The Pennies Were Already There

Produce was spoiling and people in the city were struggling to find food. The pandemic lockdown halted the transport of fresh vegetables from the mountains of the Philippines into the city.

Lakan Sumulong and Lakambini Mapayapa (Dann and Joji Pantoja), International Witness Workers, shared that night on Zoom with their friends in Leamington, ON their dream of buying a dehydrator. A dehydrator would preserve vegetables, as well as dry coffee beans for future economic stability for PeaceBuilders Community Inc. in the Philippines. 

Due to the overwhelming response, Leamington United Mennonite and Mennonite Church Canada have increased the project to include the purchase of a truck to haul those vegetables from the mountains to the dehydrator. The whole project will be just under $40,000. 

Seeking Placement While in a Pandemic

“We sure didn’t go into this thinking we’d have a pandemic to deal with,” said Terry Martin, member of Zion Mennonite Fellowship, Elmira, ON. “We had to think differently and find new ways to make it happen.”

Zion Mennonite Fellowship was looking for a pastor when the pandemic hit. They filled out their congregational profile and submitted it to the MCEC office knowing that there were more placements needing pastors, than pastors who could fill them. MCEC continues to work with congregations and pastors during the pandemic in that important process of introduction and placement.

Walking Together in Ministry

When it came time for Jonathan Abrham (Yoni) to choose a mentor relationship in the TiM program, both he and Jim Loepp Thiessen, pastor at Floradale Mennonite Church, saw it as a natural way to extend their support of each other.

TiM provides a three-year formational experience for beginning pastors or pastors new to MCEC, jointly funded as a partnership between congregations and MCEC. A part of that process pairs TiM pastors with an experienced pastor as a mentor.