I need help

...in more ways than one!

But I will keep it to one request for today.  Do you have connections in Kitchener-Waterloo?  Then read on...

Pheakdey and Daniel.  IVEPers in Ontario '09-'10.

MCC Ontario will be welcoming an International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP) participant to KW in October.  He was going to be placed in Hamilton, but for a variety of reasons that is not working out.  Instead, we are setting up a work placement based out of the 50 Kent avenue offices in Kitchener.  He will be working with MCC and some of our partners in KW.

I need to find him a home.  And quickly.

Do you have any ideas of people in KW that might be interested in hosting him for 4-10 months?  In your church community? With family?  Friends?  Colleagues?  Feel free to do some shoulder tapping.  And please be in touch asap if you come up with any ideas.

Listening: the best way to build peace

When dialogue is mentioned, most people associate it with talking.  Not so for the participants of The East-West Dialogue for Peacemaking, an event held this past June in Amman, Jordan.  Thirty participants from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, the United States, and Canada came away associating effective dialogue with good listening. The art of good listening, they learned, is key to effective dialogue and peacemaking.

During the 4-day conference, participants, both Muslims and Christians, spent intensive time together informally and in sessions developing relationships and learning from the rich and diverse experiences of each other. 

“When we build friendship we are one step closer to peace,” says Mouhammad Aref El Hassan, from Lebanon who was also at the conference in 2009. “…There are a lot of people out there that want to understand and to be understood.”

One of those people was Sara Anderson who attends Kitchener Mennonite Brethren Church and who recently completed her first year in the Global Studies program at Wilfred Laurier University focusing on Peace and Conflict in the Middle East and Muslim Studies.  She was interested in this Dialogue as a way of putting into action some of the lessons she learned in the classroom, and as a way to learn more about what it means to be a Christian in the world.  “I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the culture and customs in the Middle East and how I, as a Christian, am to live in a multi-faith world.”

Sara Anderson (far right) speaking with three participants from the Middle East

Thank you (a Haiti Earthquake update)

There are countless ways to be loving and compassionate.  I encourage you to be creative...

If you are thinking of showing love and compassion through MCC, you are welcome.  We work in more than 60 countries (including right here at home) and we want you to get involved.  Share of yourself: your time and your money.  For what you have (your gifts, energy, and your resources) has been given to you by God and it is to be shared with others.

Now for an update:

Thanks to all of you who have contributed to MCCs response to the Haiti Earthquake.  Your generosity enables MCC to respond to immediate and long-term needs of Haitians.  At work in Haiti for more than 50 years, MCC will continue to walk with its Haitian partners, together addressing basic human needs of the people and underlying issues of injustice that hamper the country's recovery.  For an update, click here.  For a more detailed PDF version click here.

Loving our neighbor through witness to government

Many of you are energized by following Jesus call to love our neighbors.  There are many ways that you can do this and I would encourage you to think creatively with others about how this might look in your community.

One way to love our neighbours, both near and far, is through political advocacy.

When we claim that Jesus is Lord we are claiming that (as the early church and as many Anabaptist communities have done for 500 years) our political leaders and structures are not Lord. This doesn’t mean that we call for anarchy and disregard order.  But it means we must be willing to speak out (even to our government representatives) when our convictions as Christians come face to face with injustice.

Good thing we don’t have to go it alone…there are people that can guide us along the way.  To get you started, check out these helpful sites:

Advocating for a Poverty Free Ontario

MCC Advocacy Webpage

Yella: a middle eastern learning tour for young adults

Ever wonder what the heck is going on in the Middle East? We know Jesus grew up, and lived his life and ministry somewhere in what we now call Israel (and parts of Palestine). We hear about a lot of conflict ('over there').

The Old City of Jerusalem, May 2010

But how does the developing story of today's Middle East connect to the Roman ruled context of Jesus? Is there anything we can learn about Jesus and the bible by walking where he walked?

MCC Ontario has partnered with Mennonite Church Eastern Canada to develop opportunities for people like you to learn about God, the world, and yourself...to explore questions of Christian faith and life by:

- Interacting with Christians, Jews and Muslims

- Encountering complex peace and conflict issues

- Considering the context for Jesus' life and ministry

The program is called Yella and we have organized two groups thus far: the first in 2008, and most recently in May 2010.

You might have heard of the program through some articles in the Canadian Mennonite by Micheal Turman, Katie Erb, and Katie Penner.

Profile: Kim Walker

Kim Walker shares her thoughts on MCC’s Enlace and Serving and Learning Together (SALT) programs, and her passion for connecting spirituality with working for peace and justice.

***********************

arm:  You participated in the Enlace program in 2006.  What are some highlights from that experience?

Kim Walker:  Enlace was a great experience! Friendships made, mayan pyramids climbed, and soccer games with hordes of kids are just few of many great memories that come to mind.  Climbing Mt Pacaya was definitely a neat experience - we went so close to the top of the volcano that the bottom of my shoe started to melt!

For me though, the best part of the Enlace trip was how things that I saw and learned inspired me to focus less on myself and more on working for peace and justice. 

Need some work?

Looking for a meaningful job?  With an organization you can feel good being apart of?  Something that connects with your values and your faith?

You have come to the right place...

MCC Ontario is hiring a Communications Assistant.  Check the job description here.

Applications are due September 24th.

You are crazy not to care

"The crazy folks at Hope Mennonite Church (in Winnipeg) believe God wants us all to take care of the earth.  And they want to show you 350 Bible references to "prove" it!"  

Watch the video below or view all of the verses here.

The crazy people at MCC Ontario believe God wants us all to take care of the earth as well...

So we have developed a DVD resource called handle with care with the goal to "encourage and inspire the Church to take greater care of God’s creation."  

For more info visit http://ontario.mcc.org/creationcare

MCC UN Liason Office Student Seminar

Are you a college or university student?  Want to learn more about Mennonite Central Committee?  ...The United Nations?  ...Mining justice?

Want to travel with me to New York, New York?  (Okay, that may not be a draw...)

MCC: Connecting the World Through Service

Ever heard the musical creations of Playing For Change?  Their motto is Connecting the World Through Music.  I like it.  A good motto and an interesting project.

"Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music...music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people."

I grew up in a family and in a community that sings a lot together.  And in my travels throughout the world, nothing has brought me closer to the communities that have hosted me more that music.  Music has an good way of bringing people together.

So does service.  If we play on the words of the "Playing for Change" motto we get a good one for MCC: Connecting the World Through Service.

Extraordinary Stories from Ordinary People: Enlace 2010

Enlace is a 1-month service and learning program for 16-19 year olds.  The 2010 Enlace team just returned from Guatemala and El Salvador.  


They learned and experienced a lot.  


But what is the value of all the travel and learning if it only benefits the participants?  Part of Enlace is about enriching the communities that send participants.  So the 2010 Enlace team wants to share their stories - with their families, friends, churches, and ...you!


"We have a whole new perspective on consumerism, the projects of MCC, wealth disparity, natural disasters, and mining, "says Enlace co-leader, Hannah Redekop.  "We've come home to share with you about things we have experienced first hand, and advocate about issues that have become very dear to us. I encourage you to listen and learn." 


The Enlace "experience was very enriching and taught me much about what it is like to live with less," said one recently returned participant, Thomas Loepp-Thiessen.  "I have learned to be skeptical about what I perceive myself needing, and traveling has made me more compassionate to the less fortunate, and more empathetic about international issues." 


They want to share their stories.  Do you want to hear them?  If so, let us know.  You can invite them to come to you.  Or we can let you know where the Enlace Team will be speaking this fall.

Loneliness, Stress, Sex...and technology?

What are the some of the main issues facing youth today?

Sean McDowell (no relation as far as I know) says loneliness, stress, and sex.  Those are definitely issues that I have dealt with.  But there are some others that I have been thinking about lately as well...

A Globe and Mail article that said "9.7 per cent of kids in Grade 7 to 12, or about 327,000 students, spend at least seven hours a day in front of a TV or computer."  

Mountain-man...but no Luddite

I am no mountain-man-Luddite, but that seems a little much.  What ever happened to good ole' street hockey?  Reading books?  Enjoying the great outdoors?  Not much time for those things if you are facebook-creeping and tv-watching 7 hours a day.  If 10% of youth are consuming that much tech (and I imagine there are loads of others who are not far behind...), I would say that is an issue.  Media and technology that we consume affects us.  Deeply.