2019/08/30

Mennonite Central Committee - Wikipedia

Mennonite Central Committee - Wikipedia

Mennonite Central Committee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mennonite Central Committee
Logo of the Mennonite Central Committee
AbbreviationMCC
FormationSeptember 27, 1920
23-6002702 (USA)
Registration no.107690877RR0001 (Can.)
Legal statusNon-profit charity
PurposeRelief, service, peace
HeadquartersAkron, Pennsylvania, US
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Revenue (2014)
US$30,562,776 (US)[1]
CA$23,369,034 (Can.)[2]
Websitewww.mcc.org
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is a relief, service, and peace agency representing fifteen Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Amish bodies in North America. The U.S. headquarters are in Akron, Pennsylvania, the Canadian in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

History[edit]


Mennonite Civilian Public Serviceworker Harry Lantz distributes rat poison for typhus control in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Founded in Chicago, Illinois, MCC held its first meeting on September 27, 1920.[3] Its original goal was to provide food for Mennonites starving in Ukraine. MCC soon realized that it could not help only their Mennonite brothers and sisters and began to help anyone in need. MCC (Canada) was founded in 1963.
The initial work of MCC focused on:[4]
1920–1925: famine relief work in Ukraine.
1925–1930: inactive
1930–1937: colonization of Russian Mennonite and Bruderhof refugees[5] in Paraguay and Brazil.[6]
1939–present: relief work; initially in Poland, then (1940) England and France.
1941–1947: administration of Civilian Public Service (CPS) as part of National Service Board for Religious Objectors.
1950s: administration of 1-W service, the replacement of CPS, for draftees classified as conscientious objectors.

Famine in Ukraine[edit]

Mennonites of Molotschna sent a commission to North America in the summer of 1920 to alert American Mennonites of the dire conditions of war-torn Ukraine. Their plight succeeded in uniting various branches of Mennonites to form Mennonite Central Committee in an effort to aid these Russian Mennonites. P. C. Hiebert of the Mennonite Brethren Church initially chaired the organization, with secretary Levi Mumaw of the (Old) Mennonite Church and attorney Maxwell Kratz of the General Conference Mennonite Church. Other Mennonite conferences joined later.
The new organization planned to provide aid to Ukraine via existing Mennonite relief work in Istanbul. The Istanbul group, mainly Goshen College graduates, produced three volunteers, who at great risk entered Ukraine during the ongoing Russian Civil War. They arrived in the Mennonite village of Halbstadt just as General Wrangel of the White Armywas retreating. Two of the volunteers withdrew with the Wrangel army, while Clayton Kratz, who remained in Halbstadt (Molotschna) as the Red Army overran the village, was never heard from again.
A year passed before official permission was received from the Soviet government to do relief work among the villages of Ukraine. Kitchens provided 25,000 people a day with rations over a period of three years beginning in 1922, with a peak of 40,000 servings during August of that year. Fifty Fordson tractor and plow combinations were sent to Mennonite villages to replace horses that had been stolen and confiscated during the war. This relief effort cost $1.2 million.[7]

Voluntary service[edit]

As Civilian Public Service started to wind down in 1946, MCC began exploring a peacetime service program that would continue the types of projects performed by CPS. The new program, Voluntary Service, had several aims.[8] It would provide young people with a way to voluntarily perform Christian service for up to a year as a means of testifying more widely to the gospel and its way of love and nonresistance. Projects were to help alleviate human need in a culturally sensitive manner. 
The program would operate as an internship in Christian service, developing the workers' service motivation, witness and religious conviction. It would provide Mennonite young people with an opportunity to express appreciation for the material blessings, religious and other national liberties and to contribute to the well-being of the nation. Finally, it was hoped that some individuals would decide to devote their careers to full-time ministry or missionary service.
The first Voluntary Service unit started during the summer of 1946 in association with the CPS unit at Gulfport, Mississippi .

Activities[edit]


Akron, Pennsylvania, headquarters, August 1982.
MCC was an early proponent of fair trade through its Ten Thousand Villages program.[9]
Funds for MCC's worldwide relief and service projects are raised through independent Mennonite relief sales. Around 45 sales are held throughout the United States and Canada, raising US$5 million annually.[10] Many of these sales feature quilts handmade by Mennonite and Amish volunteers, auctions, artwork, crafted woodwork, homemade foods, antiques, crafts, plants, children's activities, and musical programs. Most of the goods and labor are donated, and 78.2% of the funds raised go directly into the field.
MCC focuses its development efforts in areas such as health, education, peace and justice, and fair trade. It responds to disaster situations, as well as focusing its efforts on the longer-term issues of economic and social policy.
MCC maintains offices in both Washington, D.C.,[11] and Ottawa[12] to advocate to the American and Canadian federal governments, respectively. MCC also has an international advocacy office at the United Nations in New York City.[13] As of 2015, Ewuare Osayande served as the group's Anti-Oppression Coordinator.[14]

Peacemaking[edit]

MCC also takes an active role in advocating for peace both in North America and around the world, seeking "to be a witness against forces that contribute to poverty, injustice and violence."[15] In North America, MCC established the Mennonite Conciliation Service (MCS) in 1979 to encourage Mennonites and others to actively pursue peaceful resolution of conflicts. MCS was a pioneer in the burgeoning field of conflict resolution in the 1980s and director Ronald S. Kraybill led early mediation workshops in Northern Ireland which eventually led to the establishment of the Northern Ireland Mediation Network. John Paul Lederach took over MCS in 1989 when Kraybill moved on to South Africa, and in the years following, MCC moved active peace building into the forefront of its work abroad.
Responding in part to the establishment of active Mennonite-led peace centers that had emerged in the 80s and 90s, such as the Conflict Transformation Program at Eastern Mennonite University, the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center in Lombard, Illinois, a group of peace builders at Fresno Pacific University, the Peace and Justice Network of the Mennonite Church and other activities, MCS was discontinued in 2004. But the Peace Office of MCC continues to advocate peace interests broadly in the US and in MCC programming abroad. Internationally, MCC partners with local organizations to reduce violence in the aftermath of conflict or war.
Perhaps one of MCC's more controversial activities is in advocating military exemption or alternative service for conscientious objectors in times of war. MCC runs a "conscientious objector registry" in Canada, taking statements from Canadians in the hope that they will be recognized by the Canadian government should the government restart drafting citizens into the military.

Affiliated organizations[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]


  1. ^ Mennonite Central Committee U.S. and Subsidiaries Years Ended March 31, 2014 and 2013
  2. ^ Financial Statements of Mennonite Church Canada, Year ended March 31, 2014
  3. ^ Gingerich p. 16.
  4. ^ Gingerich p. 17.
  5. ^ "Why I Keep Talking About…Alternativity, the Bruderhof, and Church of All Nations". Proximity. October 23, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  6. ^ "Bruderhof Communities - GAMEO". gameo.org. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  7. ^ Smith, p. 320.
  8. ^ MCC Headquarters Letter, No. 90, November 1946 as quoted by Haury pp. 13-14.
  9. ^ Ebeling, Ashlea (August 20, 2009). "Ten Thousand Villages Grows With Fair Trade". Forbes. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  10. ^ jamesstuckeyweber (March 17, 2014). "Annual report 2015: Growing together in Christ".
  11. ^ jamesstuckeyweber (April 17, 2014). "Washington Office".
  12. ^ jamesstuckeyweber (April 17, 2014). "Ottawa Office".
  13. ^ jamesstuckeyweber (March 19, 2014). "MCC United Nations Office". Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  14. ^ Herholz, Quinci. "BLACK AND WHITE MENNONITES IN ST. LOUIS WORK TOGETHER FOR RACIAL JUSTICE" (April 14, 2015). St. Louis Post-Disbatch. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  15. ^ Integrating peacemaking into relief, development and service Archived March 21, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ "Home". canadianbic.ca.

References[edit]

  • Gingerich, Melvin (1949), Service for Peace, A History of Mennonite Civilian Public Service, Mennonite Central Committee.
  • Haury, David A. (1979), The Quiet Demonstration: The Mennonite Mission in Gulfport, Mississippi, Faith and Life Press.
  • Smith, C. Henry (1981). Smith's Story of the Mennonites. Revised and expanded by Cornelius Krahn. Newton, Kansas: Faith and Life Press. pp. 316–320. ISBN 0-87303-069-9.

External links[edit]


Official website
Mennonite Central Committee in Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online
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Success Made Simple: Why Amish Businesses Thrive (Audio Download): Erik Wesner, Nick Sullivan, Audible Studios: Amazon.com.au: Audible_AU

Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive (Audio Download): Erik Wesner, Nick Sullivan, Audible Studios: Amazon.com.au: Audible_AU


Business can be discouraging. According to U.S. Department of Labor figures, only 44 percent of newly opened firms will last four years. Amish firms, on the other hand, have registered a 95% survival rate over a five-year period. And in many cases, those businesses do remarkably well. As Donald Kraybill writes "the phrase 'Amish millionaire' is no longer an oxymoron."
Success Made Simple is the first practical book of Amish business success principles for the non-Amish reader. The work provides a platform of transferable principles - simple and universal enough to be applied in the non-Amish world, in a wide variety of business and management settings.
  • Learn how to develop profitable and fulfilling enterprises as Amish explain how to build fruitful relationships with customers and employees, prosper by playing to strengths, and create an effective marketing story
  • Includes interviews with over 50 Amish business owners outline the role of relationships in business and the importance of the big picture-taking in long-term goals, the welfare of others, and personal integrity
  • Offers ideas on practical application of Amish business practices to non-Amish businesses, with "bullet" summaries at the end of each chapter reviewing the most important take-away points
With a focus on relationship-building and the big picture, Success Made Simple offers business owners everywhere the tools for better, smarter, more successful enterprises.
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재세례파 - 위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전



재세례파 - 위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전



재세례파
위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전.

둘러보기로 가기검색하러 가기

개신교

교파
성공회 · 루터교
장로교 · 감리교
침례교 · 오순절주의
성결 운동 · 구세군 · 회중교회
재침례파 · 퀘이커 · 개혁교회
역사
종교개혁 · 정통주의
경건주의 · 대각성
옥스퍼드 운동
은사주의 운동
예전
성공회 기도서
루터교 예배
개혁주의 예배
주요 신학 개념
삼위일체 · 복음주의
다섯솔라 · 예정설
구원 · 자유의지
신정통주의 · 자유주의 신학
에큐메니즘
v • d • e • h


재침례파(再浸禮派, Anabaptist, 그리스어: Αναβαπτιστές)[1]는 16세기 종교개혁 당시 급진적 개혁을 따른 기독교 종파를 가리킨다. 그 사상을 이어받고 있는 현대의 개신교 교파들로는 아미시파, 후터라이트, 메노나이트 등이 있다. 전 세계적으로 120여만 명의 교인들이 있으며, 대한민국에도 재세례파(재침례파) 교회가 한 곳 있다.[2] 이 문서에서 재세례파라 함은 주로 16세기 급진적 종교개혁자들을 가리킨다. 크리스트교 종교개혁 초기에 등장하여 유아세례를 부인하고 오직 성인의 세례만 유효하다고 주장하였다. 이들은 유아세례뿐만 아니라 로마 가톨릭교회에서 받은 세례도 무효이기 때문에 그런 사람들은 다시 세례를 받아야 한다고 주장했고, 여기서 그 이름이 유래한다. 유아 세례를 반대하는 교파들은 침례교도 역시 마찬가지이나 그렇다고 해서 그것을 무효라고 주장하지 않는다. 대다수 기독교 교파에서는 세례가 죄의 용서[3]와 구원[4]의 의미가 있기 때문에 사람이 일생 한 번만 받는 것이라고 가르친다. 그러나 재세례파는 이에 반대한 것이다.


목차
1발생 배경
2탄압
3교리
4학자
5문학작품 속의 재침례교도
6외부 링크
7각주와 참고 자료

발생 배경[편집]

재침례파의 역사는 그 사상을 반대하는 사람들과 옹호하는 사람들에 의해 왜곡되어 있는 것이 현실이다. 그 근원이 일원이냐 다원이냐에 대해서도 이견이 있다. 소수이기는 하나 재침례파야 말로 초대교회의 사도적 전통을 계승하였다고 주장하는 사람들도 있다.

지역적으로 구분하면 '스위스 형제단' (Grebel, Manz), 네덜란드 및 프리시안 재침례파 (Menno Simons, Dirk Philips), 그리고 남부 독일 재침례파 (Hübmaier, Marpeck)로 구분할 수 있다.

역사학자와 사회학자들은 더 나아가 급진적 재침례파와 평화주의 재침례파로 나눈다. 급진적 재침례파는 "새 예루살렘"을 땅 위에 건설하기 위해 폭력 동원을 인정했다. 급진적 재침례파로 인해 발생한 사건이 뮌스터 반란이다. 그에 반해 신약성서에 근거한 비폭력주의를 주장하는 평화주의자들은 메노나이트(Mennonites)의 기원이 된다. 다시 말해, 원래 메노나이트의 기원은 네덜란드 로마 가톨릭 신부인 메노 시몬스(Menno Simons)가 두 부류의 전통적인 재세례파인 평화적인 오비파(Obbenites)와 급진적인 호프만파(Melchio Hoffman)사이에서 고민하다가 "어떻게 그리스도인이라 자부하는 자가 영적인 무기는 내려두고 세속적인 것을 취하는 것에 하나님의 말씀이 부합하겠는가?"라고 반문하며 평화주의자인 오비파 쪽으로 가입한 것이 계기가 되었고, 이후에 그곳의 지도자가 되었는데, 그의 추종자들을 그의 이름을 따서 메노나이트라 부르게 되었다.[5]메노는 신약성서의 가르침에 따라, 폭력에 반대하는 비폭력주의를 주장하였다.[6]

탄압[편집]

스페인 종교재판소에의해 이단으로 화형당하는 16세기 네덜란드의 재세례파, Anneken Hendriks

한 번 받은 세례(특히 유아세례)를 무효라고 주장하는 교리로 로마 가톨릭교회 및 다른 개신교로부터 이단으로 배척되어 수많은 순교자들이 생겼다. 1525년 스위스의 가톨릭 지역과 그 다음 해에는 취리히의 의회정부가 재세례파를 이단과 반역죄로 사형에 처하기 시작했다. 이에 따라 수천에 달하는 순교자가 발생했는데 처형 방법도 잔인하였다. 이들의 침례를 희화하여 산채로 물에 빠드리기도 했으며, 그밖에 화형에 처하거나 사지를 절단하는 예도 흔히 있었다. 1523~66년 사이 네덜란드에서 1만3000여명이 희생 되었다는 조사도 있다. 이런 극심한 박해속에 재세례파는 극단적 종말론을 믿는 사람들이 생겨나고, 종교적 극단주의가 활개를 치기에 이르렀다.[7] 1930년에는 나치의 탄압을 피해 후터라이트(재세례파의 일파)공동체인 부르더호프 공동체가 영국으로 건너가기도 했다.

교리[편집]

학자[편집]
존 하워드 요더(John Howard Yoder, 1927년 12월 29일~1997년 12월 30일)는 미국 재세례파의 대표적인 신학자, 윤리학자이다. 메노나이트 교단 출신으로 평화주의를 표방한다. 20세기 초반이 칼 바르트의 시대라면 20세기 후반은 요더의 시대라는 말이 있다. 대표적인 저서로 1972년 출판된 예수의 정치학(IVP, 2007)이 있다. 성추행과 권력남용 문제가 있었고, 이와 관련해 야수의 송곳니를 뽑다(대장간, 2018)라는 책이 출판되고 번역되었다.

문학작품 속의 재침례교도[편집]

볼테르의 대표 소설인 캉디드에는 주인공 캉디드를 도와주는 착한 재침례교도 이야기가 나온다. 캉디드가 전쟁터에서 목숨을 구해 네덜란드에 갔을 때 사람들은 캉디드에게 이렇게 묻는다 "당신은 교황이 적그리스도라고 생각하오?" 라고 질문한다. 캉디드가 이에 우물쭈물 대답하지 않자 그들은 욕을 하며 캉디드를 쫓아내는데 이때 캉디드를 도와주고 빵과 돈을 준 사람이 재침례교도 자크다.[8] 볼테르는 이 작품에서 가톨릭교회 신부들을 타락하고 부패한 인물로 묘사하지만 재침례교도는 착하고 선한 인물로 묘사했다.


각주와 참고 자료[편집]

↑ ανα(/아나/, again) + βαπτιζω(/밥티조/, baptize) = re-baptizers
↑ 한겨레 2005년 11월 16일자, 자생적인 재세례파(재침례파) 교회인 춘천 예수촌 교회 기사.
↑
“

베드로가 이렇게 대답하였다. “회개하시오. 그리고 여러분은 한 사람도 빠짐없이 예수 그리스도의 이름으로 세례를 받고 여러분의 죄를 용서받으시오. 그리하면 성령을 선물로 받게 될 것입니다.” ”

— 사도행전, 2:38

↑
“

믿고 세례를 받는 사람은 구원을 받겠지만 믿지 않는 사람은 단죄를 받을 것이다. ”
— 마르코 복음서(마가 복음서), 16:16

↑ Justo L. Gonzalez, A history of Christian, Vol. III, Abingdon Press, 1975, p.86
↑ 유재덕 지음. 《《5시간만에 읽는 쉽고 재미있는 교회사》》. 작은행복.
↑ 최강희《박해의 역사 속에서 형성된 재세례파 신앙의 본질》(영남신학대 신학대학원)
↑ 볼테르《캉디드》(한울,P18)
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야수의 송곳니를 뽑다 - 존 하워드 요더의 성추행과 권력남용에 대한 메노나이트의 반응 - 도서출판 대장간



야수의 송곳니를 뽑다 - 존 하워드 요더의 성추행과 권력남용에 대한 메노나이트의 반응 - 도서출판 대장간



야수의 송곳니를 뽑다 - 존 하워드 요더의 성추행과 권력남용에 대한 메노나이트의 반응

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성추행에 대한 집단의 은폐와 침묵이라는 범죄에 대해
올바른 기억 행동을 실행하기로 선택한 집단지성의 여정과 기록


이 책은 먼저 요더의 성추행 사건의 전말에 대한 “사실”을 알리고, 그의 성추행에 대한 정확한 정보를 제공함으로써 사실과 사건을 올바로 이해할 수 있는 토대를 제공한다. 또한 이러한 성추행이 일어났을 때, 건강한 공동체가 대처해야 할 방안들과 예방에 대한 깊은 이해를 제공한다.

메노나이트 교단의 기나긴 치리과정을 지켜보면서, 종교와 거룩이라는 이름으로 포장하고 자행하는 성폭력이라는 야수의송곳니를 뽑아내겠다는용기가 우리 한국 교회에서도 예외 없이 일어나길 바란다.
성직자들의 성추행 소식이 수시로 신문의 사회면을 장식하곤 한다. 지금 한국교회의 현실은 어떤가? 한국교회는 어떤 변화를 원하는가? 진정으로 변화할 생각은 있는가? 교회의 권력 중심에 있는 사람에 대한 치리는 어디까지 가능할 것인가?

평화신학의 탁월한 학자, 배움의 폭, 신념의 깊이, 언어적 천재성, 심오한 통찰력 … 요더는 종파에 매이지 않고 경계를 넘어 상상하기 힘들 만큼 폭넓은 신학적 궤도와 관계성을 가진 천재였다. 20년 간 그와 관계한 수많은 개인, 그가 몸 담았던 다양한 그룹, 다양한 교회와 기관들은 요더의 행동에 대한 비밀보장 유지에 동의하였다. 그들은 정보를 통제했고 피해자들을 무력화하는데 앞장섰다. 상처는 곪아서 피해자 및 생존자는 물론 수많은 사람들을 힘들게 했다.
--------
… 이 주제에 대해 엄청난 고통과 논쟁이 빚어지고 있다는 점은 이미 잘 알려져 있다. … 교회에 속한 많은 사람들은 이 주제가 계속 반복해서 언급하는 것에 지쳐버렸다. 어떤 사람들은 죄를 지은 형제가 이미 교회의 교제 안으로 회복되었으니 더 이상 이 주제로 왈가왈부하지 않을 때가 되었다고 말하면서 이미 충분히 언급된 주제라고 믿기도 한다. 그러나 어떤 사람들은 특별히 최근 몇 십 년에 걸쳐 무엇이 적절한 행동인지 정의하는 기준 자체가 변했기 때문에 현재의 표준으로 과거의 행동을 심판하려는 것은 불공평하다고 주장하기도 한다. 또 어떤 사람들은 여전히 이 사건과 우리의 관계가 너무 가깝기 때문에 양극화된 사건의 맥락을 공정하게 판단하는 것이 거의 불가능하다고 주장한다. 그리고 대화에서 서로 다른 입장에 서있는 모든 사람들은 성추행에 직접 관련된 친구들과 가족 구성원들, 그리고 그 외 여러 사람들이 겪고 있는 끊임없는 고통에 대해 함께 슬퍼하고 있다. …
이 쉽지 않은 문제를 투명하고 끈질기게 다루는 가장 중요한 이유는 성추행이 메노나이트 회중에 실재한다는 뼈아픈 사실과 교회가 신중을 기해 규율, 상호책임, 치유와 같은 주제들에 대해 적극적으로 관여하고, 공개적으로 논의할 필요가 있기 때문이다.…
< 존 D.로스>





존 D. 로스 John D. Roth

미국 인디아나 고센대학의 역사학 교수이다. 고센에 있는 메노나이트 역사 도서관장과 학술 메노나이트 계간지 “Mennonite Quarterly Review”의 편집장이다. 아내 루스와의 사이에 네 명의 딸들이 있으며 버키 애비뉴 메노나이트 교회 (Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship)의 멤버이다.
존 로스는 『13인의 기독교 지성 아나뱁티즘을 말하다』(2015, 대장간)를 편집했고 『맛보아 알지어다』(2013, 대장간), 『전쟁을 반대하여 선택하라』(2002) 외 『메노나이트 믿음, 실천,이야기』(3권, 대장간 ) 등을 저술하였다.





김복기

강원대학교 조경학과와 캐나다 메노나이트 성경대학을 졸업하고, 미국 메노나이트 연합신학 대학원에서 목회학 석사학위를 받았다. 캐나다 온타리오주 런던의 샬롬 아도나이 교회에서 회중을 섬겼으며, 현재 캐나다 메노나이트교회 소속 선교사로 춘천에서 KAC 총무로 섬기고 있다.
『다른 터는 없나니』, 『아나뱁티즘』, 『동성애』, 『교리적 상상력』, 『어떻게 용서할 것인가?』, 『재세례신앙의 씨앗으로부터』 , 『반석 위에 세우리라』 , 『일과 쉼』 , 『재세례신앙의 비전』 , 『아나뱁티스트 역사』 , 『아나뱁티스트 크리스천』, 『교회, 그 몸의 정치』 , 『그리스도의 충만함』 , 『열 두 사람이야기』 , 『아이들과 절대 흥정하지 마라』외 여러 권을 번역했다.






  • 역자 서 문
  • 메노나이트 계간지 특집호를 발행하며
  • “야수의 송곳니를 뽑다” -존 하워드 요더의 성추행과 권력남용에 대한 메노나이트의 반응
  • 교회 리더들에 의한 성폭력과 피해자들을 위한 치유
  • 샬롬의 끈덕진 희망-성추행과 트라우마에 대한 회중의 반응
  • 고통에 이름을 붙이고, 빛을 추구하라-성추행에 대한 메노나이트 교회의 반응
  • 일흔 번씩 일곱 번-성폭력과 터무니없는 용서에 대한 부르심
  • 아나뱁티스트 비전 쇄신-존 하워드 요더의 잘못 인식된 성의 정치학
  • 왜 “화려하고 고상한 실험”이 실패했다 하는가?-이 사건이 메노나이트 교회에 대해 폭로하는 것은 무엇인가?
서평글 -존 럼펠 
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Mennonite Central Committee (International) - GAMEO



Mennonite Central Committee (International) - GAMEO

Mennonite Central Committee (International)

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Contents
11957 Article
21987 Update
3Bibliography
4Additional Information
5Cite This Article




1957 Article

Mennonite Central Committee, the joint relief and service agency of nearly all North American Mennonites, was composed in 1957 of representatives of the following seventeen distinct Mennonite bodies or agencies (with years of adherence); viz., Mennonite Church (MC) 1920, General Conference Mennonite 1920, Mennonite Brethren1920, Lancaster Conference (MC) 1920, Krimmer Mennonite Brethren 1920, Evangelical Mennonite (Defenceless) 1930, Church of God in Christ, Mennonite 1940, Brethren in Christ 1940, Conservative (Amish) Mennonite 1941, Old Order Amish Mennonite 1942, Evangelical Mennonite Brethren 1944, Nonresistant Relief Organization of Ontario 1944, Conference of Historic Peace Churches (Ontario) 1944, Mennonite Central Relief Committee of Western Canada 1944, Canadian Mennonite Relief Committee of Manitoba1944, Canadian Mennonite Board of Colonization 1944, Beachy Amish Mennonite 1956. 



Since conferences were entitled to one representative for each 25,000 members or fraction thereof, the first two groups have two representatives each, and since there were two members-at-large, the total MCC membership in 1957 was 20. In addition there were three associate members, United Missionary Church (Indiana Conference) since 1930, the Missionary Church Association since 1940, and the Emmanuel Mennonite Church at Meade, Kansas, since 1952. At the beginning, in 1920, two additional groups were represented, the Central Conference (merged in 1947 with the General Conference Mennonite group) and the Pacific Branch of the Relief Committee for the Suffering Mennonites of Russia (discontinued about 1925). The MCC was incorporated at Lancaster, Pennsylvania on 27 August 1937; before this it had no constitution or bylaws, operating solely on the basis of the authorizing resolution of 27 July 1920, which date may be considered as its date of origin at Elkhart.

Mennonite Central Committee Executive Committee, 1951. Back row (L-R): H. A. Fast, C. F. Klassen, H. S. Bender, and C. N. Hostetter. Front row (L-R): O. O. Miller, P. C. Hiebert, and J. J. Thiessen.
Scan courtesy Mennonite Church USA Archives-Goshen IX-13-2-3 Box 2/2

The committee, which met annually, operated through an executive committee elected by its annual meeting, at first composed of the three officers, enlarged in 1930 to four, in 1944 to five, in 1948 to six, which met as frequently as necessary, averaging six meetings per year. The direct administration of all MCC work was through an executive secretary, who was Levi Mumaw at Scottdale, 1920-1935, and then Orie O. Miller at Akron, near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1935-1957. Since 1935 the executive headquarters has been at Akron, where the MCC in 1957 owned six office and residential buildings and employed an average staff of fifty. In addition the following regional offices were maintained with a total staff of ten: Waterloo, Ontario, Newton, Kansas, Reedley, California, each with a clothing and food center, besides the clothing and food center at Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Foreign centers, with owned or leased buildings, were maintained at Sao Paulo, Brazil; Montevideo, Uruguay (owned); Asuncion, Paraguay (owned); Kaiserslautern, Germany (owned); Frankfurt, Germany; Amsterdam, Holland; and Basel, Switzerland. The Ailsa Craig (Ontario) Boys Home was also owned property (since 1955). Three mental hospitals were owned and operated through an incorporated agency (Mennonite Mental Health Services): Brook Lane Farm near Hagerstown, MD, Kings View Homes at Reedley, California and Prairie View Mental Hospital at Newton, Kansas. The MCC also still owned considerable holdings (some 200,000 acres) near the Mennonite settlements in the Paraguayan Chaco through its purchase of Corporación Paraguaya in 1937. The total net dollar assets of the MCC in 1957 were $1,900,000. Long-time office members and staff workers of the MCC have been P. C. Hiebert, chairman 1920-1954, chairman emeritus 1954- ; O. O. Miller, member 1921- , executive secretary 1935-1957; Levi Mumaw, executive secretary 1920-1935; M. H. Kratz, vice-chairman 1920-1939; H. S. Bender, assistant secretary 1930- ; H. A. Fast, vice-chairman 1943- ; C. F. Klassen, executive committee member 1944-1954; J. J. Thiessen, executive committee member 1948- ; Allen Yoder, executive committee member 1920-1930, 1934-1944; D. M. Hofer, member 1920-44; John H. Mellinger, member 1920-36; H. F. Garber, member 1936-56; J. B. Martin, member 1944- ; J. N. Byler, director of relief 1945- ; William T. Snyder, director of Mennonite Aid 1945- , executive committee member 1954- ; J. Harold Sherk, executive secretary of the Peace Section 1949- ; Delmar Stahly, director of Mental Health Services 1949- .

In 1957 the MCC had worker teams in Holland, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Jordan, Indonesia, India and Nepal, South Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil. The Latin America projects were all in connection with the Mennonite refugee settlements made there in 1930 and since. Discontinued fields of service were England, Egypt, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Denmark, China, Formosa, Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Mexico.

Two departments of MCC service were organized as sections with membership bodies: the Peace Section (1947), successor to the Mennonite Central Peace Committee (1939), of which H. S. Bender had been the continuous chairman, and the Mennonite Aid Section (1943), of which J. Winfield Fretz had been the continuous chairman. Other important departments were Mennonite Mental Health Services, Inc. (1946 first form of organization), of which H. A. Fast was chairman to 1957; the Voluntary Service Office (1946) and the I-W Services Office (1952). The latter two were merged into one department in 1955. The Mennonite Resettlement Finance, Inc., a holding agency for certain Paraguay financing, was in existence 1948-1955. Menno Travel Service, Inc., was set up as a subsidiary travel agency in 1947. It maintained a main office at Akron, subsidiary offices at Goshen, Newton, and in Europe at Amsterdam.

The MCC was originally created in July 1920 to operate a joint Mennonite famine relief program in Russia, requested by the several Mennonite relief committees of North America at that time engaged in sending aid to Mennonites in Russia. The Mennonite Studienkommission of four delegates from Russia, who were at that time visiting the United States and Canada, had strongly urged such a united organization. Upon completion of the active program in Russia (1920-1925) the Committee intended to disband but did not formally do so. It was reactivated by the emergency of 1929-1930 when the call came to aid several thousand Mennonite refugees who had come out of Russia into Germany October to November 1929. Its second task therefore was the resettlement of many of these refugees in Paraguay in 1930, since when it continuously aided the colonies there, especially the Fernheim, Neuland, and Volendam colonies, which it originally sponsored. The third field of service was War Sufferers Relief during and following World War II, beginning in Poland in September 1939. The total program finally included work in twelve western and central European countries, including Egypt. This program was chiefly the distribution of food and clothing, and included community services and peace testimony. At the peak of the work (summer of 1947) 317 workers were simultaneously in service in Europe. The program in Jordan for Arab refugees was begun in 1950. The work in the Far East, with programs in eight countries, was begun with war emergency relief services in Bengal, India (creation of the inter-Mission organization Mennonite Relief Committee in India, MRCI), and entrance into China in 1945. Puerto Ricowork began in 1943 in connection with Civilian Public Service.

In all areas where Mennonite churches were located, especially in Europe, the MCC work led to close and fruitful interaction between North American and local Mennonites. Out of this interaction came among other things a monthly publication, Der Mennonit, published by the MCC at Basel in 1948-1956 and later at Frankfurt (continued by a European Board), the European Mennonite Bible School at Basel (est. 1950) under an international Mennonite board, Mennonite Voluntary Service in Europe (1950) under a European Mennonite committee, the International Mennonite Peace Committee (1947), and the Christian Education Materials Project (CEMO) at Basel (1952).

The war emergency relief needs in Europe had almost disappeared by 1957, so that the continuing MCC program in Europe was greatly reduced though still continuing in certain special services and in contact with European Mennonites. The relief program in the Far East (Korea, Indonesia, and South Vietnam in particular) was also reduced, but not so greatly as in Europe.

In the course of its relief effort the MCC became a member of the following inter-group relief organizations sponsored by the United States State Department: American Council of Voluntary Agencies (1944), Council of Relief Agencies Licensed for Operation in Germany (CRALOG, 1946), Licensed Agency for Relief in Asia (LARA, 1947), and Co-operative for American Remittances to Europe (CARE, 1945).

The fourth major field of MCC service was the operation of Civilian Public Serviceassumed in 1941. At this time the MCC also became a member of the National Service Board for Religious Objectors (NSBRO). The fifth field of service was the resettlement of Russian and Danzig Mennonite refugees after World War II, the former in Paraguay (4,849 persons in 1947-1952) and the latter in Uruguay (1,184 persons 1948-1952). Voluntary Service for young Mennonite in North America was begun in 1945 as the sixth field of service. The seventh field was that of Mental Health Service, begun in 1949 with the establishment of the mental hospital Brook Lane Farm at Leitersburg, MD. The eighth program was one of aid to the Old Colony Mennonites in Mexico (1950-1956). The ninth and last new field was the I-W Service Program begun in 1952 with the renewal of the United States draft of conscientious objectors in that year, which had been suspended 1947-1952.

In the course of its various activities the MCC has issued numerous publications—periodicals, books, and pamphlets. Some of the periodicals have been the monthly MCC Services Bulletin (1945- ), the monthly I-W Mirror 1953- ), and various area relief newsletters such as monthly European Relief Notes 1945- ), the monthly Der Mennonit(1948-56), and the biweekly Unser Blatt (1947-50) at Gronau, Germany.

Books issued have been:


P. C. Hiebert and Orie O. Miller, Feeding the Hungry. Russia Famine 1919-25 (1929);
Melvin Gingerich, Service for Peace, A History of Mennonite Civilian Public Service (1949);
Emily Brunk, Espelkamp (1951);
John D. Unruh, In the Name of Christ, A History of the Mennonite Central Committee and Its Service 1920-1951 (1953);
J. Winfield Fretz, Pilgrims in Paraguay, The Story of Mennonite Colonization in South America (1953);
Proceedings of the Fourth Mennonite World Conference 3-10 August, 1948 (1949).]

The pamphlets and booklets issued have included a group of titles published by the Peace Section, another group by the Mennonite Aid Section, and the CPS "Core Course Booklets," and some individual titles.

Peace Section:
Edward Yoder, Must Christians Fight (1943, German translation, Sollen Christen sich an der Kriegsführung beteiligen, 1949);
Peace Section Handbook with Draft Manual (1942, later called Manual of Draft Information);
Edward Yoder, Compromise with War (1944);
Edward Yoder and Don. E. Smucker, The Christian and Conscription (1945);
Howard Charles, Before You Decide (1948);
Melvin Gingerich, What of Noncombatant Service (1949).

Mennonite Aid Section:
J. W. Fretz, Mennonite Colonization (1944);
J. W. Fretz, Mennonite Colonization in Mexico (1945);
J. W. Fretz, Christian Mutual Aid (1947).

Core Course Booklets:
Mennonites and Their Heritage.
A Series of Six Studies Designed for Use in Civilian Service Camps (1942)
No. 1, H. S. Bender, Mennonite Origin in Europe;
No. 2, C. Henry Smith, Mennonites in America;
No. 3, Edward Yoder, Our Mennonite Heritage;
No. 4, Ed. G. Kaufman, Our Mission as a Church of Christ;
No. 5, G. F. Hershberger, Christian Relationships to State and Community;
No. 6, P. C. Hiebert, Life and Service in the Kingdom of God.

Other Titles:
Twenty-five Years, the Story of the MCC 1920-1945; M. C. Lehman,
The History and Principles of Mennonite Relief Work (1945); Esko Loewen, Editor,
Mennonite Community Sourcebook (1946); Irvin B. Horst,
A Ministry of Goodwill, An Account of Mennonite Relief Work Following World War II (1950).

The official MCC handbook appeared first in 1943 and 1945 as Handbook of Information on the Mennonite Central Committee, then under the title Handbook of the Mennonite Central Committee in editions of 1950 and 1954.

The size of MCC operations at the heights of its program may be indicated in part by a summary of the income during the five years 1 December 1947, to 30 November 1952: total income $9,239,601.73; War Sufferers Relief cash $2,008,276.24; War Sufferers Material Aid $5,242,153.33; Mennonite Aid $1,472,636.39; Mental Health $207,588.92; Voluntary Service $136,303.29; Peace Section $79,305.24.

The following statements taken from the MCC Handbook (pp. 7-8, and 27-29) and prepared by Irvin Horst upon the basis of statements adopted at various times by the MCC and constituent bodies indicate the foundation of faith and commitment upon which the work of the MCC was established and continued.

"In a very real sense the MCC is an organization which spontaneously grew out of the desire of the Mennonite brotherhood to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and to testify by loving service to the Gospel of peace and love. This desire to respond with a witness of Christian peace and love grew in vision and compulsion as various emergencies were faced both within and without the brotherhood. Relief and peace services were an integral part of the Mennonite witness and way of life in the world. Where the various Mennonite and Brethren in Christ bodies retained their faith and ideals they were moved to remain firm in the position of nonresistance and to be energetic in showing mercy and love toward enemies as well as toward all mankind. To implement these compulsions they desired an organization to provide a channel for sharing their gifts and services 'In the Name of Christ.' "

"The experiences of relief and peace work during the past thirty-six years have indicated the wisdom of organizing a common agency to meet common emergencies and tasks, particularly when such emergencies were greater than any one group could have well performed alone. Through a common witness the various groups were able to speak as one voice against war and militarism; through a common representation the various bodies were able to reach and assist, as in no other way, the Mennonites in Russia, Holland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay. What little the Mennonites of North America with their slender resources have been able to do for a suffering world was multiplied in effectiveness by co-operative administration of these resources, whether it was in Russia, France, India, China, or any of the other countries in which relief and peace services were expended.

"The Mennonite position regarding relief and service is a part of the particular Christian faith and way of life which has its background and origin in the Anabaptist movement of Reformation times. This movement, as others before and after, under the providence of God was a fresh and vital discovery of the living truth and spirit of the New Testament. The experience was so compellingly real that it sought an uncompromising fulfillment of the Gospel in life; it was so powerful that it survived the most obliterating persecution, to persist down to our own times. This heritage, in so far as it still lives in the Mennonite bodies of North America, motivates and guides the service program of the Mennonite Central Committee. Its principles, if accepted and put into practice, become for us in our own time, we believe, a unique experience of fellowship with Christ in loving discipleship and service to others.
The Central Position and Authority of Christ and the Bible. While recognizing the hand of God in history and the voice of the Holy Spirit in the experiences of the church and individual Christians, we accept the Bible, particularly the New Testament, as the final authority for faith and action. Relief and service have validity for us only as the motivation, spirit, and methods of work are in keeping with the Bible. We advocate voluntary and sacrificial service because it is enjoined by Christ and the apostles. We have confidence in the Bible as a guide to a realistic understanding of the place and work of the Christian in the world. While recognizing the tools of human training and learning, we believe the Bible is a reference to eternal truth which transcends all indefiniteness and obscurity of human thinking. 'If you seek God with all your heart and would not be deceived, do not depend upon men and the doctrine of men, however old, holy and excellent they may be esteemed, for one theologian is against the other, both in ancient and modern times; but build upon Christ and His Word alone, upon the sure teaching and practice of His holy apostles . . (Menno Simons).
The Christian Life as Discipleship. The Christian life is a transformed life, separated from sin and the world and consecrated to good works in imitation of Christ. `And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it' (Matthew 10:38, 39). The inner experience will result in outward expression. Christians not only hear but are also 'doers of the word.' Christian discipleship signifies the total devotion of one's life and possessions to kingdom service. We believe that discipleship includes the welfare of the brotherhood, but more especially an unlimited response and continual outreach to the needs of all mankind, both spiritual and material. 'Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many' (Matthew 20:28). As disciples of Christ we desire to be more conscious of His leading than the number of persons helped, the total tons of clothing distributed, and whether or not our services are recognized and commended by the world. We are convinced that God leads us forth into the needs of the world at all times with all our resources, but at the same time we know that evil will continue in the world and that we dare not be frustrated or relinquish our services when at times it seems to triumph.
Relief and Service, A Christian Witness. As a part of the life and outreach of the Christian brotherhood, relief and service can be a testimony to the redemptive and reconciling power of the Gospel. Because of this conviction, we are concerned about the Christian faith and character of worker personnel. We are equally concerned that the spirit and methods of service and distribution be Christian, that is, that they are spiritual, sympathetic, merciful, without discrimination and without prejudice. This concern also causes us to use Christian insignia and to speak frequently of the motto, 'In the Name of Christ.' In contrast to some other types of relief, we believe it is important that our own workers be present on the field and represented at distributions. Mennonite relief seeks to be humanitarian plus a Christian witness. Mennonite relief, however, is not mission work in the sense of organized, direct evangelistic appeal to man's spiritual need, but rather in the sense that all of the Christian's life and action is a witness to the Gospel. 'Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven' (Matthew 5:16).
The Emphasis on Christian Love and Nonresistance. In common with various other Christian groups, Mennonites share the conviction that Christian love and nonresistance are applicable to all human relationships. This conviction finds its basis in the teaching and example of Christ and the apostles (Matthew 5:38-48; Romans 12:17-21). Hate and violence, whether on the personal or national level, are the antithesis of Christ and the Gospel Relief and service are ways of affirming our good faith in the doctrine of nonresistance in that they provide positive, creative expression of peace and good will. Relief and service are not only a witness to the way of Christian love but they can become a method of overcoming evil, of reconciling an enemy. 'Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good' (Romans 12:20, 21). Real nonresistance, however, is far more than an intellectual concept or even a doctrinal belief to be proved by Scriptural texts; it is part of a way of life which spontaneously reflects the presence of the indwelling Christ. On the relief field and in service projects love and nonresistance often lead to a special concern for despised minorities, neglected persons, prisoners, political outcasts. 'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me' (Matthew 25:40).
The Christian Brotherhood and Mutual Aid. The Mennonite concept of the church is that of a true brotherhood, a community of believers, as contrasted to that of an organization or institution. In the Christian brotherhood no degrees of position exist and there is mutual concern and responsibility for the spiritual and material welfare of each member. The community of believers is necessary to sustain the spiritual life and strength of the believers, to nurture the oncoming generation, to teach new disciples, and to give a corporate witness. We recognize that the brotherhood in itself has no validity except as an instrument of God toward these ends. We believe that we have a primary responsibility, when necessary, to bring relief and service to the brotherhood. 'Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ . . . . As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:2, 10)." -- Harold S. Bender
1987 Update

In August 1985 Robert Burkholder, who was living and working with his wife Jill and their four boys in southern Lebanon, was picked up one morning at their home in Nabatiya by a group of armed men. He was taken to Beirut for interrogation to find out what he was doing as a foreigner in war-torn southern Lebanon. Late that same evening he was released, too late to return home. When he did return to his wife and children in Nabatiya the next day, representatives from all the local fighting factions were there to greet him and welcome him back.

At the annual MCC meeting in January 1985, there was intense discussion about MCC personnel in El Salvador who worked in contested areas as well as in areas controlled by the government. In May of that year Blake Ortman and Susan Klassen, along with a Salvadoran Catholic health worker, were picked up by the military in Cacaopera, a town in the northern transitional area periodically visited by both the army and the "guerrillas." They were taken to the regional army headquarters and eventually to the capital city, San Salvador, for interrogation. They were accused of teaching Marxism and of associating with the "guerrillas." Eventually they were released.

In July 1987 residents of the coastal town of Homoine in northeast Mozambique were massacred by anti-government bandits who killed 424 people in their attack and took another 298 persons, including some infants, as captives. The massacre was witnessed by MCC worker Mark Van Koevering, an agronomist working with the Christian Council of Mozambique, who was in Homoine during the attack. Van Koevering reported that the farmers he worked with were often too terrorized to sleep in their homes, but rather took refuge in fields and irrigation ditches. The massacre created uncertainties about Van Koevering's own return to Homoine, but after consultation and prayer with his African and MCC colleagues, it was decided to support Mark in his return to Homoine. "As a member of the Christian Council of Mozambique," he said, "I represent the Christian church of Mozambique, and in a very concrete way the Christian church worldwide. I am returning to Homoine for only one reason, because we are Christians called by God to serve him and his people. Our action in Homoine is being watched by the government and I believe it will be a powerful witness in the community."

The Mennonite Central Committee is known as the cooperative relief, service, and development agency of North American Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches. The MCC is a Christian resource for meeting human need.

In his article on the MCC above, Harold S. Bender, longtime MCC assistant secretary, traced the development of the Mennonite Central Committee from its origins in 1920, noting the following nine program developments: (1) the original joint Mennonite Famine Relief Program in Russia; (2) the resettlement of Russian Mennonite refugees from Europe to Paraguay in 1930; (3) the War Sufferer's Relief Program during and following World War II in Europe beginning in 1939; (4) the operation of the Civilian Public Service Program in the United States, 1941ff.; (5) the resettlement of Russian and Danzig Mennonite refugees after World War II in Paraguay and Uruguay; (6) development of the °Voluntary Service program for young Mennonites in North America beginning in 1945; (7) development of the Mennonite Mental Health Services Program with establishment of the first mental hospital at Brooklane Farm in Maryland; (8) aid to the Old Colony Mennonitesin Mexico from 1950 to 1956; and (9) development of the I-W alternative service programas a military service alternative beginning in 1952.

Since those earlier beginnings the Mennonite Central Committee has grown into the largest inter-Mennonite organization in the world with a vast variety of organizational relationships and program involvements, from shipping grain provided by the Canadian Food Bank to famine areas in Ethiopia to assistance with the translation and production of Bible commentaries for Christians in the Soviet Union. For many persons in the Mennonite constituencies the worldwide programs of the Mennonite Central Committee have come to symbolize what it means to be an Anabaptist Christian in today's world.

In 1987 the Mennonite Central Committee had more than 1,000 workers serving two- to three-year assignments in some 50 countries, including volunteers and staff in North America. Many times that number served as short or long-term local volunteers —an estimated 5,000 served as volunteers in the 130 MCC SELFHELP Crafts and Thrift Shops (now Ten Thousand Villages) in Canada and the United States. Roughly three-fourths of the long-term staff and two- to three-year volunteers were from MCC constituent groups (Mennonite and Brethren in Christ), and the other one-fourth from a variety of non-Mennonite groups. The largest number of volunteers were in the developing countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and in Canada and the United States. Assignments included agricultural development, water conservation, health education, participation in village health teams, formal and informal education, economic and technical projects, church-related programs, social services, East-West dialogue, and peacemaking. The majority of MCCers worked in long-range development activities. Strengthening the work of local churches and community groups was a priority. Wherever possible volunteers worked closely with local churches as well as with Mennonite and other mission agencies.

Volunteers also provided food and other emergency services to people caught in drought, famine, and warfare. The supporting churches in North America provided the MCC with material aid to help meet the immediate needs of people throughout the world. Mennonites and Brethren in Christ, along with those from other church families, contributed meat (canned in MCC's portable canner), corn, wheat, and beans. They also contributed other gifts in kind, e.g., bedding, clothing, soap, bandages, and school supplies.

The MCC (international) budget in the 1980s totaled nearly 30 million dollars annually, roughly 20 million dollars in cash and 10 million dollars in material aid. Of the cash budget, approximately two-thirds came from the constituency. Other sources of support included the contributed earnings of volunteers, SELFHELP crafts, grants from private or Canadian government agencies, and contributions from Mennonite churches abroad.

MCC programs included SELFHELP crafts, a job creation program that enabled approximately 30,000 artisans in many developing countries to earn at least part of their own living; the International Visitor Exchange program, which brought international young people to North America for a year to promote better understanding; the Child Sponsorship program which made it possible for North Americans to provide assistance for students to attend schools in various locations around the world; and the MCC Peace Office which served as a resource to the international ministries of the MCC.

The Mennonite Central Committee, though involved in a worldwide program, in 1987 was essentially a North American or bi-national organization of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ groups in Canada and the United States. In the United States the MCC representatives were for the most part appointed by the respective Mennonite conferences—Beachy Amish Mennonite, Brethren in Christ, Conservative Mennonite Conference, Emmanuel Mennonite Church (Meade, Kansas, USA), Evangelical Mennonite Conference, General Conference Mennonite Church, Lancaster Conference (MC), Mennonite Brethren, and Mennonite Church (MC). MCC (International) representatives from Canada are selected from the MCC provincial and MCC Canada organizations. The MCC board, which meets annually in January for program review and policy decisions, had 39 members in 1987. The executive committee, which meets four times a year, had six members from Canada and six from the United States. The overseas program administration was centered in the international headquarters offices in Akron, PA, supplemented by overseas services of the MCC Canada. The Mennonite Central Committee Canada offices in Winnipeg, MB, and the Mennonite Central Committee United States offices in Akron, PA, administered North American programs and represented the MCC to its respective constituencies. The provincial and regional offices also served as links from the constituency to the MCC.

As the Mennonite Central Committee has grown in scope and complexity, so have the questions and issues related to its identity, its organization, and its programs in the world. As a bi-national organization that does not presume to represent Mennonites and Brethren in Christ from all parts of the world, the MCC nevertheless seeks in a variety of ways to internationalize its staff and program. Examples are the cooperation with the International Mennonite Organization of European Mennonites, cooperation with the mission and service organizations of the Paraguayan Mennonites, and cooperation with various service and development organizations of Mennonites in countries such as India, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Colombia.

As the introductory stories from Lebanon, El Salvador, and Mozambique suggest, the workers of the Mennonite Central Committee, seeking faithfulness in meeting human need, have also become more involved in complex issues of war and peace, and of international economics and politics. Throughout its history the MCC has had programs in 84 countries. The development from war sufferers' relief, to a variety of service ministries, to long-range agricultural and economic development, has involved the MCC in issues of oppression and injustice. This has also led to considerable disagreement within the constituency and to some groups distancing themselves from especially those program activities which seem to have political entanglements.

Further is the larger and broader emission issue of how Christians, especially Christians from wealthy and politically dominant countries in North America and Europe, should best be present in the world today—in relationships with the poorer peoples of the world and especially also peoples of other cultures, religions, and political commitments. Economic development programs in many parts of the world, especially when unilaterally administered, have fallen into considerable disrepute. Even the traditional Mennonite service stance, when suggesting a paternalistic relationship, is being seriously questioned. In many parts of the world, MCC workers have been emphasizing a "Christian presence" relationship with a strong emphasis on a listening and learning stance, out of which a mutual giving and receiving relationship may develop.

The executive secretaries of the Mennonite Central Committee have been Levi Mumaw, 1920-1935; Orie O. Miller, 1935-1957; William T. Snyder, 1958-1981; Reg Toews, 1982-1984; John A. Lapp, 1985-1996, Ron J. R. Mathies, 1996-2005; Robb Davis, 2005-. The MCC board has been chaired by P. C. Hiebert, 1920-1954; C. N. Hostetter, 1954-68; Ernest Bennett, 1968-1977; Newton Gingrich, 1977-1979; Elmer Neufeld, 1979-1989; Ron J. R. Mathies, 1989-1995; Phil Rich, 1995-1999; Karen Klassen Harder, 1999-. -- Elmer Neufeld

See also Disaster Services; Indian Ministries; Mennonite Christian Service Fellowship of India; Relief Sales; Stichting voor Bijzondere Noden.
Bibliography

The major MCC newsletters in 1987 were Contact, Intercom, Peace Section Newsletter, Washington Memo, and Food and Hunger Notes.

Publications providing additional MCC information are Mennonite Central Committee Workbook, prepared each year for the annual meeting.

See also:

Erb, Paul. Orie O. Miller: The Story of a Man and an Era. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1969.

Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. III, 97-99.

Hiebert, P. C. and Orie O. Miller. Feeding the Hungry: Russian Famine, 1919-1925: American Mennonite Relief Operations under the auspices of Mennonite Centre Committee . Scottdale, PA: Mennonite Central Committee, 1929.

Horst, Irvin B. A Ministry of Goodwill—A Short Account of Mennonite Relief 1939-1949. Akron, PA: MCC, 1950.

The Mennonite Central Committee Story, vols. 1-5. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1980-1988.

Mennonite Quarterly Review 44, no. 3 (July 1970): special Issue.

Unruh, J. D. In the Name of Christ: A History of the Mennonite Central Committee and Its Service 1920-1951. Akron, PA: Mennonite Central Committee, 1952.
Additional Information

Mennonite Central Committee website




Author(s) Harold S. Bender
Elmer Neufeld
Date Published 1987
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