-
A tangible source of support and testimony
The tasks of Commissions are to prepare issues or materials for consideration by the General Council, give guidance and propose resources to MWC or member churches and facilitate MWC-related networks or fellowships working together on matters of common interest and focus.
-
Living together as one
MWC: One hundred years of communion In circumstances remarkably similar to today’s, a group of Mennonites set out on a pilgrimage from South Russia (today’s Ukraine) to Zurich, Switzerland, in 1925. They carried a message from the All Russian Conference of Mennonites to present at the first global gathering of the Mennonite World Conference. The…
-
Reflect back to reflect forward
On this 100th anniversary of Mennonite World Conference, leaders were gathered at Schönblick, Germany, in May to celebrate and to continue the work of MWC through the gathering of the General Council. The Courier editor gathered former leaders (Danisa Ndlovu, J. Nelson Kraybill, Larry Miller, Nancy Heisey) to reflect on the “sweet memories” of watching MWC…
-
Courier 2025 / 40.4
Unity is God’s gift “So that they may be one, as we are one,” Jesus prayed in John 17:22. This prayer for those who follow Jesus has been acutely relevant since the moment he spoke it. The Anabaptist movement whose 500th anniversary we mark this year was a “church split” at the time. The many…
-
The mission for which we are called
Perspectives (Anabaptism@500 activities) Walking tour & Story trails My tour to Zurich first points to my immediate feelings as we approached the bus stop and at a last corner, pointed the river in which Felix Manz was drowned. At once and out of nowhere did I have my emotions rise with little body sweats for…
-
Anabaptist voices in a world on fire
Perspectives (Anabaptism@500 activities) Panel discussion Under the title Standing Between the Lines in a World on Fire, voices from five continents gathered on May 29 at the Friedenskirche. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary, they debated a burning issue: how to remain faithful to the Anabaptist heritage of peace and nonviolence in a world…
-
“Who are my brothers?”
The President’s Corner It was a few years ago that we had a Commissions meeting in the Netherlands. With others I picked up people from the airport. We were at the evening meal when my phone rang. It was someone calling on behalf of a Commission member from Angola whose flight had been delayed. The…
-
Workshops
Perspectives (Anabaptism@500 activities) Activities for the commemoration of 500 years of the Anabaptist movement in Zurich on 29 May 2025 included 18 workshops over two periods. Rooms in several locations throughout the downtown generously provided by the Reformed church were bursting with participants to eager to engage with stories and analysis of Anabaptists living out…
-
International choirs
Perspectives (Anabaptism@500 activities) Among the many highlights of the commemoration day in Zurich was singing. Worship choirs had the privilege of playing a central role in bringing together voices from diverse backgrounds to celebrate faith, reconciliation and unity. The participating choirs included Among these choirs, the Eastleigh Fellowship Centre (EFC) Mennonite Church Choir stood out…
-
A celebration of reconciliation
The bells rang out across the city that full of Anabaptists. An estimated 3 500 or more people filled the streets of old Zurich on Ascension Day 29 May 2025 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism. “Today, as Mennonites in Switzerland we are a small community,” said Gladys Geiser and Lukas Amstutz, co-presidents, Konferenz der Mennoniten der Schweiz, opening the worship service. The host city is the location of the first known adult baptisms of…
-
The Courage to Love
She was a young, enslaved girl. We don’t know her name, but we do know that she was a prisoner of war. We can only imagine the vulnerability, loss and trauma she must have endured as a displaced person – an enslaved refugee in a foreign land. The story is told in 2 Kings 5. Naaman, a…
-
Courier 2025 / 40.2-3
This issue of Courier is a taste of the 500th anniversary Inspired by Zwingli’s famous invocation to “do something courageous!”, MWC gave the theme “The Courage to Love” to our 500th anniversary year. We marked it with a registration-free event in the streets of Zurich, Switzerland, on Ascension Day, 29 May 2025. It’s also the…
