
Mennonite Disaster Service is a volunteer network through which various constituencies of the Anabaptist church can respond to those affected by disasters in Canada and the United States.
While our main focus is on clean up, repair and rebuilding homes, this activity becomes a means of touching lives and helping people regain faith and wholeness.
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Join in celebrating the work of MDS through worship, reporting, storytelling, music and food. Friday afternoon will feature MDS’ 60th Anniversary through stories and media. Daytime meetings: Warman Bergthaler Church, Warman, SK; Friday evening banquet: Valley Christian Academy, Osler, SK. Registration opens Dec. 1, 2009. Print form and mail in as directed.
To download registration form, click here: Registration Form
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Quilted Wall Hangings
Since November 2004, MDS house dedications include the gift of a quilted wall hanging to the new homeowners. The wall hangings are made and donated through the Mennonite Church USA Mennonite Women's group. If you are a quilter and would like more information on this program, e-mail MDS at communications(at)mds.mennonite.net.
Long-term MDS volunteers, Ken and Martha June Graber, arrived in American Samoa this week. They joined Jerry and Doreen Klassen, Disaster Response Coordinators. Along with Bill McCoy, Region IV Director, the Klassens have been investigating and preparing for the MDS response in American Samoa.
MDS has been working with the American Samoa VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster), FEMA, the Red Cross and other relief organizations in the effort to prepare to respond to the needs created by the late September Tsunami.
The Long-term Recovery Committee is organizing the best way for agencies to respond on the island. Travel, housing, tools and ground transportation must be addressed before any response can begin. Klassen adds, “Mennonite Disaster Service is committed to working with our partners in the American Samoa VOAD and NVOAD and trust the other groups will be drawn into the response phase in the coming weeks.”
The Grabers will continue the preparation work the Klassens and McCoy began. They will work at identifying jobs for MDS. We expect to send volunteers once the work is identified and materials are in place.
MDS will continue to post updates as more information becomes available. Please note that MDS is not presently taking requests for volunteers.
MDS volunteers are known for repairing and rebuilding homes damaged by disasters. But it takes more than construction skills to serve with MDS. During the time that you serve as a volunteer, you will learn that MDS also restores lives.
Your contribution will help to connect volunteers with disaster survivors who need assistance on their path to recovery. MDS depends on the support of people who believe that disaster response is an important part of helping those who are in need.
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Mennonite Disaster Service project locations are the physical response centers established by MDS in a disaster-affected community. In addition to housing the local MDS office, the projects function as base camps for MDS volunteers who need a place to eat and sleep while they serve. This section of the MDS website contains updated information about current MDS projects.
Project maps best viewed with Microsoft Explorer.