Prayers of gratitude and intercession

Bogotá, Colombia – “Pray, pray fervently that God will bring his favour, and that my case will become a door that many young people can walk through as well,” Colombian Reinaldo Aguirre pleaded to the church throughout his three years of administrative limbo. A conscientious objector to Colombia’s obligatory military service, the young man from the outskirts of Bogota had decided that as a Christian he could not kill.

Reinaldo declared himself as an objector at his local military base, where he was told that the base was not equipped to deal with his claim. Without his military passbook, which serves as proof of service or exemption, it was impossible for Reinaldo to get a job or to graduate from university. Everyday, he faced the risk of being arbitrarily detained by the Colombia Army. After Reinaldo had made over seven requests for CO status, without response over a period of three years, he decided to take his case to the Court.

The 20 year old, who attends a Pentecostal church, learnt about conscientious objection through a series workshops with the Mennonite Church. Reinaldo maintains that “from the Christian tradition, we oppose military or armed service because it is incompatible with the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ. Those of us who have accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives owe him absolute loyalty, not to a nation, nor a state, nor government, but to the Son of God who teaches us to love our enemies, to do good to those who mistreat us, and to pray for those who wish to do us harm.”

At the end of January 2015, the door opened for Reinaldo. In an historical ruling, the Colombian Constitutional Court ordered the military to issue Reinaldo’s passbook within 48 hours, arguing that his rights to work, education and worship were violated by the lack of response to application for CO status.

“This court ruling also contains new and important elements for conscientious objectors,” reflects Jenny Neme, director of Justapaz, on the historical decision. “The Court orders the army to direct those in charge of recruitment to process requests for conscientious objection and to not deny exemption requests. It also establishes a strict timeline for the army to resolve said applications. “

Throughout every step of Reinaldo’s journey, Justapaz was there, providing legal advice and letting the young man know that he was not alone. This accompaniment is now second nature for the organization. According to Jack Suderman, secretary of the Mennonite World Conference Peace Commission, “This (court ruling) is the fruit of 26 years of sustained, budgeted, planned, dogged, tenacious institutional commitment on behalf of the Colombian Mennonite Church and its institutions.”

“It is necessary, however, to continue on in the defense of these rights.” says Jenny, expressing Justapaz’s continued commitment to conscientious objection, “The very fact that the army is responsible to resolve requests for conscientious objection must be revised. Ethically, a military body cannot approve or disapprove the decision of a person, who by conscience, does not hold to military logic. We must continue insisting that the Congress of the Republic legislate these rights and eliminate all barriers for its recognition. Finally, the Colombian state must revise the pertinence of its military structure within a country that is nearing a post-conflict stage. “

As for Reinaldo, he is hopeful. “I want to give thanks to God for this joyful court ruling, not only for me, but for the many young men in Colombia who believe in peace and are committed to conscientious objection. This is a door that is opening for many. We are going to walk through, and are already walking through.”

Article by Anna Vogt

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA – An international group of young Anabaptists – called the YABs Committee for short – are deep into planning the next Global Youth Summit (GYS), which will immediately precede the upcoming Mennonite World Conference Assembly.

As the official MWC youth committee, they are putting together a mix of worship – with each session planned and led by a different continent, discussions, workshops, fellowship and free time, games, concerts, late-evening activities, and sports. (In contrast to youth conventions in North America, which are geared to high-school-age youth, GYS attendees are ages 18 and older.)

The GYS opens Friday morning, July 17, 2015, on the Messiah College campus in Mechanicsburg, PA, just across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg, site of the July 21-26 Assembly. GYS concludes late on Sunday evening, July 19.

The GYS experience

Kristina Toews, from Canada, who participated in the Paraguay Global Youth Summit, said recently that the best thing about GYS for her is “meeting new people, hearing what life is like for them, and learning together from each other. I’ve been amazed to see my peers be so passionate about living their faith and being part of a church that’s present in so many different places, languages, and cultures.”

The YABs Committee defines the GYS as “a meeting of young Anabaptists, ages 18 and older, from the entire world.” During their three days together, they “listen to God, share information and experiences, listen to each other’s struggles from their different continents and countries, bless each other, and have their faith enriched.”

Ayub Omondi, from Kenya, a member of the current YABS Committee as a mentor, reflected on the last GYS in Paraguay: “I have been so enriched by our different countries’ and continents’ approach to worship. When the Asians planned worship, I was touched in a different way than usual. When the Europeans led worship, I learned something else new!

“Even in my lodging, I was stretched. My roommate was from Congo and spoke French. I’m from Kenya and speak English. So we used sign language to communicate whenever we were in the room together, and it got really funny!”

Rodrigo Pedroza García, from Mexico and chair of the YABs Committee, urges young adults not to miss opening morning of the GYS for an overview of the event. “We are going to have a short service and then something more informal, inviting those who are arriving to mingle and connect. That’s our main focus of the morning. We’ll have all kinds of activities, some sports, snacks, and games.

“At GYS, I’ve found that you can open your heart beyond the borders of geography, race, language, and social class. You feel like you are the body of Christ. The ‘new humanity’ is so real and wonderful as we young people get together to worship the Lord, without focusing on where we come from. When we’re together like this, we experience the unity of our Anabaptist identity in the middle of our plurality!”

GYS includes delegates

To make sure that GYS has representation from Anabaptist-related churches around the world, and to cultivate leadership in those attending, each MWC member denomination is invited to send one young adult delegate. Delegates must be active members of their churches and ideally be involved in youth work. Each should be recommended by the youth and the pastor of her/his local congregation.

Good delegates, says the YABs Committee, are “committed to service and possess leadership qualities; they’re good listeners, learners, and speakers; and they have email access or other ways to stay connected with delegates and other young Anabaptists after GYS.”

Being a delegate isn’t a puff job. Before coming to GYS, each delegate must survey a minimum of 50 young adults from her/his national church about the GYS theme. (“Called to Share: My Gifts, Our Gifts” is the theme for the 2015 event.)

During GYS, delegates meet sometimes with their continental groups, and other times with inter-continental groups, to talk about challenges, joys, and resources that they experience in their home settings. They also mix with other participants at GYS to discuss their dreams for the church.

Delegates also take the lead in planning the worship services from their respective continents at GYS, involving others from their regions. “The worship services are a huge highlight of GYS, and an amazing way to see how God has given us different gifts,” says Toews. “Our diversity is such a gift. My experience is that we grow closer to God when we see the variety in how our sisters and brothers worship.”

Expected attendance at GYS 2015

In Zimbabwe in 2003, more than 220 young adults from 28 countries attended the first GYS. More than 700 attended the second GYS held in Paraguay in 2009. They came from at least 34 countries.

“For the third GYS coming up in 2015, we’re hoping for 600-1,000 registrants,” says Toews.

For more information about GYS, its activities, and how to register, go to www.mwc-cmm.org/gys.

MWC release by Phyllis Pellman Good, Lancaster, PA, a writer and editor for Mennonite World Conference

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – A group of young adults in Manitoba are producing “bread cloths” and then selling them to raise both money and awareness for the July 2015 Mennonite World Conference Assembly and Global Youth Summit.

“Since we are the host continent for this upcoming Assembly, and for the Global Youth Summit which immediately precedes it, we wanted to put something physical into people’s hands and homes so that MWC would be on their radar and in their prayers,” explained Kathy Giesbrecht, who works in Leadership Ministries for Mennonite Church Manitoba.

Brainstorming together, the young adult working group decided to invite three artists from Manitoba – Liesa Obirek, Nicole Leax, and Kayla Hiebert – to each create a design that will be heat-pressed into the fabric and then reproduced.

“We asked each artist to come up with a design inspired by the MWC Assembly theme, ‘Walking with God.’ These cloths will be tangible reminders of this upcoming global event, and they will be useful as cloths in bread baskets and as placemats. They’re a symbol, too, that within Mennonite World Conference, we all are welcome to sit around the Table,” said Giesbrecht on behalf of the group.

The young adults have placed an initial order of 300 cloths. They were planning to sell them at the Mennonite Church Canada Assembly in Winnipeg, 3-6 July 2014 and after that, while visiting Mennonite Church Manitoba congregations.

The cloths sell for $10-$15 each. All monies raised beyond the cost of the cloths will go to the MWC Assembly (to be held 21-26 July 2015 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) and the Global Youth Summit (to be held 17-19 July 2015, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania).

MWC release by Phyllis Pellman Good

Heredia, Costa Rica – Mennonite young people from a variety of countries came together for the annual Central American Mennonite Youth Conference in Costa Rica 27-30 March 2013. One hundred and twenty youth representatives from Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Puerto Rico and Mexico shared with each other around the theme of “Mennonite Identity.” They were also joined by several North Americans who work with Mennonite Central Committee in Central America. This is the third year that Costa Rica has participated in the conference and the first time they have hosted it.

Some very important aspects of the conference were the devotionals, workshops and group reflection times, which all connected with the theme of “Mennonite Identity.” Participants explored the pain and joys that are experienced through one’s gender identity in a workshop about “Identity and Gender Relations.” Discussions began in small groups of the same gender, and then changed to mixed groups where participants could share what they had learned.

Participants also explored different points of view from which a conflict can be seen in the “Culture of Peace and Conflict Resolution” workshop. In small groups they analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the different ways people approach conflict, such as the differences between those who tend to be more competitive and those who always work in teams.

Other workshops, like “Bible Reading in Community,” examined the importance of developing a community hermeneutic. As every text can be interpreted from different socio-economic and cultural contexts, it is essential to interpret scripture in community to enrich the experiences in the body of Christ.

Celebrating the Lord’s Supper was an impactful time. At tables with participants from different countries, they shared the bread, prayed for and ministered to each other. Rodrigo Pedroza described this as a time when they recognized that, “despite borders and national differences, Christ has made us one. We closed with a hug, as a sign of love and the fraternal ties that the Lord formed during this event.”

Another important part of the event was time spent getting to know the other participants. There was an afternoon rally, with numerous games and team building activities. A cultural night celebrated the different countries represented, as participants took the opportunity to share a part of their culture with the group. And on the final night the group had an excellent time of fellowship around a fireside sharing, telling jokes, singing and playing games.

The Central American Mennonite Youth Conference began 19 years ago, with a retreat between young people of the Iglesia Casa Horeb of Guatemala and the Iglesia Menonita Aurora of Honduras. The desire for unity among Mennonite youth has continued to grow through the years, and involve youth from more Central American countries.

News Release by Kristina Toews, MWC Web Communications Worker, building on a report by Karoline Mora.

DR Congo — In a world where differences and distance often divide people of faith, Mennonite youth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are participating in an exchange program to strengthen ties among the country’s three Mennonite conferences.

The exchange program, called Menno-Monde, or Menno-World, allows youth to spend a week or two living with a family, attending church and learning to know youth from a Mennonite conference different from their own.

Developed in 2012, the program is sponsored by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and the three Congolese Mennonite conferences: Communauté Mennonite au Congo (CMCo), Communauté des Églises de Frères Mennonites au Congo (CEFMC) and Communauté Évangélique Mennonite (CEM).

The conferences send youth to different parts of the country to help establish relationships that reach across borders that historically have divided Congolese Mennonites.

Designed for people age 15 to 25, Menno-Monde has given youth like Gina Molumbe Mongala, 24, the opportunity to explore what it means to be Mennonite in another part of their country. For Mongala, participating in Menno-Monde was the first time she traveled “into the country” without her family. “The day I was to leave, I had no appetite all day,” she said. Mongala is a member of the Peniel congregation of CEFMC. She visited a congregation in Bandundu City, about 150 miles northeast of Kinshasa, her home area.

“At church, one Saturday, I preached to the youth, for the very first time in my life,” she said. “I showed the Sunday school teachers how to use lesson books. Since I am a Sunday school teacher in my own church, I had brought some booklets for the children and for the teachers.”

Menno-Monde, which was developed by MCC Congo’s Advisory Committee, has supported five exchanges so far that involved 13 men, 12 women and 39 total congregations. Exchanges take place during school holidays at Christmas and Easter and during a long break in July and August.

So far exchanges have taken place within Bandundu and Bas-Congo Provinces in western Congo, though Menno-Monde coordinators hope future exchanges will eventually include Mennonite congregations in central and eastern Congo.

Judith Malembu Fumulombi, 25, from the Sanga-Mamba congregation of the CMCo in Kinshasa, worked with the women’s choir and the youth choir at her host church, Mennonite Brethren ETAC congregation in Kikwit. She leads a praise group and directs the youth choir at her home church.

According to Suzanne Lind, an MCC representative in Congo, youth “are eager to think in terms of Mennonite rather than [separate Mennonite] denominational tags.” Lind and her spouse, Tim, are from Three Rivers, Mich.

Menno-Monde coordinator Leya Muloba Buabua hopes the exchange program can promote Anabaptist values and lay a firm foundation for youth to consider participating in one of MCC’s international exchange programs, International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP) or Young Anabaptist Mennonite Exchange Network (YAMEN!), a joint program of MCC and Mennonite World Conference.

According to Mennonite World Conference’s 2012 World Directory, the CMCo has 110,000 members in 798 congregations, the country with the world’s second highest number of Anabaptists; the CEFMC has 101,626 members in 874 congregations; and the CEM has 23,576 members in 96 congregations.

Article by Sheldon C. Good for Mennonite Central Committee. Distributed by permission.

My name is Rut Arsari Christy and I am from Indonesia. In my home country, I attend a Mennonite church called GITJ Kelet, part of the Mennonite World Conference member church Gereja Injili di Tanah Jawa. The influence of the Dutch’s culture and religion are quite strong, because Indonesia was colonized by the Dutch. There are many buildings that were built by the Dutch, like houses, hospitals, and churches. My church was one of the churches that was built by the Dutch. Also, because of the Dutch, there are many Mennonite churches in Indonesia.

I am currently serving with the YAMEN! program in Colombia. I work with Teusaquillo Mennonite Church in Bogotá. At my church, GITJ Kelet, I used to say “selamat pagi”, which means good morning when I met people. Now, the situation is really different. I have to say “buenos días” and give people hugs every time I meet them at church. At first, this was quite difficult, but now I’m already used to it.

Cultural shock happens almost all the time. There is big difference between my church and Teusaquillo church. There are some traditions from my church that I don’t find in Teusaquillo church. One example is the tradition of how to celebrate World Fellowship Sunday. In my church, we celebrate World Fellowship Sunday by bringing things to the church, like food, beverages, fruits, vegetable, electronic things, etc. First we have a Sunday service like usual, and after that we will have an auction of the things that were brought by the people. The money from the auction is used for church needs.

This year, 2014, was the first time I celebrated World Fellowship Sunday in Colombia with the people from Teusaquillo Mennonite Church. It was quite surprising because they didn’t do any special thing or activity. They had Sunday service like usual and the pastor shared with the congregation that it was World Fellowship Sunday. It was really different from my church. In Indonesia my mother used to make cakes and cookies for the auction. I and my mother used to be really busy preparing the cake the day before the auction.

This year, I didn’t even remember that the next day was World Fellowship Sunday. Until the pastor from the church, who is my host father, gave me something to read for the Sunday service. When I read the paper, it was an article about “Undhuh-undhuh”, which is the name of the auction that is held in my church on World Fellowship Sunday. I had to read the article about Undhuh-undhuh in two services at Teusaquillo church.

I was so nervous because that was the first time I spoke in front of the congregation. I felt more nervous because the article was in Spanish. At that time I still thought that my Spanish was far from good. However, after I read the article, many people said that I did a great job. They said that they understood clearly what I said, because I spoke really clearly and that my Spanish accent is good too. I was so happy to introduce the culture from my church in Indonesia to them.

Hopefully I will have another chance to talk about my church’s cultures in front of the congregation at Teusaquillo Mennonite Church. Although I will feel nervous again, I’m happy to share some information about my church, which is GITJ Kelet.

Article by Rut Arsari

Mobility and flexibility are necessary in today’s world for many young people: university in another city, intercultural encounters during travels, broadening one’s own horizons. And somewhere between all of this there is this “Mennoniteness” that shapes part of who you are.

These experiences perfectly describe my reality. Coming from a small town, and an even smaller Mennonite church in Germany, I used every opportunity possible to see something from the world. This has brought me to several countries in Europe, Israel/Palestine, Syria, Jordan, and the USA. When I was asked to travel to South Korea I was totally thrilled, but what was the reason for the trip? It was for the 10^th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) 30 October to 8 November 2013.

Through some research I learned I was going to be a delegate for the Mennonite church of Germany at a mega global Christian gathering, which happens every seven years, to discuss topical theological and secular issues. Challenge accepted!

In the preparation process I realized that it was more difficult than expected for me personally to figure out what exactly it was that I, as a young Mennonite from Germany, could contribute to the global ecumenical movement. I found that what had shaped my faith was a colourful set of influences, from a range of faith traditions and churches. At the WCC Assembly there was sensitivity for different confessions and denominations, their specialities and their traditions, which was a very new experience for me. In this context and together with other Mennonites, it became clearer to me that the theological commitment to non-violence and the actual consequences stemming from it is what defines us as a peace church.

Mennonites triggered the last large programmatic focus of WCC, which was the decade to overcome violence from 2001 until 2010. Some Mennonites, who have been involved in the ecumenical movement for a longer time, shared with me their experience of being consulted for their view on several issues by colleagues. I got the impression that while being very small in members, the Mennonite tradition is highly appreciated by WCC and individuals. The fact that peace and justice are now issues at the core of WCC shows that what historically have always been topics for Mennonites, are now (and have also been before!) at the heart of world Christianity. This was also demonstrated when they joined together and prayed the theme prayer of the Assembly: “God of Life, lead us to justice and peace.”

One of the most impressive and moving moments for me, was when a young South Korean man joined one of our peace churches’ meetings (together with Quakers and Church of the Brethren participants). He was going to be a conscientious objector of military service in South Korea soon out of his belief in non-violence. What has become normal in Germany, to conscientiously object, is still being punished by jail sentence of 18 months and life-long discriminations in South Korea. Despite these consequences, this young Korean stood in our midst sharing about his life and commitment to live according to his conviction, asking for our prayers and support. Unfortunately, this young man was not heard by the whole gathering and certain churches, including those in Korea, do not see the necessity to change the status-quo. Still, we can pray for those suffering for their belief and thereby strive for peace and justice.

Now this mega-event seems far away already and those of you reading this might wonder how this involves you at all. The outcome of the WCC Assembly will be guiding the programmatic work of WCC for the next 8 years: We, the believers, are on a pilgrimage of justice and peace! This includes believers around the world, those who are a part of WCC, and those who are not. So, whatever brought you to read this blog, be encouraged to meet people in your context and discuss with them what your role in global Christian brother- and sisterhood is, and how you can contribute to a more just and peaceful world. When I first came to the WCC Assembly I was looking at it with the question in mind, “What can this WCC do for me?” Instead, I found out that it is not WCC doing something for me but each and every one of us, members of God’s family, who form the global church and who together have an impact. I am looking forward to travelling together with you on this pilgrimage route.

By Lydia Funck

* The views expressed in the Testimonies section express the faith convictions and experiences of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mennonite World Conference.