Category: JoinHands

​The church-building project in Samogohiri, Bukina Faso that began in 2016 with prayer, some small savings, and the collection of sand and gravel and other materials, is nearing completion following much hard work on the part of the congregation. Samogohiri Mennonite Church received a JoinHands grant from Mennonite Men in 2021 to help aid the completion of their first church building.

Fabe Traore, member of the Samogohiri congregation, has been part of the project since the beginning: ‘when we saw the estimate of 30 Million FCFA ($51,570 USD), we did not know how to mobilize all of that money to build quickly. However, with the $10,000.00 that we received from you, we have been about to advance a great deal.’

This sum helped the members build the entire building, with only the carpentry for the roof needed to complete the project.

The construction has been done primarily by members of the congregation. The mason is a member and is supported by all the other members in the labor. Congregants have divided into teams to complete different aspects of the construction.

Says Traore of the congregation’s active participation, ‘It is a work that reinforces our communion and our sense of giving to the work of the Lord. Through this communion and engagement, we see the hand of God in the work. Everything that everyone brings they bring with an open heart. We are very thankful to the Lord for this project.’

The congregation thanks all who contributed to the Join Hands program that contributed to their new building. JoinHands, which began in 1985 as Tenth Man, has distributed over $2 million helping churches in the United States, Canada, and internationally to build or purchase their first building. Learn more at mennonitemen.org/joinhands.

​In March, 2021, a Brazilian congregation, Igreja Evangélica Vida Nova (New Life) was awarded a JoinHands grant from Mennonite Men to aid construction of a new church building. Since acquiring the property, the congregation has been making improvements to the space, first meeting on the sidewalk bordering the property and then purchasing a spacious tent to house their services and other activities.

A storm in early 2021 destroyed their tent but the setback only sped up the building process. They constructed a much simpler tent as a temporary meeting space and decided it was time to begin building the permanent church structure. In June, the congregation held its first service on the pad of their new building.

Mennonite Men worked with Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) to identify Vida Nova along with Samogohiri Mennonite Church in Burkina Faso and Igreja Evangélica Menonita em Lago Azul in Brazil, as congregations that were working to construct a church building.

In addition to the international grants, Mennonite Men also granted funds to Eastside Church, a congregation of Virginia Mennonite Conference in Harrisonburg, Virginia. They are currently raising funds for a grant to assist Hmong Mennonite Church, a congregation of Mountain State Mennonite Conference in Westminster, Colorado that is made up of Hmong people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group.

JoinHands grants are dispersed when awarded grants are fully funded. We rely on the support of the Mennonite Men community to fill these grants and assist congregations with the building of their first meeting space. Since JoinHands began as Tenth Man in 1985, the program has distributed over $2 million helping churches in the United States, Canada, and in other countries to build or purchase their first building.

Applications for a JoinHands grant, along with details about supporting these projects, can be found at mennonitemen.org/joinhands.

Mennonite Men are assisting five new congregations across three continents with over $107,400 through JoinHands, Mennonite Men’s program to provide grants to help new congregations acquire their first church building. The board of directors of Mennonite Men approved grants at their board meeting on March 27 that will benefit Mennonite churches in Colorado, Virginia, Brazil, and Burkina Faso.

“We’re excited to help provide these new, growing congregations with the space they need to worship and carry out vital ministries,” said Steve Thomas, U.S. coordinator for Mennonite Men.

Mennonite Men worked with Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) to identify Samogohiri Mennonite Church in Burkina Faso and two congregations in Brazil, Igreja Evangélica Vida Nova and Igreja Evangélica Menonita em Lago Azul, as congregations that were working to construct a church building.

“In Brazil, the people of Lago Azul and Vida Nova are excited to receive the JoinHand grant. These funds will help a lot as they are working hard on their church buildings,” said Linda Shelly, MMN’s Regional Director for Latin America.

“The members of Samogohiri Mennonite Church dug the foundation for their building,” said Sharon Norton, co-director for Africa and Europe for MMN. “In order to keep their costs low, they’ve provided a lot of sweat equity, and got members of all ages involved.”

In addition to granting funds internationally, Mennonite Men is also assisting Eastside Church, a congregation of Virginia Mennonite Conference in Harrisonburg, Virginia, as well as Hmong Mennonite Church, a congregation of Mountain State Mennonite Conference in Westminster, Colorado made up of Hmong people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group.

JoinHands, which began in 1985 as Tenth Man, has distributed over $2 million helping churches in the United States, Canada, and in other countries to build or purchase their first building. Learn more at mennonitemen.org/joinhands.

On Sunday, March 14, 2021, Calgary Chin Christian Church celebrated the grand opening of their new church building, as well as marking their 10 year anniversary as a congregation.

Because of the pandemic, the church held a celebratory worship service with a hybrid format, in which some members were present at the new building, while other members and special guests participated via Zoom.

The congregation, a Mennonite Church Alberta congregation, was able to purchase and renovate the building with assistance from a $40,000 grant from JoinHands, Mennonite Men’s program to provide grants to help new congregations acquire their first church building.

Don Neufeld, Coordinator for Mennonite Men in Canada, shared at the event.

“My presence today is about connection. At a basic level it is about connecting our donors and their funds and the needs of your congregation,” said Neufeld. “But this is more than just about money. It is about connection in God’s family and in our joint ministry to see God’s will abound in our world.”

Neufeld expressed appreciation for the opportunity to work with church leadership to make a new church building possible for the congregation.

Calgary Chin Christian Church is made up of Chin people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group from Chin State, Myanmar (Burma).

The church began in June 2010 in the basement of one of the church members, with volunteers teaching songs and Bible verses to children. In January 2011, the congregation was founded, and then joined Mennonite Church Alberta in March 2013. After renting space from another church, with limited space and available time for their activities, church members are looking forward to growing their ministries, including Bible studies, women’s groups, and youth activities.

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This past fall, Mennonite Men presented a grant of $40,000 to African Community Church of Lancaster (ACCL) for their new church building in Manheim, Pennsylvania through JoinHands, Mennonite Men’s program to provide grants to help new congregations acquire their first church building. After renting space from other churches for several years, the congregation recognized the need for their own space so that they could hold longer worship services, prayer meetings, and have increased space for children and youth activities.

The grant from Mennonite Men enables ACCL, an MC USA congregation in Atlantic Coast Conference, to make necessary improvements to the property and furnish some of the rooms in the church building.

While members of the church are taking precautions due to the pandemic, having their own space allows them to expand not only their congregational ministries, but outreach to the community as well.

The congregation, which is made up mostly of members with roots in Eastern and Southern Africa, including Kenya, Nigerian, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, holds an annual summer event inviting neighbors to share African food with them, and they are exploring ways to do a safe, socially-distanced version of the event this summer. They also hold a yearly conference to evangelize and make disciples, which they are looking forward to hosting at their new building in the future.

2020 was Mennonite Men’s biggest year ever for JoinHands, with a total of $170,000 granted to five congregations. Mennonite churches Mennonite Men assisted this year were all ethnic-racial congregations serving African, Chin, Haitian and Hispanic communities of faith.

If your congregation is a Mennonite congregation that is 10 years old or less and is looking to acquire its first building, you can find out more about the JoinHands program at mennonitemen.org/joinhands or by contacting Mennonite Men at mm@mennonitemen.org.

​When the Mennonite Church Manitoba congregation, Riverton Fellowship Circle, decided to close this summer, they decided to ‘pay it forward’ in a number of unique ways. 1. They gave their building to the Riverton Friendship Centre, the drop-in organization they were born out of. 2. They gave $30,000 back to JoinHands (formerly Tenth Man), a program of Mennonite Men that provides grants to help new congregations acquire their first church building. Riverton Fellowship Circle had received a grant from Tenth Man to build their building, and they wanted to enable another congregation to build. 3. They established bursaries for indigenous young people to participate at Camps with Meaning and study at Canadian Mennonite University.

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At the beginning of this year our director, Steve Thomas, was able to present in person a grant of $40,000 to Centro de Alabanza de Filadelfia congregation in Philadelphia, PA.

It began 12 years ago in a living room as a growth group and later started doing services in public with the Philadelphia Praise Center community. The congregation is located in a strategic place that allows them to develop several ministries with the community, such as collecting clothes and giving them to the most needy people. Centro has been developing an environment of community and brotherhood.

The congregation is unusually active in its life and work together—with worship services on Sundays and Tuesdays, Bible studies on Thursdays and Saturdays, women’s service groups, weekly youth meetings, and focused outreach in their community. Their youth meet weekly for fellowship and study and frequently help lead worship and distribute food in the community. The church is also active with Instituto Bíblico Anabautista (Anabaptist Biblical Institute). A significant part of their ministry is providing a safe place amid drugs, gangs, violence, racism and anti-immigrant attitudes in their community and meeting the needs of immigrants in their neighborhoods.

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At the beginning of this year our director, Steve Thomas, was able to present in person a grant of $40,000 to Centro de Alabanza de Filadelfia congregation in Philadelphia, PA.

It began 12 years ago in a living room as a growth group and later started doing services in public with the Philadelphia Praise Center community. The congregation is located in a strategic place that allows them to develop several ministries with the community, such as collecting clothes and giving them to the most needy people. Centro has been developing an environment of community and brotherhood.

The congregation is unusually active in its life and work together—with worship services on Sundays and Tuesdays, Bible studies on Thursdays and Saturdays, women’s service groups, weekly youth meetings, and focused outreach in their community. Their youth meet weekly for fellowship and study and frequently help lead worship and distribute food in the community. The church is also active with Instituto Bíblico Anabautista (Anabaptist Biblical Institute). A significant part of their ministry is providing a safe place amid drugs, gangs, violence, racism and anti-immigrant attitudes in their community and meeting the needs of immigrants in their neighborhoods.

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At the beginning of this year our board chair, Lonnie Bartel, presented in person a grant to Unity God of Church in Homestead, Florida.

Our last grant for $40,000 went to a Haitian Mennonite church in Homestead, Florida. Unity church is an active congregation of 45 members, many of whom are newcomers from Haiti. They have two services each Sunday – morning and evening – and have services on Monday and Friday evenings. In their outreach ministry, they seek to serve needs in their community, especially those of immigrants in their part of south Florida.

This grant will go toward their ability to purchase a larger building. They hope that having the additional space will expand their outreach in the community.