Seed of service formation grows into MVS re-envisioning
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Following Marisa Smucker’s journey back to her beginnings is an exercise in understanding how one’s first two years of life can help shape the rest. When Smucker was a 19-month-old living in a Costa Rican orphanage, Dorothy and the late Lynn Smucker adopted her after doing five months of […]
National Secondhand Wardrobe Day a reminder for deeper community needs
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) – In the pantheon of "casual holidays," National Secondhand Wardrobe Day ranks fairly low. The Aug. 25th occasion doesn’t easily lend itself to celebratory sales, like National Hamburger Day (May 28) or fun activities, like National Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day (Sept. 19). Thrifted clothing simply can’t measure up to the chaotic potential […]
Physics professor, church leader expresses lifelong passion for peace
Note: This obituary is a revised and shortened version of one written by Mackenzie Miller for Goshen (Indiana) College, which has granted Mennonite Mission Network permission to add to the original and to repost. NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network and Goshen College) – From the time he served as a "seagoing cowboy" at 16 to deliver […]
Walking through a new DOOR
HILLSBORO, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — In the span of a few short months, COVID-19 ushered us all into an unfamiliar world. As windows of normalcy shuttered, organizations and churches searched for new ways to continue offering God’s healing and hope to increasingly isolated communities. For one organization, this closed window meant the opening of […]
A new era springs forth at Mennonite Mission Network
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — On his first day "in the office" as executive director for Mennonite Mission Network, Mike Sherrill didn’t waste any time reminding staff of God’s promises to protect and restore people of faith in challenging times. During an all-staff weekly greeting via Zoom on Monday, Aug. 3, Sherrill led staff […]
Walking and growing with Jesus in Guatemala
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — When Sophie Miller took a gap year between her sophomore and junior year in college to embark on a study-service term in Guatemala, she received food for mind and heart. As a result of the many "nutrients" she absorbed, the 21-year-old Miller says she grew in her global perspective […]
Learning that another world is possible
Diana Cruz created a Language Laboratory at Les Leaders, a school located on the La Casa Grande compound in Benin. The Language Laboratory encourages experiential learning and enables students of all ages to follow their curiosity. Benin’s government acted early to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by enforcing an isolation policy. However, staying home […]
John Lewis made me feel like an honored guest
In 2015, Wil LaVeist interviewed John Lewis for his radio show. Listen to the full interview here. Congressman Lewis wrote this essay a few days before his death and planned for it to be published on the day of his funeral. "Get in good trouble." Count me among those who will personally remember this encouraging phrase […]
Sharing food for body and soul in Venezuela
As this article was being published, Mennonite Mission Network got news that Erwin Mirabal was hospitalized with COVID-19. Mirabal, president of the Mennonite Church in Venezuela and pastor of the Caracas congregation, was diagnosed with COVID-19 on July 20 and was admitted to a private clinic that night after being turned away from eight other […]
Tuesday webinar to introduce virtual service program
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Every summer as temperatures climb up and schools wind down, many church and family groups visit DOOR Discover sites in Atlanta, Chicago and Denver to engage in service and learning experiences. Far from the typical week-long "mission trip," participants spend less time ladling soup, and more time living the […]
Losing control to a camping critter
Rustling and scrunching woke me up at 2 a.m. during a Colorado camping trip. I groggily reached for my flashlight and shone it towards the ruckus. The feeble ray revealed nothing, though I was "fairly certain" it wasn’t a bear. Camping near residential Boulder at the foot of the mountains could not possibly yield that […]
Cultural humility: From being right to being human
Below are distilled excerpts from a recent Mennonite Mission Network-sponsored webinar presented by Andrea Sawyer-Kirksey. She is executive director for DOOR (Discovering Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection). This Mission Network agency partner is based in Atlanta, Chicago and Denver and provides middle- and high-schoolers with experiential service-learning focused on justice for marginalized people and the […]