October 6th, 2022New titles chosen for Common Read
Mennonite Church Canada, MC USA and Herald Press set to begin third year of reading together
Mennonite Church Canada, MC USA and Herald Press have chosen three new titles for the 2022–23 Common Read. Beginning with When We Belong by Rohadi Nagassar in fall 2022, the Common Read will continue in January 2023 with Grace Can Lead Us Home by Kevin Nye and Finding Our Way Forward by Melanie Spring Mock in April 2023.
Fall 2022: When We Belong: Reclaiming Christianity on the Margins is written for Christians who know the pain, isolation and loss of identity that comes with the struggle to be seen in churches. Writing for and about those who feel there’s no place left to belong, Rohadi Nagassar, a multiethnic pastor, points people to Jesus, whose love knows no bounds. For everyone who wants to join in building radically inclusive communities where all people can live fully in their own skin, Nagassar offers a hopeful vision for how to get there.
Winter 2023: Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness tells true stories of people experiencing homelessness: their successes, the challenges, and everything in between. Author Kevin Nye, who has spent years working in homeless services, demonstrates that housing insecurity is solvable and offers practical application for people to get involved at any level. Jesus has something to teach us all about grace—something that could change the landscape of homelessness entirely if only we’re ready to hear it.
Spring 2023: Finding Our Way Forward: When the Children We Love Become Adults draws on the latest social science research and the author’s own interviews with young adults to explore the extraordinary pressures they face. Melanie Springer Mock, a college professor and mom to four adult children, offers tools to help young people negotiate spaces that they see as unjust in their lives. Disagreements with our adult children can be difficult, but our relationships can be transformed as together we find our way forward.
Common Read participants can join the authors on live Zoom events each quarter. Registration for these events is available on CommonWord at the above links.
MC Canada began partnering with MC USA and Herald Press in September 2020 to encourage Mennonites to engage in a “common read,” a shared reading experience focused on specific books written to nurture Christian faith in this cultural moment.
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