National Peace & Justice Ministries staff at a recent gathering in Akron, Penn. (from left to right): Jes Stoltzfus Buller, Kirstin De Mello, Saulo Padilla, Tammy Alexander, Kate Parsons, Daniela Lázaro-Manalo and Hannah Markey. Not pictured: Charles Kwuelum. MCC Photo/Brenda Burkholder
The MCC U.S. Washington Office and MCC U.S. National Program teams have officially joined together under the name National Peace & Justice Ministries (NPJM). Recognizing the points of intersection between domestic and international issues and between advocacy and education, this integration allows for natural collaboration. NPJM will work toward policy and societal transformation through engaging with Anabaptist communities, encouraging involvement in advocacy and advocating directly to U.S. policymakers.
The members of National Peace & Justice Ministries are:
The separation wall as seen in Bethlehem, the West Bank. MCC Photo/Emily Loewen
On October 19, the Israeli government designated six Palestinian human rights and civil society groups as "terrorist organizations." For years, Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights and humanitarian organizations have faced an increasingly difficult operating environment in Palestine and Israel. This designation will further impact the ability of civil society organizations to carry out their essential humanitarian, human rights and peacebuilding work.
A bipartisan infrastructure bill was signed into law on Nov. 15. The bill contains funding for a number of climate-related provisions, including $47 billion to help communities prepare for floods, fires, storms and droughts; $73 billion to modernize electricity grids; and $7.5 billion for electrical vehicle charging stations. A democratic-only budget reconciliation bill with funding for additional climate provisions and social programs could pass the House later this month but faces an uncertain path in the Senate.
Wealthy countries promised deeper emissions cuts and additional funding to help those most affected by climate change, but the pledges will not do enough to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Activists, including youth and indigenous leaders, are calling for more decisive action.
The Lusaka Coalition of Community Sewers in Lusaka, Zambia, produced over 48,000 masks for health care facilities and prisons. Photo courtesy of Lusaka Helps
To date, 52% of the world's population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while only 4% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose. Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have introduced an amendment to the fiscal year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that calls for the reallocation of $98 million in funding for the B-83 nuclear bomb to support global vaccine production capacity.
Explore this MCC-sponsored compilation of stories from across the Mennonite Church in the U.S. and Canada that offer "next steps" of reparative justice in response to the Doctrine of Discovery. Created by the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition, Stories of repair includes theological and biblical reflections with questions for congregational study.
A collection of six Sunday school lessons from MCC and Mennonite Mission Network, this resource is designed to help congregations think both theologically and practically about healing from the trauma of war and learning the meaning of Jesus' way of peace.
This fall, the Mennonite studies department at the University of Winnipeg hosted a conference presenting papers that examined the past, present and future of MCC. Many of those presentations touched on the role of advocacy and government relations over the last century. Here is a sampling:
Join us for the 4th and final MCC U.S. Color of Compromise webinar on December 2, 2021, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. EST. Rev. Dr. Velda Love, United Church of Christ Minister for Racial Justice, will share on the complicity of the Church in racism and how all can journey as a witness and transformative presence with God's beloved inclusive global community. Register here.
Murals of migrant families cover the walls of Casa Tochán, a migrant shelter in Mexico City. MCC photo/Kate Parsons
With COVID-19 protocols in place for travel and meetings, two NPJM staff traveled internationally in October. Hannah Markey traveled to Cyprus and Lebanon to attend leadership meetings and visit partners working to improve the lives of displaced Syrian and Palestinian communities. Kate Parsons visited MCC partners in Mexico, including migrant shelters, advocacy organizations and a partner working to recover traditional agricultural techniques.
