Nathan Hershberger and Kaitlin Heatwole completed three years of service with MCC in Iraq in July.  They share in this Seminary Chapel Gathering out of their experiences in Iraq. Kaitlin was MCC Iraq program coordinator, and Nathan taught English at three church institutions in Erbil, Iraq, including St. Peter’s Seminary.  Both are graduates of 91¶ĚĘÓƵ.

Hear stories of forging peace with – repurposing weapons into hand tools to be used in the creation of something new. Singing is led by Les Gustafson-Zook, Mennonite Central Committee North American & My Coins Count Coordinator. The My Coins Count collection will be gathered for the Virginia Relief Sale held tonight and Saturday morning through 3 p.m.

“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree. No one shall make them afraid.” Micah 4:3-4a

“From the halls of EMS to the halls of Washington”

Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach, Director of and an EMS alumna shares from .

Ron Byler helps to launch the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale with a presentation on Jesus’ interchange with the lawyer in Luke 10 and the Parable of the Good Samaritan ().

Ron Byler serves as Executive Director of. MCC is a global, nonprofit organization that strives to share God’s love and compassion for all through relief, development and peace.

Ted Swartz and Tim Ruebke open with a sketch pointing toward a need for the gentle yet persistent way of peacemaking employed by Mennonite Central Committee, the relief and service arm of Mennonite Church USA and other Anabaptist denominations. Krista Johnson shares, representing MCC.

Is it possible to bring to light the realities of gun violence in the U.S. and to humanize the crisis by people telling their stories of how they have been impacted? The Gun Violence Prevention Storytelling Tour provides a time to reflect on ways that Christians in America are responding. Why this issue? We believe Jesus calls Christians to confront and expose the idolatry and violence of the gun culture in America today.

The Gun Violence Prevention Storytelling Tour, with Curtis Book and Fred Kauffman, is sponsored by the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) East Coast. Curtis serves as Coordinator for Peace and Justice ministries and Fred serves as Philadelphia program coordinator for MCC East Coast. They are both deeply involved in an ongoing weekly Christian protest/presence at a Gun shop in Philadelphia that sells handguns that are used in many of the crimes in the Philadelphia region. Come find out why.