From: Laura Pauls-Thomas, MCC East Coast <EastCoast@mcc.org>
Date: Mon, Dec 17, 2018 at 12:00 PM
Subject: December Church Announcements from MCC
To: info@gehmanmennonitechurch.org <info@gehmanmennonitechurch.org>
| December 2018 Church Announcements No Images? Click here  New Bulletin Announcements Everence Stewardship University 2019 Join Everence on March 2, 2019 at Calvary Church (1051 Landis Valley Rd. Lancaster, PA 17601) for a series of workshops on stewarding your God-given resources well. Stewardship University courses invite churches and individuals to discover the solutions you need to live a God-honoring life of holistic stewardship. Attend to learn ways your use of the time, talents, money, health and relationships God has given you can enhance and deepen your faith – and make a positive difference in the world! For more information and to register by February 28, visit everence.com/stewardship-university-2019.  Volunteer with SWAP Is your church or small group looking for ways to be the hands of Christ this summer? Sharing With Appalachian People (SWAP), a program of MCC's Great Lakes region, has openings for volunteer groups of all ages. Volunteer groups are an essential component of SWAP's ministry, addressing multiple challenges of low-income families in Appalachia, including home repair and personal need. Please consider forming a group to experience a week at one of three locations in West Virginia or Kentucky. For more information, visit mcc.org/swap or call Angela Maggard at 606-633-5065.  MDS Volunteers needed in Ponce, Puerto Rico Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) is looking for volunteers to go to Ponce, Puerto Rico to help rebuild after Hurricane Maria. Weekly volunteers are needed from January 2019 onwards. At this point (January and February), the work is mostly demolition and hard labor, though skilled labor is always welcome, too. While volunteers are responsible to pay for their own travel costs, MDS does contribute two hundred dollars towards the cost of the plane ticket. To sign up, go to mds.mennonite.net/volunteer-registration-form/ (Please make sure to specify the Ponce location in the comment section of the application). For more information, contact Rolando Flores at RolandoFloresRentas@mcc.org, Jennifer and John Murch at jmurch6@gmail.com, or Deanna Frey at 1-800-241-8111 or dfrey@mds.mennonite.net.  SALT applications are now open! Serve the world and change your life! Serving and Learning Together (SALT) is a year-long, cross-cultural service experience. Through MCC's SALT program, Christian young adults from Canada and the U.S. serve internationally in a wide variety of positions in fields like education, agriculture, health care, information technology, peacebuilding and more! To learn more and apply for SALT, visit mcc.org/SALT.  Open positions Administrator - Sandra Jones Centre (SJC) - Zimbabwe (Stipend): SJC is a center for children in crisis focusing mainly on abused children. The target group is children ages 3-18, but there is also a home for the babies from the girls who were raped and became pregnant as a result. SJC provides a residential care facility for children who have been either abandoned or removed from their home due to abuse. SJC also has vocational skills training for the girls. This position is mostly administrative for the SJC office and also involves writing project proposals and monitoring evaluation reports. It is a three-year position with a June 1, 2019 start date. Director of the MCC United Nations office - NYC (Salaried): The Director of the MCC United Nations Office fosters a Christian pacifist vision at the UN in New York, interprets MCC to the UN and the UN to MCC, and monitors UN policies on behalf of MCC. The Director manages the flow of visitors and information in and out of the office and oversees MCC UN Office staff. The Director also relates to Member State Mission staff and NGOs, according to focus areas. As one of three members of the Advocacy Network, the Director maintains regular contact with the MCC Canada and MCC U.S. Program Directors, MCC Area Directors, Reps, and advocacy offices, for mutual support on common issues. The three Directors of the Advocacy Network - Washington, Ottawa, and UN offices - meet regularly to collaborate on common strategic planning and advocacy agendas. Middle donor coordinator (Salaried): The Middle Donor Coordinator position gives leadership to the day-to-day interactions with specified MCC U.S. donors and represents MCC more broadly. The middle donor engagement program provides personal contact, via phone, email, and notes with donors, and via semiannual MCC project reports to donors who give in a mid-level range. The program includes research and assessment work to determine donor interests and preferences for engagement levels. The position is directed and supervised by the Associate Director of Donor Relations. This position primarily serves the MCC U.S. Donor Relations department, MCC U.S. regional offices and constituents who support MCC programs. To learn more and to view more open positions, visit mcc.org/careers. Ongoing Bulletin Announcements Give the gift of a sewing kit for Christmas Not sure what to give to your artsy, creative loved ones for Christmas this year? Give a sewing kit (or multiple kits) to MCC in their honor! You can empower other creative people who have been displaced from their homes through the gift of a sewing kit which MCC sends to countries that include Iraq, Jordan, Ukraine and Haiti. Sewing skills open doors to additional income that can help a family make ends meet. These kits are often given through MCC-supported programs that teach sewing or tailoring and provide the tools to make and mend clothing or to begin a business. For instructions, shipping information and drop-off locations, visit mcc.org/kits. For more information, contact the MCC East Coast Material Resources Center at EastCoastMRC@mcc.org or call (717) 733-2847. Download the sewing kit flyer.  Between hope and fear: Photos from the U.S.-Mexico borderlands From now through January 12, 2019, visit The Common Wheel in Lancaster, Pa. to learn and understand some of the many facets of human migration via photographs from Laura Pauls-Thomas's trip to the U.S.-Mexico border on a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) sponsored Borderlands Learning Tour in October 2018. This photography exhibit seeks to share the stories of migrants, migrant advocates and organizations who are both directly assisting uprooted people on the U.S-Mexico border and creating options for vulnerable families in Mexico and Central America so they don't have to make the difficult choice to leave home. It asks the viewer to challenge their preconceptions about the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. The Common Wheel (324 N. Queen Street, Lancaster, PA 17602) is open Tuesday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On the first and third Fridays of each month, they are open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. For more information, visit mcc.org/borderlands-photos or call MCC East Coast at 717-738-0885.  Anabaptist high school students can win $750! Do you have a passion for writing about the causes you care about? The MCC Washington Office is now accepting submissions for its annual high school essay contest! This year's topics include gun violence, immigration and North Korea. Anabaptist youth who are of high school age within the U.S. and Puerto Rico are eligible to enter and win up to $750! The deadline for submitting essays is January 25, 2019. To learn more, visit mcc.org/essay-contest.  Donate comforters and blankets to MCC Cold weather is here, and we're all thankful for the comfort of our cozy homes and warm blankets. But for many families who have been forced from their homes due to natural disaster or violence, a colorful handmade comforter or blanket from MCC can bring hope and comfort in the midst of challenging circumstances. MCC is still in urgent need of comforters so that we may respond to the needs of displaced people around the world. Please consider making comforters or purchasing blankets (twin or full size) to donate to MCC. For instructions, shipping information and drop-off locations, visit mcc.org/kits. For more information, contact the MCC East Coast Material Resources Center at EastCoastMRC@mcc.org or call (717) 733-2847. Resources for Church Leaders Practical steps to address gun violence MCC offers these resources to you and your congregation to help you address the issue of violence related to guns:
 "Kits are for Caring" Curriculum MCC has a new curriculum for churches to get children (and people of all ages) excited about collecting relief kits! This curriculum is designed to be ready to use, with everything you need to guide a group of children toward a celebration of sharing God's gifts by collecting material resources for those in need around the world. Contact MCC East Coast at (717) 738-0885 if you need help downloading the PDF files or for more information. |
