Mennonite Worker, The (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA)
Missio Dei began in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, in 2005 as an urban church with a strong commitment to living out the way of Jesus in a highly diverse area of Minneapolis. Mark and Amy Van Steenwyk had moved to the Cedar Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis in 2004 and started a church affiliated with the Baptist General Conference. After a year, they shifted and founded a neighborhood-based intentional community and pursued a connection to the Central Plains Conference of Mennonite Church USA, which it formally joined in 2008.
Missio Dei centered around three households in which some of the members chose to live. Missio Dei was an expression of the “new monastic” movement in the church planting field. In the tradition of new monasticism, the members of Missio Dei committed themselves to a rule for their common life which included peace, simplicity, prayer, and hospitality.
In about 2012, the group changed its name to The Mennonite Worker, partly to recognize its rootedness in both the Mennonite and Catholic Worker traditions. By this time community had about 20 people living in two households--Clare House and Sattler House. They had several community meals throughout the week and gathered on Saturday mornings for communal discernment. Worship was held Sunday evenings in the "Oratory" located above the garage at Clare House. Worship consisted of singing, personal reflection or sermon, silence, and prayer, followed by an Agape meal.
By 2016, Clare House and Sattler House had been replaced by Simone Weil House. Simone Weil House also contained the Gene Stoltzfus lending library.
In the early 2020s, the community's leader identified as she/they under the name Maki Ashe Van Steenwyk.
In 2023 the community remained part of the Central Plains Conference of Mennonite Church USA.
Bibliography
Boshart, David W. "Revisioning mission in postchristendom: story, hospitality and new humanity." The Journal of Applied Christian Leadership 4, no. 2 (Fall 2010): 16-31. https://www.andrews.edu/services/jacl/article_archive/4_2_fall_2010/03-featurearticles/jacl_4-2_boshart.pdf.
"About." Maki Ashe Van Steenwyk. Web. https://www.makiashe.com/
Shenk, Joanna. "Mark Van Steenwyk: A Mennonite anarchist." theMennonite 1 February 2013. Web. https://anabaptistworld.org/mark-van-steenwyk-mennonite-anarchist/.
Steenwyk, Mark van. "A shift towards sustainable community." Radical Discipleship. 14 September 2016. https://radicaldiscipleship.net/2016/09/14/a-shift-towards-sustainable-community/#more-6270.
Additional Information
Address: 2420 11th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
Phone: 612-586-8320
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: Central Plains Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at The Mennonite Worker
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Mark / Maki Ashe Van Steenwyk | 2005- |
Membership at The Mennonite Worker
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 20 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | July 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Mennonite Worker, The (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. July 2023. Web. 27 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mennonite_Worker,_The_(Minneapolis,_Minnesota,_USA)&oldid=176243.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (July 2023). Mennonite Worker, The (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 27 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mennonite_Worker,_The_(Minneapolis,_Minnesota,_USA)&oldid=176243.
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