“In Germany environmental care has been on the public agenda already for a very long time, making it a part of our church’s collective conscience for a while. We are trying different ways to make good on the belief that we are to be God’s stewards of creation.”
What is the best thing you can do to help with the climate crisis?
The answer given by Katharine Hayhoe, a noted climate scientist and evangelical Christian, may surprise you: We should talk about climate change more with those around us. A faithful response to creation care starts with talking about it, which then leads to other action.
Understandably, the natural response is rather to avoid talking about fraught topics like the climate crisis.
Dora Schmidt
For instance, survey data in the United States shows that although 72% of Americans think global warming is happening, only 35% of Americans talk about it at least occasionally. This is an astonishing disconnect between what we know, and what we talk about, and calls us to be attentive to how much we include climate in our church conversations.
So do we talk about climate change in our churches?
Is creation care actually a part of our “collective conscience” as a church, as suggested by this quote from Germany?
The Creation Care Task Force asked MWC members how often they hear about creation care in their churches and from their leaders.
1. Most churches have talked about creation care.
Roy Kaufman
Most respondents heard about creation care at least occasionally or a few times in their church, with a quarter to a third saying they hear about creation care frequently or even weekly.
Interestingly, there were broad similarities across regions in how often churches are including creation care in their church life, despite churches in different regions facing different challenges in their everyday lives (see “How does climate change intersect with other community challenges?“).
Although it’s encouraging that most people hear about creation care in the church, the lower number that reported hearing about it frequently points toward a need to make the topic more central in church. In fact, there are some congregations where creation care is never mentioned, and many respondents expressed disappointment and frustration at how infrequently they hear about this topic in their worshipping community.
“The church itself has done little to address climate change, other than through leadership seeking to raise awareness of the issue. As in many rural communities, climate change is often dismissed because it seems to represent a threat to the dominant agricultural paradigm currently employed.”
—Roy Kaufman, member of Salem-Zion Mennonite Church, Freeman, South Dakota, USA
2. Church leadership values creation care.
Respondents were evenly split on reporting that church leadership is ‘very aware’ (44%) or ‘somewhat aware’ (47%) of the importance of caring for creation; only a small fraction (8%) felt that leadership was ‘not very aware’.
Broken down between pastors and members, the results showed that both leaders and lay members have similar perceptions that church leaders value care for creation – at least to some degree.
With the increasing impact of environmental issues on communities, talking more about it is a critical step toward making creation care a central activity for the church. Normalizing creation care discussions is an important step toward taking action as individuals and communities.
3. Churches incorporate creation care into teaching and worship in diverse ways.
Moses David Livingstone
In addition to incorporating creation care into sermons, Sunday Schools, Bible studies, and other conventional church activities, survey respondents reported a wide range of creative ways that creation care is a part of their church life.
For instance, teachings and worship take forms like seminars, public prayers, a climate youth service, children’s stories and a weekly climate challenge.
Some churches include creation care in ritual, such as holding reflections, participating in Season of Creation, or incorporating it into holidays (such as the North American Thanksgiving holiday).
Other activities were more outward-facing, such as ecumenical celebrations, interfaith conversations and starting citizen initiatives.
Still others embedded creation care in church structure, by creating a climate action committee, a creation care ministry team, or a reflection and work group on creation care.
“Our synod arranges curriculum based on 5 characters: love, truth, justice, peace, and integrity of creation. Those are divided as annual themes. Especially in the year of the integrity of creation, our community programs focus on environmental degradation topic, including the climate change.”
—Moses David Livingstone, GKMI (Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia) Kudus, Indonesia; also chaplain of Yayasan Bina Pelayanan Masehi (YBPM) Kudus foundation.
Indonesia
Creation care is clearly a central theme for some churches such as the Indonesian church quoted above. The diversity of activities reported in the survey likewise illustrate the many ways that churches take creation care seriously in teaching and worship. These church rituals and other activities around creation care are important ways that lead us to further engage the climate crisis as followers of Jesus.
Join us next month to explore how churches around the world report taking creation care action.
Response/Prayer
The GKMI church in Kudus, Indonesia sheltered 150-200 climate refugees for three weeks after 2014 floods. After that, says Moses David Livingstone, church leaders committed to become more aware about the global climate threat and to learn about environmental preservation
Photo: courtesy Moses David Livingstone
Seek conversation:
Make a list of five people in your life with whom you have never discussed the climate crisis.
As you think of each person, what barriers prevent you from discussing the issue?
What benefits might come from bringing it up?
Pray for opportunities that enable these conversations to happen.
Affirm creation care leadership:
Where in your congregation have you seen attention to caring for the earth?
Whether this was the action of a pastor or a pre-school class, thank the people involved.
Can you think of ways the church could take this word or act further?
Welcome to a series on environmental problems and the global church.
These stories illuminate
a) how Anabaptist-Mennonites are affected by environmental degradation,
b) what Anabaptist-Mennonites think about environmental issues,
c) how Anabaptist-Mennonites are responding.
Following a 5-year conversation with theologians from the Roman Catholic and Lutheran traditions, the Faith and Life Committee invited the members of Mennonite World Conference to consider our practices of Anabaptist together at Renewal 2027 in two webinars entitled “Believe and Be Baptized: A Global Conversation on Baptism.”
The second webinar examined the report: Baptism and Incorporation into the Body of Christ, the Church — Lutheran-Mennonite-Roman Catholic Trilateral Conversations 2012–2017.
Thomas R Yoder Neufeld interviewed Larry Miller, co-secretary of the Mennonite delegation in the trilateral conversations.
Learning from the Mennonite-Catholic-Lutheran Conversations on Baptism
Tom Yoder Neufeld
Can you tell us how these conversations came about?
Larry Miller
The trilateral conversation on baptism grew out of two previous Mennonite World Conference conversations, one with the Catholic Church (1998-2003) and the other with the Lutheran World Federation (2005-2008). In each case, it was the first official conversation at the global level between these churches and the Anabaptist-Mennonite family of faith since the conflicts of the 16th century – conflicts not least over the meaning and practice of baptism.
The goal of each of those conversations was better understanding of and better relationships with one another.
A foundational point of divergence highlighted in both conversations was baptism.
The question of focused conversation on baptism arose with these two churches at about the same time (2009-2010). MWC leadership agreed that such conversation was important, but thought that we could not undertake simultaneously two global conversations on baptism. So, we proposed a trilateral dialogue.
Tom Yoder Neufeld
Were there surprises, both positive and negative?
Larry Miller
Yes, there were some of each of those for the MWC delegation.
We were surprised to hear the Catholic delegation report that some Catholic theologians refer to adult baptism as “normative” in Catholic doctrinal and liturgical history since, as they said, “it is the form that fully expresses the meaning of baptism” and that Catholic “history clearly shows that it is the rite for adults that is the model of the baptismal process” (Report, §79 and footnote 97).
We were surprised by the ready theological agreement on the different elements included on the path of incorporation into the church and life in the body of Christ: the loving initiative of God’s grace, the human response of faith and commitment, times of catechism and spiritual formation, a life-long process of growing in the faith and discipleship.
We were surprised by how strongly the three delegations agreed that baptism is for discipleship. Baptism into discipleship is not only a Mennonite thing!
For me, this is one of the most important fruits of the conversation. “All three of our churches see repentance, faith and committed discipleship as necessarily related to Christian life within the body of Christ, the Church, which has as one of its essential starting points the celebration and reception of baptism” (Report, §79).
I was surprised and humbled to feel that it seemed more difficult for us Mennonites to confess the tension between our ideal theology of baptism and the way we too often don’t live out the implications of our baptism than it seemed to be for the Catholic and the Lutheran delegations to confess the gap between their theology and, sometimes, their practice.
I was surprised and embarrassed to learn, as I listened to the Catholic and Lutheran delegations, how little I have considered the deep pain some Catholics and Lutherans feel when we automatically reject the validity of their baptisms, especially when they opened the path of the baptized to repentance, confession of faith, and a life of discipleship.
Tom Yoder Neufeld
Were there obstacles that emerged during your interactions?
Larry Miller
How were we to present contemporary Anabaptist-Mennonite understandings and practices given the diversity of understandings and practices in our worldwide family of faith today?
As general secretary of MWC for a couple of decades, I was deeply aware of this diversity. Even between the several different churches from which delegation members came, there was significant diversity. This is why in the “Concluding Mennonite Reflections” of the report (§116-133) the delegation speaks only for itself: not for Mennonite World Conference, not for the wider Anabaptist-Mennonite family of faith.
After five years of meetings, each one with multiple presentations and intense debate, how do we write a final report that can only include what each delegation considers essential?
Tom Yoder Neufeld
What were the greatest gifts received? Did you come away grateful for what God has graced us with, in our own communion in relation to baptism?
Larry Miller
I did come away grateful for what God has given to the church through the Anabaptist-Mennonite family of faith, thanks to our understandings and practices of baptism. In these conversations and already in the preparation for them, I saw more clearly the significance of this gift not only for ourselves, but for the entire Christian church.
The conversations made clear how significantly the situation has changed since the 16th century.
Then, believers baptism as practiced by Anabaptists provoked hostility and sometimes persecution by Lutheran and Catholic authorities.
Now, those churches officially recognize and respect Anabaptist-Mennonite baptism of persons not previously baptized. I think that this transformation is a sign that God’s grace has worked through us in spite of our weaknesses and failures.
What are the greatest gifts offered to us in this dialogue?
The “challenges” we received from the other churches (cf. paragraphs 124-130), especially:
The challenge to better hold together in our understanding of conversion and baptism an awareness of our continuing tendency to go against God, on the one hand, and the possibility of faithfully following Jesus Christ, on the other.
The challenge not to allow our concern for the human response in conversion, commitment and baptism to overshadow God’s initiative in every aspect of salvation, including baptism. Adult baptism begins with God’s act of grace, not with my personal confession of faith. Discipleship depends on God’s enduring grace, not on my proper baptism.
The challenge to develop greater consistency and depth in preparing people for baptism and in making remembrance of our baptisms a recurrent motif of discipleship. Believers baptism is a life-long journey not a one-day event, even if it is adult baptism.
If we take these challenging gifts seriously, I believe that we will be enriched immeasurably.
Tom Yoder Neufeld
A coronavirus baptism in Canada. Photo supplied
The Mennonite delegation have put recommendations to us as churches of the MWC: namely, that we “consider” taking into membership those who were once baptized as infants, who have owned their baptism and lived it out faithfully, and that we do so without requiring (re) baptism. Could you elaborate on that?
Larry Miller
At the end of the trilateral conversation and report, the MWC delegation reaffirmed the “historic belief” of Anabaptist-Mennonite churches that “the baptism of believers is the normative teaching and practice of the New Testament” and that “this teaching and practice is normative today” (§131).
Anabaptist-Mennonite believers “with the whole body of Christ in trinitarian faith lived out through trust in and obedience to Jesus Christ” (§132). Taken together, these two affirmations raise implicitly the question of how we bear witness to oneness in Christ when we are divided in some aspects of our understandings and practices of a foundational Christian act, baptism
The problem may not be quite as great for the Catholic church and for Lutheran churches. Both are deeply pained by our rejection of their infant baptisms since they feel it is also a rejection of what they believe to be Christ’s gracious action and promise, in infant baptism, of communion with Christ.
Nevertheless, today, both officially recognize and accept as valid Anabaptist-Mennonite baptism of persons not previously baptized.
They have moved a long way since the 16th century!
The situation may be more difficult for us since we do not affirm or practice infant baptism. It may be most complicated for us in those cases where a person seeking membership in an AnabaptistMennonite church was baptized as an infant but has previously, as an adult, confirmed personal faith in Christ and been living a life of committed discipleship. Must that person be baptized again? Or is a public personal confession of faith and commitment to continued discipleship sufficient for membership in an Anabaptist congregation?
In regard to a still more specific question, what should an AnabaptistMennonite church do if the candidate for church membership requests rebaptism? Could the process of discernment prior to reception of th is believer into the Anabaptist-Mennonite church include a conversation between the candidate, the church of origin, and the receiving church out of respect for one another, to bear witness to one another, and thus together to seek more unity in the body of Christ, including the local body of Christ?
The delegation proposed (§133a) that consideration be given these questions by our churches as we seek to affirm both baptism for following Christ – discipleship – and oneness in Christ.
The delegation also proposes (§133c) that, however these questions are answered, our churches ask all members – including those being received from churches with infant baptismal practices – to affirm our historic understanding and practice of adult believers baptism.
and practice of adult believers baptism. I would like to call attention to the fact that the delegation suggests several other ideas for consideration which may contribute more significantly to the shaping of our churches’ spiritual life than does the matter of how we receive believers baptized as infants (cf. §133d-f)
Specifically, the delegation suggests that our churches consider:
Looking for ways of enriching or developing practices of thanksgiving and blessing for infants, for their parents, and for the local nurturing congregations.
Providing occasions for all members to “remember their baptism” and to renew their baptismal commitment to a life of discipleship.
Reflecting on why it has been so difficult for many churches of our tradition to hold together faithful discipleship and unity with one another and with others. We are a church known ecumenically not only for adult baptism and Christian discipleship but also for church splits.
Tom Yoder Neufeld
Any final comments you’d like to share?
Larry Miller
The report is published “as a study document” – not as a legislative document – in the hope that, through wide discussion both within the three communions and beyond, it will contribute to “better mutual understanding and greater faithfulness to Jesus Christ.”
That is certainly my hope: that our three communions grow in faithfulness to Jesus Christ.
Tom Yoder Neufeld
It is my prayer and all of ours that the efforts of you and the others who participated in these six years of conversation will enable us to become more faithful to our baptismal vows in how we live out our new life in Christ.
A baptism in Thailand. Photo courtesy ICOMB
Surprising gifts
We can sense the great gift that comes when sisters and brothers, who have often been deeply at odds with each other, take courage to live into the unity we have in Christ. This is a unity not dependent on agreement, but on the foundational reality that it is the same God who in Christ, through the Spirit, has brought us together into the one body of Christ.
We practice believers baptism because practically all our members are converted members. (They don’t come from a Mennonite or protestant or evangelical family.) Baptism is an important part to commit to following Jesus with a community of believers who confess Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and together they want to follow Jesus. —Carlos Garc√≠a Mart√≠nez, Mexico
In this exchange with Catholics and Lutherans we have an example of that gift of the Spirit being received together with communions we have been deeply estranged from over one of the central events in a Christian’s life, baptism.
Let me highlight a few “surprising gifts” from the report.
Grace
For Catholics and Lutherans, baptism is first and foremost God’s act of grace. God is the actor in this sacrament, whether baptism of infants or adults. This is how God deals with “original sin” and begins the lifelong work of transformation and incorporation into the body of Christ.
This can help us understand why Catholics and Lutherans believe it is important to offer such saving grace already at the very beginning of a person’s life. True, faith is required, but in cases of infants it is primarily the faith of parents and church. We can then also better understand why Catholics and Lutherans are troubled by Anabaptists rejecting the baptism of infants. In their eyes, we are rejecting the gracious action of God.
Of course, as Anabaptists, we too treasure God’s grace. In the Anabaptist understanding it is God’s grace through the Spirit that calls persons and enables them to seek God, to offer their lives to God, and, finally, in baptism to pledge themselves to following Christ in discipleship and participation in the local gathering of believers.
All of that is the enabling and saving grace of God at work – before, during and after baptism.
Nevertheless, might we too easily lose sight of God’s grace when we as Anabaptists put such emphasis on the believer’s own decision to seek baptism, and to commit to discipleship and church?
Discipleship
Another surprising gift Larry identified was to learn that discipleship is not a Mennonite or Anabaptist concern only, but one Catholics and Lutherans share.
Of course, there were serious differences among the delegations on what discipleship looks like.
For example, one serious difference between the communions is how the church relates to the state and its demands, especially the bearing of arms. And that connects, of course, to the central importance Anabaptists place on nonresistance and nonviolence.
All agreed strongly, however, that baptism is intimately linked to discipleship, to “living out our baptism,” as they put it in the Report.
Falling short in living out our baptism
All three communions named and lamented the great distance that exists between often beautiful and profound theology of baptism, on one hand, and the way many of the baptized fail to “live out their baptism,” on other.
We can join Catholics and Lutherans in stressing the importance of formation, as the Catholics put it, or “remembering baptism” as Lutherans like to speak of it.
Perhaps as Mennonites we can recover something of the basic meaning of being a disciple, namely, to be a student, a learner. And that means also teaching about baptism and how to live it.
Taking up the invitation of Mennonites “to consider”
The Mennonite delegates fully affirm that “believers baptism” is the most biblically faithful understanding.
The second conviction is that we must be biblically faithful as well to Christ’s prayer that we live into the unity we have by God’s grace with those who too are members of the body of the Christ.
The Mennonite delegation is asking us to honour both the desire to be biblically faithful and Christ’s call to living into the unity God has already created in Christ through his Spirit.
It is an astonishing moment in time when members of Christ’s body that have often been so very tragically hostile to each other are jointly wanting to build each other up, together to encourage Christians to be more faithful in discipleship to Christ in living out their baptism.
Let’s take this splendid opportunity as an Anabaptist/Mennonite family of churches to make this call for living out and into our baptism a central part of our Renewal process leading up to 2028 – and beyond.
Thomas R Yoder Neufeld is chair of the Faith and Life Commission. Theology professor emeritus, he is a member of First Mennonite Church, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
“And I sought for anyone among them who would repair the wall and stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land,” writes the prophet Ezekiel (22:30). On 19 November 2021, more than 110 members of Mennonite World Conference from Argentina to Zimbabwe rose to pray for the world.
At MWC’s bimonthly online prayer hour, participants lift their hearts before God, shouldering burdens together in the world-wide family of faith.
In November, prayers rise for the follow concerns and more:
Christians facing persecution in India and Nepal.
Migrants in Latin America, and for the families of people who have disappeared due to violence in Mexico.
Political elections and church leadership gatherings in Nepal and Zambia.
Violence and insecurity in Uganda, Ethiopia, Myanmar and Hong Kong.
Destruction of creation, and the natural disasters that result, such as flooding in British Columbia, Canada.
Despite challenges, “We don’t live in fear; we live by faith,” says Jeremiah Choi, regional representative for Hong Kong.
It is very difficult to go to the northern part of Ethiopia after the war broke out. Despite the security concerns, when I heard that members of our church in western Tigray were in difficult conditions, I organized a team. We would go there to show our love for MKC members in the area.
The situation is dire. Prewar infrastructure, housing and commercial activity are no longer there. It’s empty.
We were able to visit the towns where MKC local churches still exist. At a place called Abduraf, there was a new convert who received training in basic Christian doctrines and was ready for water baptism. Unfortunately, before he was baptized, the war broke out. Church leaders were scattered; the new believer could not get water baptism.
When we visited the area, this new believer came and asked me to baptize him. When I inquired about his testimony, the local believers told me that he had learned the truth but had not yet been baptized.
We often baptize people in a river or in a big bathtub. Neither was available in the area. I told him that baptism was not possible there.
The new believer thought a little and told me that I could baptize him in a barrel.
But there was scarcity of water in the area. Undeterred, he and other believers purchased jerkins of water and filled the barrel with water.
Then I began to wonder how this man could get into a barrel. He replied, “I have military training, I can.”
The believers brought me a white robe with a cross for me to look like a priest. They also brought one for the new believer. I dressed him in a white robe with a cross and baptized him in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
To my surprise, he was filled with the Holy Spirit as soon as he got out of the barrel. I was amazed! I had never seen a person filled with the Holy Spirit in such a difficult situation.
Everyone thanked God. We forgot that we were in an insecure zone. We all felt God’s presence.
What was happening seemed to be like watching a drama, not a reality. It was a unique incident to witness.
After he was baptized, the believers received him by singing. They gave him hugs one by one and said, “Congratulations.”
Our brother rejoiced that he was baptized.
“In an impossible situation, God opened the way for me to be baptized. This day is historic for me. God sent the president of our church to baptize me.”
God is everywhere regardless of the situations and is doing God’s business when we are willing to go into the world and share the good news to people.
Desalegn Abebe is president of Meserete Kristos Church (Christ our Foundation), an MWC member church in Ethiopia.
Let us remember in prayer the people of British Columbia in western Canada. After a summer of heat waves and wildfires, a series of storms is battering the region, causing serious flooding and landslides. Thousands of homes and farms are affected in this region where many Mennonite and Mennonite Brethen church mebmers live and work.
The prophet Jonah describes his storm experience this way:
The waters closed in over me; the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped around my head at the roots of the mountains.
I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever;
yet you brought up my life from the Pit, O Lord my God (Jonah 2:5-6).
Merciful God, deliver people of British Columbia from storm and from the pit of despair! As waters recede, provide material resources and spiritual support for recovery.
May your name be glorified by the generosity of all who come to the aid of those who suffer.
In the name of Jesus who calmed the storm, Amen.
J. Nelson Kraybill
President, MWC
Mark Wenger, singer, bass
Franconia Mennonite Church, Telford, Pennsylvania, USA
Assembly 16: PA 2015
“I was the old guy in the worship team. My favorite memory is the exuberance and joy of making music together with songs from all around the world. It was hard work in preparation, but terrific fun in the performance and leading.”
“The global Mennonite family has matured and is mutually enriching and supporting congregations all around the world. North America is not the center of the Mennonite church, nor its theology. I regularly remind my congregation about this.”
Paul Dueck, conductor
Canada
Assembly 15: Paraguay 2009
“MWC Assembly in Paraguay in 2009 was a mountaintop experience for me. It was a great privilege for me to work with a group of amazing musicians and together lead in the singing at the worship sessions. I keep in contact with most of the people in this group.”
“One of the most memorable experiences was when the lights went out in the middle of the day. Since the church had no windows, we sat in total darkness. [The music team] scrambled onto the stage and miraculously were able to lead familiar heart songs in several languages until the lights were restored. The final song was ‘Siyahamba’ (We are marching in the light of God).”
Agus Setianto, singer
GKMI Gloria Patri, Semarang, Indonesia
Assembly 14: Zimbabwe 2003
“An unforgettable moment was when I led the morning worship and Marilyn Houser Hamm, our leader, announced that I was celebrating my birthday that day. On 16 August 2003, 7 000 people from all over the world, sang for me on my birthday! That was amazing.”
Marisol Arriaga Aranda, singer and guitarist
Mexico
Assembly 16: PA 2015
“Todo el encuentro del congreso mundial menonita para mí es un recuerdo maravilloso, pero en especial les contaré cuando estábamos en uno de los momentos de oración previa a la participación coral… Mi hermana me comunicó que operarían de emergencia a mi sobrinita de 9 años. En ese momento yo quise compartir con todo el grupo que intercedieran por mi sobrina y fue un momento de comunión muy hermosa. esto dio paz a mi corazón y comuniqué a mi hermana que en el grupo coral estuvimos orando por mi sobrina. Agradezco a Dios que la operación de mi sobrina salió bien.”
“Me ha motivado a tener una visión global de nuestras comunidades anabautistas. Sobre todo, en la unión e integración de culturas y naciones que enriquecen nuestra manera de hacer comunidad; un ambiente libre, creativo y lleno de esperanza. Un lugar de adoración con una atmósfera de multiforme gracia de Dios.”
Saptojoadi, Singer and guitarist
GITJ Banyutowo, Indonesia
Assembly 15: Paraguay 2009
“I was very excited to be member of international choir and music at the Assembly. I played a borrowed guitar with two others. For one week, my new musician friends Paraguay, Canada, USA, Germany, France and DR Congo practiced 42 songs from many countries. I enjoyed the traditional music of Paraguay.”
“In the Assembly service, Mr. Paul Dueck gave me opportunity to sing [my original composition] Dhuh Pangeran twice. I was so proud singing my song before about 5 000 people from around the world. I am so proud too because many people like this song. Because of Dhuh Pangeran, I know people in MWC and friends from Voices Together Hymnal editor and many Anabaptist people.”
“I continue singing from the MWC International Songbook (2009) at home. I have translated some of them. and converted the note music into number notation. I want to show those songs to our members church and sing them in our language.”
“Dodó Miranda” Adão João Gomes de Miranda, vocalist
Angola
Assembly 16: PA 2015
“I have learned a lot from last conference specially tolerance, and paying more attention to other. May God keep capacitating us to better serve his ministry.”
Take refuge in the Lord
This devotional is inspired by the question “What now?” as church leaders assess the changes that have come about due to COVID-19.
Psalm 73 reflects the understandable frustration when the expectations of Psalm 1 do not pan out in lived experience.
Here the psalmist sees the “prosperity (shalom) of the wicked” rather than the ‘righteous.’ Their ‘peace’ is comprehensive and ‘in your face’ – they are physically healthy, well-fed and do not suffer problems. To make matters worse, they don’t hide their wickedness but are full of pride and “threaten oppression,” multiplying their wealth while others suffer.
In short, exactly those whose way should “perish” (Psalm 1:6) are not only doing well, but lording it over others. The world is upside down…
The psalmist despairs. Like Job, he wonders whether there was no point in keeping his “heart clean” or being innocent. Despite his best efforts, the predictable reward that Psalm 1 suggests simply isn’t happening; it’s not fair!
The striking change of perspective, his moment of reorientation, occurs upon entering the sanctuary (vs 17).
He is convinced that the prosperity of the wicked is temporary; he still hopes that they will stumble, but it might take a while. Even more importantly, no longer is the LORD seen as ‘Santa Claus,’ who punishes the ‘naughty’ and rewards the ‘nice’; relationship with God has become its own reward.
“Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you,” (Psalm 73:25).
Though the psalmist does not completely move away from a retributive mindset (v. 27 repeats the conviction that “those who are far from you will perish”), the determining factor now has become relational (one’s nearness or distance from God). Rather than being envious of the prosperity of the wicked, as at the outset, the psalmist revels in a closer relationship with God.
The final claim underscores a crucial motif in the Psalms, often linked to prayer itself (compare with Psalm 2:11; 91:2). The act of coming to God, in frustration and even anger, represents a key way of “taking refuge” in the LORD.
—An MWC article by W. Derek Suderman, professor of Old Testament (theological studies) at Conrad Grebel University College, Canada, who attends Stirling Ave. Mennonite Church, Kitchener, Ont., Canada.
Recognizing how the pandemic has changed rituals, habits and expectations around church-going, MennoMedia has developed a series of devotionals, reflections, and practical tools is meant to equip pastors and congregations and nurture community: “What now? Leading churches through COVID.”
Assembly team reflects on why they keep coming back for more
Many people serving the Mennonite World Conference today started as participants or delegates to its six-yearly Assembly. Here, Assembly staff members share how Assembly transformed their view of the church: from local to global, from small to significant; from giver-recipient relationship to equal partners in the ministry; and why they crave this global fellowship.
From participants / delegates of past Assemblies
Liesa Unger, Germany, MWC chief international events officer
My first Assembly was Strasbourg 1984, France, when I was 20 years old. We went there by bicycle, riding 100km from our church in Germany. It was such a life- changing experience that I went to every single Assembly since, because I want more of those encounters with people from around the world that touch my life and broaden my perspective.
Ebenezer Mondez, the Philippines, YABs committee member and Assembly registration assistant
I went to the Assembly in Pennsylvania 2015 as a Global Youth Summit (GYS) delegate with no background of the global Mennonite family. I come from a country that always has foreign missionaries. We have always been the recipient. The Assembly made me realize that I have a gift to share too. I come from a very small church with no more than 1 000 members nationally, but I was chosen to be part of the YABs (Young AnaBaptists) Committee, serving the global young generation of the church in a small way. To me, it’s remarkable that I can share something I have…even though I’m not white and I have no theological education. I can contribute to the kingdom of God – we all can. And that’s the amazing global Mennonite family to me.
Tigist Tesfaye, Ethiopia, Assembly volunteer coordinator and Young Anabaptist mentor
I was a GYS participant in Paraguay 2009; in Pennsylvania 2015 I was part of the YABs committee organizing the Global Youth Summit; and now I’m a staff member. The Assembly to me is a glimpse of the kingdom of God when we go to heaven. I’m excited about it.
Nelson Martinez, Colombia, Assembly registration coordinator
Indonesia 2022 will be my second Assembly, but I’m experiencing both Assemblies as a staff member. Pennsylvania 2015 was a huge event with a few staff, and what we could accomplish was amazing. That’s why I’m staying in the team, believing that God will make everything possible. When the event is over, there’s this sense of not wanting to leave the place and the people I’ve been working with so closely. I’m sure Indonesia 2022 will be like that too. Working toward the same cause globally is amazing.
Pennsylvania 2015 was my first Assembly, where I was a GYS delegate from Winnipeg, Canada. I love Assembly because that’s where we find co-conspirators on the journey of building the kingdom of God. Here we meet other Jesus followers who are passionate about justice, peace and community. Other kindred spirits. That connection is really powerful. I also ended up meeting my husband at the Assembly. We were both GYS delegates, and meeting him changed the trajectory of our lives.
Jardely Martinez, Colombia, Assembly youth program coordinator
Assembly is a great space not just to connect with others but also to be encouraged in our communal spiritual journey. Pennsylvania 2015 was my first Assembly and I was really encouraged after my return home, talking about how we’re part of a larger community of faith with those in my church. I want them to experience some of that. Assembly is an opportunity for us to be encouraged and then encourage others. I’m really thankful for that.
Preshit Rao, India, Assembly registration assistant
I went to Pennsylvania 2015 when I was 19 as a GYS delegate. Since then God has helped me with opportunities to work with and serve MWC in various matters while I never thought I would have the chance to serve the global community. I’m thankful for that, and it’s full of learning experiences. It’s nice to be around people from all over the world. In hard times, when you have a global family, they’re there with you; they pray for you. It’s very reassuring to know this. The pandemic has affected many people: Assembly will be the time to encourage each other.
Agus Setianto, Indonesia, Assembly national co-coordinator
My first Assembly was Winnipeg 1990, where I performed a traditional dance from Indonesia. Then in Calcutta 1997, I was also part of the cultural performances; in Bulawayo 2003, I was part of the international choir; in Paraguay 2009, I was a General Council member; and in Pennsylvania 2015, I was elected as an Executive Committee member representing Asia. I’m now a national coordinator. All the previous Assemblies I’ve taken part as a participant and delegate, but I didn’t know the massive work behind it. Now it’s my turn to learn to host you, at my 6th Assembly.
Elina Ciptadi, Indonesia, Assembly communications
My first Assembly was in Bulawayo 2003, and I’ve been to every single one since then. Once you’ve been to one, you can’t stop because a global fellowship like this is rare. In normal times, you get together with people in your church, your small group, and feel that the challenges you’re facing are yours alone. Then you go to Assembly, where many people encounter and have worked on similar challenges. In listening to them, we see the many ways in which people seek to be better witnesses and followers of Jesus. There is strength and encouragement in this connection. And that connection is life changing.
Karina Derksen-Schrock, USA, translation and interpretation coordinator
My first Assembly was Bulawayo 2003. Assembly is all about the relationships we build and the opportunity to continue connecting over the years. I’m really excited about meeting people next year.
Messages from your host:
Lorenzo Fellycyano, Indonesia, Assembly registration assistant
I’ve never been to any previous MWC Assemblies. But every time I’m connected to the global community, it always becomes a moment to find myself in others and through others. I see similarities and differences in people who have come into my life from different cultural backgrounds. In connecting with them, I find my truer self.
Rut Arsari, Indonesia, Assembly registration assistant
This will be my first Assembly, and it’s exciting although there are a lot of things we’re thinking about and I have many questions. For me, Assembly is like a little box with a question mark hovering above it, like in cartoon movies. Outside of that box are things I’ve learned and read about the Assembly, but I still don’t know what’s inside. That’s why I chose to be part of the Assembly team: I want to know what’s in the box. The only way to know is to be part of Assembly. And it doesn’t matter how many Assemblies you’ve gone to, each one of them will offer something new.
Ary Rusdianto, Indonesia, Assembly Indonesian language coordinator
I’m excited about meeting old friends who were part of the Mennonite Central Committee’s exchange program in the past. Indonesia 2022 will be a reunion, and I hope many of them can come to Indonesia.
Sarah Yetty, Indonesia, Assembly national co-coordinator
I look forward to welcoming you to the first Assembly in Indonesia. In the meantime, we are trying to speed up COVID-19 vaccination in and around the Semarang area to protect the population. Other than using the JKI Holy Stadium church as a vaccination centre, we’re also going door-to-door to make sure everyone has access to vaccines. (As of October 10, 2021, half the population of Central Java has received their first dose, 20% has been fully vaccinated).
Daniel Trihandoyo, Assembly fundraising and marketing
In 2009, I was planning to attend Assembly in Paraguay but couldn’t get leave from work. Indonesia 2022 will be my first Assembly and I’m happy to serve in fundraising and marketing. We have a long way to go with fundraising due to the pandemic, but the team is excited to continue the work and make Assembly a success.
Lydia Suyanti, Indonesia, Assembly assistant
Indonesia 2022 will be my first Assembly, also the biggest event I have ever experienced where I would be able to meet people from around the world and share our love for Jesus. I’m glad that I have an international family with Mennonite World Conference.
Simon Setiawan, Indonesia, Assembly logistics assistant
Indonesia 2022 will be my first Assembly, and I look forward to hosting and serving the participants who come to my country.
It’s not too early to put Indonesia 2022 on your calendar:
Or join virtually. More information available here
Following a 5-year conversation with theologians from the Roman Catholic and Lutheran traditions, the Faith and Life Committee invited the members of Mennonite World Conference to consider our practices of Anabaptist together at Renewal 2027 in two webinars entitled “Believe and Be Baptized: A Global Conversation on Baptism.”
Biblical, theological, and historical context of believers baptism
On January 21, 1525 a small group of young people gathered secretly in the Swiss city of Zurich for an unusual worship service. They had been raised as Catholics; but for several years they had been meeting for Bible study and discussion with their mentor, Ulrich Zwingli, the priest of the city’s main church, the Grossmünster.
As they read Scripture together, the group began to question several practices of the Catholic church – including infant baptism, but they were divided about the next steps. Zwingli, supported by the Zurich City Council, insisted on a course of moderate reforms, introduced slowly. Members of the Bible study group resisted. If Scripture was clear, they argued, changes in church practice should be made immediately, regardless of the political or social consequences.
So, on that January day in 1525, the small group formally renounced their baptisms as infants and, in the pattern of Jesus and John the Baptist, received baptism as adults as a symbol of their voluntary commitment to follow Christ and to support each other in this new step of faith.
For modern Christians, the action seems almost trivial. After all, what could be so troubling about a group of people gathering for prayer and then pouring water over their heads? Yet this action – which marked the beginning of the Anabaptist (or “re-baptizer”) movement – had profound consequences. Within days, the Zurich City Council ordered the arrest and imprisonment of anyone who participated in such baptisms. By 1526, authorities declared the baptism of adults a capital offense. And in January 1527, Felix Manz, in whose home the group had met, suffered the ultimate consequence of his convictions. With his hands and feet bound to a wooden pole, Manz was “baptized” once more – pushed into the icy waters of the Limmat River in a public execution.
As the Anabaptist movement spread, church and political leaders condemned them as heretics. Over the next few decades, some 3 000 believers were executed for the crime of being “Anabaptists” or “re-baptizers”
Yet the movement they started lives on. Today some 2.2 million Christians around the world identify themselves as part of the Anabaptists tradition including all 107 national member churches that are part of Mennonite World Conference.
The ingredients seem simple enough: water; a gathering of witnesses; and a few carefully chosen words. To a secular person looking in from the outside it might seem hard to understand why the Christian practice of baptism is so significant. But despite its simplicity, virtually every Christian group regards baptism as a foundational event – a ritual that expresses convictions basic to their faith.
Few practices are more central to the Christian church, yet few have been the source of more disagreement and debate among Christians
Is baptism essential to salvation?
What is the appropriate age for baptism?
How should the ritual be done?
Does baptism confer salvation in itself or is it a symbol of salvation already received?
Baptism in the Christian tradition
An outdoor baptism in the Dominican Republic. Photo: Mariano Ramírez
The roots of Christian baptism draw deeply on the biblical images of water – an enduring symbol of cleansing, refreshment, and life itself. In the Old Testament, water is often associated with God’s healing presence – a spring in the desert; a life-giving well; or justice that flows “like a mighty river.”
The symbol of Christian baptism comes directly from the Old Testament story of the Exodus when God parted the waters of the Red Sea to allow the children of Israel to flee slavery in Egypt and escape from Pharaoh’s pursuing armies. That dramatic act of “crossing through the waters” marked the rebirth of the children of Israel. Having passed through the waters, they were no longer slaves – they had become a new community of God’s people, bound to each other by the gift of the Law and by their dependence on God for guidance and sustenance.
Echoes of the Exodus story can be clearly heard in the New Testament account of John, who was nicknamed “The Baptist.” John’s fiery preaching called for repentance – a transformation of the heart symbolized by a ritual cleansing in the waters of the Jordan River. According to the Gospels, Jesus began his formal ministry only after he had been baptized by John. That act –accompanied by God’s blessing and the clear presence of the Holy Spirit – marked a “crossing over” for Jesus into a new ministry of healing and teaching that culminated three years later in his crucifixion, death and resurrection.
The early Christians understood baptism as a symbol rich with meanings drawn both from the Old Testament and from the life of Jesus. Like the Exodus, baptism in the early church symbolized the renunciation of a life enslaved to the bondage of sin and a “crossing over” into a new identity with a community of believers who, like the children of Israel, were committed to living in dependence on God.
Many early Christians also regarded baptism as a re-enactment of the death and resurrection of Christ. Baptismal candidates walked into the water naked – stripped and vulnerable, like Christ on the cross, dying to the old self. After emerging from the water, they were dressed in robes of white as a symbol of the resurrection and their new identity as followers of Jesus.
Strong evidence from the second and third centuries suggests that the early Christians baptized only adults; and then only after a long period of rigorous instruction and training. In other words, the early church reserved baptism for those who had experienced a transformation of the heart; were committed to a life of daily discipleship; and were ready to become part of a new community of believers.
From voluntary baptism to infant baptism
Sometime during the fourth century, however, this practice began to change. At the heart of this shift in baptismal practice was the conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine in AD 312, an event that slowly transformed the very nature of the Christian church. During the century after Constantine’s conversion, the church went from a small, persecuted minority to a powerful institution whose bishops came to rely on the armies of the Roman empire for their protection and as a means of eliminating heresy.
Gradually, Christianity became the “official” religion of the Roman emperors – a kind of religious-cultural “glue” that could help to unite a fragmenting empire.
Since everyone within the territory was now compelled to be a Christian, it no longer made sense to associate baptism with repentance, a transformation of life, or with a new identity within a community of believers.
About the same time, new arguments emerged to defend the practice of infant baptism. For example, St. Augustine (354–430), insisted at the end of the fourth century that from the very moment of birth, human beings were trapped in bondage to sin. The baptism of infants, he argued, was necessary for the salvation of the child’s soul. In his teaching, the act of baptism itself conferred a spiritual gift of grace to the child. The sacrament of baptism incorporated the infant into the church, saving its soul from the stain of original sin and the clutches of hell.
In later medieval society, baptism also marked a child’s membership in the civic community, registering the infant as an eventual tax-paying subject who owed allegiance to the local feudal lord.
The Reformation leaders Luther, Zwingli, Calvin and others agreed that infants should be baptized at birth. Luther argued that infant baptism confirms that we are totally dependent on God’s free gift of grace for our salvation – not our own actions. Zwingli noted that Jesus taught that we must become “like children” to enter the kingdom of God. Infant baptism, like circumcision for the Jews of the Old Testament, was a sign of inclusion into the body of believers and a commitment on the part of believers to raise that child in the ways of God.
Anabaptist-Mennonite understandings of baptism
So when Anabaptist leaders began to challenge the practice of infant baptism, people reacted with confusion, anger, and eventually, violence.
For Anabaptists, the primary argument for believer’s baptism, as opposed to infant baptism, rests on a bedrock principle of the Reformation itself: “Scripture alone.” In their reading of the New Testament, the Anabaptists of the 16th century could find no scriptural justification for the practice of baptizing babies. Instead, Jesus’ teachings explicitly linked baptism with repentance and belief – something that an infant clearly could not do. While instructing the disciples to preach the good news of the gospel, for example, Jesus promised, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). The sequence here is clear: belief comes first, then baptism.
At the end of his ministry, in a final admonition to the disciples, Jesus again spoke of baptism. “Therefore go,” he told the disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, “and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”
Here again, the order is important. Jesus commanded his followers to first “make disciples,” and then to baptize with the expectation that the new converts would also be taught to obey Christ’s commandments. In other words, people become followers of Jesus by hearing, understanding and responding to a call – just as the first disciples had done.
This same sequence reoccurs in the story of the first baptisms of the apostolic church as recorded in Acts 2. The story begins with Peter preaching a sermon to a crowd of Jews who have gathered in Jerusalem for the annual celebration of the Passover. He ended his sermon with a call to repentance. “Those who accepted his message,” the account concludes, “were baptized.”
For Anabaptists – and the groups that came after them – the commitment to follow Jesus implied a conversion or “turning around” – a radical reorientation of priorities – symbolized by baptism, that could lead to persecution and even death. Not a decision that could be made by an infant!
The meaning of baptism: A three-stranded cord
So when Anabaptist leaders began to challenge the practice of infant baptism, people reacted with confusion, anger, and eventually, violence.
Symbols, of course, can have more than just one meaning. Drawing on a verse from 1 John 5, the Anabaptists frequently described baptism as a kind of threestranded cord: spirit, water and blood all pointed to essential qualities of baptism:
Children of God are those who believe that Jesus is the Christ and follow his commandments. Three things, 1 John says, testify that Jesus is the Son of God: “the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement” (1 John 5:8).
1. At its most basic level, baptism is a visible sign of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. It is a public recognition that the believer has repented of sin, has accepted God’s forgiveness, and has “turned their life over to Christ.” Baptism celebrates the gift of salvation – the gift of God’s loving, forgiving and enabling grace.
2. At the same time, baptism is also a sign of membership in a new community. In the baptism of water, we place ourselves into the “care, discipline and fellowship of the community.” At baptism, we promise to “give and receive counsel,” to share our possessions, and to serve in the broader mission of the church. Salvation in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition is never purely private or inward; our faith is always expressed in relationships with others.
3. Finally, in baptism, new believers promise to follow in the way of Jesus; to live as he lived and taught, even if that includes – as it did for Jesus – misunderstanding, persecution, suffering or even death. It is not enough to claim the forgiveness of sins or to have your name included in a church membership list. Baptism also implies a way of life that looks like Jesus – a way of life that loves God with your whole heart, and loves your neighbour as yourself.
The Anabaptists in the 16th century sought to recover these teachings that had gone out of focus in the history of the church – based on these biblical insights, they understood baptism as a sign of the Spirit’s transforming presence; as a mark of membership in a community; and a readiness to follow Christ, even at great cost.
John Roth is secretary of the Faith and Life Commission. Professor of history at Goshen College, he is a member of Berkey Avenue Mennonite Church, Goshen, Indiana, USA.
“For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)
In July 2009, leaders from the three Indonesian Mennonite conferences GITJ, GKMI and JKI found themselves in a conversation outside a dormitory in Asuncíon, Paraguay. Although they were not strangers, their paths rarely crossed. Singing together at one of the Assembly’s worship services in Paraguay was their first time completing a task together.
The three groups they represented had complex histories that included separation and division, but that day when they sang together in Paraguay, they aptly chose the popular Indonesian song “In Jesus We Are Brothers and Sisters”.
There, in the relaxed context of the 15th Assembly of Mennonite World Conference, something significant shifted in their relationship. “We realized that all of us were of a similar age and that we shared many of the same concerns and values,” says David Meijanto.
For the first time, members of the group asked: Why don’t we get together more often back in Indonesia?
The church leaders returned to Indonesia with a commitment to meet every three months to share together and encourage each other. At one of those “Indo-Menno” meetings, the idea emerged that the three groups could together host the 2021 MWC global assembly in Indonesia. Their proposal to host the Assembly in 2021 was accepted by MWC’s General Council during 2012 meetings in Basel, Switzerland.
Today, leaders of these three synods are looking beyond their differences to seek new partnerships with each other and with the larger Mennonite world.
Moving mountains
When the pandemic hit the world in early 2020, non-essential travels came to a halt. Although MWC Assemblies in Zimbabwe coincided with epidemics before (Zika in 2015; H1N1 in 2009; SARS before 2003), no one at MWC had experienced a global outbreak that necessitated cancellation of all travel.
Quickly the national advisory committee agreed to postpone the Assembly to 2022, also shifting the format to hybrid: offering in-person and virtual participation.
Now, as the country prepares to loosen travel restrictions and allow tourists from 18 countries to come, the three synods that make up the Mennonite church in Indonesia are looking forward to welcoming you in July 2022 – in person or virtually.
Regardless of how you choose to participate, Indonesia 2022 will offer a great perspective on the ways Anabaptism has taken root in Indonesia.
It is not too soon to put July 5-10, 2021, in your calendar. Registration opens in December 2021.
Gereja Injili di Tanah Jawa (evangelical church of Java – GITJ)
GITJ Margorejo
GITJ emerged in 1854 from the work of Dutch Mennonite missionary and linguist Pieter Jansz. It was the first Anabaptist-Mennonite congregation in the world whose members were not primarily of European or North American origin. An influential figure in the early history of the GITJ was Kyai Ibrahim Tunggul Wulung, a local mystic who helped enculturate the gospel message into a distinctively Javanese idiom. As of 2019, members of the 117 GITJ congregations tend to live in rural areas around Jepara and Pati, speak Javanese, work as labourers and worship in a somewhat formal liturgical style.
Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia (Muria Christian church of Indonesia – GKMI)
GKMI Gloria Patri
GKMI traces its roots to Chinese immigrants who settled in Java in the early 20th century. In 1917, Tee Siem Tat, a Chinese businessman, became a Christian when he and another family member were miraculously healed after listening to Gospel stories. The resulting congregations’ Anabaptist identity was strengthened in the 1950s and 1960s, when Hermann Tann consciously worked to introduce Mennonite theology and polity. In 2020, some 129 congregations make up the GKMI. Its members tend to be of Chinese background, well-educated and strongly committed to missions.
Jemaat Kristen Indonesia (Christian congregations of Indonesia – JKI)
JKI Injil Kerajaan
JKI emerged in the late 1970s as a charismatic renewal movement within the GKMI. Led by Adi Sutanto, a small GKMI prayer group began to incorporate speaking in tongues, faith healing, visions and prophecy into their regular worship. JKI, formed in 1985, has since grown to include 400 congregations today, including several in the United States, Australia and the Netherlands. The best-known JKI church combines charismatic worship with social ministries and a strong outreach program in the city of Semarang. This 20,000-member “Holy Stadium” is the site of the MWC Assembly in 2021.
—Original article written by John D. Roth, MWC Faith and Life Commission, secretary; professor of history at Goshen College, Indiana, USA; director of the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism. Updated in October 2021 by Mennonite World Conference.
Introducing the Global Family:
Kapatirang Menonita Ng Pilipinas Incorporated – Philippines
Emerging Conference
Kapatirang Menonita Ng Pilipinas Incorporated or Mennonite Brethren of the Philippines is an Emerging Conference in partnership with ICOMB. The Conference is composed of 8 local churches or congregations placed in different regions of the country, with a total of approximately 670 members.
Although still a relatively small conference, Mennonite Brethren of the Philippines praises God for the families and individuals He allows the churches to minister to. The Conference looks forward to the resumption of in-person activities such as home Bible studies, visitations, campus outreaches, and other ministries.
In September 2021, the following events took place in the Philippine Church Plant Ministry:
Tagusao Shore Youth Ministry
It was a happy and blessed day when 16 young people and 1 adult decided to follow Jesus in baptism, who are being led by Pastor Shown in discipleship, and the learning of musical instruments, as the result of the young people’s interest in music. Some of these new believers were introduced to the gospel by TREK teams who came to visit the ministry in Palawan.
16 young people and 1 adult decided to follow Jesus in baptism
Tagusao Shore 10th anniversary
“Dakila ang iyong katapatan”, Great is thy faithfulness, echoed throughout the congregation as they sang with gratitude to God’s faithfulness in sustaining the ministry in Tagusao Shore, Brooke’s Point, Palawan. Young people rendered an interpretative dance which was appreciated by almost a hundred people, members, and guests, who graced the joyful celebration. Prayers for God’s continued provision for the various things needed for the completion of the church building are very appreciated.
Missional Leadership Training (MLT) – Modules 1 and 2
Praise God for the opportunity to teach pastors, church leaders, and youth leaders of the various churches and congregations of Brooke’s Point. Module 1 was attended by 58 participants and Module 2 by 37.
“Personally, this training has enriched my spiritual life and the knowledge I gained will help me become more effective as a leader in our church.” – Ronnie Conde
“The Lord’s (disciple’s) prayer as a way to build intimacy with God is something that has truly blessed me.” – Keeya, JCLHC
“I appreciated so much the training we received. That is why I encouraged our young people to join in the training. Praise God!” – Vilfred, youth leader, GDP
Brooke’s Point youth center
Classes are still suspended at this time. However, students of Palawan State University are allowed to frequent the campus for school work requirements on and off-campus. Although we have started to work with the youth leaders of the seven local churches, we are waiting for the opening of classes to proceed with the renovation of the proposed Student Center beside the PSU campus. Please pray with us for God’s blessing and guidance as we plan for the renovation of our Student Center.
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.
