Events

“Food & Faith: Mennonites Farming Locally and Globally”

Mennonite sociologist Winfield Fretz called farming the ‘sacred vocation.’  Even though fewer and fewer Mennonites are involved in it, we are all dependent on, if not blessed by it.  We used to talk together about farming and faith a lot more when more of us were farmers.  Maybe it’s time to talk again. 

“Food & Faith: Mennonites Farming Locally and Globally”

Mennonite sociologist Winfield Fretz called farming the ‘sacred vocation.’  Even though fewer and fewer Mennonites are involved in it, we are all dependent on, if not blessed by it.  We used to talk together about farming and faith a lot more when more of us were farmers.  Maybe it’s time to talk again. 

Upcoming Webinar:  

Spiritual Resiliency, Dementia and Caregiving during Uncertain Days: Staying grounded through hopeful stories and faithful practices.

Accompanying a person with dementia has never been easy, but perhaps at no time in history has it been more challenging than today. The media is filled with inspiring images of professional caregivers who demonstrate amazing courage and endurance, day after day, but less attention is paid to those quietly giving care at home.  These “invisible” helpers are angels as well—and they are tired, isolated, at physical risk and worried about the future.

END OF TERM CONCERTS are an important part of Ensembles that we have really been missing, so towards that end we are holding a VIRTUAL CONCERT.  The Balinese Gamelan Ensemble, Chapel Choir, Choirs@UWaterloo, Integrated Instrumental Ensemble, and Jazz Ensemble will all be participating.  Stay tuned for further details.

Where do we go to talk about our everyday traumatic experiences that we do not believe are worthy of sharing?

In the last two years, instructions to "shelter in place" became familiar around the globe as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This lecture considers what it means to shelter in place, not just in terms of emergency management, but as a deliberate practice with ethical and ecological effects. What do poets, walkers, and weather observers teach us about the value of dwelling in place? What does shelter look like for those who are forced to leave their homes? And when prevented from staying in place, how can a person dwell? Is it possible to shelter in time?

This academic conference and community education event will offer stories and analyses of encounters and relationships between Indigenous peoples and Mennonite settlers from point of contact through to the present.

Featuring Cellist and Composer Cris Derksen, the Andromeda Trio and premiering works by Cris Derksen and Karen Sunabacka

Held during the Indigenous Mennonite Encounters in Time and Place conference, attendees and the broader community are invited to attend this free concert, held at the Theatre of the Arts, at the University of Waterloo.

Art Classes 

Try your hand at something new! Join Brubacher House 2022 Artist-in-Residence Yulia Balobanova for a fun series of June workshops as we capture the beauty of Brubacher House with pastel. No painting experience necessary— Yulia will guide us through the entire process from start to finish.