No face-to-face? Connect in cyberspace!
Note: To mark the first anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mennonite Mission Network writers sought reflections from global partners, workers and the agency’s Church Relations department. Below is the second in a series of reflections on how the pandemic has invited them to receive God’s grace in pivoting into new ways of doing ministry and […]
Expand your world through Youth Venture
News Release Note: Youth Venture, a Christian Service program of Mennonite Mission Network, is planning a roster of three trips for this summer (see below). Depending on COVID-19 pandemic conditions, the trips will be offered either in-person or on virtual platforms. Arloa Bontrager, the Youth Venture director, will monitor the situation and alert participants accordingly. […]
My kid wants a gap year — gulp!
Might your high school senior benefit from personal development before entering college or the workforce? If a year of volunteering, living communally, and exploring faith sounds like it could be a good fit, what should you consider? How do you start the conversation? Below is an interview between myself and my mom, Heidi Eash, who […]
My neighbor and our flourishing life
"Peace is not merely the absence of some negative force — war, tensions, confusion, but it is the presence of some positive force — justice, goodwill, the power of the kingdom of God." — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "When Peace Becomes Obnoxious" I am reflecting on these words from Dr. Martin Luther King, […]
Leader leaves missional mark on agency
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — After many years of ministry, something was not working for pastor and church planter Marvin Lorenzana. Searching for inspiration, he turned to the example of the 16th-century Anabaptists. “I kept repeating mistakes that hindered me from being faithful to what I read in the New Testament about how the […]
SOOP couple reaps the blessings of Plans B and C
DIVIDE, Colorado (Mennonite Mission Network) — "People plan, and God laughs," quoted Matt Lehman Wiens, when asked about the six-month sabbatical he and his wife, Dr. Ruth Lehman Wiens, had planned for this year. After Ruth Lehman Wiens finished her family medicine residency in June, the couple had intended to serve at Iona Abbey in […]
What a difference a decade makes!
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — As Hildi Amstutz spoke with a seminary student during a graduation ceremony at Centro Evangélica Mennonita de Teología Asunción (CEMTA)in Asunción, Paraguay, he shared his passion for the silent retreats that he had once considered unimportant. In that moment, she realized that 15 years of quiet persistence had […]
Creating a to-be list
Since 1991, Hildi Amstutz has served as a Mennonite Mission Network associate — along with her husband, C. Paul Amstutz — in Paraguay. Here is a personal reflection regarding her senior care ministry. In my senior care ministry, I am discovering this agonizing cry of aging people: "I don’t have any say in anything anymore!" […]
Giving thanks for God’s work among global partners
Editor’s note: Mennonite Mission Network’s four International Ministries directors share their Thanksgiving reflections regarding engagement with partners around the world. John Lapp, senior executive for International Partner Engagement and interim director of Asia and the Middle East I have grown to cherish my global relationships, especially those in Asia and the Middle East. Some […]
Gratitude among those without homes inspires nurse
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) – Every day at Christ House in Washington, D.C., Melissa Jantzi, a nurse at the long-term respite clinic for men experiencing homelessness, experiences what it means to be grateful: For a hefty, hot meal. For a favorite football team winning the game on television. For a hug from clinic friends, […]
Adaptation empowering innovation throughout Mennonite Mission Network
Mennonite Mission Network is forging new pathways through the challenges of the pandemic to continue joining God’s mission around the world. Mike Sherrill, executive director for Mission Network, spoke on these innovations during a Nov. 17 webinar titled "Adapting to the Pandemic and Innovating for the Future." "The trial of this pandemic has been an […]
As sheep sent to sheep—Missional Meditations
Looking at the scriptures with an eye toward mission. Joe Sawatzky shares a Missional Meditation entitled, "As sheep sent to sheep" based on the Revised Common Lectionary for November 22, 2020. Christ our Shepherd sends us as sheep to other sheep, to give and to receive the hospitality of the kingdom. Ephesians 1:15-23 Psalm 100 Ezekiel 34:11-24 Matthew 25:31-46 […]