What do you fight for? We knew this theme would get some pushback.

We could have asked, “What do you stand up for?” or “What do you show up for?” And certainly, some of the responses answered the question framed in these ways. But we wanted to leave room for the many ways this question could be answered.

Your responses did not disappoint, and I hope you see yourself reflected in the submissions included in this issue.

I’d like to add to the list of things worth fighting for: Journalism — specifically, Anabaptist World.

There’s a lot stacked against the print journalism industry right now, and each year brings new challenges. Distrust of the media continues to rise, and con­sumption of print continues to decline. These are challenges for all journalists, and our focus on Ana­bap­tist faith limits our potential audi­ence.

I share all of this not to scare any­one but as a reminder that we can’t take AW for granted. When I say we need you to do our work, I really mean it. You are our community. We depend on your subscriptions and donations to survive and thrive. 

One dynamic we notice is the prac­tice of reading a friend’s AW subscription. We know many faithful readers come to the magazine this way. We estimate our print reach is at least 2.5 readers per issue.

Please hear me: I love that we share Anabaptist World. Please don’t stop! My request is that if you read but don’t subscribe, please consider becoming a print subscriber or an AW member — or both. Either way, you’ll be joining the fight to support independent, faith-focused journalism. You can do this at anabaptistworld.org/subscribe2025 or anabaptistworld.org/join2025.

Living in smart, frugal ways is wound up in our simple-living DNA. It’s one of the things about our com­munity that gives me joy.

In my living room, there sits a green dresser. It is funky, functional and — my favorite part — I found it at my local Mennonite Central Committee thrift store. It was a great deal, and that makes me love it more.

I hope you feel the same way about AW