MCC.
“We need that hope.”
Rick Cober Bauman shares thoughts on hope and resurrection ahead of Easter.
Virtual Visit for Churches
Mennonite Central Committee is hosting a virtual visit to unpack a new, free resource called A Guide For Responding to Congregational Sexual Harassment and Abuse. This guide is a practical resource intended to help congregations respond to cases of sexual harm not involving leaders or children. The guide is informed by the principles of survivor-centred care, recognizing that when the needs of those harmed are prioritized there is a greater likelihood for healing and restoration.
The virtual visit on Wednesday April 27th at 12pm MST is intended for church members and leaders to learn benefits of this framework and how to best implement it in your congregation. The presentation will allow lots of time for questions. You can register for the webinar here.
The policy can be found on the MCC Abuse Response and Prevention website.
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MCC church partners in Ukraine supply essential local care
Try to imagine hearing air raid sirens scream out their warning. In your panic, you seek shelter. Your freezing fingers remind you of the warm coat you’ve forgotten back home. Or maybe you pack the car full of blankets and food, planning to flee to a safer location. You hope you won’t get stuck in a kilometres-long line at a checkpoint. But as your child runs a fever, you realize you didn’t pack any medicine.
These are the kinds of stories Linda Herr, MCC area director for Europe and the Middle East, is hearing from MCC partners and staff in Ukraine every time she picks up her phone. But amidst the incredible hardships Ukrainians are facing, she also hears stories of communities coming together in extraordinary ways.
Herr says that MCC partners in Ukraine are already meeting essential and immediate needs on the ground where they are.
“We are seeing a very local response,” says Herr. “Many of our partners are taking funds that would have been used for local projects that can’t happen now and they’re buying food, medicine, blankets, mattresses—anything and everything that people need.”
Article by Jason Dueck. Read the rest of the article here.
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When faith and pain lead to service
From a young age, Lynette Madrigal said she has always felt a sense of God’s presence. Fostered by the religious practices of her Catholic family, she learned to pray and to trust that God was always with her.
Her faith sustained her as she dealt with the uncertainties of being the child of immigrant parents in California. Like many undocumented migrants in non-sanctuary cities, her parents were always alert because the threat of deportation was real.
The possibility of being separated from her family was frightening, Madrigal said.
But she also has many fond memories of the tight-knit community where she grew up. Most of her friends were children of undocumented parents. They all knew each other and had fun together in the neighbourhood, at the babysitter, in the olive groves and at school.
But, every time her mother didn’t come to pick her up from daycare by 5 p.m., she said was convinced her mother had been deported. “I do remember growing up having this deep anxiety, deep anxiety that I wasn’t going to see my mom again.”
Article by Linda Espenshade. Read more here.
CMU.
Spring at CMU 2022 program premieres on April 10, 7:00 PM CDT. View it at that time or when most convenient for you. Hear reflections from CMU students, faculty, and alumni and engage the CMU story. Choral performances by CMU’s ensembles. Click here.
Canadian School of Peacebuilding, June 6-10; 13-17. Registration is open for courses taught by local, national, and international peacebuilders to serve practitioners, professionals, activists, students, non-governmental organizations, and faith-based groups. Click here.
Employment Opportunity. CMU is seeking a full-time Admissions Counsellor to recruit students for its undergraduate program. Visit cmu.ca/employment for further details.
Need Housing? CMU is looking for long-term renters for furnished one-bedroom apartments (12-month lease), and short-term renters for guest room accommodations or other suites (three months or less). Internet and utilities are included. For rates and information email rental@cmu.ca.
Volunteer Opportunities. CommonWord Bookstore is currently looking to fill two volunteer positions: Friday Afternoon Customer Service Assistant (1 person, in-store) and Data Entry Assistant (multiple persons, off-site). Join the team and help resource the wider church! For more information click here.
2022 Outdoor Way of the Cross—Video Presentation – Good Friday, April 15
The 42nd annual Outdoor Way of the Cross invites people to think about the relevance and importance of the Gospel message in our world today around the theme “Awaken to Grace: Embracing the World in Its Hurts.”
Due to continuing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s walk will be presented virtually, in video format. The video will include six stations, and each station will offer a reflection on an aspect of the overall theme that highlights both a challenge and a source of hope, woven together with music. The video will premiere at 10:00 a.m. on Good Friday here. It will also be available for the public to watch any time on the Way of the Cross website. Search “Good Friday Outdoor Way of the Cross Edmonton” or use this link.
For more information, contact Marguerite Watson at 780.221.9205 or marguerite.watson@telus.net.