| Rosedale
Mennonite Missions (RMM) is the mission agency of the
Conservative
Mennonite Conference (CMC) located in Rosedale, Ohio, thirty miles west
of Columbus. CMC-affiliated churches are the primary RMM program
supporters. More than 100 congregations have a combined membership
that surpasses 11,000.
The congregations are scattered from the greater Los
Angeles area in the Southwest to Lowville, New York, in the Northeast,
and from Sarasota, Florida, in the South to Red Lake, Ontario, in the
North. One-third of the congregations, representing more
than 40% of the membership, are located in Ohio and Indiana.
A seven-member board of directors, elected by CMC
ministers, governs RMM's activities. The members represent seven
geographical districts. One member is chosen each year for a
seven-year term. An Executive Team of four persons, representing
various aspects of the RMM program, gives overall direction to the
ministries of approximately 45 long-term and 20 short-term workers in some 14 countries. The annual
budget is in excess of 2 million dollars. |
| When the Conservative Mennonite Conference was organized in 1910, one of
five basic concerns was "how to best spread the gospel in
accordance with the Word of God." Four years later, a
children's home was established. A mission board was appointed in
1919. Mission vision and activity quickly expanded during World
War II when young men began moving to various locations to fulfill
alternative service obligations. An active voluntary service
program opened doors to establish churches at several locations.
In 1946 the Conference mission board, known as the
Conservative Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities (CMBMC) began
mission work in eastern Kentucky. The first overseas work began in
Germany in 1951, and Costa Rica was RMM's beachhead into Latin America
in 1961. In the early 1980's, personnel from RMM began serving in
Asian countries in the part of the world known as the 10/40 window.
The CMBMC office relocated to Rosedale, Ohio in 1964, and
CMBMC later adopted the shortened trade name of Rosedale Mennonite
Missions. The central offices of RMM had their beginning in one
small office in the home of one missions administrator. They are
now housed in a separate office building, and about one dozen persons
coordinate various aspects of RMM's program in offices located on three
floors. |
