From: Laura Pauls-Thomas, MCC East Coast <EastCoast@mcc.org>
Date: Tue, Mar 19, 2019 at 2:48 PM
Subject: March Church Announcements from MCC
To: info@gehmanmennonitechurch.org <info@gehmanmennonitechurch.org>
| March 2019 Church Announcements from MCC No Images? Click here  Information for church leaders and congregations: These monthly updates are shared so that you are aware of events and information from Mennonite Central Committee and our partners. We encourage you to share these announcements with your church leaders and congregation through email, a weekly printed bulletin, a monthly newsletter, Sunday morning announcements, your church website, or social media. Use your discretion and share what your congregation will find helpful. New Bulletin Announcements Local volunteers needed The MCC office in Akron, Pa. has an ongoing need for volunteer drivers and housekeeping volunteers. Volunteer drivers use MCC vehicles to pick up and drop off MCC staff and guests at airports and train terminals, most often driving to Harrisburg and Philadelphia. We would also love to have one or more volunteers who would help with ongoing housekeeping needs at the MCC Welcoming Place campus in Akron. You would volunteer at times that fit your schedule. Please contact Tina Mast Burnett at TinaMastBurnett@mcc.org or call (717) 859-1151.  Donate towels and soap to MCC It's almost time for spring cleaning! As you buy new cleaning supplies for the next season, consider donating soap and towels to MCC so that we can meet the needs of our partners around the world. Soap and towels are useful items in many situations. New bars of bath or laundry soap are welcome, and please note that Zote is the preferred brand of laundry soap. Please leave it in the wrapper. Towel donations should include new bath and hand towels: Good quality, dark or bright colors, medium weight preferred. Washcloths are not needed. For more information, visit mcc.org/kits or contact the MCC East Coast Material Resources Center in Ephrata, PA, at (717) 733-2847 or email EastCoastMRC@mcc.org.  Open positions Human Resources Specialist for Latin America and Caribbean (LACA) (Stipend): This individual will work in very close coordination with MCC Human Resources (HR) departments in Canada and the United States and MCC leadership in LACA to help hire, train and support personnel for the seven MCC program offices in the region. The position is based in Managua, Nicaragua and supports offices located in Mexico, Haiti, Guatemala (also with personnel in El Salvador), Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia (also with personnel in Ecuador) and Bolivia. The LACA HR specialist will support country representatives and area directors with personnel in the region (120 workers on average) and will focus on supporting those who are not fluent in English. The deadline to apply is April 5, and the preferred start date is July 15, 2019. Country Representative (Rep) for India (Stipend): This is a five-year leadership position in which the MCC Representative(s), either a single individual or married couple sharing the role, will provide leadership to MCC's work and witness in the India program. The Rep is responsible for administration of the India country program, including projects, staff, and office. This includes leading strategic direction planning processes, managing the country budget, supervising partner relationships, holding the official relationship with government offices and networking with other agencies and organizations, providing overall supervision for staff, and participating in regional leadership team meetings. This position will involve a lot of travel within India, much of it on overnight trains, and also some international travel. The start date is July 15, 2019. Learning and Evaluation (Operating Principles) Coordinator (Salaried): This coordinator is responsible to ensure that analytical tools are developed and identified for use by program staff related to all of MCC's 8 Operating Principles at all stages of participatory planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting (PMER) processes. These Operating Principles are: Serve in the Name of Christ; Accompany the Church and Partners; Act Sustainably; Build Just Economic Relationships; Connect Peoples; Dismantle Oppression; Practice Nonviolence; and Seek a Just Peace. The person in this role will also help develop and offer trainings, tools, and resources for staff and partners which relate specifically to the PMER process as well as specifically to help with Dismantling Oppression and Acting Sustainably. The potential start date is April 1, 2019. To learn more and to view more open positions, visit mcc.org/careers. Ongoing Bulletin Announcements NYC Native American Learning Tour On April 23 and 24, 2019, join MCC East Coast on a Native American Learning Tour to learn about the history of social and economic exploitation of Indigenous people beginning with the 1626 $24 purchase of Manhattan. It will begin with a walking tour of historical sites including two 1643 massacre sites. Then it will trace the unfolding of the history of European settlement in the Americas that is rooted in the Doctrine of Discovery, a history of European exceptionalism which resulted in loss of Native land, slavery and economic exploitation of both Natives and slaves alike. This day and a half tour will connect the dots illustrating the interwoven link between land, race, finance and theology. Please note that participants must be able to walk 2 city miles comfortably. We will be using public transportation between sites. Spots are limited! To register by April 1, visit mcc.org/native-american-nyc or contact Curtis Book, MCC East Coast peace & justice coordinator, at CurtisBook@mcc.org for more information.  Pipeline to Prison Learning Tour More people are incarcerated in the U.S. than in any other country in the world, and within those people, people of color are disproportionately affected by mass incarceration. From April 29 to May 3, 2019, join MCC for a Pipeline to Prison Learning Tour at MCC's Welcoming Place in Akron, Pa. to learn about mass incarceration in the U.S. The tour will include visits to prisons and agencies working with incarcerated people and returning citizens in Philadelphia, Reading, Lancaster and Harrisburg. Through this learning tour, participants will increase awareness of the pipeline to prison cycle and be equipped to break the cycle through spiritual renewal and life skills training. The tour will also address how to accompany current and formerly incarcerated people through the judicial system and give churches the tools to lower recidivism through networking in their community. For more information and to register by April 5, visit mcc.org/pipeline-prison or contact Curtis Book, peace and justice coordinator for MCC East Coast, at 717-738-0885 or CurtisBook@mcc.org.  2020 Alumni Reunions at the Welcoming Place MCC welcomes alumni to host reunions at the Welcoming Place in Akron, Pennsylvania in 2020 as we celebrate our 100th anniversary. To see if a reunion is already scheduled for the country where you served or to organize a reunion, call 888-563-4676 or contact alumni@mcc.org.  Volunteer groups, individuals and summer staff needed for SWAP program Summer will be here before we know it, so make your summer plans now to join Sharing With Appalachian People (SWAP) program in Kentucky or West Virginia. Don't miss out on your chance to serve with this home repair ministry while learning about life in Appalachia. Groups or individuals can volunteer to serve as week-long volunteers. SWAP is also looking for summer staff to serve as job site coordinators and meals coordinators/cooks for three month assignments. For more information about bringing a group to SWAP or serving as summer staff, visit mcc.org/swap or contact Angela Maggard at AppalachiaAdmin@mcc.org or (606) 633-5065.  SALT applications are still being accepted! 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. Download and share these SALT posters Resources for Church Leaders Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2019: Troubling the Waters for the Healing of the World In 2019, we gather at a time in which people of faith and conscience are again called to stand in the prophetic stream of those who have come before us, those who were not afraid to stir up #GoodTrouble for the sake of God's kingdom. Join this year's Ecumenical Advocacy Days conference, held just outside Washington, D.C., the first weekend in April. In addition to the conference's great plenary speakers and worship times, MCC staff are helping to plan workshops on the root causes of migration, migrant caravans, the environmental impact of border walls and climate finance. Ecumenical Advocacy Days is a movement of the ecumenical Christian community, and its recognized partners and allies, grounded in biblical witness and our shared traditions of justice, peace and the integrity of creation. Our goal, through worship, theological reflection and opportunities for learning and witness, is to strengthen our Christian voice and to mobilize for advocacy on a wide variety of U.S. domestic and international policy issues. Register today for this unforgettable opportunity. For more information, visit advocacydays.org.  MCC giving projects for your VBS curriculum Want to integrate MCC into Vacation Bible School at your church? We've compiled a list of suggested MCC giving projects based on a number of popular 2019 VBS curricula. Visit our website to see the list we put together and help your VBS experience go farther in making an impact on the world.  Who Cares About Climate Change? Pastor's Retreat Most of us do care about climate change, but we're busy with concerns that seem more pressing or we feel overwhelmed in the face of this complex problem. How does the Gospel of Jesus Christ move us toward hope and caring responses? Join other pastors, retreat leader Doug Kaufman and local presenter Lawrence Jennings on May 3 - 4, 2019 at Camp Deerpark in Cuddebackville, NY, to discuss this topic. A pastor's voice can play an important role in working toward climate solutions and have a unique ability to guide others through the theological and emotional process of reconciling world views challenged by scientific discoveries. Join other pastors in wrestling with what you might have to offer conversations around climate change. This event is FREE to Anabaptist pastors. (Other pastors pay $225.) Register online here: mennocreationcare.org/pastoral-retreats Download and share the event flyer This event is co-supported by Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions (a partnership between Eastern Mennonite University, Goshen College, and Mennonite Central Committee) and Mennonite Creation Care Network. |
