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Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • Overcoming hatred, loving enemies(Matthew 5:43—48)

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  • At one of the breakout sessions in MWC Assembly Gathered 2015 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, last July, former and present MWC workers exchanged coffee from their respective countries during their reunion. Unbeknownst to many, one special brand traded that day is not just another coffee.

    Coffee for Peace from the Philippines is JUST coffee.

    The story of this peace and justice coffee is deeply rooted in the midst of conflict and unrest in the heart of Mindanao.

    The COFFEE FOR PEACE Story

    Dann and Joji Pantoja migrated to Canada to raise their family during the 1980s when the Philippines was at the peak of its turmoil against a dictatorial regime. In 2006, they felt led by the Lord to serve in their home country again; but this time, in a province at the southern part of the Philippines where neither of their families is from. They chose to establish their peacebuilding mission in Davao City. While Davao City is beautiful and generally peaceful, it is surrounded by the conflict-ridden Mindanao uplands.

    The couple lost no time working out their passion for peacebuilding. Soon, Dann established Peacebuilders Community, Inc., while his wife Joji founded Coffee for Peace, Inc., an inclusive business community committed to protect and enhance the environment, journey with farmers toward improvements, and support peacebuilders working on the ground.

    Coffee for Peace has a simple and yet elegant coffee shop in Davao City. A visitor to this coffee shop can see the advocacy for promoting coffee produced by the locals. But upon a closer examination, one will realize that this is not just promotion of the local coffee, but that it advocates peace and justice through fair trade. In fact, this coffee shop is a visual representation of the hard work and tough journey behind Joji’s accolades, recognized even by the United Nations Development Programme.

    When the couple first visited the upper regions in Mindanao, they engaged in dialogue among groups whose problems and conflict were mainly rooted in land ownership. The fights, unrest, and conflicts were all due to injustices when migrants with land titles would flock to the ancestral lands of the indigenous residents who have no title to show legal proof of ownership. Furthermore, these poor coffee farmers get almost nothing from their high-quality coffee beans because large corporations can bargain for their product at a very cheap price.

    In these dialogues and peace talks, the couple observed that coffee was the main beverage being served. When the people drink coffee together, they seem to be more calm and agreeable. Thus, the inspiration of working with the local coffee farmers to encourage collaboration among conflicting groups to instigate peacebuilding began.

    Joji trained coffee farmers, teaching them their importance in the cycle of coffee production and the real monetary value of their product. From planting and production to trading, Joji was relentless in establishing this peacebuilding advocacy among the coffee farmers in Mindanao. Using her own networks and resources, she was able to tap into international markets who were willing to trade fairly for the farmers’ coffee.

    To date, Coffee for Peace is trading with international markets in Canada, USA, and soon also in Australia and New Zealand. The peace advocacy of Coffee for Peace is also expanding not only in the southern part of the Philippines but also to the Cordillera region in the north where similar stories of conflict exist.

    Coffee for Peace was one of six winners of the United Nations Development Programme’s IIX N-Peace Innovation Challenge for a “sustainable, scalable, inclusive peacebuilding that has long-term and transformative impact.” The award was presented on 23 October 23, 2015 in New York City to Joji Pantoja, the founder and CEO of Coffee for Peace. Almost as if it were a prelude to this award, in July 2015, Joji was appointed as chair of the Peace Commission of Mennonite World Conference.

    Truly, justice and peace work together and they are attainable even through a small means – like JUST coffee.

    Remilyn Mondez (Philippines) is an assistant professor at Malayan Colleges Laguna and is currently taking her doctoral degree in communication. She was one of the YAB speakers at PA 2015 and a delegate at GYS 2009.

    UPDATE 2020

    MWC Peace Commission chair Joji Pantoja is a 2020 recipient of the Oslo Business for Peace Award. Honourees are selected by an independent committee of Nobel Prize Laureates in Peace and in Economics after a global nomination process. The award recognizes global business leaders who “ethically create economic value that also creates value for society.”

    Learn more: https://businessforpeace.no/award/2020-honourees/

  • Second Edition

    Exploring the “Shared Convictions” of Anabaptist-related churches

    by Alfred Neufeld

    Photography by Merle Good

    Introduction by César García

    Published in cooperation with Mennonite World Conference

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  • Pietermaritzburg, South Africa – September 21 marked the International Day of Peace – an event observed around the world with the hope that global citizens may renew their desire to work for peace. Mennonite World Conference and its member churches participated in this global day of commitment to peace by celebrating Peace Sunday on September 20, 2015.

    As we focused on peace, we were not far removed from images that shocked us with the recognition that shalom is still desperately needed around the world.

    Earlier in September, the world was accosted with photographs of the lifeless body of Aylan Kurdi (3) washed up on the shores of Turkey. We were confronted with the ramifications of years of civil war in Syria and ongoing bombing by foreign powers.

    We saw the human price paid for the perpetuation of war and violence.

    Although the flood of people leaving Syria and other countries, such as Afghanistan and Iraq, has been described as a refugee crisis, we know that it is but a symptom of a much larger issue. Europe has been in the spotlight for the way its countries have responded (or not) to the influx of refugees and asylum seekers crossing their borders.

    But this is not only a regional issue. For decades, Colombia and DR Congo have seen large numbers of people flee or be internally displaced due to ongoing conflict.

    This is a human issue with deep causes.

    In the book of James, we are reminded that “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:18, WEB). The author of James reminds us that the way in which we sow matters. Our governments continue to assume that peace and justice can be achieved through violent means. Not surprisingly, peace pursued with guns and bombs continues to be unattainable.

    And the spiral of violence costs human lives.

    As people who seek to sow in peace, we would like to share stories of the way(s) in which our churches have responded to the refugee crisis in Europe and the Middle East or the larger backdrop of violence occurring in our own communities and regions.

    Member churches in Europe, how are you responding to the influx of refugees coming into the EU? In what ways can other churches around the world support your efforts?

    Member churches in other parts of the world, how are you responding to this immediate crisis in Europe and the Middle East? How are you working to be peacemakers amid the violence and injustice in your community and region?

    Click here to share stories of how your church is responding.

    Click below to support member agencies of the Global Anabaptist Service Network who are working with refugees and peace making:

    —Andrew Suderman, MWC Peace Commission, secretary

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    Photo: Caisse de secours (http://caissedesecours.menno.fr/)

     

     

  • Pietermaritzburg, South Africa – As Mennonite World Conference (MWC) member churches celebrated Peace Sunday on 20 September 2015, they also recognized the ways in which peace continues to be wanting in their communities.

    In Colombia, Mennonite and Mennonite Brethren churches, and Global Anabaptist Service Network agencies Justapaz and Mencoldes considered the meaning of peace as gospel. They celebrated Peace Sunday with the national event Pan y Paz (Bread and Peace) where many congregations shared bread and blessings in their neighbourhoods. Pan y Paz called local churches to reflect on the relationship between economic justice and peace, and focused on supporting the peace talks in Colombia with a theme of “Stop War: Make Peace Happen.”

    In Central America, Iglesia Evangelica Menonita Hondureña, an MWC member church in Honduras, along with Casa Horeb, a Mennonite congregation in Guatemala, released pronouncements on Peace Sunday about the ongoing challenges and injustices they face.

    Iglesia Evangelica Menonita Hondureña reminds us that insofar as some people live in poverty while others do not check their greed, peace will still be in want in their country. They observe that governing authorities embody different values than those of the Kingdom of God.

    “We point out the inability of the ruling class in its responsibility of imparting justice, applying unequal, rigid, and malicious processes. To date, the militarization of a society as an alternative to provide security, does not meet the expectations of the people and the continuous deaths which are adding up in the neighborhoods and colonies of the country on a daily basis, is linked to this, instead of seeking real solutions to the economic crisis, offering populist actions that are not a response to the huge needs of the majority.”

    And yet, our Honduran brothers and sisters continue to work toward a holistic peace as they seek to participate in the Kingdom of God and be led by its values.

    “Historically, we are a peaceful and nonviolent church, founded on the values of the Kingdom of God, such as love, justice, peace, forgiveness and reconciliation. We believe in conflict transformation through sincere and fair dialogue, and in promoting respect for human rights.”

    Casa Horeb also released a pronouncement for the need of God’s Kingdom to be made apparent, both in the world and in the Guatemalan context. “It is with humility that we express our call, founded in radical claims demanded by the Kingdom of God, especially in this country that considers itself as Christian: love, that makes us see one another as neighbors, justice, demanding from us to be welfare builders, and peace which compels us to live a life of service (not for selfish advantage, assaulting everybody’s heritage and cynicism to find justifications).”

    Peace is realized when we make intentional efforts to live in right relationships with one another, with God and with creation. Our sisters and brothers from Colombia, Honduras and Guatemala remind us, however, that as long as people continue to suffer, injustice occurs, corruption steals from those in need and people continue to assume that violence will bring about the shalom the world so desperately needs, we are still in want of right relationships.

    Thus, our sisters and brothers from Honduras call us to action: “To all members of Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Hondureña, to all our Mennonite brethren around the world, and to all brethren of the churches with whom we share the honor, subjection, and obedience to the name of Jesus Christ, to declare a day of fasting and prayer for our nation, asking our Lord to guide us towards a true social transformation, freeing our people from social injustice, corruption and impunity.”

    Our mission to be peacemakers and to realize God’s peace continues. May we heed the call from our fellow sisters and brothers.

    —Andrew Suderman, MWC Peace Commission, secretary

    To see the full pronouncement of Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Hondureña, click here.

    To see the full pronouncement of Casa Horeb, a Mennonite congregation in Guatemala, click here.

    To see a video of Pan y Paz in Colombia, click here. 

     

  • By all accounts, the 16th Mennonite World Conference Assembly 21–26 July 2015 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, was a resounding success. Memories of worshiping with more than 8,000 people from 65 countries; unexpected encounters with old and new friends; the beautiful profusion of sights and sounds of a truly global church; workshops on challenging topics and creative forms of witness; and the fragments of soul-transporting music that still linger in my memory – all this, and more, made the gathering a truly joyful experience.

    Oddly enough perhaps, the highlight of the assembly for me was not anything generated by the global Mennonite and Brethren in Christ participants. Rather it was the ecumenical greetings brought to our gathering by Martin Junge, the Chilean general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation.

    In his brief presentation, Junge celebrated “the gift of reconciliation and forgiveness” that took place between Mennonites and Lutherans in 2010 at the LWF assembly in Stuttgart, Germany. But then, Junge argued that reconciliation among members of the body of Christ can never be an end in itself. “Reconciliation had to unfold its full meaning,” he said, “by becoming a witness of God’s good intentions to the entire world.”

    He noted a significant financial contribution Mennonites had recently made to support the needs of some 500,000 Somalians temporarily housed in a refugee camp administered by the LWF. This shared support for refugees “helped us come down from the top of the mountain, where we Mennonites and Lutherans were enjoying Christ’s presence,… to realize that the glory of Christ that shone to us needed to speak to the people in the valleys – to their struggles, to their pain, to their sufferings. Only thus does reconciliation become complete.”

    “More than ever before,” Junge continued, “I have become aware that steadfastness in Christ today means to offer unity as a prophetic witness in our fragmented and wounded world.”

    So why were these brief words, shared in a context of so many wonderful events, such a highlight for me?

    First, in the context of a family reunion where we can easily become self-absorbed in the celebration of our distinctive gifts as an Anabaptist-Mennonite body, Junge’s words reminded us that we are also part of a much larger body of Christian believers. Although many in our circles remain deeply skeptical about “ecumenism,” the body of Christ nonetheless extends far beyond our membership in MWC. On our own, our witness to the world is incomplete; we need the gifts of every member of the Christian body.

    Junge’s brief presentation also served as an important reminder to Mennonites that we are not imprisoned by our past – history is not destiny. To be sure, the shadow cast by the legacy of persecution in the 16th century did not simply disappear with the Lutheran-Mennonite service of reconciliation in 2010. But the story of our reconciliation is as much a historical fact today as the more familiar martyr narratives of Anneken Jans and Dirk Willems.

    Our commitment to reconciliation is an announcement to the world that change is possible: former enemies can become friends; painful memories can be reframed; transformation in the direction of God’s shalom is possible.

    Finally, I keep returning to the words of Martin Junge because I know that our faith and our fate as Anabaptist-Mennonites is inextricably linked to the question of unity in the body of Christ.

    There are so many reasons to divide. Often, our first impulse is to assume that faithfulness to Christ is in tension with the goal of unity, as if faithfulness and unity were at opposite ends of some spiritual scale. But what if Christian faithfulness – as Jesus suggested in John 17 – were actually impossible without unity?

    In her plenary presentation, Wieteke van der Molen, a Mennonite pastor from the Netherlands, invited MWC members to consider the space between us as “sacred space” – a space that could be bridged only by the living presence of the Spirit. What if we looked on our differences not as a source of fear or anxiety but as sacred spaces that only God can fill?

    – John D. Roth, MWC Faith and Life Commission, secretary

    A fuller version of this article appeared in The Mennonite. Originally posted at https://themennonite.org/opinion/is-christian-faithfulness-possible-without-unity/ on 27 August 2015.

     

     

  • We cry with those whose lands are ravaged from war.

    We cry with those who, because of war and violence, have already lost their home.

    We cry with those who leave behind what they know in search of a better life for their children and families.

    We cry with Abdullah, the father of Aylan and Galip Kurdi, as he now faces life without his beautiful children and his companion in life.

    We cry over Aylan and his brother Galip and their lives having been cut tragically short.

    We cry over Rehan, their mother who wanted a better life for her children.

    We cry over the thousands of children, women, and men who have already lost their lives in search of hope.

     

    We also cry because of our complicity in causing and fueling the ongoing conflict that has displaced thousands around the world.

    We cry because of our complicity as we continue to fool ourselves in thinking that more violence will bring about peace.

    We cry because of our complicity in turning a blind eye, ignoring the suffering and plight of our brothers and sisters.

    We cry because of our complicity in the systems and powers of this world that continue to oppress and dehumanize some for the privilege and comfort of others.

    We cry because of our complicity in the systems and powers of this world that keep people at bay so that our security and comfort are not hampered.

    We cry because of our complicity in not welcoming the foreigner in their time of need.

    We cry because of our complicity in not hearing the cries of the other.

     

    We cry because of the powerlessness and helplessness we feel in not being able to stop the conflicts that persist, the results of which are those who are displaced.

    We cry because of the powerlessness and helplessness we feel in not being able to save those who have fallen into the sea.

    We cry because of the powerlessness and helplessness we feel because we see the suffering of others.

    We cry because we know this is not the way God wants us to treat each other.

    We cry because we know that this is not the dream God has for the world.

    We cry because we do not know what else to do.

     

    God, be with Aylan, Galip, and their mother Rehan.

    God, be with Abdullah, their father.

    God, be with the thousands others who have died in search of peace and refuge.

    God, be with us as we step out of our complicity so that we may embody the warmth, hospitality, and love to others that you have already shown to us.

    God, be with us as we seek your peace in peace.

    God, be with us all.

    by Andrew Suderman, Secretary of the MWC Peace Commission

     

  • Panama – A request for prayer for land struggle was the main request that a Mennonite World Conference delegation heard in a February 2015 visit with church and indigenous community leaders in Panama.

    Leaders of the MWC member church, Iglesia Evangélica Unida Hermanos Menonitas de Panamá (United Evangelical Church: Mennonite Brethren in Panama), invited the MWC delegation to inform them about the long struggle to have legally established titles to ancestral land recognized and enforced.

    Despite existing constitutional guarantees of land ownership, the government is doing little to prevent illegal settlers from taking land, logging and selling trees – especially the cocobolo tree – and using the land for herding.

    The delegation included four persons jointly sponsored by the MWC Peace and Deacons Commissions – Joji Pantoja of the Philippines, Jack Suderman of Canada, Gladys Siemens of Brazil and Henk Stenvers of the Netherlands.

    They met for a day in Panama City with church leaders who are also providing leadership to the National Congress of the Wounaan people. And then they visited three villages by boat, timing their departures and arrivals according to the rising tide in the inland rivers.

    In each village there was an evening worship service and an overnight stay. In the morning the delegation heard stories of how encroachments on indigenous land are causing many to lose hope and patience because it seems to them that their pleas for help are going unnoticed.

    The delegation heard repeatedly a resolute belief in the power of prayer and advocacy by the global faith community. The attached prayer reflects the specific prayer requests that were named in the many conversations in which the delegation engaged.

    “They understand – at least in part – the limits of our capabilities,” noted Suderman in his draft of the delegation’s report. “They also understand the power of God in God’s praying people. The idea of allowing the story to become known is, in itself, the highest hope of the leadership. There is a profound sense that truth will eventually win out, but that it needs to be exposed and become known.”

    Church leaders also asked for help in training of leaders in areas such as conflict resolution, identity formation, restorative justice and nonviolent strategies. Further, they asked for advocacy  in international forums such as the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and the government of Panama.

    MWC release

    Prayer

    The Commission of Diaconia and Peace of the Iglesia Evangélica Unida Hermanos Menonitas de Panamá (United Evangelical Church: Mennonite Brethren in Panama) has requested that God’s people, around the world, pray this prayer on their behalf.                                                                            

    Creator God of Justice, Peace, Love and Mercy:
     
    You know the struggles of your people.
    You know the struggles of the Wounaan People of Panama: a struggle for justice related to their Ancestral Domain amid the continuing invasions of those lands.  
     
    We pray to you.
    We lament the ongoing loss of valuable resources of the Wounaan people.
    We pray that the Government of Panama might act to secure the collective title to the land.
     
    We pray to you for justice in the case of the three men who have been falsely accused and condemned to 20 years of prison due to their leadership in this struggle for land.
     
    We pray for your justice in the legal processes led by their lawyer Leonidas Quiróz; processes that still seem to be without the sympathetic ears and hearts needed to resolve these struggles.
     
    We pray for wisdom and patience for the local pastors and conference leaders of the United Evangelical Church: Mennonite Brethren of Panama.
     
    We give thanks for their firm commitment to keeping this struggle free of violence.
    We give thanks for their concerns for the life-giving flora and fauna created to secure life for generations to come.
    We give thanks for their wisdom and patience.
    We give thanks that they are your people and you are their God.
     
    Thank you God for listening to our lament. Thank you for knowing the integrity of our hearts. Thank you that your will is the welfare of all your creation.
     
    May your will be done.
     
    Amen.
     

     

  • In the face of the terror caused by the IS militias in Iraq and Syria, Western nations have reacted with air strikes and deliveries of weapons. A reaction that, given the atrocities described, has been widely accepted – also increasingly in churches. Among the same churches that almost unanimously raised their voices in protest against the American invasion of Iraq, there is now an increasing contingent which holds military intervention to be a moral responsibility compatible with the Christian faith.

    The Theological Seminary Bienenberg is rooted in a peace church tradition whose commitment to pacifism is rooted in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a position that once again faces fundamental questions in light of the terrible and threatening events in the Middle East. First and foremost, we find ourselves – insofar as is possible in well-protected Switzerland – deeply shaken when we hear about the persecution and execution of Christians and other minorities. We also experience feelings of powerlessness, anger, and the fervent longing that a stop be put to this brutal course of action as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, we believe that the situation does not render pacifist convictions obsolete. Because we are Christians, we now see ourselves challenged to find a way of dealing with the enemy according to the principles of nonviolence inspired by the Gospel. For this reason we are addressing all who profess Jesus Christ as the Prince of Peace and seek to follow him. It is His call to love one’s enemies that we hear as an appeal to the churches to witness to God’s coming kingdom in this world.

    By writing this, we are sharing a few rough thoughts about events that at times render us speechless. To speak out in this manner runs the risk of coming across as crude or cynical. We are also quite aware that we do not have a satisfactory answer for all things. However, we would like to share our wrestling with the pressing questions that time and again are raised by such eruptions of violence. We know that it is only possible to express some of these thoughts when at a safe distance from violent conflicts. We are also part of a society that has for far too long taken a passive role and has not yet exhausted all possibilities to help. However, we  do not want to let ourselves be paralyzed by helplessness and resignation, but rather we carry on, humbly and with the help of God’s Spirit, in the “hunt for peace” (Heb. 12,14) as best as we are able. This we do in fellowship and solidarity with the victims of these inhuman actions. God have mercy!

    Objection 1:

    Isn’t (Christian) pacifism idealist and naive?

    The current characterizations of (Christian) pacifism as naive are nothing new (1), but rather a familiar and rec curing accusation. Throughout history, people and movements that set themselves against the conventional wisdom of returning violence with violence have been derided. Yet those with power have often considered them to be far more than harmless crackpots. They recognized  what  was actually at stake and asked apprehensively, “What would happen if even more people were seduced into nonviolence?” They frequently answered this question in the form of sometimes violent persecution. The Anabaptists, for example, could tell a few tales in this regard. The question, “What would happen?” would by and large remain unanswered. Which is a shame, because history has recorded a good number of stories of peacemakers whose apparently “naive” pacifism impeded or put to an end to bloodshed (2). These are examples of unexpected turns made possible because people acted “naively” in the best sense of the word. They cultivated a “culture of peace” (3) which fostered an alternative relationship to violence. Therefore, it cannot be said that Christian pacifism is fundamentally doomed to failure, although there is of course no guarantee that it will always lead to the desired result. The same, however, can also be said of military intervention.

    We must also not forget that Christian pacifism is a costly path (4). This too it shares in common with military intervention. The hope of being able to lead a “clean” war with intelligent weapons with which “only” terrorists are targeted and killed without further victims has long since revealed itself to be an illusion. Is there really such a great difference between the necessary willingness to make sacrifices of an armed soldier and a nonviolent Christian, that only the latter is seen as naive and unrealistic?

    Objection 2:

    Violence can only be stopped with violence

    Eleven years ago, the American military made a move to overthrow the then-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as part of the “Axis of Evil”. They succeeded and celebrated this as the speedy success of their potent military machine. It did not take long, however, to recognize how short-sighted their strategy was. Instead of the quick withdrawal of troops they had planned, a long and drawn-out war persisted which did not just claim many victims, but also accrued horrendous costs. When the last troops withdrew in December 2011, they left behind them a region crippled by a political vacuum, which has since been filled by increasingly radical groups. The military action in Iraq had thus eliminated a dictator, but also paved the way for new excesses of violence. This is a phenomenon that has been demonstrated in other cases as well. Benjamin L. Corey rightly asks: “If the use of violence is how we got here, why would we think MORE violence would actually make things better?”(5)

    Under the banner of R2P (Responsibility to Protect), political and ecclesiastic leaders have argued in favor of a three step program to solve, or at least hinder, violent conflicts: Prevention – Reaction – Rebuilding (6). However, the example of Iraq is a painful reminder that hasty and unilateral violent reactions to conflict do not solve the problem and sometimes only aggravate the situation. Such military interventions frequently promise far more than they are able to deliver. One can only imagine what would happen if at least as much funding were directed into conflict prevention and reconstruction (including trauma recovery) as is to the stockpile of weapons that is supposed to secure or reestablish peace (7).

    Objection 3:

    Should we then simply stand by and watch as these terrible things happen?

    No. A peace church position is not equivalent to apathetic passivity. The current situation requires a reaction. The question is, by which means? A military intervention seems justifiable at this point. Yet history shows that previous “just wars” have been carried out with dubious motivations at odds with their original or official intention. What are the goals of the “coalition of the willing” in Iraq? In its military actions, does it itself follow the rules of engagement that it demands from its enemies? Why do we not hear the cry of the responsibility to protect in the face of so many other instances of inhuman injustices in the world?

    We are convinced that evil must be confronted. Military violence seems to us, however, unsuitable for the task. In the following points, we see alternative means of actions:

    Prayer. We Christians ask God for astounding things. He who prays to God for a sunny day despite a bad weather report expects nothing less than that God will override the basic physical laws of meteorology. What makes this trust in God so fleeting when it comes to war and peace? When we pray not only for the victims and for those threatened, but also for the perpetrators, we do so in faith in God’s promise: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit!” (Zach. 4,6).

    Nonviolent peacemaking operations. Often unheeded by official reporting, people in conflict zones around the globe dare to place themselves between the fronts without weapons (8). They do not shut their eyes before evil, but rather confront it bravely with their unarmed presence. In their vulnerability, they break through the classic friend-enemy mentality, which can open the door to unexpected possibilities for action. Impressive reports of such peacemaking operations show that there is a “third way” and raise challenging questions about conventional peacekeeping strategies (9). They also continually remind us how important contact between people and (church) communities in conflict areas is in helping us not to be led by media coverage into indiscriminately dividing parties into “good” and “evil”. In searching for an appropriate course of action against the terror of the IS, we would therefore especially like to hear from directly-affected Christians.

    Help for refugees. Our Anabaptist history contains many examples of people who responded to repression and persecution with flight. Many of these experienced a great deal of solidarity and hospitality in difficult times. Today we can take on responsibility as hosts with similar generosity – whether providing emergency assistance at the local level or seeking to improve the process of admission of refugees here in Europe, who at the moment are far too often impeded by bureaucracy (10).

    Police operations. The phrase “just policing”- calls to mind in church circles the deployment of international (!) police troops. Trained in nonviolent conflict resolution and held to the standards of international law and Human Rights, such teams could be deployed in order to protect  people. Whether they would be completely unarmed is debatable. If weapons were, however, to be used in an extremely restrained manner – for example, to secure a refugee corridor –  it  would  nevertheless amount to a completely different strategy, than a large-scale military invasion with the goal of eliminating the enemy. Peace church circles that consider such an operation to be acceptable strongly plead for a “nonlethal use of violence.” (11)

    Objection 4:

    Doesn’t the Bible also speak of necessary violence?

    There are without a doubt some vexing passages in the Bible in which violence is described as desired, or at least legitimized, by God. However, to derive from these instances an across-the-board rule of thumb that violence is just sometimes necessary seems inappropriate to us. Taking into account the overarching lines of the biblical narrative as a whole, it becomes clear that God truly desires Shalom – a just peace. This can be seen most clearly in the comprehensive will to peace of Jesus. He wages a battle without compromise against pseudo-religion of any kind, against injustice and self-righteousness – and in spite of it all loves his enemies instead of killing them. Even upon being sentenced to death on the cross by the political and religious powers that be. God protests against this logic of violence with the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Morning and in so doing validates Jesus and his way. In reflecting upon the story of Jesus, the early church arrived at the conclusion: in Jesus, God responded to human hostility with reconciliatory love (Rom 5,10). Instead of fighting back, God embraces the world and brings about Shalom. It also becomes clear that Jesus set an example for how Shalom can take root in our own relationships (Phil 2,5-11). As Christians, we see ourselves called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus (1Pet 2,21; Lu 22,49-51) and to overcome evil with good (Rom 12,21). In saying this, we are aware that there is no guarantee that this way will come without suffering and always deliver the desired results. Throughout the centuries, peacemaking individuals have occasionally paid a very high price. Yet it is the resurrection that stirs in us the belief that enmity and death do not have the last word, but rather God’s love makes everything whole. We pray therefore, that our fear abates to the love that reaches even to our enemy (12).

    By the Faculty of the Theological Seminary Bienenberg (Lukas Amstutz, Frieder Boller, Heike Geist, Hanspeter Jecker, Denis Kennel, Bernhard Ott, Michel  Sommer, Marcus Weiand, Marie-No√´lle Yoder)

    September 16, 2014

    (For a PDF file of this document click here)

    1 The wanting realism of Christian pacifism has, for example, recently been critisized by Reinold Scharnowski in his article,‚ÄûAllerletzte M√∂glichkeit ist Waffengewalt“, (http://www.livenet.ch/themen/glaube/glaube/261886-allerletzte_moeglichkeit_ist_waffengewalt.html).

    2 A collection of such stories of peace can be found in Cornelia Lehn, Friede sei mit euch!, Weisenheim am Berg 1987.

    3 Also see Alan & Eleanor Kreider, Paulus Widjaja, Eine Kultur des Friedens: Gottes Vision für Gemeinde und Welt, Schwarzenfeld 2008.

    4 This costly way is described by Ron Sider,  ‚ÄûGottes Volk vers√∂hnt“ in: XI. Mennonitische Weltkonferenz Stra√üburg, 1984: Hauptansprachen. Strasbourg: CMM (:35-39), in English: http://www.cpt.org/resources/writings/sider.

    5 http://www.theologiestudierende.de/2014/08/19/irakischer-voelkermord-unsere-gewalt-hat-uns-hier-her-gebracht/

    6 The concept is thoroughly explained here: http://www.schutzverantwortung.de. A detailed examination from a peace church perspective by Jakob Fehr can be found here: (http://www.dmfk.de/fileadmin/downloads/Fehr_-_R2P_die_Konfrontation_mit_dem_Boesen.pdf)

    7 For the call to a long-term strategy for Iraq, see also http://www.huffingtonpost.com/derek-flood/is-there-a-nonviolent-isis_b_5670512.html

    8 An example is the Christian Peacemaker Team (http://cpt.org/)

    9 Two such reports can be found on  http://mennoworld.org/2014/09/01/cpt-aids-refugees-seeking-safety-in-iraqi-kurdistan/      und http://mennoworld.org/2014/08/29/jim-foley-is-and-what-i-learned-from-being-kidnapped/

    10 American Benjamin L. Corey asks on a related note: ‚ÄûWhy not stage the largest airlift since the Berlin Airlift, and bring all of these religious and ethnic minorities out of their situation, and grant them asylum here in the United States?“

    11 See   also   the   presentation   of   Fernando   Enns   ‚ÄûGerechter   Frieden   zwischen   Interventionsverbot   und   Schutzgebot“,   http://friedensbildung- schule.de/sites/friedensbildung-schule.de/files/anhang/medien/fbs-responsibility-protect-449.pdf

    12 Alice  Su  describes  this  transformation  impressively  on  http://gospelworldview.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/1-john-isis-and-the-gospel-versus-terror.  A German translation can be found here: www.bienenberg-blog.ch.

     

  • Bogota, Colombia – In response to urgent appeals from the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon and from the Middle East Council of Churches, Mennonite World Conference issued a call for “a shower of prayer, solidarity and blessing” to MWC member churches.

    In a communication to “all the Evangelical and Protestant churches and organizations across the world,” the Supreme Council declared a state of emergency “to preserve what remains of the Christian and moderate non-Christian presence in the East, and to circumvent its complete demise.”

    The Council also identified “the possibility of the “annihilation of Christian Presence in the Middle East” and expressed concern about the “human suffering and political difficulties” faced in these countries.

    MWC also received a statement from the Middle East Council of Churches based in Lebanon calling on the international community “to take bold initiatives and to stand against this fierce attack on the passive Christians of Iraq who remain steadfast in the land of their fathers and forefathers where Christianity started.”

    “We are moved to prayer,” wrote MWC leaders in response to the Supreme Council. “We do want to assure you of the prayers of MWC. We have distributed your urgent appeal to each of the 102 national churches in 57 countries that make up the membership of MWC.” MWC responded in a similar fashion to the Middle East Council of Churches.

    Then in a letter to member churches, MWC General Secretary César García and Peace Commission Secretary Robert J. Suderman urged each of the churches to write their own letter directly to the Supreme Council and to the Middle East Council of Churches, “assuring them of your prayers and identifying particular actions that you are doing in response to their appeal.”

    “We believe that such a ‘shower of prayer, solidarity and blessing’ will be highly appreciated by them,” wrote García and Suderman. “They will be strengthened just knowing that there are churches around the world praying for them and acting on their behalf.”

    The letter to MWC member churches was issued on Sunday 21 September, the United Nations International Day of Peace, and the MWC Peace Sunday.

    MWC release

  • Bogotá, Colombia – For Jenny Neme, director of Colombian Mennonite organization Justapaz (Just Peace), recent support for South Korean conscientious objector San-Ming Lee was a natural occurrence. It sprung out, she said, of an attempt to “seek solidarity and mutual support, based in the prophetic role of the churches to engage in political advocacy in the spaces where we met . . . to encourage churches to seek the possibility of political advocacy in many different situations.”

    Justapaz has worked with themes of conscientious objection (CO) for almost 25 years, encouraging and supporting young men from around the country that choose to object to Colombia’s obligatory military service because of their faith. Justapaz also advocates for the inclusion of the CO right in Colombia’s legal system. The organization uses workshops, theological training and alliance building to promote nonviolent peacebuilding as an alternative to military service.

    It wasn’t until the March 2014 meeting of the Mennonite World Conference Peace Commission in Holland, however, that Neme first heard about the case of San-Ming Lee, a 27-year-old member of the Grace and Peace Mennonite Church in Seoul, South Korea. Lee is the first Mennonite in South Korea to declare himself a CO, and is currently serving a jail sentence of 18 months. Over ninety-two percent of the imprisoned COs worldwide are in South Korea.

    Since hearing Lee’s story, Neme and Justapaz has shared this CO’s testimony with Colombian Mennonites. Many individuals and churches have committed to sending him letters of encouragement and prayer. According to Neme, part of this response comes from shared experiences. “This is something that can happen to us in Colombia as well, that one of our young men could be imprisoned,” she noted. “As well, we are witnesses that when we have needed urgent responses from our brothers and sisters, it has worked.”

    As a result of conversations in Holland and the response to Lee’s situation, Justapaz is working with organizations in the USA, Germany and South Korea on a series of workshops on conscientious objection for the MWC Assembly, to be held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA in July 2015.The workshops will include historical and theological perspectives, as well as a modern-day look at the realities of conscientious objection, with the goal of further worldwide solidarity surrounding an issue with daily impacts for Anabaptists worldwide.

    For Neme, conscientious objection “represents a challenge for the [Anabaptist community] worldwide, to return to value the theme—a theme that is very important for our faith tradition.”

    Article by Anna Vogt, Justapaz

  • Schoorl, Netherlands – From 19-24 March, leaders and members of the four Mennonite World Conference Commissions met together for a time of face-to-face discussion, reflection, worship and strategic planning to advance the mission of MWC.

    It was only the second such meeting of the four Commissions since their formation in 2009. They last met face-to-face in Switzerland in 2012, prior to the MWC General Council meeting.

    Approximately 50 women and men from around the globe gathered for the five-day meetings, convened at the Mennonite Conference Centre Doperaduin, one of three retreat centres run by the Algemene Doopsegezinde Sociëteit (Dutch Mennonite Church).

    Resources for dealing with conflict

    For the Peace Commission, meetings focused on building their web-based “Manual of Resources for Dealing with Conflict,” an umbrella set of resources under which the Commission plans to place a variety of specific tools, documents and other materials related to conflict transformation, reconciliation and trauma healing. One resource already under this umbrella is “Guidelines for Determining MWC Response to Internal Conflicts of Member Churches.” It is available on the Peace Commission page on the MWC website (www.mwc-cmm.org) and has been translated into English, Spanish and French.

    During the March 2014 meetings, the Commission worked on a second resource, “Reconciling Our Perspectives, Restoring Our Relationships: Dialogue and Understanding Within Mennonite World Conference.” The document provides guidelines for dealing with interpersonal and inter-group conflict within the MWC community. A draft version of this document is currently being refined and reviewed.

    All resources currently being developed by the Commission fall into one of three categories: pre-conflict, conflict, and post-conflict. Conflict materials are intended for use by congregations, conferences or other groups currently in the midst of disputes or disagreements. Post-conflict materials are focused on healing after conflict and dealing with “legacy conflicts,” such as past conflicts that were never fully resolved. Pre-conflict materials provide capacity-building resources used to identify and plan for resolution of future discord.

    A theology of mission

    The Mission Commission focused their attention on drafting a key resource document: an Anabaptist theology of mission. The draft will be presented to the Global Anabaptist Service Network and Global Mission Fellowship, both of which function under the umbrella of the Mission Commission, for review. Finally, the document will be presented to the MWC General Council for approval and adoption.

    The Mission Commission also spent time further outlining their plan for a Global Association of Anabaptist Missiologists. This body would have a three-fold purpose: (1) to provide intercultural fellowship among Anabaptist missiologists worldwide; (2) to practice corporate, disciplined reflection on missions from an Anabaptist perspective; and (3) to create Anabaptist vision and perspectives on mission that are truly global in scope and content.

    Koinonia delegations and Global Anabaptist Deacons

    The Deacons Commission affirmed or re-affirmed two key initiatives – the regular rotation of Koinonia delegations, and the Global Anabaptist Deacons program – and spent time planning each.

    In affirming a regular rotation of Koinonia delegations to Latin America, Africa and Asia (respectively), the Commission returns to a plan established in previous meetings. Though planned earlier, implementation was delayed by logistical problems and more pressing visits. The Commission hopes to put this rotation into place after making decisions about the size of delegations and the financing of visits.

    Finally, the Commission strategized for a potential re-launch of the Global Anabaptist Deacons (GADs) program. Their plan is to recruit GADs from each continental region in which MWC has member churches. GADs serve as the “eyes and ears” of the Deacons Commission in their respective regions, and communicate to the Commission situations that require attention. GADs will also inform their churches about global church prayer requests.

    Learning from ecumenical dialogues

    Finally, the Faith and Life Commission continued to work on and/or oversee a number of projects, including the Global Anabaptist Profile, the Bearing Witness Stories Project, and ecumenical dialogues with Catholics, Lutherans and Seventh-Day Adventists.

    With regard to ecumenical dialogues, the commission devoted much of its time in Schoorl to discussing ways to bring the results of these conversations to bear within Anabaptist-Mennonite congregations and educational institutions. Earlier in 2014, the Commission circulated a letter (now available on the Faith and Life Commission page at www.mwc-cmm.org) encouraging Anabaptist-Mennonite educators to a new paradigm for teaching Lutheran-Anabaptist history, one that reflects the recent reconciliation between the two traditions.

    The Commission also identified future dialogue partners, including Pentecostals.

    In addition, much of the Commission’s time together centred on planning for a Global Educators Conference, scheduled for the 2015 assembly in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA. This gathering is being jointly sponsored by the International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) and Mennonite Education Agency of Mennonite Church USA.

    Joint meetings bring spiritual enrichment

    In addition to these business sessions, joint meetings for fellowship and spiritual enrichment also played a key role in the Schoorl gathering.

    Joint sessions were held in the mornings and evenings. Morning meetings included a devotional time led by a Commission member. Evening sessions involved prayer led by a Commission officer. Additionally, on Sunday, 23 March, leaders and members visited area churches and took part in historic Mennonite walking tours.

    While “the main goal of this meeting was planning and administration,” according to Danisa Ndlovu, additional emphasis was put on team-building among the various Commissions. This, he concludes was a major success of the gathering.

    Adds César García, MWC general secretary: “We shared not only business matters with each other, but real friendships began to form as well. It felt like a family reunion.”

    -Devin Manzullo-Thomas, with additional reporting by Janneke Leerink