In this powerful episode, the Mennonite Action national team reflects on their journey as they enter their third year of activism. Nick Martin is the co-founder and Campaign Director at Mennonite Action. Adam Ramer is the co-founder and the Fundraising and Partnerships Director at Mennonite Action. Holly Harris serves as the Digital Communications Coordinator. Rhea Clymer and Lorren Oesch serve as distributed organizers.

The conversation highlights the lessons learned over the past two years, emphasizing the importance of flexibility and adaptability in response to changing political landscapes. We hear insights on the Courage Tour, which successfully trained over 1,000 individuals across the US reinforcing the organization's commitment to countering Christian nationalism and Zionism. The team discusses the significance of building community connections and the role of faith in motivating public action, while also addressing the ongoing struggles faced by marginalized communities, particularly in relation to Palestine and immigration issues.

Huge thank you to the incredible Jewish recording artist, Batya Levine for the use of their song “We Rise” as our theme song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tkmkwufRVw). The beautiful logo is by Jesse Bergen. Front Light is edited by Ken Ogasawara and produced by Jonny Rashid, Joanna Lawrence Shenk, Holly Harris, and Nick Martin. Thank you all for listening and sharing.

Keywords

Mennonite Action, Courage Tour, Christian nationalism, Palestine, immigration, grassroots activism, community organizing, faith-based action, social justice, anti-authoritarianism

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Mennonite Action Team

01:31 Reflections on Growth and Lessons Learned

07:06 Impact of Political Events on Organizing

12:25 The Interconnectedness of Struggles

17:43 The Role of the Church in Social Justice

21:40 Strategies Against Authoritarianism

25:20 The Ceasefire Illusion and Its Implications

27:28 Grassroots Organizing for Palestine

33:21 Local Solidarity and Immigrant Support

37:37 Red Line Moments: Community Mobilization

45:16 Looking Ahead: Plans for the Future

We pull Front Light editor and producer Ken Ogasawara from behind the curtain to reflect on an amazing first season of Front Light! Ken is a writer and podcaster with Mennonite Central Committee Ontario during the day and by night and weekends a co-director of Mennonite Action Canada. We whet our appetite with some tasty stats from the year before diving into the full course of highlights from our amazing guests over the past year.

Huge thank you to the incredible Jewish recording artist, Batya Levine for the use of their song “We Rise” as our theme song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tkmkwufRVw). The beautiful logo is by Jesse Bergen. Front Light is edited by Ken Ogasawara and produced by Jonny Rashid, Joanna Lawrence Shenk, Holly Harris, and Nick Martin. Thank you all for listening and sharing.

In this episode, we interview Jonathan Smucker and Janna Hunter-Bowman, two academics who have participated with and researched Mennonite Action. We talk about the Peace Theology in Movement: A Lunchtime Colloquium of AMBS and Mennonite Action, and Mennonite Action’s role in the greater Anabaptist and activist world. They offer unique and personal insights into our circumstance and our organization.

Buy Mennonite Action’s organizing guide, Courage To Enter The Song, here: https://www.amazon.com/Institute-of-Mennonite-Studies-4-book-series/dp/B0C7J3VYTH

Reckoning in Mennonite Peace Theology: Reinhold Niebuhr’s Realism and Four Waves of Development by Janna Hunter-Bowman: https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/142713-reckoning-in-mennonite-peace-theology-reinhold-niebuhr-s-realism-and-four-waves-of-development

Huge thank you to the incredible Jewish recording artist, Batya Levine for the use of their song “We Rise” as our theme song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tkmkwufRVw). The beautiful logo is by Jesse Bergen. Front Light is edited by Ken Ogasawara and produced by Jonny Rashid, Joanna Lawrence Shenk, Holly Harris, and Nick Martin. Thank you all for listening and sharing.