Short stuff

“Living in New Ways” is the theme of MCC Ontario’s annual assembly, Nov. 10–11, at Meadow Brook Fellowship, Leamington. Guest speakers include Robb Davis, MCC International executive director.

—MCC Ont.

Serving in Ukraine: This fall, 23 people spent several weeks serving in Ukraine with Disciple Making International (DMI), a program of MBMS International that focuses on door-to-door evangelism. Besides sharing the gospel message with 900 individuals, the team participated in other exciting projects, including providing a water line from the well to the school in one village and purchasing a house that will be renovated for a church. Three church planting clusters have begun in Ukraine – in Zaporozhye, Tomak, and Crimea. MBMS International is seeking workers for long-term service in Ukraine.

—Global Bridge

Have home-on-wheels, will serve: Mennonite Disaster Service is setting up an RV site in Chunchula, Alabama, for retired and semi-retired people who have access to a self-contained recreational vehicle and are interested in assisting in re-construction efforts in the area. Among the crew members of the new RV program are Jake and Verna Martens from Community Fellowship Church in Newton, Man.

—MDS

“Pick one thing and do it.” That’s the advice speaker Steven Bouma-Prediger gave his audience at a creation care conference Sept. 29–30 at Canadian Mennonite University. People should not allow the magnitude of the problems facing the earth to become overwhelming, he said, or try to do everything, or they would become “paralyzed.” He said a good approach to creation care is “travel light, eat right, live well.”

—CMU

November 12 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. This year’s focus regions are Belarus, India, Uzbekistan, and Israel/West Bank and Gaza. More information at the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada website.

—EFC

Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) dedicated a newly-renovated 1,500 square foot office space in Winnipeg, Sept. 19. MDS has grown substantially since the hurricanes of 2005 hit the southern U.S. Gulf coast. Close to 100 volunteers renovated the space over the summer months. Cutting the ribbon with tin snips are (l–r) Lois Nickel, Gord Friesen, and Ben Funk.

MCC News Photo: John Robinson

Two million people have been displaced by the ongoing conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region. This photo of Otash camp, near the town of Nyala, South Darfur, was taken in 2004.