Prayers of gratitude and intercession

“The beauty of listening the stories of the global church is immense,” says José Arrais. “We are all so diverse, with so complex backgrounds, with such unique dynamics between the regions, that each story is an original inspiration that all of us can learn from.” 

Locals near the Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada – and anyone around the world with an internet connection – can learn from these stories 25 March 2023 at Renewal 2023. 

Renewal 2028 is a series of events commemorating the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement. This year, B.C. is the local host with a Saturday evening event at South Abbotsford Church at 6:30 p.m. (PDT). The theme is “Jesus Christ, our hope.”  

“Learn more about Mennonite World Conference, sing songs from the global church, hear testimonies of hope from different countries, and join in prayer for brothers and sisters in the faith from around the world,” says John Roth, Faith and Life Commission secretary and event co-organizer.  

José Arrais is one of the speakers. A specialist in international business communications and sales, he served as president of Associação dos Irmãos Menonitas de Portugal (the Portuguese Mennonite Brethren church) from 2013-2020. In 2021, he was elected European Coordinator of the Mennonite Conferences and alongside that role serves as Mennonite World Conference regional representative for Europe.  

“Being from Europe, where the Anabaptist movement started 500 years ago, I feel that the history has been extremely rich and inspirational and really impacted many layers of society,” he says. With the current war in Ukraine, “Never was it so relevant to see the Anabaptist movement impacting all around us…: with solidarity with the ones suffering (in other zones in conflict too), standing for minorities, providing fruitful dialogue among other confessions of faith,” says José Arrais. 

“As we remind ourselves of the truth foundation which is grounded on the Bible, it always washes away any impurity in our doctrine due to the governing ideology of this world and also help us to be revived back to our origin,” says Tigist Tesfaye, another speaker at the event. A youth mentor and coach in the Meserete Kristos Church (Mennonite) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, she is managing director at The Spark Valley, an organization that empowers young people for meaningful engagement in civic, social and cultural spheres.  

“It’s a great opportunity for our renewal as a church and as a body of Christ as we come together to celebrate and remined ourselves of our foundation,” says Tigist Tesfaye.  

Also scheduled to speak are Amos Chin of Bible Missionary Church, Myanmar; Cynthia Dück, Asociación Hermanos Menonitas (MB national church), Paraguay; (pending visa approvals) and Ashley Rempel, Mennonite Church Canada.

Mennonite World Conference guests from around the world will preach in local congregations all over the Lower Mainland the next day, followed by a week of meetings with the Executive Committee.  

Renewal 2027 testimony: Anabaptists today

Renewal 2027 is a 10-year series of events organized by Mennonite World Conference’s Faith and Life Commission to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement. This series highlights leaders in the movement from history to the present.

In the structure of the Brethren in Christ Church of Zimbabwe, most leadership positions are filled by men. However, there are many women who have great leadership skills and have been pastors and effective leaders in the church.

At the annual Brethren in Christ Church (BICC) Council meetings of Matopo District on 10–12 May 2019, overseer Reverend Siphetho Dube publicly thanked Catherine Ndlovu, popularly known as Mama nakaPeninnah (mother of Peninnah). For 46 years, Mama nakaPeninnah served voluntarily as pastor at BICC Bezha in Matopo District.

People kept asking her to lead, and “God has greatly sustained me,” she says. Now, in her 80s, she is stepping back to retire.

Catherine Ndolovu was born at Nyumbane in Matopo 17 October 1939 and married Absalom Ndlovu in 1961. They were blessed with six children. She was saved in the early 1950s and was baptized in 1957 at BICC Nsezi. 

The district council meeting was graced by Bishop Sindah Ngulube, who expressed deep appreciation for the work done by women who devote their time to serve the church on a voluntary basis. He prayed for Mama nakaPeninnah together with Mrs. Suzen Ngulube, Mrs. Sikhanyisiwe Dube and Mrs. Besilina Ziduli.

After she was prayed for, Mama nakaPeninnah narrated the joys she enjoyed in serving the Lord all these years. She is proud to say she has worked hard to teach the Word of God to many great leaders in the church today. She also strongly encouraged marriage, hence she has seen many young people wed in her congregation, including her biological children.

Mama nakaPeninnah also recalls being an example of giving cattle to the church. She is thankful to the church that was supportive and faithful not only to her, but mostly to the Lord. She encourages the church to continue with the same spirit toward the newly elected pastor. She encourages other women ministers to be faithful to the Lord, and they too will see the hand of God in their lives.

—Mennonite World Conference release by Mrs Sichelesile Similo Ndlovu. She is the Pastor’s wife at Matopo Mission.

Renewal 2027 testimony: historical profile

Renewal 2027 is a 10-year series of events organized by Mennonite World Conference’s Faith and Life Commission to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement. This series highlights leaders in the movement from history to the present.

This is the story about how Tee Siem Tat (1872 – 1940) and his wife, Sie Djoen Nio (1875 – 1962) were transformed by the Holy Spirit and founded Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia (GKMI).

Tee Siem Tat was a successful businessman in Kudus, Central Java. He ran a big co-partnership printing company named Sam Hoo Kongsi. This company progressed very well and served government offices, companies and schools.

Healing

In 1917, Tee Siem Tat became seriously ill. He visited some necromancers and klenteng (Confucian temples) and also tried the modern medication of doctors from Netherland. Nothing worked.

Tee Siem Tat felt desperate.

Sie Djoen Nio remembered the stories she read in a Malay-language Bible she received from an aunt in Yogyakarta. Sie Djoen Nio loved to read the Bible. She was so impressed by Jesus: his sacrifice on the cross, his miracles.

“Can Jesus heal my husband too?” Sie Djoen Nio talked to her husband. They agreed to ask for help as in the Bible. But from whom?

They remembered their uncle Oei Biauw An who knew about Christianity. Oei Biauw An introduced them to Lieutenant Tanuhatu, a Salvation Army officer from Ambon who lived in Rembang. Lieutenant Tanuhatu gladly came to Tee Siem Tat’s house in Kudus many times to teach him about Christianity.

Tee Siem Tat wanted to know Jesus. His faith grew strong. Along with it, his fear and illness were gone.

Tee Siem Tat was healed!

Connected with the Mennonites

Tee Siem Tat read the Bible diligently and earnestly. He attended services at the Salvation Army church in Rembang and invited Lieutenant Tanuhatu to come teach his friends about the Bible.

However, Tee Siem Tat came to disagree with the church’s practice of baptism and their adoption of military codes. He approached the Seventh Day Adventists, but disagreed with their adherence to Old Testament law. Tee Siem Tat then approached Salatiga Mission, but disagreed about child baptism.

Finally, Tee Siem Tat approached the Mennonite mission in Jepara, Pati, and Tayu. He quickly felt that Mennonite teaching fit very well.

So, 6 December 1920, Tee Siem Tat held a baptism for 25 new believers in his house in Kudus. Leonard Silalily preached, Nicolai Thiessen served the baptism, and Johann Hubert prayed for the children. This became the birthday of Muria Christian Church in Indonesia or Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia (GKMI).

GKMI has spread, from the hillside of Mount Muria (Kudus, Jepara, Bangsri, Welahan, etc.), to Central Java and the Indonesian archipelago.

Today, there are 61 GKMI churches and hundreds of GKMI posts (church plants) in Indonesia.

Evangelism strategy

Tee Siem Tat based his evangelism strategy on Acts 1:8. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be

my witnesses in Jerusalem (the closest family: husband/wife, children, son/daughter-in-laws, grandchildren), and in all Judea (extended family) and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (friends, coworkers, business relations, and those who don’t know about Jesus).”

Even though they were new Christians, Tee Siem Tat and his friends had a huge spirit for spreading the gospel. Using Javanese-Malay language, they were accepted across ethnic boundaries. They were also well known as good people in business and good example in everyday life.

In serving the poor and needy, Tee Siem Tat took his principle from Matthew 10:8, “Freely you have received, freely give”

Last words

Songs, testimonies and biblical reflection celebrate the Holy Spirit at Renewal 2027

As a local band played “You are the most high God,” international guests from the global Anabaptist family swayed and sang at this year’s Renewal 2027 “The Holy Spirit transforming us” event at Nyamasaria Primary School’s auditorium in Kisumu, Kenya, and headquarters of Kenya Mennonite Church (KMC).

Mennonite World Conference’s annual event to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation took place between meetings of the Executive Committee, Commissions and Networks and the triennial delegate meetings of the General Council.

“The global Mennonite church is connected as the true vine to Jesus Christ and dependent on God the gardener,” said Gordon Obado, one of the event masters of ceremonies, welcoming the international guests to Kenya.

A church born of the Spirit

Strengthened by the East Africa revival, Kenya Mennonite Church (KMC) exemplifies the theme: “The Holy Spirit transforming us / Roho Mtakatifu Hutubadilisha Maisha” (Swahili).

In the 1930s, two 12-year-olds from the Mennonite church in Shirati, Tanzania, and Rebeka (“Speedy”) Kizinza – a person of peace whose urgency to share the good news motivated her hospitality and fast walking – carried the gospel into regions where it was not known, and inspired others to do the same.

“Across Kenya, at cooking fires, people gathered around the Word of God, and repented of their sins,” said Tanzanian-born, now-retired Eastern Mennonite Missions worker David W. Shenk.

Shenk distilled four revival principles: focus on Jesus while meeting regularly with Christians; confess sins; be dependent on Jesus; and be joyful.

The revival continues: “As the Spirit of the Lord works in the church, we become more and more like Jesus,” said Francis Ojwang, one of the event masters of ceremonies.

“God is calling people from the Global South to bear witness to the gospel,” said Nelson Okanya, a native of Kenya, now president of USA-based EMM.

Renewal 2027 is calling Anabaptists to “a spirit of repentance and renewal and a commitment to remembrance of the past to renew our relationship here and now,” said MWC General Secretary César García.

A Spirit of power

“Why does it matter to us that the first Christians were filled with the Holy Spirit?” asked plenary speaker Elisabeth Kunjam (Deacons Commission, India). Reflecting on Acts 2, she observed three reasons the 2,000-year-old event is significant today: the Holy Spirit continues to empower the church; the church is diverse and inclusive in nature; the church displays a foretaste of the kingdom of God.

The problems facing our generation call for the church’s active intervention, said Kunjam. “The Holy Spirit’s empowerment…within the global Anabaptist family is needed for the church to raise up a standard that bears a witness to the world.”

“Where does the Holy Spirit go? The Holy Spirit goes where people are waiting,” said plenary speaker Alfred Neufeld (Faith & Life Commission, Paraguay). He presented an overview of understanding of the Spirit in the early church, the first Anabaptists and today.

“God has not given us a spirit of weakness, but dunamos, a powerful spirit,” he said. “Dear friends, let’s enjoy this [agape – costly love/love of enemies] spirit of the Lord.”

A Spirit of transformation

“In the book of Revelation, testimonies defeat the enemies,” said Barbara Nkala (Regional Representative, Zimbabwe).

Nkala, Jürg Bräker (Deacons Commission, Switzerland) and Oscar Suárez (YABs Committee, Colombia) shared testimonies of the Holy Spirit working in local churches: bringing unity despite diverse opinions in Switzerland; re-uniting a broken family and supporting conscientious objection in Colombia; and bringing physical healing and mission inspiration to women in Zimbabwe.

Leaders with strong spirits

Philip Okeyo, KMC moderator and bishop, led a ceremony to honour retired leaders of KMC, whose bodies may be weak, but spirits are strong.

Echoing the words of the other retired bishops, Musa Adongo thanked God for the blessings received. Joshua Okello encouraged the church to carry on the work of sharing the gospel.

Reflecting back at the later GC meetings, Rebecca Osiro, MWC vice president and ordained KMC pastor, said the small national church had challenges in finding the capacity to host the international event, but it was a great honour to be in solidarity with the global church in Kenya. “We feel encouraged and strengthened that we come to this reality today.”

Local choirs interspersed the presentations with songs and dance. A group of Sunday school children aged 4–14, a ministry of KMC Women Fellowship in Kisumu, presented songs, dance, and “We are here to celebrate” special poem composed for the event.

In closing, MWC president J. Nelson Kraybill said, “We are no longer Greek, nor Jew (Galatians 3:28), Kenyan nor American, we truly are one in Christ.”

“May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Lord who is alive, give you strength so you may continue to spread the gospel of Christ,” said Samson Omondi, KMC general secretary.

—Mennonite World Conference release 

Renewal 2027 testimony: historical profile

Renewal 2027 is a 10-year series of events organized by Mennonite World Conference’s Faith and Life Commission to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement. This series highlights leaders in the movement from history to the present.

More than half the rural churches in BICC Zimbabwe Conference are led by women pastors. Many of the women who plant BIC churches do so because they settle in a place where there is no congregation they are used to and they hunger for fellowship with other believers. They start having home fellowship meetings. Sometimes a woman is identified to lead because of her spiritual maturity and knowledge of the Word. Many of the BICC women preachers are women who are highly respected in their areas.

One of the earliest Brethren in Christ (BIC) women in Zimbabwe who was involved in church planting work and in preaching the gospel in the early years was Sitshokuphi Sibanda.

She was already a teenager when the first missionaries settled at Matopo in Zimbabwe in 1898.

She was one of the early converts who then got some book education from the mission. There Sitshokuphi gave her life to God, and never looked back.

On the home front, Sitshokuphi faced immense challenges from hostile villagers who highly relished traditional beliefs and were steeped in ancestral worship.

She also faced opposition and ridicule from even her family, neighbours and peers. What did she think she was doing trying to take away helping hands from the fields?

There was a time when she provoked the wrath of all her people by accompanying some missionaries to a shrine where rain-making ceremonies were conducted.

This was a risky undertaking as not just anyone was permitted to visit the sacred shrine. When rains did not fall for years after that, blame was heaped upon her. But, that did not deter her from evangelising.

In her later life, she lived at Mtshabezi Hospital for a long time.

Being old and unable to travel did not deter her from her call. The hospital became a new mission field for her.

On 4 November 1971, Sitshokuphi passed on. She had run her race well, leaving a wonderful heritage of faith in God.

A poignant statement on Sitshokuphi’s work is her statement that, “It is good to work full-time for the Lord, but it is not good to work full-time for the church.”

Sitshokuphi was laid to rest at Matopo Mission at a place reserved for some of the most honoured servants of God.

—A Mennonite World Conference release by Barbara Nkala, gleaned from Doris Dube’s Silent Labourers. Barbara is the MWC regional representative for Southern Africa. She presented on Pioneers in the Early Years of BICC in Zimbabwe (1900–1950s) at Crossing the Line: Women of Anabaptist Traditions Encounter Borders and Boundaries, a conference at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisburg, Virginia, USA.

Read more Renewal 2027 testimonies here

Renewal 2027 testimony: Anabaptists today

Renewal 2027 is a 10-year series of events organized by Mennonite World Conference’s Faith and Life Commission to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement. This series highlights leaders in the movement from history to the present.

Nellie Mlotshwa: A commanding teacher

Nellie is a woman who has achieved many firsts against many odds in the Brethren In Christ Church (BICC) in Zimbabwe. She has been a valued lay preacher right through life, particularly in large gatherings such as conferences.

After 25 years of marriage to Reverend Peter Mongameli Mlotshwa, Nellie was widowed while her five children were still at school and needing to be cared for.

After widowhood, she became even more actively involved in the work of the church.

Nellie was the first BIC indigenous woman in Zimbabwe to lecture at a Bible school, which she did for 22 years altogether. Formerly a school teacher, she first lectured at Ekuphileni Bible Institute in 1969.

Nellie was the first BIC woman in Zimbabwe to train and successfully complete a Bachelor of Theology at the Theological College of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in 1992.

Nellie is the only woman to have been asked to be principal of a Bible school on an acting capacity (2002–2005). She headed Ekuphileni Bible Institute at the height of hyperinflation in Zimbabwe, and “did her best to keep the school going despite the numerous difficulties.”

Nellie was the first BIC woman in Zimbabwe to sit in the national church executive board in the 1980s.

Nellie was the first president of the Anabaptist Women Theologians in Africa (2003–2010), related to the Mennonite World Conference.

Nellie has mentored and continues to mentor many church leaders. She is extolled as “one of the best leaders in the BICC Zimbabwe Conference.”

Nellie contributed a response, “The Place of the Holy Spirit in Local Congregations,” in Life in the Spirit by John Driver, a Global Anabaptist Bookshelf entry.

Nellie is the kind of leader who makes people stop and listen once she opens her mouth. She still participates actively in church matters, though she is over 80 years of age.

—A Mennonite World Conference release by Barbara Nkala. Barbara is the MWC regional representative for Southern Africa. She presented on Contemporary BICC Women preachers (1960s–2010s) at Crossing the Line: Women of Anabaptist Traditions Encounter Borders and Boundaries, a conference at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisburg, Virginia, USA.

Read more Renewal 2027 testimonies here