Argentine makes community connections
As an extension of their work with Argentine Mennonite Church in Kansas City, Abe and Cheri Mateo have been making community connections by helping with Snack Shack KC, a hang out for youth about four blocks from where they live in the church parsonage.
Snack Shack opened in 2017 and developed from a youth social entrepreneurship program that gathered a dozen local youth to dream about how they could solve the social problems in their neighborhood. Kurt Rietema, who helped get the ministry started said, “The group saw two things they wanted to change: empty storefronts and the need for a place to hang out. Snack Shack KC is an answer to both.
Zaira, 18, one of the youth founders of the venture, said: “We hope that Snack Shack KC just becomes a cool place for kids to hang out. We’ve already seen a lot of excitement in the community just by fixing up an old storefront. We hope that maybe this also inspires other people to fix up other places in our downtown too.”
Which leads to another dream that Abe and Cheri have begun to dream for the empty storefronts in their neighborhood; pray with them about the possibility of an MCC thrift store in Argentine.
Posted on March 21, 2018 in Congregational Stories Ministry News Weekly Word