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UNDERCURRENTS
How do we practice peace in this broken world? How can we make a meaningful impact in our community? How can we better align our faith and values with our action? For 105 years, MCC’s mission has been to show God’s love to all by meeting basic human needs and working for peace and justice. In this all new season of Undercurrents, we'll share not only the stories of hope and challenge from MCC’s programs, but also to help us learn from them and ultimately inspire us to action. Thank you for…
Episodes
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BONUS episode - "Frank, are you my brother??"
Ken Ogasawara shares a bonus episode with siblings Victor Winter and Frieda Lepp, lifelong MCC supporters whose family’s story began before they were born with…
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Ep 43 - Learning to listen before we respond: a practice for communities in conflict.
Peacebuilding can feel out of reach, even for people who care deeply about it. In this episode, host Ken Ogasawara shares about four African diaspora…
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Ep 42 - Make bread, not bombs
Canada is re-arming at a pace not seen since World War II — and most of us have no idea what that actually means. In this episode, Ken talks with Kelsey…
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Season 7 trailer!
Welcome to Season 7 of Undercurrents! Well, once again, if you only look at headlines, the world is a raging dumpster fire. We’ve got trade wars, we’ve got…
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Ep 41 - What does change actually look like? A season 6 recap
Changing your mind is hard. Changing your relationships is awkward. And changing systems can take generations. In this Season 6 finale of Undercurrents, we…
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Ep 40 - "We never lose with refugees": Canada's most important open door
What does it look like to open a door that changes everything? In this episode of Undercurrents, we trace the remarkable story of how Canada became a world…
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PSA
Two public service announcements, some truly disturbing social media comments and a reminder that "We are Better Together!"
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Ep 39 - Daily bread and a hundred-year plan: Sarah Augustine on long-haul justice
Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts! What does it mean to follow Jesus in a world built on systems of…
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Ep 38 - Re-mastered: Bidder sweet update!
Watch the video here: It's relief sale season in Ontario! As the New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale celebrates its 60th anniversary — and an extraordinary $15…
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Ep 37 - How "zooming in" can help us take climate action for peace
In this episode of Undercurrents, Ken Ogasawara connects stories from Guatemala to a high school in Ontario to explore how climate action can be a form of…
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Ep 36 - The best thrift shops in the world
What makes MCC thrift shops the best? In this episode, Ken Ogasawara goes behind the scenes of MCC Thrift to follow the life of a donation—from the moment it’s…
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Ep 35 - From charity to relationship: a better way forward for the Church (Part 2)
Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube or wherever you listen to podcasts! How should non-Indigenous Christians engage in Truth and…
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Ep 34 - Listening first: how non-Indigenous Christians can engage with the TRC (part 1)
How should non-Indigenous Christians engage in Truth and Reconciliation? What does it really mean to “love your neighbour” on Turtle Island? In this special…
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Ep 33 - Redefining "a good neighbourhood" in Queenston, St. Catharines
What makes a good neighbourhood? Low crime rates? Strong property values? Walkability and good schools? In Episode 33 of Undercurrents, host Ken Ogasawara…
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Ep 32 - Giving our best: generosity, specificity and riding the roller coaster with the Material Resources team
In this episode of Undercurrents, host Ken Ogasawara goes behind the scenes with the Material Resources team at Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to explore…
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Ep 31 - Non-anxious presence, rocky soil and long-term peacebuilding with Rod Friesen
A 30 second scroll through the headlines will give you a glimpse of a world desperately in need of peace. But peacebuilding is not only needed in Palestine and…
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How do we practice peace in a broken world? - Season 6 TRAILER
How do we practice peace in this broken world? How can we make a meaningful impact in our community? How can we better align our faith and values with our…
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Update 3: Podcast inspiration, refugee sponsorship and building a better life ... with LY
This update episode is with Ly. She shared her story so eloquently and vulnerably back in 2021 in Episode 10 about the impact of MCC’s hand-crafted relief…
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Update 2: Pulled teeth, acts of kindness and one last favour with Wayne
This update episode is with Wayne. I got to know Wayne through interviewing him a number of times over 2019 and despite the disruption of the pandemic, I’d…
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Update 1: Quitting piano lessons, finding his father and more life updates with PATRICK.
We check in with Patrick - he of the beautiful singing voice and piano lessons - who was featured in the very first pilot episode of Undercurrents. Since I…
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ANNOUNCEMENT(S)
Host Ken Ogasawara and producer Christen Kong share insights from listeners, tease an upcoming mini-season, and the audio clip that started it all!…
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Ep 30 - Unspeakable suffering; defiant hope in DR Congo
The most brutal conflict of the modern era is grinding onwards in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this episode, we’ll hear from Justin Zihindula and…
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Ep 29 - Together, we can! (Or, how an impossible mission keeps producing against all odds)
On January 18, 2025, a brand new 10,000 square foot facility had its grand opening at the MCC Hub in New Hamburg, Ontario. Over 700 people of all ages…
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Ep 28 - Welcoming the stranger
“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Matthew 25:35 There are 22 scriptures in the…
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Ep 27 - Spiritual Covenant with Adrian Jacobs
"I was looking for justice, tangible justice. I was looking for something that said, 'We're not just going to repent. We're not just going to be sorry. We're…
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Ep 26 - Tending Tomorrow with Leah Reesor-Keller
Our guest today is Leah Reesor-Keller. She is a speaker, leadership consultant, Transitional Executive Director of KAIROS Canada, and now - an author. We sat…
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Earth Day Special! - Imagining better futures with Dr. Sibonokuhle Ncube
Happy Earth Day, Undercurrents listeners! Today, we're sharing an episode from our sister podcast, Relief Development & Podcast, produced by my amazing…
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Ep 25 - Affordable housing, part 2
In the second part of our mini-series on affordable housing, we hear from Beyond Housing executive director Dan Driedger - the single greatest challenge to…
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Ep 24 - (un)affordable housing, part 1
We sit down with MCC's Ontario advocacy guru Greg deGroot-Maggetti as he breaks down our affordable housing crisis: where we are, how we got here, and three…
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Ep 5 - David and Goliath (Palestine and Israel - re-release)
In light of the horrific ongoing violence in Palestine and Israel, we are re-posting this episode from Season 1, called “David and Goliath” featuring…
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Ep 8 - Home (Palestine and Israel - re-release)
In light of the horrific ongoing violence in Palestine and Israel, we are re-posting this episode from Season 2, called “Home” with Israeli Jewish filmmaker…
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Ep 23: Water Walking
"Water is life." Indigenous Water Walker Mary Anne Caibaiosai takes us on a 200 km journey of prayer, solidarity and celebration. Transcript here. To learn…
UNDERCURRENTSEp 9: Merle's Story (Re-release)
"We must own the whole story." How a former residential school worker wrestles with his past and how his story challenges all of us beyond our good intentions…
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Ep 11: Save the evidence (Re-release)
This episode is from Season 1 and originally aired in spring of 2020. We learn about the oldest Residential School in Canada and hear a powerful story from a…
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Episode 22 - Five lessons from refugee sponsorship
Since 1979, hundreds of thousands of refugees have been sponsored, resettled, and built new lives in communities across Canada. Countless tears of happiness…
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Ep 21 (Bonus mini-episode)- Heifers: what are they? And why are they worth millions to MCC?
We're back at the auctions. But instead of being surrounded by children with pie in their hair, like at the New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale featured in…
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Ep 20 - Special guest: Malcolm Gladwell!
In this very special episode, we sit down with best-selling author, public speaker, podcast wizard, and honorary Mennonite, Malcolm Gladwell. We cover a lot of…
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Ep 19 - "Soup"
"Somebody has to do something. It's crazy that we've got people that want to work and there is no job." We talk with Suzi and Lucas, two soup chefs who have…
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Update: "Checkpoint" with Izzy Hawamda
In Season 2, Ep 8 ("Home") of Undercurrents, we were privileged to hear the poetry of Palestinian poet and teacher Izzeddin Hawamda. We had so much positive…
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Ep 18 - "You need to chill out!" and other lessons from SALT
This is a special episode - a conversation between the Undercurrents team Ken Ogasawara and Christen Kong about their shared experience of doing the SALT…
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Ep 17 - Lay of the Land
"I had to take my own leadership and not everybody was happy about that, let me tell you." In the newest episode of Undercurrents, Colleen Hookimaw shows us…
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Bidder Sweet update: "You're missing a part of the story."
A mystery caller provides some more behind-the-scenes insight into the thrilling quilt auction profiled in Episode 16 - Bidder Sweet: A Quilt to Remember. See…
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Ep 16 - Bidder Sweet: A Quilt to Remember
We go back in time to investigate the heart-pounding, sweaty-palm-inducing thrill of the greatest quilt auction ever caught on tape. Join us for a fun bonus…
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Season 3 Trailer!
Welcome to a third season of Undercurrents! We go behind the scenes of an epic quilt auction, to South Africa with the SALT program, we dig into Indigenous…
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Ep 10: Giving gifts/receiving gifts
Why MCC's relief materials are created as gifts and how one such hand-made item changed the life of one young girl in a refugee camp over forty years ago…
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Ep 15: Chuck
This episode covers some heavy topics, including pedophilia and suicide. We don’t go into details, but please take care as you listen. In this final full…
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Ep 14: John
Content warning: This episode covers some heavy topics, including pedophilia and suicide. We don’t go into details, but please take care as you listen. This…
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Ep 13: I believe in miracles
We hear the story of someone whose life was saved through not one, but multiple miracles. We explore the questions: What are miracles? Have you experienced…
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Ep 12: Making a Living
In this episode, we explore what it means to "make a living" - what does that mean? How much is enough? And what happens when you can't make it? Also, we…
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Episode 8: Home
Israeli Jewish filmmaker Lia Tarachansky shares a powerful story of shared humanity, shared home, and challenges all of us who live on settled land…
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Season 2 Trailer!
"Some things in this life ... have no explanation". Season 2 of Undercurrents is coming! We take a deep dive into some incredible stories from our programs and…
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Ep 7: Merle's Story (early release)
*This is a special early release of one episode from the upcoming Season 2 of Undercurrents. Look for the rest of Season 2 in September!* This is the story of…
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Update 2: "We are listening."
Listeners call in from around the world with messages of insight, gratitude, and inspiration for our interview subjects ... and one call that missed the mark…
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Ep 6: Save The Evidence
We hear stories from a residential school survivor that she refuses to tell her own family; we hear from indigenous partners who are working to reclaim their…
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Update 1: Let's give them a hand!
We would have been hearing great feedback from you - THANK YOU. It reminded us that especially during this time of self quarantine and physical isolation, it…
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Ep 5: David and Goliath
What happens when David becomes Goliath? This is our only international episode in Season 1. We explore the tragic realities of Palestinians living under…
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Ep 4: Radical Acceptance
Restaurants and restorative justice. Shame vs accountability. And what it takes to be a bridge from prison to community. Links: Restorative Justice (RJ)…
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Ep 3: Refugees and Piano Lessons
Forced migration, the unique way Canadians can protect lives, and how music is helping one resettled family stay grounded. (This was originally the pilot…
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Ep 2: Wayne's World
From a childhood lesson, to homelessness, to dress shopping, Wayne shares one of the most valuable things we can receive: the gift of a stranger’s story…
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Ep 1: Being Jesus
This episode is about homelessness, an obnoxious ex-pastor, and the age old question: What would Jesus do (and why don’t we do it)? Links: TOOLS program…