BERLIN, Ohio (Mennonite Mission Network) – For 70 years, Mennonite Voluntary Service has provided ways for young adults to live out their faith. While the recent restructuring of the Mennonite Mission Network service program will allow MVS to focus its energy, it also means that several units will close at the end of the current service term in July.
The following historical tributes are words of gratitude to the closing MVS units, and all of the people who made years of service opportunities possible.
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Americus, Georgia. In 1942, an intentional Christian community formed, named Koinonia Farm. This was a model for a voluntary service unit that began around 1980, which was started through Eastern Mennonite Missions. MVSers have been an active part of the church and local community, often staying in Americus after their term. While the unit primarily partnered with Habitat for Humanity in the past, in more recent years, it expanded its focus to include the Fuller Center for Housing, Americus Mennonite Fellowship, and several other local organizations.
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Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore Mennonite Voluntary Service unit started in 2003 to expand the congregation’s outreach through the Reservoir Hill House of Peace. The Reservoir Hill House of Peace used to be one of Eastern Mennonite Missions’ training centers, but has transitioned to the Atlantic Coast Conference. In turn, North Baltimore Mennonite Church developed a new mission and purpose for this house in the Reservoir Hill neighborhood. The community at the Reservoir Hill House of Peace included Mennonite Voluntary Service participants, Asylum Seekers Housing Network, and community members.
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Boulder, Colorado. Forty-eight young adults have served with this MVS unit since Boulder Mennonite Church opened it in 1993. Many of those MVSers stayed in Boulder and with the faith community for years beyond their service. Although sad to close, Boulder Mennonite Church is grateful for the relationships built and the commitment to serve at homeless shelters, Imagine Adult Day Care, Victim Offender Reconciliation Program, People’s Clinic, EcoCycle, the Humane Society, and other agencies.
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Evansville, Indiana. The Evansville MVS unit began in 1988 by Biff Weidman, a Mennonite who came to Evansville to be part of the Patchwork Central Community. MVSers were a part of the Patchwork Worship Community and Patchwork’s neighborhood-based programs. While Patchwork has no official affiliation with the Mennonite Church, throughout its history, multiple Mennonites have been and still are involved as community members.
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Fresno, California. In the mid-1970s, MVS began sending volunteers to Fresno. Early on, volunteers began to serve with the Boys Club, but later, other placements were offered, including a community food bank, refugee ministry, and a Victim Offender Reconciliation Program. Over the years, the host congregation, Mennonite Community Church, has been a key place for MVS participants to grow in their spiritual life.
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Harlingen, Texas. MVSers began to serve in the Harlingen unit in 1988 and were actively involved in Good News Mennonite Church in San Juan, Texas. Most recently, volunteers have worked in the area of immigration to provide legal defense and advocacy for detained adults and children.
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Kykotsmovi, Arizona. The MVS unit in Kykotsmovi has had a direct partnership with the Hopi Mission School, which started in 1951. Over the years, MVSers have taught elementary children and served as support staff at the school.
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Rochester, New York. The Rochester MVS unit started in 2010, hosted by Rochester Mennonite Fellowship. There has always been strong engagement, participation, and support from the local congregation. Additional support for the unit has come from New York Mennonite Conference.
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Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Even before the Sermon on the Mount congregation officially began, members knew that they wanted MVS to be a part of the church’s future. The MVS program soon followed in 1996, and has since then had a total of 40 participants with units ranging in size from two to four. Volunteer partner agencies have included Lutheran Social Services Center for New Americans, Bowden Youth Center, Ten Thousand Villages, Habitat for Humanity, Restore, and Turning Point.
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St. Louis, Missouri. The relationship between MVS and St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship has always been entwined. In fact, a Mennonite couple who served in St. Louis sowed the seeds for the congregation in 1970. A recent church history characterized the relationship between the MVS unit and the congregation this way: “Instead of the church supporting the unit, it was more a matter of the unit supporting the church.” Many St. Louis MVSers have become a part of the St. Louis Mennonite Fellowship community and have stayed after their service term. Two major mission projects of the congregation, Plowsharing Crafts and the Mennonite Peace Center, grew out of the early years of St. Louis Mennonite Voluntary Service, and endure today.
“Each of these units has put in an incredible amount of time to make MVS happen in their location to support the ministry of their church and the lives of their participants,” said Nathan Penner, MVS director. “We have genuinely enjoyed our partnership with each unit and mourn the closing of each unit.”
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For immediate release
Mennonite Mission Network, the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA, leads, mobilizes and equips the church to participate in holistic witness to Jesus Christ in a broken world. Media may contact news@mennonitemission.net.
