As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, it feels fitting to pause and reflect with gratitude on the journey of Mennonite Health Services—an organization that has served faithfully under several names: MHS, MHS Alliance, and most recently, MHS Association. For more than seven decades, MHS Association has stood at the intersection of faith and service, helping Anabaptist health and human service ministries live out their call to be the hands and feet of Christ in a changing world.
Our story begins in the 1940s, a time when the moral convictions of young Anabaptists led them to alternative service during World War II. Many were assigned to work in state mental hospitals, where they encountered firsthand the dire conditions that later became the subject of a 1946 Life magazine exposé (image above). Their experiences stirred a holy restlessness—a conviction that the Church could and must respond. In 1947, under the auspices of Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Mental Health Services was formed, and soon after, five mental health centers were established: Kings View, Prairie View, Brook Lane, and Oaklawn.
These early ministries were more than institutions. They were tangible expressions of God’s healing and hope, rooted in compassion and the belief that every person bears the image of God. Their founders were not merely administrators or clinicians; they were visionaries who saw service as an act of faithfulness.
As the decades unfolded, Anabaptist involvement in health and human services expanded rapidly. From the 1950s through the 1970s, new ministries emerged to serve older adults, people with disabilities, and communities in need of hospital care. By the 1980s, this movement had grown far beyond its original mental health focus. In 1988, Mennonite Mental Health Services and the Mennonite Board of Missions’ health and welfare work were consolidated into a new organization—Mennonite Health Services. This moment marked both continuity and renewal: a commitment to the same enduring values, expressed through a broader network of care.
Featured image: staff photo at the 2008 Mennonite Health Assembly
In the years that followed, MHS Association adapted to the shifting landscape of healthcare, social services, and nonprofit leadership. The 1990s brought an expanded membership model and new consulting services to strengthen member organizations. Our network deepened and diversified in the years that followed. New partnerships emerged with organizations like the Peace Church Risk Retention Group and the Peace Church Health Insurance Program, expanding shared resources and collective resilience. The Values-Based Leadership Program—launched in 2001—became a defining hallmark of MHS Association, equipping hundreds of leaders to integrate faith, integrity, and humility into their work. Through it all, MHS Association remained a trusted partner and convener, drawing people together across geography, denomination, and discipline to learn, grow, and serve.
Featured image: President & CEO, Karen Lehman, with MHS Association members at MHS Assembly in Savannah, GA
Under the leadership of Karen Lehman, who became President and CEO in 2018, MHS Association has continued to evolve with a clear sense of purpose: to inspire, strengthen, and advance the effectiveness of values-aligned health and human service organizations. In recent years, the organization has focused on leadership development, peer learning, member engagement, and innovative collaborations that serve the common good.
Now, as we prepare to join in a new chapter through our merger with Friends Services Alliance, our hearts are full of gratitude. Gratitude for the faithful leaders and visionaries who came before us. Gratitude for the member organizations that have carried out this mission with steadfast love and skill. Gratitude for the countless individuals and families whose lives have been touched by care grounded in faith.
The merger with FSA is not an ending, but a continuation of the vision that began decades ago with those early conscientious objectors and caregivers. Their vision was always larger than any single organization. It was about community—about the people of God coming together to serve, to heal, and to bear witness to a different way of being in the world.
As we move forward into this new season, we do so with deep thankfulness for all that has been and with eager anticipation for what lies ahead. The legacy of MHS Association is one of faithful innovation, rooted in values and sustained by relationships. That legacy will continue to guide us as we step into the future as AQORD, a new community of Anabaptist and Quaker organizations dedicated to the same enduring mission: to be instruments of healing and hope.
This Thanksgiving, may we remember the grace that has carried us, the partnerships that have sustained us, and the calling that continues to inspire us. MHS Association has always been more than a name—it has been a movement of people who believe that God’s work of healing is both holy and ongoing. For that, we give thanks.
Cited:
OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (Oct. 18 version) https://chat.openai.com/chat