Erin Lichti works on art projects with the Kids on a Hill, an after-school program run in the basement of the Baltimore MVS house. Photo: Mark Wasser

Baltimore, Md.

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Service
Some of the agencies and churches with service opportunities available to the Baltimore unit are Victory Temple Community Church, Mount Clare Christian School and North Baltimore Mennonite Church.

MVS Application To apply for one of the service opportunities below, complete an online application, or print and mail a PDF application (Adobe Reader required) and send it to: Mennonite Mission Network ATTN: Human Resources 500 S. Main P.O. Box 370 Elkhart, IN 46515-0370

Location
Baltimore is one hour north of Washington, D.C., is located on the Chesapeake Bay, which forms the inner harbor downtown. The climate is moderate spring and fall with generally mild winters (the temperature might go below 30 degrees F in January) and warm summers. The population of Baltimore is approximately 800,000. About 60% of the population is African-American. Baltimore is an exciting place to live! It has many problems that go along with any large city, but it's not so large that it's difficult to get a handle on. There are a lot of nonprofit organizations run by good-hearted and concerned people, attempting to address the many social needs of the city, and therefore many opportunities for service.

Unit
The Reservoir Hill House of Peace (RHHP) is a large mansion located right between a community that is "gentrifying", fixing up their nice row-houses, and a community that is still suffering from poverty and everything that goes along with it. There is a small yard in front of the house. On the first floor are a common (large) kitchen, dining room, living room, office and large meeting room. On the second floor are several renters, all who have some connection to North Baltimore Mennonite Church, and two rooms to provide transitional housing for refugees (another program of NBMC).

The third floor houses the MVS unit. There is a living room, two bathrooms, and a common guest/ironing/sewing/office room. Currently there are a total of five MVSers in the Baltimore unit. The MVS household seeks to adopt a lifestyle that reflects simplicity, justice and faith. Intentional Christian community is encouraged in the unit and in relation to the surrounding neighborhood. Each house member participates fully in daily activities such as cooking, cleaning and upkeep of the two large, aging row houses. Weekly meetings are viewed as opportunities for conducting business and for the mutual sharing and support necessary to build close communities.

Church
North Baltimore Mennonite Church (NBMC), which is the supporting church of the Baltimore unit, has about 90 attendees on a Sunday morning. The majority of them are transplants from places like Harrisonburg, Va., Lancaster, Pa., Elkhart, Ind., Newton, Kan., who have come to study or work at Johns Hopkins University/School of Public Health/Hospital, University of Maryland, or other institutions, and have stayed on because they like Baltimore.

Points of interest
Baltimore attractions include the inner harbor, Orioles Baseball at Camden Yards, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and other musical organizations, arts festivals, historical Annapolis and Washington, D.C. not far away. Educational institutions include Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland, Loyola College, College of Notre Dame and more.