MWR : Articles : North America

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Articles : North America

Iowa Supreme Court sides with Mennonites in steel wheels case

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of a group of Old Order Mennonites on Feb. 3 in a case involving their use of steel wheels on tractors.

Mitchell County had passed an ordinance barring vehicles with steel wheels from driving on paved highways, punishable with a fine of $500, 30 days in jail or both, possibly with the addition of costs to repair the road. The county spent nearly $16 million paving roads since 2009 and passed the law to protect the investment.

PBS film on Amish made with respect (preview included)

A landmark documentary on Amish faith and life will debut on PBS at the end of February. The two-hour film is a production of American Experience, television’s most-watched history series.
MCC staff in Pennsylvania dealt layoffs

As Mennonite Central Committee’s five-year revisioning and restructuring process ends, dozens of employees, many of them in Akron, Pa., will lose their jobs.
Hope for future trumps angst, guilt of the past

CHICAGO — Nelson Okanya cried out to God to grant desperation to the North American Mennonite church.
MennoMedia looks to do more with less

Successful books and new strategies are stoking optimism that MennoMedia is making the years of financial crisis in Mennonite publishing a thing of the past.
Vincent Harding considers what we need to do now to prepare for a multiracial democracy

ELKHART, Ind. — Vincent Harding suggested we are still on the march to a multiracial society at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary Jan. 16-17.
Theologian warns of accumulation seduction

HARRISONBURG, Va. — Beware of seduction by accumulation. That was one of the issues explored by Walter Brueggemann, a world-renowned Old Testament scholar, in talks to as many as 700 people gathered at Eastern Mennonite University Jan. 16-18.

Nurturing pacifist conscience

On my desk is Peace-Work Quilt: Writings of J.E. McNeil, published by the Center on Conscience & War, 2011, 150 pages, $15.
Farm policy to heal nations

This past summer I volunteered at a small organic farm where I saw firsthand the power of creation to grow and bring forth foods that nourish our bodies.
Goshen College student-run business steeped in Mennonite culture

With just four simple ingredients, two Goshen College students are hoping to “create a culture” by brewing Menno Tea.