Prayers of gratitude and intercession

Testimonies from Africa

Working as a nurse is a challenging job. It needs a heart with passion, patience and love. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I saw the hand of God in my life as he protected me. There were times when I despaired with anxiety, but when I remembered how King David in the Bible hoped in the Lord and encouraged himself, I would be revived.

I was pregnant when the coronavirus pandemic started. I’m also asthmatic. My gynecologist stressed how I should be careful not to catch COVID-19 because it would be too risky for both me and the child. I wondered how I would fare working at the biggest hospital in the country, Parirenyatwa, that was also treating COVID-19 patients.

One time at work, a difficult patient was admitted. He was frustrated and agitated. Worse still, he showed quite an attitude and did not want anything to do with nurses, doctors and being in the hospital. He was coughing so badly. Many of my colleagues were fed up with his antics. I then offered to nurse him, trying to create a nurse-to-patient relationship, chatting kindly and giving him his medication, and coaxing him to wear a mask. He was impossible, but eventually complied after 20-30 minutes of persuasion. I was happy too as I tucked him in.

As I was leaving, I saw two people in full PPE (personal protective equipment) running toward the cubicle. They said the patient I was nursing was COVID-positive and that he should be changed to the COVID ward.

I was filled with great fear when I thought of all the time I was chatting with him closely while he did not have a mask on. I worried. But I reminded myself that worry is like a rocking chair. I’d keep rocking in one place and get nowhere. I prayed.

I drew on my hope in the Lord. I remembered that those who hope in the Lord keep flying high like eagles, they run and do not become weary; they walk and do not faint. I mustered all my hope in the Lord and believed I would be well. Days went by, I continued with my work and felt strong. I had no COVID-19 symptoms.

On another vivid occasion when my baby was three months old, I nursed a patient who had been admitted the previous night. I bathed and dressed the patient’s wounds only to be told she had to be transferred to a COVID-19 ward. I worried about how I would quarantine with or without my breastfeeding baby. I just had faith and hoped God would continue to protect me. He did, because up until today I haven’t suffered from COVID, despite being highly exposed countless times. Yes, I am very cautious, but I do believe God protected me and I’m very grateful. I shall keep hoping in Jesus. Jesus is my true hope.
— Hazel Nenguke, Brethren in Christ Church, Zimbabwe

Testimonies from Africa

Psalm 62 expresses the cry of Christians in the West African Sahel. Several Sahelian countries have been experiencing terrorist attacks for more than 10 years. Like David, we feel hungry and harassed by the enemy. David was abandoned by his faith collaborators, betrayed. In these difficult times, David did not use violence, trickery or any physical means to get rid of his enemies. He left it to God and he put his trust in God.

God is our home, our refuge and our hope in times of trial.

There was a retired high school teacher in eastern Burkina Faso. For some time, this region has been controlled by terrorists. One day they found him in the church, teaching. They asked him what was he was doing, and he replied that he was teaching the Bible. The terrorists told him that the stage of the Bible has passed and it is now the time of Muhammad; he must change his religion. He replied that at his age he cannot change his religion.

They told him he must stop teaching, and they will take him to their leader. They forced him to take his car, which they also got into. On the way, the terrorists said that this car now belongs to them. The teacher started to pray, asking God to give him wisdom in how to respond to the terrorists.

Arriving at the leader of the terrorists, he was asked who owned the car. He responded, “It belongs to my sister-in-law.” The leader answered: “You are fortunate it belongs to a woman because we do not take away women’s property”. They ordered him not to teach about Jesus anymore because it s now Muhammad’s time. He replied that it was not Muhammad that Jesus was talking about who would come, but the Holy Spirit who was to come and help believers.

After a period of interrogation, where the teacher remained calm and confident, they sent him to a place where he could easily return home.

The teacher placed his faith and hope in God, who promised his children by saying to keep calm and that God will fight for them (Exodus 14:14).

Testimony provided by

Siaka Traoré, pastor, Eglise Evangélique Mennonite du Burkina Faso

“Jesus is our hope: even if we go through the valley of the shadow of death, he is by our side.” 

In the Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday materials for 2023, meet the Christian believer in Burkina Faso who declares this faith despite challenges – and more.  

MWC creates worship resource materials three times a year for member churches: Peace Sunday (18 September, 2022), YABs (Young AnaBaptists) Fellowship Week (3rd week of June) and for Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday (22 January 2023).  

“Each year for Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday, we encourage Anabaptist-related churches across the globe to use a common theme in a worship service to connect with our global Anabaptist family,” says César García.  

Many congregations celebrate on the Sunday closest to 21 January, the date of the first Anabaptist baptism in 1525.   

“Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday is an opportunity to remind our communities of faith that we are all part of one body made up of many tribes, languages and nations (Revelation 7:9),” says César García, MWC general secretary.  

“In 2022, many of us were able to gather with joy, in person and online, for our MWC’s global Assembly in Indonesia, but that is a small portion of our global faith family. Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday makes it possible for every local congregation to join in shared worship, in spirit, in their own time, own place, and in their own way,” says Arli Klassen, regional representatives coordinator.  

Churches may use as much or as little of the worship package as is useful to them. It contains preaching resources on the lectionary texts, four testimonies, cultural context and suggestions for offering from Africa, a children’s story and multimedia resources.  

Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday is an opportunity to cross barriers: worship with another local MWC member church; invite an MWC speaker from the speakers’ bureau; host a communal meal – or a communal time of fasting – and take up an offering for the work of MWC connecting the Anabaptist-Mennonite family of faith.  

“The calendar date isn’t important; you can use these resources to ponder living out peace in your congregation any time of year,” says Andrew Suderman, Peace Commission secretary. 

MWC would like to hear about you! How did you use the worship package and add your own creativity to observe these events.  

Tell us how you used these prayers, activities, testimonies or teaching resources in your congregation. Please send photos and reports to photo@mwc-cmm.org to share with other members of our global faith family. 

For Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday, send us your congregation name so we can drop a pin on our celebration map.  

Testimonies from Africa

When we receive the life of Jesus, a living hope is born in us, with our desires turned toward what does not perish: eternal life with God. This new life is constantly being tested in various ways. This is the story of a young Fula (a person from the semi-nomadic Fulbe people) from Burkina Faso who converted from Islam to Christianity.

This happened at the start of terrorism in a Fulbe village in northern Burkina Faso. The muezzin (the person who calls people to prayer) of the mosque gave his life to Jesus to obtain salvation. The imam and all the Muslim community were not happy with his decision. They accused him of treason.

One day, the imam summoned the muezzin before several Muslim followers. He was placed in the middle of the circle, and the imam asked the audience, “If one of your oxen gets lost from the herd, and you find it, what do you do?” The Muslim faithful answered firmly, “we bring him back and we tie him well so that he does not get lost again.”

The new convert asked for the floor to give the answer he had in his heart. “In my humble opinion, if your ox goes astray and you find it in a green pasture grazing fresh grass, you leave it there, and with a happy heart you go to lead the rest of the herd to him so that all your oxen may also benefit from this green pasture.”

The imam and his retinue became angry and withdrew.

A few days later, unidentified gunmen broke in the new believer’s home in the night. Because of the heat, he and his family slept in the yard outside the house on mats. The attackers kicked him awake and ordered him to follow them. He obeyed without flinching. As they moved through the dark night, one of the attackers fired a shotgun at him but did not hit him.

In a spirit of survival, the new believer fled and hid in a friend’s kitchen until dawn. Sensing the danger had passed, he came out of his hiding place and showed himself to his friend. The friend went home discreetly to check if his family was well, and to bring him some clothes. The new believer left the village to save his life.

Jesus is our hope: even if we go through the valley of the shadow of death, he is by our side.

*updated on September 2023

Anabaptist historical context

Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday is an annual event for MWC member congregations around the world, worshipping together in spirit using the same worship resources, knowing that we belong to each other in this global family of faith.

Anabaptism is a Christian movement that traces its origins to the Radical Reformation. The most widely accepted date for the establishment of Anabaptism is 21 January 1525, when Conrad Grebel baptized George Blaurock in Felix Manz’s house in Zurich, Switzerland. George Blaurock immediately baptized several others on confession of their faith. These baptisms were the first “re-baptisms” known in the movement.

Anabaptism developed into several groups in Europe during the 1500s – including the Mennonites (named after Menno Simons from the Netherlands) – and spread in multiple locations. Members of this movement continued to move and grow in numbers around the world in the centuries to follow.

Mennonite World Conference began in 1925 as a way of bringing together the many churches from different streams of Anabaptism. Today MWC has member churches in 58 countries, each with their own story of how they began and came to be part of our Anabaptist communion.

The Anabaptist movement began as part of a renewal movement within the Catholic Church in Europe in the early 16th century. Some of its inspiration comes from the Catholic tradition: the strong sense of discipline and community found in monasticism, for example, the attentiveness to the Holy Spirit that could be found in Catholic mysticism, or the emphasis on following Jesus in daily life in The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis. Anabaptism also owes a debt to Martin Luther and the early Reformation movement, particularly Luther’s emphasis on the authority of Scripture and his emphasis on the freedom of the Christian conscience. And the movement was shaped by deep social and economic unrest of their time that exploded in the Peasants’ War of 1524-1525. The Anabaptists themselves, however, would have said that they were simply trying to be faithful followers of the teachings of Jesus and the example of the Early Church.

Although dates can be somewhat arbitrary, the Anabaptist movement “officially” began on 21 January 1525 when a small group of Christian reformers gathered for a secret worship service in Zurich, Switzerland. The group was frustrated by the hesitance of their leader, Ulrich Zwingli, to enact the changes to Catholic rituals that they agreed Scripture demanded, especially regarding the Mass and the practice of infant baptism. In their reading of Scripture, true Christian baptism assumed a conscious commitment to follow Jesus – something no infant could do. So on 21 January 1525, this small group agreed to baptize each other as adults. Although it would be some time before the full meaning of baptism came into focus, the early Anabaptists understood this act to symbolize the presence of the Holy Spirit in the gift of God’s grace, a commitment to a life of daily discipleship, and membership in a new community of God’s people.

Members of the movement generally referred to themselves as “Brethren” (Brüder)—or later by the more descriptive term “Baptismminded” (Taufgesinnten). Their opponents labeled them Anabaptists (= re-baptizers), in part because “rebaptism” was a criminal offense in the Holy Roman Empire, punishable by death. At first, the group resisted the term “Anabaptist” since in their minds they were not rebaptizing, but rather baptizing correctly for the first time. But over time, the name persisted. Today, Anabaptist is an accepted English term for all Reformation groups who practiced believers (rather than infant) baptism, and the denominations descended from them such as the Amish, Mennonites, and Hutterites.

Over time, however, a coherent movement emerged. Its identity was forged, in part at least, from the need to respond to several basic challenges. First, in response to accusations of heresy by religious and political authorities in the first half of the 16th century, Anabaptists were quick to define themselves as faithful, Biblebelieving Christians. Second, militant voices within their number who were ready to impose social and religious change with violence forced Anabaptists to clarify their identity as peaceful, law-abiding, nonresistant Christians whose only weapon was love. And finally, in the face of spiritualist dissenters who favored an internal religious experience that could avoid theological disputations and go undetected by authorities, Anabaptists were compelled to defend the public and visible nature of the church.

Despite the diversity of theology and practice evident in the first generation of Anabaptists, three coherent groups had emerged by the 1540s: the Swiss Brethren in the Germanspeaking territories; the Hutterites in Moravia; and the Mennonites of the Netherlands and North Germany who were organized around the leadership of Menno Simons. Although these groups differed in important ways, they nonetheless recognized each other as members of the same religious tradition, so that their internal disagreements often took the form of a family quarrel.

Over the next 500 years Anabaptism spread to many different countries around the world, each with their own origin story. Mennonite World Conference began in 1925 to bring different Anabaptist groups together for fellowship, worship, witness and service. 

—Excerpts from Stories: How Mennonites Came to Be, by John D. Roth, Herald Press, 2006. Adapted and used with permission.

Choose texts that work in your context.

Old Testament: Isaiah 40:28-31

• Jesus Christ our hope is a theme that comes at the right time, an appropriate theme in the aftermath of crossing zones of turbulence in our world and in our lives in particular. Hope is a pure and disinterested confidence in the future. Don’t we say that we have no hope when there is no life? To have hope is to have faith, to continue to put one’s trust in God, even if everything does not go as we want. In our context of insecurity, aggravated by the COVID-19 crisis and many other evils that rage around us, hope presents itself as the breath of life.
• The children of Israel at one time also went through such disappointments and moments of crisis. According to them, they felt they no longer were important in the eyes of God. Many of them may have the same feeling of being not counted by God. This is common when we are going through uncertain times. God knows this, and knows our fears and our worries. Despite the uncertainty, God speaks to us saying, “Give hope to my people!”
• Although not everything is as we were used to before, God is faithful to God’s promises. God remains God and has not changed. God asks you to place your trust, your hope in God. In Isaiah 40, God says over and over “Raise your eyes up and look! Who created these things? Who makes their army march in order? He calls them all by name.” God says in Jeremiah 29:11: “Yes, I the LORD, know the plans I have for you. I declare it, these are not projects of misfortune but projects of happiness. I want to give you a figure full of hope.”
• God wants to give you hope when you think that nothing is going well in your family life, your health, your work, or your relationships with others. God asks you to look up to God. Like God, God wants you not to be tired, nor to get bored. When you think nothing is right, God tells you to take flight like an eagle. God wants you to put your trust in God. Do not see everything as a failure, but count the benefits God put before you. You will see that in worship, the blessings of God are great.
• Hope in God will increase our strength to serve the Lord.

Psalm: Psalm 62:1-6

• David exhorts himself to continue to wait on God. We must persevere in the good we do and strive to do more and more.
• Everyone has been confronted with the actions of some ill-intentioned people and irritated by others. But God allows these things. Of course, they are difficult to deal with, but they also give the opportunity to develop more virtuous behaviours.
• The more faith is exercised, the more active it becomes. The more we meditate on the perfections of God, on God’s promises and our experience, the more we overcome our fears and are kept in peace (Isaiah 26:3). In the same way that David’s faith rises to unshakable certainty, his joy will turn into holy triumph.

Gospel: Luke 18:35-43

• Jesus is the hope of the marginalized. Jesus is the one who can hear the voice of the voiceless. Let us open our ears, our eyes, to hear and see those who are marginalized in order to give them hope.
• This blind and desperate man was depending on the generosity of people of good will. It was a generosity that certainly did not meet all of his needs. This man wanted to be independent. He must have heard of Jesus, and he put his hope, his faith, in Jesus without having seen him. This man said to himself that the day when Jesus would pass by him, he would not miss the opportunity to challenge him. His hope was in Jesus.
• This day is a day of grace for the blind man. He hears the noise of a crowd, he inquires and learns it is Jesus of Nazareth who is passing by. He says to himself, “my hope is fulfilled”. Then, louder than all the noise by the crowd, they hear “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The crowd, out of contempt, say to him “Shut up”. It is then that he cries louder and louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus, the hope of the hopeless, pays attention to him, and makes him the most beautiful offer, “What do you want me to do?” Some versions say, “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus, I would like to hear you ask me such a question every day of my life, because you are my hope.
• Just like the young King Solomon, the blind man asks for what is essential and necessary, and what men have failed to give him, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” The Lord answers him. He is fulfilled and is the happiest man on earth that day.
• Certainly, this man was marginalized because of his physical disability. Jesus was his deliverance and his hope. It may be that we are not the victim of a physical handicap, but of some kind of handicap that cannot be seen by the human eye. We too must make this cry to Jesus every day, saying “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me”. Thus, Jesus will heal our physical and spiritual handicaps. In return, we turn to him in gratitude and ask him, like Saul did on the road to Damascus, saying “Lord, what do you want me to do?” (Acts 9:6)
• Hoping in Christ can bring healing to our lives.
• What situation is so hard for you that it is hard to have hope? Who is trying to silence you? Fix your eyes on Jesus. Do not allow anyone to silence your hope in Christ. Cry out even more! Call upon Jesus, and he will respond. Jesus gives attention when you call out to him, with hope.

New Testament: 1 Peter 1:3-6

• Jesus made it clear to his disciples what the price is to pay for following him. Jesus did not promise us mountains and marvels. On the contrary, he told us if we want to follow him, we must take up our cross, the symbol of suffering and perseverance. What is reassuring to us about this kingdom reality is that Jesus has promised to be with us in good times and bad.
• Jesus is our hope in this present life, and Jesus is also our living hope for all time. We put our trust in Jesus for eternity. No matter what is going on for you, and what is not going well, put your trust in Jesus. Don’t give up on Jesus, your spiritual life. Rise up and put your hope once again in Jesus.

Sermon content provided by:

• Siaka Traoré, pastor, Eglise Evangélique Mennonite du Burkina Faso
• Seliselwe Sibanda of Brethren in Christ Church, Zimbabwe
• Pastor Absalom Sibanda, Evangelist, Brethren in Christ Church, Zimbabwe

Gathering/Call to worship

(loudly)

Leader: Give me a J
People: J
Leader: Give me an E
People: E
Leader: Give me an S
People: S
Leader: Give me a U
People: U
Leader: Give me an S
People: S
Leader: What do we have?
People: Jesus!
Leader: What do we have?
People: Jesus!
Leader: There is HOPE in the name of
People: Jesus!
Leader: There is HOPE in the name of
People: Jesus!

Benediction:

Leader: God is good
People: All the time
Leader: All the time
People: God is good
Leader: All the time
People: God is good
Leader: God is good
People: All the time

The offering time is as important as the sermon. Often someone will give a testimony and Scripture on the theme of giving.

The pastor often asks one of the ushers to pray, to bless the givers and also that those who are not giving may be blessed to give.

Sometimes the ushers take the baskets around, and at other times members come up to the front to put their offering into a basket. In many places, the people sing and dance because giving is accompanied with much joy.

MWC invites a special offering to be taken for the global Anabaptist church community on Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday. One way to think about this offering is to invite every member to contribute the value of one lunch in their own community to support the networks and resources of our global Anabaptist church family. Sacrificing one lunch is our humble way of giving thanks to God, and supporting the on-going ministry of God through the church.

This gift of “one lunch” per person once a year is something that all MWC members can do. Some people have resources to give much more than this, and should be encouraged to do so. Others with more scarce resources might be encouraged to hear that the Executive Committee of the Mennonite World Conference, with members from every continent, is confident that most adults all around the world can give the equivalent of one lunch per year for the work of the global church.

Here are some ideas on how to plan for an offering in your congregation.

• Plan for One Lunch offerings to be given in a special basket at the front, or culturally appropriate lunch containers during the worship service.
• Plan for a shared congregational meal together before or after worship on Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday
  • This could be “potluck”, with each family bringing big dishes of food to share, including an offering basket for MWC with the meal.
  • Each family could bring a prepared packed lunch. These packed lunches are then available for auction or for purchase or donation to take home or eat together after worship.
• Plan for a time of shared fasting and praying for the global church during a mealtime before or after worship on Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday, and include an offering for MWC during that time, for at least the value of the meal that is not being eaten.

Funds that are gathered through this special offering in each congregation can be sent directly to Mennonite World Conference (find ways to give at mwc-cmm.org/donate). Or, these funds can be sent to your national church office, clearly designated for Mennonite World Conference and indicated as an Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday offering. You can ask that they pass the funds on to MWC.

• Check with Africans in your own community about incorporating their own worship traditions.
• The first hour of worship in Ethiopia is dedicated to prayer, including Scripture texts and songs guiding the hearts and minds of those who are praying, often on their knees
• Many traditional hymns are adapted to an African rhythm, and will include dancing, clapping, ululating, and whistling. These are actions that are used in praise to God. Drumming enhances the beauty of each song.
• Often church members are all encouraged to come up to the front to put their offering into a basket. In many places, people sing and dance while giving their offering, because giving is accompanied with much joy.
• Many people in Africa wear beautiful traditional clothing, or a church uniform when they go to worship. Worship is a time to bring out one’s very best in praise to God.
• In Ethiopia, right before the sermon, the leader calls on children to come forward who have memorized Scripture or are ready to sing a song. There is a rush as the children push to get ahead of each other. If a child is to sing, the congregation joins as an encouragement to the child. Even children who cannot yet read will recite memorized Scripture and receive cheering and clapping from the congregation.
• In some congregations in Africa, at the end of the service, every person greets every other person with a handshake or hug. This is done by people forming a line inside the building and greeting the first person at the door to the outside. One by one, people inside the building go through the door, joining the line on the outside of the building after greeting everyone who is already in the line outside. Everyone greeting everyone on their way out of the church building strengthens the experience of community for all.