Joanna Shenk

What is our peace church witness against war when the U.S. military no longer demands our bodies but depends on our financial support? What shape does our conscientious objection take today, and how could it be a force for change? On Dec. 8, First Mennonite Church of San Francisco hosted a forum, “Mennonite War Tax Resistance as Public Witness,” exploring the possibilities. The forum grew out of conversation over the past year.

In July of 1967, Vincent Harding — a Black Mennonite and colleague of Martin Luther King Jr. in the Southern Freedom Movement — gave two provocative speeches at the eighth Mennonite World Conference assembly in Amsterdam. He was one of the few nonwhite participants and one of a very few people of color who spoke from the stage. In “The Beggars Are Marching . . . Where Are the Saints?” Harding asked, “Mennonites, Christians, [people] who love humanity, where are we? If . . .

How do you shelter at home, when you don’t have a home? As our city leaders have moved rapidly and wisely to minimize the risks of the COVID pandemic, one important segment of our community has been left behind – the most vulnerable segment: our un-housed neighbors. They tend to be older, often have high risk health conditions, and are unable to practice the sanitary and social distancing guidelines needed to save lives.