Canadian Mennonite
Volume 11, No. 17
September 3, 2007
Alternatives to war
Southern Manitoba
Esther Epp-Tiessen, Peace Ministries coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada, knows of three Winnipeg high schools that offer reserve training in their school programming, for which students can get paid.
Last year, a piece of motorized military artillery was parked at Garden Valley Collegiate in Winkler, Man., causing teacher Dave Stobbe to bring his guitar and sing peace songs in its shadow. Then, earlier this year the Mennonite history teacher at Garden Valley left to serve a six-month term as a reservist with the Canadian army in Afghanistan.
This increase in a military presence in Manitoba and active armed forces recruitment is raising more than eyebrows in the Mennonite community.
Kelvin Dyck, pastor at Covenant Mennonite Church in Winkler and Garden Valley School Division chair, says, “The school board believes strongly that the school is not an appropriate place to recruit for the army or promote the military.”
Some, however, believe Mennonites aren’t doing enough to counter the military activity.
“I don’t think we know in our churches what the Anabaptist Mennonite peace position means. I don’t think we are passing on this legacy,” said a concerned participant at a dialogue on “Faith, Security and Afghanistan: An Anabaptist Perspective,” held this spring at Carman Mennonite Church.
A small group of Mennonites from the federal riding of Portage-Lisgar planned the event, at which Epp-Tiessen spoke. Citing Psalm 37, Epp-Tiessen told the 40 in attendance “‘not to fret or worry but trust in the Lord and do good.’ The secret is found in the practice of justice, generosity, caring for the needy, feeding the hungry, befriending the enemy, seeking the righteousness of the kingdom.”
“Faith in Christ involves discipleship, which includes the rejection of violence and war,” she continued. “Our ancestors’ witness to peace is a legacy that is still relevant, but many today would take issue with this…. Who will be a witness that the way to peace is through peace?”
Stobbe, who is retiring from teaching this year, wants to take his concern on the road. “We need to hear the stories of our heroes,” he said. “We need to see alternatives to going to war and into careers that destroy rather than build up. We need well-argued rationales that are accessible for adults. My age group doesn’t know how to justify the peace position. We’ve done very well working on social justice issues, but we don’t know our way through the peace/war issue very well.”
Bold question on war
‘Sandwich board’ prompts conversations with people of all ages
Winnipeg
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“If Canada went to war, what would you do?” This is the question Mennonite Heritage Centre archivist Conrad Stoesz wore on a sandwich board around his neck as part of an Alternative Service display at the recent Red River Regional Heritage Fair. The sandwich board pictures a conscientious objector (CO) holding his head in his hands with the question emblazoned in bright orange type.
A boy of about 10 glanced at the sandwich board and responded brazenly, “I’d grab the biggest gun I could find.” Stoesz offered no comment while the boy ran off, but he returned later to study the display. This time there was no verbal exchange. When he returned for a third time, the boy appeared genuinely interested in the idea of conscientious objection and began a conversation with Stoesz. The bold orange question made him think, and that is just what Stoesz intended.
Held at the University of Winnipeg, the annual Red River Heritage Fair is a venue for students to display their social studies projects. It is supplemented by institutional exhibits by about two-dozen invited participants, including the Hong Kong War Vets and the heritage centre’s alternative service.ca website.
The invitation gave Stoesz the opportunity to introduce students to Canadians who felt it was wrong to kill other people and chose alternatives to military service during World War II. They did logging and construction, and provided medical or other services.
“By the end of the day,” Stoesz said, “all of the kids attending the Red River Heritage Fair knew what a conscientious objector was.”
The Alternative Service exhibit consists of a three-panel display board and a laptop computer set up to access the award-winning Alternative Service website that has been designed for students and teachers. The Manitoba school history curriculum includes a unit on World War II in elementary and high school, creating an opportunity for Stoesz to present a little-known aspect of Canada’s war history.
Stoesz views the CO experience as a part of Canadian history, not just Mennonite history, and he believes it should be taught along with other war history. He hopes the CO experience will influence the way children and youths consider current situations, like schoolyard bullying, and encourage them to imagine possibilities beyond warfare.
Adults respond to the display too. Stoesz has heard stories of relatives who hid from the military in the woods of southeastern Manitoba, while others responded to the display with tears in their eyes, thanking Stoesz for recognizing the contributions of COs.
Not all reaction to the display has been positive. Stoesz has received a few hostile e-mail comments, but most people who oppose the idea choose to ignore the display or not engage him in conversation. Some of those who disagree with alternative service have told him they either served in the military themselves or have children doing so.