Village News

Here’s an excerpt from my family’s Christmas letter that my wife Andrea recently wrote:

A common theme heard at Christmas in Christian settings is some version of the admonition to not be distracted by the traditions of the season… but culture and traditions are not just ‘trappings’ or extras that distract from meaningful focus. Culture and its rituals are an important container for our relationships, our faith and our continued health as a community.

Cultures have developed throughout time for important reasons. We need our relationships to be strengthened by feelings of belonging, identification and significance. Our traditions at Christmas are part of holding us in relationships with one another. When we get together for annual gatherings where we do pretty much the same thing each year, it’s a way of saying ‘we belong here’, ‘this is who we are’ and ‘we’re safe’. Gifts aren’t just consumerism, they are a token of love and appreciation and attention. Grandma’s cookie recipe isn’t just another chance to eat sugar. It’s a reminder of a relationship that endures; even if Grandma isn’t here anymore, we’re still wrapped in the love of a family and a faith that endures and somehow we can taste it.

At Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) we seek to preserve these traditions and ‘cookies’ so that we can cherish where we have come from and be better prepared for what is ahead. We are thrilled to announce that for a limited time only, December 15 to 31, 2019, your MHV donation will be matched dollar for dollar. Four Heritage Champions are willing to match up to $40,000 in your donations! You can make donations online (mhv.ca) or by phone.

This holiday season you can make twice the impact when giving to MHV and more. This $80,000 should help us achieve a balanced budget and therefore qualify us to apply for some major grant programs. So it could be that your gift indirectly becomes tripled! Our heritage village, galleries and programs ensure that thousands of people get to know the significance of the Mennonite story year after year.

On that note, a big thank you to the City of Steinbach, Manitoba’s Sports, Culture and Heritage Department and the Winnipeg Foundation for the large grants we received this year. It helped us replace three major roofs! Our animal barn with recycled rubber that had a cedar shake look (you really need to see it), cedar shakes on the Hochfeld house and of course the flat roofs of our Village Centre. We are now ready for Santa’s sleigh.

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas!