In April 2024, PMC hosted a Seed(ling) Exchange Party & Fundraiser to raise awareness about and support the CDDD's Maya-Mennonite Solidarity Working Group. We had a great time celebrating the growth of seeds and raised $866 to support the group to travel to Mexico to meet with their partners there. You can read more and see some pictures in our blog about the event.

The Maya-Mennonite Working Group send us a thank you and report from their trip in May: "Dear friends, family and supporters, We'd like to share our gratitude with you all for your support of our delegation through the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery (CDDD) to the Colectivo In Laak Le Ixiimo (CILLI) in the Chenes region of southern Mexico for their annual seed festival. Follow the link below for a summary of our delegation with some of our reflections and photos from our time. We thank you for being part of our sending network that made this delegation and further relationship-building possible!  With gratitude ~ Katerina Gea, on behalf of Anika Reynar, Celeste Sharp, Hallie Liu Rogers, Lars Åkerson, Steve Pavey and Tina Kehler."

This spring at Portland Mennonite Church, we have been learning from Sarah Augustine and the new book she co-wrote with Sheri Hostetler – So We and Our Children May Live: Following Jesus in Confronting the Climate Crisis.
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Our Racial Justice and Climate Justice committees hosted an adult Sunday School class that read and discussed this book in February and March. And, then we invited Sarah to join us on February 25 to preach for our Sunday Service, which was followed by a forum where we could learn more from Sarah and ask questions. We also engaged with Sarah’s work through her organization, the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery (CDDD). One piece of the work of the CDDD is the Maya-Mennonite Solidarity Working Group, a group that is working at building relationships with Maya seed savers in southern Mexico and their Mennonite Colony neighbors (read more in the March issue of Anabaptist World). To support this project, PMC hosted a “Seed(ling) Exchange Party & Fundraiser” to raise money for CDDD members to make a trip to visit these groups they are working with in Mexico.

People in the church brought seeds, seedlings, and all kinds of beautiful plants they were willing to donate, and others took them for a suggested donation. Together we celebrated seeds and planting, giving thanks to God for the miracle of growing things.