MENNONITE COMMUNITIES

Mennonite Communities

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Introduction

Mennonites are a Christian denomination of the Anabaptist line who arose from the teachings of Menno Simons. They follow the Bible closely, and apply it to all their daily life. Separation from worldly trends and fashions, if they are seen to be in violation to God's word, is the standard - although there are conservative and more liberal groups within the Mennonites. They do not practice separation to the extent that the related Amish people do, and have strong evangelistic ministries and missions. Conservative Mennonites are sometimes referred to as the 'Plain People' in reference to their simple style of dressing and living. (Smith 2006)

Discussion

Discipleship is a main belief held by the Mennonites. They believe that a person's faith must be active, and expressed every day through one's own actions. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is an organization whose commitment is to show God's love to the rest of the world, by working with those afflicted due to poverty, oppression, and natural disaster(Scott 2006). The organization was formed as a result of a meeting held on the 27th of September, 1920. This meeting discussed the ways in which North American Mennonites might be able to respond to the needs of the people in the Soviet Union. Today, MCC strives to achieve goals such as peace, justice, and dignity for all people of this world, by sharing their love and faith in Jesus Christ. MCC continually and relentlessly lives out its commitment of showing God's love to those in need better than any other organization similar to it.

One example of how MCC is carrying out its mission is through the work done by their non-profit organization, Ten Thousand Villages. This program, which has been operating around the world since 1946, "provides vital, (Mennonite 2004)fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America." Much of human suffering occurs because of unjust situations of exploitation and problems within social systems. Ten Thousand Villages works together with underprivileged artisans in underdeveloped countries such as Bolivia, Haiti, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam to offer a "livelihood with dignity" for these workers. These people would otherwise be unemployed or highly underemployed. Through Ten Thousand Villages, MCC achieves social justice for these people by selling their handmade crafts fairly, in order that the artisans will earn the money they deserve. In this way, MCC is expressing God's love through Ten Thousand Villages and their acts of fair trade.

Not only is MCC demonstrating God's love to the needy living in third world countries, but it is fulfilling their mission within the communities of North America as well. As of January 2004, (Mennonite 2004)when a new thrift store opened in Regina, Saskatchewan, there are over one hundred MCC Thrift Shops throughout the entire continent. Because of these many thrift stores in Canada and the United States, people not as well off as others are able to purchase inexpensive, affordable clothing items that were generously ...