Author Archives: Ruth Harder

  Dear friends near and far, Yesterday we had close to 1,600 community members lined up in and out of Rainbow Mennonite Church waiting to vote. Toward closing time at 7 pm, the remaining voters were taken to the Sanctuary … Continue reading →

This post was originally published in November of 2016. Today I re-post it in honor of Pablo who died unexpectedly this week. Many will remember him for his jovial, mischievous spirit and for the ways he looked out for others. … Continue reading →

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the … Continue reading →

This past weekend I was honored to attend the 40th Anniversary celebration of the Brethren Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Bay, Bisexual and Transgender Interests, also known as BMC. Rainbow has been connected with BMC since 1990. During BMC’s Sunday morning worship, preacher … Continue reading →

During this week when Catholics around the world are celebrating the Feast of St Francis of Assisi, I find myself thinking about Mennonite Catholic relations. This is a subject matter near and dear to my heart especially since my extended … Continue reading →

Every time I take people on a Rainbow church tour, I make sure to take a loop around the outside of the building in order to point out Whitmore Park, the Mennonite Voluntary Service house up the street from the … Continue reading →

Genocide. Babies floating in rivers. Murder. A burning bush. Horrific plagues. As we begin our Fall worship series on Exodus 1-3 , I find myself wondering: What if children are actually listening to these stories? And assuming they are listening, what are … Continue reading →

What follows is a guest blog entry by Music Ministries Director Rosi Penner Kaufman: Every passion has a convention. Within our family, in the last year someone has been to Naka-Kon (Japanese anime convention), EquiFest (everything horse), and Trombonifide. Last … Continue reading →

“Is this guy funny?” asked one of our Rainbow neighbors as she pointed to this sign on our church door. Before I had a chance to respond, she answered her own question: “Most church people aren’t very funny, you know.” … Continue reading →

The first day of summer brought with it a near tree catastrophe in our backyard. Fortunately for us and our neighbors, no permanent damage was done. What does last from that experience, other than a bunch of big logs we … Continue reading →