Mennonite
Central
Committee

New Washington office allows more interaction with partners, public

Marla Pierson Lester
June 30, 2006

As MCC workers welcome visitors to their new office at 920 Pennsylvania Ave., about eight blocks from the U.S. Capitol, they will also be demonstrating a new partnership of Anabaptist groups.

The MCC Washington Office, which had six workers in a small space before, is now spreading into a building that will be shared with two MCC East Coast workers. Eastern Mennonite University's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding will rent space there, as will the Anabaptist Peace Center.

"What that will do is create a kind of synergy and interaction among these Anabaptist groups who are all doing peace-building, just with a little different focus," said J. Daryl Byler, director of the Washington Office. "Hopefully we'll be able to build on each other's ideas.

The MCC Washington Office will have a time of dedication and an open house on July 14 at 4 p.m.

Byler noted that in addition to giving space for additional organizations to work in the building, there is also more space for Washington Office staff to meet with Anabaptists from Washington or from across the country.

"My main hope is that having this facility and a little more space will just strengthen the Anabaptist witness on Capitol Hill at a time when it seems that witness is desperately needed," Byler said.

MCC first opened an office on Capitol Hill in 1968, renting an 8-by-10 foot space rented for $27 a month from the Friends Committee on National Legislation. With rents rising, the MCC U.S. board in November 2005 approved purchasing the Pennsylvania Avenue building for $915,000. Another $50,000 covered renovations including brick pointing, interior painting, construction of a new stairway, installing energy-efficient windows, adding new carpet and upgrading heating and air conditioning systems.

Donors from nearly 40 states contributed some $150,000 U.S. "The support was really broad-based and generous," Byler said.

MCC East Coast also helped to purchase the office building. "That was part of a vision of wanting to work more closely with the Washington Office," said Dionicio Acosta, service program administrator for MCC East Coast.

After months of review, the Washington D.C. service program is restructuring to focus more on local workers, although some volunteers will still be brought in from various locations. "We were hearing there were local people who also have the vision to be involved. They know the needs. They have abilities and talents they want to make use of and be part of the team," Acosta said.

With a smaller number of service workers coming from outside the community, MCC was able to sell the large house where volunteers used to live and put the proceeds toward the Pennsylvania Avenue property and toward purchasing a smaller home for workers near two Anabaptist churches.

In coming months, service workers and local workers will be added to the service program. A group of local church leaders was asked to identify priorities for the service program based on that, work will be developed to address nonviolence, education, homelessness, offender reintegration and immigration, said Rebecca Knight, who is starting as coordinator for the Washington, D.C., service program.

"I am excited about the opportunities for an expanded service and peace witness in our nation's capital and about the spirit of collaboration among local Anabaptist churches and agencies," said Rolando Santiago, executive director of MCC U.S.