Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) staff has donated $5,000 to the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) Global Church Sharing Fund to provide COVID-19 relief to congregations with less access to aid and resources, especially in parts of Africa, Latin America and Asia.
MC USA’s donation is in response to an urgent call for financial assistance from MWC General Secretary César García to aid member congregations that have been especially hard-hit by the pandemic.
In his letter, García wrote that although the initial response to the fund has been a blessing, “We are running out of money to support this initiative, while the need is still growing exponentially and will continue to do so during the coming months.”
According to a recent MWC news release, “pre-conditions in parts of Africa, Latin America and Asia were not advantageous to the arrival of COVID-19: isolation is difficult in crowded living conditions; clean water for hand-washing may be scarce while soap and hand sanitizer are expensive or unavailable; hospitals are not well equipped with tools or staff; informal economies cannot function in lockdown; social safety nets are inadequate or nonexistent.”
“We are part of a global Anabaptist community of faith with a long-standing tradition of mutual aid support,” said Glen Guyton, executive director of MC USA. “This crisis highlights the need for urgent action to cushion the pandemic’s health and economic consequences, protect vulnerable populations and set the stage for a lasting recovery.”
Mennonite World Conference formed a COVID-19 task force with the support of more than 10 global Anabaptist agencies to respond to the needs arising from the pandemic, according to the MWC website.
“There is a great deal of need, both home and abroad, due to COVID-19,” said Guyton, “but God is faithful, and we are extremely blessed as a denomination to be able to sow into the lives of our global family that need our help.”
To donate to the MWC Global Sharing Fund, visit mwc-cmm.org/donate and designate your gift for “COVID-19.”
For a shareable video, visit https://mwc-cmm.org/resources/2020-covid-19-fund-appeal.
Mennonite Church USA is comprised of 16 conferences, approximately 530 congregations and 62,000 members. An Anabaptist Christian denomination, MC USA is part of Mennonite World Conference, a global faith family that includes churches in 86 countries. It has offices in Elkhart, Indiana and Newton, Kansas. mennoniteUSA.org
