Shared Burdens

It is a practice, commonly known as "mutual aid," that has distinguished Mennonites since their beginning -- the unconditional offer of aid and assistance when trouble strikes a member. But now that only comparatively few Mennonites are self-employed, and now that many women work outside their homes, these people are less able to respond in traditional ways. On top of that, the community is faced with a new varieties of "trouble" -- those brought on by dysfunctional families, medical advances that extend life but don't remove the need for care, urban crisis of poverty and race. A candid exploration of how a traditional practice has been adapted to the modern world, through well-told stories.