Greetings!
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:3-6 NIV).
God’s design for humankind has always been about partnership. From the beginning, being alone was not good. From the New Testament we learn that the design of the church is to be one body, with many parts. Each part has its purpose or function that is vital to the health of the body.
One of the richest experiences of volunteering with MDS is the experience of partnership. Over the years one of our richest partnerships has been with Mennonite Central Committee. At one time we were one organization with them. Legal and liable issues made it prudent to create two separate organizations. But that has not changed our partnership.
MCC-BC was on the ground supporting local churches that were impacted by the floods in the Fraser Valley in November. This was done in good part through the work of Shelley Dueck, who worked in church relations. Now, as we move to the rebuilding phase of our response in the Fraser Valley, MCC-BC suggested a partnership in the form of a secondment arrangement for Shelley’s services. We readily agreed. It is a great thing for MDS, for MCC-BC, but most importantly for the communities and homeowners whom we hope to serve. The arrangements were made quickly and easily.
And now MDS is praying Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving for MCC - BC, “We thank our God every time we remember you…. We pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel.”
