Childhood encounters with God mature into multicultural ministry
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Ever since she was a child, Ann Jacobs has known there is something very special about God. So special, in fact, that she has spent her life deepening her spiritual walk and empowering others to do the same. As she grew up in South Bend, Indiana, Jacobs described, in […]
MVS director to lead Mission Network’s new Ventures division
ELKHART, Indiana (Mennonite Mission Network) — After an open national search, Mennonite Mission Network has filled the first of two new senior executive positions with a familiar face. Executive director and CEO Mike Sherrill announced July 29 that Marisa Smucker will be the senior executive for the newly formed Ventures division of Mission Network. Smucker, […]
Meeting face to face with peers from faraway
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) –— Because of an online Mission Seminar, hosted by Mennonite Mission Network, Argentine mission associates José Oyanguren and Maria Alfonsina Finger were invited to gather face to face with mission colleagues who are serving far away. The couple, who serves in the Argentine Chaco, joined 33 other workers from around […]
Vision-casting missiologist and family man mentored many
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Up until the last several months of his life, the late missiologist and professor Wilbert Ray Shenk, 86, who died July 13, continued to teach. This fall, there will be a group of Korean students in the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, in Pasadena, California, who […]
Reflecting on Mandela Day evokes a sense of grace unto justice
Editor’s Note: Joe Sawatsky, a church relations representative for Mennonite Mission Network, was asked to reflect on Nelson Mandela, who is celebrated on July 18, an international holiday set aside to honor the leader who helped topple apartheid in South Africa. Nelson Mandela, who would have turned 103 July 18 —which is now an international holiday […]
Chronicling transformation: writings from MennoCon21
Throughout the 2021 MC USA convention, a feeling of transformation was palpable. It buzzed and hummed in the air of the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reverberated through seminars and delegate sessions being held in a virtual space for the first time. It manifested itself in youth groups across the country through […]
Witnessing transformation: photos from MennoCon21
From July 6-10, hundreds of people joined together in Cincinnati, Ohio, and, for the first time, online, to worship, learn and fellowship at MennoCon21, the biennial convention of Mennonite Church USA. The photos below are a glimpse into the Mennonite Mission Network-connected activities throughout the week. For more photos from MennoCon21, click here. Susan Nisly […]
Roosting, or flying free?
When our foster daughter, Symphony, was in our care for two and a half years, I often said this to her during the tumultuous twos: "Symphony, we pick and choose how we are going to do handle things." To my shock, one day as I was melting down from a bad hair moment, she said, "Mommy, you […]
Befriending those babies
After listening to Safwat Marzouk unpack the Exodus 1-2 story about how Pharoah’s daughter rescued Baby Moses from the Nile, I am rethinking the phrase, "random acts of kindness." Safwat’s perspective on her rescue of Moses was that it was anything but randomly and mundanely hidden, albeit compassionate. Her choice was subversively radical and a snub to the most […]
Building peace in Africa by bridging relationships
CINCINNATI, Ohio (Mennonite Mission Network) – Peace between Muslims and Christians is about relationship. Instead of framing the seminar "Peacemaking in Africa with Muslims and Christians" as about an issue and conflict with a quick fix, the discussion focused on the slow work of building interpersonal connection. Sharon Norton, Mennonite Mission Network co-director for Africa […]
Pandemic challenges foster agency growth
CINCINATTI, Ohio (Mennonite Mission Network) – Mike Sherrill has had a wild year. He stepped into the role of Executive Director at Mennonite Mission Network in August, 2020, and after nearly a year in the position, came to his seminar, ‘Future Driven Partnership: Pursuing God’s Call at Mennonite Mission Network’ with good news. The challenges […]
A Jesus-approved guide to confronting injustice
CINCINATTI, Ohio (Mennonite Mission Network) – After a brief opening mixer (and John Mellencamp acknowledgement), Eric Frey Martin started his Thursday morning seminar, ‘I Fight Authority, Authority Always Wins,’ with a question. When was a time that an authority figure failed you? The answers from attendees spanned from law enforcement to baseball coaches and parental […]