Prayers of gratitude and intercession

Hospitality: Exploring what it means to offer hospitality as followers of Christ

Shocking photographs published in the news media awoke the Western world to the refugee crisis on September 2015. With a heightened awareness of the issue, the Anabaptist communion worldwide considers what it means to welcome the stranger as those from different religious backgrounds enter our neighbourhoods.

The April 2016 issue of Courier/Correo/Courrier seeks to discern the variety of reasons why Anabaptist communities from around the world come together to form MWC. In the articles that follow, writers reflect on the question: How does Christ’s love for us motivate and guide our response to strangers in our local context?

A ministry of inclusive hospitality

A Scripture: “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy” (Ezekiel 16:49, NIV).

A story: A refugee complained bitterly to God because they had not let him in a church and God responded: “Don’t feel bad. They don’t let me in either.”

Using this Biblical passage and short story as reference points, I write this simple note from my own personal testimony to contrast these texts.

Colombia, where I currently live, is a country with an internal war for the last 60 years and has the last internal armed conflict remaining in the Western hemisphere. With more than five million internally displaced people, it has the second highest rate of internally displaced people in the world according to the United Nations, plus has another million external refugees in other countries. Twenty-five thousand violent deaths occur each year, thousands of persons are disappeared and kidnapped, and the Colombian government recognizes more than six million victims in general.

If there were oil or any other economic interest of the multinationals in our conflict, this impressive social scenario would have appeared in the mainstream news in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The Anabaptist churches of the North would have heard about it.

Threats and uncertainty

After living for many years in Bogotá, in 1986, my wife, our children and I moved to a small town called San Jacinto, in the northern part of the country in the Caribbean region.

There we acquired a farm, house, agricultural machinery and vehicles, and with my wife and four small sons, we lived from my law practice, agriculture and journalism. We supported the social and grassroots work of the peasants in the region.

Due to my work with the campesinos (local peasant farmers), I was accused of being an ideologue of the guerrilla movement. The local police commander, and later a paramilitary group called “Death to Kidnappers” (referring to the guerrillas), began to persecute me and threaten me on a regular basis.

In March 1988, the Colombian National Army and the police joined forces to raid our home. The death threats increased. Our friends avoided us. The banks wouldn’t serve us. Living there became unbearable. Because of the death threats, we found ourselves forced to move to the nearby city of Cartagena, losing everything we had acquired with our labour.

There in Cartagena, we received hospitality from one of my uncles, who opened his home to us. In his patio, with support from the Mennonite church, we built a dwelling to reside in while the storm passed.

But the situation of a displaced person, whether displaced internally or internationally, is quite difficult. You are leaving behind your territory, friends, family members, job, belongings, culture, contacts and good name. Additionally, you enter an unknown territory, which is threatening and inhospitable; a world full of prejudice and stigmas.

From being considered an upright person, suddenly, you are suspected of terrorism and criminality which creates great fear among your neighbours. You enter into an environment of fear, not only due to your displacement, but because all the people surrounding you – your friends, relatives and churches – all fear that they may be mistaken for or pointed out as the enemy and declared “military objectives,” threatened and hurt.

The fear impregnated in others is what most affects the person who is displaced as it paralyzes those people and hinders hospitality and solidarity. Many church people want to be hospitable, but they have families, small children, debts and mortgages, and are afraid of endangering their lives and threatening the stability of those who depend on them. They say that if they were alone, they would give their lives to help, but in these conditions, it would be irresponsible of them and unfair to their children.

In July 1989, we arrived once again to Bogotá; beaten down, but not defeated. A displaced and threatened couple with four children. We arrived in a city affected by terrorism, full of the living dead begging at every intersection, boys and girls abandoned in the streets, the threat of crime; surrounded by areas of racist and discriminatory poverty.

The central government had used the excuse of war to suppress most civil liberties and ordered raids and arbitrary detentions each day in the city and in the country. Distrust and fear reigned in the city. The ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu said “War is the art of deceit,” to which American politician Hiram Johnson famously added, “where truth is the first victim.” This makes it difficult to believe in someone and even believe in God.

Shelter and welcome

However, today my family and I are alive thanks to decisive action by a group of people belonging to the Teusaquillo (Bogotá) Mennonite Church, headed by pastor Peter Stucky. Although they had young children and people under their responsibility, they overcame fear of stigmatization and of being declared supporters of the guerrillas, and organized themselves to offer inclusive hospitality that sheltered us and gave us enough energy to awaken our power of resilience and recover.

It is when we practice these acts of hospitality that the damnation of Sodom is broken and the beautiful phrase of Jesus becomes reality: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…. Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did for me” (Matthew 25:35–40, NRSV).

But it did not end there with the assistance to one family who were members of the church. The concept of inclusive hospitality expanded. No one was excluded and there was always a place for the stranger, the traveller and those who suffer. Inclusive hospitality opened the doors of the church and created an entire ecclesiastical ministry to support hundreds of displaced people who arrived fleeing their lands after losing their belongings and their hope. “The refugee [or displaced person] is the living messenger of misfortune, bringing with him the image, smell and taste of the tragedy of war, genocide, slaughter and abandonment of their home because of violence.” (Javier Jurado, member of the Arjai Association, an initiative of philosophy students).

For many years, this ministry of the Teusaquillo Mennonite Church has functioned in Bogotá. Hundreds of people have been assisted and comforted. From there, dozens of displaced people have been sponsored by the Canadian Mennonite church and today enjoy a new and tranquil life in that country. This ministry also expanded to the city of Quito, Ecuador, which receives hundreds of Colombians who flee the country seeking refuge.

To create, initiate and maintain a ministry such as this, open to any person regardless of where they come from, what they believe, what political ideology they have, whether their persecutors are guerrillas or paramilitaries means a great risk. Sometimes, members of the congregation stop attending. However, we are convinced of the coherence between the mandate of Jesus and the right of asylum. The community is strengthened and new leaders emerge open to hospitality.

It is gratifying to be a historic, Anabaptist peace church where no refugee will protest to God for being denied entry, and like Job we can say, “I have never turned away a stranger but have opened my doors to everyone” (Job 31:32, NLT).

—Ricardo Esquivia Ballestas is a lawyer and a member of the Colombian Mennonite Church, with more than 45 years of experience in peacebuilding from a community and ecclesial base. He is director of Sembrandopaz (Planting Seeds of Peace) and works with returned communities in the Colombian Caribbean.

This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier April 2016

Hospitality: Exploring what it means to offer hospitality as followers of Christ

Shocking photographs published in the news media awoke the Western world to the refugee crisis on September 2015. With a heightened awareness of the issue, the Anabaptist communion worldwide considers what it means to welcome the stranger as those from different religious backgrounds enter our neighbourhoods.

The April 2016 issue of Courier/Correo/Courrier seeks to discern the variety of reasons why Anabaptist communities from around the world come together to form MWC. In the articles that follow, writers reflect on the question: How does Christ’s love for us motivate and guide our response to strangers in our local context?

Love opens hearts to learn more

Refugees have been part of the story of the Mennonite Brethren church in Neuwied since its beginning: the history of our church is marked by efforts to integrate people from different cultural backgrounds.

Evangelische Freikirche Mennonitische Brüdergemeinde Neuwied, Germany, was founded after World War II by refugees from West Prussia (now Poland) and is the oldest Mennonite Brethren Church in Western Europe. At the beginning, the Mennonites who founded the church had to work out a way to worship together with brothers and sisters from different Christian traditions like Protestant, Plymouth Brethren and Baptists. The next generation learned to integrate Christians from Croatia and South America who joined the church in the 1960s. In the mid-1970, the integration of great numbers of Mennonites from the former Soviet Union was a challenge. Even though they had the same Mennonite roots, they held to some specific traditions that differed from the culture of our church. But with God, nothing is impossible. Over the years, brothers and sisters from North America, Asia and Africa have also become part of this colourful community of Christ followers.

Presently, we are a congregation of 460 members that Christians from more than 14 different nations call their home. Even though the background and traditions of our church members are sometimes very different, their faith in and commitment to the one Lord Jesus Christ help to build bridges between each other.

A new chapter

A completely new chapter of church life began about eight years ago, when we had the courage to open our doors to people with a completely different religious background.

How did that happen?

Community leaders from our city came to us with the request: would we be willing to open a youth club and help the city take care of young people 12–17 years of age with an immigrant background? Looking back, we know we were very naïve at the time; nevertheless, we were faithful when we said yes to obey God’s command “to seek the peace and prosperity of the city” (Jeremiah 29:7, NIV).

And so, this youth club (30 young people from Muslim and Yazidi background) found a home in our church building. We quickly realized that these young people took it for granted that they could attend “their meeting place” at any time. When the doors opened, they entered, whether it was to a ladies meeting, a prayer time or another event. When they found the doors locked, they would simply sit on the steps in front of the entrance and hang out there, not caring if it was day or night.

The first three months this youth club opened were really stressful for the church! We only survived this time with much prayer, patience, discussions and by setting up some rules and consequences for the youth.

Appreciation, respect and Christian charity

To our surprise, the relationship with the young people got better in the coming months. In our church, the young people experienced something they had not received so far: appreciation, respect and Christian charity. The leaders of the city were amazed to see the behaviour of these young people change in a positive way.

Through the experience with the youth club, we were prepared to welcome the refugees and asylum seekers with open arms and hearts when they came to church looking for help and fellowship. For us, their religion is very foreign. It’s hard to hear what these people have experienced on their journey to Germany, fleeing from war and terror. But on the other hand, it is also hard for them to get settled in a completely new culture with all these traumatic experiences that happened to them. We hear often that it is not what we say that makes them come to church but the warm love and care they feel.

This love opened their hearts to learn more about this Jesus of whom we speak. And so, we started with a Bible study group in Farsi and later another in Arabic. When people out of this group find faith in the living God and are baptized, we are aware that there will be more changes in our church through these new brothers and sisters.

Every nation and tongue

Everybody noticed that when the first brother from Iran was baptized. When he came out of the water, his Persian friends responded with a storm of true jubilation that struck the rest of the congregation speechless with surprise. But when we realised that we were witnessing God’s promise come true – that people from “every nation and tongue” will be part of his kingdom (Revelation 7:9) – there was joy everywhere!

Meanwhile, we have learned that it’s a blessing that our typical German characteristics such as punctuality and order are being supplemented with characteristics from other countries, such as spontaneity and hospitality. Though hospitality is supposed to be a special trademark for Christians, we are learning a lot about it from people from an Eastern background. They always seem to have time to talk and enjoy a cup of tea while having fellowship. Their doors and tables are always open for guests.

Investing in strangers takes courage, because in doing so we leave our well-known comfort zone. But what we learn living this way is indescribable. The encounters with my new friends from around the world, has changed my life so positively that I cannot imagine what it was like when they were not yet a part of my life.

Walter Jakobeit is pastor of the Evangelische Freikirche Mennonitische Brüdergemeinde Neuwied, Germany, (MB church). He is chairman of the AMBD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Brüdergemeinden Deutschland) a national church that was accepted to the MWC General Council in July 2015.

This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier April 2016

Hospitality: Exploring what it means to offer hospitality as followers of Christ

Shocking photographs published in the news media awoke the Western world to the refugee crisis on September 2015. With a heightened awareness of the issue, the Anabaptist communion worldwide considers what it means to welcome the stranger as those from different religious backgrounds enter our neighbourhoods.

The April 2016 issue of Courier/Correo/Courrier seeks to discern the variety of reasons why Anabaptist communities from around the world come together to form MWC. In the articles that follow, writers reflect on the question: How does Christ’s love for us motivate and guide our response to strangers in our local context?

The heart of a stranger

I once heard a newcomer to Canada describe the relief he felt at being welcomed into a church community of other recent immigrants after a long period of disorientation. His words stuck with me:

They knew how to embrace the stranger because they had the heart of a stranger themselves.

In other words, those who know firsthand the experience of being outsiders – the desperation and loneliness that come along with being separated from all that is familiar and all that gives one meaning, security and stability; the frustration that comes with not being able speak the language; what it means to long for embrace – these ones have the heart of a stranger. These ones have hearts that are willing to make room.

Choosing strangeness

And yet, the experience of being a “stranger” in any meaningful sense is foreign to many of us. Some of us have experienced discomfort as we navigate unfamiliar contexts of our own choosing. However, these are mostly the inconveniences borne out of choices exercised within the parameters of privilege. Others have never even had the luxury of being a “stranger” because we’ve never been able to travel far beyond the places of our birth. 

But how many of us have been driven to distant shores by violence and political instability and poverty? Have we ever arrived in an unfamiliar land with few possessions, no language and years of trauma in the rearview mirror? Have we ventured forth in contexts where few people look or sound like us? Where the customs are incomprehensible, the beliefs impenetrable? How many of us have been strangers in any sense deep enough to produce “the heart of a stranger?”

So, what would it take to develop the “heart of a stranger” in our present cultural moment, with so much polarizing discourse among Christians (and others) about the Syrian refugee crisis and what it asks of us? There is so much fear and suspicion, so many angry and misinformed words, so much reactionary and impulsive dismissal, so many arms protectively closing rather than opening in embrace. How might we move beyond these reflexive responses to better paths?

Memory and imagination

Could it be as simple as looking a few generations back and remembering that nearly all of us are a part of a story of strangers on some level? Could our unwillingness to embrace the stranger be due, in part, to the fact that our hearts have lost or forgotten or never developed the ability to put ourselves in the stranger’s shoes? 

Could our chief problem be little more than a failure of memory or imagination – a failure either to remember what it was like to be the “other” that longs for welcome or to even imagine this possibility? Could the “heart of a stranger” be as near to each one of us as choosing to remember and imagine differently?

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the divine command to care for the stranger is tied directly to the fact that the people of Israel were also strangers once (Deuteronomy 10:19). In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus sums up all of the Law and the Prophets – and “all” is a pretty comprehensive word, it should be remembered – in the simple exhortation to do to others as we would have done to us (Matthew 22:40). The former urges us to better memory, the latter to better imagination. We need both, if we are ever to develop the right kind of hearts. And once we begin to take these steps – once we try to remember and imagine in better ways – it becomes easier to intentionally move toward the stranger. 

The church that I am a part of is welcoming nine people from Syria into our community and into our lives. We, along with others in our community, have spent months preparing for their arrival. We’ve secured a house, applied a fresh coat of paint, purchased food, clothing and toys. We have made connections with others in our community: other Christian churches, folks from the university, a group of local doctors, members of the local Muslim community. We have had opportunities to share meals with Syrian families already in Lethbridge and to learn from them in impromptu cooking classes and cultural background information evenings. We have made new friends.

We have tried to develop the heart of a stranger. And in so doing, we have discovered that the heart of a stranger is actually not far from any of us as long as we are willing to remember and imagine in the right ways.

Ryan Dueck is pastor of Lethbridge Mennonite Church in Alberta, Canada. The church is part of a local Ecumenical Social Action Group that is sponsoring two Syrian refugee families to resettle in Lethbridge. He regularly blogs at ryandueck.com and contributes to Wondering Fair, “an online café” for discussing matters of faith. 

This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier April 2016

Hospitality: Exploring what it means to offer hospitality as followers of Christ

Shocking photographs published in the news media awoke the Western world to the refugee crisis on September 2015. With a heightened awareness of the issue, the Anabaptist communion worldwide considers what it means to welcome the stranger as those from different religious backgrounds enter our neighbourhoods.

The April 2016 issue of Courier/Correo/Courrier seeks to discern the variety of reasons why Anabaptist communities from around the world come together to form MWC. In the articles that follow, writers reflect on the question: How does Christ’s love for us motivate and guide our response to strangers in our local context?

Hospitality transforms

Deymaand’s story

In the late 1970s, during the period in India’s history known as the Emergency (when democratic freedoms were effectively suspended), Deymaand, an 18-year-old youth, decided to be baptized in a local Mennonite Church. Since Deymaand’s family belonged to another faith, they opposed his decision to accept Christian faith. When Deymaand refused to turn back, his family disowned him. So Deymaand decided to leave his village. This resulted in a mob-like situation in the village. Due to political unrest in India in those days, Deymaand was immediately arrested to avoid any undue incident and was brought to Rajnandgaon to be imprisoned. A month later when the situation in the village was under control, Deymaand was released from prison but was asked not to enter the village again.

Disowned by his own family, Deymaand had nowhere to go and knew no one who would shelter him. But the pastor of the Mennonite Church of Rajnandgaon (MCR) welcomed Deymaand into the church and into his own family as one of their own sons. Deymaand decided to pursue theological education and completed his theological studies from Union Biblical Seminary, Yeotmal. From there, he went on to serve the Lord through preaching and teaching the Bible across India. In the midst of threat to his life and equal threat to the church, MCR helped sustain Deymaand and his faith in the Lord Jesus.

Sarika’s story

In 1990s, under the leadership of pastor Theo Philus Singh, MCR started an outreach program in the State of Maharashtra, planting some new churches in villages. There was much opposition and persecution from the extremists. Members of the newly formed church would often visit homes of the members of MCR to find support and spiritual growth. The people of MCR risked social reputation and the threats of the fanatics when welcoming the new believers in their homes. Members of MCR visited the newly formed churches and ministered to needs even in the face of opposition.

A young man from MCR married a young woman, named Sarika. As time went by, Sarika discovered that her husband was an alcoholic. She was being physically abused at home. When Sarika couldn’t take it anymore, she approached the women’s group of MCR. The church council tried its best to bring reconciliation between the couple but all efforts were in vain. So, the women’s group helped Sarika and her nine-year-old daughter flee from her abusive husband. They received Sarika and her daughter in their homes and sheltered them. The women’s group offered them spiritual, moral and financial support.

Today, after 15 years, the daughter is well-educated, serving as a nurse in a reputed hospital. Sarika recognizes that MCR received her when she was a stranger and helped her when she needed to find a way out. She is grateful to the women’s group for all that was done to protect and sustain their lives.

Hospitality and evangelism

These stories are just a few among several others where the Mennonites reached out to their communities and welcomed strangers among themselves. Such opportunities have transformed not only the life of the church but have helped the church to transform lives of many others. Our understanding of hospitality is to not just offer food and water to strangers and send them their way but also being willing to journey with them even in the basics of life.

We have come to understand that hospitality is an integral part of evangelism. Without creating space in our own lives for others, we cannot lead others to make space for Christ in their lives. Hospitality has never been easy because it brings disruption in our lives.

Hospitality, in context of evangelism, puts at risk our own identity as a church. Receiving people from other faith increases our struggle to evade integration of rites, rituals and traditions from other faiths. This has taught us the importance of being strongly rooted in the Lord, being united as a church and discerning between right and wrong.

The Conference of the Mennonite Church in India (MCI) has been involved in activities of hospitality since the beginning. Each unit church has stories to tell. My home church is thankful to God for the many privileges of receiving strangers in our midst and ministering to them in a variety of ways. Being a part of this church has proved formative and helped shape my understanding of hospitality.

Elisabeth Kunjam, originally a member of the Mennonite Church in India, became a member of the Governing Council of the Mennonite Brethren Churches in India in 2005 after marrying Frank Sanjay. She serves as a member of MWC’s Deacons Commission. She is also coordinator of Theologically Trained Anabaptist Women of Asia (TTAWA), an association that started with the help of MWC’s Deacons Commission in 2012.

This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier April 2016

L’amour ouvre les cœurs et donne envie d’en apprendre davantage

Les réfugiés ont fait partie de l’histoire de l’église Frères mennonites de Neuwied depuis ses débuts : le passé de notre église est imprégné d’initiatives visant à intégrer les personnes d’origines culturelles différentes.

L’Evangelische Freikirche Mennonitische Brüdergemeinde de Neuwied (Allemagne) a été fondée après la Seconde Guerre Mondiale par des réfugiés de Prusse occidentale (aujourd’hui Pologne) ; c’est la plus ancienne église de Frères mennonites d’Europe occidentale. Au début, les mennonites ont dû apprendre à prier avec des frères et sœurs de différentes traditions chrétiennes tels que protestants, Frères de Plymouth et baptistes. La génération suivante a appris à intégrer des chrétiens de Croatie et d’Amérique du Sud qui se sont joints à l’église dans les années 1960. Dans le milieu des années 1970, l’intégration d’un grand nombre de mennonites de l’ex-Union soviétique a été un défi. Bien qu’ayant les mêmes origines mennonites, ils tenaient à certaines traditions spécifiques différentes de celles de notre église. Mais avec Dieu, rien n’est impossible. Au fil des ans, des frères et sœurs d’Amérique du Nord, d’Asie et d’Afrique sont aussi devenus membres de cette communauté bigarrée de disciples du Christ.

Notre paroisse compte aujourd’hui 460 membres, originaires de plus de 14 nations différentes. Mais malgré un arrière-plan et des traditions très variés, les membres de notre assemblée ont une foi et un engagement envers le Seigneur Jésus-Christ qui aide à construire des ponts les uns des autres.

Un nouveau chapitre

Un tout nouveau chapitre dans la vie de notre assemblée a commencé il y a environ huit ans, lorsque nous avons eu le courage d’ouvrir nos portes à des gens d’origine religieuse complètement différente.

Comment est-ce arrivé ?

Des responsables de notre ville sont venus nous trouver avec cette requête : serions-nous prêts à ouvrir un club de jeunes pour aider la ville à s’occuper des jeunes de 12 à 17 ans issus de l’immigration ? En y repensant, nous réalisons que nous étions très naïfs à l’époque ; néanmoins, quand nous avons dit oui, nous avons obéi au commandement de Dieu ‘de chercher à rendre prospère la ville’ (Jr 29:7 BFC).

Donc, ce club de jeunes (30 jeunes issus de milieux musulmans et Yezidi) a démarré dans notre bâtiment d’église. Nous avons rapidement compris que ces jeunes pensaient pouvoir venir dans ‘leur lieu de rencontre’ n’importe quand. Lorsque les portes étaient ouvertes, ils entraient, qu’il y ait une réunion de dames, de prière ou toute autre rencontre. Quand ils trouvaient les portes fermées, ils s’asseyaient tout simplement sur les marches de l’entrée et y restaient, de jour comme de nuit. Les trois premiers mois ont vraiment été stressants pour notre paroisse ! Nous n’avons survécu qu’avec beaucoup de prières, de patience, de discussions et en mettant en place quelques règles et leurs conséquences pour les jeunes.

Appréciation, respect et amour chrétien

À notre grande surprise, les relations avec les jeunes se sont améliorées les mois suivants. Dans notre église, les jeunes ont découvert quelque chose qu’ils n’avaient jamais connu jusque là : appréciation, respect et amour chrétien. Les responsables de la ville ont été surpris de voir combien le comportement de ces jeunes avait changé.

Grâce à l’expérience avec le club de jeunes, nous étions prêts à accueillir à bras ouverts les réfugiés et les demandeurs d’asile venant à l’église pour trouver aide et amitié. Leur religion nous est vraiment étrangère. C’est difficile d’entendre ce qu’ils ont vécu pendant leur exil, fuyant la guerre et la terreur. Mais d’autre part, c’est difficile aussi pour eux de s’installer dans un pays complètement nouveau avec leurs expériences traumatiques. Ils nous disent souvent que ce ne sont pas nos paroles qui les attirent à l’église, mais l’amour chaleureux et l’attention qu’ils reçoivent.

Cet amour a ouvert leur cœur pour en savoir plus sur ce Jésus dont nous parlons. Nous avons donc commencé un groupe d’étude biblique en farsi, et plus tard un autre en arabe. Quand des membres de ces groupes trouvent la foi dans le Dieu vivant et sont baptisés, nous savons qu’ils apportent des changements dans notre église.

De toutes les nations et langues

Lorsque le premier frère iranien a été baptisé, ce n’est pas passé inaperçu ! Quand il est sorti de l’eau, ses amis persans ont éclaté en un tonnerre de jubilation qui a rendu le reste de l’assemblée muet de surprise. Mais quand nous avons réalisé que nous étions témoins de la réalisation de la promesse de Dieu : que les gens ‘de toutes nations, tribus, peuples et langues’ feront partie de son royaume (Ap 7:9), tout le monde s’y est joint !

Nous avons aussi découvert que c’est une bénédiction que nos caractéristiques allemandes typiques, telles que la ponctualité et l’ordre, soient complétées par des caractéristiques étrangères, telles que la spontanéité et l’hospitalité. Bien que l’hospitalité soit censée être l’apanage des chrétiens, nous apprenons beaucoup des immigrés de l’Est. Ils semblent toujours avoir le temps de causer et de boire une tasse de thé. Leurs porte et leurs table sont toujours ouvertes aux autres.

S’investir dans l’accueil des étrangers demande du courage, parce que nous devons sortir de notre zone de confort. Mais ce que nous apprenons en vivant ainsi est impossible à décrire. Les rencontres avec mes nouveaux amis du monde entier ont tellement changé ma vie, que je ne peux imaginer ce qu’elle était quand ils n’en faisaient pas encore partie.

—Walter Jakobeit est pasteur de l’Evangelische Freikirche Mennonitische Brüdergemeinde de Neuwied (Allemagne), église Frères mennonites. Il est président de la AMBD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Brüdergemeinden Deutschland), une union d’églises devenue membre de la CMM lors au Conseil Général de la CMM en 2015.

Exploring our shared commitment to worship

As a global communion of Anabaptist-related churches, we share a common commitment to gathering regularly for worship. Yet our tremendous diversity means that we carry out this commitment in very different ways. In the October 2013 issue of Courier/Correo/Courrier, leaders from across our fellowship write about different ways in which Anabaptists approach worship – the sights and sounds, the challenges and the blessings.

Resisting North American “Magic Kingdom” Worship

Writing in his book Unfinished: Believing Is Only the Beginning (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2013), Rich Stearns asks the question, “What would people be like if they had been born and raised inside Magic Kingdom park and had never seen the outside world?” By “Magic Kingdom,” Stearns is referring to the Disneyland amusement park in the USA built by the Walt Disney Corporation – a place that is associated, for many people, with perfect conditions, make-believe characters and whimsical imagination.  

This “Magic Kingdom” vision, he says, is exactly how we could describe much of the church living in the “First-World” (or Global North). Many of us live in a kind of fantasy- land, very distant from and largely unaware of the day-to-day struggles impacting the lives of those living in what Stearns calls the “Tragic Kingdom” (or Global South) across the rest of the world.  

Despite the disparity in our circumstances, God’s kingdom is the common denominator between the Magic and Tragic kingdoms. As Christ-followers, no matter where we find ourselves geographically, politically, culturally or economically, our loyalty is to the Kingdom of God. We share similar goals as disciples of Christ. We want to speak of hope and grace to those in our cultural context. We desire to build bridges to show that Jesus is transcultural and relevant. In his kingdom, worship flows out of our image and understanding of who God is. In the worldly kingdom, humanity’s actions evoke response from their gods. In the heavenly kingdom, God’s actions evoke a response of worship and wonder from his creation.  

As believers, we may come from different places, but we stand on the common ground of citizenship in God’s kingdom. Therefore, there should be unity among believers – locally, nationally and globally.  

This is the vision of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:4-6. These three verses contain seven “ones” of Christian unity, and they have integrity both vertically and horizon- tally. There is only one body, one hope, one faith and one baptism (horizontal unity) because there is only one God – Father, Son and Spirit – to whom we all belong (vertical unity).  

But how does this play out in worship, especially as we think about our global church community?  

Christian unity is expressed across time, space and culture. Although our worship style, location and leadership may vary, we should be able to discern unity among our diversity in the common threads of our theology. The act of meeting together, for example, is a common expression of our unity, no matter what the cultural differences.  

Christian unity is also expressed in the way we live out our citizenship in the Kingdom of God, challenging oppression and injustice and working to transform the patterns of self and wealth into care of the poor and the earth – another expression of our worship.  

Unfortunately, today, in North America, we live in a highly individualistic culture. Oblivious to their surroundings, young and old walk, drive, eat and even sleep plugged into their own conversations and personalized mixes of entertainment. Our “Magic Kingdom” culture even leads us to commoditize worship. As Tom Kraeutner states in his 1992 article, “Worship is a Verb,” “We can become so interested in doing things ‘right’ to get the ‘right’ response from people that we miss the whole point – worship- ping God.”  

Our Anabaptist theology can provide a helpful lens as we think about this tendency. Worship is our response to God’s Word and his creation. Worship is life-encompassing, and this worldview informs our choices as followers of Jesus. Our emphasis on com- munity and the value of diverse gifting that each person brings to the body, is inclusive and participatory.  

The reality is, many of us who live in the “Magic Kingdom” need to recognize that our “stuff” distracts us from worship. We need to work a lot harder at walking our talk. This was highlighted for me as I overheard two conversations following a worship service: in Africa, I heard, “I wish we could stay and worship for another hour. It is so good to be together”; in North America, I heard, “I loved worship today – the worship leader was awesome and the sound was great. I just wish they would keep more closely to the time. I am late for lunch.”  

I know these comments are generalizations, and I am thankful that many North Americans work diligently to be counter- cultural. There are many resources available to help us think about whom we worship and how we worship. Here are some questions I ask myself as I think about Anabaptist worship in North America:  

1. Is our stated theology reflected in the form and function of our worship? For example, given our diversity, style should not be an important criterion in evaluating worship (form). And yet, one of the ways our theology is expressed is in the style we choose.  
2. As we reflect on our corporate worship genre, style or themes over the past year, do we incorporate the full range of human emotion in our worship experiences? Do we only sing happy songs, or is there room for refection and lament in our worship? Are we so focused on a single dimension of worship that we fail to minister holistically?  
3. Do we endeavour to have our corporate worship be an expression of our community rather than cater to the cultural trend of individualism?  
4. Whenever particular activities and experiences are included as we gather to worship, do we creatively make space for significant congregational involvement? Inclusivity is multilayered. How are we intentionally inclusive?  
5. In planning our worship “experiences,” do we sometimes overthink the detail of how we will “do” it and under-think how this choice informs our understanding of God?   

Perhaps, like me, you have experienced some “special moments” as a worshipper, at Mennonite World Conference assemblies. Unified voices, lifted in multi-cultural worship that responds to the greatness of our Creator, Saviour and Lord, gives me a snapshot of worship as pictured in the book of Revelation. I look forward to sharing that glimpse of eternity with many of my sisters and brothers from around the world as we gather for Assembly 16 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, in 2015.  

Don McNiven (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) serves as the executive director of the International Brethren In Christ Association (IBICA), an associate member of MWC. He is a member of the Program Oversight Committee for Assembly 16, heading up the Music and Worship planning section.

Reflections on being a disciple of Christ

As I reflect on my Christian journey, one inheritance from my church, the Brethren in Christ, that I treasure is the simple teaching to be obedient as a disciple of Christ. It is a teaching that is life-changing, in that it calls for sacrificial commitment and dedication to Christ and his cause.

Obedience simply means “submission to authority.” It requires a willingness to carry out that authority’s instructions. This is how the early Anabaptists understood Christian discipleship. Run through the pages of history of the early Anabaptists – furnish yourself with the stories of the sacrifices they made – and you will not fail to appreciate that their underlying motivation was to be obedient and faithful to Christ, to the church and to the scriptures as they understood them.

Confessing and embracing Christ as Lord is a call to view Him as the highest authority in our lives. Therefore, whatever he says must be carefully and painstakingly followed by his disciples. In that spirit, the early Anabaptists took the words of Christ – especially the Sermon on the Mount – seriously, as failure to do so could result in “a great crash,” as indicated in the last verses of Jesus’ sermon (Matthew 7: 24 – 27).

So what does it mean to practice Christian discipleship? Put another way, what is obedience to Christ?

Trust that sometimes leads to suffering

The need for obedience is fundamentally the need to trust in God and God’s son, Jesus Christ. Failure to put one’s trust in God potentially leads to idolatry. It displeases God. Both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are dotted with stories that emphasize the need and importance of obedience to God and to His Word.

Amazingly, obedience to God – although commended and blessed – does not necessarily lead to a life of bliss. Indeed, for many Christians around the world now and in the past, it often leads to suffering. The early Anabaptists found in this truth their source of strength, and persevered. These disciples, due to their obedience to God, suffered at the hands of those who were opposed to God’s will. In the midst of their suffering they found encouragement in the biblical stories of people like Moses, Elijah, Daniel, Jeremiah, and Shadrack, Meshack and Abednigo – and especially in the life and teachings of Christ.

Our forbearers would have shouted “amen!” to the words of American pastor and writer Chuck Swindoll, who once wrote, “When you suffer and lose, that does not mean you are being disobedient to God. In fact, it might mean you’re right in the centre of His will. The path of obedience is often marked by times of suffering and loss.”

To lead a life of obedience is a choice that one makes. God does not coerce us to obey him. We willingly obey God in all circumstances, knowing that God always knows what is best for us and what best can be accomplished through us as we journey together through life’s trials and triumphs. In the words of missionary Elisabeth Elliot, “God is God. Because he is God, he is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in his holy will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what he is up to.”

It is in this lifestyle of trust in God that one can confidently sing with the faithful: “Where he leads me I will follow / I go with Him all the way.” As disciples of Christ, we must understand that suffering is unavoidable. And though we should not blindly embrace it, it is nevertheless a mark of true discipleship – of our trust in God.

Reliance on God in poverty and plenty

The call for obedience in the church has always been understood as a call for faithfulness to the scriptures. For this reason, Anabaptists view the Sermon on the Mount as a normative guide to conducting their lives in relation to God, one another, their enemies and earthly institutions such as the state.

Consider the lives of the early Anabaptists. The majority were poor, and some were forced into poverty as a result of persecution that came upon them because of their faith in Christ and understanding of the scriptures. It is not surprising that these believers were drawn to passages such as Matthew 6:25-34, which calls for reliance on God for provisions of life. Day-to-day survival was indeed in God’s hands. For them, God was indeed all in all.

Such passages have the same draw for our communities today that experience situations of oppression, conflict or injustice. For those brothers and sisters around the world whose daily bread is the uncertainty of life, obedience to such words as Christ spoke in this passage is not an option – it is a mark of faithfulness, a necessity for perseverance.

On the other hand, those privileged to assist the needy in obedience to the scriptures are challenged to give in ways that will not make their “left hand know what their right hand is doing”; they are thus rewarded by the Father who sees in secret (Matthew 6:1-4). Obedience in this respect means faithfulness to words of Christ in addressing questions that are ethical in nature. It means constantly checking our motivation for the decisions we make and the resultant actions we take, so that we can say with Paul: “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

Living in truth without need for oaths

True disciples of Christ live in truth and by the Truth. There is never an excuse for living a wishy-washy life. Truth must be the signature of their being.

Early Anabaptists modeled this kind of truthful living. For instance, these believers refrained from swearing oaths. In that time, swearing oaths was perceived as an admission that there were times when one’s “yes” was not a “yes” and one’s “no” not a “no” (Matthew 5:33-37). Shouldn’t true Christians live lives of truthfulness all the time – not just when speaking to government officials or doing business?

Obedience to Christ in this respect – in a world which glorified taking oaths – meant refusal to engage in such acts and living up to the consequences that followed.

The path of obedience to Christ is infested with practices that are diverse – some national and others cultural, some which may appear innocent yet are cancerous to one’s faith. As Christians, we should never be naïve and fail to carefully study our contexts together, in the light of the scriptures, letting go of practices that inhibit us from living the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, let our “yes” be “yes” and our “no” be “no”! Our obedience to Christ must be seen in how we address ourselves to both ethical and moral questions of our time.

A spirit of love and humility, not fear

One cannot talk of Christian obedience without looking at Christ as our model. Jesus, when expressing his obedience to God the Father, said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and finish his work” (John 4:34). Jesus subjected himself to the authority of God the Father because he loved him. In the priestly prayer in John 17:20-26, we get many glimpses of the intimate relationship between Jesus and God. Phrases like “Father, just as you are in me and I in you” and “as we are one,” give us great insight into the relationship between the two. A concluding remark – “I know you, and they know you sent me, I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them” – shows how that intimacy manifest itself in Jesus’ earthly ministry.

The point I want to make here is that Jesus had an intimate relationship with God the Father and that the love between the two was intense. Most significantly for our discussion of obedience, we note that Jesus obeyed God out of love rather than out of fear and coercion.

We, in turn, obey Christ out of love – the same intense love we have for him, as articulated for us in this powerful prayer. Jesus was willing to go all the way and pay the ultimate prize – death on the cross – because he knew God and unconditionally loved him. The church of Jesus Christ today can only stand out by reflecting the glory of Christ as it gives unqualified submission and love for Him.

The life of obedience as demonstrated by Christ not only flows out of a loving heart but also calls us to embrace a very important virtue – humility. The New Testament hymn in Philippians 2:5-11 enables us to see how humility relates to true obedience. There was on the part of Christ a willingness to shed off his God-nature for the less glamorous human/servant nature. He willingly submitted his authority to that of God. Christ willingly listened to that higher authority in order to effectively carry out the mission for which he had come. He was willing to lose that which in the present would be viewed as valuable and important, in order to gain what was not yet seen – but of greater cosmic importance.

Therefore, obedience as exemplified by Christ – to put it in romantic terms – is where love and humility kiss! Genuine obedience as taught by the church is the willingness for one to submit to the Lordship of Christ and out of love for him and in humble submission to him be willing to do whatsoever the Lord has commanded us to do.

Loving and praying for enemies

Jesus was not apologetic when he said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). Therefore, we need to take seriously one of the important – yet sometimes difficult – commands given to every true follower of Christ: “You have heard that it it is said, ‚ÄòLove your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you‚Ķ If you love those who love you what reward will you get? … And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?” (Matthew 5:43-44, 46, 47)

 These verses are intimidating, but very profound. Today’s church cannot afford to read such scriptures without engaging in some soul-searching; the church of yester-years did the same. It is no wonder, therefore, that our theology of nonviolence as Anabaptists is based on such passages.

One cannot obey Jesus’ command to love one’s enemy and then by the same token go out and take the so-called enemy’s life. Paul writes, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners [his enemies!] Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). In other words, God loved his enemies – us – such that instead of annihilating us, he gave us life through Christ! Obedience to Christ means we must love those who persecute us and, like God, wish them life instead of death.

We are commanded to pray for those who persecute us. Many Christians believe in the power of prayer. Many are able to say without much thought: “Prayer changes things.” Many times Christians are not willing or are reluctant to pray for their enemies. Let me propose a few reasons why this is true. First, they know that prayer changes things. They are afraid that God will show mercy to their enemy. They would rather see their enemy suffer or die! Second, they do not want God to open their enemy’s eyes to the truth and thus accept God’s salvation. They do not want to share with their enemy the glorious inheritance of God’s kingdom.

When we pray for our enemies, God usually and certainly deals with the negative attitudes that we hold against our enemies. These attitudes cultivate and nurse the spirit of revenge. Therefore, harbouring them derives from a rebellious spirit that says, “God, leave me alone! I will deal with my problems my way.”

It should not surprise us that Christ, at the conclusion of his teaching on prayer (Matthew 6:5-13), makes a strong statement about forgiveness: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15). This teaching goes hand in hand with the teaching on loving our enemies and praying for our persecutors.

Those who love and follow God through Christ will love their enemies to the bitter end – even when it is at the cost of their very lives. They will pray for them with anticipation of seeing them accept the Christ as Lord and Saviour. In so doing, they will qualify to be “invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9).

Conclusion

This is the teaching I call my inheritance. It is my treasure, and I seek to pass it on to the next generation so that they might do the same.

The world is better served with an obedient church – disciples of Christ committed to surrender all to him in order to gain all from him. Such is our church when it realizes it has all the resources it needs to be an effective transformative force in today’s world.

by Danisa Ndlovu

Danisa Ndlovu is president of Mennonite World Conference and bishop of Ibandia Labazalwane kuKristu eZimbabwe (Brethren in Christ Church of Zimbabwe).

This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2013, Vol 28.4

Economic Inequality: Exploring our shared commitment to pursuing shalom

As a global communion of Anabaptist-related churches, we share a common commitment to pursuing shalom. In this pursuit, we believe in seeking justice and sharing our resources, be they material, financial or spiritual. Yet our tremendous diversity means that we carry out this commitment in very different ways. In the April 2014 issue of Courier/Correo/Courrier, leaders from across our fellowship write about different ways in which Anabaptists approach issues of economic inequality – and the ways we, as shalom-seeking followers of Christ, address the wealth gaps in our communities.

An Open Hand, Not a Handout

Portugal is a small country. Yet despite our size we have always had a fascination with growth and expansion. In the past, we took to the sea and found new countries and new ways to develop economically. That era of discovery and exploration made our country more international in its outlook. In fact, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to call Portugal the very first global country.

But at one point in our history, Portugal simply stopped in time. Primarily, this occurred because of a dictator that “froze” our country – economically, politically, and socially – for more than 40 years.

When Portugal won its freedom from dictatorial rule on 25 April 1974, the country expected that a new wave of development would come. Twelve years later, when we joined the European Union (EU), we immediately saw the benefits of that affiliation – new infrastructures were built, new employment opportunities arose, and new investments strengthened our economy. The time had come for Portugal to “catch up” with the rest of Europe.

Unfortunately the politicians neglected to see the reverse of the development coin. Year after year the Portuguese government overspent its budget. Its debt grew so big that the EU, the European Bank and the International Monetary Fund had to intervene in the summer of 2011.

Suddenly, Portugal’s economic foundations collapsed. The unemployment rate rose to 16 percent. (Recent figures put that number closer to 20 percent.) Emigration started again, mostly among the younger generations. The struggle to survive once again became a present reality.

The Mennonite Brethren in Portugal started to see that reality in our own communities. We knew we had to respond in some way. One of the first things we did was ask our members to start bringing a gift every Sunday – small items that could be delivered to those in need. In addition, for the last few years we have received donations from Germany – mainly clothes, appliances and furniture as well as food. These donations provide yet another way to reach out to the poor around us.

Yet we wanted to avoid the “easy thing” of just giving handouts. So in October 2013 we launched a thrift store – a small one but, through God’s help, one that continues to develop well. Located in a poverty-stricken community just outside the capitol of Lisbon, the store stocks the materials we receive from Germany and provides low-income people with the chance to purchase clothes and other goods at a symbolic price. We think it’s much more effective to have the customers pay even a small amount rather than just give the stuff away. And what we’ve found is that the customers, despite their financial problems, can afford to buy things.

Even if someone doesn’t have the money, we still find ways to provide the dignity of exchange: they can bring a kilo of rice, a pack of spaghetti or another food item – for instance – to trade for what they need. In one instance, an extremely poor man who lives on the streets wanted to buy a coat, but he didn’t have the money at that point. We told him he could pay later, and gave him the coat. At the end of the month, he returned to the store to honor his commitment.

In this way, we are teaching people to be responsible, even when they have to pay only small amounts.

Another real impact of our little store is the opportunity it provides for witness. Customers are often impressed by the way we witness to God’s love. We have Christian literature free for anyone who comes to browse our shop, and occasionally we see members of the local community coming to our Sunday worship service. We find this is also a way for them to experience Christ. Maybe they can make a commitment to the Lord.

Once a month we gather together with the local community for a meal. That day is special because we see people coming not only to have a substantial meal, but also to have the chance to listen to the Gospel for about 10-15 minutes. Strategically we conduct this preaching service between the main meal and the dessert: people have a brief “time out,” listen to the Word of God, and afterward enjoy a delicious treat.

Our church community is made up of humble people. And yet because of our Anabaptist DNA – evident from the time the Mennonite Brethren work started in Portugal in 1984 – it’s very easy to mobilize our churches to extend love and bless those around us. It’s not a matter of doing good for charity’s sake. Instead, we act compassionately toward one another because we recognize that in God’s Kingdom we are all brothers and sisters – siblings who gather to praise God every Sunday, some wealthy and some penniless, but unified in Christ.

That is why our Mennonite Brethren community is very involved, glad and willing to extend an open hand – not a handout – to support those in need. As a result, we see our churches growing and we see God teaching and impacting the lives of the Portuguese people.

José Arrais is president of the Associação dos Irmãos Menonitas de Portugal (Association of Mennonite Brethren of Portugal).

When Conrad Grebel baptized his friends in the evening of 25 January 1525 in Zurich, Switzerland, little did he know that this small act would mark the start of the worldwide family of faith that we now are as Mennonite World Conference. From Switzerland, the Anabaptist movement spread north, to Germany, France, and the Netherlands. After the debacle in Münster and under the leadership of Menno Simons, Mennonites migrated east to Prussia and later Russia and Ukraine. And even later still, Mennonites moved to North and South America, and then to all continents of the world.

And everywhere in the old countries, groups of Mennonites stayed on. Today, there are very old congregations in France, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland – MWC members since the very beginning.

These old Mennonite churches carry the rich history and tradition of the Anabaptists and Mennonites of past centuries. Yet the old churches in Western Europe are going through hard times, this time not because of persecution but because of secularization. Membership drops and congregations disappear because there are not enough new members anymore. But although smaller in number, the churches remain faithful to their Mennonite and Anabaptist identity and to doing God’s work, each in their own context.

The leaders of each national conference and their MWC General Council representatives meet every year to inform, to share and to discuss developments in their countries and in MWC. For the last few years also the younger Mennonite communities in the south of Europe – in Portugal, Spain and Italy specifically – have attended this meeting as well, along with representatives from Austrian and Bavarian conferences and some former Umsiedler communities. A new kind of cooperation in Mennonite Europe is emerging, where young and old communities learn from each other and inspire each other. The young churches are eager to learn about the roots of the Mennonites, the old churches are inspired by the mission, the liveliness and the new methods the younger churches bring.

These developments have convinced the leaders of the importance of intensifying the contact between all European Mennonite churches, and of inviting more European Mennonite churches – such as those in  Ukraine and Belarus – to the table. That’s why after some years of discussion, they decided at their October 2013 meeting in Mainz, Germany, to appoint a European Mennonite Coordinator, starting in July 2014. Although not all conferences have yet decided on their level of support, leaders trust that there will be enough backing to finance this position at least for the coming years.

This development is a clear sign of hope. The Mennonite communities in the European countries, although small, have a strong commitment to the Mennonite and Anabaptist tradition, identity and mission. Together – whether more conservative or more liberal, evangelical or pietistic – they are part of the global body of Christ. And working together, each from their own identity and with a wonderful mix of young and old, they learn from, inspire and support each other.

Henk Stenvers (Netherlands) is secretary of the MWC Deacons Commission and general secretary / director of Algemene Doopsgezinde Sociëteit (Dutch Mennonite Church).

Christianity is experiencing rapid decline in Europe. We have gone in the past two or three generations from being an outwardly Christian culture, to something post-Christian. In general, statistics from Mennonite World Conference indicate that the evolution of the old Mennonite churches in Europe reflect this same tendency.

One exception is the case of Spain, where in under forty years a new reality has come into being: a flourishing Anabaptist presence. We see this growth as a sovereign work of the Spirit that surpasses our own inadequate efforts.

Our brothers and sisters in the old European Mennonite churches (those that originated in the sixteenth century) tell us that they find our reality encouraging and hopeful. We, on the other hand, value their centuries of faithfulness and feel honored when they keep us in mind for continent-wide activities and organizations.

History

The first documented activity of Mennonites in Spain occurred during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), when Mennonite Relief Committee sent several volunteers from the United States to participate in a program to feed child war refugees. The victory by the fascists faction, of National-Catholic ideology, effectively terminated Mennonite involvement in Spain at the end of the war.

During the 1970s, it became possible to send missionaries to Spain. After consulting with leaders of the Spanish Protestant churches, Mennonite missionaries initially decided to cooperate with them instead of establishing yet another denomination in the country. The first missionaries, John and Bonnie Driver, were well received for the freshness of their deeply biblical message, with Anabaptist emphases that many young Evangelicals found especially exciting. The Drivers remained in Spain for 10-15 years, before returning to South America, where they climaxed a long missionary career.

Meanwhile, the first Mennonite Church had come into being in Barcelona. The group that initiated it arrived from Brussels, Belgium, where they had migrated years before and where they had been worshiping with a Mennonite congregation at an American mission. José Luis Suárez gave initial leadership to this group, and was their pastor for many years until his retirement.

Also during the 1970s an interesting development occurred in the city of Burgos. There, a movement of conversions among teenagers was taking place within the Catholic Church. With a strong component of music and the arts, plus communal life in shared households, this movement shook the whole city. John Driver was one of the many people they invited to speak in Burgos, and his approach to the teaching of Jesus caught the imagination of these young Christians.

When three “elders” of the movement made a trip to the United States to visit radical Christian communities, they met Dionisio and Connie Byler of Argentina. They invited the Bylers to come to Burgos to continue the teaching ministry they had received from Driver. The Bylers have remained in Burgos since 1981, with the support of Mennonite Mission Network. In the mid-1990s, the group that started out as Catholic adopted a Mennonite identity.

North American Brethren in Christ (BIC) missionaries Bruce and Merly Bundy arrived in Madrid in the 1990s, inaugurating another era of Anabaptist influence in the country. Through their efforts and the efforts of others, the BIC now have two churches in the Madrid area. More recently, Juan and Lucy Ferreira from Venezuela began a BIC work in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, which relates to the BIC churches of Madrid.

Another effort developed early in the present century, when Organización Cristiana Amor Viviente – a MWC member church in Honduras – sent Antonio and Irma Montes to Spain to lead a missions effort. The fruits of their work include two churches in Catalonia and a small group in Madrid.

Get-togethers and associations

Since the 1980s these different groups in Spain – widely dispersed in cities that are far from each other – have made a point of getting to know each other and of cultivating jointly an Anabaptist or Mennonite identity. Since 1992, this relationship has been rooted in Encuentros Menonitas Españoles (EME – Spanish Mennonite Get-Togethers), which are held every two years.

After a few years we organized as a fraternal association, called Anabautistas, Menonitas y Hermanos en Cristo – España (AMyHCE). As AMyHCE we participate in FEREDE, the association of Spanish Protestant churches (where we are known as one of the “denominational families” of Spanish Protestantism), and also in Mennonite World Conference. In MWC we are rather unique in having all of our churches, with their various connections with the historic Anabaptist denominations, participate jointly under this single representation.

Finally, our Anabaptist/Mennonite identity has been strengthened through fraternization with old European Mennonite churches. In 2006, for instance, the European Mennonite Conference (MERK) was held in Barcelona, bringing together Mennonites from across the European continent for encouragement and discussion.

Outstanding characteristics

As this brief history indicates, one of the features of AMyHCE is our great diversity – diversity of connectedness to the different denominations of world Anabaptism, but also diversity of emphasis and practice, in spite of being small. For instance, in our communities it is possible to find typically Pentecostal practices, but also misgivings regarding emotionalism. Theologically, there are among us both Fundamentalist and Liberal tendencies, but neither are we lacking in an Anabaptist “third way,” which explores alternative ways of explaining Christian faith.

Though few in numbers, our churches have not neglected service and missions. For years the congregation in Burgos was known for its center for rehabilitation of drug addicts, while the congregation in Barcelona operated homes for the elderly and the mentally handicapped. The Burgos church has established a home for children in the African nation of Benin, and a ministry with ex-child soldiers in Ivory Coast. This ministry in Africa is blessed by the support of other churches and individuals.

Since our beginnings in the 1970s, there has been among us an important element of biblical and theological exploration in a Mennonite or Anabaptist mode, which finds expression in ministries of teaching and literature, in print and in the Internet. And since 2010, Dr. Antonio González – pastor of one of the BIC congregations – has worked with other Anabaptists in leading a small center for theological studies, Centro Teológico Koinonía (CTK, or Koinonia Theological Centre), which seeks to  train a new generation of leaders.

Some other clearly Anabaptist emphases surface repeatedly in our communities:

• The church as a close-knit, closely bonded family that practices mutual assistance.
• Jesus as Teacher and example, as well as Savior and Lord
• Nonviolence and objection to military service
• A pragmatic – rather than dogmatic – theology: more interested in personally following Jesus than in theoretic affirmations about doctrine

Looking ahead

Some significant challenges face this new growth of Anabaptist/Mennonite Christianity in Spain.  In the next 10-15 years, most of our churches will face a significant generational relay in leadership. New leadership will arise, or else be imported from other churches. Will this second-generation leadership have a clear sense of identity beyond generic, Evangelical Christian identity? The creation of the CTK school hopes to contribute to the shape of the answer to that, but only the passing of time will truly answer the question.

Additionally, Protestant Christianity in general, and Anabaptist/Mennonite Christianity as a form of non-Catholic Christianity, are relatively new arrivals in Spain. They have arrived, not coincidentally, in precisely the generation in which the Spanish people began to reconsider the ancient connection between Spanish identity and Roman Catholic religion. But the weakening hold of Catholicism over the Spanish people does not necessarily mean openness to other forms of Christianity. Rather, it is a sign of a Europe-wide trend to a post-Christian, profoundly atheistic way of understanding human existence. Superstition and silly credulity are on the rise.

The prevalent culture is not necessarily hostile to Christianity, but it does find Christianity utterly uninteresting, perhaps embarrassingly primitive. The challenge for our churches – and sister churches of every other stripe – is to find a way to light the flame of interest, curiosity and commitment. Essentially, this constitutes a call for a church that overflows with the life and presence of the Spirit of God.

We have no illusion of being able to kindle the flame of interest, conviction and passion for Christ, with our own witness or human resources. But we are of course committing our energies and resources to this end anyway. We do not live under the illusion that the fact of prayer generates a mechanically automatic response from God. Yet we redouble our commitment to prayer, beseeching God on our knees to pour out God´s Spirit upon this country.

In the final analysis, this youngest shoot of Anabaptist/Mennonite Christianity in Europe shares with our older sister-churches of Anabaptist origins the reality that our very survival – not to mention propagation – depends most absolutely on the grace of God. Only the grace of God can grant us a future.

Paradoxically, this is precisely the reason for our hope and confidence and faith for a future for our churches.

Dionisio Byler is a writer and a teacher at the Protestant Faculty of Theology in El Escorial, near Madrid. He has been secretary of AMyHCE since its creation.

On Being Anabaptist in Spain

Agustín Melguizo

Some of the demands of Anabaptism have been accepted by most of the Evangelical churches which I relate to: for instance, separation of church and state and adult baptism. This implies [we are] living alongside of and in cooperation with different Christian churches, with which we have some differences, but also much in common.

It also means [we need] to look at our environment in order to take the light of Jesus to anyone who is open to him and, with personal and community witness, present a conversion which involves all areas of life and also implies a lifelong discipleship.

David Becerra

I am Mennonite because one day I discovered that the message and life of Jesus implies a radical nonviolence. Reading the gospel this way led me to be a conscientious objector to military service.

I am Mennonite because one day the pastor of the Barcelona Mennonite Church knelt and unexpectedly washed my feet. This taught me the true measure of authority: to serve others (as a slave).

In the Spanish context, to be Mennonite is to understand and live the gospel differently, focusing especially on Christ and his message of reconciliation.

For me, to be Anabaptist in Spain is not a biographical coincidence, but rather an option. For a time, the Lord led me on a search for a true and radical model of Christianity. [Becoming Anabaptist] was not in the first place, then, a choice of a local church or of a denomination. My walk with the Lord (and without him) and my theological search led me to look for a closer connection with the community project which Jesus and the apostles sought.

Undoubtedly, many of today’s Christians can also lay claim to a return to our origins. However, in that return they tend to forget some aspects of the message of Jesus, such as pacifism and the community dimension of faith, which are for me essential even though they have been forgotten by the main currents of Western Christianity.

Power in Church Leadership: Exploring our shared commitment to doing church together

As a global communion of Anabaptist-related churches, we share a common commitment to doing church together. We also acknowledge that the church needs leaders who take responsibility for guiding and shepherding the flock. Yet we know that in our diverse contexts of church leadership, power gets exercised in many different ways. In this issue of Courier/Correo/Courrier, writers from across our fellowship discuss the different ways in which Anabaptists approach issues of power in church leadership – the struggles and challenges, as well as the blessings and benefits.

Not So With Us

Less than two decades ago, Anabaptism emerged into Christian life in South Korea. In 1996, a group of like-minded Christians – sharing an emergent vision of Anabaptism – broke a long-term linkage with their mother churches, which were mostly Protestant. Having spent much time in intense Bible study and having done substantial research on church history and theology, they discovered what they wanted was to start a new church founded on the New Testament.

Breaking with the mainline churches was one thing; starting a new church was quite another. Anabaptism’s reputation was still negative at that time, and so embracing its vision was like going against the tide of mainstream tradition. Even more counter-culturally, their goal was to go all the way back to the beginning of the first-century church!

Since that time, the Anabaptist network in South Korea has grown gradually, as people are drawn to the fresh idea of what it means to be church.

Some may ask: why did these like-minded individuals have to leave their home churches and start a new church movement? While many issues caused the separation, one of the key issues – perhaps the most crucial factor – was their understanding of the very nature of church. For them, the church was not an institutionalized denomination which itself creates an inevitably unequal power structure. Instead, they envisioned the church as the body of Christ, in which power is equitably shared among sisters and brothers.

Power is something that human beings naturally desire. Throughout history, nobody has been free from the lure of power; even Jesus was tempted by Satan to use his power. Those within the church have likewise not been exempted; in fact, many church leaders are tempted to exercise their authority to rule over others.

This is exactly what happened to Jesus’ disciples 2,000 years ago. They argued about who was the greatest among them. And two of them, James and John, more specifically requested special seats for themselves – one at the left and one at the right hand of Jesus in his glory (Mark 10:37). Even their mother wanted Jesus to give them power: “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom” (Matthew 20:21). Such requests troubled the other disciples and compeled them to act indignantly toward James and John. No wonder they argued about this issue!

Ultimately, Jesus called them together and said: “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45).

It is embarrassing to see that Christians at times seek power and fame to maintain the status quo. I say this not because I am better than others, but because I too am tempted by my inner self to seek worldly power, unless I am controlled by the Spirit of God. Unfortunately, too few people recognize the corrupting influence of power, and too few realize how such power can be misused by so-called “leaders” within the church.

One likes to be called “leader.” We all have a tendency to ask for such a title – and for the power and fame that accompany it. But what we are trying to get is not the kind of power that the world teaches. Instead, we seek the power we receive from God when we are in weakness yet made alive by God’s empowering Spirit. This is the power to be a servant, not a leader. This is the power to be humble, not to control. This is the power to love our enemies, not to kill them. This is the power to lay down even our lives for others, just as our Lord came to give his life as a ransom for many.

Let us not fall into the devil’s trap, in which we become convinced that we are receiving a reward from God just because we happen to be in a greater position. The cost of discipleship carries no such reward. Instead, it offers a cup and a cross: “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These belong to those for whom they have been prepared” (Mark 10:40).

May God grant us the power to free ourselves from worldly expectations, and to rely on his power even in our weakness.

Kyong-Jung Kim serves as the MWC Northeast Asia Regional Representative. Since 2004 he has served as director of the Korea Anabaptist Center, a ministry of the Anabaptist churches of South Korea.

Power in Church Leadership: Exploring our shared commitment to doing church together

As a global communion of Anabaptist-related churches, we share a common commitment to doing church together. We also acknowledge that the church needs leaders who take responsibility for guiding and shepherding the flock. Yet we know that in our diverse contexts of church leadership, power gets exercised in many different ways. In this issue of Courier/Correo/Courrier, writers from across our fellowship discuss the different ways in which Anabaptists approach issues of power in church leadership – the struggles and challenges, as well as the blessings and benefits.

A Blessing or a Curse?

My earliest recollection of power in church leadership was observing the awe with which my pastor was held. At the beginning of a church service he and some others in leadership would not be visible in the auditorium; they would be in a backroom somewhere. Singing would start and then these leaders would file in, clutching their Bibles and hymnals under their armpits. At the end of the song the room would be quiet and expectant.

Without conscious teaching on the matter, I somehow formed the opinion that a pastor was a holy man – closer to God than the rest of us. I noticed that even off the pulpit, if he expressed an opinion it was accepted without discussion or dispute. I listened to the adults around me and noted how they often quoted, “The pastor said…” It was as though the pastor was the final authority. I too learned to revere him and all the other pastors I knew.

As I grew older and started reading the Bible on my own, I discovered a new intimacy with my creator. My understanding of God’s relationship to humanity underwent a massive shift – and as a result, so did my understanding of church leaders. Although I still esteem pastors as my spiritual leaders, I also realize that they are human and liable to all human weaknesses and faults, just like the rest of us.

In my Christian walk I have worshiped God under the authority of many leaders. In the hierarchy structure of my church, Ibandla Labazalwane KuKristu eZimbabwe (Brethren in Christ Church in Zimbabwe), these leaders would include bishops, overseers, pastors and deacons. For this reason I have experienced as many leadership styles as the number of leaders who have ministered to me. From where I stand as a lay person, all leaders have power, and that power in leadership can either be positive or negative. The leaders – all of whom are fallible human beings – set the tone among those they lead by the way they wield their power.

One positive use of power is obedience. Sometimes this exercise of power may mean leaving the known comfort zones by venturing into unknown new ground. For example, in the late 1960s, I was part of the Brethren in Christ youth group that used to meet at a rented women’s club in one of Bulawayo’s townships called Mpopoma. The group was started by Mr. Khono Ndlovu and Mrs. Abbie Dube (who for 13 years had served first as Sunday school teacher and later as superintendent). These two leaders sensed a gap between the children’s Sunday school age group and the young people of the church. The young people were now ready to explore a wider variety of topics than what was being addressed in Sunday school and they did not quite benefit fully from the predominantly adult-dominated worship services. To meet this need, the two leaders decided to create a forum for young people to meet, play games, sing and study the Bible together.

Their vision spread to other Brethren in Christ congregations countrywide. Today, we have a recognized arm of the church in the Youths. Many from that pioneer group of young people are still in active church ministries. By obeying God’s call, these two leaders demonstrated positive power in leadership.

Another positive use of power is in preparing for succession. Since I started having more interest in my church life, I have witnessed several leadership transitions in the offices of bishops, overseers and pastors. When the leader in the office grooms other potential leaders, the transition is smooth and effective. There would be several eligible candidates from which to choose when the right time comes. When this does not happen, it hurts the church. Every Moses should have a Joshua or two.

By contrast, leaders who do not prepare for succession weaken the church. For instance, when a pastor remains in one congregation for several terms, he may be wielding a negative form of power. His decision represents a loss to the larger church body. If he has special gifts, they are only enjoyed by his congregation. Yet if he stepped down or moved on to another position, he would edify the body.

Another area of potential leadership weakness which sometimes causes strife is in failing to recognize the gifts of others and failing to use them to build the body of the church. This year, one of our leaders, Mrs. Nellie Mlotshwa, celebrated her eightieth birthday. Her family threw a party for her, and many people belonging to the Brethren in Christ Church attended. At the party, speaker after speaker shared about how she had ministered to them and helped them discover their own potential. Leaders who have this gift and use it are truly blessed. The Lord’s work is so broad that all may have a slice.

Sometimes issues of power in leadership do not manifest themselves as openly as do other simple matters of church life. They just defy discussion. The church in Zimbabwe, for instance, is rich with powerful women that God is using in amazing ways. In their own forums they are able to feed and grow the body of the church while very little attention is drawn to them. Some of these women are very gifted. Others have exceptional leadership qualities and are ably caring for their flocks.

Even so, the Zimbabwe Brethren in Christ Church does not yet have any ordained women ministers. At times, questions have been raised about this situation. The general answer is that the women have not presented themselves or requested ordination. On the other hand, gifted men with leadership qualities find themselves asked to pastor congregations; eventually, they are licensed or ordained. In this situation one wonders who wields the power over whom?

Leadership is power. Power is addictive. Once gained, power is a special gift to be shared meaningfully or relinquished humbly. Leaders are still strengthening or weakening the church by the way they lead. Some are daring to implement difficult decisions in order to heal or keep the church body healthy. Others take risks in making wise but unpopular decisions that lead to isolation or walking alone. Blessed are the leaders who recognize the source of their power and can balance their stand before God and humanity. Those are indeed powerful men and women.

Doris Dube is an author, teacher, former MWC regional editor for Africa, contributor to the Africa volume of the Global Mennonite History Series and member of Ibandla LabaZalwane KuKristu eZimbabwe (Brethren in Christ Church in Zimbabwe).