Author: Admin account

  • Sharing Spaces: Walnut Hill’s Legacy of Hospitality

    Sharing Spaces: Walnut Hill’s Legacy of Hospitality

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    In 1956, Walnut Mennonite Church in Goshen, Indiana was a brand-new church plant born from North Goshen Mennonite Church. 33 years later, after a fire destroyed part of its building, North Goshen welcomed Walnut Hill back into their space, for free, for two years until reconstruction was complete. Area congregations with Indiana-Michigan Mennonite Conference also helped Walnut Hill rebuild after its crisis with their generous financial support.

    These were gifts that Walnut Hill never forgot, and ones which they determined to pass along when they could.


    Over the years, Walnut Hill has hosted various groups including crafting groups, Al Anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, and Music Together, and more recently Jail Ministry of Elkhart County and the Repair Network (Mennonite churches connected to the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery). Then in 2021, it opened its doors to another congregation. A small, Latinx church—the Goshen Seventh Day Adventist Church, was seeking a space to meet. With little hesitation, in large part due to how North Goshen had treated them, Walnut Hill became the home for the Goshen Seventh Day Adventist church.

    The arrangement worked quite well, so well in fact, that in 2024, when Goshen Haitian Church needed a place to meet, Walnut Hill was ready to welcome them into their space, too. And none of the groups or churches using Walnut Hill’s space is ever charged a fee. This is Walnut Hill’s way of paying forward the generosity it received. The actual building costs are kept low by using solar panels and other energy-efficient features.


    Scheduling-wise, it’s worked well as one meets on Saturday and the other on Sunday afternoon while Walnut Hill meets on Sunday morning. And the congregations are slowly getting to know each other, which benefits Walnut Hill as they are a largely homogeneous congregation. Not only does it allow Walnut Hill a way of growing community with two racially marginalized groups in the local community, but it expands their understanding of the different denominations locally, too.


    Both the Latinx population in Goshen, and the growing Haitian community, face certain challenges that Walnut Hill is becoming more familiar with and seeks to minister to.


    It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement that Walnut Hill is glad to be part of.


  • Tree-plantings bring eco-joy to MDS homes

    Tree-plantings bring eco-joy to MDS homes

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    As homeowner Wilford Miller watched a tree-planting ceremony in the yard of his home built by Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers, his smile said it all.

    Miller, a resident of the town of Iowa, Louisiana, had spent month after month recovering from flooding that struck his home and ruined his property. In February, along with his new home, Miller received a young orange tree, planted by volunteers in his yard.

    The tree is the fruit of a partnership between MDS and Mennonite Men, who have agreed to purchase trees for homes newly built or repaired by MDS volunteers. This is one of eleven tree plantings Mennonite Men assisted with in the last year.

    ‘It’s delightful to see the joy this tree brings to the homeowner,’ said Steve Thomas, who coordinates the JoinTrees tree planting program for Mennonite Men.

    Karla Friesen, who coordinates the tree planting program for MDS, said she hopes to grow the effort even more. ‘We think this is a great way to help the communities replace damaged trees, enhance the home, and support the ecosystem after a disaster,’ she said.


  • Living a Life That Matters: Reflections from Goshen College Men’s Retreat

    Living a Life That Matters: Reflections from Goshen College Men’s Retreat

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    ‘In patriarchal culture males are not allowed simply to be who they are and to glory in their unique identity. Their value is always determined by what they do. In an anti patriarchal culture males do not have to prove their value and worth. They know from birth that simply being gives them value, the right to be cherished and loved.‘

    -bell hooks
    ‘The Will to Change: Men Masculinity and Love’


    How do we, as men, live a life that matters? More importantly, how do we set a good example for future generations on how to answer this question. A first step is to reflect on how a patriarchal society assigns value to us, and then taking it a step further to reflect on how it impacts the value we assign to ourselves. After 12 years and hundreds of hours of facilitating challenging conversations on this topic, I believe it is clear value is assigned based on what men can provide or produce. Which in and of itself is not wrong, just shortsighted. I would argue that the very patriarchal culture that overwhelmingly benefits men in our society, simultaneously uses the concept of the ‘man box’ to prevent us from showing up for ourselves. Unpacking this ‘man box’ has shown me a way to expand how men find their sense of value, and thus begin to really discover how they define what matters to them.

    Doing this work with college men comes with a lot of barriers so I began reflecting on ways to overcome them. I realized that my male colleagues and I had not taken the opportunity to do this work together in order to better role model the lessons we were trying to get across. Thus I began looking for other resources to help us in doing that, and luckily I had become familiar with Menno Men a couple of years ago. I reached out and Steve Thomas was more than willing to develop a small retreat just for us.

    Steve and I spent some time shaping an existing workshop to help us answer the question, ‘How does one live a life that matters?’ We spent the Saturday morning unpacking our own man boxes and envisioning how our campus could better support our students in this regard. The conversation was both challenging and supportive. It is important to acknowledge that we did not walk away with ‘the’ answer, as this work is never ending and always evolving.

    We all recognized this was not the end of the conversation as there are countless intersectional facets of the ‘man box’ to unpack, race being one. Jesse shared how that informed his decision to attend:

    ‘During our discussion, I had some questions about how men, especially men of color, are impacted (or not) by this work. I usually find myself surrounded by white men, Mennonites, or Latino/Hispanic individuals, so I wanted to gain insight into their perspectives on our current world, as well as their struggles and triumphs men face.’

    This gathering took place on February 3rd, 2024 at the Pathways Retreat Center in Goshen, and we are looking forward to continuing them on a semi-regular basis. This work is hard, but the immeasurable support of Steve Thomas, Pathways Retreat, and Mennonite Men makes it so much easier.


  • Shared Spaces, Shared Hearts: Casa Betania in Newton

    Shared Spaces, Shared Hearts: Casa Betania in Newton

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    There had long been a desire for a Hispanic Mennonite Church in Newton, Kansas. Finally, in March 2008, four Hispanic Mennonite women started leading services, while Western District Conference (WDC) helped search for a church planter. In June, Jaime Cazares arrived in Newton with his wife Suhelen. Several WDC Newton churches helped with financial support during the first years. First Mennonite Church of Newton offered a recently purchased house next to the church as a place for the new church to gather throughout the week. Children and youth of Casa Betania were welcomed into First Mennonite’s programs. When the church outgrew the living room, First Mennonite offered a large double classroom on the lower level, for the church’s Sunday gatherings. Eventually, Casa Betania requested using the sanctuary for their worship service, and moved their service time to Sunday afternoon.

    Throughout this time, First Mennonite’s spacious kitchen has been utilized by Casa Betania for meals and celebrations, as well as for making tamales and burritos for fundraisers. At times Casa Betania has prepared fundraising meals and served Wednesday night meals for both congregations. The intersection has been much more than facilities. The Wednesday meals and activities provide a time of interaction together. Early on, a few First Mennonite members with Spanish capability began participating regularly in Casa Betania. Linda Shelly, Latin America Director for Mennonite Mission Network, worships with both congregations and is available for simultaneous interpretation into English for non-Spanish speaking friends of Casa Betania. First Mennonite has included Casa Betania children and youth in scholarship programs for Camp Mennoscah and Mennonite colleges. And some of the youth have participated in First Mennonite’s youth group and mission trips. Both youth and adults have joined together in MDS trips. Occasionally, the two congregations have a joint worship service meeting either in the afternoon or the morning.


    Both congregations consider it a blessing to share space and get to know brothers and sisters of different cultures.


  • Houston congregation realizes its dream of owning a building

    Houston congregation realizes its dream of owning a building

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    In March, 2024, the board of Mennonite Men approved a $40,000 JoinHands grant for the Chin Emmanuel congregation in Houston, Texas. The congregation recently shared this background and note of thanks to JoinHands supporters.

    ‘Chin Emmanuel Baptist Church was founded in February 12, 2012 in Houston, Texas by refugees from the Chin community in Myanmar, fleeing from ethnic and religious persecution.

    Pastor Simon Tlumang brought together a small group, which soon grew into a flourishing congregation of more than 200 people.

    In 2013, looking for a denominational home, Chin Emmanuel Baptist Church joined the Western District Conference and Mennonite Church USA because of theological and personal connections with the Mennonites. Chin Emmanuel Baptist Church has been a regular participant in the Texas MCC Sale, Western District Conference, and other denominational ministries since they found a Mennonite home.

    After years working as a community to help refugees settle, establish roots in their new community, care for children growing up in a new culture, and find ways to fit into the American economy, in 2023 Chin Emmanuel Baptist Church decided it was rooted enough to purchase a church building together.

    All the members and pastor Simon Tlumang appreciate Mennonite Men’s help in making this dream of a church home a reality.’


    This young Houston congregation, like the Chin community in Omaha which recently recieved a JoinHands grant, was founded by refugees from the Chin community in Myanmar fleeing from ethnic and religious persecution, and has found a home in Mennonite Church USA. Flourishing with more than 200 people, this Chin congregation is helping refugee families adjust to life in a new land and foreign culture.

    They found a former church building in need of renovation that will meet their needs for worship services and community ministry. We now need to raise funds to make this $40,000 grant.



  • MC USA files new amicus brief in support of Apache-Stronghold

    MC USA files new amicus brief in support of Apache-Stronghold


    The Mennonite Church USA Executive Board and MC USA’s Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference filed an amicus brief on April 25, 2024, in support of Apache-Stronghold’s petition for a new full-court hearing on the potential destruction of Oak Flat, a sacred Indigenous site in Arizona.

    Mennonite Men along with 18 additional churches and organizations also signed on as amici curiae, or friends of the court, including Mennonite Mission Network and numerous MC USA-affiliated congregations.

    Oak Flat is a sacred Indigenous site known to Apaches as Chi’chil Bildagoteel. It has been at the heart of a 20-year struggle by Apache and other Southwestern Indigenous peoples to prevent the federally owned site from being given to Resolution Copper, a Phoenix-based affiliate of British-Australian mining companies, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, for a new copper mine.

    In March 2024, a rare “en banc” panel of 11 judges from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Apache-Stronghold v. United States that the federal government can transfer the sacred Oak Flat site to Resolution Copper. Apache-Stronghold, a non-profit Apache-led organization, appealed the decision and petitioned the court, arguing that “the en banc court got it wrong and that this error warrants a full court review.”

    The amicus brief supports Apache-Stronghold’s position as a right to religious freedom under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA). It draws from a previous amicus brief that was filed on behalf of MC USA and the Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference in 2023. The new brief, however, focuses on the court’s expressed concern that ruling for the Apache-Stronghold would create a “slippery slope” for future RFRA claims about federal land, according to Eric N. Kniffin of Kniffin Law PLLC, Colorado Springs, Colorado, who wrote the new brief.

    “In this case, the Apache have an unparalleled historical connection to Oak Flat … and the government act they challenge would unquestionably destroy this sacred site,” writes Kniffin in the brief. “These characteristics are relevant to the RFRA analysis and would help courts, in appropriate cases, distinguish between the Apache’s RFRA claim here and other religious groups seeking access to federal land.” He notes that the Western Apache have been making pilgrimages to this spot since before the Mennonite tradition was founded in Switzerland in 1525 and even before William of Normandy invaded England in 1066.

    “Mennonites resonate with the Apache’s attachment to Oak Flat,” wrote Kniffin in the brief. “Like the Apache, caring for creation and receiving care from God’s natural world is woven into the Mennonite faith, from its heritage in rural farming to its practice of planting peace gardens at the sites of urban gun violence. Both traditions know God tends us through creation.”

    The brief also references the long support for Apache Stronghold offered by Mennonites who have ‘made the pilgrimage to Oak Flat to pray and learn – from the land and from Apache Stronghold.’ Several leaders of Mennonite Men attended a training offered by Community Peacemaker Teams and the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery in 2023 and expect to be available for future presence and action in the region.


    Mennonite Church USA is an Anabaptist Christian denomination, founded in 2002 by the merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. Members of this historic peace church seek to follow Jesus by rejecting violence and resisting injustice. MC USA’s Renewed Commitments state the following shared commitments among its diverse body of believers: to follow Jesus, witness to God’s peace and experience the transformation of the Holy Spirit. Mennoniteusa.org

    Link for the amicus brief:
    https://www.mennoniteusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Amicus-brief.pdf

  • Reba Place Fellowship Growing Communal Responses

    Reba Place Fellowship Growing Communal Responses


    Reba Place Fellowship (Evanston, IL), an intentional Christian Community in the Anabaptist tradition, has been sharing life and finances since 1957. Expenses such as utilities, fuel, public transportation are paid from our ‘common purse.’ These expenses are paid or reimbursed from a central bookkeeping office. While sharing our expenses, members in recent years have been looking for responses to environmental changes.

    Thus, a group of RPF members gather periodically for ‘Eco conversations.’ A goal of this group is to identify projects or actions the RPF community can take in response to climate change. Criteria for actions include identifying areas of focus (housing, energy use and production, soil conservation and food production, advocacy) as well as identifying actions implementable at different levels (individuals, small groups, the community as a whole, government policy). We see potential for an effective and measurable strategy for corporate action by partnering to plant trees.

    Hence, in the past year, RPF members developed a proposal to work with the JoinTrees initiative of Mennonite Men to offset our transportation emissions going forward. RPF members already record their fuel expenses, both as individuals and businesses. Research identified formulas for equating a) gallons of fuel purchased into b) gallons of fuel consumed to c) metric pounds of carbon emissions to d) carbon absorbed by mature trees to e) cost of planting new trees to f) estimated annual financial contributions to off set carbon emissions. As we discussed the proposal with our members, we developed a number of ways of calculating gallons of fuel purchased in order to accommodate the various preferences of how individuals do their recordkeeping. Even with agreement about corporate action, individual variety of habits need to be recognized and respected.

    This proposal focuses upon vehicle fuel consumption and airline travel. Our research determined that train transportation is highly efficient in regards to emissions attributable to individuals. Also, public local transportation seemed too difficult to systematically collect. Airline transportation, however, is a high-emissions form of transportation. Many airlines now publish CO2 emissions for individual trips at the time of ticket purchases. Otherwise, formulas are readily available to calculate airline emissions for trips based upon departure and destination information.

    Reba Place Fellowship chose to work with Mennonite Men for a number of reasons. One member researched a number of organizations engaged in tree planting. Mennonite Men proved to be more responsive, accessible, informative than larger and older organizations. Mennonite Men also engages in on-going sustainable forestry programs, recognizing the need for maintaining as well as planting trees, training foresters, and paying attention to the context in the selection of appropriate trees to plant. Additionally, Mennonite Men works with many world-wide partners that members of Reba Place Fellowship also are invested in. Hence, working with Mennonite Men leverages work in Latin America, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Hungry World Farm in Tiskilwa, Illinois, in which members of RPF are already invested.

    While we recognize arbitrary judgments in our formulas of calculation, it is important that we develop tools which continually educate us about our individual and collective practices, and base our contributions to Mennonite Men on actual consumption. We not only want to offset our carbon emissions; we also want to change our ongoing patterns of consumption. We will continue to wrestle with what we contribute to ongoing ‘tree maintenance.’ More significantly, we recognize that while human-caused carbon emissions have been increasing since the start of the industrial revolution, the most rapid escalation of rate and total quantity of emissions has occurred in our own lifetimes, and that of our community. How, then, do we address previous carbon emissions we, ourselves, have contributed to the environment? Natural gas consumption emissions may be a next step for us to track and seek to offset.

    Hence, tools that track our actual consumption encourage changes of behavior, which, by God’s grace, may also lead to changes of heart, mind, and spirit. It is not in our capacity alone to stop global warming or heal the earth. Rather, through tangible repentance, we draw closer to God’s heart for shalom with the earth and our future generations. Prayerful action unites us with God at work in our world. This is our hope. May it be so!


  • The Road Ahead: Living That Matters for Men in Early and Middle Years

    ​Location:
    The Hermitage, 11321 Dutch Settlement Rd, Three Rivers, MI 49093

    Date:
    Friday November 8 and Saturday November 9, 2024. Friday dinner (silent) at 5:30pm optional, though official gathering starts at 6:30pm. Retreat ends at 4pm on Saturday.

    Cost:
    Suggested donation range of $120-150. (Includes room, meals, and Living that Matters: Honest Conversations for Men of Faith)

    Registration:
    See form below. Register by October 31. If you can’t register in time but want to see if there’s still space, contact Jon Zirkle directly at jonz@mennonitemen.org. Limited to the first 9 registrations. All overnight spaces are individual rooms, though cabins in the woods are available upon request (limit 2).





  • Revival on new land

    Revival on new land

    ​After years of waiting, seeking, and praying, members of the Grace Community Mennonite church in Cradock, South Africa are finally able to begin working and meeting on the land that will hold their first church building.

    The congregation received a JoinHands grant from Mennonite Men in 2018 and has since struggled to find a suitable location for a building. With the recent purchase of a plot, they have now been clearing and preparing the land for building, which they hope to begin early this year.

    In the meantime, the congregation has hosted a revival conference in late January with sister churches in the area. They raised a large tent and invited all those with musical instruments to join the worship and open air evangelism.

    Pastor Lawrence Coetzee shared that the gathering ‘was well supported locally and we are looking forward to mobilise young people for the next event before the Easter holidays.’

    Mennonite Men would like to thank all those who generously contributed to the Grace Community Mennonite Church grant. Look for details about the next JoinHands grant in the coming weeks.


  • Men listening; men talking

    Men listening; men talking

    ​What does it mean to be a man in today’s world? A Christian man in North America? How do men deal with harmful legacies of “traditional” masculinity? These were just a few of the questions that 18 men gathered to ponder and reflect on during a half-day retreat at Zion Mennonite Fellowship, in Elmira, Ontario.

    The idea for the retreat started with a book edited by Don Neufeld and Steve Thomas called Peaceful at Heart: Anabaptist Reflections on Healthy Masculinity. It is a collection of essays from men and women from all over Canada and the United States who reflect on their experiences, traumas and healing related to masculinity using Anabaptist theological themes of discipleship, community and peace.

    Monty Woodyard was one who participated in a virtual book study of Peaceful at Heart facilitated by MCC’s Restorative Justice program staff Rod Friesen and David Blow. “I was surprised and impressed by the combination of good resource material, uncertainties involving life in the pandemic and guidance of the Holy Spirit,” reflected Monty. “Those conversations led us to speak and listen about struggles we had all experienced being male in North American society during the early twenty-first century. It was an eye-opener for all of us. I had never been part of such a group of men willing to engage in depth over serious issues relating to masculinity.”

    Monty was so inspired that he wrote a sermon about this exploration of healthy masculinity at his home church, Zion Mennonite Church. Around that time, Neufeld and Thomas co-authored another book, Living that Matters, designed to serve as a guide to men’s study groups on healthy masculinity. Monty noticed on the Mennonite Men website that Steve Thomas had offered to facilitate half-day weekend retreats in the U.S. on healthy masculinity. “I thought that a retreat might give men a first-time experience in speaking about things that really mattered with other men,” says Monty. “I hoped it could be a first step for some to a more sustaining study group on healthy masculinity.”

    Monty reached out to Rod Friesen, who was enthusiastic about the idea for a men’s retreat, and together with Don Neufeld and David Blow, they began planning the half-day retreat. MCC supported financially and with outreach to its diverse constituency.

    “Honestly, the hardest part of putting this together was getting the men out,” remembers Monty. “But in the end, we were so thrilled that we got as many men out as we did.” There were men from nine different area churches in Southwestern Ontario, with ages ranging from young fathers in their 30s to men in their 80s.

    “The most encouraging and enjoyable aspect of the morning was the active conversations, in small groups and in the larger group dialogue,” says Don. “They were just so willing to lean into honest conversations about masculinity.”
    Monty agrees that the vulnerability and willingness to share showed a real appetite for this kind of sharing amongst men. “We heard that men crave more than just a 20-minute sermon every week. I was seeing people connect one-on-one outside the agenda to arrange to follow up personally on something that was meaningful to them, which was also great to see.”

    The richness of sharing on the topic of healthy masculinity revealed to Monty, Don and Rod both the benefits and the need for more of this deep discussion.

    “I would love to take this event on the road and would welcome any partners who would reach out,” reflects Don. “I believe this first run was a grand success in showing the potential of this type of event in the future!”

    You can find Peaceful at Heart: Anabaptist Reflections on Healthy Masculinity here.
    And Living That Matters here.

    If you are interested in joining this discussion or are simply curious to learn more, contact Rod Friesen at rodfriesen@mcco.ca or Don Neufeld at don.neufeld@outlook.com.

    Photo credit: MCC photo/Ken Ogasawara