Practicing theology from the bottom-up
Assuming a new position teaching theology at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), Rev. Dr. Sunder John Boopalan and his family arrived in Winnipeg in October 2020 after a move, during the pandemic, from their home in Boston, MA. Growing up in the religious context of Pondicherry, a former French colony in southeast India, Boopalan was raised by his mother, a nurse and Hindu convert to Christianity, and his father, a lab technician and preacher, who together attended the "Bakht Singh Assemblies," a multi-lingual and multi-ethnic indigenous (that is, without foreign missionary history) church movement. Describing the religious atmosphere of his upbringing, Boopalan states that "there was an interesting mix of theological influences that combined pietist, holiness, and charismatic movements. Services were four hours and included plenty of music played with indigenous Indian instruments and would always end in a love feast cooked by church members and shared sitting around mats on the floor."
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Perseverance, pilgrimage, and the Bitter Sweet Trail
On October 24, 2020, Kenji Dyck (BA '19, Communications and Media) premiered his documentary Bitter Sweet Trail: Japanese Canadians and the Alberta Sugar Beets, which followed a 2019 bus tour through southern Alberta. Produced by David Iwaasa, and in partnership with Nikkei National Museum, the film tells the story of many Japanese sugar beet farmers who experienced internment, dispossession, and detainment through the Second World War. Tour participants, made up of Japanese Canadians who farmed sugar beets in the mid-20th century, visited sites that played a significant role in Japanese Canadian history. For most Japanese Canadians, this was a time of racial persecution as well as a time of persistence. "The tour and the film," Dyck explains, "is to remember not only the injustice but also the perseverance of the Japanese Canadian people."
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2020 alumni updates from The Blazer: a longtime favourite
Readers of CMU's The Blazer magazine often say they flip right to the Alumni News section before reading anything else. Unfortunately, the past two issues of The Blazer were not able to include alumni news, as the arrival of COVID-19 resulted in shorter issues and different content.
But we want to keep the tradition alive! Below is a compilation of news from a few of our alumni (including the most adorable baby photos).
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Graduate studies at CMU
What makes graduate studies programs unique at CMU? Valerie Smith, Associate Registrar for Graduate Studies, says that "being rooted in the Anabaptist tradition, we specialize in peacebuilding and reconciliation-oriented programs, even in the ways we teach business. There is plenty of space for diversity within the programs, creating conversations that cross disciplinary boundaries. Dialogue is one of our greatest strengths."
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Sunday@CMU: December 2020
Theme: The Canticles of Luke's Gospel
This month on Sunday@CMU, we are journeying together through the season of Advent. In these weeks leading up to the celebration of Jesus' birth, we will be exploring the canticles of three characters in the Gospel of Luke—Zechariah, Mary, and Simeon—who awaited a Saviour and sang of God's faithfulness, mercy, and salvation. And finally, we will celebrate Christmas Day!
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