Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • Christmas around the world 

    One of the most outstanding Christmas traditions among communities in Kenya is having vigils popularly know as “Kesha” on the Christmas Eve. Most worshippers come together to celebrate birth of Jesus Christ by singing hymns and carols and even at times recreate the holy event by nativity plays. At midnight, churches ring bells to mark the birth of Christ while people sing praise songs to honour the start of Christmas day. 

    On Christmas day, people serve nyama choma (grilled meat), kuku (chicken) and the famous chapati (flatbread). Wherever you go or whatever you eat, everyone is welcome. 

    This tradition always reminds me of the joy and the love we have for each other as a community. Getting together to share meals and storytelling is usually the best part, but the most amazing and wonderful time is during the night vigil when one connects with Jesus though praise and worship, giving a sense of belonging and restoring one’s hope of starting anew with the birth of Christ. 

    Valary Otieno, Songhor Mennonite Church, Kenya 

     

     

     

    Christmas around the world

    Sharing love – with sprinkles – in Germany

    This tradition reminds me of the message of hope, peace, joy and love at Christmas because you can enjoy a peaceful time together with your loved ones and you can even share this love by giving Christmas cookies to others.

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    A month of celebrating Charni Daan

    In India, Christmas is celebrated with great enthusiasm from mid November to New Year. Christmas is more special because we get a chance to meet our family and friends.

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    All voices praising Jesus together in Uruguay

    I really love the simplicity of our Christmas parties where we meet to enjoy each other’s company and remember the one that keeps us united.

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    A gospel light in the USA

    Christmas around the world Every year on 24 December, my family goes to the Christmas Eve service at Park View Mennonite Church (Harrisonburg, Virginia). It’s a traditional ‘lessons and carols’ service, where we read the Christmas Story from Luke and sing accompanying hymns as we work our way…

    Read more

  • In remote corners of Tamil Nadu, India, gospel workers trained by Gilgal Mission Trust (GMT) are shining the light of the gospel hand-in-hand with education and vocational training.  

    Along the Amravati River in Coimbatore District, many people in the Anaiamalai forest are uneducated. They work as day labourers and live in neglected government-built houses.  

    One such family is Mrs Selvi, her husband Aruchami and their sun Arun Kumar. Arun Kumar was in poor health, unable to go to school, dependent on his mother’s care.  

    Gilgal Mission Trust gospel worker Mr Ruben began to visit the village to start a prayer cell and children’s classes. He is trained in GMT’s discipleship program.  

    Hearing of Mr Ruben’s work, Mrs Selvi brought Arun Kumar for prayer for healing. His condition improved; within a month, Arun Kumar began attending school five kilometres away.  

    Mrs Selvi and Aruchami are happy to see their son on a pathway to fulfill his dreams. At school, Arun Kumar receives nutritious meals and the teachers are attentive to Arun Kumar’s slowly improving health. Mrs Selvi has been able to join the workforce to improve the family’s finances.  

    In the evenings, the family comes to the prayer centre to learn more about Jesus.  

    “This incident lightened a great brightness in their life,” says Paul Phineas, president of GMT.  

    GMT initiated 15 adult literacy centres in the religiously sensitive Kaliyapuram Panchayat region of Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, India. The motto of the centres is to educate everyone to know the Saviour.  

    GMT also opened a sewing centre in Ettidurai, Tamil Nadu, India. Women learn tailoring as a life skill and are taught the gospel by a local pastor.  

    “A new move of God is evolving in the Southern part of India after COVID-19. We are experiencing and hearing of church attendance growing beyond our expectations, and many newcomers are experiencing the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit,” says Paul Phinehas.  

    Daily power outages, corruption and violence are some of the challenges Indians face. “The church has to influence society with the life-changing gospel of Jesus,” says Paul Phinehas.  

  • Le rassemblement de la Conférence Mennonite Mondiale (la CMM) avait pour thème « Suivre Jésus ensemble à travers les frontières ». Le thème en anglais est formulé ainsi : « Following Jesus together across barriers », ce que je traduirais plutôt par « Suivre Jésus ensemble au-delà des barrières ». Ce séjour en Indonésie a été pour toute notre équipe l’occasion, non seulement de traverser des frontières, mais d’aller au-delà de nos propres barrières.

    Une expérience inoubliable

    J’ai participé au voyage organisé par l’association Joie et Vie. Nous étions un groupe composé de trois personnes de Suisse et six de France. En 2021, j’ai eu l’occasion de faire un film de dix minutes sur la relation entre les musulmans et les mennonites d’Indonésie. C’est une équipe locale qui l’a tourné et j’ai pu la rencontrer et visiter certains lieux de ce tournage. Pour moi, une expérience inoubliable ! Paulus Hartono et Danang Kristiawan, qui sont des intervenants dans le film, ont été nos guides avant et après le rassemblement.

    Si je connais un peu l’islam, je ne connais quasiment rien de l’hindouisme, du bouddhisme ou du confucianisme. Or ce sont quatre religions reconnues par l’État Indonésien avec le catholicisme et le protestantisme, dont les 110 000 mennonites font partie. Rappelons que l’Indonésie compte 275 millions d’habitants, dont 87 % sont musulmans et environ 10 % sont chrétiens.

    L’ombre du COVID

    Pour les organisateurs du rassemblement, la pandémie avait depuis longtemps anéanti les espoirs de remplir la méga-église anabaptiste de 12 000 places à Semarang. On estime que 5 % des participants ont eu le Covid et ont dû être confinés plusieurs jours, ce qui les a empêchés de participer en présentiel à certaines rencontres. Heureusement, personne n’est tombé gravement malade. Durant toute la durée du rassemblement, il a été demandé aux participants de porter un masque à tout moment.

    La CMM avait limité le nombre de participants à un millier parce que, comme l’a expliqué Liesa Unger, responsable des événements internationaux de la CMM, « nous ne voyions pas comment suivre toutes les règles gouvernementales pour plus de 1 000 personnes. Notre plus grande crainte était de voir toutes les rencontres annulées par le gouvernement ».

    Une assemblée peu nombreuse mais pleine de joie

    Avec sa devise nationale « L’unité dans la diversité », l’Indonésie s’est avérée un pays hôte idéal pour la 17e assemblée de la CMM. Les anabaptistes de 44 pays se sont retrouvés pour la cérémonie d’ouverture dans le hall aménagé d’un séminaire mennonite, le Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Sangkakala (STT), situé sur le flanc d’une montagne surplombant la ville de Salatiga. Plusieurs prestations artistiques remarquables ont enrichi cette cérémonie, comme un opéra traditionnel de Gamelang, et un temps de louange conduit par un groupe international, puis par le groupe au style décoiffant de la Jakarta Praise Community Church, une Église comptant 18 000 membres.

    Les retransmissions des jours suivants rassemblaient en moyenne 700 personnes au STT et une poignée d’autres participants dans des églises de quatre autres villes. Au total, environ 800 personnes ont suivi les rencontres à distance à travers le monde. Matin et soir avaient lieu des célébrations, qui débutaient par un temps de louange conduit par un groupe de chant international. Les après-midi étaient réservés à des excursions ou des ateliers. Après le rassemblement, notre groupe – auquel se sont ajoutées d’autres personnes – a prolongé le séjour en Indonésie, à la rencontre de mennonites, mais aussi de musulmans, d’hindous et de bouddhistes qui nous ont fait découvrir leurs lieux de culte et leurs coutumes.

    —Max Wiedmer, SMM

    References:

    https://www.editions-mennonites.fr/2022/02/deuxieme-video-de-la-serie-transmission/

    L’Indonésie compte trois unions d’Églises mennonites : GKMI – Église chrétienne de Muria d’Indonésie, GITJ – Église évangélique de Java et JKI – Assemblée chrétienne indonésienne.

  • Le Réseau Mennonite Francophone (RMF monde) de la Conférence Mennonite Mondiale ne se réunit officiellement que tous les trois ans. C’est-à-dire lors des réunions des délégués de la CMM.

    En Indonésie, seules 12 personnes étaient présentes à la réunion dont quatre Congolais, les seuls Africains ! Quand on pense que nous étions plus de 80 personnes en 2015 en Pennsylvanie ! Pourquoi si peu ? La réunion s’est pourtant tenue juste avant l’ouverture de la Conférence pour favoriser la rencontre. Mais certains francophones n’étaient pas encore arrivés, d’autres étaient en excursion.

    Que retenir de la rencontre ?

    Il n’est pas évident d’organiser des rencontres en présentiel en Afrique, et même les rencontres en ligne n’ont pas vraiment de succès. La technique fait souvent défaut. En Europe, un groupe d’une quinzaine de personnes se réunit deux fois par an, dont une fois au moins en présentiel. Nous voulons essayer d’inclure en ligne ceux « d’ailleurs » pour un réseautage plus international. Ce point a été discuté lors de la réunion. Les participants congolais ont dit leur volonté de s’investir dans le réseau, en lien avec des mennonites burkinabè contactés après la réunion.

    Compte-rendu de les réunions

  • “MWC [Assembly] was a really wonderful experience. It showed me the face of the global Mennonite church,” says Peter Buller, a student at Bethel College and a member of Buhler Mennonite Church, Kansas, USA. “Thanks to the great International Ensemble that brought different languages and cultures to life.” 

    That global face is visible online through MWC’s website and social media. Assembly sessions can be relived through videos and the October issue of Courier. 

    Peter Buller participated in the global Assembly as a Global Youth Summit attendee and also as a member of the !Explore program at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. 

    He presented video clips as he spoke from his experience to his church after returning home. “The sermon that is still in my mind from the general Assembly is Jeremiah Choi’s sermon on his ministry and calling to the people of Hong Kong. As an aspiring, pastor I was inspired and called further into that calling by his words.” 

    Plenary videos are being published on the website including songs from the international ensemble, and dozens of recorded workshops are online for learning by yourself or with a church group.  

    Click here to view videos from Assembly

    Workshops

    Plenaries

  • “But you, O Lord, do not be far away! 
    O my help, come quickly to my aid!” Psalm 22:19 

    “We raise a cry of alarm to the different faithful members of the Mennonite church around the world,” writes Reverend Alphonse Kisubi Kassa, a leader of Communauté des Églises des Frères Mennonites au Congo (CEFMC – the MB church in DR Congo).  

    A delegation from CEFMC Goma who visited the church in Munigi in eastern DRC in November 2022 report finding many displaced persons (older people; pregnant and nursing women; children younger than 5, school-aged children, some of whom are separated from their parents) who lack sanitation facilities, food, potable water, clothing.  

    We pray for needed supplies to reach the area and be equitably distributed.  

    We praise the Lord for the nongovernmental organizations and for Église du Christ au Congo (association of churches) who are responding.

    We pray that the ceasefire regarding the M23 which Kenyan and Rwanda leaders are negotiating would be respected and sustained.  

    “The Spirit of Jesus empowers us to trust God in all areas of life so we become peacemakers who renounce violence, love our enemies, seek justice, and share our possessions with those in need.”
    —Shared Convictions #5

  • Thursday morning

    A year ago, our conference leader – whom you might remember as “the Hallelujah man” – Bishop Ambrocio Porcincula died due to stroke. I want to remember him today, because he is close to me like my own grandfather. As far as I know, he never skipped the MWC Assembly ever since he started joining. I know he would be here too if he were still alive, and he would be proud of me standing on the stage today.

    Three days after my bishop’s death, my father tested positive for COVID-19 and got a severe pneumonia. It was one of the worst crises we ever experienced as a church and as a family because my father is the next person to lead the conference after Bishop Porcincula’s death. During our time of mourning, my father’s life was also hanging on a thin thread.

    I thought we will lose my father too, because we could not find a hospital that would take him in. But even though me and my siblings were deeply distraught, we gathered our faith and agreed to take care of our father at home. We did our best to get everything he needed as much as we could to help him survive.

    I could not imagine a second death of a loved one and a church father to all; it would be devastating. But, in the middle of our struggle, we found comfort in the knowledge that God is in control. We found peace in faith that whatever happens, it is God’s will.

    After two weeks of home care, my father recovered and was healed by the Lord.

    I believe my family’s COVID crisis story is just one of millions. None of us are free from crisis these past two years, but despite the presence of affliction and pain, our faith is our constant source of peace.

    Many people are suffering — crushed by the weight of their troubles. But Psalm 9:9 says the Lord is a refuge for them, a safe place they can run to.

    Our struggles are our constant reminder that God is our help. Now, we need God more than ever.

    As a communion, we are praying about the struggles of our churches in India as they are facing persecution because of their Christian beliefs, In Myanmar, our brothers and sisters are suffering from political uncertainties that resulted in violence. And in Ukraine, many are displaced due to war.

    But despite all of that, we are here: you came! For those who are online: you are showing up! (It’s either you need to wake up too early or stay up late, but you show up!)

    Isn’t it beautiful to see each other again? Isn’t it beautiful to see the gathering of your brothers and sisters in this place today?

    Isn’t it beautiful that despite the pandemic and war, we registered early this year and trusted that everything would be fine by July? That was a huge leap of faith!

    As part of the registration team, I am amazed to see how a lot of you registered immediately as soon as we opened the on-site registration. You registered early despite the uncertainties happening around us. During that time, we didn’t even know how the war in Ukraine would turn, but still people from Europe were some of the first people to register.

    Today, I want to remember our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. Many of them choose to stay in the middle of the war and help with those who are in need. Anabaptist-Mennonite churches gather whatever they can to help the people of Ukraine. War is ugly but when people choose to come together, helping each other in times of need, it is a beautiful sight.

    In times of trouble, we are the extension of God’s hands. The miracles of God come through us.

    That is what living together in times of crisis looks like. We forget about our differences, our disagreements, and find our common goal for peace. Peace is not a destination, but a journey and on that journey, we cannot walk it alone; we need each other.

    To everyone who responds to their brothers’ and sisters’ call for help; to those who give donations; for you who volunteer; to those who help people find justice; to those who take care of people that are strangers – thank you!

    You already took one step closer to peaceful world we all desire. You are the extension of God’s arm

    Now I challenge everyone to do the same for our brothers and sisters in India and Myanmar too, Let us try to learn more about their situation and find out how we can be the physical hands of Christ in their time of need.

    A year ago, during our COVID crisis, my family needed to stay in home isolation for more than a month while my dad recovered from COVID. We needed to depend on the generosity of our friends and churchmates for all our needs like food, oxygen refills and medicine. Looking back on how God used people to provide for our needs during the time we needed them most still amazes me. Even in the middle of the night, there were people who did not hesitate to offer help. Even the most unexpected person, whom you think cannot give you anything because they are also in need, would knock on our gate to give us something out of genuine care for us.

    Truly, crisis and hardships bring out the best in us. We see the hands of God working through all of us.

    I want to end with Romans 15:13 which says: “I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit” (ERV).

    Trust in the power of the Holy Spirit that there is hope in this difficult time. We, as a communion of churches, will be each other’s help in times of need. When the power of the Holy Spirit flows through us you cannot help but take action. The Holy Spirit is our driving force to reach out to those who are in need. And this is what living together in times of crisis look like for those who follow Christ.

    —Ebenezer G. Mondez is the YABs (Young AnaBaptists) Committee representative for Asia and the Pacific (2015-2022), YABs mentor (2022-2028). He is a member of Lumban Mennonite Bible Church, Philippines.

    This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2022.

  • “We were far away from peace, but now we are friends with Christians. We are working for peace and humility.” Through an interpreter, Commander Yanni Rusmanto from Solo, Indonesia, spoke at the “Mennonites in Indonesia and Radical Muslims making peace” workshop at Assembly 17 in Indonesia.

    This was one of several workshops on interfaith relationships with a focus on Christians and Muslims. In total, more than 50 workshops took place at Mennonite World Conference’s Assembly 17 in Indonesia, with many of them recorded to watch later.

    Yanni Rusmanto is a leader of Hezbollah, an Indonesian paramilitary group. (“Hezbollah” means “party of God” and is the name of many Muslim groups with no relation to each other.) They monitor the community for drunkenness and lawbreakers, offering warnings and liaising with the police when there are street fights.

    In the workshop, GKMI pastor Paulus Hartono and Yanni Rusmanto talked about their cooperation.

    After the 26 December 2004 earthquake and tsunami that devastated part of Aceh, it wasn’t enough for Solo-based Mennonite Diakonia Service to respond alone. MDS founder Paulus Hartono reached out to invite the local Muslim commander to join with MDS in the aid efforts.

    “Why does this infidel want to dialogue?” Yanni Rusmanto wondered when Paulus Hartono approached him. He was afraid he might be converted. He tried to rebuff, but Paulus Hartono kept asking.

    “He spoke to me about humility and about the earthquake in Aceh. I started to open my heart,” says Yanni Rusmanto.

    The two groups worked side by side in Aceh for 15 days, living under the same roof. “We started to know each other. We respect each other though we are very different in many things. But that doesn’t mean we can’t work together,” says Paulus Hartono.

    Yanni Rusmanto still regards Hartono as kefir – an infidel. But “Paulus is a good kefir. I want to be friends with Paulus, and I want dialogue.

    For Paulus Hartono, peacebuilding and humanitarian aid work hand in hand. MDS responds to disasters, builds environmental sustainability and conducts interfaith dialogue. The three are inseparable, even indistinguishable at times.

    People ask Paulus Hartono for the secret to his thriving congregation and groundbreaking ministry: “We must do Jesus’ mission: not our organization’s mission or our church’s mission. We live out kingdom values: mission, peace, truth, justice and love, guided by the Holy Spirit.”

    “We see the hearts of the Mennonite people. In humility, they make peace. They build good relationships with the other religions – even for us with Hezbollah,” says Yanni Rusmanto.

    Yanni Rusmanto now puts Paulus Hartono into a third category: a kindness infidel.

    “Peace is better than violence. The world is full of violence including war. This is the time for us to make peace together,” says Yanni Rusmanto. “Hezbollah serves God and the world: with Paulus, we serve the world. In the end, I say to you all my Mennonite friends in all the world, to love peace, humility and nonviolence.”

    This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2022.
    Watch workshop here

  • Introducing the global family: 

    Convenção Brasileira das Igrejas Evangélicas Irmãos Menonitas- Brazil (COBIM) 

    ICOMB & MWC national member church

    We want to thank everyone who participated in the ICOMB Summit and Despertar in Brazil in May 2022. God is creating a new awakening in Brazil and for sure your contribution, either with your presence or with your prayers, is leading COBIM (Mennonite Brethren Convention in Brazil) to a new movement of God. 

    In September we had the national congress of women with the participation of more than 300 women from different states of Brazil. It was visible the move of God promoting healing, addressing body, soul and spirit. 

    A week later, we had the national meeting of youth leaders, aimed at aligning the work, listening to the challenges of young people in different regions of Brazil and integration among leaders and prayer time. The leaders were challenged to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, taking young people to God’s presence and making disciples. 

    In mid-October we held the national congress of pastors and leaders with the theme: This is God’s time for us. More than 170 people participated. We had speakers from COBIM itself who dealt with the subject of our DNA, our identity in Jesus, as people of the Book, of the Kingdom, and of the Church; it is time for healing – we cannot be spiritually healthy if we are emotionally immature; it is time to return to the first love, to God, to the called ones, and to the lost ones; it is time for the church to multiply and to send workers to all the states in Brazil and abroad. 

    We are deeply blessed by the Lord. 

    —Paul Dück, ICOMB Update 

    ICOMB
    The International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) is made up of 22 national churches in 19 countries. ICOMB also has associate members in more than 20 countries, all at different points along the pathway to full membership. ICOMB exists to facilitate relationships and ministries to enhance the witness and discipleship of its member national churches – connecting, strengthening and expanding.

  • Stephanie Setiawan from Sidoarjo, Indonesia, had no plan to go to Latin America. She applied for Mennonite Central Committee’s International Volunteer Exchange Program in 2013/2014, but the slot for her synod was already taken. The coordinators offered her a YAMEN placement in Colombia instead.  

    As a result, Stephanie Setiawan discovered a love for Latin culture and training for future service. “I am so grateful to have served in Colombia. There, God prepared me for serving at Assembly in Indonesia,” she says. 

    The Young Anabaptist Mennonite Exchange Network (YAMEN) program is a joint program between Mennonite World Conference and Mennonite Central Committee. It places emphasis on expanding the fellowship between churches in the Anabaptist tradition and developing young leaders around the globe. Participants spend one year in a cross-cultural assignment starting in August and ending the following July. 

    “I’d never paid attention to Colombia before,” Stephanie Setiawan says, but she began to learn. She initiated correspondence with a young person from the church where she would be serving. “It felt great to have a friendship before I went there.” 

    “When I arrived, I didn’t speak any Spanish and my host family could not speak English. They were so committed to teaching me the language,” she says. “They explained Spanish words; if there were things, they showed them; if there’s an action, they acted it out for me. Every time we had free time, they gave it to conversation with me.” 

    In her service placement, “the children were so patient,” she says. She showed them pictures to teach English vocabulary and the children taught her Spanish in turn.  

    After several months, Stephanie Setiawan was able to speak and understand Spanish, but “I still didn’t get the jokes. It’s weird when people are talking and I couldn’t see the funny things. One day when I laughed, it felt really good. Finally, I could get the interactions.” 

    “It would be great to meet more people from other cultures,” she thought, as the YAMEN program introduced her to friends from around the world. She began to anticipate the MWC Assembly in Indonesia which her host mom told her about. “It would be really powerful to worship God together with our diversity.” 

    When Assembly arrived, Indonesian language coordinator Ary Rusdianto turned to Stephanie Setiawan, now working as web communications assistant for MWC. Interpreters for Spanish and Indonesian were scarce: she knew both languages.  

    “I’ve never been a translator. I rarely talk in a big group. This is the biggest stage in my life. If I had an option I would say no,” says Stephanie Setiawan. Friends encouraged her and helped her prepare.  

    And she remembered the neighbourhood Barrio Tokio in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia.  

    Part of her YAMEN work took her to this neighbourhood with a difficult reputation. “Never once did I feel afraid,” she says. “My interaction with children and parents is still fresh in my memory. I felt the peace of God in that place and the warmness of those people.” 

    The miracle of peace amid uncertainty occurred again on stage in Salatiga as she interpreted for José Rutilio Rivas. “It was an honour to serve in this way.” 

    “I feel it is really important to have connections to people from around the world,” she says. “When you embrace the differences and diversity you can grow, and your soul can be rich. There is always something good in another culture just waiting to learn.  

    “When you know someone from far away is praying for you, it will touch your heart. It’s important for us to pray for our brother and sister around the world especially when you know they are facing difficulty.”  

    YAMEN 2022-2023 Participants

    Name  Country of origin  Country of placement  Member church  
    *indicates MWC member church 
    Emilia Macono Guzman  Bolivia  México  Sinai Evangelical Mennonite Church (IEMB) *
    Uziel Zambrana Hurtado  Bolivia  Colombia  Smyrna Evangelical Mennonite Church*
    Sina Dy Cambodia  Kenya  Community of Changed Hearts Church 
    Sokvoleak Chum  Cambodia  Uganda  Tumnup Tek Khmer Evangelical Church 
    Sovanich Chhoun  Cambodia  Nicaragua  Nation Church Phnom Penh 
    Lilibeth Guzman Macea  Colombia  Honduras Communidad Menonita Nueva Vida en Cristo Jesus 
    Nidia Marleny Linares Martinez  El Salvador  México  Mennonite Evangelical Church of El Salvador* 
    Esther Abigail Aguilar Velasquez  Honduras  Bolivia  Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de Santa Rosa de Copan 
    Eve Franklin  India  Kenya  Mennonite Church Durg (MCI, Dhamtari)* 
    Mahima Tandi  India  Uganda  Bethlehem Mennonite Church Memra Pithora (BGCMC)* 
    Shepher Sona  India  Cambodia  Hebron Mennonite Church (BGCMC)* 
    Cahya Putri Wulansari  Indonesia  Rwanda  GITJ Kelet* 
    Johana Christianti  Indonesia  Burkina Faso  GKMI Bogor* 
    Setyawan “Adi” Nugroho  Indonesia  Bolivia  GKMI Kudus*
    Rael Kiptoo  Kenya  Uganda  Shalom Mennonite Church 
    Sarah Pariken  Kenya  Cambodia  Dominion Chapel International Ministries 
    Febe Daniella Madirgal Salgado  Nicaragua  Guatemala  Fuente de Vida (Convenci√≥n de Iglesias Menonitas)* 
    Melania Elizabeth Chaparro  Paraguay  Honduras  Dulce Refugio 
    Monika Warkentin  Germany/Paraguay  Palestine and Israel  Iglesia Hermanos Menonitas Concordia (AHM)* 
    Denise Dushime  Rwanda  India  Gatenga Evangelical Friends Church 
    Yejin Kim South Korea  Bolivia  Jesus Heart Church 
    Sondobi “Daniel” Chacha Sondobi  Tanzania  Cambodia  KMT Bukiroba*  
    Ladia Zulu  Zambia  Cambodia  Baptist Community Church 

     

    ‚ÄîA Mennonite World Conference and Mennonite Central Committee joint release by Karla Braun, a writer for Mennonite World Conference who lives in Winnipeg.  

    The Young Anabaptist Mennonite Exchange Network (YAMEN) program is a joint program between Mennonite World Conference and Mennonite Central Committee. It places emphasis on expanding the fellowship between churches in the Anabaptist tradition and developing young leaders around the globe. Participants spend one year in a cross-cultural assignment starting in August and ending the following July.  

  • GKMI Petra-Depok, Indonesia, celebrated being a new creation on Peace Sunday, 18 September 2022, with a special guest. Sadanand Hembrom joined the service from India by video. 

    For the last few years, GKMI Petra-Depok in greater Jakarta has been going beyond their church walls to spread the good news. Before the pandemic, they had several mission trips to remote areas on different islands in Indonesia.  

    After the 2022 MWC global Assembly, their vision expanded beyond the borders of Indonesia. Eight delegates from the congregation had attended the Assembly and three young adults attended the Global Youth Summit (GYS). 

    “We realize that there are church congregations outside Indonesia that we need to know and we can give support in prayer or even by sharing our resources with them,” says Ary Rusdianto, a church leader who was also interpretation coordinator for Indonesian during Assembly.  

    The congregation’s GYS participants suggested Sadanand Hembrom, GYS delegate from Brethren in Christ Church Nepal, should speak to the church on Peace Sunday. Ary Rusdianto had interpreted him into Indonesia during the satellite service from GKMI Solo.  

    “Inviting someone from other parts of the world to share on a specific occasion at church is a good way to know each other better and support each other,” says Ary Rusdianto. “It shows that we are part of the global family.”  

    “Besides that, we think about the great potential of young generations for the future life of the church.” 

    At the end of his presentation, Sadanand Hembrom asked for prayer for church planters, for people affected by heavy rains and floods, and for the activities of his national church, BIC Nepal.  

    “In our congregation, our understanding and view toward other people is wider, and we have more joy to experience it,” says Ary Rusdianto. 

    Watch video

    You can use MWC’s Peace Sunday materials at any time in the year. 

  • 26 August 1930–30 October 2022 

    Raúl O. García, Mennonite World Conference president 1990-1997 died 30 October 2022. A long-term pastor, teacher and professor, he was born in Argentina 26 August 1930.  

    Converted as a Mennonite from a Catholic family at age 14, his pastoral gifts were recognized and 10 years later, he was appointed assistant pastor at Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Pehuajó, in a city inland from Buenos Aires, Argentina.  

    The next year, Raúl García graduated from university as a translator and teacher of English left for the USA to study at Goshen College Biblical Seminary.  

    There he re-encountered Anita Schwartzentruber, daughter of missionaries in Argentina, and they were married 28 July 1956. 

    They returned to Argentina where he took up pastoral leadership at Pehuajó again in addition to teaching English in high school and later serving as director. 

    He played a major role in the development of biblical-theological education for South American leadership. Over the years, he served as chairman of the Board of the Mennonite Seminary in Uruguay and Paraguay, and board chair of the Argentine Evangelical Mennonite Church (IEMA) Conference. 

    Raúl O. García was the first president of Mennonite World Conference to come from Latin America. He was installed at the 1990 Assembly in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  

    He authored “I Am A Christian Evangelical Anabaptist” in English and Spanish which was also translated into Portuguese. 

    In 2004, Goshen College (USA) awarded Raúl and Anita García their “Culture for Service” Award in recognition of their lives of exemplary service. 

    Raúl O. García is survived by his wife Anita Schwarzentruber García and their three sons. 

    Comments from MWC leaders: 

    In late July 1990, Raúl and Anita García went to the MWC Assembly in Winnipeg, they said, not expecting “anything important to happen. Just to be there and enjoy the fellowship.” But something important and totally unexpected did happen: Raúl was elected president of Mennonite World Conference. His first words, like those of Pope Francis decades later, were “Pray for me. If the Lord has put me in this place, he will help me with the grace and wisdom needed to keep involved.” The Lord did provide Raúl grace and wisdom as he presided gently over MWC during a period of historic change in the Anabaptist-Mennonite world and corresponding changes in MWC. In 1994, for the first time, the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ family numbered more members in the Global South than in the Global North, inspiring MWC’s initial steps from “conference” to “communion,” the establishment of the Global Church Sharing Fund, a reconceptualization of the global Assembly and more. In his first message as MWC president, addressed to the 32 000 people gathered in the Winnipeg stadium (probably the largest gathering of Anabaptist-Mennonites in history) Raúl spoke from his heart as he so often did: “If we have been faithful, there is joy in heaven for each one of us who has been a witness.” Raúl has been a witness. Raúl has kept the faith. There is joy in heaven! And gratefulness on earth. 
    —Larry Miller, former MWC general secretary (1990-2011) 

    For over six decades, Raúl O. García was faithfully engaged in multiple forms of service work. Co-workers, church members, and students experienced him as faithful, kind, thoughtful, reliable, productive and much more. He was a mentor to hundreds in Argentina and beyond. 
    —Daniel Schipani, Professor Emeritus, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary 

    “It was with sadness that I received the news of the death of our dear brother Raúl García. I was always impressed by his humility, simplicity, love for serving Jesus Christ and concern to honour our Anabaptist heritage and values. We had many good conversations, among them, regarding the progress of our churches in South America. He faithfully fulfilled his calling. May the Lord comfort his family.” 
    —Hans Gerhard Peters, Aliança Evangélica Menonita, Brazil  (Executive Committee representative for Latin America 1990-1997) 

    In every church meeting I have participated in [with pastor Raúl García], we have had a time of sharing that has been a great blessing for the life of the church in Argentina. 
    —Elvio Danilo Cayul, pastor, Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Argentina 

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