Where the People Go

"Where the People Go tells the story of Anabaptist-Mennonite efforts to enable communal forms of sharing. Mutual aid, stewardship, and generosity are deeply embedded in the Christian faith and have been actively nurtured among Anabaptist-Mennonite groups. Spontaneous forms of assistance-a barn raising, a quilting bee, shared meals-are the best-known expressions of such compassion and generosity, but the commitment to "sharing one another's burdens" has also found expression in more formal structures. Seventy-five years ago, Mennonite Mutual Aid emerged to organize the principle of sharing within growing Mennonite and Anabaptist-related denominations. A dynamic organization from the beginning, MMA moved quickly from burial and survivor's aid to include health and other insurance plans along with a charitable foundation. In coming decades, the organization expanded its focus on stewardship and generosity, symbolized by a growing emphasis on socially responsible investments, financial planning, and a credit union. Always an agency of the Mennonite church, MMA, now known as Everence, has balanced its spiritual commitments with an increasingly complex regulatory environment, the nationa