Survivors Are Still Waiting. Speak Up Before MCC US October Board Meetings
MCC US will hold its first post-COVID All Boards Meeting on October 17–18 in Akron, bringing together regional board members from across the country. MAST and its allies see this as a pivotal opportunity for MCC to commit to meaningful engagement and begin the process of external investigation, as requested by – so far – signatories of a June 2024 open letter, three MC USA conferences (Pacific Northwest, Central District, and Western District), several prominent church leaders including Desalegn Abebe and Sara Wenger Shenk, and more than 1500 petition-signers.
MCC Abuse Survivors Together invites the public to engage with MCC boards by writing to national or regional board members ahead of upcoming MCC US national and regional board meetings in Akron on Oct. 17-18, 2025. As letters are shared with us, we will post them on our website.
The situation is serious.
MAST is aware of 73 cases of abuse. These include allegations of large-scale financial fraud, abusive terminations, pressuring terminated workers to sign NDAs, sexual abuse and harassment, harmful responses to reports of abuse, and many cases of psychological harassment and bullying. To get a sense of the broad scope of the alleged abuse, see the following graphic showing patterns in the first 67 cases of which MAST is aware (PDF handout with additional graphs and notes here).
Survivors have shared stories of deep harm, destructive coverups, and systemic tactics of bullying and silencing:
MCC’s response to allegations has been:
to claim repeatedly that there is no systemic abuse (most recently, an observer heard MCC Canada Executive Director make this claim during a Q&A at an MCC Ontario event; previously, MCC claimed in a public statement that “the claims of systemic abuse are unequivocally false.”)
to conduct a flawed third-party internal investigation into one couple’s complaint, and then claim that this investigation traumatized workers so they don’t need to do “another” one
to make an “apology” that is buried in HR-speak and self-congratulatory language and fails to take any responsibility for harm
to hire a consultant to design a potential “listening space” and then do nothing else after the consultant concluded that MCC is at a “pivotal moment” that requires a turn toward “humility, transparency and a willingness to change.”
to refuse to accept reasonable survivor-centered parameters proposed by facilitators for a conversation between board members and one couple, John Clarke and Anicka Fast, who have been requesting to meet with board members to share their story for more than two years now.
to express frustration with Desalegn Abebe after he made a courageous public statement about the need for an independent, public investigation, and to respond condescendingly to Sara Wenger Shenk’s similar call to MCC to “pivot” away from a “counterproductive” public response to allegations by claiming that she is “insufficiently informed.”
MAST laments this ongoing pattern of denial, minimization, and deflection. We invite MCC’s constituency to speak up and insist that MCC change course.
We invite you to write to MCC board members prior to their Akron meetings, urging them to:
Commit to an Independent External Investigation
Call for a full external investigation of all abuse allegations and of MCC’s handling of the allegations. Only an external process can provide the credibility, transparency, and impartiality needed to begin rebuilding trust. The choice of firm and the mandate of the investigation must be approved by the MCC Abuse Survivors Together (MAST) steering committee. The investigation should result in a full public report with binding public recommendations about accountability for perpetrators and reparations for survivors.Release survivors from NDAs
Ask MCC to release former staff from non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that prevent truth-telling. This is a minimal but powerful step toward transparency. If MCC claims to value restorative justice, it must allow those harmed to speak freely. Ask MCC to publicly commit to The Faith Pledge (see https://www.cantbuymysilence.com/faith-pledge). (Interestingly, it is a current MCC staff member who pointed us to this pledge.)Accept proposed Facilitated Conversation Parameters
MCC boards have not yet agreed to reasonable parameters for a facilitated conversation with John and Anicka. Ask board members to publicly endorse the conversation parameters proposed by the facilitators: a non-confidential conversation, with survivor advocate present, and with a scope that focuses on John and Anicka’s case while also touching on broader patterns of harm. Emphasize that these terms are reasonable, survivor-centered, and widely supported. Raise the moral bar: if MCC constituents can accept these terms, MCC should too.
We believe that deep listening, transparency, and independent investigation are essential steps toward healing and accountability. We urge all who care about MCC’s future to speak up now.
Here’s the practical information in one place:
Step 1: Commit
☐ Inform stopmccabuse@proton.me that you intend to write a letter by October 15. This encourages us and helps you follow through!
Step 2: Draft your letter
☐ Focus on at least one of these key asks:
External investigation into abuse allegations
Release survivors from NDAs
Board approval of facilitators’ parameters for MCC–John/Anicka conversation
☐ If MCC’s inaction has had an impact on your financial support for MCC, mention this.
Inform MCC of any steps that you have taken or are considering. Emphasize that accountability matters to you.
☐ Keep the letter personal but not overly private, so it can be shared publicly
☐ Need quick access to the latest facts and numbers? Review this MAST timeline and this graphic of the first 67 cases of abuse. Visit https://www.mccabusesurvivors.org for more context and background.
Step 3: Address your letter to:
☐ MCC US board chair Emerson Lesher – mailbox@mcc.org
☐ MCC Canada board chair Ron Ratzlaff – canada@mcccanada.ca
☐ Any other MCC board members you know (names listed here, write to stopmccabuse@proton.me if you need emails)
☐ MCC US Executive Director Ann Graber Hershberger – annhershberger@mcc.org
☐ MCC Canada Executive Director Ken Kim – kenkim@mcccanada.ca
Step 4: Make your letter public.
Copy:
☐ Anabaptist World editor – editor@anabaptistworld.org
☐ Canadian Mennonite editor – editor@canadianmennonite.org
☐ MAST – stopmccabuse@proton.me (and state “I consider this a public letter; I have given MAST permission to post it online.”)
☐ Church leaders, Safe Church officials, and anyone else you can think of
Step 5: Spread the word
☐ Post your letter on social media using #stopmccabuse
☐ Share this request widely with friends and contacts
Try to send your letter by October 15, 2025
Consider joining our teal ribbon campaign. Review our list of possible additional actions at https://www.mccabusesurvivors.org/get-involved.