Local men’s chorus to preform, raise money for MCC

The Kansas Mennonite Men’s Chorus is celebrating their 50th year this spring.

The men’s chorus was started in 1969 as a part of the Mennonite Central Committee Relief Sale. Vernon Wiebe and David Suderman suggested pulling together a large male chorus to conclude the relief auction effort with a worship service as well as gather additional funds for world relief. Since then the KMMC has donated over $600,000 to the Mennonite Central Committee according to their website. These funds came from offerings taken at the concerts.

A few years after the chorus group formed, their motto became “We sing that others may live” due to their concerts bringing in donations to the Mennonite Central Committee, one of the most efficient and effective relief and development charities around.

KMMC has had as many as 300 members, made up of men from all over Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota. There have been many directors over the years. The current director is Greg Bontrager.

The group presents two concerts each spring in Kansas around the time of the relief sale. The concerts this year will be at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 7 at Tabor College and at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 14 at Bethel College. Both concerts are free and open to the public.

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