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A program aimed at helping low-income people in Mexico start their own businesses received $8,000 US through a Jan. 29 fundraiser held at Franconia (Pa.) Mennonite Church and sponsored by Mennonite Economic Development Associates and the Franconia Mennonite Conference. The funds will go to support Micro MEDA Mexico (MMM) in Mexico City. Like MEDA’s ASSETS programs in the US, MMM will teach students about bookkeeping, taxes, legal issues, marketing and business plans. The first MMM classes are scheduled to begin in April in Hermanos en Cristo Mennonite Church in Mexico City. Mennonite churches in Mexico had asked MEDA to help them improve the economic well-being of their members and people in the community. MMM is supervised by a committee comprised of seven Mexico City Mennonite church members, including three pastors. The goal of the program is to have 60 graduates by the end of the first year. – Mennonite Economic Development Associates
In the wake of two major earthquakes that shook El Salvador Jan. 13 and Feb. 13, and with the rainy season only a few weeks away, Salvadorans need basic hygiene supplies to prevent the spread of contagious diseases and maintain health and hope. Mennonite Central Committee is requesting 5000 relief kits for distribution to the most needy families. Around 300 similar kits from in-stock supplies have already been shipped and are being distributed by MCC partners. Each relief kit should contain
- 4 bars of soap
- 1 plastic bottle of shampoo (450-830 ml.)
- 10 cups of powdered laundry detergent (double-bagged in resealable 4-litre plastic bags)
- 1 squeeze-tube of toothpaste (minimum 130 ml.)
- 4 adult-size toothbrushes (in packaging)
- 4 new bath towels (medium weight, not white)
- 1 hairbrush, 1 wide-tooth comb, 1 fingernail clipper
- 1 box of adhesive bandages (minimum 40, assorted preferred)
- 1 package of 18-24 sanitary pads (thin maxi or ultra thin)
- 1 envelope with a $10 cheque (US funds) payable to MCC
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The money will be used for shipping and to purchase a Spanish-language Bible. For the location of the nearest collection centre, phone toll-free (877) 517-5673. If more than 5000 kits are received, they will be placed in inventory for future disasters. MCC is also accepting funds for reconstruction of up to 300 houses. Additional information about MCC’s work in El Salvador can be found on its Web site, www.mcc.org. – Mennonite Central Committee
Delores and J. Stanley Friesen of Fresno, Calif. have been asked by Mennonite Central Committee to assist in developing a long-term strategy for responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. The Friesens left for Africa Feb.19. They will visit Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia over three months and then will make recommendations to MCC. MCC workers in some African countries already are involved in HIV/AIDS education, prevention and treatment and in care of orphans who lost parents to the disease. Most of these work with African faith-based organizations. The Friesens work in counselling, education and mission consulting. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to have the majority of HIV/AIDS cases. At least 12 million Africans have already died of AIDS-related conditions. The United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS estimates that in 2000 the HIV virus infected 11 people each minute worldwide. – MCC
Canadians looking to volunteer their services with Mennonite Disaster Service will soon be able to make contact with the relief organization via an extension office in Winnipeg. The MDS binational board Feb. 8 approved a proposal to hire an additional staff person by May 2001 and open an extension office in Winnipeg. The extension of the binational office is not meant to create two national MDS organizations, but allows MDS to be more efficient and effective when working with Canadian volunteers, who represent 47% of all MDS long-term volunteers. Final approval and placement of long-term volunteers will still take place at the binational office in Akron, Pa. Mennonite Central Committee offices in Winnipeg will no longer be responsible for handling MDS inquiries. – MCC
The Iraqi government of President Saddam Hussein decided in January to donate 100 million euros ($94 million US) to poor Americans, the official Iraqi News Agency said. The INA further stated that an Iraqi commission would be formed to supervise distribution of the money and that “30 million Americans are below the poverty level”. In January, Hussein pledged 1 billion euros to Palestinians to aid their uprising against Israeli occupation. – Christian Courier
Two programs supported by Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) recently received awards. MEDA’s Community Bank Program in Haiti received the Pro-Poor Innovation Challenge award from The Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest, a consortium of 27 donor agencies. The award is worth $50,000 US. The Bank Program was particularly praised for its well thought out training programs in literacy and business skills. Begun in 1997, the Program now operates 22 banks in rural parts of Haiti. In Pennsylvania, ASSETS Lancaster was among 10 non-profit organizations recognized as being most innovative by the Central Penn Business Journal. The award, which included a prize of $2,500 US, was given at the second annual Non-Profit Innovation Awards luncheon in Harrisburg, Pa. ASSETS was established in 1995 to help low-income people start their own businesses; over 75% of graduates who have started a business are still in business today. MEDA has eight ASSETS programs in the US. – MEDA
Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches (NCC) in the US, in November withdrew his support of “A Christian Declaration on Marriage”, fearing that his endorsement would hurt homosexuals. The declaration urges churches “to reduce the divorce rate and increase the marriage rate”. It defines marriage as a “holy union of one man and one woman to build a loving, life-giving, faithful relationship that will last a lifetime.” The declaration was originally a joint effort of the NCC, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Southern Baptist Convention. Kevin Mannoia, president of the NAE, spearheaded the declaration. At a Nov. 14 news conference announcing the declaration, reporters’ questions focused almost exclusively on homosexual marriages, which are not mentioned in the document. Edgar was not present during the drafting of the declaration and later reversed his position at the urging of gay lobby groups within the 36 denominations which make up the NCC. His reversal in turn angered orthodox groups within the NCC. – Christianity Today
Mennonite Savings and Credit Union, based in Waterloo, Ont., recently allocated $22,500 in grants to seven non-profit organizations in Ontario through its Charitable Fund: Grace-Lao Mennonite Church, for the purchase of a new furnace; Eagle’s Wings Ministries, for the purchase of a van; House of Friendship, for the development of two new computer labs; Shalom Counselling, Leamington, for new programs; Hidden Acres Camp, for a new drinking water supply; Aylmer and Area Inter-Mennonite Community Council, for the development of a Low German radio station; and Mennonite Central Committee Ontario, for a study on youth-based missions and service. MSCU serves members of Mennonite, Amish and Brethren in Christ churches in Ontario. – Mennonite Savings and Credit Union
The Assemblies of God was the fastest-growing denomination in the US in the year 2000. According to the National Council of Churches’ 2001 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, the Pentecostal denomination grew 1.9% in 2000, adding 48,719 members. The Roman Catholic Church grew 0.6%. The Southern Baptist Convention grew by 0.7%, adding 122,400 members. The Roman Catholic Church continues to be the largest denomination in the US, with 62 million members. Second largest is the 15.8 million-member Southern Baptist Convention. The Assemblies of God is the 10th largest denomination, with 2.5 million members. – Evangelical Press News Service
The Kansas Board of Education voted 7-3 in favour of restoring the theory of evolution to a central place in the state’s science curriculum. In 1990, the Board voted 6-4 to de-emphasize evolution, but the media called the Board ignorant. Evolution was a major issue during last year’s election, and two anti-evolution Board members were defeated. The newly adopted guidelines do not allow for critical examination of the theory of evolution or the presentation of evidence contradicting it. – EPNS
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Last modified March 30, 2001.
© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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