Timeline of service
Henry Hochstetler cultivating at CPS Camp 138 in Malcolm, Nebraska, in 1946. 1940–1960 World War II was underway when the 1940s began. Historic peace churches responded to this violence by creating peace-oriented conduits for service. For example, in the United States, Civilian Public Service (CPS) provided an alternative to military service during World War II. […]
Directing the next steps
Directors of Mennonite Mission Network’s service programs reflect on how service opportunities pave a stronger pathway for the future Anabaptist church. Five options for service through Mission Network include: • SOOP (Service Opportunities with Our Partners): Participants use their gifts and skills to work alongside others in a network of ministries across the church. […]
Spring break helps family pass baton of faith values
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Rather than spending time over spring break visiting family or hanging out at home, 14-year-old Alina Bergstresser and her 11-year-old sister, Marta, of Goshen, Indiana, became makers of date-nut bread and students of racial justice at Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia. The sisters, with their parents, Annette and Deron, […]
Lentils and rooftop sunsets: MVS Seattle celebrates 50 years
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) – The Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) unit in Seattle welcomed more than 70 alumni and community members into the weathered three-story unit house Sept. 15 to celebrate MVS’s 50-year presence in the city. Throughout the house’s eight bedrooms were opportunities for alumni to reminisce. Butcher paper taped on one wall […]
I wear my heart on my sleeve
When Alisha and I and our son, Asher, moved to Barcelona, many things didn’t make the cut in our honest attempt to "leave all things behind" and follow Jesus. However, Martyrs Mirror was never on the chopping block, despite its six-pound weight. Martyrs Mirror, a book of more than 1,500 pages, was written in the […]
30 years of alternative, attractive and articulate mission Down Under
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) – Mark and Mary Hurst aren’t retiring. That’s not the way they describe it, at least. When the couple concluded their partnership with Mennonite Mission Network as full-time workers at the end of September, they viewed the occasion as a chance to remove just one of the many “hats” they […]
Celebrating 100 years of being the church together in Argentina
A celebration of mission and discipleship occurred Sept. 27-29 in Argentina as the Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Argentina (IEMA) celebrated its centennial anniversary of the first baptisms of the church. Mennonite Board of Missions (MBM), a predecessor agency of Mennonite Mission Network, sent two families to Argentina in 1917: Mae and Tobias (T. K.) Hershey and […]
Praying with brothers and sisters in Latin America
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) - The news from Latin America these past weeks has been very difficult. Ecuador is relatively calm again as the government is in a slow process of dialogue with indigenous and other groups. In Chile, protests and violent repression followed news of an increase in bus fares. Churches canceled services due […]
Mennonite Mission Network seeking executive director
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) – Upon the recent retirement announcement of Stanley W. Green as longtime leader of Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA is currently seeking applicants for its executive director position. To continue Mission Network’s long legacy of fostering organizational faithful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, […]
Ephemeral details and lasting relationships: What I learned from writing obits
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) – In my two years at Mennonite Mission Network, I’ve written seven obituaries for mission workers who served with the organization, or one of its predecessor agencies. Stating that writing obituaries is not my favorite part of this job is neither controversial nor surprising. Yet, putting together obituaries is a […]
Youth Venture trip to Peru stretches teenagers’ trust
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) – Each time the luggage belt circled, 16-year-old Kate Krabill felt further from her home in Elkhart, Indiana. She had just landed at the airport in Lima, Peru, as a participant in Mennonite Mission Network’s Youth Venture program. As the belt circled again and again, the other participants plucked up […]
Former medical mission worker helped start a nursing school in Nazareth, Israel
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) – Nancy L. Martin, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, spent most of her career as a medical missionary in Nazareth, Israel, serving through Mennonite Board of Missions, a predecessor agency of Mennonite Mission Network. She died Sept. 16 at her home. She was 78. Nancy and Robert, her husband of 56 years, […]