Following the French Indochina War, the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in 1954 began a program of relief assistance to displaced persons in South Vietnam, and soon became involved in relief and medical programs with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and with the Evangelical Church of Vietnam.

A few years later the Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities assigned missionaries to Saigon where they began ministries to students and developed a community service center. This led to the formation and development of the Vietnam Mennonite Church.

The growth of American political and military involvement in the 1960s called for a unique response from Mennonite personnel committed to Christ’s vision of service and peace. The heart of the story is the challenge that North American Mennonites faced in proclaiming Jesus Christ’s gospel of peace in Vietnam during the era the United States of America engaged in a military conflict that killed three million Vietnamese.

John A. Lapp writes in the Foreword: “Readers will be inspired by this contemporary mission story. They will discover the profound commitments of missionaries, how they engaged Vietnamese people, and communicated the realities of living in a war zone to their North American friends and sponsors.… Indeed there are few mission stories that provide such graphic detail on living through a war that ended in the transition to the new revolutionary government.” (600pp. illus. index. Masthof Press, 2016.)

What people are saying...

“This will surely be the "go to" source book in the future for anyone wishing to document what Mennonites were doing during the "Vietnam years." It is nicely produced and the photographs enhance the presentation.”

Senior Professor of Mission History and Contemporary Culture
School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary
 
 
 
“A Vietnam Presence: Mennonites in Vietnam During the American War is a significant work. It does not only tell readers about the history of the Mennonites in Vietnam but also contains lots of valuable information related to other Evangelical/Christian agencies in Vietnam during that period (1954-1975).   As a church historian, I really appreciate your dedication for writing this book.  Your book is an invaluable resource for the history of the Evangelical Protestant Church in Vietnam. 
 
“I will introduce your book to some Vietnamese pastors.  I will also write a review and post my review at www.thuvientinlanh.org to introduce your book to the Vietnamese Christians around the world.”   
 
Philip Phuc Dang
Vietnam Church Historian
Author of Nhung Nguoi Tin Lanh Tai Viet Nam

 

A Vietnam Presence: Mennonites in Vietnam During the American War by Luke S. Martin (Masthof, 2016). American military involvement in Vietnam during the 1960s called for a unique response from Mennonites committed to Christ’s vision of service and peace. Living in Vietnam from 1962 to 1975, Martin experienced the war years firsthand—and the work of Mennonite Central Committee, Eastern Mennonite Missions and the development of the Vietnam Mennonite Church. The heart of the story is the challenge North American Mennonites faced to proclaim the gospel of peace in a nation at war.

Mennonite World Review