How urban are Mennonites?

October 8, 2002

Winnipeg, Man.—During a recent Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) local leader event, thirty-three leaders took in an excursion to a dairy farm.

The host farmer engaged the group in a dialogue about farming, and began by identifying the heifers and cows in his herd. One twenty-something female leader asked for clarification.

“Excuse me, I grew up in the city. What’s a heifer?”

Shirley Redekopp, mother of four and Mennonite Church Canada’s quick witted director of Christian Service Ministries offered a concise explanation.

“Honey, you’re a heifer. I’m a cow.”