by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach It has been five long years since the terrible war in Syria started. More than 250,000 Syrians have been killed. More than half of Syria’s population have been displaced from their homes, and 13.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Alaa* and his family are just some of the…
By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us… to guide our feet into the way of peace. – Luke 1:78-79 The following is a statement from the executive director of MCC U.S. During this season of Advent, we wait expectantly for the coming of Christ. We long…
Read more An Advent call to generosity, hospitality, peace and love
By Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach On October 5, a 13-year-old boy was on his way home from school in the West Bank when he was shot and killed by an Israeli soldier. Abed al-Rahman Obeidallah lived in Aida Refugee Camp and regularly visited Lajee Center, an organization that provides creative arts programs and summer camps for…
By Anna Vogt In Colombia, Mennonites demonstrate every day that being a peace church means taking concrete actions to stop violence. Colombia has been in armed conflict for over 50 years. Seven million people have been victims of the resulting violence. This violence has been supported in part by Plan Colombia, a multi-billion-dollar military aid…
By Charles Kwuelum In May Nigeria inaugurated a new president, Muhammadu Buhari, who has pledged to use greater military force against the armed group Boko Haram. The U.S government welcomed this approach to “countering violent extremism” by giving increased military assistance to Nigeria. Worthy of note is the fact that northeast Nigeria was already in…
Read more Peace I leave with you: conflict resolution in Nigeria
By Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach Mostafa is 7 years old and lives in Gaza. Last summer a missile from an F16 came through a window and damaged his home. Mostafa and other children tell their stories in a brief video put together by the Culture and Free Thought Association, an organization that provides creative programs for…
By Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach This photo of a Syrian three-year-old boy, who drowned trying to flee to Greece, captured global attention last week. But sadly, he and his family represent just a fraction of the millions of Syrians whose lives have been devastated by the civil war that has now been raging for more than…
MCC Washington Memo 