MCC, Advocacy, and Beaver Tails

Want to learn about MCC?  Want to learn more about MCC's work in advocating for changes to our government policy?

Want to skate on the canal in Ottawa and eat beaver tails in minus 20 degree weather with students from across Canada?

Then sign up today for the MCC Ottawa office student seminar "Advocacy and MCC: Loving our neighbour through witness to government."

For more info, visit the Ottawa office website.

I plan to go along.  If you want to carpool from KW or Toronto, please email me after you register.

Light a candle...

"Don't curse the darkness,

                                      light a candle”

~Chinese Proverb

Youth Development Committee

Usually when we promote an opportunity to get involved though this blog, we offer info on opportunities with MCC and the broader church.  But as Christians we are often (or perhaps always?) called beyond the confines of our churches (here I mean buildings, though typically when I use the word church I mean people) and church programs to engage people in the communities where we live.  I think that is where the church (people) is at its best...listening to and engaging the community beyond the church (building this time) walls.

All that to introduce an opportunity.  The provincial government is seeking youth and young adults 18-25 years old to participate in a Youth Development Committe.  It looks interesting.  I encourage you to check it out.  It would be good to have some of you who are rooted in the church bring your perspectives to this process.

The Danger of a Single Story

Here are some thoughts taken from a blog post by Matt Madigan.  He is volunteering with MCC's SALT program in South Africa for the year.  Check out his blog.

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The Danger of a Single Story
By Matt Madigan

The week-long orientation [for SALT, IVEP, and YAMEN] in Akron, Pennsylvania back in August proved to be exceedingly valuable and very much prepared me for the year ahead. Not only was it informative of the ins and outs of adjusting to a new culture it was also a great week just to chill out, meet some new people and have a lot of fun! One particularly useful session that struck me was on the danger of a single story.

At home we have this incredibly distorted image of what Africa is like. How can you blame us when the only stories we receive of Africa on the six o’clock news are those of suffering, hunger and violence? Of course there are many places in Africa that are desperate and unsafe but our folly comes when we apply those images to the entire continent. We paint all the nations of Africa with the same brush and fail to see their differences.