Klassen who recently took the post of Curator, Canadian Music at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, QC. She has worked as a freelance musician in chamber ensembles and orchestras across Canada, as a violin instructor in Canada, Mexico, and Paraguay, and as a lecturer in music at CMU and the University of Manitoba. More recently, she collaborated with the Mennonite Heritage Village in Steinbach, MB on the exhibit Singing in Time: Music and Mennonites.

Klassen is active in her community, providing leadership on a number of boards and collaborating with musicians on various projects. One such project includes the folk duo, The Land, which Klassen co-founded with her husband Simon Neufeld. Klassen and Neufeld are members of Covenant Mennonite Church.

David Loewen (MBBC ’61)

Dave Loewen graduated with a Bachelor of Theology from MBBC in 1961. The following summer Loewen began his career in camping ministries at Camp Arnes. With further studies at Manitoba Teachers College and Waterloo Lutheran University (now Wilfrid Laurier University), Loewen juggled school in winter and camp in summer for a number of years.

With over twenty years of service, Loewen is well known for his leadership at Camp Arnes. During this period at Arnes, Loewen served terms as president of the Manitoba Camping Association, president of Christian Camping International/Canada, and secretary of Christian Camping International/Worldwide. In these undertakings, Loewen learned to know many leaders in the field with whom he shared and from whom he gleaned insights in camping ministry.

Loewen founded Kingdom Ventures Inc. in 1990 and has served as director for more than 20 years. Kingdom Ventures is a faith-based organization focused on training Christian youth camp leaders in the former Soviet Union. In addition, Kingdom Ventures manages the Christian Camping International initiatives in Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia.

Loewen is married to Elfrieda (Epp). They have three children and six grandchildren. Loewen and Elfrieda are members at The Church at Pine Ridge.

Robert John Wedel (CMBC ’69)

Robert Wedel completed a degree at CMBC in 1969. From here, he went on to the University of Calgary to study medicine. After completing a two-year residency in Family Practice at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Wedel settled in Taber, Alberta.

A family physician for over 35 years, Wedel is past-president of the National College of Family Physicians of Canada, the recipient of the 2010 Alberta Rural Physician Award of Distinction, and the recipient of the 2010 W. Victor Johnson Award. Some recent involvements for Wedel include Medical Director for the Chinook Palliative Care Program, Associate Clinical Professor in the Departments of Family Medicine at the Universities of Calgary and Alberta, and Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Family Practice with the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Wedel has appreciated the opportunity, afforded by his profession, “to advance quality improvement initiatives within my practice as a family physician and as a palliative physician, “ he says, “as well as system-wide across the country.”

 Wedel met his wife Marilynn Harder while they studied at CMBC; they have two adult children: music teacher Gina Wedel (CMBC ’97) and Registered Nurse Nic Wedel (CMBC 1996-1997) and three grandchildren.  Robert and Marilynn Wedel are members at Coaldale Mennonite Church.

Also receiving an award on September 30 was artist and curator Ray Dirks (see news release of September 30, 2011). Dirks is the recipient of the 2011 CMU Blazer Distinguished Community Service Award.

Following the presentation of awards, the Festival program included a faculty lecture, “It’s not only about you:  Theology and human Rights,” by Dr. Paul Doerksen, with a response by Dr. John Derksen. Music from Quartet from the End of Time by Olivier Messiaen was woven into the presentation.

 As well, CMU sports fans had the opportunity on September 30 to enjoy exhibition volleyball games in CMU’s Loewen Athletic Centre.