What is Mennonite Central Committee?
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is the relief, development and service arm of the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in Canada and the United States. It was founded in 1920 to respond to the needs of hungry people in the former Soviet Union.
MCC Canada was founded in 1963. Today MCC in Canada is supported by 15 different Mennonite groups and the Brethren in Christ. Of the 550 people who serve with MCC as full-time volunteers, most are located in the developing world. There are about 90 full-time volunteers serving in Canada, as well as hundreds of part-time volunteers.
MCC operates at both a provincial and national level in Canada. There are five provincial MCCs: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. They are independently incorporated, with their own boards of directors. Operations in Quebec and Atlantic Canada are the responsibility of the national office -- MCC Canada -- which also helps coordinate some initiatives with provincial offices.
Communities in need
Wherever Jesus went he responded to the individual needs of people. A blind man was given sight; a sick women was healed; thousands received bread and fish to eat. Jesus left no doubt that the help he offered was only a sign of a much greater renewal. Yet he still responded to the concrete and immediate concerns of the people he met.
In 1998-99, Canadians contributed $12.6 million in resources to MCC for distribution overseas. This included $9.2 million spent on food-related items like beans, seeds, corn, milk, oil, rice and wheat. MCC in Canada quadrupled its shipments of food relief this past year. The largest shipment -- 6,700 metric tonnes of wheat -- went to Bangladesh which was hit by record flooding in 1998. Canadians also sent 9,400 relief kits for victims of Hurricane Mitch and 12,200 kits for Balkan refugees.
In China, MCC has embarked on a poverty alleviation program. Initiatives include micro credit projects, which enable people to expand home businesses, and health and literacy programs. MCC also administers literacy, economic and social programs for poor and disadvantaged conservative colony Mennonites in Canada and Mexico. And in British Columbia, MCC provides education about AIDS, and support services for people affected by the disease.
Dignity and respect
Seeking justice and dignity for all people means helping those who live on the fringes of society both here and abroad. MCC in Canada nurtures economic development initiatives, from helping people on social assistance develop job skills and find work, to helping establish tiny co-ops that assemble bicycles for stores. Internationally, MCC operates Ten Thousand Villages, which purchases crafts from developing world artisans and craftspeople for sale in Canada and the United States.
In Canada, MCC works for justice for Aboriginal peoples. In 1999, MCC began sending a cheque equal to 10 per cent of the electricity bill at its Winnipeg office to a trust fund of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation at Cross Lake. MCC workers helped organize a public inquiry into the effect on northern Manitoba communities of flooding from hydro-electric dams.
The women's concerns program helps give voice to the needs and interests of women within the Mennonite community. MCC helps people with mental illness and disabilities find support, understanding, and a stronger public voice, especially within the church.
MCC speaks out to the Canadian government on issues of dignity and justice through its office in Ottawa, where MCC Canada is a registered lobby organization. MCC's refugee program plays a significant role in helping Mennonite churches sponsor refugee families. Last year about 450 people were settled in Canada with MCC's help, including 250 refugees from Kosovo.
Peacebuilding
As the war in the Balkans raged in the spring of 1999, Jesus' admonition to make peace seemed particularly fitting. Military violence applied to solve tensions between ethnic communities carries no blessing at all, and leads to generations of anger and suspicion.
Given the supporting churches' theology of peace, MCC is deeply committed to finding non-violent resolutions to disputes. Much of the hunger and displacement that people suffer around the world is the result of violent conflict. When conflict can be resolved, or avoided entirely, the need for food, medicines, blankets and other support from outside the community diminishes. The task of developing alternatives to violence and war is often slow and its success not always easy to measure. However, MCC believes that this work offers the most effective long-term resolution of conflict.
Last year in Somalia, MCC supported women from different clans who marched together to protest clan rivalry and killings over natural resources.
In Canada, MCC supports organizations that offer victim-offender mediation and help resolve disputes within communities. A new initiative in this field is the emergence of victims' restorative justice.
Financial statement
The income of Mennonite Central Committee around the world is approximately $85 million. Of this, about $47 million is raised in Canada through auction sales, thrift shops, donations, government grants and the sale of crafts through Ten Thousand Villages stores.
Approximately $15 million of the Canadian income is spent by provincial MCC offices on their programs. This year $33.1 million of Canadian MCC revenue was sent to MCC Canada. The graphs shown here provide further information on the funds received and disbursed by MCC Canada.
For the 1997-98 fiscal year, MCC Canada income was $20.6 million.
MCC Canada is grateful for the financial support of its donors and of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
Who are the Mennonites?
Mennonites trace the origin of their church to the Anabaptist movement in 16th century Europe. They take their name from one of the early leaders, Menno Simons. At the heart of their faith is a belief in the authority of the Bible, following the teachings of Jesus, adult baptism and a commitment to peace and reconciliation.
Although most Canadian Mennonites are descendants of European immigrants, more and more Mennonite churches also include increasing numbers of more recent immigrants -- from Chinese, Vietnamese and Central American traditions -- as well as Aboriginal people. The majority of Mennonite congregations in Canada are found in Ontario and western Canada. Over half of the world's 975,000 Mennonites, however, live in the southern hemisphere.
Brethren in Christ and Mennonites are related historically, but are not the same. Most of the founders of the Brethren in Christ Church in the eighteenth century were Mennonites. In 1788, less than a decade after the group emerged in Pennsylvania, the first of its members arrived in Ontario. The Brethren in Christ combine many elements of Anabaptism with Pietism, which emphasizes a Christian's personal relationship with God.
You make it possible ...
Volunteer at:
- MCC thrift stores.
- Ten Thousand Villages stores.
- Warehouses and offices.
- Community festivals and sales.
- Cyclathons and other fundraising events.
- A social service agency that assists people in your community.
Work overseas
MCC overseas volunteer assignments generally range in length from three to five years. Agriculturists, teachers, administrators and other professionals contribute to the lives of people in other countries, while gaining valuable personal experience.
Support a unique international connection
MCC's Global Family Program provides a way for Canadians to help support education for children in other countries. Exchange programs for youth and young adults from countries around the world encourage cultural interchange.
Your financial support makes a difference
Last year, MCC income around the world as approximately $85 million more than half of which was raised in Canada. Please support MCC by:
- Donating money, goods or grains.
- Shopping at Ten Thousand Villages and MCC thrift stores.
- Buying goods at the annual MCC community festivals and auctions.
For more information about MCC and how you can help, contact the office nearest you at: 1-888-622-6337 http://www.mcc.org.
