Taking justice to the streets
Background: Colombians have been taking to the streets since April 28, initially to protest a proposed tax reform, which the government issued in response to the national budget deficit. Parts of this reform — tax, health, education, etc. — would have most adversely affected the lower- and middle-class citizens, individually and collectively. The mostly peaceful […]
Mothering goes beyond hugs and kisses
Note: To celebrate Mother’s Day, Gloria Guadarrama, Church Relations Coordinator for Mennonite Mission Network, was invited to reflect on her mothering. I was ready to give lots of love and as many hugs and kisses as anyone could imagine. But what happens when the stars do not align for a "good" pregnancy, a "happy" baby or […]
Fire, finances are no match for AMC fortitude
Editor’s Note: This is the first story in a series describing the experiences of Service Adventure units’ host congregations. This Mennonite Mission Network program, birthed in 1989 by Mennonite Board of Missions, a Mission Network predecessor agency, is designed for 17- to 20-year-olds, as a gap year between high school and college. The five Service […]
Lombard Mennonite Peace Center helps mission worker sow seeds of mediation
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — In a world wracked by escalating conflict, Peter Wigginton, serving with Mennonite Mission Network in Ecuador, received the timely gift of mediation training from the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center (LMPC) last fall. Wigginton’s connection with the peace center began in fall 2018, when he and his wife, Delicia Bravo, preached […]
Open the eyes of our hearts
With so many urgent matters on our minds, do we actually see Jesus? Our scripture, Ephesians 1:17-19, shows Paul praying that God would open the eyes of the church in Ephesus’s hearts so that they could see and be receptive to Christ’s love. As we go throughout our weeks, let the words of today’s song […]
Breaking the (food) chains of injustice
Note: This article has been edited for length. The full piece was originally published in Japanese in Aino magazine, and in English in the Asian Rural Institute journal Eudoo. The word "chain" takes on a very different meaning for slaves than it does for transnational corporations. A slave’s broken chain results in freedom. A transnational […]
Pandemic pivots bring positive results
To mark the first anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mennonite Mission Network writers sought reflections from global partners and workers. Below is the fourth and final reflection in a series on how the pandemic has invited communities to receive God’s grace for seeking new ways of doing ministry. Here are the first, second and third stories in the series. Deb […]
Moving from Servant Projects to Service in a Box
Service in a box (request a kit) NEWS RELEASE NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Revamping Servant Projects into "Service in a Box" for Mennonite Church USA’s first hybrid Convention (virtual and onsite) means that MennoCon21 participants won’t need to attend the in-person events in Cincinnati, Ohio, to engage in a service opportunity — often a […]
God’s with-ness shapes missional leader
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — As a computer science student at Penn State University, Mike Sherrill had no idea that a meeting invitation would reprogram his spiritual journey. Sherrill responded to an invitation to the International Christian Fellowship (ICF) one Friday evening. There, the Holy Spirit uncovered the well of living water for the […]
Sacrifice of love
Artículo en español This Good Friday meditation comes from Devocionales 2021, a book of devotionals produced by the Movimiento de Mujeres Anabautistas Haciendo Teología desde América Latina (MTAL, Movement of Anabaptist Women doing Theology from Latin America). The daily devotionals can also be found on the Libro Devocional MTAL Facebook page. "He is the […]
Relationships grow in soil of quarantine
Note: To mark the first anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mennonite Mission Network writers sought reflections from global partners and the agency’s Church Relations department. Below is the third in the series of how communities, through God’s grace, are pivoting into fresh ways of doing ministry. Follow these links for the first and second reflection […]
Staying to behold
Looking at the scriptures with an eye toward mission. Joe Sawatzky shares a Missional Meditation titled "Staying to behold." It is based on the Revised Common Lectionary for April 4, Easter Sunday. While Peter and the beloved disciple went home, Mary stayed at the tomb—and became the first to behold the resurrected Lord. John 20:1-18 Thank you for […]