|
Greetings!
As I prepare to retire at the end of this year, one word continues to rise to the surface: gratitude.
I am grateful for the donors who generously provide the resources that make our ministry possible. I am grateful for our staff, who faithfully support the work of MDS each day. And I am deeply grateful for the thousands of volunteers who offer their time, skills, and compassion to help disaster survivors rebuild their homes and lives.
I especially want to express my gratitude for our MDS Unit Chairs. Unit Chairs are volunteers, yet they carry significant responsibilities. They lead Unit Boards, organize meetings, manage local resources, nurture relationships with congregations and community partners, and help ensure that MDS is ready when disaster strikes. They recruit and encourage volunteers, coordinate with regional and national leaders, support training, and often serve personally on MDS projects.
Much of this work happens quietly. It may not receive public recognition, but it is essential to the mission of MDS.
As our regional structure changes with the hiring of Region Administrators, our Units remain the heart of MDS. Volunteer leaders will receive stronger support. Unit Chairs will continue to be vital connectors—linking congregations, volunteers, communities, partners, and the broader MDS family.
For more than 75 years, volunteer leaders have shaped MDS into a trusted Christian presence in times of disaster.
To every current and former Unit Chair: thank you. Thank you for your leadership, perseverance, prayers, and willingness to serve. Your faithful work has helped make hope tangible for countless disaster survivors.
I thank God for each of you—and for the privilege of serving alongside you.
If Menno Simons was alive today, his words would ring true for you: “true evangelical faith . . . clothes the naked, feeds the hungry, comforts the sorrowful, shelters the destitute, aids and consoles the sad, does good to those who do it harm . . . binds up what is wounded, heals the sick.”
Well done, Unit Chairs! Thank you!
| 
