Service Adventure is often described as a ‘gap year experience’
…taken a year after high school to gain perspective before diving into higher education, a job, or whatever comes next. Yet, it is not a pause in education. It is a shift in growth: from academic to personal, from sitting in the pew to leading worship nights.
Each year, new participants gather in Service Adventure units across the country. They meet as strangers and commit to living life together. Ten months later, they depart – their gap years filled to the brim.
Service Adventure
Mennonite Mission Network’s Service Adventure is for individuals ages 17-20. For more information and to apply for the 2027-28 term, click here.
Sophia Belknap
Colorado Springs, Colorado unit
Placement: Our House – Bright Futures -day habilitation and residential services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Home church: Buhler Mennonite Church, Buhler, Kansas.
Belknap joined Service Adventure because “a person in my church has done [Service Adventure] and it gave me the idea. I also need some time to figure out my future, I love to volunteer, and this seemed like a fit for me. “
She looks forward to “growth in faith, learning to love others in all walks of life and giving of my time to others.”
Belknap asks for prayers that she listen to God’s leading and has the strength to try new things outside her comfort level as she opens a new door.
Josiah Eisenhour
Colorado Springs, Colorado unit
Placement: Greccio Housing – stable, safe, and affordable housing for lower-income residents.
Home church: 8th Street Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana.
Eisenhour joined because he “wanted a gap year opportunity that allowed me to travel and gain new life experiences.”
In Service Adventure, “I hope to grow as a person and also gain new life skills.”
Through his term, readers can pray for “a smooth transition and for a great experience.”
Noemi Fiedler
Colorado Springs, Colorado, unit
Placement: Mighty Oaks Preschool, a nature-inspired, half-day preschool center emphasizing outdoor time and play.
Home church is Christliche Gemeinde Mahlow, in Mahlow, Brandenburg, Germany.
Fiedler wants “to learn new things about another culture and help people there.”
She looks forward to “growing in character, in faith and learning new skills.”
Pray that she finds her place quickly and that her language skills grow fast.
Ralph Lipscomb
Colorado Springs, Colorado unit
Placement: Greccio Housing, a stable, safe, and supportive affordable housing for low-income individuals and families.
Home church: Sojourners Mennonite Fellowship in Belfast, New York
Lipscomb joined to “spend time working in service — to do something worthwhile to serve others and push myself to grow in preparation for college.”
He is looking forward to “improving my independence, maturity, and executive function (the ability to think ahead, plan, and organize myself) as well as help people in my service community.”
He asks for prayers for resilience in new and different circumstances and for strong connections in his new environment.
Ian Thomson
Colorado Springs, Colorado unit
Placement: Our House – Bright Futures, a day habilitation program and residential services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Home church: Salina Mennonite Church in Salina, Kansas
Thomson joined to “better understand what I can do to serve God.”
He is eager to, “better understand what God has planned for me and learn how to live outside of my family.”
Thomson asks for prayer as he begins living away from his parents for the first time, that his placement will be a good fit, and that he finds common ground with his unit.
Elliot and Jane Radzanowski
Unit leaders, Colorado Springs, Colorado unit
Home church is Beth-el Mennonite Church, the supporting congregation of the Colorado Springs unit.
“I am excited to work alongside young people as they develop into young adulthood through a Mennonite lens,” Jane wrote.
Together, the couple is excited to growing their “understanding of living and leading in Christ-centered community,” Elliot shared.
Pray that, they remain well-rested and prepared, that they approach the year with grace, that their church and community support them and that everyone in the unit gets along.”
Mennonite Voluntary Service
MVS placements last one or two years. Some new participants join households that have been operating since last year, while others step into houses that have been quiet since previous participants said their goodbyes earlier in the summer. Below are the new and returning MVS participants for the 2026-27 term.
MVS is for individuals ages 20+. For more information and to apply for the 2027-28 term year, click here.
Craig Elias
Placement: Community Home Repair Project of Arizona (CHRPA) – home repairs and adaptive/safety solutions for low-income homeowners.
Home church: Seattle Mennonite Church, Seattle, Washington
Findley Holland
Placement: Community Home Repair Project of Arizona (CHRPA)
Home church: Hyattsville Mennonite Church, Hyattsville, Maryland
Holland joined MVS because she “was not sure what I wanted to do after my graduate degree but I felt a call towards supporting others. I have spent the past 18 years of my life in school, mainly sitting and using my brain. Which is fine, but I wanted to do more physical and tangible tasks. As an athlete, I’m quite strong and wanted to be able to put that to use!”
She hopes for “personal growth specifically in terms of figuring out long term life goals. My brain is not the nicest place to live in, so I want to use this service year to focus on my mental health and make my mind a bit nicer to itself. 🙂 “
Jokingly, Holland requested prayers because she’s “from the Pacific Northwest where it rains all the time, and moving to a desert is something I anticipate really struggling with.”
More seriously, she asks for support and prayers as she adjusts to living in a completely new environment in every way — geographically, culturally, weather-wise, and community-wise.
Keyan Krabill
San Francisco, California unit (returning for a second year)
Placement: East Bay Sanctuary Covenant – free and low-cost legal and social services for low-income immigrants and people fleeing violence and persecution.
Home church: Seattle Mennonite Church, Seattle, Washington
Samuel Myers
San Francisco, California unit
Placement: Mission Action – breaking isolation, stabilizing people in crisis, and build collective power among Latinx/Indigenous, low-income and immigrant people in San Francisco’s Mission District.
Home church: Peace Mennonite Fellowship in Archbold, Ohio
Myers joined MVS because, “I had the chance to spend a semester in Guatemala and Mexico in the spring of 2025, and this encouraged me to rethink what future professions I would like to go into. I decided to take a pause on my education to get a better feel for how I am able to make my career meaningful and help others. I have been impacted by my learning about and seeing firsthand the experiences of immigrants in the US and Mexico, and I would like to work for a more just immigration system.”
Though his term, Myers hopes “to understand how organizations are empowering local communities to meet the needs of people. I want to support the mission and the objectives of the local context. I would also like to gain an understanding of my strengths and weaknesses that might point me towards a future career.
As I am entering a new city and context, people can pray for me to find a strong community and comfort in the people that are around me. This is a new experience being far away from friends and family for an extended period, and I am nervous about making new connections.”
Madison Stockner
Alamosa, Colorado MVS unit (returning for a second year)
Placement: She Rio Grande Farm Park, a 38-acre community farm emphasizing education, farming, and sustainability.
Home church is Blue Ridge Fellowship in Woodlawn, Virginia.
