Young people and “good works.” That’s the heart of a new trades program at Rosedale Bible College in Irwin, Ohio. The first set of 11 students, through a partnership between the college and Mennonite Disaster Service, completed six weeks of service with MDS during their winter term. Titus Beitzel, director of the new program, said that he hopes students recognize that they are masterpieces created by God. “In Ephesians 2:8-9, we learn that we are saved by grace through faith and don’t earn salvation by our good works,” he explained. “But verse 10 states, ‘We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’" Read the full story via the link! #MDSResponds #RespondRebuildRestore #MennoniteDisasterService (fb)

Residents of the Stoney Creek community in western North Carolina drove the last screw and cut the ribbon on their new bridge on April 4, seven months after Hurricane Helene destroyed it. The bridge is the second to be dedicated in North Carolina by a partnership called “Bridging Together,” co-organized by Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) and Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) with support from the American Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). As she stood looking at the completed bridge, resident Cherie Norton said she thinks the structure is beautiful. “We just can’t believe it,” she said. “It’s wonderful—we don’t have to worry about a firetruck or ambulance being able to get back here anymore.” Read the full story via the link! #MDSResponds #RespondRebuildRestore #MennoniteDisasterService (fb)