Mennonite Central Committee

Summary

Mennonite Central Committee ("MCC") is a relief, service, and peace agency of the North American Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches. The MCC Mission Statement reflects the biblical call to care for the hungry and the thirsty, the stranger and the naked, the sick and those in prison (Matthew 25:35-36).

Overseas MCC is involved in development work such as education, health and agriculture, peace and justice issues, relief work and job creation, among other things. It also operates Ten Thousand Villages, which purchases crafts from developing world artisans and craftspersons for sale in North America.

In North America MCC is involved in immigration and refugee assistance, job creation, work with Native people, people with disabilities, offenders and victims of crime and more. MCC help is offered to all, regardless of race, religion or political orientation. As a relatively small agency, MCC believes it can best serve by looking for people who fallen between the cracks of larger programs.

Contact Information: [ Back to top ]

Organization Details [ Back to top ]

Purpose [ Back to top ]

Mennonite Central Committee ("MCC") is a relief, service, and peace agency of the North American Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches. The MCC Mission Statement reflects the biblical call to care for the hungry and the thirsty, the stranger and the naked, the sick and those in prison (Matthew 25:35-36).

Overseas MCC is involved in development work such as education, health and agriculture, peace and justice issues, relief work and job creation, among other things. It also operates Ten Thousand Villages, which purchases crafts from developing world artisans and craftspersons for sale in North America.

In North America MCC is involved in immigration and refugee assistance, job creation, work with Native people, people with disabilities, offenders and victims of crime and more. MCC help is offered to all, regardless of race, religion or political orientation. As a relatively small agency, MCC believes it can best serve by looking for people who fallen between the cracks of larger programs.

MCC service is motivated by two things: The Bible and Mennonite experience. The Bible calls Christians to serve people who are hungry, thirsty, sick, in prison and strangers (Matthew 25:35-36). This command was expressed by Menno Simons, an 16th century leader from whom Mennonites take their name, who stated that "True evangelical faith cannot lie sleeping, it clothes the naked, it comforts the sorrowful, it feeds the hungry, it shelters the destitute, it cares for the sick, it becomes all things to all men."

Mennonite experience is also a strong motivator. Many Mennonites living in North America today have experienced war, hunger and refugee flight in the former Soviet Union and Europe. This experience causes them to respond compassionately to others who are hungry, caught in war or refugees. One woman sent a cheque to MCC with the following words: "This donation is given in thanks for help we received many years ago. When I was a child in Russia, I was fed by MCC. When my husband was a prisoner of war after World War II, he received help from MCC. We never forgot."

Mission Statement [ Back to top ]

Mennonite Central Committee uses the following to express its mission:


• MCC seeks to demonstrate God's love by working among people suffering from poverty, conflict, oppression and natural disaster.
• MCC serves as a channel for interchange by building relationships that are mutually transformative.
• MCC strives for peace, justice and dignity of all people by sharing our experiences, resources and faith in Jesus Christ.

Program Accomplishments [ Back to top ]

• This past year, MMC worked with local Chadian refugees by supplying food, relief kits, blankets, powdered milk for children and much more.
• MMC is funding an AIDS education and prevention program for Honduran gang members. With support from MCC, Peace and Justice Project, a Honduran Mennonite organization, is training 10 young church members to reach out to gang members by holding workshops on HIV/AIDS prevention. The organization plans to reach 150 gang members in the Honduran state of Atlantida over 18 months.
• MCC works works through Sharing With Appalachian People (SWAP) to bring volunteers to Kentucky and West Virginia to repair homes and learn about the culture and history of the region.
• With training from MCC, concerned citizens in Burundi formed a group of peacemakers called a "peace committee" to help diffuse tensions between militants and betweens frightened communities. MCC also helped form Ministry of Peace and Reconciliation Under the Cross (MIPAREC), and Evangelical Friends organization, which trained many peace committees in Burundi. Through MIPAREC, MCC is supporting 12 Burundian peace committees that are building schools, feeding and sheltering orphans and widows, and serving as conflict mediators in their communities.

  Statement of Faith [ Back to top ]

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  History [ Back to top ]

  MCC held its first official meeting on September 27, 1920. On July 27 of that year 13 church leaders had met in Elkhart, Ind. to talk about how North American Mennonites could respond to the needs of hungry people in the former Soviet Union. MCC's name is a reflection of this coming together of different church groups into one "central" committee. Today MCC is supported by 15 different Mennonite groups and the Brethren in Christ as the relief, development and service arm of the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in Canada and the United States. MCC operates at both a provincial and national level in Canada. MCC Canada was founded in 1963. There are five provincial MCCs: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. They are independently incorporated, with their own boards of directors, and carry the program and fundraising responsibilities in their province. Operations in Quebec and Atlantic Canada are the responsibility of the national office. In the United States, MCC operates at the national and regional levels: East Coast, Great Lakes, Central States, and West Coast.

  Ministry Needs [ Back to top ]

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  Research Analysis

  Transparency Grade [ Back to top ]

  Transparency Grade of : B
  Criteria category	Grade	Other Comments
  Timeliness:	70	10/28/2011 7:35:36 PM: Organization made financial information available greater than 7 ½ months.
  Financial Information:	90
  Foundational Clarity:	100	10/28/2011 7:35:53 PM: Descriptive information was abundant and thorough.
  Level of Cooperation:

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