Memories From Vi

{Vi MacKinnon passed away in the Spring of 2011. She had been a vibrant piece of HMC for years. The following is a collection of some of her memories, transcribed from her hand-written notes for a publication that was released for the 100th anniversary of HMC in 2001.}

flash back friday

My family and I joined the Church in 1962. It has meant a lot to us. I felt a very loving, caring, friendly place to worship.

I have to say that my fondest memories were being a Sunday School Teacher. I would like to call it ‘serving the children’. I started out as Dorothy Schmitt’s helper in her class of 4 & 5 year old’s. I loved working with God’s precious jewels…so I started Junior Church. Then the Church decided to start a bus service. I took part in the visitation that it required. We ran the Bus Ministry for several years.

I would need a lot of notepaper to record all the fond memories of so many things about the children. We had singing of choruses, Scripture memorization, children becoming kind to each other, and just loving to get on the bus for Sunday School and Church.

Lynne Crossman was a great helper. She was always there for the children. There were different bus drivers but Gary Schmidt was our last one. The children all loved Gary and Lynne. I was very grateful to God for their help. I always felt so blessed by how the children would take part in the singing (on the bus rides).

One Sunday morning stays with me. It was a fall morning and we were on our way to Sunday School. We had our usual sing-songs and action songs and fall colours were at the Master Painter’s best. Driving through Allan Park, there was such a great spirit on the bus, Gary turned and said, “I think we should stop here and have a service.” I quite agreed. It was a beautiful ride and a beautiful feeling to go into Church with.

Corn roasts, hayrides, and barbeques brought old and young together for great times. There is such a great blessing when one decides to work with God’s children. The work was a joy to me.

Allan Remembers

* Transcribed from a video interview conducted by Pastor Jason in April of 2013.
Allan was received into membership on March 2, 1930 and is our eldest living member from the original church.
OUR CHURCH was a very small church (and was) located on ninth avenue, the previous site of the old post office. It was called the Hanover Mennonite Brethren In Christ Church…built in 1904. 
We were not a very large crowd (and) everyone had to take their turn with the jobs that were needed around the church…I was given the job of firing up the furnace in the winter. I was fourteen years old. I would get up at 7:00 each Sunday morning and walk to the church from our home with an arm full of kindling and wood to start the fire in the furnace. I would have to sit there into the afternoon to make sure the church was warm enough for the service at 2:00 pm.  
I remember a time when the communion cups come before the church. A member of the church, whom I will leave anonymous, requested communion cups rather than the community cup, as a member of his family had tuberculosis at that time. I remember that another member was opposed to the idea. They said that the Bible says that ‘He took the cup’ not ‘cups’. These changes did not go over (well) with some of the people but it was overruled and the purchase of glass communion cups was made…Everyone would gather around the front of the church and take part in the communion with separate cups.  

In the early church we used to kneel during prayer time and some of the prayers, I recall, were quite long – (sometimes people even) fell asleep.  
We had revival meetings at various times of the year. The Trissel Family were guest speakers and musicians many times and they drew big crowds. I remember one night they were singing and the windows were open and people were standing around the street and the front entrance to see what was going on. 
The first old pump organ purchase was a big deal. Many members were opposed because (they believed) an organ was an instrument of the devil. You can see how people didn’t like change in those days.  
In the early 1960’s I was on the church board…and we felt the need of a larger church. Canada Post was interested in the property to build a new Post Office. They purchased the property from the Hanover Mennonite Brethren in Christ Church for $8000. Harold Flemming was on the board at that time. Harold was a man I especially looked up to. He was a builder and a good man to have on the board. He said at the meeting one night that we had to do something about building a new church soon. Harold said, “I’m a barn builder but I can build a church.”  
In 1963 a new church was constructed. I can remember getting ready for the opening Sunday of the church. Dorothy Schmitt and my wife, Kaye, were up on a platform painting the back where there was a cross built in the wall. That wall is in the office today. Many hands helped with the finishing touches in this lovely structure that Harold Flemming and his crew built. I am so proud of this building even today. I would say that we have (a) facility that is second to none. It is an honour to have such a well-equipped church in Hanover.

Talent No Talent Night

The Ladies Social team has been doing a tremendous job of crafting events that bring people together. Recently they hosted a ‘Talent No Talent’ night in which the main goal was very simple: laughter. There is little else that is more refreshing or healing than a good night of giggles!

The night was narrated by two ‘wigged’ men, (resident funny guys, Mike Krotz & Caleb Dyck) who cracked jokes and introduced each act from beneath their striking coiffures.

From family acts to an opera singing clown – the Talent No Talent night showcased a marinade of talent and silly non-talent much to the delight of a participatory audience.

Acts were segregated by Minute-To-Win-It challenges that got staff members competing against congregants. The night was full of lighthearted fun.

Unfortunately, the video camera only captured a small portion of the evening but you can catch a few of those highlights in this quick little highlight reel:


 [Watch on YouTube]

What Is Worthy?

Guest Post by Caleb Dyck, worship leader.

instructions for worship: loving God
I must confess that as I sat in church this crisp March morning, somewhere partway through the first point of Pastor Jason’s message, my eyes began to glaze over.  Was I tired? No. Was I bored or disinterested?  Also, no.  You see, Jason said something that I had heard many times over, and yet, something sparked…

“Worship is the idea of ascribing worth to someone or something”

The basic idea or definition of worship as described in most evangelical circles is that worship is us declaring or attributing to God the worth that He is worthy of.  As God is infinitely worthy, He is worth infinite worship.  Now, I think that most people will agree that worship is not just the singing of songs or raising our hands or even just praying.  Rather, we are called to worship with our entire lives, our entire being.

Having heard this all before, I was surprised when my ever active mind took that definition and ran with it.  So, as Jason continued on, my thoughts raced along a track parallel to the central theme of the message.  What in my life am I ascribing worth to?  If there was an honest, objective overview of my life, what would stand out as being worth the most to me?  I obviously know the right answers to what SHOULD be important, but does my life lend evidence to support this?

In our own lives, what are we saying is most important in the way we spend our time, our efforts, our resources?  Do we spend all of our spare time in finding fulfillment in relationships, family, entertainment?  I can say that part of my worship is tithing and yet if I was spending more money on fast food every month than giving, what would you say is worth more to me?  If I say that I worship by serving others and yet am more concerned about my “me” time every evening than getting involved serving my local church, what is my life saying is most important to me?

Now, I am not saying that everything breaks down into an elaborate system of charts and graphs, and if the tithing and serving clocks is at more hours and dollars than fast food and down time then I have this worship thing in the bag.  That’s not really the point.  If that was the end goal then the Pharisees had it down to an art form all those years ago.  Obviously worship is a heart issue.  But still…   What does our life say about what is most important to us deep down in our hearts? 


Senior Youth Snow Camp

Guest Post by Brian Austin (youth leader)

More than once, Snow-Camp has been celebrated in half-frozen mud, but this year it fully lived up to its name. We rolled into Riverview Bible Camp near Scone at about 5:30 P.M. on Friday. Minus the bus, every vehicle was packed with bags and bodies, kids wound up and raring to go. The more “mature” types were also pretty keyed up, although many of us had already put in a long day. We’d made an earlier trip with sound equipment, cardboard and carpeting to help keep feet dry. – And food! Do you know how much it takes to feed a bunch of teens for a weekend? Everyone got somewhat settled, then we headed to the gym.
We started with a few announcements followed by a surprise Birthday Party for someone reaching that magic age when the government offers an early pension. I did say “Senior” Youth, didn’t I? But these teens are a wonderful bunch and I’d be a proud Grandpa to any or all of them.
Jasmine Koch and her team led us in worship at each session. For our first session Mike Krotz read scripture passages and the limited background information the Bible gives about Barabbas (the murderer released during Jesus’ trial when Jesus was sent to the Cross). Then Barabbas himself, somehow bridging 2000 years, shared his view of events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus. Special speakers, Yorge & Melissa Von Hatten Baer shared with openness and vulnerability before we broke into smaller groups for more in-depth discussion.
Saturday and Sunday mornings saw leaders crowding around the coffee pot before an early meeting and prayer time, then youth devouring pancakes, toast and cereal. Basketballs threatened tables of food in the gym, as well as heads and chairs. Rousing games of Dutch Blitz had hands slapping and voices shouting. The wildest game, exhausting in knee-deep snow had two teams defending snow towers. Even our senior Pastor got into the fray. One of our younger youth seemed to find sitting on Pastor Jason warmer than sitting in the snow itself, and took great pride in his achievement. The old guy of the weekend isn’t sure he wants to be remembered for repeatedly attacking his Pastor, dragging him off the tower and throwing him into a snow-bank. He is also pretty sure that some games weren’t meant for Grandpas.
Rebecca Grierson braved nasty road conditions to bring our Saturday night banquet, made even more delicious with the appetites our romp in the snow created. Semi-Formal attire did not dampen enthusiasm for wild and crazy pictures, the portrait studio presided over by Heather Winkels and Kristina Dyck.
Yorge & Melissa shared twice on Saturday and again Sunday morning. We had great fun and a wonderful spirit prevailed with an openness, honesty and vulnerability that enriched youth and leaders alike. It’s not always that fun and spiritual richness happen together, so we are truly thanking God.  Our final session included a quiet reflective time, with six stations youth and leaders could visit as they chose. These included: “Give it to God,” “Cross Training,” “A Word of Encouragement,” “Prayer Requests,” “Items of Praise,” and “Communion.” Tears could be seen in youth and adult eyes a number of times.

Thank You. . .

  • to Mike and Karen Krotz for leadership. It takes a team to make a retreat like this work, but every team needs leadership. Yours is guided by a love for God and a love for every one of these kids.
  • to all volunteers, those who stayed for the full weekend and those who came in to help with one or more meals.
  • to those who prayed for us.
  • to Allan and Marie Edgcumbe for providing and maintaining a wonderful facility where God’s presence is always invited.
  • to each teen. It really is great fun being with you. We learn so much from you any time we let ourselves.
  • Most of all, Thank You to God, for meeting with us, for safety and protection, for touching hearts and minds.  

{stay tuned for photos and a video from the event}

Ghana 2014

A Missions Update from Neal & Aggie Stretch

Imagine the very thought of ‘seeing’ 3,500 children in under two weeks; traveling to 8 different villages to set up a clinic; making some sense of the culture and history of a place. 

A mission trip is many things: absorbing unfamiliar sounds, smells, noises, scenes, dialect.  More closely, embracing people’s sorrows, joy, stories long past, current dilemmas. On a mission trip one must cooperate with a team of seemingly like-minded individuals.  Prayer, planning and much good will made this mission trip a success.

The team, made up of 7 Canadians and many more Ghanian doctors and nurses delivered care to 3,500 students and staff.  After 10 years of visiting these same villages, many of the students were healthy, requiring only deworming medicine, vitamins and a kind word.

Narious and Joseph, both of whom have recently graduated from Accra Medical School, were part of the team.  They, along with 3 other medical students, had been supported by doctors from the Hanover Area so they could complete their studies. Monies were supplied for their tuition and boarding.  They in turn, offer their expertise to under-serviced areas in Ghana.

Our connection to IN Ghana staff continues to deepen.  Some nurses have been on the field with us 5 times.  Cromwell headed up the team.  We have known him for the 10 years we have been part of their wonderful organization.

We appreciated the glory of finding a pair of eyeglasses in a box of hundreds.   Students breaking into beaming smiles, turning their heads in wonder, then reading the list on the board, ‘Lord, peace, desk, school, love’.  We were moved by the young teen who made her way to the clinic with a terrible wound on her foot; the 2 year old with a broken arm that had not been set properly.  There was much chuckling in the dispensary, figuring out language and the best way to entertain those waiting. 

A visit to Cape Coast and the Slave Castle plus a walk in the tree canopy, 100s of meters above the ground, left some of us a little shaken, maybe more thoughtful.


Our last stop was at a fishing village.  It had all the earmarks of paradise.  Aqua surf foaming onto a pristine beach.  Ancient palm trees arched by wind and weather.  Colourful fishing boats in the shade.  Observing and chatting with the villagers I realized the environment did not match their plight.  The encounter pushed me back to our first visit in 2003, where I had my first view into the injustice of poverty and the poverty of injustice. 

We were struck by the fine, sensitive work IN Ghana has participated in for many years, bringing young boys off the fishing boats and into school. 

We were careful to debrief with the team in the field.  We have met since.  Several of us have needed more intense assistance to be properly debriefed.  There is such an accumulation of memories after sundry trips.  (We have offered debriefing services to the local mission team headed for Haiti, plus information to Barrie Mutrie who often goes to Zimbabwe).

There are many to thank for the richness of this experience.  Above all we acknowledge God’s persistent  provision and unfailing love for all of us, His precious children.

Tales From The Mission Field: Surplus Prayer

Guest Post by Aggie Stretch

There is no such thing as ‘prayer surplus’ when planning a mission trip.  We encourage a Ten To Pray ideal.  Ten friends and family to institute, ‘Don’t worry about anything, pray about everything’ Phil 4:6.  This grafts others into the mission branch. 
Here is an example of faithful prayer:
Upon our return from Ghana, Anna approached us to say she had been praying through Psalm 91 while we were away.  It begins beautifully with, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty”.
The verses she felt compelled to repeat were, “For He orders his angels to protect you wherever you go.  They will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.  You will trample down lions and poisonous snakes….”  
She could not know that we had come within 2 feet of a python: 6 inches in diameter and about 5 feet long, while walking down a dark lane in the night time towards the main road in Amrahia.  Anna is one of our Ten to Pray. She has prayer journeyed with us for 10 years. 
 She is a faithful friend; we serve a faithful God.

The Perfect Tree

Many hours of work went into our Christmas Eve Service.

But it was all worth it because the end result was a charming evening of song, drama and an opportunity for response.

‘The Perfect Tree’ was far from perfect.  As we prepared, it seemed much was against us…

Our live tree, a huge beautiful beast that smelled like Christmas and shed like a furry Newfoundland was absolutely PERFECT…until we actually rehearsed with it – three times the tree stand broke – even after the mastery of a brilliant welder – and we settled for a quickly grabbed artificial tree that had been left in the basement following the Ladies Social Christmas Dinner.  This was a mad dash of sweaty turn-around only minutes before the service started.

But how appropriate!  A ‘Perfect Lesson’ in ‘The Perfect Tree’…

The entire service was built upon this verse from Isaiah:

“Forget the former things – do not dwell in the past. 
See, I am doing a NEW THING!”

And so we did.  We laid aside our own ‘perfect’ vision, and allowed God to work through what we thought wasn’t good enough.

And the result?  You decide!

watch on YouTube

Alanna Rusnak shares her life with her husband, three children, and a cat she’s trying hard not to love.  She has attended HMC for her entire life and been on staff since 2003, currently fulfilling the role of Creative Communications.  You can find her over at her own blog, SelfBinding Retrospect.

Have You Ever Wondered?

Guest Post by Brian Austin

A number of Bible passages tell us that Jesus was with God in the beginning, and that He created all things.

Have you ever wondered what it cost the Creator of the Universe to commit Himself to nine months in the womb of a teenage girl? And why an unmarried girl, a virgin? How do you convince anyone you’re still a virgin? Some of you know the pain of carrying a child when there’s no wedding ring and no husband in the picture. But back then, there was a very real chance you would be killed if you showed up pregnant, but unmarried. Why bring Jesus into the world that way, with such a stain on His reputation before He draws His first breath?

Can you imagine having the kind of power we see in creation, but choosing a stable for a birth-place, a feed-trough for a bed, diapers and potty training, learning to walk and to speak?

We forget, sometimes, that the Bible tells us Jesus was with God in the beginning. We forget sometimes that He left all that to come to us. We forget sometimes that the shadow of the cross hung over that manger (that feed trough) in Bethlehem; that He was “The lamb slain before the creation of the world.” He knew what was coming. He was involved in planning it.

And what about His training as a carpenter? Did Joseph get frustrated, because his step-son, the Son of God, didn’t automatically know how to do carpentry work? Historical sources suggest that a carpenter of that time may have also been a stone mason, so there may have been two trades to learn. The first two chapters of Genesis tell us over and over again that He said: “Let there be. . .” and it happened. Would you take the years to train for a trade, so you could spend two days making a stool, then have people complain about the price – if you could just speak and a whole world would appear?

We forget sometimes that the man in the carpenter’s shop, smelling of sweat, getting blisters and slivers—is the Creator of the Universe.

Have you ever wondered how and why God put such value on your life? Why would He send His only Son—to be born, to live, to die? Have you ever wondered why Jesus accepted the plan—why He entered into it fully?

I wouldn’t have done it that way. I don’t have the courage or the patience. Aren’t you glad God’s love is bigger than mine? – or yours?

Key Verses:

John 1: 1-5
Genesis 1 & 2
Revelation 13:8
Isaiah 55:8-9

Brian Austin is a published novelist, poet, fish enthusiast, and church librarian. He has been an active part of HMC and it’s Resource Centre for more than 30 years. He and his wife live in Durham.