ELKHART, IND. (Mennonite Mission Network) - For the past three years, contributions have been coming in to support Mennonite Church USA’s Joining together, Investing in hope campaign. But even as the gifts have come in, gifts have also gone out. One of these gifts included a $150,000 grant to the Global Mission Fellowship for mission work around the world.

The Global Mission Fellowship of Anabaptist-related Churches (GMF) is a fellowship of churches and mission groups that meet for encouragement, vision-sharing, networking and cooperating in mission. 

James R. Krabill, Mennonite Mission Network’s senior executive for Global Ministries, attended the February meetings of the Global Mission Fellowship in Strasbourg, France, as a North American representative.

“We spent much of our time discussing and planning ways we can be a resource to the global church in its mission effort through Web site resources, e-mail networks, and organizing meetings where equipping for mission can take place,” said Krabill.

He also brought back a message from the Global Mission Fellowship to Mennonite Church USA.

“It was noted by the international team gathered that a substantial gift had been made available to them by the Joining together initiative, and I was specifically commissioned by several members of the GMF to send words of gratitude to ‘my people,’ thanking them for this generous resource that enables increased mission activity and collaboration across the Mennonite World Conference body of churches,” Krabill reported.

Peter Graber, the campaign director, said that a desire to give to the global church came from individuals at the beginning of the campaign. “It was important to many of us to support global mission efforts at the same time we’re supporting the work of the church in the United States,” Graber said.

Joining together, Investing in hope is a campaign to strengthen the future of Mennonite Church USA by building a logistical center for the denomination adjacent to Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart. The campaign was initiated in September 2006, and since that time, $10.3 million has been given by supporters across the church. In addition to the $150,000 grant to Global Mission Fellowship, $300,000 has been given to the ministries of the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board, and the Mission Network operating fund received $5,350,000, an increase of $120,000.