How Can MCC Help the Church Be At Its Best? - Rolando Santiago
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DownloadThe church is at its best when it fulfills God’s purpose for the world. In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He reads that “He has sent me … to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” This was the jubilee year of the Old Testament. It was the fiftieth year when land was returned to its original owners. Every seventh year the land was given a rest, hired servants were set free, and debts were cancelled. In other words, God’s people were called to care for the earth, create equitable societies, and practice economic justice.
A role I envision for the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is to equip Christ’s church to deliver the liberating good news of jubilee for the world.
In the U.S. and Puerto Rico, MCC supports about a dozen Church Community Workers (CCWs) each year. These are mostly young people from Latino, African American, Native American and immigrant Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches. CCWs help equip churches to become agents of jubilee in their local communities. One CCW in Puerto Rico teaches people in churches to become peacemakers. He teaches methods of conflict transformation and organizes public peace witnesses. In one such activity this past year, he helped organize a group of children from the churches to march in front of the capitol building as a peace witness state legislators.
Rather than MCC workers doing relief, development and peace activities themselves, I envision them training and teaching members of congregations to do their own relief, development and peace work in their local communities. Each Mennonite and Brethren in Christ congregation can develop the capacity to engage in MCC-like tasks. If this would happen, Jesus’ ministry of hope, peace and reconciliation would expand exponentially around the globe. Jubilee would no longer be just a heavenly aspiration, but a real possibility for this earth crying for redemption. It would bring well-being among people who are currently experiencing hunger, violence and joblessness around the world.
Rolando Santiago
MCC U.S. Executive Director
