Enlace 2011: Guatemala and El Salvador

service | learning | fun :: faith | leadership | global awareness

a one-month service and learning program for 16-19 year olds.

Enlace's Goals

• encourage faith formation
• engage in cross-cultural learning
• foster global awareness and an ethic of service
• develop transformative relationships & leadership skills

For more info click here.

Applications are available here!

Things I know

I read a good article the other day written by Sherri Grosz at Mennonite Foundation called "Things I Know."  She mentions some important life lessons connected to finances:

• Mentors are not just for work
• Build good money habits
• Good enough for now is a smart decision
• Try living below your means
• Give generously of time, talents and money

Do you think about how your financial decisions affect your life?  How does your faith affect your financial decisions?

You can read the full article here. http://www.canadianmennonite.org/articles/things-i-know

O Canada: armed and ready

Canadians do not usually think about Canada as being a militarized country. We are used to the jokes about our outdated military equipment and our lack of firepower. We are accustomed to hearing that our military spending is pathetic and our contribution to global security laughable. But let’s take a closer look. The reality is quite different.

Canada's military spending is significant, it is a leading exporter of military equipment, and it has been involved in war-fighting in Afghanistan for close to a decade. 

Visit the O Canada: armed and ready website and consider what this means.

http://canada.mcc.org/peace/projects/canadaarmed

Serving and Learning Together

Are you interested in living in another country?  Maybe learning another language?  Volunteering, eating new foods, meeting new people, having your mind and world blown wide open?  Do you want an education that you will never get in the classroom? A chance to grow spiritually that you won't get in a regular Sunday morning service? Interested?

I was too...  So in 2002 I moved to Haiti as part of the SALT program.

Current MCC Ontario staffperson, Ken Ogasawara, as a
SALTer in Uganda 2001-02.

SALT is a one-year program for 18 to 27 year-olds that will take you almost anywhere in the world.  Depending on where you go, you might be blazing a new trail by yourself or working and living near fellow SALTers.  What kind of assignments do you get? How about environmental program coordinator in Tanzania? Or science and math teacher in India? Or radio/recording technician in Burundi? The list goes on.  

I worked with a human rights organization in Port-au-Prince; learned Haititan Creole, lived with a family, traveled the country, and learned a whole lot about myself.  It was a hard year but a good year. And I recommend the program to young adults who want to grow.

Give what you have

Sinners are always wanting what they don't have; 

the God-loyal are always giving what they do have.

               Proverbs 21:26 (The Message)

"The last 100 years of nonviolence"

http://ontario.mcc.org/peace

Work for MCC Ontario

Would you like to work for MCC Ontario?

Then consider applying to fill a one year mat leave as Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director.  (Click here for the job description).

If you have any questions, please be in touch with the wonderful Cath Woolner at cathw@mennonitecc.on.ca.

If you would like to apply, please send cover letter and resume to Cath by December 3, 2010. (Start date is February, 2011).

If you want to have a more informal conversation about what it is like working for MCC Ontario (or if you want some dirt on the ED to help you prepare for the interview) feel free to be in touch with me (Allan) at allanrm@mennonitecc.on.ca.

Enlace Video!

service | learning | fun :: faith | leadership | global awareness

Enlace 2011 applications are now available here!  Tell your friends.

But first, check out this video.

The Enlace program is about providing 16-19 year olds with the opportunity to grow in faith as global Christians by living in community and working alongside Guatemalan partners.

Enlace's Goals

• encourage faith formation
• engage in cross-cultural learning
• foster global awareness and an ethic of service
• develop transformative relationships & leadership skills

http://ontario.mcc.org/enlace

Enlace alumniiiii!   Where you at?  Let us know what you think of the program.  Share some stories and comments for those who are interested in going this coming summer.

Compassion :: This Generation Video

Here is a video of Compassion :: This Generation, a "Meeting MCC" youth event hosted by the Sommerfeld, EMC, and EMMC churches in Aylmer on November 12th.  If you missed this event but want to learn more about MCC and ways to get involved please be in touch.

produced by Simon Martin and Ken Ogasawara 

"My Life is my Message"

Camp Micah (http://www.campmicah.ca/), an inter-denominational peace and justice leadership camp run the last week of August for high school students, was a new experience for us.

As Mennonites we kind of thought we had the market cornered on peace and justice work, and it was exciting and refreshing to work alongside Catholics and United Church friends to instill alternative leadership skills in youth with a focus on peace and justice. Camp Micah uses all the normal camp activities (canoeing, low-ropes, games, and campfires) to create awareness about the importance of peace and justice in our everyday lives, and to challenge us to think about how we live our lives and, ultimately, what type of message we share with others by how we live.

My life is my message...  It was a catchy phrase to put on the t-shirts for Camp Micah.

A Peace Sunday Sermon: Part 1 of 4. Remembering the victims of violence

Scripture: Matthew 5, Micah 6: 8

I remember, Je me souviens

I remember,

but mostly I’d rather forget

Mostly

I’d rather sit in my corner and cry, wail, lament

I remember the things we do and don’t do to each other:

war, injustice,

poverty, torture,

broken relationships, bullying, meanness, gossip, betrayal, …

I remember,

but sometimes I’d rather forget

Internship in Ottawa

A month ago I included some info about MCCs advocacy work in a post called Loving our Neighbour through Witness to Government.

Since I know this type of work interests many of you, I wanted to let you know of an opportunity to get involved...(see the info about internship possibilities below, copied from the MCC Ottawa office website)

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Mennonite Central Committee's Ottawa Office offers three unpaid internship terms each year. The dates for each are flexible and depend on the selected intern’s availability. Both full-time and half-time internships are available.

• Winter/Spring Term (January-April): applications will be reviewed starting November 15
• Summer Term (May-August): applications will be reviewed starting March 1
• Fall Term (September-December): applications will be reviewed starting July 1

The Advocacy Intern is part of a team that provides expertise and assistance for MCC Canada’s advocacy efforts.  For further information and to apply for this position, please contact Marsha Jones with a cover letter and resume.

Compassion :: This Generation

Attention youth and youth leaders...

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.

Thrift dance party

If you are interested in getting involved with MCC consider volunteering at a thrift store.  They have dance parties like this most of the time.  (Watch the video...it is a good way to get your Monday started off right)

Thrift raises millions of dollars for MCC work every year.  By supporting thrift you are helping your neighbour.

For a list of Ontario thrift locations check out http://ontario.mcc.org/thrift.

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.