Hello again and welcome!

Many folks reading this web log might not be familiar with MCC or the Mennonite church in general. If Mennonite readers will permit me (hopeful, unassuming smile), I would like to give a little background information about the organization I am working for and its roots in the Mennonite church. I am no expert on Mennonite identity and history, of course, but I will do my best.

MCC AT A GLANCE

MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) is an international non-profit, non-governmental organization that supports local partners around the world to do relief, development, and peacebuilding work in their communities. It works on behalf of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in the United States and Canada, as well as other churches and other places. As an organization MCC has been around for almost 90 years, and currently works in 55 countries, including the U.S. and Canada. Over the course of its long history MCC has gained a good reputation as an organization that respects the values and traditions of different cultures, and seeks to meet the human needs of communities as the communities themselves have defined them. In so many cases MCC has succeeded in establishing lasting connections between peoples who are struggling through violent or oppressive circumstances and peoples elsewhere in the world who offer open hearts and resources. Through MCC, over the years such partnerships have become the basis of mutually-transformative positive change in amazing ways.

A Honduran family whose house was washed away during Hurricane Mitch in 1998 received assistance from MCC. (Photo by Marlisa Yoder-Bontrager, A Common Place Magazine, June 1999)

WHO ARE THE MENNONITES?

MCC is an extension of the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in the U.S. and Canada. Mennonites trace their origins to Western Europe during the Reformation period in the 16th century. As an Anabaptist church, Mennonites believe in re-baptizing Christians when they are old enough to understand the faith they are claiming, after they have made an informed decision to dedicate their lives to following the teachings of Jesus. Anabaptist churches include Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, Church of the Brethren, and Brethren in Christ traditions. (Sometimes people confuse the name Anabaptist with Baptist. But while they are both Christian denominations, these two categories have different histories and traditions.) One of the early Anabaptist leaders was a Dutch Catholic priest named Menno Simons, from whom Mennonites take their name. In addition, because of the church’s unique history, Mennonite identity is also fundamentally rooted in a commitment to peace and nonviolence. The message of Jesus that Mennonites hear in the New Testament is a call to peacemaking and reconciliation—not only reconciliation between people and God, but also a reconciliation between all peoples.

Menno Simons, 1496 - 1561. (photo borrowed from www.mcc.org)

From its humble beginnings until today, Mennonite communities have been traditionally pacifist, refusing to take up arms against enemies or even defend themselves from attack. For their refusal to participate in the regional wars of the time and for many contextual reasons, Mennonites were a marginalized and persecuted church in Europe, suffering systematic massacres and displacement. From their roots in Holland, southern Germany, and Switzerland, many Mennonite clans emigrated to the Americas, carrying with them an identity of victimhood and a tradition of living in quiet, simple communities removed from the violence of the outside world. Over the centuries these ingredients of pacifism, simplicity, and community shaped the unique identity of Mennonites.

There is a well-known story about a famous Mennonite named Dirk Willems. During a period of religious persecution for Mennonite communities in Europe, Willems was being pursued by a man who intended to kill him when his pursuer fell through a layer of ice and began to drown. As the story goes, instead of fleeing to safety Willems turned around and saved his attacker's life. He was subsequently taken into custody and later executed.

When people who are not familiar with the Mennonite Church hear the word “Mennonite,” they might picture horses and buggies and traditional folks living a bucolic lifestyle without the complications of modernity. While this image remains partly true of some Mennonite communities (similar to Amish communities) in certain parts of North and South America, today the life and appearance of most Mennonites in the U.S. and Canada would be hard to distinguish from other Americans and Canadians of European descent. In recent decades there is also an increasing number of Mennonite churches of non-European descent in the U.S. and Canada, as well as all over the world. That is to say, while the Mennonite church continues to be relatively small in comparison to other Christian denominations, today it is a modern, diverse, and dynamic church. Yet its identity continues to be rooted in community, peace, and reconciliation.

I mentioned that throughout their history Mennonites have been known for their belief in strict pacifism, or nonresistance. The strength of their aversion to fighting meant that sometimes Mennonites would shy away from involvement in conflict altogether, regardless of whether the victims were Mennonites or other peoples in the world. But within the Mennonite community, the wars of the 20th century—especially World War II—catalyzed an important shift in Mennonite thinking and theology. As a result of these events and perhaps the onset of a more connected, “globalized” world, the writings of Mennonite theologians began to reflect a movement away from a belief in passive nonresistance and isolationism toward a commitment to active, nonviolent engagement in the world. Taking stock of so much brutality and exploitation on an industrial scale going on around them, Mennonites began to take another look at their tradition of living in isolation. They began to preach active, nonviolent involvement, living out their belief in peace-making by working for social justice in their communities and around the world. While Mennonites continue to be pacifists who believe passionately in the power of nonviolence, the philosophy of “nonresistance” has been widely transformed into a pro-active “resistance” against violence and injustice.

MENNONITE CENTRAL COMMITTEE

MCC is a direct result of this shift. It is a reflection of the now well-established and remarkably accomplished track record of Mennonite involvement in the world for the cause of peace and justice. MCC began in 1920 when the Mennonite church sent its first overseas workers to Russia following the revolution. While MCC has the official status of a non-profit organization and largely functions as such, it is technically part of the church. It represents Mennonite and other Christian constituencies, as well as any other community or individual that has an interest in a more peaceful world. MCC acts as the eyes, ears, heart, and hands of the people who support it. It does not require its staff nor its supporters to be Mennonite, but it does require them to profess genuine faith in Jesus and a commitment to nonviolence. For them, following the example of Jesus and loving one’s neighbor means working to edify our human community by living out the values of compassion, respect, fairness, tolerance, and community.

Sharing a meal with a Jordanian family near the Dead Sea. MCC helped the family open a small bakery. (photo by Mark Beach. A Common Place Magazine, April 1999)

The ethos of MCC’s work stands out among international humanitarian organizations because of the humility with which it embraces other cultures and customs, and because of the sincerity of its commitment to long-term relationships with host communities. Workers who serve overseas are asked to commit to a three-year minimum term, which reflects MCC’s dedication to lasting relationships and sustainable programs. During times of political tension or violent conflict in a host community, MCC is known to stay when other international organizations pull their foreign workers out. In each location around the globe the MCC team is a mixture of international and local professionals; International staff might come with relevant experience and skills to offer, and local staff bring skills from their own backgrounds. Local staff are the ones who know the culture and context of the setting the best, and are therefore key actors in MCC’s work. MCC relies on all of its team members to build sustainable partnerships and programs in the places it works.

In terms of programming, usually MCC does not run its own projects. Rather, it supports local partners and communities to achieve their own goals through the projects they themselves envision. A partner could be a local church congregation, a local non-governmental organization (NGO), an international non-profit organization working locally, a school, a clinic, an orphanage, a farming cooperative, or a group of community members. The work these partners do may be reviving an agricultural industry, providing emergency relief during a disaster, stimulating local businesses and creating jobs, advocating against exploitative policies, building up schools and educational capacities, or mediating between groups in violent conflict. MCC supports these partners in one of three ways: 1) By providing the funds they need, 2) by supplying material resources such as school kits or health and medical supplies, and 3) by sending workers with useful training or talents to live and work with the local partners. Usually all three of these forms of support are present is a given location.

A student at a school in Baghdad supported by MCC. (Photo borrowed from www.mcc.org)

MCC’s money comes from many sources. The majority comes from individual donations made by people who believe in MCC’s work and values. Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in the U.S. and Canada are an especially important foundation of financial support. In addition, MCC administers several long-standing fundraising programs that provide a steady flow of resources, such as its network of local thrift stores staffed by volunteers. Thrift stores may not sound like big money-makers, but this network of local shops across the U.S. and Canada actually earns several millions of dollars each year thanks to the donated time and energy of its staff members. MCC also receives grants from funding bodies and foundations that support humanitarian work. And while MCC does not receive money from the United States government, it does receive grants from the Canadian International Development Agency. The important thing to know about all of these sources is that MCC does not accept money from donors unless it is in accordance with MCC’s mission and values.

WHAT'S THE MOTIVATION?

MCC staff and volunteers see their work as an expression of Jesus’ message of love and reconciliation. The motivation for their work comes from an earnest desire to live out their faith and follow the example Jesus set about what it means to love and care for people. Regarding the question of evangelism, this is a complex and sometimes controversial issue for MCC just as it is for other Christians. On one hand, MCC and the people who support it believe the gospel of Jesus is a transformative message, and part of caring about others means offering insights from one’s own faith journey when it comes from a feeling of genuine love. As a matter of official policy, evangelism is not the focus of MCC’s mandate, but neither is it explicitly excluded. But there is an important difference between being open to sharing one’s faith or even working to strengthen the spiritual life of a Christian community, and blindly proselytizing others as if the religion were more important than the person.

This group of Cambodian women sell fish from their bicycles in a place where food is not always plentiful. MCC funds local partners who design development programs that improve the health and prosperity of their communities. (Photo by Pearl Sensenig. A Common Place Magazine, April, 1998)

Part of the reason MCC has earned such a positive reputation around the world—especially in non-Christian communities—is because MCC has the experience and the wisdom to understand that the world cannot be viewed through only one lens, and that Truth can be found in the dialectic between different perspectives and beliefs. It is possible to remain true to one’s own Christian identity and beliefs and still maintain an attitude of humility and a genuine desire to learn from the valuable perspectives of other cultures and belief systems. A common axiom in MCC circles is that MCCers learn during their assignments much more than they teach. One thing is certain: MCC would never disrespect or trivialize the beliefs and traditions of others, because such an attitude is both short-sighted and antithetical to what it means to love one’s neighbor. At the end of the day, MCC is a relief, development, and peacebuilding organization composed of people who are trying their best to follow the example of Jesus. It exists in order to meet the needs of people who are experiencing terrible hardships like war and exploitation. Its only mission is love.

This is an important distinction to make about MCC’s identity. In many settings across the world where MCC works, it would severely damage MCC’s legitimacy and its ability to do meaningful work with host communities if people thought that MCC was simply a missionary organization trying to convert people to Christianity. It is not. In the Middle East, and certainly in Iraq, there is an extremely high public sensitivity against Christian groups who are even perceived as evangelistic in nature. And there is good reason for suspicion, given Iraq’s centuries-long history of manipulation by external forces. Of course this collective resistance is vast and deep in Muslim communities, but Christians in Iraq are equally wary. There have been some evangelist groups who have appeared since 2003 to woo Christians away from other churches, and it has created a big problem. MCC has no such agenda. Its goal is to work together all Iraqis to meet the needs of people who are suffering the terrible consequences of violence and deprivation.

Fatima Sabra (right), a nurse at the Imam Sadr Foundation in Lebanon, talks with students between classes. The Sadr Foundation is a Shiite Muslim organization that serves women and children from low-income families in Lebanon. MCC provides funds for management training for the foundation's staff. (Photo by Melissa Engle. June, 2006)

Of course, Christian communities continue to be the backbone of MCC’s involvement around the world. Often it is local churches that invite MCC to work with them and establish an initial presence in a given country. MCCers who live and work in these communities share in the life and faith of the local church, building lasting relationships. At the same, time a large percentage of MCC’s partners are not churches, nor Christian. MCC partners with a wide range of civil society groups, such as non-profit humanitarian or human rights organizations, schools, local governments, or community cooperatives, and these partners may profess religious beliefs that are different from Christian traditions. This is not a drawback from MCC’s point of view, but rather central to its identity as a vehicle for peacemaking. Indeed, building mutually-edifying relationships across the lines of disparate identities (especially religious identities) is the essence of peacebuilding in a divided world. As Mennonites cling tightly to values of respect and humility, and as MCCers work for justice and peace in a pluralistic human community that conjoins every belief system under the sun, MCC could not remain true to its identity and purpose if it only worked with certain kinds of people.

MCC has been working with partners of every religion and ethnicity in Iraq for more than 10 years. These relationships continue to be incredibly valuable, especially in the context of the current civil wars that are disintegrating Iraqi society. But this is a big topic, and this blog entry is already too long. I better save it for next time. Thank you again for reading! My best wishes to you,

- John