The Mennonite, Inc., invites your original submissions for our April 2020 print magazine issue and corresponding online content focusing on Resilient hope.

Description of the theme:

For various reasons, hope is hard to come by for many people, including people of faith. We can be tempted to resign ourselves and others to what is rather than seeking change for justice and new life. Scripture notes that “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:3b-5). But hope is not an easy optimism. In his book Embracing Hopelessness, Miguel A. De La Torre writes that “hope is possible when privilege allows for a future.” He argues that by embracing hopelessness we can be better equipped to engage in practices that bring justice. In this issue, we invite stories of where hope has been difficult to find, how you are finding hope against the odds, experiences from your life when hope flourished and more.

Submissions may consider one of the following prompts/questions, among others:

• Where have you found hope that strengthens you to keep being faithful to following Jesus? How has following Jesus been a source of hope? Tell us your story and be sure to include the voices of all involved, with their permission.
• How is your congregation, organization or community working to be a source of hope? Tell us your story and be sure to include the voices of all involved, with their permission.
• De La Torre writes that “as long as hope exists, the world’s wretched have something to lose and thus will not risk all to change the social structures.” Where have you seen or experienced hope used as a means of keeping people in oppressive structures? Be sure to include the voices of all involved, with their permission.
• How do you understand the Bible’s teaching about hope? How is Scripture a source of building resilience and inspire hope in you and others?

Submissions are due to Editor@TheMennonite.org no later than Feb. 28.

We welcome articles—personal stories, biblical or theological reflections, stories about your congregation, and more (800-1,200 words)—as well as original photography, videos and artwork on the theme. Please note we are committed to anti-oppression reviews as part of our editorial process. When developing your submission, please review our updated anti-oppression guidelines as well as our updated editorial guidelines.