MCC canned meat eases economic hardship in U.S.

Jun 1, 2020 by and

Oxford Circle Christian Community Development Association program director Alfred Essandoh, executive director Pearl Wang-Herrera and program operations assistant Magaly Hernandez take a break from organizing MCC food boxes and canned meat March 25 at their office in northeast Philadelphia. — Rudi Niessen/MCC

Meat canned by Mennonite Central Committee has traveled around the world, and now it’s hailing a taxi in New York City. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., Mennonite Central Committee U.S. is...

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Groups respond to pandemic’s fiscal challenges

Apr 27, 2020 by and

Less than a month after the COVID-19 pandemic led to cancellations and closures in communities big and small, Western District Conference of Mennonite Church USA established a “Hope Fund” to help...

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History: For periodicals, change is normal

Feb 10, 2020 by

John F. Funk, who founded Herald of Truth, which merged with Gospel Witness to create Gospel Herald. — Mennonite Church USA Archives

Last year ended with the news that two Mennonite magazines — Mennonite Brethren Herald of the Canadian MB Conference and Beacon of the CMC, formerly Conservative Mennonite Conference — were ceasing...

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Reunion, divisions

Dec 9, 2019 by

As a Franconia Mennonite Conference native, I was deeply gratified to read that the dec­ades-long effort to reconcile with Eastern District Conference will be completed in 2020. When I was born in 1937, the...

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Kriss: The Spirit in the details

Nov 25, 2019 by

Stephen Kriss

Over the last few months of the reconciliation process of Eastern District Conference and Franconia Mennonite Conference, I have grown to better understand the idea that “the devil is in the...

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Adjusting the dreams

Nov 11, 2019 by

The reunion of Franconia and Eastern District conferences does more than simplify the map of Mennonite Church USA. Healing a 172-year split, it revives a 19th-century vision of unity and shows ­how new...

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Franconia, Eastern District mend a 172-year split

Nov 4, 2019 by and

Perkasie (Pa.) Mennonite Church associate pastor Jessica Miller holds the stone her congregation is taking home. Each congregation will paint their stone and return it next year for the first assembly of the reconciled conference. — Cindy Angela

A history of division became a future of unity when Franconia Mennonite and Eastern District conferences held reconciliation votes Nov. 2 during joint assemblies at Souderton (Pa.) Mennonite Church. The vote...

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Churches leave conference, stay with MC USA

Sep 2, 2019 by and

In an effort to be part of Mennonite Church USA, six congregations in Florida have decided to leave Southeast Mennonite Conference and intend to join Franconia Mennonite Conference. A church plant that was in...

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Franconia, Eastern District move toward reconciliation

Nov 26, 2018 by

Delegates from Franconia Mennonite Conference and Eastern District Conference gather Nov. 2-3. — Andrew Huth/Franconia Conference

SOUDERTON, Pa. — A historic worship service marked a step toward the possible reconciliation of Eastern District and Franconia Mennonite conferences in 2020. The service at Souderton Mennonite Church was...

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Franconia, Eastern District move to unite

Dec 4, 2017 by and

Members of the Exploring Reconciliation Reference Team explain their final report at the joint assembly of Franconia Mennonite Conference and Eastern District Mennonite Conference, Nov. 3-4 at Dock Mennonite Academy in Souderton, Pa. — Franconia Mennonite Conference

Franconia Mennonite Conference and Eastern District Conference may unite by November 2019, ending a 170-year separation. At the two Mennonite Church USA conferences’ joint assembly Nov. 3-4 at Dock Mennonite...

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