Planting Seeds For the Future: Re-Indigenizing Agriculture
The Vicente Guerrero group, in collaboration with EPIC and Mennonite Men, is spearheading an innovative project. By recovering prehispanic practices, the group is helping their community address several complex challenges, such as food insecurity, climate extremes, loss of biodiversity, and exclusion of women and youth. In the fight to mitigate climate change, 'metepantle' systems will be fundamental!
Mennonite Men welcomes Jon Zirkle to co-leadership role
Mennonite Men is excited to welcome Jon Zirkle to leadership as co-director of U.S. Mennonite Men with Steve Thomas. Jon has been on the board of Mennonite Men for past two years and involved with the work of JoinMen for men's growth and JoinTrees for creation care.
Jon brings a background in agriculture, land conservation, not-for-profit leadership, environmental education, and theological training. Jon is a member of Assembly Mennonite Church in Goshen where he helped form a men's group. He has an MA in Plant and Soil Science from University of Vermont and is a recent graduate of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary with a M.A. in Christian Formation.
Read more HERE.
Now available: Worship Resources for Trees of Life: Hope for God's Earth
Both the US and Canada designate days each spring to plant trees and celebrate ecological awareness. These present a good opportunity to celebrate and plant trees for creation care and climate action. Trees are the best, most cost-efficient natural climate solution. Trees not only sequester carbon, cool the planet, and slow climate change, but support biodiversity and provide an array of amazing other benefits. This packet provides worship resources for congregations who wish to focus on trees of life in the ecology of God's creation. Download it here.
Mennonite Men work in Palestine
Participate in a pair of programs to support the work of peace in Palestine. Mennonite Men and MennoPIN will partner to:
Raise funds to replace olive trees in Palestine
Help MennoPIN and our JoinTrees campaign raise $50,000 to replace thousands of olive trees and enable Palestinian families to remain on their land.
Travel to Palestine & Israel
A two-week sojourn in Palestine and Israel, February 12-27, 2025, will include time to plant olive trees, meet Palestinian peacemakers, and connect the land to Jesus' way of peace.
2023 Annual Report now available
Mennonite Men's 2023 Annual Report is available toprovide a summary of our recent work. Find the four-page report at HERE.
Order Living that Matters: Honest Conversations for Men of Faith
Do you wonder what it means to be a man? Do you desire to grow? Want something more? Long for a life that matters? Seek to make a difference in the world? If so, Living That Matters may be for you or your group. This practical handbook is a guide to help individuals and groups engage in honest conversations on what matters most for men—with a focus on following Jesus, forming community, and building peace.
With over 60 years of combined experience in pastoral ministry and social work geared toward men, authors Steve Thomas and Don Neufeld offer many short reflections to help individuals and groups deepen relationships with one another, with ourselves, with our families and communities, and with God as we seek to live into God’s shalom—a peaceable order with abundance, security, and justice for all and well-being throughout creation.
More details about Living that Matters at bit.ly/LivingThatMatters
Carbon Offset Program
Show your care for the environment and communities across the world by carbon offsetting. You can support our JoinTrees projects that will help to offset your carbon dioxide generated by use of fossil fuels. JoinTrees projects tackle climate change and support tree planting all across the world.
Offset your actual carbon footprint
Calculate your carbon footprint by entering your flights, driving, public transport, home energy, food and household expenditure at https://climatestewardsusa.org/offset/
Click HERE and enter your dollar amount.
Offset your carbon emissions without calculations
If you want to skip all these steps, you can simply make a donation to offset your carbon footprint by assuming your footprint is the same as most other people. The average carbon footprint is 16 tonnes per year in the United States. Offsetting this requires a donation of $68 per month, or $816 for the entire year.
Podcast and other digital resources available for Peaceful at Heart
Mennonite Men, in collaboration with Mennonite Central Committee's Ontario office, has created an audiobook, study guide, and a podcast/video interview series with the book's contributors. These written, audio and video materials will assist in individual or group engagement of these critical ideas.
The interview series includes the personalities and passions of each of the contributors as they are interviewed about their chapters. Cedric Martin of Ontario-based Theatre of the Beat hosts the interviews and performs the audiobook. Retired professor Dan Epp-Tiessen walks leaders through a series of 11 sessions in the written study guide, providing suggestions for facilitating group conversations including questions to get men thinking and sharing. From the hard stuff of abuse to a vision for living life with a peaceful heart, covering a broad reach of masculinities, Peaceful at Heart challenges our thinking of what it means to be men of God.
Access all of these free resources HERE.
Study Guide and Kindle edition for Peaceful at Heart
A study guide for the book Peaceful at Heart is available. Written by Dan Epp-Tiessen, Associate Professor of Bible at Canadian Mennonite University, and published in partnership with Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Church Canada, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, and Be in Christ Canada, this study guide is a great resource to facilitate much-needed conversations about masculinity, church, and our Christian faith.
Download the study guide here.
A Kindle edition of the book
Peaceful at Heart: Anabaptist Reflections on Healthy Masculinity is also available. Peaceful at Heart provides a uniquely Anabaptist voice to resource our discussions of healthy masculinity, whether individually or collectively in a book study group. Rather than supporting patriarchy and nationalism commonly advanced in traditional Christian thought, this volume draws on the experiences of various contributors to present an Anabaptist perspective of faith that invites men to experience God's call to live at peace and be peacemakers. Further details and sources for purchasing this resource can be found here.
Video: Building Places of Faith
