Mennonite Voluntary Service Community life

The Dallas Mennonite Voluntary Service Unit members commit to a one to two year term of service, during which they live together as an intentional community in a single family house, sharing household finances, cars, chores, meals and many aspects of life. Basic needs are met by pooling the stipends paid by the agencies for which the MVSers work, usually about $500 to $700 per month per person. This money pays for rent, utilities, food, health care, transportation and other necessities. The household also shares a small entertainment budget and each individual receives a small personal allowance.

The MVS House is near the heart of the Oak Cliff area in Dallas, an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse neighborhood with a large Hispanic influence. The block consists of mostly single family homes, with some apartments. The neighborhood is not far from downtown Dallas, and the house is just off a major corner that's a bus stop for several routes.

Unit life encourages a modest lifestyle in which financial as well as spiritual and emotional needs are met and resources shared. In a society obsessed with material accumulation and individualism and afflicted by competition, alienation and loneliness, MVS calls people into another way of life. MVSers find security and support in their shared lives, in the commitment of the local congregation (Peace Mennonite Church) and in the commitment of the larger church body through the MVS Office. The unit members are not responsible for making financial arrangements with the agencies they work for, nor for raising money for necessities, but they are responsible for living within the means and budget of the household. Members attend a week long orientation before or shortly after beginning their terms of service, and a retreat in early June. These activities are organized by the MVS office and shared with members of other units.

The household meets weekly to discuss unit matters, eats together daily and enjoys low-cost entertainment. In addition to the usual movies and eating out, favorite unit activities have included tubing the Guadalupe River and other fun in San Antonio, camping, contemporary Christian music concerts, sporting events, lectures, recitals, dancing, hosting parties.