MMA's new name: Everence

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Mennonite Mutual Aid, which prefers to be called MMA, will have a new name: Everence. The name will also be used by the Mennonite Financial Federal Credit Union. The target date for the name change is Nov. 1. MMA and MFFCU leaders announced the name change and introduced the new logo in a press conference on March 25 but embargoed the news until March 31 so they could send letters to their members first.

MMA president Larry Miller during the unveiling of the new name to MMA staff. Photo provided.

"Everence is a reminder of words like reverence, forever, permanence, and everlasting," MMA's president Larry Miller said."It is a reminder of our foundation of faith and our connection to the church, which is extremely important to us and is not changing. The new logo is primarily inspired by a vine. A vine is a prominent image in the New Testament that often signifies the interconnected nature of community. It speaks to how we are an organization that is building a community of members dedicated to the traditional Anabaptist understanding of stewardship. And you may also notice that the way the vine is shaped creates the image of a cross."

MMA told the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board on Feb. 18 that it planned to unveil a new corporate identity and name "that brings together all parts of MMA into a unified brand." Among the reasons: MMA members are confused by the variety of names currently being used; Mennonites no longer seek out other Mennonites to do business with as they did two generations ago; as an organization that works with multiple denominations, the word "Mennonite" is both a positive and a negative; in Internet search engines, the acronym "MMA" has been taken over by Mixed Martial Arts.

According to Miller, the name Everence Financial will be used as the overall name for the organization, and Everence will be applied to many of the organizations facets.

• Mennonite Financial Federal Credit Union will become Everence Federal Credit Union 
• MMA's retail insurance and securities offices will be known as Everence Financial Advisors
• MMA Trust Company will become Everence Trust Company Mennonite Foundation will become Mennonite Foundation, A Division of Everence Financial
 
Mennonite Retirement Trust and The Corinthian Plan are programs of Mennonite Church USA, and their names will not be changed. They will be administered by Everence.

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