About MCC

Following World War I, Mennonite communities in the Ukraine were starving. They sent delegates to Mennonite churches in the U.S. to ask for aid. The plight of their fellow Mennonites prompted the response of several Mennonite conferences to send many containers of canned beef. Aid was shared with non-Mennonite neighbors as well and soon 25,000 people a day were served rations from 1922-1925. Later, farm equipment was shipped to replace horses that were stolen during the war. Thus began the work of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC).

In 1939, MCC provided relief to Poland and soon after to England and France. Peter J Dyck, who received food rations as a boy living in Ukraine, became a central figure with MCC and was instrumental in helping Mennonite refugees streaming through the Netherlands.

MCC’s aid and development programs grew to the current level of serving communities in over 50 countries. Offering “relief, development and peace in the Name of Christ” continues to be the goal of Mennonite Central Committee. The supplies that MCC sends around the world offer comfort to families facing disaster or crisis. It is a tangible way to share God’s love and compassion, reminding people that they are not forgotten.

MCC is also involved in North America working with indigenous peoples, immigration, victims and offenders of crime, environmental care, people with disabilities, peace education and more. Mennonite Central Committee is an accredited charity of the Better Business Bureau and registered as a nonprofit charitable organization in both the US and Canada.

Mission

MCC, a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches, shares God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice. MCC envisions communities worldwide in right relationship with God, one another and creation.

Goals

1. Caring for the lives and futures of uprooted and other vulnerable people.
2. Providing water, food and shelter first in times of hunger, disaster and conflict, then education and ways to earn income.
3. Working with churches and communities to prevent violence and promote peace and justice.
4. Investing in opportunities for young people to serve in Canada, the US and around the world.
5. Serving with humility and in partnership to meet local needs with local solutions.

MCC in Millersburg

IVEP – The International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP) is a yearlong work and cultural exchange opportunity for young, Christian adults. Coming from more than 25 countries around the world to volunteer in the US or Canada, participants live with a local family, and strive to build understanding across cultures.

 

2017-2018: Rocky from Bangladesh

Values

In all MCC programs, we are committed to relationships with local partners and churches. As an Anabaptist organization, we strive to make peace a part of everything we do. When responding to disasters MCC works with local groups to distribute resources in ways that minimize conflict. In development work we plan with community and church groups to make sure the projects meet local needs. MCC advocates for policies that will lead to a more peaceful world.