Stories

Reflections on Kintsukuroi

Brokenness into glory Clay in God’s hands Brokenness into glory Kintsukuroi , a traditional Japanese technique, involves repairing ceramics with lacquer and gold, embracing damage as part of an object’s history instead of concealing or discarding it... Weiterlesen

Peace Sunday 2024 – Activities

2 Corinthians 4:7 describes the gospel as a “treasure” in “clay jars.” These humble vessels bring to mind the Japanese tradition of kintsukuroi that creates (or recreates) pottery from broken pieces. Damaged vessels are put back together, often with... Weiterlesen

The mosaic of Scripture and of the church

Peace Sunday 2024 Teaching resource Reading Scripture has always been at the heart of the church’s life, but from early on, different ways of reading and understanding have led to conflict and division. What is Scripture? Already in the early... Weiterlesen

Interconnected family celebrates peace

Peace (English) – Paix (French) – Amani (Swahili) – Mirembe (Luganda): children at a Uganda Mennonite church wrote “Peace” in multiple languages. (See photo below.) Each year, the Peace Commission prepares a worship resource for Peace Sunday... Weiterlesen

Third peace conference brings faith and peace together

“There’s something in the water among Mennonite theologians and peace building scholars and practitioners…around the decolonial project that people are drinking from now that is interesting and quite good,” says Andrew Suderman. The Eastern... Weiterlesen

Time to correct the page

“Indigenous solidarity hits the heart of what we do in the Philippines with Coffee for Peace,” says Joji Pantoja, chair of the Peace Commission (2015-2022). The Peace Commission drafted a Statement of Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples that was... Weiterlesen

Jesus’ message of resilience and liberation

Reading: Matthew 5:3-20 In June 1981, our family moved to Cochabamba, Bolivia, where my parents were to teach in a Baptist seminary that wanted more Anabaptist input. We arrived at a particularly raucous point in Bolivian history. In July 1980, Luis... Weiterlesen

Finding new ways to respond

Resilience in the face of the pandemic When we look back at what happened in the last two years all throughout the world, one could just offer a sigh. We were never prepared for this. Being locked down for several months in the Philippines forced us... Weiterlesen

Peace with broken pieces

The power of resilience A Peace Sunday 2022 testimony “The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him” (Jeremiah 18:4). This theme has been discussed a lot recently,... Weiterlesen

Peace amid the storms of life

“As followers of Jesus, we follow his example and work to bring peace in the midst of chaos." Member churches around the world celebrated Peace Sunday 2021 using Mennonite World Conference’s Peace Sunday worship resource: “Finding hope and healing... Weiterlesen

A broader fellowship

Like the chambers of a heart, the four MWC commissions serve the global community of Anabaptist-related churches, in the areas of Deacons, Faith and Life, Peace, Mission. Commissions prepare materials for consideration by the General Council, give... Weiterlesen

An incessant demand

Like many Mennonites, I hold close the 16th-century stories of Anabaptist suffering. Like many I’m haunted all the more by the dangerous memory of the Cruciform One – ”Take up the cross, and follow me.”Weiterlesen

Standing in Solidarity with the Wayana in the French Guyana

Lina lives in French Guyana, in a remote, rainforest community called Taluene on the Upper Maroni river. The food in Lina’s community is contaminated by gold mining. Like Indigenous Peoples around the globe, Linia’s people do not have title to their... Weiterlesen

"Peace in my heart"

Esuno Kokoro uchini (The heart of Jesus is reflected in my heart). Esuno Heiwa uchini (I have the peace of Jesus in my heart). Mitsuru Ishido wrote this song to encourage Nasu Keiko, a fellow Mennonite church member who was sewing masks to donate to... Weiterlesen

Solidarity and our interconnectedness

As I write these words, our world is embroiled in several struggles. First, we have been clutched by a global pandemic which has disrupted any sense of normalcy we may have assumed. Our second struggle is with overt expressions of deeply rooted... Weiterlesen

Amnesty for Sangmin Lee

It was Tuesday, 31 December, the last day of the year 2019, when Sangmin Lee called me with excitement to report news of his amnesty. Early in 2014, Lee was sentenced to 18 months in prison for refusing, on the basis of his faith, to complete his... Weiterlesen

“A peace that passes all understanding”

Sermon notes for Peace Sunday Background to the Letter The Writer This is a profound letter written by Paul. Rarely do we take the time to think about the conditions under which this letter was written in Philippi, but it is important to analyze the... Weiterlesen

Lehren aus dem Kreuzfeuer: Dem Frieden Gottes treu bleiben

Kolumbien befindet sich in der Anfangsphase eines Friedensprozesses, der Ende 2016 von der größten Guerilla-Gruppe und der nationalen Regierung unterzeichnet wurde. Auch wenn viele von uns große Hoffnung hatten, dass die Friedensabkommen eine... Weiterlesen

A transforming Spirit of peace

Like the chambers of a heart, the four MWC commissions serve the global community of Anabaptist-related churches, in the areas of deacons, faith and life, peace, mission. Commissions prepare materials for consideration by the General Council, give... Weiterlesen

Embracing vulnerability

A renewed peace church calls for renewed commitment to one another; even those who may be our enemies. Building bridges resolves disconnectedness. Without relationship and connectedness peace cannot flourish. This is essential if we want to relate... Weiterlesen