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.

In this episode, we hear from two Mennonite Action national leadership team members: Tim Seidel and Tim Nafziger. Seidel lives in Harrisonburg and helped to lead a disruptive action in DC. Nafziger is on the West Coast and has been engaged in organizing against. They give us an idea of what local chapters are up to in Mennonite Action, and how we are focused on addressing the twin evils of Christian Nationalism and Christian Zionism. You’ll also hear about the courage tour and an organizing conference.

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.

Instagram posts of the DC action: https://www.instagram.com/p/DOoxBUej919/?img_index=1, https://www.instagram.com/p/DOoxBUej919/?img_index=1, https://www.instagram.com/p/DOY1nYwkY73/

Sign up for the Courage Tour here: https://www.mennoniteaction.org/tour

Sign up for EMU’s organizing conference here: https://emu.edu/seminary/shalom/events/2025-organizing-symposium/

Mosab Abu Toha poem:

Every child in Gaza is me.

Every mother and father is me.

Every house is my heart.

Every tree is my leg.

Every plant is my arm.

Every flower is my eye.

Every hole in the earth is my wound.

Support and follow Mosab Abu Toha: https://linktr.ee/mosababutoha

In this episode, we hear from Isaac Villegas, author of “Migrant God” as we explore the intersection of faith, immigration, and justice. We hear personal stories, theological reflections, and the historical context of immigration policies. We talk about the sanctuary movement, the implications of Christian nationalism, and the connections between the struggles of immigrants and the plight of Palestinians. Throughout, Isaac highlights the need for a Christian vision of justice that actively engages with the realities of suffering and oppression.

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.

Connecting the dots between the occupation of Palestine and ICE repression:

​​https://www.newsweek.com/blueprint-ices-future-being-drawn-west-bank-opinion-2103201

An account of the political organizing in Durham that resulted in the resolution against police training partnerships with Israel: https://scalawagmagazine.org/2021/05/israel-palestine-durham-police/

Perfect Victims by Mohammed El-Kurd: https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2499-perfect-victims

Healing Resistance by Kazu Haga: https://www.parallax.org/product/healing-resistance/

Joanna Macy and The Work That Reconnects: https://www.joannamacy.net/main

In this episode, we interview Tyler Goss, he/him, from Harrisonburg Virginia on the land of the Siouan, Monacan, Monahoac, Catawba, and Cherokee. He shares stories from Mennonite Action’s delegation to Palestine in June. We talk about tourism for good, the weight of hopelessness, air raids and more.

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.

“None are free until all are free” is a quote attributed to luminaries working for justice throughout history: Emma Lazarus, Fannie Lou Hammer, Martin Luther King Jr., and Maya Angelou.

In this episode, we interview Annabeth Roeschley (they/she), the Director of the Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests. They are a long-time activist and advisor for queer intersectional justice within and beyond Mennonite Church USA. Annabeth embodies this role as a queer abolitionist theologian, spiritual care curator, and politicized chaplain who dwells at the intersections of individual and collective healing. A graduate of Bluffton University, Annabeth holds a Master of Divinity from Chicago Theological Seminary with a concentration in LGBTQ+ Religious Studies. After a decade in Washington, DC and now in Chicago, Annabeth and their partner are active with the local Hyde Park Jewish community and with a queer house church. Annabeth draws deeply from rural Illinois roots (Potawatomi, Peoria and Myaamia land) and loves watching the moon rise over the edge of Lake Michigan.

Resources:

5 Patterns of Legal Escalation by Maki Ashe Van Steenwyk: https://makiashe.substack.com/cp/161466693

On denationalization by M Gessen, drawing on Hannah Arendt: https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2025/03/23/opinion-trump-isnt-just-attacking/

Unmasking Christian Zionism for Queer, Palestinian, & Jewish Liberation: https://www.bmclgbt.org/palestinian-jewish-liberation-resources

Creating Cultures of Care: Blessing LGBTQIA+ Kin Across MC USA: https://www.bmclgbt.org/creating-cultures-of-care-blessing-lgbtqia-kin-across-mc-usa

Everyone is invited to BMC's 50th anniversary celebration!

www.bmclgbt.org/50th

“The Memory Librarian” by Janelle Monae, noted as Joanna’s front light this month:

https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/the-memory-librarian

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.