MDS unit helps couple after severe windstorm
When Bonnie Lapointe saw the damage caused by the severe windstorm that struck her southwestern Ontario property on Sept. 7, she cried. “I had never seen anything like that,” she said of all the fallen trees that littered her small acreage near Kingsbridge along the shores of Lake Huron. “Some of those trees were over…
MDS in Shenandoah Valley celebrates creativity of volunteers during pandemic
Dozens of Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers in Harrisonburg, Virginia gathered for a picnic in May to celebrate the creative ways they had responded to community needs during the pandemic. Brimming with joy at seeing each other in-person for the first time in more than a year, they met to mark how more than 250…
During the pandemic, MDS-MCC project ‘shows God’s leading’
Doing Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteer work in Canada during a pandemic isn’t easy—as members of the MDS Ontario Unit know only too well. Volunteers in that province were excited last December to start working with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to renovate its Indigenous Neighbours office in Timmins, Ont., about seven hours north of Toronto.…
Helping ‘active faith’ across Canada
One month after its launch on Feb. 1, the 2021 Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada Spirit of MDS Fund approved $54,900 in grants for 24 Canadian congregations and church-related organizations. Ten of the recipients are part of Mennonite Church Canada, seven are Mennonite Brethren churches, and there is one each from the Evangelical Mennonite Conference,…
Watch: MDS looks back at 2020
Mennonite Disaster Service didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic stop it from having a banner year. In a seven-minute video released on YouTube last Saturday, the binational organization—which cleans up, repairs and rebuilds homes that have experienced a disaster—outlines the unexpected opportunities and unexpected blessings that 2020 brought. Watch the video now to get a look…
MDS Canada offering Spirit of MDS Fund again
After a successful first year, Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada has announced a new round of funding from its Spirit of MDS Fund. The 2021 round of funding started Jan. 31 and runs to April 30. It will provide grants up to $2,500 to Canadian Anabaptist/Mennonite congregations. Funding is available to congregations to help meet…
MDS Canada issues second call for Spirit of MDS Fund applications
The Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada Spirit of MDS Fund is issuing a second call for applications from churches in Canada. The goal of the Spirit of MDS Fund is to provide financial support to Canadian Anabaptist-Mennonite congregations that are assisting people in their communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of $100,000 has…
When pandemics are disasters, MDS is there
Twenty Mennonite Church Canada congregations are among the first 40 churches that have received grants from the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada Spirit of MDS Fund. The fund was created by MDS Canada in April to help Canadian churches respond to people in their communities facing hardship due to COVID-19. “MDS normally responds to natural…
Spirit of MDS Fund launched by MDS Canada
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada’s operations may be suspended until fall due to the pandemic, but the organization still wants to be active in responding to COVID-19. To do that, the organization has created The Spirit of MDS Fund to help Canadian churches respond to people in their communities facing hardship due to the virus.…
MDS receives grant from Canadian Red Cross
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) Canada’s efforts to assist people whose homes were damaged by spring floods in the Minden, Ottawa and Renfrew, Ont., areas will be enhanced by a grant from the Canadian Red Cross’s community partnership program. The program, which provides funds for local community programs and support, will be used by MDS for…
