Prayers of gratitude and intercession

Saturday night

In Africa, when we talk about celebrating, we are unpacking robust and unfettered joy, loud and heartfelt singing, vibrant dancing to music and drums, ululating, whistling, stamping of feet and clapping of hands. Celebration denotes a merry heart! We celebrate when there is love, joy, peace and happiness.

In Southern Africa we have a concept called Ubuntu. Ubuntu says, “I am because you are … a person is a person because of other people.” This concept embraces all sorts of values such as love, respect, togetherness, forgiveness, kindness and others. I believe that the Ubuntu concept is strongly akin to Christianity, because it says, “Do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12a, NIV). It is, after all, the Jesus way.

Having said that, Ubuntu does not always function perfectly. We live in an ailing planet, where people are broken, hurting and miserable as individuals; as families; as church and communities; as nations and globally too. Love, peace and joy are a far cry from many of us in a society filled with pain. Strife is rife within and without. There is need to rebuild destroyed relationships.

The story of the prodigal son has always been an excellent illustration of how we leave the comfort of God’s goodness and push for our own way as our hearts direct. When we hit brick wall after brick wall and begin to suffer, we then come to our senses and plan to go home to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. And our loving Father is, in essence, always waiting to slaughter a fattened calf and call for celebration and jubilation.

I wish to share a testimony, which might be a reflection of what happens in families, in communities, in any nation and also world over. Though it happened a long time ago, I have witnessed similar happening all the time in families and in my community.

This is the story of a prodigal daughter, spiritually, and a prodigal father.

I was brought up in a home that espoused the Lord God deeply, a legacy of my paternal grandfather, further nurtured by my devout mother. Life was good. My father was brilliant, well respected and he had a very good and well-paying job that cared for the family well. But in my youth, things began to change. Sin had been crouching at the door, and as Peter says, the enemy is forever prowling around like a roaring lion seeking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:7).

Father strayed from home, then on his return, he decided to kick my mother out of her matrimonial home. I was the eldest child in the family. I began to see my siblings suffer at the hands of the new woman brought into the home. I was away from home at college most of the time, but I kept getting disturbing and stressful reports of how my siblings were being abused. So, I decided to keep a little diary where I recorded each negative action committed. Each time I made an entry, my heart became more bitter, and resentment created a cold hardness within. The wrongs recorded filled pages and pages. My heart was filled with venom and the wall of hostility toward a man I had loved and revered as a father grew thicker and taller.

It took one uncle that I highly respected to try and talk me out of that bitterness. He reminded me of the commandment that comes with a promise: “Honour your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12, NIV). I thawed somewhat, but I still planned revenge. The very following weekend was Passion weekend. On the Friday, I attended a sermon where the pastor really nailed it as he emphasized Jesus’ words when he hung on the cross. He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34a).

I was not hearing that Scripture for the first time, but that day it pierced my heart. Jesus was wounded for me and was nailed on the cross for me. Jesus forgave me. So, who was I to hold a deep grudge against my one and only father who brought me to this world? What did I mean when I said the Lord’s prayer, “Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” (Matthew 6:12, NLT)? I wept. I repented. I sought forgiveness from God. I could not wait to seek forgiveness from my father as I had become rude and disrespectful to him, negatively influencing the brood behind me.

When I got back to residence, I fished out the vile diary, shredded the pages and made a bonfire outside. As the soot particles blew away in the wind, I felt the heaviness lift off my heart and my shoulders. Sweet relief. When vacation came, I sought my father’s forgiveness. It was a meeting of both the prodigal daughter and the prodigal father. There was rejoicing at the reconciliation. We became the best of friends from that time, and I even cared for my father when he was terminal with cancer until he passed on. Christ is our peace… He “destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…” (Ephesians 2:14, NIV).

It is good to have the love of family members, which does not depend on feelings and circumstance. That love should be like that of God, who says: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands …” (Isaiah 49:15-16). This is deep love, unfathomable, without depth or breadth or height.

People are not really separated by race or creed or colour. We are separated by sin that grows and festers, spreading like a cancer within our hearts. In any one country in Africa, people are separated by barriers of ethnicity and tribe. Evil thrives when people focus on their own tribal groupings at the expense of those who are considered outsiders. The same applies anywhere else in the world. We need Christ, the Great Reconciler. The Word says, “… if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” The Word goes on to say, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:17,18, 21).

It is when we believe and live in Christ that we experience love, forgiveness and the joy of reconciliation. Those we considered enemies and foreigners before become “… members of the household of God …” (Ephesians 2:19c).

In conclusion, there really is no love, joy and peace or any other spiritual gift when people dwell in sinful ways. Sin begets loneliness and strife. Only in Christ can we celebrate together true love, forgiveness and reconciliation. Hallelujah!

—Barbara Nkala is an experienced leader in education and publishing. She served as MWC Regional Representative for Southern Africa (2016-2022).

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This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2022.

Saturday morning

God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. This is what Genesis tells us when God had created heaven and earth.

God is celebrating the goodness of all creation. Is this still true?

Is this “very good” still there in these troubled times? Where is it in the horror when a mother has to watch her children being killed by soldiers?

When women are raped, when terrorists attack villages? Sometimes this “very good” seems to sink back and disappear into deep darkness.

In Mennonite World Conference, I serve as a deacon. We visit people to stand with them to say that the global body of the church is here with you. We visit where the church celebrates in joy, like when a new church building is opened. We visit people in suffering, like in DR Congo, in Burkina Faso. And I have discovered: Yes, the beauty of God is still there dwelling here among us in these dark hours.

In DR Congo, an MWC Deacons delegation visited some of the churches that had opened their homes to displaced people fleeing from the war zones in the east. The visitors listened to stories of unimaginable horror, to women who had been forced to watch their husbands and children killed, to women who been raped and had barely survived. Many of them just sat silent, unable to tell what had happened to them.

As a visitor, what words can you find to comfort? The visitors often just sat, wept, helpless, left without words to respond.

And it was these women who found the strength and words to comfort their visitors left speechless when faced with these horrors. These women were standing alongside, comforting those who came to comfort them. I see the beauty of God the Creator in them in this deep embrace. The “very good” of God shines up out of all this darkness.

We visit each other like the friends of Job came to visit him in his sorrow. They came and sat in silence with him for seven days and seven nights. Sat with him in his darkness. They sat with Job who struggled to find the justice of God, struggled to find a God he can love.

The word deacon originally means ‘acting in the place of the one who sends you.’ A deacon is the presence of the one who sends the deacon. Close to those special envoys are the angels who bring with them the presence of God, bringing to light the “very good” of creation. Yes, there were angels present in these visits in the Congo. I hope sometimes they entered with the deacons. But in those moments of speechless tears, as they who had suffered terrible violence comforted their visitors – these women were the angels. In their faces, I saw the goodness of God shining out of darkness. We had been visiting in houses of angels.

So let us enter these houses of angels in this broken world, sit with them in sorrow, silently, sometimes with tears, and then, maybe much later, even with shouts of joy. Let us celebrate the goodness of God visiting among us.

—Jürg Bräker serves as general secretary of Konferenz der Mennoniten der Schweiz/Conférence Mennonite Suisse (the Swiss Mennonite conference) and as elder and theologian for Mennoniten Gemeinde Bern (Alttäufer). He also serves on the MWC Deacons Commission (2015-2022).

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This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2022.

Timo Doetsch, youth pastor at Evangelisch Mennonitsche Freikirche, Dresden, Germany, and General Council member for Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Brudergemeinden in Deutschland (AMBD), interviewed former Deacon Commission secretary and new MWC president Henk Stenvers.

How was it for you to lead the Deacons Commission?

I’ve been in secretary of the Deacon Commission for 10 years. It was an inspiration and I always enjoyed the work. Although it sometimes was a lot, it is wonderful to be able to visit so many churches, sometimes very small, sometimes in very rural areas.

Not only do you do the work of the Deacons Commission, you don’t only bring, let’s say, greetings from Mennonite World Conference, you also let people feel that they are part of the family.

But also for me personally, it was enriching. It changed my faith in good ways. I guess I’ve gotten more faithful.

How did Online Prayer Hour begin?

The Deacons Commission came together with MWC Communications in the first period of the lockdown in 2020. So many people were affected by this. We thought, it might be good to organize an online prayer just to pray for coping. The first time, there were immediately 60, 70 people. And it got such a positive response that we said we’ll do it again in September.

Then we got 90 people. Okay, then we’ll do it in November again. And all the time it was done by Arli Klassen coordinator of the regional reps, and by me (for the Deacons) and by Karla Braun of the communications team.

Then, MWC decided to make it an official international event. We had a wonderful time organizing this with the whole Assembly tech team with Liesa (Unger) and everybody. So, it became a steady event every two months.

After the Assembly, the tech team will not be there anymore, but we have already decided that we will go on.

Could you describe some of the Deacons Commission projects?

Well, the first thing that comes to mind is of course the COVID-19 task force.

The Deacon’s Commission is responsible for the Global Church Sharing Fund together with the general secretary. This is for member churches in the Global South to apply for money for projects. We decided in 2020 to turn it into a COVID-19 task force, in cooperation with Mennonite Central Committee. And that was really, really successful.

We supported something like 54 COVID-related projects in many countries. We disbursed more than $500,000, while we never gave one project more than $10,000 US.

And the response from churches, from individuals, from funds was really encouraging.

So in the end, we could support all projects that fulfilled the criteria.

And it was a great cooperation. That task force brought together all the different Mennonite relief organizations in Zoom meetings just to inform each other what they were doing in relation to COVID-19 so they could also coordinate some of their projects.

I think it was wonderful how MWC can be the connecting organization between all those organizations that do all those projects.

Do you see a connection to the other Commissions?

Well, that is strong, especially to the Peace Commission. In the course of the years, we have done several projects together. Two times we did [solidarity] visits together. We have written letters together when a national church is having problems, especially with wars or conflicts.

Every month, we have a meeting between the secretaries of the Commissions. We discuss very openly and have very good cooperation.

You’re stepping back from the Deacons Commission. What do you think are future challenges and key issues for the Deacons?

Well, of course the creation care challenge.

Also you see in more and more countries there is either violence or division or polarization. In the coming years, there will be more work for the Deacons Commission, especially with delegation visits to encourage and just let the member churches know that they are part of the global church.

For example, we visited the Wounaan, an Indigenous people living in the forest between Panama and Colombia. Many of them are Mennonite Brethren. They have problems with illegal logging on their land. They asked us to come, but they said, very seriously, ‘we don’t ask you to solve our problems, because you can’t. We ask you to pray for us and to tell the world what is happening.’ That’s exactly what it’s about.

Can you share one of your most favourite Scripture passages?

Well, that’s always a difficult question because it depends on the situation. 1 Corinthians 12 – about the body of Christ – for me at the moment, that’s one of the most important.

Also Sermon on the Mount because those are key passages about trying to be a peacemaker, to work for peace, reconciliation, to have attention for the ones who are having less chances.

And Philippians 4:7: there is a peace that we cannot understand and don’t need to understand, but it guards our hearts and minds.

Can you recommend a book, a song or a movie?

Jonathan Sachs, former chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, has written wonderful books about the books of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. It was really an eye opener to read how from the Jewish tradition he looks at all those stories that sometimes we find confusing.

You will be in the new president of MWC. What thoughts on your mind about it?

It feels like a big responsibility; however, after four years of being president elect, I don’t know if I’m ready, but let’s begin. In MWC, we work as a team: the officers, Executive Committee, staff – we all work together.

I feel honoured and humbled to stand in that line of presidents.

You come from the Netherlands and among the MWC churches, the European church is tiny. What is your take on this?

In MWC, it is typical that it is not important where you come from. The people don’t choose you because of your country. They choose you because they know you.

I think people chose me because they know me. I’ve been in global life since 2003. Being a General Council member, I became secretary of Deacons Commission in 2012. I have been Europe representative at the same time from 2014 to 2020. So I have been in many places and met many people in the global church.

MWC is a platform where we should be able to talk about anything. If not in official dialogue, then person to person, with respect, without judging, without splitting. That’s important, I think, if our desire to be a peace church is real, then we should not solve problems by splitting. Accepting that people are coming from different contexts and start reading the Bible together and try to explain what you read and what they read, and then maybe you could come to better understanding.

What will be important for you during your presidency?

Well, I think one of the things we see more is problems with leadership in churches. And I think that MWC can play a role in trying to resource people for church leadership. We want to foster leaders who are not glued to their chairs, but ready to give over to somebody else without a conflict. Those things will be important.

You’ve used the image of the Sagrada Familia cathedral for the church. Can you explain more?

I like the idea of a cathedral as the house of God.

The people that started to build a cathedral never saw it ready. So you have to have a lot of trust to start building. It is said that architect Antoni Gaud√≠ really didn’t want to finish it. He wanted to keep building all the time.

I think that’s a wonderful parallel. The house of God is never finished. It’s solid, but you have to keep building.

But then the other thing is that when you walk around the Sagrada Familia, you see first a part that was designed by Gaud√≠. It’s wild with all kinds of interesting images. You go around and then you see the part that was designed after his death. Totally different. And there are more parts that are designed by other architects.

This is a very diverse building; still, it is one. It reaches up to God and it’s never finished.

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This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2022.

Friday night

Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus’ message in this passage is so relevant and necessary today since, one way or another, we all suffer from pain, death and consternation. This message from our Lord is true and generous for all of us who are carrying sorrow, pain, anxiety, fear, guilt and so many other accusations. Now more than ever, life circumstances exhaust us as they weigh on our hearts and prevent us from living the abundant life that Christ offers us in his Word.

This is a universal promise of rest, full of grace and open to all who approach the well that is Jesus Christ, the one who is able to free us from the unbearableness of our situations. The rest Jesus offers is hidden from the wise and intelligent, and revealed to infants, according to Matthew 11:25, to those who are like children in their ability to hope, who are innocent and vulnerable. It is for those who have understood the good news, redemption, reconciliation with God, ourselves and others. We are expected to share this charismatic gift of rest composed of comfort, restoration and rebirth with others as a sign of God’s protection.

The passage invites us to put on Christ’s yoke, a crossbar that joins us to Jesus but also to those who need support to make their burden light and easy to bear. This yoke unites us in love that is free of pretense, showing a true interest, empathy and willingness to share with others, thus becoming God-made-flesh once again.

Bring healing and relief

As a church, we are called to present to the Lord those who have been surprised by fear, guilt and shame so that they might receive healing and relief. We are not to be like those who were filled with rage and took the sinful woman before Jesus that he might condemn her to death by stoning in which they planned to gleefully participate (John 8:1-11). Jesus makes them face their own sin and recall their fallen human nature and they withdraw, overcome.

Today, we are not to be informants who judge and exclude; we are to be therapists who bring rest and relief to those who are trapped in spiritual prisons, recalling the moments in our own lives when we traversed the valley of the shadow of death, trapped by yokes of various kinds of slavery that were destroying us. However, Jesus stood before us, looked us in the eyes with understanding, stooped down and untied our shame, thus releasing us to salvation.

That historic salvation offered to us at that precise moment is the same salvation that starts here with Jesus’ Word and Spirit. That presence is alive and well among us, and all who are part of the body of Christ, as a tangible sign of the kingdom of God and God’s shalom.

Following two years of pandemic, spiced with wars, ethnic and racial conflict, mass migrations and human protests, there are many survivors (some less scathed than others), but many of whom have lost almost all their material possessions in the fight for survival. They walk in grief for their lost fathers, mothers, siblings and children. They have lost their stability – mental, emotional and even spiritual. Entire towns have been razed and destroyed. Human greed incessantly consumes, sowing hopelessness wherever it goes.

The church was also shaken to the core, jolted out of its passivity that kept it at a distance from many sad and painful truths; it was forced to redefine its mission, re-read the Word of God through new eyes, and work beyond its walls.

Break the paradigms

Now continues to be a perfect moment and opportunity to break the paradigms that accuse, build walls and keep us apart. May we allow the God of patience and consolation to give us this same sentiment of Christ so that we may unanimously give the glory to God (Romans 15:5-13) knowing that it means nothing more and nothing less than loving our brothers and sisters, receiving them as Christ received us.

Through friendship, hospitality and applying a balm to the wounds, shifting the gravestone where death once lay and untying the bandages, we can stabilize and affirm all those whom we should receive with open arms filled with the hope and promises of long ago that are made manifest here and now through men and women who do the will of God.

May we rejoice with praise, singing out God’s name in the midst of all the people present, that we may be filled with joy and peace while we wait.

Clothed with new energy

Yes, it is time for rest to be restored. We should proclaim this today in spite of what we see and experience because for a long while now we do not walk by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) but by faith in what Jesus, our Sabbath, has proclaimed. Jesus calls us to stop, surrender our anxiety and pain to him, knowing that Jesus is able to care for us. Let us not continue wearily along our way; rather, let us be clothed with new energy so that we may also offer relief to those who have no idea how to continue. Let us pray that the Lord’s peace reign in our heart (Colossians 3:15-17), being one body that is grateful for the presence Jesus left with us.

May we not abandon the little ones, the most vulnerable, those who have been left along the wayside. Oh Lord, may your Word abundantly abide in us, that we may be motivated to wisely care for one another while giving thanks, because we can say “Ebenezer, you have helped us.”

In this beautiful country and this meeting of brothers and sisters from so many different backgrounds, let us celebrate life, our faith, our Anabaptist and Mennonite traditions, while not forgetting the point of this meeting: crossing barriers means going out to meet the other, discover who they are, and meet them in their otherness with love, just like the father who waited full of hope, day and night, for his son to return no matter his condition when he arrived home.

To conclude, in this Assembly, more than ever, may we stop and examine our faith and how we live. May God help us to promote life, justice, mercy and lots of compassion. May our faith communities, our ministries and our own lives provide rest to those who are weary and burdened so that their burdens may be light and bearable. Amen.

— Cindy Alpízar Alpízar serves as a pastor and administrator at Discípulos de Jesús los Lagos, Heredia, Costa Rica, and with the national church (Asociación de Iglesias Cristianas Menonitas). She is passionate about serving people who live on the streets.

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This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2022.

Saturday morning

When we think of older generations, we think of those who came before us, the ones whose shoulders we stand on. However, when we think about the solidarity of our relationship with those generations, there seems to be a gap.

Intergenerational relationships are of utmost importance. There is immense value in passing on wisdom from one generation to the other. We can learn from the mistakes of those who came before us, but that can only happen if we choose to stay connected. A strong connection allows for mentorship, advice and direction. Older people have lived through experiences and circumstances that younger people have not. This is the surest way to share wisdom.

Bridging the gap between one generation and the next is also a vital way of preserving the core values of the church and of passing on the baton to the next generation.

From a biblical perspective, intergenerational solidarity can bring about blessings or curses. In Deuteronomy 28, there is a list of blessings and curses.

“But if you will not obey the Lord your God by diligently observing all his commandments and decrees, which I am commanding you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you…. The Lord will send upon you disaster, panic, and frustration in everything you attempt to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-6) “But if you will not obey the Lord your God by diligently observing all his commandments and decrees, which I am commanding you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you…. The Lord will send upon you disaster, panic, and frustration in everything you attempt to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me.” (Deuteronomy 28:15, 20)

“All these curses shall come upon you, pursuing and overtaking you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the Lord your God, by observing the commandments and the decrees that he commanded you. They shall be among you and your descendants as a sign and a portent forever.

Because you did not serve the Lord your God joyfully and with gladness of heart for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and lack of everything. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you.” (Deuteronomy 28:45-48)

In Deuteronomy 28, we can see how both blessings and curses can be passed on from one generation to the next. Examples today include but are not limited to remnants of colonialism, racism, injustices, wars, violence, the merciless killings of minority groups or innocent people and jealousy.

We can see the negative impacts all these acts have had on different generations and different races. All these sins bring about curses which can destroy intergenerational relationships.

One generation may ask the other: Why didn’t you stand up for what is right? When black men or women were being killed, why did you remain silent? During the time of the Holocaust, why didn’t you stand up for what is right? When war was erupting, why didn’t you speak up?

To this day, my question to older generations concerning injustices of the past is still: Why didn’t you stand up for what is right?

How can we be sure that God will bless us and bless the ones who will come after us? By living the life of obedience that God has called us to.

What are actions we can take to create, nurture or repair intergenerational relationships?

1. Repent

We can ask God to forgive our forefathers and -mothers for the sins they committed knowingly or unknowingly. Sins that have brought upon curses on their generation, and the generations to come.

According to 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We must confess our sins and that includes confessing the sins of the generations that came before us.

God will release a blessing over our lives and our future generations. It is one thing to ask for forgiveness, however it is important not to continue in those old ways or continue living in sin. If we have chosen to follow the way of Christ, then there is no room for malice, violence, racism or injustices.

2. Pray

We can seek God’s face concerning the future of the church. We can pray that God will bridge the gap between generations and for meaningful relationships to be created. We can also pray that God reveals God’s divine will and purpose for our lives. The Bible encourages us to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17,NIV)

3. Act

We can be intentional about creating spaces for different generations and age groups to interact. We can find ways to build intergenerational relationships through our families, the church and our communities. We can also create mentorship programs between young people and older adults. “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead” (James 2:26).

Intergenerational solidarity can also strengthen our relationship with God. “One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendour of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness (Psalm 145:4-7).

Faith can be passed on from one generation to the other. When we reflect on the wonderful acts of God in our lives, we can trace it back to generations before us. We can only have a strong appreciation for God’s work when there is good relation between one generation and the other. Sharing our testimonies with each other can strengthen our faith in God.

— Makadunyiswe Doublejoy Ngulube is the YABs (Young AnaBaptists) Committee Africa representative (2015-2022) and a member of the Brethren in Christ Church Zimbabwe. She currently lives in Canada where she pursues her passion for environmental science the God-given responsibly to steward the earth’s resources well.

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This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2022.

Saturday morning

“And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.” (2 Samuel 6:5 ESV).

Even though I had only a short time to prepare for this, the idea comes from my heart that I was thinking about for a very long time.

I am tired of war, conflict, hunger, poverty, division, hatred, gun violence, black and white class difference, the oppression of women, slaughter of children and women, fake news, liars and unjust authorities and leaders and so many, many issues that you all are aware of.

COVID-19… during the high point of it in the news: we were counting numbers and when the number goes down, we feel happy that it’s getting down. Yet, we missed that those are not just numbers, but people, Humans, created in the image of God. It’s sad!

In the middle of all of this turmoil around me, around the globe, how can I celebrate in a situation like this? When I am told that I can’t cross over because I am black from a poor country? when I am interrogated like a criminal in most of the immigrations in most countries? when I am treated as burden and a problem? when I am treated as a terrorist? My uniqueness is being treated as a threat, my choices have been rejected: when I live in the mercy of my superiors, how can I celebrate?! Where there is no hope, why and how do I need to celebrate! How can I enjoy?

I paused and asked myself what do we mean when we say celebrate? So, I decided to consult my dictionary.

Celebrate: in one of the definitions, it is an acknowledgement with a social gathering or enjoyable activity a significant or happy day or an event.

Okay! So, Celebration is an acknowledgment!

It’s being together.

It’s to see significance in others.

Unless you are significant to me and I am significant for you, there is no celebration of togetherness.

Seeing significance in others crosses barriers. It helps you and me to celebrate our togetherness regardless of what.

I can forget my pain if I am significant to you.

I can pass the storm if I am significant to you.

I leave my superiority if I am significant to you.

I learn from my mistakes if I am significant to you.

My being rich or poor won’t be a hindrance anymore if I am significant to you.

If I am significant for you and you for me, I can celebrate at any time and any place.

As David celebrated before the Lord with songs and shouts of joy, let us celebrate our togetherness in a time like this. As we celebrate our togetherness … let us do it with the understanding of our significance to each other, with exuberance came from the heart, doing it in a genuine act of celebration and without exhibitionism or despising.

One way of the many we can celebrate our togetherness always in MWC is through the Deacon Commission work.

— Tigist Tesfaye Gelagle is a youth leader with Debub Meserete Kristos Church in Ethiopia. She is completing her term as YABs mentor (2015-2022) and will take the role of secretary of the Deacons Commission.

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This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2022.

Friday morning

Once the laws became progressively more flexible during the lockdown we all experienced in 2020, I was able to cycle through the mountains in my home city. Although we were not allowed to mill about on the street, we were allowed to go out and do sports for a few hours at a time.

During the pandemic that so radically changed our lives, the best thing I could do to remain grounded was go cycling. I enjoyed every outing, not only for the physical activity but also for the opportunity to take in marvellous views hidden within the mountains of the beautiful city where I was born, Ibagué, Colombia.

Each morning, despite sometimes feeling sleepy, I got ready to go for a ride, anticipating discovering more of the beautiful work of our Creator. I was looking for a new, colourful scene to photograph, a new view from the top of the mountains, simple peasant families waving and urging me on along the route, and of course, a new physical challenge. I realized that, more than the physical exercise, it was like therapy, giving me peace of mind.

Each outing confirmed for me what the superlative emphasizes in Genesis 1:31: “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good”. God’s creation is perfect! He put everything in its place, including us as human beings. This verse is included in the account of the sixth day on which God created humanity

The scenery that I was able to take in, the vegetation, the animals and also the humans are all part of God’s creation. All of it together is included within the adjective used only at the end of the sixth day “God saw that it was good”

After seeing these great wonders, I asked myself: Why do we want to destroy God’s perfect work? Why do we, as humans, expend so much effort in destroying it? Is this a reflection of our sinful nature?

I am convinced that a large part of the damage is due to the ambitions of powerful people. And yes, ambition and envy are what prompt them to ride roughshod over others and creation itself without considering the damage being caused for the benefit of only a few.

I have already told you that my city is surrounded by majestic mountains that harbour beautiful views and a wealth of natural diversity for all to see. Well, almost, but not quite all. In addition to peasants, indigenous communities and cyclists, a multinational company has discovered the wealth hidden beneath the soil.

They requested a licence to explore and then exploit open pit gold mines. This spectacular place – brimming with diversity – is a source of life not only because of the water that springs up there, but also because it produces a great quantity of food for the region. This is being put at risk, all for the sake of gold.

Naturally, the peasant, indigenous and civil society communities joined together to put a stop to this unprecedented ecocide in the region. My church community did not stand by idly on this problem. The Ibagué Mennonite Church joined the movement that slowly but surely turned into a symbol of resistance and love of creation. As part of our commitment to steward creation, we joined with other movements and expressions of faith that diverge from our own. We joined because of our love of the natural beauty and life itself.

In his book, Anabaptist Essentials, Palmer Becker reminds us of three core values that he says define us as Anabaptists. We are probably all familiar with them.

Can you recall them?

1. Jesus is the centre of our faith.
2. Community is the centre of our life.
3. Reconciliation is the centre of our work.

I can see these three values reflected in the Ibagué Mennonite Church’s experience I just told you about.

Jesus is the centre of our faith, guiding us in love for one another and for Creation.

Community is the centre of our lives, reflected in who we care about and as we help one another to defend our territory.

And, reconciliation is the centre of our work, bringing together people around a shared problem in spite of their divergent thoughts and beliefs.

Beyond this, though, is the task of not only being reconciled to God and our neighbour, but also with nature – our sister and the work of our Father; Pacha Mama (Mother Earth); the source of life.

Thanks to God, and the unity of the people, a public consultation managed to stop the exploration and the exploitation of gold in our mountains. The project tried to sell the idea of development for the region, but the people came out on the side of water and life in place of gold.

I am aware that this does not make up for the suffering of our planet at this moment, but it is an example of the change that can be achieved when we work together as a community, caring for creation. Of course, small actions are also valuable and count, and even more so if each one of us practices caring for the environment.

So, I would like to conclude with a question.

• If all of us have heard of reduce, reuse, recycle, what are we doing to leave a small mark for the better in our environment?
• What changes are we bringing about in our communities?
• Are we impacting our contexts with the Anabaptist value of reconciliation with God, our neighbours and nature with the utmost of love?

—Oscar Suárez is the YABs (Young AnaBaptists) Committee representative for Latin America and the Caribbean (2017-2022). He serves as a teacher in Colegio Americano Menno (a Mennonite school in Colombia) and youth leader for Iglesia Menonita de Teusaquillo in Bogotá. He is a member of Iglesia Menonita de Ibague, Colombia.

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This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2022.

Friday morning

Ephesians 2:14-17 “For he is our peace, in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near…”

The varied global contexts characterized by polarized ideologies, culture, ethnicities, religions, technologies and economies – with their power structures that oppress societies – are what lead to war and all kinds of human rights violations. The hope of creating more just societies is frustrated, making reconciliation with God, nature and ourselves more difficult. In such circumstance it becomes possible to see the deep resentment in all its daily forms that occupies our human realities.

This reality demands that the Anabaptist church and other confessions and religious expressions urgently reconsider the importance of Christ’s gospel. The kingdom of God needs to be built in such contexts through reconciliation strategies that cross ethnic, economic, technological, religious, and cultural boundaries.

The apostle Paul was able to read the socio-political and religious situation between Jews and other first century societies well. He did so by virtue of his Judeo-Christian worldview informed by an understanding of Jesus’ ministry as the Son of God: breaking down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us… thus making peace.

Social dialogue becomes an essential tool for transforming society that has been forced to put up with incomprehensible wars for decades. The intentional and thoughtless practice of war has destroyed the social fabric and placed people’s ethnic and cultural identities at risk. War leaves ethnic, cultural and faunistic genocide in its wake that primarily affects the most vulnerable communities.

For instance, in Colombia, the groups most affected by the armed conflict have been Black and Indigenous communities in ethnic and collective territories. They have been coerced into abandoning their amicable relationship with their environment and social context. When this happened, the conflict led to drastic changes in how differences are resolved between people. The use of weapons became the context has forced sectors of society to use develop a shared vision for building peace through the use of social dialogue.

Social dialogue entails finding common ground that allows for finding practical solutions for living together peacefully, with the goal of embracing the humanity and reciprocity in each other. This idea flows from the Bantu word used in southern Africa and popularised by Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu: ubuntu, which means “I am because you are”. We exist because of a community.

In Colombia, we have a strategy that seeks to respond to these challenges. We have begun interethnic and ecumenical work from a collective worldview that is more than a theological and religious posture. We start with various processes that are community-based, using local know-how and capacity, with a respect for autonomy. In this way, we work toward concrete actions.

We serve as a space where inter-ethnic organizations and churches can connect and be strengthened as we support them in building and making their life-giving plans for peace visible in their territories.

Our work is centred around reconciliation processes, ethnic peace and local development, through strategic alliances between churches, government bodies, the private sector, regional peace platforms and international organizations.

Core strategy

Work in favour of holistic and sustainable ethnic community development in ethnic regions that facilitate linkages between base communities and regional organizations and peace agendas through dialogue that focuses on resolving conflict in local areas.

We use the following lines of action:

1. Victims’ rights: Life, dignity and justice. Holistic reparation for victims of the armed conflict (includes truth, justice, reparation, assurances of non-repetition), full enjoyment of their rights, safe return to their local communities with dignity (education, health, shelter, security).
2. Peace education: Spiritualities, cultures and territories. Training in citizenship, human rights, cultural identity and democratic participation, development of shared visions for the region, and nonviolent social and political conflict transformation.
3. Citizenship participation guarantees. Local autonomy and self government. Strengthening direct, participative and representative democracy; consolidating multi sectoral citizen pacts and moving towards an inclusive political climate that respect the ethnic, social and cultural pluralities present in the nation.
4. Production: Ethnic development and creation care. Guarantee food security and sovereignty from an ethnic and environmental sustainability perspective.
5. Reconciliation: Spirit of dialogue and social collaboration. Reach agreements based on justice and social inclusion; open a path to the future through building relational networks of trust amongst diverse social actors, the private sector and government bodies. Justice, peace, development and reconciliation all require space for transforming conflict through dialogue, participation and social agreement with respect to policies that deliver well-being to communities
6. Peaceful communication: This proposal is oriented toward strengthening the network of popular communicators so that they share, build and strengthen processes and communication skills rooted in afro, indigenous and mestizo communities that inhabit subregions of the country. Also, these communicators make actions related to peace building, historical memory, resistance, forgiveness, reconciliation and protection of the regions and their development visible.

— José Rutilio Rivas Domínguez is a Mennonite Brethren pastor, theologian, social enterprise entrepreneur and peacebuilder in Colombia, and a member of the MWC Mission Commission.

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This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2022.

As the year draws to a close, MWC is finalizing the numbers on the Assembly in Indonesia.  

“We are very pleased to report that, as of publication time, we met the financial goal of breaking even,” says Chief Operating Officer Jeanette Bissoon. 

This was MWC’s first time hosting a hybrid event with in-person and online attendees. “There were many unknowns that made it challenging to budget for registration fees,” says Jeanette Bissoon.  

“Thanks to the careful planning and spending by Assembly staff, we were able to contain expenses, despite an additional year of commitments due to the postponement. Total expenses came in $285 000 less than budget. These savings made up for the shortfall in revenues,” says Jeanette Bissoon. 

The net impact of the variances in revenues and expenses, along with a transfer of $100 000 from general revenues that had been budgeted, resulted in a break-even position. 

“We are thankful to each person and organization that gave to make this result possible,” says Jeanette Bissoon. 

“We are also thankful for each person who attended Assembly,” says Chief International Events Officer Liesa Unger. “We thank those who joined online – at home on their computers or together with others at a local church – for joining us as we learned to run a hybrid event. We thank our Indonesian brothers and sisters who attended portions of the event in Salatiga, Semarang or at one of the satellite locations. We are confident that God’s Spirit moved among us and it is our prayer that the blessing we received in gathering will carry us forward.” 

See chart below for revenues and expenses. 

Revenues
Contributions	$1 034 334
Registration fees	$138 007
Other	$9 107
Transfer from unrestricted funds	$100 000
Total Assembly revenues	$1 287 918
Expenses
Facility and program	$252 331
Staff, travel, administratio	$672 583
Management fees	$375 602
Total Expenses	$1 300 515
Net	($12 597)
Opening Balance	$15 112
Ending Balance*	$2 515

*(A positive Assembly 17 balance will be credited toward Assembly 18.) 

“Our duty is to bring peace and love.” These words, relayed from Indonesian by a translator at the closing worship service of Mennonite World Conference’s Assembly 17 in Indonesia, came not from one of the featured speakers but from the governor of Central Java. “Our founding fathers gave us this mission of peace,” said Ganjar Pranowo. “The truthfulness [of peace] has been embedded in every soul…. The choice depends on us.”

His message fit seamlessly into the event’s theme: “following Jesus together across barriers.”

Nearly a thousand participants – seated one chair apart in careful adherence to local health pandemic guidelines – attended the closing ceremony. Some 600 participants took part in the full event with some 400 locals attending one or more day.

Four groups of MWC leaders including a Global Youth Summit delegate spent four of the days with a local congregation. Each community – GITJ Jepara, GKMI Solo, GITJ Margokerto and JKI Ungaran – hosted one plenary speaker along with a dozen other MWC guests. The host congregations shared their life and ministry with their guests. Evening plenary worship was broadcast from these four congregations while the rest of participants gathered at STT Sangkakala in Salatiga and untold numbers watched online – live or later.

“Only by God’s grace”

There were plenty of barriers to cross.

Wi-Fi internet was consistently unreliable; the web-based translation app was difficult to use for on-site French- and Spanish-language participants.

Disruptions and distortions in the video feed, especially the first night, discouraged some online participants from tuning in again.

Logistical challenges frustrated guests as did a scourge of lost luggage and delayed or cancelled flights.

COVID-19 cases sent some participants into isolation. “Showing regard for each other’s health is an act of loving one’s neighbour, Jesus called us to do,” says Cynthia Dück, MWC regional representative and trained nurse, who supervised care. “We are grateful for our participants who sacrificially cared for each other whether through service or quarantining.”

The General Council meetings were truncated to prevent further spread and the registration process included a COVID test.

Members of the choir and the interpreter team were affected, requiring flexibility and grace from all the remaining volunteers.

“Only by God’s grace, we could finish from one service to another while clinging our hands to each other,” says Debra Prabu, international ensemble director. It was a masterclass in trust. “I learned to be more humble, to respect my worship partners, to set aside some of my time praying for them and to forgive more.”

Incoming guests were tested upon arrival. Some, to their surprise, tested positive and had to be quarantined, missing the bulk of the event.

“We learned to have changed plans and hope and pray something good would come out of it,” said newly invested president Henk Stenvers (2022-2028) at the closing worship. “We will work hard to make MWC a stronger communion…that works together for shalom.”

Barriers defeated

Thankfully – together – many barriers were crossed: from 58 countries around the world, Anabaptist-Mennonites came to worship and fellowship. Despite continued reverberations of the COVID-19 pandemic, friends – old and new – met face to face in Indonesia while many more joined online.

Participants cared for each other. They cheerfully complied with required mask wearing, although face coverings usually came off for photos.

Some volunteers became very familiar with the halls of the hotels, walking back and forth to deliver food to quarantined guests. “This service allowed me to share the love of Christ with people from different cultures, different languages and different ages,” says Gracia Felo from DR Congo.

The very identity of the church

A highlight of the plenaries for many was the 8-minute contemplative dance by Sufi dervishes to music by local church members at GITJ Jepara. The congregation works hard to build interfaith relationships that cultivate peace. “Relating to another faith or religion is not just a church method to make peace; it is a part of the very identity of the church, without which the church will not fulfill its own mission,” says pastor Danang Kristiawan.

Plenary speakers courageously named challenges for the church on mission.

Salome Haldemann reprised Ron Sider’s call to train – and practice – for active peace work and nonviolence (page 7).

Tigist Tesfaye Gelagle named the pain of racism and inequality (page 17).

Nindyo Sasongko challenged Anabaptists to address injustices in the world like colonial, racism, misogyny, climate change, sexual abuse (page 20).

Meet Indonesia

In this majority Muslim country, both hosts and guests shared stories and teaching in plenary sessions, workshops and conversations about interfaith friendships.

The hospitality of Indonesian hosts covered over the logistical blips with smiles, good food – and a lot of dancing. Numerous performances of traditional and collaborative styles of Indonesian music and dance demonstrated that Anabaptist-Mennonites not only know how to sing but also how to move.

“I am amazed at how things just fell into place in spite of everything and how our Indonesian brothers and sisters took care of everything, even going the extra mile to make sure things work out the way they should,” says Jessica Mondal, coordinator of the Global Church Village (page 32-33).

On half-day tours, participants encountered Indonesian history and culture (page 28-29). Learning continued in workshops on Bible study, creation care and interfaith dialogue (page 26-27).

Watch parties

For the first time, an MWC Assembly was fully hybrid. Participants could register for an online experience that included not only exclusive access to the full plenary sessions, but also a chance to join workshops on Zoom, view vlogs from the Global Church Village and satellite sites and chat spaces to interact with other participants.

“I think this type of “hybrid” connectedness has great potential for strengthening the communion of Mennonite-related churches around the world,” says Ray Brubacher. The former MWC event planner organized daily inter-Mennonite watch parties in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. A different church served as host for each event, sharing worship singing from their own community and streaming the plenary sessions on a large screen.

Return to Jesus

The closing service highlighted all aspects of the Assembly program, including the children’s & youth programs (page 30-31). The morning’s emcee pastor Lydia Adi called up “The most important people in MWC” to share songs they had learned in the children’s program.

John D. Roth of the Faith and Life Commission and Christen Kong, Mennonite Church Canada delegate from the Global Youth Summit (GYS) spoke on Renewal 2022 (marking 500 years of Anabaptism).

“I invite persistently people into God’s Spirit. Jesus calls us to suffer together, to carry burdens, to journey together in a return to Jesus,” said Christen Kong.

And all too soon, it was at an end. Host pastor at Holy Stadium, Tina Agung continued the challenge in her closing prayer for MWC to “Be a messenger of truth to all nation sand a bearer of truth to all the world.”

Amen.

—Karla Braun is editor of Courier and writer for Mennonite World Conference. She lives in Winnipeg, Canada.

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This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2022.

Thursday morning

“How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity.” Psalm 133:1 is an affirmation of how the biblical David delighted in the company of his brothers. As a social species, humans need the fellowship of others. Through fellowship, we witness to and live out our faith; it is where we receive mutual support because we all depend on others in one way or another for material, emotional and spiritual support.

Fellowship, the opportunity to share life with others, is a gift from God. From birth, we seek acceptance from others and we depend upon the loving care of family. Sibling relationships and friendships encourage and guide us, making our lives easier, especially in those difficult moments we all must face.

Living in fellowship is God’s gift to us.

We were created as social beings to share with others; this is part of God’s plan for us – and God’s plans are good and perfect.

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God’s plans for us are to prosper us and not to harm us. We can realize that living with others produces many benefits that we ignore and therefore sometimes we work against ourselves and others.

Research has proved that fellowship is good for our physical and mental health just as Ecclesiastes illustrates in chapter 4:9-12: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to the one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

In another example, when Jacob met Esau again after a lengthy separation due to their differences, his face displayed his joy of knowing that they could count on one another and he said: “… truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God” (Genesis 33:10). This anecdote is evidence that being able to count on one another is a gift from God.

According to the Apostle, Paul, this is a Christian obligation: Hebrews 13:16: “Do not neglect to do good and share what you have” … Sharing is an indispensable characteristic of living with or in fellowship and implicates other people with different ways of doing so.

We need to understand that as children of God, we are predestined to live well and we must do so while interacting with everyone else – in communion. This lifestyle that includes relationships with other people happens in a special way that overcomes all the barriers that can come between us. The Holy Spirit manifested powerfully during Pentecost when people were together in unity (Acts 2:1-2).

In the book of Mark 2:1-12 we find the story of the paralyzed man who benefited due to the efforts of friends, neighbours, siblings (I don’t know; there aren’t a lot of details). There were many barriers they faced, among them the great crowd that blocked the way, and they had to carry him.

We can identify the characteristics of these people (the paralytic’s friends) that enable effective fellowship – love, service, unity, empathy, kindness, patience and faith – without which it would not have been possible to attain the final victory for this man.

Throughout the Bible there are stories that help us identify the advantages of learning to practice healthy fellowship with others: the beautiful friendship between David and Jonathan; or Mary, Martha and Lazarus with Jesus.

It is important to note that time spent with friends, conversing about our projects, creates emotional bonds; improves our self-esteem; releases stress; is therapeutic. We laugh and this produces positive reactions within our body, we share our concerns which lightens the load, and people enjoy being sociable creating healthier lifestyles as a result.

It is important to highlight that we build life through life-giving messages and actions. A positive attitude makes us likeable, sought after, followed.

If we want to be peacemakers, a positive attitude should be part of our daily lifestyle. Our world needs these peacebuilding actions that create healthy fellowship, tolerance and solidarity. We need to commit ourselves to doing good, to the divine project of love and at times give more than is expected of us. As children of God, we must make manifest the divine plan of abundant life, seeing the face of God in the face of our neighbour.

These characteristics have to do with harmonious relationships, mutual support, sharing time, laughter, agreement and even disagreement. That is life.

What is the key to living this way? Approach others with empathy, love, solidarity, willingness and faith. It will always be necessary to know how much life we have to offer others, how connected we are to the well of life so that we can definitely transmit it to others.

—Adriana Belinda Rodriguez Velasquez is a psychologist, counsellor, wife and grandmother, and a member of MWC’s Peace Commission. She is a member of Caminando con Dios, part of the Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Hondureña.

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This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2022.

Thursday night

In April, I received an invitation of sharing on the topic “living together in the hostile environment.”

The title really stirred my heart. And I think one of the reasons of my invitation is that they know we Hong Kong people were living in a hostile environment in the past few years, an environment that was not favourable to us.

And the Scripture that caught my eyesight was 2 Corinthians 4:1.

“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not” (KJV).

As a man of 60-some years, I grew up in a very good environment, I would say. Before all these changes, when people asked me how good Hong Kong is, I would say that Hong Kong is very good. If you live in Hong Kong, you’ll feel safe – let’s say you can walk on the street even at midnight; you’ll enjoy freedom of speech; good education system; good and low-priced hospitals; access to a job if you’re willing to work. And most of all, things work in Hong Kong.

However, it has changed. The Hong Kong I’m living in now is not the Hong Kong I used to know. Some people will say that it started in the year 2014. For me, the significant changes started in 2019.

On 4 June 2019, more than 180 000 people gathered at Hong Kong’s Victoria Park to commemorate 30 years since the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

On 9 June 2019, more than 1 000 000 people went out to the streets: they struck, they sang hymns.

It was basically a peaceful protest. However, one day after, there were clashes between police and antiextradition bill demonstrators.

On 12 June 2019, Hong Kong faced more protests against the extradition law change. This time, many church leaders came out and spoke to the government. Some brothers and sisters prayed and sang hymns in the spot. Christians were caring for peace and nonviolence in all the actions. Many people followed the Christians to sing the chorus: “Sing Hallelujah to the Lord” on the streets. This time, more than 2 000 000 people came out to protest for their freedom.

Since then, protest and demonstrations never ceased. As time goes on, both the police and the demonstrators have gotten more and more violent. I have never seen this since 1968.

The slogan of the demonstrators changed from “Hong Kong people: add oil” to “Hong Kong people: protest” to “Hong Kong people: revenge”

For some time, there were protest almost every day. By the end of 2019, more than 7 000 people had already been arrested by the police.

“Where should we stand?” People outside the church want to know the church’s position. People inside the church ask their church leaders on which side their churches are standing.

In fact, Hong Kong people are divided into the Blue and the Yellow. The Blue are those who are for the government and the police. The Yellow are those who are against them.

There are conflicts in this society, in the families and in the churches. There is no peace. Our challenge is that: how to be a peacemaker when others choose to be violent? And how to live together in a hostile environment?

What positions are the churches taking?

I will never forget this: On 12 June 2019, I was standing in the middle of the road next to the Hong Kong government headquarters. On my right hand, there were Christians singing hymns and praying for Hong Kong, while on my left hand, there were protesters trying hard to block the main road outside.

In Hong Kong, some churches choose to stand on the Yellow side, and some choose the Blue. However, we Mennonites, as a Peace Church, we choose standing on Jesus’s side. We want to be a bridge between the Yellow and the Blue, a bridge between the peaceful and the violent, a bridge between the people and the government, a bridge between the protesters and the police. We have the obligation to promote peace. We regard that this is a way to fellow Jesus and “Here we stand!”

Right now, people are leaving Hong Kong. In our church, Agape Mennonite Church, 10 percent of our members already gone, mainly immigrated to England. And people are still planning to leave Hong Kong, to seek for a place of freedom, a place of hope.

Many years ago, I wrote a song inspired by a poem.

The title is like this: “Running away from famine – 3 million refugees leaving their hometown painfully.”

The poem was written in the year 1933. It describes the situation and feeling of refugees who moved to the northeast of China from their motherland because they had nothing to eat.

However, by that time, the northeast of China was under the control of the Japanese army. For me, they were running away from a place of hopelessness to a place of hopelessness. It touched my heart, and so I wrote a 13-minute chorus.

For these people, they did not know what their fate will be. They would not know what would happen after they went to the northeast. One thing they did know was that if they didn’t leave they would die.

Many people describe the immigrants from Hong Kong as refugees. If you immigrate, you’ll make good plans. If you don’t have any plans or if it is not your plan to immigrate, then you are a refugee.

Why do they leave Hong Kong? They are afraid of tomorrow. They have lost their hearts for Hong Kong.

In 2 Corinthians 4:1, the apostle Paul encourages the church:

“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not.” (KJV)

Paul encourages them not to lose heart. Why? Paul says that it is because “we have this ministry.”

Brothers and sisters, I’m telling you now that I’m not going to leave Hong Kong. We pastors are at high risk. We are the ones who need to leave. But I’m not going to leave because I am called to stay and to build the Mennonite churches in Hong Kong until I have finished my task and until I receive a new call from my boss, my heavenly Father.

Brothers and sisters, if you are in time of darkness, if you are facing an unpredictable tomorrow, if you are disappointed with people, just look up to God and look back to your calling.

At the end, I would like to draw your attention to the prayer of apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:17-19.

Paul asks God to open the eyes of the Ephesians in order that they will see three things:

1. the hope of his calling,
2. the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
3. the exceeding greatness of his power.

May our heavenly Father open the eyes of the Hong Kong Christians.

May Jesus open the eyes of you and me.

May the Holy Spirit bless us all.

Because “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21, KJV).

—Jeremiah Choi serves as pastor of Agape Mennonite Church, Hong Kong, and as Mennonite World Conference regional representative for Northeast Asia. He is also trained as a composer.

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This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2022.