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“Remember your baptism”
Could Anabaptist-Mennonites practice “remembering our baptism” as a tool for lifelong discipleship? Although they often baptize infants, both Catholics and Lutherans call upon the believer – sometimes every year – to “remember your baptism” into a life of discipleship. Former MWC general secretary Larry Miller learned this through the five-year process of trilateral dialogues between…
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Pastoral arm listens, prays and encourages
“We are called to be shalom-makers wherever we go. It takes courage, discipline, commitment and, of course, the guidance of the Holy Spirit,” says Andi Santoso, chair of the Deacons Commission. What is the Deacons Commission? The Deacons Commission* is the pastoral arm of Mennonite World Conference, focusing on the welfare of member churches, particularly…
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World Mennonites pray for courage and love
“What a good way to end our day praying together as a global church,” says Sushant Nand, a leader in Mennonite Church India. He led a breakout room for Online Prayer Hour, a bimonthly event at 14:00 UTC that gathers Anabaptist-Mennonites from around the world. After a short prayer focus on Mennonite Action (a movement…
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We will continue to pray
“Praise God we had a meaningful prayer time for unity of Spirit to pray for suffering and bleeding humanity. May God have mercy over this world. We will continue pray for shared points,” says participant Rechal Bagh.
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Interconnected family celebrates peace
Peace (English) – Paix (French) – Amani (Swahili) – Mirembe (Luganda): children at a Uganda Mennonite church wrote “Peace” in multiple languages. (See photo below.) Each year, the Peace Commission prepares a worship resource for Peace Sunday. Organized around a new theme each year, the package includes a Scripture focus, prayers, an activity and a…
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What can I do to address world hunger?
Mennonite World Conference is one of 14 Christian organizations joining hands with World Vision International in prayer and action against world hunger. The third annual Weekend of Prayer and Action Against Hunger (#WoPA2023) is observed 14-16 October 2023, coinciding with World Food Day which falls on Monday, 16 October 2023. “We believe famine has no…
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Peace Sunday 2023 – Liturgies
Opening prayer Proclaim the Dawn of God’s Reign This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Let my people go so that they can hold a festival for me in the desert” (Exodus 5:1). Out of the house of slavery, through troubled waters, into the wilderness a new people is born; You are…
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Third peace conference brings faith and peace together
“There’s something in the water among Mennonite theologians and peace building scholars and practitioners…around the decolonial project that people are drinking from now that is interesting and quite good,” says Andrew Suderman. The Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) professor and secretary of Mennonite World Conference’s Peace Commission organized the third Global Mennonite Peacebuilding Conference and Festival…
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Peace Sunday 2023 – Teaching resources
Being a family: redrawing the images and borders While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ÒLook, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.Ó But to the one who had told him…
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Peace Sunday 2023 – Activities
Community Mapping Creating a social “family” tree Purpose: to highlight the many and broad social connections that we as communities of faith have. Hopefully this result in a beautiful, wide, vibrant and colourful tree that expands across the wall, highlighting the many connections the church community has. With permission, send your story and photo…
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A witness to the gospel together
One city, one decade, two movements, 500 years. Today, representatives of Mennonite World Conference (MWC) have embarked on dialogues with representatives of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), a movement that also arose in Zurich in the 1500s. Four MWC representatives and three WCRC representatives began dialogues at Camp Squeah, B.C., Canada, for several…