100 Candles for MCC

uly 27, 2020,

Good afternoon ,

" Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. "   Matthew 5:7

One hundred years ago today, Mennonite Central Committee was formed in a meeting of different North American Mennonites. The reason was to work together to relieve the suffering of Mennonites who were living in the Russian Empire ( now Ukraine ). The meeting took place at Prairie Street Mennonite in Elkhart Indiana. The meetings took place over the course of two days before they came to agreement to help the Mennonites in Russia. The two main groups, Swiss-German and Russian Mennonites, had never worked together, and were committed to doing this one project of relief. But, they have continued.

Orie Miller was the first Executive director of MCC. He left New York City by ship on September 2, 1920, and arrived in the Ukraine/Crimea in early October. They had stopped in Turkey to buy some supplies for the Mennonites in the Ukraine. Miller wrote in his own diary on October 9th, "They ( the military ) do or attempt very little in the way of relief for the civilian population outside of those in hospitals… Everyone we met though, insists that the worst need, and a need that hardly can be compared with what is here, exists in Alexandrovosk and Chortitiza, the Old Mennonite Colony. Our plan is to proceed to Halbstadt tomorrow ( where my mother was living )…. "

In late 1920, my mom was almost 2, and my dad just turned 4. They lived in two different colonies at the time. My mom left with her family in 1924 to Canada, and my dad's family followed in 1926. Both of their families were helped by the relief supplies that were brought by MCC. On that first trip, three Mennonite men led the journey. Clayton Kratz left Miller to go to some other part of Ukraine, and he was never found again. This first journey of relieving the suffering was not successful, because the war of revolution was still going on. Later trips brought the needed supplies to the right spots. Thank you to Miller, Kratz and Arthur Slagel.

My parents were saved by the relief that came to their communities by MCC. I served with MCC for almost eight years, so I feel that they have always done good work. So, today I celebrate with all the work of MCC throughout the world, with a great big 100th BIRTHDAY MCC !!!

Prayer

Thank you God, for Miller, Kratz and Slagel,

for their passion and endurance

to go halfway around the world to

bring needed relief,

to people who were suffering.

It changed the lives of the people under starvation

and

the people who donated the money

for the effort.

We were all changed in the

blinking of an eye.  

Thanks be to God.                              AMEN.

Fred

Tread on bold new paths !

Fireflies flash the direction

Hope springs eternal           Monica Pieper Landoni 2020

Fred Redekop

Pastor

Poole Mennonite Church