I must be vulnerable and say that I have had anxiety, not crippling fear, but worry for our family as we head into the last two months of our fundraising for support for our second term, years three and four as urban missionaries to the city of Lebanon, Pa.

LANCASTER, Pa. — COVID-19 has forced many people to embrace new forms of resilience, often spurring on great creativity. Two Lancaster leaders serving the refugee and immigrant communities have been doing just that: Patience Buckwalter, executive director of the Grape Leaf Empowerment Center, and Krista Martin, Eastern Mennonite Missions’ (EMM) Kingdom Team director. 

SALUNGA, Pa. — Rhoda M. Sauder, 83, a pioneer and career missionary, passed into eternity on March 23, 2019, in Ephrata, Pa. Rhoda and her late husband, James Sauder, served with Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) for 30 years.

Gerry Keener, president of Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM), is pleased to announce that Lorri Bentch has been appointed as the Mission Team director. Bentch will begin employment on April 3, providing leadership to 111 global workers serving in 33 countries, including regional representatives, and five Central Administrative Office staff members.

LANCASTER, Pa. — Authors Shane Claiborne and Michael Martin will forge guns into garden tools as they release their new book “Beating Guns: Hope for People Who Are Weary of Violence.” On the first day of their book release tour, March 9, at 6 p.m., Claiborne and Martin will be at Neffsville Mennonite Church in Lancaster.

SALUNGA, Pa. — The Board of Directors of Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) announces the appointment of Gerald “Gerry” H. Keener as the president of the organization.

LANCASTER, Pa. — “Discipleship sessions were a big area of focus,” said Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) Kingdom Team Director Krista Martin when asked to highlight what is new for the program this year. The curriculum is based on EMM’s mission statement, providing instruction for Kingdom Team staff to help teach the program participants.

WILLOW STREET, Pa. — It’s all about the international food — at least according to Luke Charles, 35, of Millersville, Pa., who has not missed Eastern Mennonite Missions’ (EMM’s) Global Fair for 19 of the event’s 23 years.

LANCASTER, Pa. — Lancaster educators know refugee resettlement isn’t just about offering a new home, but also helping refugees navigate the years of readjustment ahead of them. That’s why four local organizations are partnering to hold the third year of the Leap into Language summer program for middle school students from refugee and immigrant backgrounds.

WILLOW STREET, Pa. — The sight of alpacas, the sound of bongo drums, and the scent of curry: on July 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Eastern Mennonite Missions’ (EMM’s) Global Fair will once again bring international flavor and culture to the Hans Herr House in Willow Street, Pa.