Jeff Heie MA '00 (conflict transformation), project coordinator for the Harrisonburg Gift & Thrift solar project, helps connect Mennonite values to solar energy in this article. The “Thrifty Solar Barn Raising” team was among 170 teams nationwide selected to compete in the US Department of Energy’s Solar In Your Community Challenge, a $5 million contest that supports “innovative and replicable community-based solar business models and programs that will bring solar to underserved communities.” ... read more about How solar energy helps Mennonites with their mission of global relief from Energy News
As a child, I dreamt of seeing an airplane—not even being in it—and regularly begged my father to take me to the airport to see one. These days, I fly to different regions of the world on speaking engagements as a peace and human rights advocate. The countries I have visited include the United States, Turkey, the Netherlands, Cambodia, South Africa and Rwanda, among others.I did not initially aspire to a career in peace, human rights and women and youth empowerment advocacy; I wanted to be a doctor and had successfully completed undergraduate studies in chemistry and biology at the Mother Patern College of Health Sciences, an affiliate of the Stella Maris Polytechnic, in Monrovia, Liberia.Once I began getting involved in peace advocacy, witnessing the international community’s peace efforts in my country, I realised that disarming the fighters was just an aspect of peace; to achieve genuine peace requires reconciliation among the various groups, between young and old, the genders, etc.... read more about Gwendolyn Myers GC ‘ 14 shares her peacebuilding journey for Modern Ghana from Modern Ghana
Six leaders from Mennonite Church USA advocated for peace and justice in Palestine and Israel during congressional visits May 22 in Washington, D.C.
The visit took place just days after Israeli soldiers killed more than 60 largely nonviolent Palestinian protesters May 14 in Gaza, and many of the delegates asked their representatives to respond to this.
“I relayed my deep, deep concern about the situation in Gaza, asking my representatives to take a stand for the rights of Palestinians, and given the significant amount of aid the U.S. provides to Israel each year, to call for an investigation into Israeli military actions,” said Tim Seidel, director of the Center for Interfaith Engagement at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. ... read more about Professor joins MCUSA congressional delegation to advocate for peace in Israel and Palestine from The Mennonite
