Stories
Seven callings from CMU25
The crowd gathered for CMU's 25th Anniversary celebration
Rev. Vince Solomon, CMU Elder in Residence
"Though many things have changed, CMU continues to embody the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is not afraid to call itself a Christian university in the Anabaptist faith tradition. As an Anglican priest I love giving blessings. May God be seen wandering around CMU halls. As you walk into a classroom, as a student or visitor, may there be excellence. May teaching and learning abound in much fruitfulness. May a vibrant community life continue to develop. May the place build change makers. May the vocations in which you are called be fulfilled and may you prepare for those here. May God bless this place with his grace and may his presence be felt everywhere within the teachers, administration, staff, and all students."
Lia Campbell-Enns, Student (Mathematics and Peace and Conflict Transformation)
"In this time of political and social divide, acting in unified ways is vital so that we can make decisions about our future together. A challenge in our world today is finding common ground with those with whom we disagree. Acting with unity means that despite these differences, we can work together towards similar goals. I encourage CMU to continue to be a space where all voices are heard in a peaceful and respectful manner. We can stand up for what we believe without leaving behind those who disagree."
Cordella Friesen, CEO YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg, CMU alum
"What are the stories we tell ourselves? What are the stories we are consuming or creating? CMU has always been a place where stories are taken seriously. Whether it's the Sermon on the Mount, a musical masterpiece in the chapel, philosophical reflections in the dorm rooms, or a novel that keeps you awake long after midnight, storytelling is where faith and inquiry meet. Stories remind us that our lives are a part of something bigger and give us space to consider the possibilities. The next 25 years will ask CMU to write new chapters that equip students and lifelong learners to face a rapidly changing and disconnected world. Just as CMU has taught us to read the world carefully, it must also teach us to author it wisely."
Geoff Wichert, Chair, Board of Governors, CMU alum
"Students arriving today have been exposed to experiences, perspectives, and a scale of information that would have been inconceivable a generation ago. Inspiring and equipping them for lives of service, leadership, and reconciliation from our mission means preparing them for this historical moment. The first line of our mission statement says that CMU is an innovative Christian university. Innovation needs to keep happening. We need to work constantly to translate for today's world what it means to be sustained in the life and teaching of Jesus with roots in Anabaptism."
Art DeFehr, Order of Canada, Order of Manitoba, Founding Board Member and Visionary
"The creation of CMU required the Mennonite community, the founding colleges, and the government of Manitoba to think in a different way. We needed to imagine something new, different, and sustainable. The world moves on, and the challenges of tomorrow will be different than those of the past, but there will always be space for imagination and for creating something beyond the present. That is my challenge to the next generation."
Honourable Renee Cable, Minister of Advanced Education and Training, Province of Manitoba
"Continue seeking truth. We're in a world that is increasingly filled with fake news, false information, false idols, lack of transparency, lack of trust– things that aren't real. In this space you've created safety for everyone regardless of age, gender, faith, or ethnicity, with space to become their whole selves and to find truth. I implore you to keep doing that. Thank you for being those people who stay true to who you are as you also embrace change. That's hard to do and you do it with grace, kindness, and compassion. Manitoba and Canada and the rest of the world could learn a lot from what happens here."
Rev. Doug Klassen, Executive Minister, Mennonite Church Canada
"Don't be timid, don't be shy or embarrassed or ashamed. Don't be apologetic for being who God is calling CMU to be. You are not walking alone but with others, including the churches who bore earlier iterations of CMU into existence. What was a parent-child relationship has changed over time. Today it may be better named as companionship. Companions in Latin means those with whom we share bread. In walking together and breaking bread together, we share a vocation to nurture young faith, leadership, and theological reflection for the wider Church. With a wide-angle view of God's redeeming purposes, we form a people to follow Christ, serve others, and bear witness to God's peace and justice in the world."
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