Greening the faith: students plant avocado trees in Guatemala
In early August 2023, Q’eqchi’ Bezaleel Mennonite Educational Center students and Iglesia Nacional Evangélica Menonita Guatemalteca (INEMGUA, National Evangelical Mennonite Church of Guatemala) church leaders planted 367 Hass avocado (Persea americana) trees at the education center in San Juan Chamelco, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Funds to purchase the trees were provided by Mennonite Men through the […]
Peacemaking agency director challenges U.S. churches to uphold democracy by creating space for dialog
Oscar Siwali sees a lot of similarities between the United States and South Africa. "More than you know," he said with a smile at the Thursday afternoon MennoCon23 seminar, ‘Toward the May/June 2024 South African Election.’ Some of the similarities are good. Both countries are symbols of democracy, and the peaceful transfer of power. Yet […]
Ayni: An invitation and a vision
This story is the third in a three-part series that explores a vision for the Anabaptist church from Julián Guamán, an Indigenous Mennonite author in the Ecuadorian Andes. This article first appeared in Anabaptist Climate Collaborative’s The Climate Pollinator newsletter. Read the first story. Read the second story. In the Kichwa language, the word ayni describes the […]
It starts with language
This story first appeared in Anabaptist Climate Collaborative’s The Climate Pollinator newsletter. On July 7 at MennoCon23 Youth Climate Summit, experts in climate change, spiritual activism and social justice will explore ways that youth and young adults ages 14-25 can put their faith to work to address this crisis. It will be a day of worship, […]
Solar energy brings healing to land and communities
The original version of this article was first published by Mennonite World Conference, April 22. This adaptation focuses on how solar energy in the hands of women and girls is a tool in bringing God’s shalom to the earth and its people. To learn more, Ncube will be a panelist at the MennoCon23 Youth & […]
Football league fundraiser is no fantasy
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Squig has been playing fantasy football for 26 years, and this season, he’s sharing his winning draft strategy. "Spend a third of your money on someone who will spend the whole year injured," he jokingly advised his draftmates, who were gathered around the table. "Better go for it again […]
Meet the Tucson MVS unit!
Join the Tucson, Ariz., Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) participants and get a whirlwind tour of unit life! Get a sneak peak into unit activities, take in a canyon sunrise, and meet a very special house guest🦎! The Tucson unit house is nestled directly between Shalom Mennonite Fellowship, the unit’s supporting congregation, and Community Home Repair […]
A recipe for mission, from the kitchen of Mennonite Mission Network
In recognition of World Food Day (Oct. 16), Mennonite Mission Network is excited to share its recipe for mission! This recipe has been tweaked and refined over the agency’s 20-year history, and builds on a formula for holistic ministry that stretches back more than 100 years across multiple predecessor agencies. Bon appétit!
Women and Peace’ project creates sacred space for peacebuilders of faith
Justapaz is the justice and peacebuilding organization of Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Colombia (IMCOL, Colombian Mennonite Church). Rebekah York, a worker with Mennonite Mission Network in Colombia, connects with Justapaz, though the Mujer y Paz (Women and Peace) project, which strengthens the role of women in peacebuilding endeavors. Over the past couple of months, I […]
I bike for world peace, personal shalom — and because I love biking
This article first appeared in Mennonite Church USA’s Menno Snapshots blog in celebration of National Bike to Work Day, May 20. It is republished with permission I can usually find good reasons to justify what I love doing — and biking is a passion of mine. From my childhood days, when I pedaled the streets […]
A joining of Pentecost and creation care
This year, two holidays share the date of June 5. One is secular, the other spiritual, but both should hold great importance to followers of Christ: Pentecost, the celebration of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples, and the whole world; and World Environment Day, a day when activists and the United Nations Environment Programme […]
Medical service in India shaped mission worker’s passion throughout life
NEWTON, Kansas (Mennonite Mission Network) — Joseph Duerksen, a doctor and mission worker in India, died in Overland Park, Kansas, January 15, 2022. He was 94 years old. Joseph Duerksen was born December 13, 1927, to Christena and Jacob R. Duerksen, who served as missionaries in Madhya Pradesh, India. While growing up, Joseph attended Woodstock […]