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March 9, 2020

Summer 2020 archival internship awarded

March 20, 2020 update:

Given the travel restrictions and measures to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Jireh Mukawa’s summer archival internship has been postponed to a later date.

Original March 9, 2020 release:

Jireh Mukawa

Winnipeg, Manitoba—The Mennonite Brethren Historical Commission has awarded Jireh Mukawa of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo, with the 2020 summer archival internship.

The selection committee was impressed with Jireh’s application and the prospects of his contribution to the archival enterprise of documenting and preserving the story of the Mennonite churches in DR Congo at the newly established Mazala Centre in Kinshasa.

As summer intern, Jireh will spend four weeks visiting Mennonite Brethren archival centers in North America (Hillsboro, Kansas; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Fresno, California) during the months of May and June 2020. In addition to discovering the unique character of each of these Mennonite archives, he will explore the stories and images housed in them. His focus interests are the history of the Mennonite Brethren mission work in DR Congo, the development of the Mennonite Brethren churches in DR Congo, and the practice of archival document preservation.

Jireh is an MA student in the Community, Leadership, and Transformation program at Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary in Fresno, California. The Batela church, a Mennonite Brethren church in Kinshasa, DR Congo, is his home congregation. The internship comes with a stipend of $1,000. See https://mbhistory.org/news/ for news releases of past recipients.

The Historical Commission is very pleased to announce this award as it demonstrates the Commission’s commitment to document and communicate the Mennonite Brethren story of God’s work in the world.

The summer internship is made possible with support from US and Canadian Mennonite Brethren Churches.

—Jon Isaak, Executive Secretary

Note: There is still time to apply for a research or project grant. Application deadline is May 1, 2020. See https://mbhistory.org/opp/ for details.