New Hope in the Name of Christ

To commemorate our centennial, MCC set a goal of raising $100 million in combined donations, pledges, estate commitments and legacy gifts through a three-year campaign, ending March 31, 2021.

With your help, we met and surpassed this goal!

This was only possible because of the generous outpouring of gifts from people like you who join with us to respond to current crises now and to future needs in our ever-changing world.

We are grateful to God and our beloved community, as these funds will provide so many new opportunities for people around the world.

This comprehensive campaign included core giving, plus extra giving and endowment gifts and pledges, over three fiscal years ending March 31, 2021.

We are thankful for donors who join with us to respond not only to current crises but also to future needs in our ever-changing world.

As one donor told us:

"We are supporting the endowment because we believe that the work of MCC is vital. During times of crisis, faithful supporters may not always be able to contribute as much as they would hope. This lack of funding would impact people in need during an already difficult time. We seek to join with others to build a strong endowment so that the work of MCC can continue even during times of trial."

"We seek to join with others to build a strong endowment so that the work of MCC can continue even during times of trial.”
— New Hope campaign donor

Photo courtesy of Circles & Ciphers

Centennial donations are supporting the work of churches and ministries close to home as well as across the globe.

In the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Circles & Ciphers is a hip-hop-infused restorative justice organization serving youth.

MCC has partnered with Circles & Ciphers on peace programming before, but your centennial gift made it possible to provide a larger grant to their Youth Care Collective and Community Mutual Aid Program.

Through this program, people under the age of 30 who are incarcerated or navigating the return to their communities after incarceration receive assistance such as care packages and commissary funds. Letters, uplifting messages and journal- and song-writing prompts provide person connections.

In addition, MCC joined Mennonite Disaster Service and Everence in launching a COVID-19 Congregational Relief Fund to aid churches and families in their midst who faced financial crisis due to the pandemic. Recipients included Ministerio Internacionál Fuego en la Palabra (International Fire in the Word Ministry) in Hialeah Gardens, Florida. The grant helped the church pay rent while its members weren’t able to work.

Read more about Circles & Ciphers

Photo courtesy of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

Imagine trying to rebuild your livelihood after fleeing home. In Syria, centennial donations support five projects providing training in job skills and seed money for small business startups. Thanks to your gifts, families displaced by war and those in need in host communities have new chances to earn income, whether through hairdressing, sewing or selling mouneh, a traditional preserved food made with seasonal vegetables and fruit. Households headed by women and people living with disabilities are often prioritized.

Because of you, an estimated 300 people in Syria will be able to earn much-needed income through entering the job market or starting their own small businesses. This is just one example of how your gifts are at work in countries around the world.

Names of those pictured aren’t used for security reasons.

Photo courtesy of MECC

Salam*, 49, once had his own business finishing furniture in Daraya, a suburb of Damascus, Syria’s capital city. But when the shop and his home were destroyed, his family was displaced, and he had no way to pay rent or purchase tools to restart the business.

Last year, though, Salam was able to attend a business startup training supported by MCC centennial donations and the Middle East Council of Churches. He learned more about marketing and sales and prepared a feasibility study for opening his own shop. He then received a grant to purchase the necessary equipment and rent a small workshop. “I was able to achieve my dream that I thought would never be fulfilled. … My psychological wellbeing improved as well, and I am more optimistic knowing that tomorrow will bring good things.”

*Real name not used for security reasons

Dale and Kay Kempf, of Libertyville, Illinois, were part of a national network of 32 people who volunteered to help MCC raise funds toward our centennial campaign. They were regional co-chairs for the Great Lakes region.

“MCC donors are committed, passionate, caring people who trust MCC,” says Kay. “Part of the joy of having been involved in this effort was how graciously we were always welcomed into the visits. And that’s because people knew we were coming to talk to them about MCC.”

As donors to the campaign themselves, the Kempfs invited people to join them in making large gifts.

Photo courtesy of Kay and Dale Kempf

“You start to imagine how your gift is going to be transformative in the lives of those affected. And it also starts to transform you,” says Kay. “I found it very moving, the fact that giving, like God asks us to do … is really a sacred opportunity.”

We hope that these comments resonate with you as someone who also contributed New Hope in the Name of Christ during our centennial year. MCC is truly blessed by your generosity and
trust.

Read the Kempfs' full story here