Seed of service formation grows into MVS re-envisioning
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Following Marisa Smucker’s journey back to her beginnings is an exercise in understanding how one’s first two years of life can help shape the rest. When Smucker was a 19-month-old living in a Costa Rican orphanage, Dorothy and the late Lynn Smucker adopted her after doing five months of […]
National Secondhand Wardrobe Day a reminder for deeper community needs
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) – In the pantheon of "casual holidays," National Secondhand Wardrobe Day ranks fairly low. The Aug. 25th occasion doesn’t easily lend itself to celebratory sales, like National Hamburger Day (May 28) or fun activities, like National Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day (Sept. 19). Thrifted clothing simply can’t measure up to the chaotic potential […]
Walking through a new DOOR
HILLSBORO, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — In the span of a few short months, COVID-19 ushered us all into an unfamiliar world. As windows of normalcy shuttered, organizations and churches searched for new ways to continue offering God’s healing and hope to increasingly isolated communities. For one organization, this closed window meant the opening of […]
Walking and growing with Jesus in Guatemala
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — When Sophie Miller took a gap year between her sophomore and junior year in college to embark on a study-service term in Guatemala, she received food for mind and heart. As a result of the many "nutrients" she absorbed, the 21-year-old Miller says she grew in her global perspective […]
John Lewis made me feel like an honored guest
In 2015, Wil LaVeist interviewed John Lewis for his radio show. Listen to the full interview here. Congressman Lewis wrote this essay a few days before his death and planned for it to be published on the day of his funeral. "Get in good trouble." Count me among those who will personally remember this encouraging phrase […]
Sharing food for body and soul in Venezuela
As this article was being published, Mennonite Mission Network got news that Erwin Mirabal was hospitalized with COVID-19. Mirabal, president of the Mennonite Church in Venezuela and pastor of the Caracas congregation, was diagnosed with COVID-19 on July 20 and was admitted to a private clinic that night after being turned away from eight other […]
Tuesday webinar to introduce virtual service program
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Every summer as temperatures climb up and schools wind down, many church and family groups visit DOOR Discover sites in Atlanta, Chicago and Denver to engage in service and learning experiences. Far from the typical week-long "mission trip," participants spend less time ladling soup, and more time living the […]
Losing control to a camping critter
Rustling and scrunching woke me up at 2 a.m. during a Colorado camping trip. I groggily reached for my flashlight and shone it towards the ruckus. The feeble ray revealed nothing, though I was "fairly certain" it wasn’t a bear. Camping near residential Boulder at the foot of the mountains could not possibly yield that […]
What are Service Adventure volunteer placements like?
Listen to Paula Klätte, Estella Sandweg and Risa Fukaya share their volunteer experience in Jackson, Mississippi, during their 2019-2020 volunteer year. Check out current Service Adventure placements on our website and apply before January 31 before August placements are full!
Videos from Ecuador workers highlight ministries
We are sharing two videos developed by workers in Ecuador, Delicia Bravo and Peter Wigginton, and Jane and Jerrell Ross Richer, who serve with Mennonite Mission Network through the Ecuador Partnership. We also encourage you to read an article that features Jaden Hostetter, a new worker in Ecuador. The two primary priorities of the partnership […]
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 […]
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 […]