Kern Road Mennonite Wins Public Policy Advocacy AwardMennonite Central Committee WASHINGTON -- The Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. Washington Office has named Kern Road Mennonite Church, South Bend, Ind., as winner of its first annual congregational advocacy award. The award recognizes churches who include public policy advocacy as part of their faith witness. In recent years, Kern Road has offered an expanding public witness against the death penalty. In the summer of 1999, Kern Road members provided a prayerful courtroom presence during the capital trial of an African-American youth. During the penalty phase, they helped plan ecumenical prayer vigils outside the courthouse. The congregation also organized prayer vigils before the execution of a mentally retarded man in late 1999, and in conjunction with an appeal for clemency for Juan Garza late last year.  Since 1999, Kern Road has provided meeting space for and been active with the St. Joseph-Elkhart County Religious Coalition Against the Death Penalty. On several occasions the congregation has collected anti-death penalty petitions and sent them to state and federal officials. Their advocacy has resulted in numerous newspaper articles and radio and TV interviews. Kern Road will receive an original painting by Pam Seretny, art teacher at Philadelphia Mennonite High School. The painting was commissioned by the MCC U.S. Washington Office and has a peace and justice theme. The annual advocacy award is based on the anti-slavery witness by Quakers and Mennonites in Germantown, Pa., as early as 1688.
For more information, or to contact Mennonite Central Committee, see their website at: www.mcc.org |
 |
Email Article To A Friend |  |
Link to us! |
