UNDERCURRENTS

Changing your mind is hard. Changing your relationships is awkward. And changing systems can take generations. In this Season 6 finale of Undercurrents, we revisit the most powerful moments from the season — some heard for the first time — to ask: what does it actually look like when perspectives shift, relationships transform, and systems begin to crack open? This episode is a reminder that slow,...

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 leader in refugee welcome — and why that legacy matters more now than ever. Host Ken Ogasawara sits down with Mike Molloy , retired Foreign Service officer and one of the architects of the world's first private refugee sponsorship program,...

Two public service announcements, some truly disturbing social media comments and a reminder that "We are Better Together!"

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 oppression? Ken sits down with the prophetic Sarah Augustine - author, scholar, activist and co-founder of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery. We talk about Jesus’ mic-drop moment, we talk about divesting from systems of d...

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 million raised over six decades — we're re-releasing one of our favourite episodes with a fresh coat of paint. Episode 16 "Bidder Sweet" tells the story of one of the most electrifying moments in quilt auction history, featu...

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 peacebuilding. Meeting MCC partners in Guatemala, Ken witnesses how climate change is disrupting crops, livelihoods, and families—forcing difficult choices like migration. Yet communities respond with resilience and practical action, especially...

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 received to the moment it finds a new home (or gets repurposed in surprising ways). Along the way, we hear from Mark Patfield, General Manager of the MCC New Hamburg Thrift Centre, who offers a window into the care, structure, and decision-...

Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Youtube or wherever you listen to podcasts! How should non-Indigenous Christians engage in Truth and Reconciliation? What does it really mean to “love your neighbor” on Turtle Island? What does it actually look like to move from charity to relationship ? In this second and final episode of our two-part series, we continue a powerful conversation w...

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 live panel episode of Undercurrents , recorded at Westside Church in Burlington in partnership with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), we explore what it means for non-Indigenous Christians to become neighbours worth knowing. Featuring reflect...

What makes a good neighbourhood? Low crime rates? Strong property values? Walkability and good schools? In Episode 33 of Undercurrents , host Ken Ogasawara travels to the Queenston neighbourhood in St. Catharines, Ontario —a community many outsiders label “the worst neighbourhood in the city.” But is that the whole story? Ken spends the day with Tim Shields , MCC Community Mobilizer and longtime Q...

In this episode of Undercurrents , host Ken Ogasawara goes behind the scenes with the Material Resources team at Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to explore how relief kits, hygiene kits, school kits, and canned meat are prepared and shipped to communities facing crisis around the world — and right here in Ontario. What does it actually take to send a relief kit overseas? Why is MCC so specific a...

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 Israel, or Ukraine, or in South Sudan. Peace is needed in our own communities and in our own lives. In my conversation with Rod Friesen, we reveal three stories of peacebuilding from his career- and what we can learn something from each of...

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 actions? These are the questions we want to explore in Season 6. 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. A quick scroll through the newsfeed is enough to tel...

 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 materials how it changed her life. So today you’ll hear an update from Ly as she shares about how she and her church have paid that forward in a huge way, and how another Undercurrents episode (Ep 13 - I believe in miracles) inspired her during...

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 still see Wayne occasionally around the office at various Circle of Friends gatherings. But over the last few years, I’ve been seeing less and less of Wayne. At the end of this episode, he’ll explain why. He also makes an unusual request. Under...

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 first interviewed him in 2018, life has changed a lot for Patrick. I re-connect with him to find out what's new (spoiler: a lot). Undercurrents is supported by Kindred Credit Union. Artwork by Jesse Bergen Theme song by Brian MacMillan

Host Ken Ogasawara and producer Christen Kong share insights from listeners, tease an upcoming mini-season, and the audio clip that started it all! mcc.org/undercurrents Undercurrents is sponsored by Kindred Credit Union .

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 Esther Muziranenge, two Congolese from different families who were displaced and resettled in Canada many years apart. Undercurrents is generously supported by ⁠Kindred Credit Union.⁠ Transcription is here . Download the discussion guide for this...

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 including local dignitaries and politicians, came out to tour the place, eating bushels of popcorn, drinking gallons of coffee, and generally creating the most festive atmosphere you could imagine for the opening of an industrial canning facility. W...

“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 Bible about welcoming newcomers from another land, but it could be argued that none resonate with MCC as much as that verse from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. “I was a stranger and you welcomed me”. Follow along as MCC Ontario sponsors a refugee...

"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 going to do something and here it is .'" With great patience and grace, Adrian Jacobs from the Cayuga Nation, Six Nations Haudenosaunee Confederacy shares a beautiful and challenging opportunity for the Church to make real steps toward recon...

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 down to discuss her debut book, Tending Tomorrow: Courageous Change for People and Planet.  If you’re looking for the one magic bullet solution that will fix everything for everyone, this is not the book for you. Leah calls for us to make roo...

Happy Earth Day, Undercurrents listeners! Today, we're sharing an episode from our sister podcast, Relief Development & Podcast, produced by my amazing colleagues Meghan Mast and Christy Kauffman. We hear from Dr. Sibonokuhle Ncube who says climate change chose her since she learned as a child that people in her rural village in Zimbabwe suffered from drought and hunger. But today she does...

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 building, the role of the private sector, stories from tenants, and more. Plus, a big life update from a previous Undercurrents guest! Read the transcript. Download the small group discussion guide. Advocacy actions: 1. ⁠Say Yes to Fair Rents!...

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 (of many) solutions. Advocacy actions: 1. Say Yes to Fair Rents! - Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario - ACTO 2. Take Action: More Urgency on Housing Affordability - The National Housing Accord: A Multi-Sector Approach to Ending Canada’s R...