History

The Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office opened in July 1968, upon the recommendations of Mennonite denominational bodies and conference peace committees, after a decade of study and discernment concerning Mennonite witness to government. From its beginning, the Washington Office has been a listening and interpreting post for MCC constituents and a bridge between MCC constituent concerns and the U.S. government.

Initially, the office monitored six legislative issues: the draft, military spending versus human needs, international economic development, domestic poverty, racial justice, and preservation of human freedoms and religious liberty. This focus soon expanded to provide MCC staff – both international and domestic – with information about policies affecting their respective regions and to arrange meetings between MCC workers and government officials in Washington.

The office was directed by Delton Franz from 1968 to 1993 and by J. Daryl Byler from 1994 to 2007. Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach began as director in 2007.