A conversation with David and Sophie Lapp Jost
Sharon Norton, co-director for Africa and Europe ministries for Mennonite Mission Network, interviews David and Sophie Lapp Jost about their experience during this time of COVID-19 and social distancing. David works with DMFK, the German Peace Committee, a partner of Christian Peacemaker Teams, in fundraising, environmental advocacy and congregational speaking engagements. Sophie serves as an […]
Tending the vision: a Q and A with Stanley Green and Mike Sherrill
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) ⸺ On Aug. 1, Stanley W. Green, outgoing executive director for Mennonite Mission Network, will pass the baton to Michael J. Sherrill, PhD. Mission Network sponsored a webinar to mark this milestone, "Advancing God’s mission: tending the vision, today and tomorrow." During the June 11 webinar, the two leaders shared […]
Warm Masculinity: Faith and Father’s Day
"All parenting is expected to take on the quality of mothering." Mercy Amba Oduyoye, a theologian from Ghana, used these words to describe an ideal for parenting from the wisdom of the Akan, the West African people to which she belongs. Oduyoye defines the "understanding of mothering that is expected of all Akan men and […]
Out of our pews and into the pain
People of color are feeling deep pain as the result of the death of our brother, George Floyd, killed by a police office in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a couple of weeks ago. He is one of the recent and tragic examples of injustice wielded by systemic racism across the world. We are bent over, rocking back […]
Cyberspace becomes holy place for Latin American women
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) ⸺ Cyberspace has become a holy place for Latin American Anabaptist women during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. In a series of Zoom online events, the members of the Movement of Anabaptist Women Doing Theology from Latin America (MTAL) have encouraged each other in activities ranging from sharing communion and prayer […]
June 11 webinar to explore top leadership transition at Mennonite Mission Network
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) ⸺ On Aug. 1, Stanley W. Green, outgoing executive director for Mennonite Mission Network, is passing the baton to Michael J. Sherrill, PhD, his successor. To mark this milestone, Mission Network is sponsoring a free webinar, "Advancing God’s mission: tending the vision, today and tomorrow," to begin at 7 p.m. […]
Breathe on us, breath of God: a lament for George Floyd
"I can’t breathe." The world watched last week as George Floyd, an African-American man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, cried out in desperation. Handcuffed and immobilized, Floyd pleaded for air as Derek Chauvin, a White police officer, knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. Crying out for his mother in his final breaths, Floyd, 46, […]
Amidst a world pandemic, the work of God continues
The COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the world, prompting both isolationist practices and panic as the world attempts to quell the virus. The world is changing before our eyes. Places of worship lay empty as congregations meet in the virtual world. Without active clientele, small businesses close, unable to maintain their expenses in the wake […]
Mixing it up in Mississippi
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Gerald Freyenberger, 81, and Risa Fukaya, 21, represent distinct generations and ethnic backgrounds. Yet they found commonality during a Mennonite Mission Network-sponsored alumni and friends service-learning tour to Mississippi this past March. During the civil rights movement-inspired tour, Freyenberger, an alum of PAX, an alternative service program for conscientious […]
A conversation with Angela Opimí and Mary Cano
In a bilingual video, Mission Network Latin America Director Linda Shelly interviews Mary Cano and Angela Opimí who serve as co-coordinators of the Movement of Anabaptist Women Doing Theology from Latin America (MTAL). They share what MTAL is doing during this time when gatherings are prohibited, and also what gives them hope. One creative activity mentioned by […]
Helpers bring hope to Latin America
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) ⸺ The former Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood television program for children seems remote from today’s coronavirus pandemic. Yet, his wisdom about "looking for the helpers" has evoked some hopeful storytelling from Mennonite Mission Network’s international service workers in Latin America. Linda Shelly, Mission Network’s director for Latin America, gleaned the phrase […]
Love Across Four Continents – The Ministry of La Casa Grande
The rhythm of La Casa Grande, a Christian home for children in Benin, Africa, brings people together both to give and to receive. Join Mission Network partners Diana Cruz and Felipe Preciado for an overview of some of the ministries of La Casa Grande. Pentecost reminds us that we are all sent out into the world […]