Specialty Programs

Expanding Grebel’s Impact in the Community

Institutional anniversaries provide the occasion to reflect back on our roots in order to, ideally, provide inspiration to both persevere and innovate as we navigate the challenges and opportunities of our present context. As Grebel’s 60th anniversary celebrations come to an end, the College is marking the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement. This brief article draws attention to the ways that both Grebel and the Centre for Peace Advancement have welcomed affiliate organizations, providing a home for mission-aligned professionals in addition to students, staff, and faculty. This is a unique and understated facet of the tradition of community-building that Grebel is renowned for.

60 Years of Community Education

In May 1999, at the kickoff of the Conflict Management Certificate Program, Rick Russel reflected on the Grebel logo, referencing the flames which to him represented the dynamic force of the ideas that Grebel has cultivated for years, unleashed and put into action in a world that sorely needs it (Grebel Now, July 1999).

Trinity, Then and Now

On July 16, 1945, the United States Army successfully detonated the first atomic bomb in a New Mexico desert. Codenamed Trinity, the test marked a pivotal moment in history, as it demonstrated the feasibility of atomic weapons – ultimately leading to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The recent box office success of Oppenheimer has prompted a new generation to discuss the origins and ongoing dangers of nuclear weapons. Building on this cultural moment, Mary Kavanagh’s exhibit, Trinity, Then and Now, located in the Grebel Gallery, explores the bomb test’s lasting impact in a narrative context

Music, Memories, and Belonging in Residential Care

“I don’t have much of a singing voice anymore,” is something I often heard when I first started inviting people to hymn sings. No wonder. In their 90s, without many people to talk to, let alone sing with, over the past few years of masking, our voices have deteriorated. And mine wasn’t great to start with. (My failed audition for the Grebel Chapel Choir 30-some years ago is evidence of this).

UPCOMING CONFLICT MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS

Conflict Management Certificate workshops at Grebel attract a diverse group of participants, including actors, dramaturges, dancers, filmmakers, producers, and directors. This foray into the arts enriches the learning experiences of all who are involved.

Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre Activity Ends

Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre (TMTC) will end its operations this spring, following a decision of the Conrad Grebel University College Board of Governors at its February meeting.

Mapping Systems Clarifies Complex Problems

This April, Grebel hosted the University of Waterloo campus finals of the Map the System student research competition, a culmination of several months of work and research for student teams. A global competition developed by the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University, Map the System provides an opportunity for students to explore some of the most pressing issues of our time—from climate change to food insecurity—using a systems-thinking lens.

Tech for Good

“The role of technology in contemporary society is expanding every day, and critical reflection on the impact of technology now pervades a growing number of scholarly and popular contexts. Not only is it a struggle to keep up with accelerating technological developments, we can be overwhelmed by a deluge of observations, opinions, and analyses of these developments. Indeed, thanks to the rise of new technologies like social media, there are many more ways that our attention is being drawn to the impact of technology.”

Tech, Spirituality, and Older Adults

Until recently, technology and older adults were unlikely friends. Now I’m not surprised when a 96-year-old scrolls through their tablet to show me their latest great-grandchild, or asks their smart tech device to play some music. For many, technology has become a vital link to their faith community.

Breaking Down Silos with PeaceTech

Throughout my four years at Grebel, of the many hats I have worn, the one that has had the most impact has been as a PeaceTecher. You might wonder, what is a PeaceTecher?

Big Questions about Spirituality and Aging

What skills do pastors need to minister well with older adults? What is the role of volunteering in later life, and how can organizations adjust as volunteers grow older? How might we make our churches more dementia friendly? How do we go about planning meaningful rituals for later life, like legacy celebrations? How do we listen well to the elders among us? What role might technology play? What about intergenerational connections? How do we talk about dying and death in the context of faith? What about MAiD—how do we navigate this in our church’s long-term care and retirement homes? What does spiritual care look like, and how can we provide it effectively in today’s world?

Building Bridges

It may not be immediately apparent how an academic teaching and research centre like the Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre (TMTC) serves the church. After all, doctoral-level education is often seen and pursued as preparation for life in the academy. Nevertheless, over the course of more than thirty years, TMTC has consistently been a bridge between the church and the academy.

Addressing Conflict in Congregations

“Leadership is difficult and complex, especially during the season we are in as a society where questions of faith and church are especially challenging,” reflected Betty Pries (MTS 2005), an instructor in Grebel’s Conflict Management and Congregational Leadership Certificate Program (CMCL). “The variety of workshop topics opens space for important and life changing conversations regarding faith and conflict in congregational life.”

Systems Mapping Reveals Interconnected Webs in the Church

Two years ago, Canadian Mennonite magazine published an article entitled “The church has left the building.” Referencing the closure of churches at the start of the pandemic, readers were prompted to consider what it means to be the church together when they are unable to gather. Although it felt unprecedented at the time, this expression of the church as a way of being is not new. The Mennonite church lives beyond the building, extending into the local and global community and expressing faith through relationships. In the summer of 2021, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) partnered with the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement to contract Grebel student and now Interim Coordinator of the Centre, Victoria Lumax to map these relationships to inform MCEC’s strategic planning process.

Life Upstairs at Brubacher House

Curious tourists, skunk invasions, biblical basement floods, incredible lake views and sunsets... just a day in the life of a Brubacher House host! What is it like to live in a museum? An exciting new digital exhibit explores this question from the perspective of the 22 hosts who have called Brubacher House home.

Mapping Systems, Advancing Sustainable Peace

Advancing sustainable peace requires enthusiastic collaboration between passionate individuals across disciplines and communities, and catalyzing collaboration for impact is the mission of the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement. The Centre brings together experts, scholars, and students to work across a diverse range of local and global issues to advance peace.

Online Conference on Aging and Spirituality

This past June, scholars, practitioners, support workers, health care experts, and interested parties from across the globe gathered together virtually over the course of three weeks to advance the connections between spiritual practice and the effects of aging at the ninth International Conference on Aging and Spirituality.

Restorative Justice: Celebrating a Twenty Year Partnership

Conflict occurs every day, all over the world, and it is important to have the skills necessary to resolve it. The concept of the Conflict Management Certificate Program at Grebel sprang from a Peace and Conflict Studies Department strategic visioning session that occurred in the late nineties.

BIRTH OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE CHRONICLED BY MENNONITE ARCHIVES OF ONTARIO

In 1974, Dave Worth and Mark Yantzi proposed a pilot project in Waterloo Region to facilitate reconciliation between victims and offenders.

Indigenous Mennonite Encounters: A Gathering of Body, Mind, and Spirit

A group of international attendees will gather at Grebel May 13-15, 2022 for an education conference titled Indigenous-Mennonite Encounters in Time and Place. As a preview of the conference, a sampler video as been released on YouTube. This presentation includes messages of welcome and introductions from Indigenous and Mennonite scholars, collaborators, community members, and musicians.

AGEING AND SPIRITUALITY CONFERENCE GOES ONLINE

From the other side of the world, to our own back yard, specialists in aging and spirituality are preparing to gather online in June 8-23 for seven 90-minute sessions spread over three weeks.

The Centre for Peace Advancement Shapes Peace Together

Through September and October, the Centre gathered more than 15 participants, research fellows, staff members, and community partners in physically-distant Circle conversations where they spoke authentically about their journeys in peace and justice work.

Meeting Pandemic Challenges in Eldercare

There has been a lot of concern about long-term care and retirement homes in 2020. Sadly, the experience in some homes has kept the public from noticing the hard work, innovations, and heart that have made others a good place to be as we ride out this pandemic.

Mennonite Heritage Week 2020

In 2019, the Government of Canada declared the second week in September to be Mennonite Heritage Week. This occasion offers Grebel an opportunity to share about Mennonite history and culture. For Mennonite Heritage Week 2020, Grebel’s Institute of Anabaptist and Mennonite Studies (IAMS) curated some resources that speak to pressing issues in 2020.

Conflict Management Certificate Now Offered Online

Spring workshops have transitioned to an online format to facilitate learning from home in accordance with COVID-19 physical-distancing policies. Susan Baker, who manages the CMCP, explained that the pandemic was the impetus to bring the program’s interactive workshops online. “Engaging in the inaugural Conflict Coaching workshop opened my eyes to the potential of online learning.”

Toward Trauma-Informed Communities

Where do we go to talk about our everyday traumatic experiences that we do not believe are worthy of sharing? In her “Not Traumatic Enough for a Shock Blanket exhibit,” Yasmeen Nematt Alla explores this question, and how art spaces can become gestures of care to those who feel unworthy of their trauma.

Giving Thanks for ALW

Time to celebrate! On February 13, staff from Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) and Grebel gathered with additional Anabaptist Learning Workshop (ALW) stakeholders for a time of celebration and thanksgiving for five successful years of collaborative learning within the ALW program. The photo above features current and former ALW staff, Steering Committee members, instructors, and other resource people who attended the February event.

Expect the Unexpected

When asked a few months ago what advice they would give about aging, a group of seniors responded, “Expect the unexpected.” That advice is relevant to all of us this spring!

Lecture Series

Two notable lecture series took place at Grebel in January and March

Before COVID 19 event restrictions, Grebel was able to host two of it's lecture series programs in January and early March. The Bechtel Lectures in Anabaptist-Mennonite Studies gathered farmers and agriculture experts to discuss the relationship between food and faith, while the annual Fretz lecture discussed Anabaptist archives and their social history. Read on and enjoy recordings of each lecture.

Archives Promote Connection

These statistics may appear very dry and uninteresting to the outsider, but . . . I must confess that working with them cost me sleepless nights and nightmares, as all these faces rose up from the past. ~ Agatha Schmidt

These statistics may appear very dry and uninteresting to the outsider, but . . . I must confess that working with them cost me sleepless nights and nightmares, as all these faces rose up from the past. ~ Agatha Schmidt

Critical Doing

Universities and colleges are increasingly confronted with new kinds of expectations. Governments and other funders expect that teaching and research will make a demonstrable economic, environmental, and social impact. Communities expect that hosting scholars and students will help them be more enlightened, culturally vibrant, and relevant. And students themselves expect opportunities to apply their passions and skills to make a difference in the world.

Practicing Empathy across Disciplines

After studying science for my undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo, I wanted to grow in my personal relationship with God and discern his calling on my life, so I enrolled in the Master of Theological Studies (MTS) program.

Benefits of Co-op Are Undeniable

Nearly seven out of ten students at the University of Waterloo are enrolled in a co-operative education program. That ratio is expected to increase with the addition of Honours Arts Co-op in September 2020. Since beginning with just 74 students in 1957, the co-op program has grown to draw in thousands of students every year.

Building Intergenerational Bridges

How do we mature? How do we grow in wisdom? This process often happens through relationships with people who have walked the road before us.

Developing Skills and Gifts

This summer, I participated in the PACS 625 Internship course and had the incredible opportunity to work alongside the Refugee Resettlement team at Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Kitchener, Ontario.

Five Years of Catalyzing Collaboration

For the past five years, the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement has aspired to attract peace innovators.

Looking for Patterns

Experiential learning starts with everyone having the chance to either do something or say something about their own experience with the topic. But then what should happen?

Students Value Skills-based Workshops

Since 2011, both graduate and undergraduate PACS students have been able to register for a Conflict Management Certificate workshop for course credit (PACS 391).

Worship Apprentices: A Resource for the Church

Every Tuesday, a diverse team of UWaterloo students gathers for prayer, small group discussion, song teaching, and worship service planning. These students are part of the Worship Apprentice Program offered by Grebel’s Music Department as a skill-building opportunity within the Church Music and Worship Program.

#ChurchToo

How do we prevent harassment and abuse in our churches? How do we respond when abuse happens? What needs to change in our churches so that victims feel safer to share their stories?

A Grebel Student Council Production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast

Over 100 talented and dedicated Grebel students mounted a highly successful, student-driven, completely sold-out musical over a fun-filled March weekend. The crowds loved Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and so did our students. Congratulations to all involved!

Aging and Spirituality: Finding Courage and Resilience

June 13-14, 2019

Spiritual directors, healthcare workers, seniors, chaplains, caregivers, clergy, counsellors, and others will come together at Grebel June 13-14 for a rich offering of workshops, initiated by Schlegel Specialist in Spirituality and Aging Jane Kuepfer.

An Impossible Task: Trinitarian Theology for a Radical Church?

“Our task this evening is to go in pursuit of a mystery and its implications for how we believe and how we live our lives.” It is with these words that Dr. John D. Rempel (BA 1966, PhD 1996) began his lecture, “An Impossible Task: Trinitarian Theology for a Radical Church?” in front of a packed audience at the Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre (TMTC).

Baptism, Commitment, and the Church

Grebel’s 2019 Bechtel Lectures in Anabaptist-Mennonite Studies snuck up on me. Dr. Irma Fast Dueck’s topic “Take me to the Waters: Baptism, Commitment, and the Church” did not initially pique my interest or engage the relevant parts of my psyche until I was already immersed in the subject. It was not until Dueck started sharing her research around the newfound hesitance Christians have towards participating in the ordinance of baptism, that the voice of curiosity within me rose up in unison with the concerns she brought forward.

Growing Family: Design & Desire in Mennonite Genealogy

“My grandfather had a little yellow piece of paper with a list of names and birthdates. The names were written in an unintelligible gothic script, but my grandfather was familiar enough with it to interpret them.... I recognized that there was a great deal of information hidden in that little list.”

Music Touches the Soul

The University of Waterloo is a rigourous academic institution and our students are incredibly dedicated to their studies. How fortunate then, that each term, Grebel’s Music Department offers hundreds of students a way to connect to others, a way to express emotion and passion, and a way to take a break from their studies.

New Fraktur Exhibit Aims to Create Space for New Histories

The Grebel Gallery, located in the heart of the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement, is pleased to showcase “New Fraktur,” an art exhibit by alumnus Meg Harder (BA 2013). Until October 25, visitors will be treated to works that draw on fraktur folk art, an imaginative and densely detailed illuminated calligraphy, historically produced by early Mennonite settlers.

PeaceTech at Grebel: Nurturing a Home for Creators, Innovators, and Collaborators

At the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement, we have been asking: How can technology be positively used to create a more peaceful and just world? PeaceTech has become a convenient shorthand for many of the initiatives and innovations that call our Centre home.

Serving Together Builds Relationships

In keeping with the long tradition of Reading Week service trips, 14 Grebel students used their February study break to help repair flood-damaged homes, learn skills, and build relationships through Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS).

The Art of Mindful Mediation: A "New" Approach to Conflict Transformation

Mindfulness has been defined as “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” And while it is not a new concept, it has become a popular buzzword of the 21st century that is more often associated with meditation than with conflict and mediation.