Prayers of gratitude and intercession

From 1–8 December 2019, a joint delegation from Mennonite World Conference’s Peace Commission and Deacons Commission visited three Mennonite churches in Hong Kong, other denominations and also some educational institutions to offer solidarity and to respond to the request for further perspectives on Anabaptist peacemaking.

The delegation members included Peace Commission Chair and Coffee for Peace founder Joji Pantoja, Peace Commission member and Canadian Mennonite University’s peace and conflict transformation instructor Wendy Kroeker, Deacons Commission chair Siaka Traoré and Deacons secretary, Henk Stenvers.

During their time with the members of the church, the delegation listened to the experiences and hopes of the members of the church while also sharing some of their experience of mediation and reconciliation through an Anabaptist lens.

Henk Stenvers said: “We were there to offer solidarity to our brothers and sisters, showing them they are not alone in this trying time. Churches globally are not immune to conflicts and the political dynamics around them. By visiting them, we get to see what they are experiencing, listen to them, and also encourage them by sharing our peacemaking experience.”

Political discussion never quite existed in Hong Kong, a place that has long enjoyed stability and economic prosperity – at least overtly.

“People here were focused on being productive be it in their studies or at work. Now they have political aspiration, but politics are dividing the people, including in the church,” said Jeremiah Choi, pastor of Agape Mennonite Church in Hong Kong.

“We ask that the global church support us in prayer. Pray for wisdom for the leaders, the protesters, and the police; that there will be a peaceful resolution to this; and that churches can have unity and become peacemakers when some choose to be violent,” Jeremiah Choi asked.

About the Hong Kong protest

Hong Kong is currently experiencing its most tumultuous political situation in decades. Protests in Hong Kong, mostly involving young people, are continuing into a sixth month demanding withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill, investigation into alleged police brutality during the protests, full amnesty for those arrested during the protest, declassification of protesters as “rioters,” and universal suffrage in Hong Kong. Although the extradition bill has been withdrawn, the protesters are refusing to back down until all five demands are met.

—a Mennonite World Conference release by Elina Ciptadi

#followingJesus

#peace

Loving the generous people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is not difficult, but evil happening in the rural Kasaï region of that lush country is hard to comprehend.

In December 2017, survivors of civil war there told a delegation from the Mennonite World Conference Deacons Commission of surprise attacks on their villages from marauding militia. With guns or knives, such groups slaughter men and boys and those associated in any way with the government.

Victims die in front of their own families, in front of women and children who themselves might be assaulted or killed. Villages lie in ruins; thousands have fled on foot. Traumatized survivors have lost everything – property, family, community. Some bear scars of torture. Most will never go back to their birthplace.

I was part of the delegation making that pastoral visit, and returned home with gratitude for Mennonites in DRC who received us with generosity and love despite their suffering.

In a country with overwhelming economic and political challenges, Mennonites fill houses of worship with exuberant song and a hopeful message of reconciliation. We saw Mennonites at the cities of Kikwit and Kinshasa caring for displaced persons from any tribe in a nation where it is common to care only for your own kin.  

One group of traumatized survivors met our delegation at Église Frères Mennonites Nouvelle Jerusalem in Kikwit. The agony of stories they told made me long for fulfilment of John’s vision: “God himself will be with them, he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more” (Revelation 21).

Causes of the mayhem in parts of DRC include struggle to control diamond or gold mines, tribal rivalry, political rebellion, foreign intervention and criminal activity. Persons fleeing the upheaval frequently endure weeks or months of danger travelling hundreds of kilometers to Kikwit or other cities. Women give birth during the dangerous trek to safety.

During our visit, I often thought of Michael J. Sharp, a Mennonite young adult from my home community in the United States, who was assassinated in the Kasaï region last year while on a peace mission with United Nations. Michael’s death touched me and many in MWC deeply. What are sisters and brothers in the DRC enduring with countless losses of their own?

Mennonite Central Committee and other Anabaptist organizations are responding to crisis in DRC, and MWC helped coordinate conversation between the various agencies. In a project called Operation Good Samaritan, Mennonites of Kikwit who have little money to provide relief have opened their homes to take in survivors whom they often do not even know.

We met an exhausted Congolese Mennonite medical doctor caring for displaced persons at Kikwit, who told how difficult or impossible it is to acquire essential medical supplies.

There are more than 400 tribes in DRC, and this creates tension even for some Anabaptists. But the inclusive love we saw at Kikwit is a model for the global church. Francisca Ibanda of Kinshasa, MWC Regional Representative for West Africa, said, “It’s not a problem to have tribes, because in Christ, tribes can work together. We can love even those from tribes who are supposed to be our enemies.”

—a Mennonite World Conference release by president J. Nelson Kraybill

 

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Like the chambers of a heart, the four MWC commissions serve the global community of Anabaptist-related churches, in the areas of deacons, faith and life, peace, mission. Commissions prepare materials for consideration by the General Council, give guidance and propose resources to member churches, and facilitate MWC-related networks or fellowships working together on matters of common interest and focus. In the following, one of the commissions shares a message from their ministry focus.

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Where do you look when you ask yourself what a deacon’s task is? Very often, one turns to Acts 6:1–6, although the word “deacon” or “servant” (diakonos) does not appear in this text. In this passage, the community provides for those who are needy among them, and as the church grows, the needs grow as well. The community appoints men to organize the daily distribution of food. These men – deacons – listen to the needs and meet them with the means shared by the community.

Is this the essence of a deacon’s work?

In this passage, I stumble over two points that influence our perceptions of the work of a deacon.

First, there is the Apostles’ reasoning: “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables” (Acts 6:2).

Do I hear here an underlying assumption that preaching is more important than looking after physical needs? The passage seems to support dualistic attitudes that separate humanitarian service from preaching the gospel. Such a split may hinder us from seeing the spiritual aspects in deacon’s work. It is serving the Word as much as prayer and preaching, or in fact is prayer and preaching.

Secondly, in Acts, the task of a deacon is defined by the obvious needs in the community.

It seems that the deacons’ task is only fulfilled when the needs are satisfied. It is certainly very important that deacons hear the cries of the needy and look for ways that answer. But very often, when I listen to deacons in local communities, I sense that they are overwhelmed by the expectations and feel that they are falling short of what is expected from them.

When we share experiences in our commission, some speak about these unmet expectations. The needs in the worldwide church are endless. It is difficult to choose. How can you know what is most urgent?

But there are also other voices: When members of the deacon’s commission went to stand by those in need, they are often enriched also. The community presents them with unexpected gifts. Something happens that breaks this hierarchy of a giver and those who receive.

So again: Where do we look for orientation for a deacon?

For our commission, that Jesus washing the feet of his disciples (John 13:1–20) provides a more comprehensive image of a deacon.

Jesus does the work of a house-slave. These servants are easily overlooked because they usually are not among the main characters who carry the plot. Jesus does not deny that he is Lord and Teacher, but he is Lord and Teacher as the house-slave. He serves the needs of the disciples as guests in his Father’s house. He is identified with what God’s house stands for.

Jesus models what needs to be done to the guests, and not what the guests think their needs are. As Jesus washes them their feet, they both participate in that deepest movement that defines this “house of God”: Jesus loves them to the end (John 13:1).

To be a deacon, then, is a role for every minister who serves the Word. You cannot really preach the gospel if you are not a deacon. You cannot serve the church with truth, you cannot work for reconciliation, peace and justice without being a deacon.

So yes, a deacon’s task is to stand by the needy in the community, knowing that we need them probably even more than they need what we can bring. In this, we both participate in the life in the Father’s house.

As we reflected on this passage, our commission became aware of the difficulty of hearing the voices of those who do not voice their needs. How can we make sure that our awareness is not shaped by those who cry the loudest or by what the media portrays as the most urgent? How can we see those who are too easily overlooked?

We most certainly depend on God’s Spirit to overcome our blindness.

—a Mennonite World Conference Release by Jürg Bräker, a member of the Deacons Commission. He is general secretary of the Konferenz der Mennoniten der Schweiz (Alttäufer), Conférence mennonite suisse (Anabaptiste). 

 

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Bogotá, Colombia – A 15th birthday celebration at their church, Casa de Oración, drew Ignacio and Liliana’s family out of their house in Manta, Ecuador, earlier than usual on 16 April, 2016, just before an earthquake struck. The 7.8 Richter scale tremor killed some 700 people and left more than 6,500 families homeless, including Ignacio and Liliana who stayed with his parents after the falling wall of the neighbour’s house damaged theirs.

Usually, Igancio, an audio-visual volunteer at the church, leaves before his wife and two children, but with the service starting earlier this Saturday evening, the family went together. 

They were on the street when everything started to move. Ignacio’s younger son fell under the car and the wheels almost crushed his feet. The trembling lasted around a minute.

Many families like Ignacio and Liliana were left homeless, but they saw the hand of God represented in aid that arrived from MWC’s Deacon Fund, MCC, Rosedale Mennonite Mission and others.

On behalf of Mennonite World Conference’s Deacons Commission, Henk Stenvers (MWC Deacons Commission secretary) of the Netherlands, Ephraim Disi Mbewe (Brethren in Christ Church bishop) of Malawi and Oscar Suárez (YABs Latin America representative) of Colombia visited the cities of Manta and Portoviejo in the most affected region 25–29 January 2017 to hear stories like Ignacio and Liliana’s and to encourage members of Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Ecuatoriana.     

The Deacons Commission is responsible for the well being of the global communion; to walk along with member churches in their time of need, whether caused by natural disaster or oppressive government. The Deacons Commission arranges a visit to “put hands around the shoulders of the members and say: ‘We are with you during these trying times.’”

In Ecuador, the Mennonite church’s response is both spiritual and practical. Members of the churches in Guayaquil came to aid in searching for victims. Church members in Manta and Portoviejo formed circles of hope by giving food and water to families with the most immediate needs.

Pastor Juan Altamirano in Portoviejo told the Deacons about the makeshift camp for 2,800 people where some 200 people still await housing. Many thank God that the disaster occurred on the weekend when office towers had fewer workers inside, says Altamirano.

“There is a lot of repair work being done, but the extent of the damage is such that it will take a lot of time to get everything back to normal,” says Stenvers. “It is clear that the church community played and still plays an important role in the aftermath of this disaster, [providing] space for lament and supporting one another.”

“These families were able to see beyond the difficulties, …to see the hand of God, supporting them at every moment,” says Stenvers.

“They lost their homes,” says Suárez, “but with the support of the Anabaptist world family that gave economic, psychological and spiritual help, they are recovering from this tragedy.”

“We can count on our global extended family with God’s hand moving us in the problems.”

As part of the MWC Deacons visit to Latin America, Stenvers and Suárez also attended Cono Sur meetings. Mennonite church members from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay met 21–25 January 2017 in Buenos Aires. Themes included Anabaptist identity, training church leaders, the position of women and youth in the church, the celebration of 100 years of Anabaptist presence in Argentina, and presentations from agencies.

“The meetings were sometimes full of laughter and joy, sometimes emotional,” says Stenvers. “There was a strong feeling of community.”

“Sharing in simplicity in the abundant, in the laughter, in the sadness was an experience that enlarged my vision of my extended family in the world,” says Suárez.

Back in Ecuador, the encouragement and spiritual accompaniment from the global Anabaptist family helps the church in Ecuador “pick up the pieces together, knowing that nothing will separate them from the love of God which is in Christ,” says Disi.

And Ignacio? He has finishing rebuilding the house, larger and better organized than before the earthquake.

“If a member of the body suffers, all suffer; and if a member receives special attention, everyone else share your joy” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

—Mennonite World Conference release

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Like the chambers of a heart, the four MWC commissions serve the global community of Anabaptist-related churches, in the areas of deacons, faith and life, peace, mission. Commissions prepare materials for consideration by the General Council, give guidance and propose resources to member churches, and facilitate MWC-related networks or fellowships working together on matters of common interest and focus. In the following, one of the commissions shares a message from their ministry focus.

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“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

“This visit made me realize we are part of a large global family. Now we know that we are not alone!”

This is what we heard when a delegation of the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) Deacons and Peace Commissions visited the Mennonite Brethren churches in Panama. When you live with challenges that threaten your traditional way of living, what is more important than knowing that you are not alone? Knowing that brothers and sisters are praying – even if they don’t know you personally – can be the difference between giving up or going on in hope, trusting the Lord.

“We do not ask you to solve our problems. All we ask from you is to tell our story and to pray for us.”  

Church members pray for a sick child  in Panama. Photo: Henk Stenvers.

Being a deacon within MWC is not about giving financial aid or creating relief programs. The deacons walk with churches, listen, share and pray with churches in distress or in joy. We feel so powerless to help sometimes, but we must not underestimate the power of walking together, listening and praying.

“The Deacons Commission must be the warm hand of the global church.” In 2009, Danisa Ndlovu, then president of MWC, spoke these words at the first meeting of the Commission in Paraguay. A hand on your shoulder, to show that others care, to feel the warmth of unity with others who share the same convictions. Even though we live in such different situations, express our faith in such different ways and have different histories, we know that we belong together in our faith. In our wish to follow Christ, we are part of one body of Christ.

The Global Church Sharing Fund can support churches in the Global South to do projects to advance the life and mission of the church. It can be so very important for a local church to have its own place for worship or to build a school. The significance of rebuilding after destruction from a disaster or violence is beyond imagination. It is all about being a community – local and global.

And like Paul writes to the Corinthians, the parts of the body belong together, even if they are different. They are interdependent; if one is missing, you are not complete (1 Corinthians 12:14–25).

The global community is like the church in Pimpimsu in Ghana. We visited the small church in the evening, after it was already dark. One by one, people came to the church to welcome us. And everybody brought a light along. Every time someone came in, the church became better lit. When the church was full, it was bright in the church because of all the little lamps.

That is what community is about. If you are not there, the church is a bit darker. Whether we are together in person at Assemblies or in spirit in prayer, we can be witnesses of the wonderful message of peace that Christ gave us. If you are not there, you are missed, because the light is less clear!

The Deacons Commission wants to be a tool to support and strengthen that community. Join us in walking with our global Anabaptist family through the MWC Prayer Network. *

—Henk Stenvers is secretary of the Mennonite World Conference Deacons Commission.    

                           

*In 2016, the Deacons Commission relaunched an email-based prayer network, following the success of the prayer initiatives at Assembly 16. The Prayer Network sends out an email every two months containing four to five prayers. There may also be extra emails when an urgent call to prayer arises. The emails are available in English, Spanish or French. If you would like to share a prayer with us, please write to prayers@mwc-cmm.org.

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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