#Director Allan Kroeker

[my-supernatural-rewatch]

Episode 12: Faith

Dean Winchester in the Supernatural episode Faith

So I've been waiting for this episode. It's literally my favorite of the entire season. We don't get much in the way of backstory but it is a tour de force for Jensen Ackles. (More on that below the cut.)

When Dean is electrocuted during a hunt and told he only has weeks to live, Sam finds a faith healer to help who might not be as benevolent as he seems.

Okay so before I start, I want to talk about Jensen for a minute. This blog's main focus is Dean not Jensen (which is why the caption on the main photo I post always says it's DEAN in the show not Jensen...I don't want to muck up the Jensen tags with this stuff and I think the fact that I focus on Dean is proof enough I'm a Jensen fan. No need to belabor the point). But it would be remiss of me not to note that the main reason Dean is such a great character is because of Jensen Ackles' performance. Period. He took a character they seemingly wanted as comic relief and turned him into (IMO) the main character, with a deep, rich, history and emotional baggage that kept us compelled for 15 seasons.

And as good as Jensen has been up to this point in the show, he fucking kills it in this one. We get dying Dean, recovered Dean, guilt-ridden Dean, angry Dean, sad Dean, and soft Dean. He covers it all and does it effortlessly. I will continually mention here that it's a crime against God that this man never even got an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Dean Winchester, let alone the actual Emmy...and this episode is one of those instances where I want to know what the fuck is wrong with the Academy?

Back to the show.

So while battling a Rawhead (a fucking what?) Dean, using an amped up taser (he tells Sam it's 100k volts) electrocutes both himself and the monster, killing the monster and wounding his heart so badly the doctors tell him he's going to die within the month.

Sam can't have this so Sam goes a little wild trying to find something to help Dean, including calling John. Except Sam doesn't ask John for help (unlike when Dean called John)...Sam basically says "Dean's gonna die, I'll figure it out."

I hate John so much. Have I mentioned this?

One little interesting note (I found it interesting anyway) - Sam gives the hospital a medical card for a Mr. Berkovitz. Did he tell the hospital that was Dean's name? I need to know these things.

We get a rare glimpse of one of the Winchesters (Sam) talking to the cops about the case they just solved. (Basically just, 'we heard the kids screaming and ran in.')

Saving little kids and Dean getting hurt in the process sent me to the series finale and for a moment during season 1 I was mad at Sam again for not trying to get Dean help....let it go...let it go...(never!)

Shout out here for what a good job the makeup department did making Dean look like he was dying.

Good lord, my little heart.

After Dean tries to cheer up Sam with jokes (Dean thinking about someone other than himself, even while he's dying) he gives him the hard truth:

"I'm gonna die, and you can't stop it."

Sam, realizing he's the one in charge now, replies with a defiant, "Watch me."

And here is where it starts. The whole "My brother can never die" stuff that will make Sam and Dean fight for the next fifteen years.

When Sam calls John to fill him in about his oldest, he literally says, "Just wanted you to know."

He can be a passive aggressive ass, huh? (Not that John doesn't deserve it.)

Sam is surprised by Dean at the motel. He's liberated himself from the hospital because:

"I'm not gonna die in a hospital where the nurses aren't even hot."

Because even in the episode where Dean's humanity is on full display, the writers want to remind us that he's kind of a dick. (he isn't, but the writers want us to think he is for some goddamn reason.)

So Sam tells Dean they're going to see a specialist and Dean thinks that means a doctor and is PISSED when he discovers it's a faith healer. He goes all grumpy into the tent, meeting Layla, someone else who needs healing and has been to the tent a few times but never chosen. He softens around her and even flirts with her before heading in. (We also find out Layla is NOT long for this world. She has weeks if even that apparently.)

Dean has a great line in regard to good and evil: "I've seen what evil does to good people." (this is pretty much the theme of the episode.)

Against his wishes AGAIN, Sam makes Dean sit closer to the front (Dean had chosen seats near the back) and when he makes a crack about the pastor wanting people's money, the pastor hears him and ends up calling him up on stage.

Dean tries to get him to choose someone else and when that fails very reluctantly takes the stage.

Throughout this episode Dean makes it very clear he doesn't think he's worthy of saving. SEASON ONE we get this from him and Cas clocks him on it all the way in season four.

So the pastor lays hands, brings Dean to his knees, and Dean passes out momentarily....healed when he regains consciousness.

The next day Dean visits the pastor and his wife because they found out aguy Dean's age died from a heart attack the same day Dean was healed. While Dean is there to get info, he very earnestly asks the pastor flat out:

"Why me? Why save me?"

And my little heart breaks a bit.

The pastor's response: "I looked into your heart and you stood out from the rest."

So Dean needs to know: "Whad did you see in my heart?"

Get ready for the entire reason for this damn show:

"A young man with an important purpose. A job to do and it isn't finished."

This isn't good enough for Dean, though. He's just not buying it.

Meanwhile, Sam finds out that the guy who died was perfectly healthy and died at the same moment Dean was healed. When Dean returns to the motel and Sam has to tell him this news, it does not go well.

Dean: You never should've brought me here.

Sam: Dean, I was just trying to save your life.

Dean: But, Sam, some guy is dead now because of me.

Sam: I didn't know.

Couple of things here: I think it's 100% possible that Sam had no idea that Dean would react badly to someone dying in his place. Because at this point, Sam still really doesn't know a fuck ton about his brother. But I also don't think it would have mattered either way. Because I don't think Sam was thinking JUST of saving Dean, he was thinking he didn't want to be alone. Dean brought him on this journey and he wasn't going to let Dean off so easy.

Oh I skipped a part...when Dean is leaving the pastor's house, Layla and her (rightfully) cranky mother are trying to see him and the pastor's wife Lee Ann won't let them. The mother goes off on Dean, not understanding why after he got his miracle he's still taking up the pastor's time and she barks at him:

"Why do you deserve to live more than my daughter?"

And she's right. In a way. And Dean agrees with her...except he can't tell her that, so he just stands there silently while inside he's agonizing over what has transpired.

So anyway, Dean, of course, figures out that he saw a reaper when he was healed and that Roy, the pastor, is somehow controlling it. Can't kill a reaper, so Dean wants to kill Roy. Easy Peasy. But Sam won't let him. They have to do it the hard way and find the things that are binding the reaper to Roy and voila they're done.

So blah blah blah,stuff happens. Sam figures out how the victims are being picked, while Dean gets that job of stopping the next healing.

And guess who the next person was to get healed? Layla. So Dean first tries to convince her not to let him heal her and then Dean yells fire and interrupts the healing. Dean is no one's favorite except mine right now.

If there's a season 16 of Supernatural, I'd love one episode where Dean if not deals with at least acknowledges how traumatic his life has been. It's incredibly cruel that not only was he healed before Layla but that HE gets tasked with having to prevent her getting healed.

When her healing gets stopped Layla asks Dean why...but he doesn't tell her. Because right now we're in "we don't tell civilians about the monsters" mode...which doesn't last long. But at least if he told Layla she would have had a better understanding. She was a nice person, it would have helped, I think.

Layla walks away from Dean but not before sincerely saying, "I wish you luck. I really do."

KNIFE IN DEAN'S HEART

He responds with, "Same to you." And then under his breath he says, "You deserve it a lot more than me."

KNIFE IN MY HEART

So Dean and Sam figure out that it's the wife, Sue Ann, not the pastor who has bound the reaper and they have to go back that night to the pastor's house because he's going to do a private healing for Layla.

Sam thinks Sue Ann is evil but Dean sees things more rationally and tells Sam she was desperate to save her husband and did something bad. But now she's using the reaper to punish people she thinks deserve it and notes:

"God save us from half the people who think they're doing God's work."

Dean really does get all the best lines.

I won't lie. Every time I watch this episode I think that they could let Layla get healed and let one more random person die. I mean Layla dying is just as random. She got a brain tumor...that was random.

And then I realize that's a little bonkers but still...

Dean notes that if Layla doesn't get healed at this session she's going to die soon and Sam tells him they can't play God.

But they kind of play God with every hunt, don't they? (that's me asking, not Dean.)

So Sue Ann's plan is to kill Dean while Layla gets saved. Poetic, huh?

But that doesn't happen. The reaper tries to get Dean but Sam stops Sue Ann before he can kill Dean (but destroying the thing that binds the reaper) and then, guess what? Reaper kills Sue Ann just as Roy is trying to heal Layla and...nothing. His power is gone.

The episode ends in literally one of the more depressing ways we've seen. Sam contacts Layla and tells her Dean wanted to say goodbye...so she shows up at the motel and Sam fucks off to leave them alone.

Layla tells Dean Roy couldn't heal her and Dean notes it must be hard to be disappointed with something you had so much faith in and we get this nugget of wisdom from the dying woman:

"If you're gonna have faith you can't just have it when the miracles happen. You have to have it when they don't."

She's a bit of a Mary Sue but, still, she's not wrong.

Then the gut punch. As Layla is about to leave, Dean says something we won't hear him say again:

"I'm gonna pray for you." (And we know he means it.)

Layla considers THAT a miracle and I finished watching the episode sobbing.

And Dean probably did too.

(I'm gonna go cry again.)

Some notes for posterity:

Significant music in this episode: Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult used in the absolute best way while showing a reaper chasing down and innocent victim. Chills. I got chills.

Everyone in town knows their first names are Dean and Sam but when Dean is in the hospital Sam gives the nurse a medical card with the name Mr. Berkovitz on it.

Sam drives the Impala when they go to the faith healer's tent for the first time because Dean is too sick to drive.

This is the first time we see a reaper.

This hunt takes place in Nebraska

Recognizable Guest Stars: Julie Benz as Layla

[greatcometcas]

a spin-off of this poll from @humandisorderincarnatedean

full list below

other one-off* directors are:

David Jackson (1x07 Hook Man)

Paul Shapiro (1x13 Route 666)

Chris Long (1x17 Hell House)

Tony Wharmby (1x20 Dead Man’s Blood)

Whitney Ransick (1x18 Something Wicked)

Tim Iacofano (2x05 Simon Said)

Bradford May (2x15 Tall Tales)

Adam Kane (4x13 After School Special)

Rick Bota (5x19 Hammer of the Gods)

Jan Eliasberg (6x06 You Can’t Handle the Truth)

David Barrett (6x13 Unforgiven)

Charles Robert Carner (8x07 A Little Slice of Kevin)

Nick Copus (8x09 Citizen Fang)

Kevin Hooks (9x03 I’m No Angel)

Rob Spera (9x06 Heaven Can’t Wait)

Misha Collins (9x17 Mother’s Little Helper)

Darren Grant (14x05 Nightmare Logic)

John Fitzpatrick (14x16 Don’t Go In the Woods)

*pour one out for robbie duncan mcneill who is the reason i wanted to make this poll because of everything going on in 1x06 skin but it turns out he also directed the great escapist! thank you for your service!

[ljones41]

"STAR TREK VOYAGER" Retrospective: (5.12) "Bride of Chaotica!"

"STAR TREK VOYAGER" Retrospective: (5.12) "Bride of Chaotica!"

One of the aspects of "STAR TREK VOYAGER" that I have truly enjoyed over the other TREK shows were the holo programs featured or the episodes centered in the two Holodecks. One such holo program was "The Adventures of Captain Proton" stories created by Voyager’s Chief Pilot, Tom Paris. Captain Proton was featured in at least four episodes – three in Season Five and one in Season Seven. But without a doubt, my favorite happened to be the third Proton story titled, (5.12) "Bride of Chaotica!".

In short, "Bride of Chaotica!" began when Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeil) and Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) are enjoying the latest chapter of his Captain Proton program in one of the Holodecks. They are forced to leave it running when spatial distortions trap the ship and disrupt their control over the computer. Voyager’s command staff attempted to discover a way to free the ship from the spatial distortions. Unfortunately, extra-dimensional aliens that exist in a photonic state cross over from their own dimension through a distortion located in the holodeck. They are detected and attacked by Proton’s archenemy, Dr. Chaotica (Martin Rayner), who believes them to be from the Fifth Dimension, and whose holographic (photonic) weaponry - though harmless to humans - is deadly to the aliens. Eventually, the crew discover the war being waged between Chaotica and the Fifth Dimension and must defeat him by playing out their roles as the fictional Captain Proton (played by Tom Paris), his sidekick Buster Kincaid (Harry Kim), and Arachnia, Queen of the Spider People. Paris convinced Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) to take on the latter role.

I might as well be frank. I LOVE "Bride of Chaotica!". I adore it. It is one of my favorite TREK episodes of all time. What am I saying? It is my favoriteTREK episode of all time. Screenwriters Bryan Fuller (creator of "DEAD LIKE ME" and "PUSHING DAISIES") and Michael Taylor created a first-rate episode filled with imagination, action and humor. Having the characters of Tom Paris’ Captain Proton holoprogram get drawn into a galactic war with an actual group of actual aliens that are photonic was a stroke of genius. And Fuller and Taylor, along with director Allan Kroeker, did an excellent job combining an original story with great characterization.

The cast was excellent, as always. Robbie McNeill and Garrett Wang revived their old magic as Tom and Harry – the two crewmembers who got more out of the Captain Proton holoprogram than anyone. Come to think of it, McNeill also managed to generate strong chemistry with Tim Russ (Lieutenant-Commander Tuvok) and Kate Mulgrew. The latter was superb as Queen Arachnia, although I think she may have been a little guilty of too much mugging, while expressing Janeway’s disregard for the Proton holoprogram. However, I loved her scene with Neelix (Ethan Phillips) that showcased Janeway’s caffine addiction. With that scene, she may have truly earned the nickname - Queen of the Delta Quadrant:

JANEWAY: "Coffee, black." NEELIX: "I'm sorry, Captain. We've lost another two replicators –" JANEWAY: "Listen to me very carefully because I'm only going to say this once. Coffee – black." NEELIX: (To replicator)"Coffee, black. While I've got your attention there are –" JANEWAY: (Holds up hand)"Coffee first."(drinks/inhales)"...Now, what's the problem?"

And then there is Dr. Chaotica, portrayed with great relish by Martin Rayner. The promise he had shown as a rich and over-the-top character in the Season Five premiere, (5.01) "Night" was fulfilled in this episode. The late Nicholas Worth ably supported both Mulgrew and Rayner as Chaotica’s ruthless, obsequious henchman, Lonzak.

As much as I love "Bride of Chaotica!", there is one aspect about it that disturbed me – namely the crew’s reaction to the Captain Proton hologram. It is quite apparent that they view it as nothing more than a childish piece of fiction for those of the immature mind. And it is quite apparent that they also view Tom Paris’ participation in it as childish. And they are not the only ones. I have read some reviews of the episodes. While most tend to sneer at it, along with anything else labeled "STAR TREK VOYAGER", at least two of them did not. Julia Houston seemed to view the holo program not only as Tom Paris’ personal fantasy, but also as an example of his imagination. Like me, she seemed annoyed by the inability of others to appreciate Paris' imagination . . . and his right to his own fantasy. Now Jim Wright did seem to enjoy the holo program and appreciate its uniqueness. But it also seemed that he viewed it as a sign of Paris’ immaturity . . . and as something that the Chief Pilot would have to give up in order to develop as an adult and ideal Starfleet officer.

Quite frankly, I agree with Julia Houston. I was very annoyed by the other Voyager crewmen’s snobbish reaction to Captain Proton. Okay, perhaps they did not care for it very much. But was there really any need for them to openly sneer at what he considered recreation and fantasy? What law was there that Tom’s pursuit of recreation had to be culturally high-brow or meaningful? Janeway, of all people, had no business to sneer. This is a woman who had spent two seasons indulging in her Lambada One holo program – a "Jane Eyre"/"Rebecca" Gothic romance. I must also admit that I was a little put-off by Jim Wright's assumption that Tom needed to give up the Proton program in order to become more mature as an adult. To me, this attitude seemed like a clear lack of appreciation for Tom’s vivid imagination. Perhaps it was more important to him and other "VOYAGER” fans that Tom become the stand-up Starfleet officer that Owen Paris and Janeway wanted him to be. Happily, Tom never stuck to his declaration of giving up the Proton program. He and Harry were still using it in the early Season Six episode called (6.05) "Alice". And a late Season Seven episode called (7.23) "Homestead" revealed that Tom had created another B-movie style program called "Invaders from the Ninth Dimension".

Personally, I like the idea that Tom Paris would eventually become that successful holonovelist sometime in his future. But in the VOYAGER relaunch novels, he became a permanent Starfleet officer, achieving the rank of Lieutenant-Commander and Voyager’s new first officer. Ugh. What a waste of a vivid imagination that created the likes of the Proton holoprograms. In real life, I would compare Tom to the likes of George Lucas, Gene Roddenberry, J. Michael Stracynski and the two writers who had created this wonderfully imaginative episode – Fuller and Taylor. A girl can imagine - can't she?

[italwayshadtobeyou]

"Faith" is an Allan Kroeker episode that, to me, looks like a Kim Manners episode, more so than the typical work of guest directors in the Manners era. I'm not sure why-- the coloring? The framing of objects that at first seem benign but in hindsight aren't? It doesn't have the elaborate shots that Manners often used, but it doesn't need them, either.

[spnepisodemasterlist]

Season 1, Episode 12: Faith

After Dean is fatally injured on a case, Sam thinks he's found a cure in a preacher who performs miracles. However, after they discover that these miracles are not as 'holy' as advertised, the brothers race to stop them before another innocent life is sacrificed. (Directly from IMDB)

Director: Allan Kroeker

Writers: Eric Kripke, Sera Gamble, Raelle Tucker

Set In: Ford City, Nebraska

Honestly, I didn’t expect them to go so extreme with sending Dean into a heart attack on the 12th episode. But you know, Supernatural has always been extreme. 

OH WAIT- THIS IS WHY???

As in- is this when we go down the path of Sam selling his soul??

No, I don’t think so?

Dean has a death wish

Did Dean just see a reaper?

Chuck’s interfering 

How did this guy get into an agreement with a reaper? 

This guy actually seems like he’s trying his best- poor guy

[dilfgarak]

Allan Kroeker (Director), Nana Visitor (Kira Nerys), Casey Biggs (Damar), Jeffrey Combs (Weyoun) and Marc Alaimo (Gul Dukat). “A Time to Stand” (6x01)

[emilywatchescursedshow]

Ep 12 - Faith

Director: Allan Kroeker Writers: Eric Kripke, Sera Gamble, Raelle Tucker

Another X-Files classic story: the creepy faith healer and what’s happening with him. A close cousin of the creepy towns, and definitely piggy-backs in a way I like on the general creepiness of small town factions of Christianity and the weird stuff they get up to. In general I liked this episode, I liked the twist that the pastor’s wife was actually the one who was doing the magic, and I thought it was kind of clever that she was specifically using the magic to target people she felt deserved to die. I also liked how it was clear her character felt justified in her behavior the entire time.

I thought the reaper makeup was fun and the lore that there is more than one grim reaper. Also there’s a line about how keeping the reaper like this is "putting a dog leash on a great white"  which I fucking loved, that was a great line. And the ending where the reaper turns on the wife and smiles while doing it was very satisfying. Even though the reaper makeup & overall appearance of the character was a little simple, I feel like this is the first time the actual villain was a human acting on motivation that is very true to the real world, and by extension the characterization of the reaper was a little more complicated than normal. The smile at the end implies that the reaper really wanted to kill the wife all along, and leads the audience to wonder about what the “emotional state” of the reaper was the whole time. Maybe I’ll start writing reaper fanfic that just retells this episode from the perspective of the reaper. Maybe the reaper also has a crush on Dean Winchester. Who knows.

I feel like the morality aspect of the episode - like who gets to live or die - was a little half baked? Like Dean feels really weird and bad about someone being sacrificed for him (I didn’t catch who it was, I think it was the doctor? which I’m not quite sure why the wife would want to target the doctor specifically but ok) and then he feels weird about letting the girl who is dying from cancer just, continue dying from cancer. I think the end scene with her was supposed to somehow clear up his guilt? Like the perspective of the show was definitely that Dean’s guilt was not deserved, which is good, but I didn’t feel much tension throughout the episode either caused by or with regard to this angst. I guess Dean has a moment of hesitation regarding the lady at the end, but I found myself more annoyed by it than I did worrying that there was a chance Dean would let her get healed. This is clearly a one-off MOTW episode and we’re still building the characters in pretty piecemeal ways, so I’m sure we’re in for a greater amount of Dean angst around the corner. And I do think it matters that we learn in this episode that Dean Really Doesn’t Like the idea of someone dying for his sake. So I don’t think this is a bad plot element, I just thought it was a little half baked.

In the moment comments: - Meh on this creature design (from the beginning of the episode) - Starting in media res w this one - Uhoh Dean’s gonna die bc heart attack - Oh they're going to a faith healer this is another xfiles subject - We love Dean's reliable horniness for petite blondes overcoming his skepticism - Psychic wonder Sam - I don’t believe that god is who's helping the pastor choose - I forgot who Marshall is - "I have this thing" = inoperable brain tumor - Marshall hall dies bc Dean was healed i see - I like this grim reaper makeup - "we do that we're no better than he is" 😒 - "putting a dog leash on a great white" - Why did the dr die then? - Just tell her its trading a life for a life and let her think god is being unjust or whatever - These men have no idea what they're supposed to be doing at any given time - Dean want those officers to put more than the fear of god in him 👀 - I guess Sam gets to save Dean this episode instead of the other way around - It’s gonna kill the wife now - Ohhh Dean is gonna get some maybe - Oh no it's so he doesn’t feel guilty for her death anymore great

I forgot until I went through this how this episode has two tropes I particularly dislike which is the “we can’t kill someone bc we’re the good guys” when another character is clearly being very threatening and the “I can’t explain!” when a pretty bare-bones explanation that already fits within another character’s worldview and would do a lot to change their mind would be simple to construct. However, I think the fact that I didn’t remember these things until later means they didn’t bother me that much.

Again, overall, I liked this episode a lot. I think the actress who plays the wife does a really great job of seeming just a little too Present in all the scenes without being totally obvious which made the twist feel very believable without being totally obvious.

[thelegendaryvhs]

Rozgrywka

aka Showdown at Williams Creek

Director: Allan Kroeker

1991

imdb

Tele Tower International

[beastiedreamer]

Season 2: Recipe for Disaster

Beauty and the Beast

Episode 2.12

Title: Recipe for Disaster

Written by: Brad Kern /Wendy Straker Hauser Director: Allan Kroeker

Original Airdate in US: February 3,2014/ Network: The CW

Production Company: CBS Television Studios

 “Recipe for Disaster”was aired in Italy on:August 28, 2014/Network: RAI 2

Italian title: “Ricetta per un Disastro”

JT and Tori fulfill important role in this episode, a central role, actually. JT is scammed into believing that he has won a prestigious award for his work in science. He ends up chained in an ancient dungeon, forced to work on making the beast serum and serving as bait for his beast friend. Vincent seems is pulling away from Tori and to back towards Catherine. Tori dies trying to do the right thing and  to make Vincent proud of her: to save J.T. after he was kidnapped.  FBI Agent Dana Landon gets a blast from her past when a stranger (Tom Everett Scott) is rescued with J.T. Catherine decides, at the end of the episode, to move forward with Gabe. Colm Feore plays, with appropriate menace, the role of Tony Barnes/Frank Darnell, a  mysterious big bad, a real estate mogul/con man who kidnaps JT and who is killed by Cat just as he is about to kill Vincent. He should have been the big bad, but he died as cover for the real big bad. Vincent finally learn the truth about what happened with himself being made into the man/beast he is. Austin Basis and Jay Ryan were both great in this scene.

[love-fairytale]

Pushing Daisies: Una Serie Innovadora y Única

#PushingDaisies: Una Serie Innovadora y Única

Datos:

Directores: Bryan Fuller (Creator), Lawrence Trilling, Adam Kane, Peter O’Fallon, Allan Kroeker, Barry Sonnenfeld, Peter Lauer, Brian Dannelly, Paul A. Edwards, Tricia Brock, Paul Shapiro, Julie Anne Robinson, Dean White

Reparto: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Jim Dale, Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz, Kristin Chenoweth, Field Cate, Sy Richardson, Sammi Hanratty, Daeg Faerch

Sinopsis:

Nar…

[mennoniteheritagevillage]

Village News (April 6, 2017)

By Barry Dyck

 Annual General Meeting

  Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) is incorporated in the province of Manitoba and owned by its members. To comply with provincial law and our bylaws, MHV conducts an Annual General Meeting (AGM) every year at this time. This year’s AGM was held on Tuesday, March 28.

  MHV members can contribute to our museum in several ways, such as volunteering for tasks that need to be done, donating toward our annual operations and specific projects, encouraging friends to attend museum events and to become museum members, and helping to make decisions about the museum’s future.

  Before we ask our members to make decisions at the AGM, we provide relevant background information. The report book which is distributed at the beginning of the meeting contains reports that address MHV activities and highlights of the past year and also begin to cast some light on plans for the coming year. Both written and oral reports are provided, and members are invited to address questions and comments to both. This year members heard oral reports from Willie Peters, President and Board Chair; Barry Dyck, Executive Director; Linda Schroeder, MHV Auxiliary President; Allan Kroeker, Finance and Audit Committee Chair; Victor Bergmann, auditor with Deloitte; and Carol Kroeker, Nominating Committee Chair. The report book contained written reports from each of these areas as well as the various functional departments at MHV.

  One of the highlights of the meeting was Victor Bergmann’s report that our museum had no bank debt at the end of 2016. It was very exciting to see that positive number after many years of seeing a negative number there. Our constituency has really stepped up to the plate and made a big difference. We do still have access to our line of credit for those times when operations and project expenses may require temporary cash-flow support.

  Lawrence Klippenstein, well-known and respected Mennonite historian, has served our museum as a director on the board for approximately 15 years. At our AGM last week, Lawrence was recognized for his contributions to the work of MHV. He also provided some insights about AGMs in general, about the MHV Board of Directors, and about story telling. History is so much about story telling.

  The members attending this meeting made several decisions on behalf of MHV. After reviewing the audited financial statements for 2016, they decided to accept the statements and the auditor’s report. Following that, they decided to accept the 2017 budget presented by Allan Kroeker and to appoint Deloitte as the auditor for the current calendar year. One of the most important decisions the members made was to elect Matt Wieler and Jeremy Peters as new board members - one to fill the vacancy created by Lawrence Klippenstein, and the other to replace Scott Reimer who resigned from the board after the previous AGM. Our board now has a full slate of members, with a healthy range of ages and professions represented.

  Membership in MHV is a real and interesting way to serve our community. There is more to be learned about membership by checking our website or by calling 204-326-9661.

Calendar of Events

April 6: 7:00 PM - Auxiliary Film Night - The Last Objectors

April 27: 7:00 PM – Volunteer Orientation

May 6: 7:30 PM - Local History Lectures – Family, Food and Spirituality