Posts by VMMissions Staff
Douglas Senior, Beloved Leader in Jamaica Mennonite Church, Dies at 75
Pastor Senior’s experience as a successful businessman made a great contribution to the development and significant ministry of the Maranatha School for the Deaf in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. Galen and Gloria Lehman, former VMMissions workers in Jamaica and later staff members, began their friendship with Pastor Senior in 1981. “We cherished his warm personality, commitment to integrity, his deep prayer life, dignified commanding presence, and strong Christian faith, making him an excellent church leader,” they write.
Read MoreVMMissions Launches ‘A Church of Many Cultures’ Campaign
Watch the full video highlighting the ‘A Church of Many Cultures’ campaign. Consider joining this vision!
Read MoreElio Milazzo: A Man Whose Voice Mattered
Within the Italian Mennonite world, there are few who would not recognize the powerful voice of Elio Milazzo, who for years was producer and voice of Parole di Vita, a radio broadcast sponsored by Italian Mennonites in partnership with Mennonites in North America, including VMMissions. The Italian Mennonite Church grieves his recent passing on August 29.
Read MoreVMMissions to Host Fall Cohort on Cultivating a Life of Prayer
Prayer continues to emerge as a priority as VMMissions looks ahead at the next decade. One concrete opportunity is available this fall: Michael and Ruth Hershey will be leading a three-month exploration and discovery called “Cultivating a Life of Prayer.”
Read MoreKauffman Reappointed to Third Term as VMMissions President
The Board of Directors of Virginia Mennonite Missions announces the reappointment of Aaron M. Kauffman as President for a third four-year term, beginning January 1, 2022. “Under Aaron’s leadership, VMMissions has continued to thrive and increase in numbers of appointed workers and in financial assets,” noted Lavonne Lehman, Board Chair.
Read MoreWorker profile: Norma Teles
Norma is the director of the Joshua Center, which provides a safe place for Roma children and encourages the participation of the family, helping them to be involved in positive ways with their children’s development. She also connects regularly through a girls club with girls aged 9-19 and with a group of mothers.
Read MoreCall to Prayer: The Honor of Co-Laboring
“God really does want to teach us to pray,” Ruth writes. “Prayer has become much more than something that we ‘should’ do. It is something we desire and enjoy, something that feels like a great honor.”
Read MoreOur Family Rediscovers Sabbath
“In December 2019, [my wife] Theresa suggested that we begin a few faith rhythms as a family, mostly concerning Sabbath. We’ve job-shared and worked bi-vocationally these last several years and at times it has been difficult to stop and disengage and receive God’s rest,” Seth writes. Learn what difference these changes made in their family.
Read MoreTogether for a Purpose
In both marriage and the church, God brings together people who have different gifts and ways of perceiving the world in order to build communities that provide a foretaste of the kingdom of heaven. Tyler and Kendra draw on varied gifts to strengthen their ministry together.
Read MoreJourneys Into Marriage and Mission
Married couples have the opportunity to experience the sometimes seamless, sometimes arduous path toward being of one heart. To learn more about how God has helped achieve this in the lives of two women serving in overseas ministry, Laura Campbell and Laura Green share ways God has used marriage and mission to reshape their priorities.
Read MoreJoin the Harrisonburg Leadership Breakfast on August 25
Become the leader you’ve always wanted to be. The Center for Serving Leadership is hosted a Harrisonburg Leadership Breakfast on August 25, 7-8:00 a.m. at A Bowl of Good, sponsored by VMMissions. Learn from leadership trainers Nelson Okanya and Jon Byler, and take away a practical action step that you can implement immediately.
Read MoreVMMissions Blesses 130 Families through Relief Effort
In March 2020, VMMissions launched the Coronavirus Immigrant Care Fund as a domestic response to immigrants in need due to job loss and other hardships related to the coronavirus pandemic. Staff person Lizzette Hernandez led a distribution committee that fielded requests, verified needs, and made distributions. All told, VMMissions distributed $38,940 to 130 families in Virginia and North Carolina.
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