"In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity"

Interested? I was too.

Check out this link to a short article on the Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA)* website if you want to learn more about that quote.

Once you have read that article, you might be interested in the responses...

~allan

*For those of you who don't know, ESA was started by a guy named Ron Sider. He wrote a really great book called Rich Christians in an age of Hunger. If you ever think about money and faith, you should read it.

IVEP: bringing the world to your home...

I have a really good job.

I say this not because I get paid a lot (though I am very happy with my pay). I say this because I have the opportunity to learn from and grow through my work with MCC.

"Who cares," you might ask? I am not sure...

So let me tell you instead about some of the work that I do, and how you might get involved. It is much more interesting.

I coordinate the International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP) for MCC in Ontario. It is a one year cultural exchange program that brings young adults from around the world to our communities. I set up host families and work placements, and spend time with the IVEPers as they process their experience and integrate into church and community life. It is a pretty sweet program that has been benefiting IVEPers and the communities they connect to for about 60 years. Yes, that's right. 60 years: the program is tried, tested, and true.

I like to think of it as a reciprocal program to SALT. SALT sends you around the world - IVEP brings young adults from around the world to you.

To get an idea of what IVEP looks like check out an article that was recently published in a local newspaper about the program.

Or don't, and keep reading to learn about how you might be apart of it...

Enlace 2010: A True Story

So this is Mr. Frank talking and what I’m going to be talking about is a little bit about the group and what I’ve have learned on this [Enlace] trip.

Once A Upon A Time...

...a group of 7 went to a place called El Salvador . When they were in El Salvador they learned so much: they learned to care, love, share, and to work together as a group better. Its not that they didn’t know how to do that before it’s just that they saw and felt the pain of what the people in El Salvador were going through and they just didn’t want it happening to the ones they love and care about. Now they treasure everyday because of what they have learned and it keeps them =) *it means smiling*

So now I’m just going to talk little bit about what I have learned on this trip. I’ve learned to treasure the things I have back home and be thankful to GOD that he has blessed me with a great life and a wonderful family.
So don’t every take anything for granted,
be happy with what u have!

- Frank Her

Enlace 2010: A True Story

Xtra-Normal

The 2010 Enlace group is coming home Tuesday... but we are already gearing up for next year's program.

We have several Enlace video's on the way....some more serious than others. To kick things off, check out the (awesome) promo video # 1...

And be sure to visit the Enlace website.

Walking to Learn with Jesus

As Christians we are followers of Jesus. Not just the Jesus we call Lord, Saviour, Redeemer, Messiah (feel free to add any titles I have missed here...). We also follow Jesus of Nazareth, he who walked the earth as we do.

We can be followers in a variety of ways - whether we walk the Jesus Trail in Israel or walk the streets of a small town in Ontario; whether we serve with MCC internationally or serve our community locally. Regardless of where and how we choose to follow (or perhaps a better way of saying it is regardless of where we are led), we can look to Jesus and the disciples to see how they learned. And how DID they learn? They walked! They got out of their comfort zones and moved and met people and they learned along the way.

I wrote a section of an article called "Walking to Learn with Jesus" for the Nazareth Village publication, The Word on the Street, that is all about this. Click here to see the full article which includes sections by David Landis (the creator of the Jesus Trail) and Linford Stutzman (author of Sailing Acts).

~Allan

J

esus walked and walked! He was on the move. Jesus took risks on the road and did things that others wouldn’t do. He interacted with people whom he was supposed to ignore and hate. As he walked he explored the world around him and related to all kinds of people. Jesus learned as he walked.
Jesus called his disciples to walk with him. “Come, follow me. “Come, learn with me.” The disciples learned many of the lessons of the kingdom on the way through the fields, along the path, on the slopes of mountains. By answering Jesus’ call to “come and follow” we commit to walking with Him, to learn as his disciples did. We commit to move to explore and relate with the world around us.

Slumdog Tourism

Here at MCC we encourage you to get out of your comfy chair (or comfort zone) and get to explore the world through involvement with MCC programs like TOOLS, Enlace, SALT, and a whack of other awesome programs and activities.

This involves walking, talking, looking, learning, growing, sharing, praying, serving and a lot more. Hopefully it doesn't ever involve Slumdog tourism...

Watch this video about MCC's SALT program. What do you think? Slumdog toursim or something else?

~allan

Philanthropy for All: Take The 1% Giving Pledge

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-kaufman/philanthropy-for-all-take_b_678960.html
I have to admit. At first I thought this was a little ridiculous ... I mean 1%? We can do better than that can't we? Isn't that a bit of a joke?
Nope. It is not. The point is to get everyone giving... And that is good.
I like to think that everything is God's. What we have is not ours, it is God's. We are stewards, caretakers, babysitters of God's creation and everything in it. When I think of it that way, it is much easier to share...both my money and my time.
If you can give more, then do. But don't not give just because you can't give 10%. If you aren't currently giving, try starting at 1% and see if you can work your way up a bit each year.
~allan

Against Fear

"People often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they do not know each other; they do not know each other because they cannot communicate; and they cannot communicate because they are separated."
~ Martin Luther King Jr.

What is this?

"If you have ended up here you might be wondering what this blog is all about.

The best way to figure that out will be to read the posts and check the pages. Some posts will be short and to the point. Other posts, well, you might not always see how they connect...

My role within MCC Ontario is to get youth and young adults involved in Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), and some of the content will deal specifically with encouraging those connections.

But I want to explore more than just how we can connect with MCC.  This blog is also about getting youth and young adults (YYA) thinking about what it means to be a Christian today in your context. To a large extent, I am interested in what it means to be the Church (including how and why we are the Church).

MCC is not the Church...but in many ways it is part of, or an extension of the Church. So as more YYA get involved with MCC, the Church will be strengthened. And I hope that as YYA strengthen their ties to the Church, MCC will be the better for it as well. MCC Ontario :: This Generation will challenge you to think about who you are in relation to other people in the world...our neighbours near and far.

I welcome your feedback, ideas, and thoughts.

~allan (reesor-mcdowell)

allanrm@mennonitecc.on.ca