Meserete Kristos pastor denied prompt burial due to faith
Tesfay Siyum, a pastor and one of the founders of the Meserete Kristos Church in Eritrea, spent 10 years in jail for his faith. When he died, he was refused a prompt burial. I wasn’t able to fall sleep on April 19 until I wrote this blog, expressing my deep sadness about the suffering Pastor […]
Mission and Education
When various Anabaptist groups joined the global Protestant mission movement in the nineteenth century, their outreach efforts soon included education. To take one example, in the late 1800s a small group of mission-minded young people from Pennsylvania met to discuss how they might reach out to their neighbors through Sunday schools and service projects. This […]
I found these women celebrating
In thought of National Women’s Day on March 8, I was reminded of a group of women Joani Miller, Mission Network Director of Training and Resources, and I joined by Zoom for the Gulf States Mennonite Women (GSMW) Annual Retreat, at Pine Lake Fellowship Camp in Meridian, Mississippi, February 17-18, 2023. The theme was "Fortify […]
Peace is not just the absence of violence
Bekah serves in Bogotá, Colombia, with the Colombia Mennonite Church (IMCOL). She supports the work of the Seminario Biblico Menonita de Colombia (Mennonite Biblical Seminary of Colombia, SBMC). Additionally, she works with Justapaz (Colombian Mennonite peacebuilding organization), to accompany the Mujer y Paz (Women and Peace) project, which looks at the role of women in […]
MLK’s “I Have a Dream” inspired by Prathia Hall Wynn
In honor of Women’s History Month, this is the first in a series about women’s contributions to make earth more like heaven. Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech was inspired by Prathia Hall Wynn. Hall Wynn was the first female field organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in southwest […]
God notices
1 Shout out; do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet!Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.2 Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways,as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;they ask of me righteous […]
Mission Network facilitates workshops in faith, politics and reconciliation in Ecuador
Versión en español For nearly four decades, injustice in Ecuador, especially for Indigenous Peoples, has led to an increasing number of protests, national uprisings and strikes. Yet racism against and the marginalization of Indigenous groups has increased. The pandemic further crippled economies in the region and led to an immigration crisis, exasperated by Venezuela’s economic […]
Humility before God
1 While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had indeed married a Cushite woman), 2 and they said, "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" And the Lord heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than anyone […]
The Lord bless you
24 The Lord bless you and keep you;25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Photo by Lynda Hollinger-Janzen. Graphic design by Cynthia Friesen Coyle.
Just be still
10 As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing […]
Making our way
Gratitude and blessings A message from Karen Horsman As I reflect on the past year, my heart is filled with gladness and gratitude for how God has been working in and through Mennonite Mission Network to share all of Christ with all of creation. You, our donors, have provided unwavering generosity and encouragement. […]
Celebrating Kwanzaa with “justice, equality and humanity”
Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that is celebrated Dec. 26 – Jan. 1. Its creator, Dr. Maulana Karenga, developed the holiday after the Watts Uprising of 1965 in Los Angeles, California. I use the term “uprising” intentionally, instead of the colloquial term “riot.” A riot implies rampant chaos and destruction without aim or purpose […]