Mennonite Voluntary Service Unit - Baltimore
HOUSING THE MVS UNIT
The
Reservoir Hill House of Peace (RHHP), where the MVS unit is housed, is
a large mansion located between a community that is gentrifying and a
community that is still suffering from poverty and all that goes along
with it. There is a small yard in front of the house. On the first
floor are a common kitchen, dining room, living/guest room, office and
large living/meeting room. The second floor houses Community
Residents, all who have some connection to North Baltimore Mennonite
Church. Two rooms house refugees in transition, a program of North
Baltimore Mennonite Church. The large basement houses a laundry room,
recreation area and a computer lab.
The
third floor of the RHHP houses the MVS unit. There is a living room,
five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a common
guest/ironing/sewing/office room. Currently there are a total of 3
MVSers in the Baltimore unit. The MVS household seeks to adopt a
lifestyle that reflects simplicity, justice, and faith. Intentional
Christian community is encouraged in the unit, with the RHHP household,
and in relation to the surrounding neighborhood. Each house member
participates fully in daily activities such as cooking, cleaning, and
upkeep of the house.
LIVING IN BALTIMORE
Baltimore is one hour north of Washington, D.C.
and is
located on the Chesapeake Bay which forms the Inner Harbor downtown. The
climate is moderate in the spring and fall with generally mild winters (the
temperature might go below 30 degrees F in December, January and February) and
warm summers. The population of
Baltimore was 613,000 in 2002. Of those
surveyed, 66% said they are
African-American, 31% white, 2% Hispanic
and 1% Asian.
Baltimore is an exciting place to live! It has many
problems that go along with any large city, but it's not so large that it's
difficult to get a handle on. There are numerous nonprofit organizations run by
good-hearted and concerned people, attempting to address the many social needs
of the city. These nonprofits provide many opportunities for service.
Baltimore attractions include the Inner Harbor, Orioles
Baseball at Camden Yards, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and other musical
organizations, arts festivals, historical Annapolis and Washington, DC (one hour
away) and more. Educational institutions include College of Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins University,
Loyola College, Morgan State University, Sojourner Douglass College, University
of Maryland and more.
North Baltimore
Mennonite Church (NBMC), which is the supporting church of the Baltimore MVS unit,
has about 85 attendees on an average Sunday morning. Some people moved to Baltimore to
study or work at Johns Hopkins University/School of Public Health/Hospital,
University of MD, or other institutions, and have stayed on because they like
Baltimore. Others have grown up in Baltimore or moved here from other
countries.
CURRENT VOLUNTEER ASSIGNMENTS
MVS
workers are placed in a wide variety of positions with non-profit
agencies in Baltimore, most of whom have a supporting church and which
serve low-income or homeless people. Currently the MVSers are in the
following assignments:
Assistant Programmer with Project P.L.A.S.E., a homeless outreach program specifically for those infected with AIDS.
Childcare Worker with Catherine's Hearth, a homeless outreach program.
Director
of Youth Services & Pastoral Assistant at North Baltimore Mennonite
Church. Organizes activities and Sunday School curriculum for the
Senior Youth Group; assists pastor with pastoral care, worship
planning, fellowship groups, and more.
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
Positions
for 2008 will be posted in May ... In the meantime, please contact
Amy Clemens, the MVS Baltimore Personnel Coordinator, for an updated
list of volunteer opportunities (aclemens4@gmail.com; 410/465-4013).
If you would like to apply to Mennonite Voluntary Service, please to to:
http://www.mennonitemission.net/Work/Service/MVS/default.asp
MVS Unit, Baltimore
2401 Eutaw Place
Baltimore, MD 21217
Tel: 410/523-1096