Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • Ana (not her real name), came to Ecuador from Medellin, Colombia, in 2016 after escaping from paramilitaries who had taken and kept her hostage for two years. She was subjected to various kinds of abuse and violence, the result of which was pregnancy. In addition, she was forced to commit a number of crimes. Although this woman fled the violence in her country, the pain and rage have accompanied her during her stay in Ecuador.

    When the Quito Mennonite Church took her in, she was insecure, fearful, sad, exhausted, without energy or a will to live. However, the church and the Project for Refugee People welcomed her, empowered her and began a process of healing.

    From the start, the church was formed from a multicultural and inclusive community, inspired by the life of Jesus to take on the mission to pray and work for justice and build peace. The Quito Mennonite Church in Ecuador opened its doors in 2002 as an initiative of the Mennonite Mission Network, the Colombian Mennonite Church and the Central Plains Mennonite Conference (Iowa-Nebraska).

    The church was called to accompany the refugee population fleeing the conflict in Colombia, and for this reason the Project with Refugee People was created. Currently, the project attends 100 families a month that receive orientation, clothes, food rations, psychological support, and basic tools and supplies to start a new life. It is important to note that the material aid given to the most vulnerable families goes beyond mere aid and seeks to provide durable solutions that offer alternatives for leading a dignified life in Ecuador.

    Each month, workshops on peace and values are facilitated with refugee, as well as Ecuadorian, children, with the goal of building peace through education. Meetings are also held with women from different cultures and places.  Here they share their stories, learn to take care of one another and find their prophetic voice as they seek to fearlessly follow in the footsteps of Christ.

    As of this year, the church is run by a national pastoral team comprising 4 lay women who carry out the pastoral work on a voluntary basis and who wish to strengthen local leadership through discipleship and pastoral accompaniment.

    The multicultural nature of the church offers a rich diversity of people that attend, and who have found in Anabaptism the will to put the love of God into practice through concrete expressions of solidarity, reconciliation, forgiveness, seeking alternatives for peace and wanting to heal the wounds caused by the violence in their country.

    The Project with Refugee People receives economic support from Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) as well as from many Ecuadorian families and churches who donate clothes and other supplies. This shared work has enabled us to discover that combining mission and cooperation is a good path to follow in providing humanitarian aid and in achieving shared goals.  

    Through the project, the church has been able to be a witness to faith and service, forgiveness and reconciliation, and the harmonious encounter between different cultures.  

    It has been months of walking with Ana through intense therapeutic accompaniment, and we have discovered that the violence and injustice did not succeed in destroying her capacity to forgive, nor her joy and dreams. 

    Now, Ana aspires and works towards attaining a scholarship to study philosophy at university and has decided that, above all, she will be happy. We give thanks to God for allowing us to be the channel through which God’s grace and love can flow to people who have suffered due some form of violence.

    —A Mennonite World Conference release by Daniela Sánchez and Alexandra Meneses, Coordinators of the Project with Refugee People, Quito Mennonite Church. 

     

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

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

    Is this the essence of a deacon’s work?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     

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  • Ponchai Banchasawan, pastor of the Thupberg congregation of the Hmong Church of Christ in Thailand, stands next to a debris field where the chair of his congregation owned a guest house that he rented to people vacationing in the mountains. In the summer of 2016, government soldiers surrounded this property, told the owner he did not have proper permits, and destroyed the building – a loss to him of some US$166,000. Pastor Ponchai believes the demolition came from prejudice and persecution. Hmong followers of Jesus are a double minority: people of Chinese descent in a Thai society, and Christians in a Buddhist culture. Pastor Ponchai’s congregation and others from the Hmong people of Thailand are committed to Jesus’ way of peace and forgiveness. Forming the Hmong 7th District of the Church of Christ in Thailand, they were welcomed as members of Mennonite World Conference by the MWC Executive Committee in February 2017.

    Click here to read more.

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

     

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  • The International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) is made up of 21 national churches in 19 countries with approximately 450,000 members. ICOMB exists to facilitate relationships and ministries to enhance the witness and discipleship of its member national churches – connecting, strengthening and expanding.

    Serve the national church leaders

    I met with European Mennonite leaders 24–26 November 2017, exploring how best to serve the national church leaders. I met the Klaipeda MB church 26 November 2017, speaking about steps to maintaining unity. It is a growing congregation with lots of children. In the evening, together with César García, I met with leaders from several of the Laisv?j? Krik≈°?ioni? Ba≈æny?ia (Lithuanian Mennonite Brethren conference) churches to provide information about Mennonite World Conference and ICOMB.

    —David Wiebe, executive director

  • “Our Anabaptist history is intrinsically tied to migration, and so is our Christian story,” says Saulo Padilla, immigration education coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. “We must keep challenging the narratives that separate us, build borders and invite us to dehumanize others.”

    Several Anabaptist-Mennonites participated in the 14th Migrant Trail Walk May 29–June 4, 2017, a 121-kilometre (75-mile) solidarity hike from Sasabe, Sonora, Mexico, to Tucson, Arizona, USA, that mirrors the paths migrants travel to cross the border.

    Respect for people

    Some 7,000 people have died en route, 1,000 of whom have not been identified. “[This pilgrimage] allows us to honour those lives and to accompany the families that were not able to give a proper burial to their loved ones,” says Padilla.

    “As Anabaptists and Christians, we believe that every person is created in the image of God and deserves to be respected,” he says.

    For seven days, some 50 participants walk 20–25 kilometres each day, eating meals provided by volunteer supporters and sleeping outside. Support vehicles provide water and logistical support, and carry supplies.

    Why they walk

    “As Mennonite Brethren, we work for justice,” says David Bonilla who works with MCC partner Cafe Justo’s migration programs in Mexico. He joined the walk to support vulnerable people. “Jesus taught us this. We are imitators of Jesus.”

    Seven-time participant Padilla’s commitment to the walk comes in part from personal experience as an immigrant. Born in Guatemala, Padilla lived as a political refugee in Mexico before immigrating to Canada in 1986.

    Jonathan Ziegler, a member of Circle of Hope, a Brethren in Christ congregation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, was drawn to walk the Migrant Trail because as an Anabaptist, he believes nation-states and borders are “inherently violent. I believe in radical peace that undoes the oppression they cause.”

    For MCC Connecting Peoples Coordinator in Guatemala Sara Ritchie-Helmuth, the walk was part of a larger journey, from learning about “the American Dream” as history to meeting people who chase the dream today.

    “I understood why migrants leave their country and what they experience once they reach the so-called Promised Land, but I wanted to understand what happens in between,” she says.

    “However, I will never fully understand those struggles because I will never be able to abandon the privilege that has been assigned to me.” Participants have the security of a passport, the comradery of a group and confidence in decent treatment from border guards.

    Lessons on the road

    “The waste of money on the border patrol” frustrated Ziegler, but by maintaining a friendly and respectful relationship with them, he began to consider police in his city. “How do we stand up to the powers while loving our enemies [at home] in a way that might just transform them?”

    “God was present in glimpses and grandiose moments,” says Ritchie-Helmuth, through her fellow walkers and the landscape. Like a simple flower she discovered growing in the desert, “God’s goodness extends to unlikely, desolate and harsh places; sometimes. it’s just a little harder to find.”

    Padilla invokes Hebrews 13:1’s invitation to entertain strangers. “This kind of hospitality has slowly been blurred by the narratives in society about how dangerous it is to welcome strangers,” he says. “Yet, we should continue to welcome strangers as if God was always knocking at the door.

    “Wouldn’t we treat each other very different if anyone could be God?”

    —a Mennonite World Conference release by Danielle Gonzales and Karla Braun

     

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  • Mennonite World Conference (MWC) gathers and equips member churches and local congregations to be the body of Christ together.

    Here are some blessings leaders and congregations receive through MWC:

    1.    A mosaic of a growing church: As we meet international Anabaptist sisters and brothers from other traditions and locations, we are inspired by their maturity and energy, and reminded of the scope and strength of God’s kingdom. We see the fruit of those who plant seeds of the gospel far from home – in the past and today. Revelation 7:9–10.

    • Read Courier magazine for perspectives and teaching on how faithful expressions of Anabaptist Christian discipleship (baptism, ordination, membership, relationship to the state, etc.) are carried out differently in local contexts. mwc-cmm.org/courier
    • Be encouraged that Anabaptist churches are thriving around the world. 
    • Collaborate in MWC’s international networks to have a bigger impact by building God’s kingdom together around the world: Global Mission Fellowship, Global Anabaptist Service Network, Women Theologians and emerging networks for peace, education, health and more.

    2.    Sharing gifts in the global family of faith: Every church has gifts to share, and every church has gifts to receive, whether biblical perspectives, faith experiences, witness, music, practical skills or money. MWC provides a structure for a post-colonial global community of faith where Western and Southern churches are brother and sisters in the faith with relational and financial resources to share. Hebrews 10:24–25.

    • Develop a mutual support relationship with a congregation in another country.
    • Share in the financial support of MWC on an equitable basis with other congregations around the world. It gives us perspective on congregational budget decisions.
    • Read Sharing Gifts in the Global Family of Faith to learn how to receive as well as how to give. 

    3.    MWC Prayer Network (six times a year): Stories/news from other Anabaptists around the world help us remember that our struggles and successes are not unique. MWC members who are struggling with issues of faith and life, ministering to congregations under persecution and serving alongside different groups gives us a larger picture of the kingdom of God. Through prayer, we share each other’s burdens and encourage each other. Colossians 1:9–11.

    4.    Global relationships: Churches in the Global South understand their need to cultivate relationship with other parts of the body of Christ. We are enriched by the diversity of gifts from local congregations around the world. 1 Corinthians 12:20–23.

    • Use MWC’s resources (like the Peace Sunday package).
    • Meet us in conversations on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or comment on stories at mwc-cmm.org.    
    • Take advantage of opportunities to meet MWC leaders on local visits.
    • Subscribe to the monthly e-newsletter Info to receive news and testimonies from the global family. mwc-cmm.org/signup

    5.    Dialogue with other global Christian groups: Through interactions with Christians from other traditions, we better understand our own identity as Anabaptist Christians. Through MWC, we participate in international interchurch conversations with Lutherans, Catholics, Seventh Day Adventists and other global communions. Ephesians 2:14–16.

    6.    Learning opportunities for youth/young adults: Young adults have opportunity to learn and grow skills for church and vocation in cross-cultural settings through the Young Anabaptists (YABs) network, Global Youth Summits and YAMEN! (international exchange program). 1 Timothy 4:12.

    • Participate in a cultural exchange program for a year or to attend a Summit.
    • Join with the YABs network to develop relationships with young people across cultures.
    • Use YABs Fellowship Week resources to celebrate in solidarity with young adults around the world.

    7.    Worshipping with the global church: MWC provides opportunities to worship collectively in person or in spirit. 1 Chronicles 16:23–25.

    –A Mennonite World Conference release

    Click here to see a PDF version.

  • There are many in Africa who experience physical healing by the power of the Holy Spirit.

    This is a story of two different types of physical healing, at the Meserete Kristos Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by Tesfatsion Dalellew.

    Some years ago, there was a week-long evening revival conference, which meant the entire church compound was full of people. Tesfa arrived a little late, and by then even the outside tents were full, so he squeezed into one, standing on the side. To his right was someone he didn’t know, but on his left there was a young woman he knew from a local church choir. That entire choir had been arrested during the time of persecution of Christians in Ethiopia and they all had been badly beaten. This particular woman had been beaten on the bottoms of her feet, so that her nerves were damaged and she couldn’t walk.

    The preacher was preaching when Tesfa arrived, and it was a very short sermon. He finished preaching, and asked the people to put their hand on the part of their body that hurt, and then the preacher prayed for healing for all. Tesfa had had back problems for more than 25 years, so he put his right hand on his back. Somewhere in the middle of the prayer, the young woman beside him fell down and began convulsing. Tesfa thought she was possessed by a demon.

    The pastor finished the prayer, and then said, “There is a woman in the outside tent who has been having severe pain in her feet; the Lord has healed you. Please come forward and give your testimony.” At that moment, the woman whom Tesfa thought had been possessed started to go forward. To everyone’s astonishment, she told how she was beaten to the extent her nerves were affected. But during the prayer she felt the power she couldn’t contain, and she fell on the ground shaking. From that moment on, she said she felt well as she walked to the front of the church, and healing had happened instantly

    As for Tesfa, since he did not fall, shake or shout and having just witnessed such a dramatic healing, he began to complain to God that he had not been healed after carrying his pain for so many years. He continued in this way for three days, until he finally realized that he was complaining about the pain, but was not feeling it. Then he tested himself doing things that he had not been able to do before, and there was no pain. Even after a difficult tennis game there was no pain. Then Tesfa began to talk about God’s healing power in his own life.

    –A Mennonite World Conference release by Tesfatsion Dalellew

    This testimony is part of the World Fellowship Sunday worship resource for 2017. Click here to see more: mwc-cmm.org/wfs

  • The International Brethren in Christ Association (IBICA) is the common network for all national conferences of the Brethren in Christ church with the aim to facilitate communication, build trust and cooperation within our global community, and to establish common and mutual understanding through our set of core values. An associate member of MWC, IBICA has some 190,000 attendees in over 30 countries around the world representing dozens of national churches.

    Nicaragua Brethren in Christ National Centre

    The idea for this project arose about 15 years ago since the number of people attending the meetings of our General Assemblies became more than our local churches were able to manage and it was costly to rent other places to meet. This project aims to construct an auditorium, a dormitory made up of four sections, a kitchen, cafeteria and bathrooms.

    This project will provide a space for the annual General Assemblies which are attended by approximately 320 people from all the regions of the country where there are Brethren in Christ churches.  It will also be used to train pastors, for meetings of the national church board, pastors, national committees, multi-church events and as a place for local church programs.

    These events will be a testimony in the community of our faith in Jesus, they will provide the opportunity to train new leaders who will leave prepared to carry out mission work in their churches, and at the same time will give us a space to worship God together. Lastly, we will have a national meeting site better able to host our brothers and sisters who come as delegates for different events. Thanks to God and many other who have collaborated with us to see this goal, which was once a dream, become reality.

    German Garcia, President

    Nicaragua Brethren in Christ Church

  • Hillsboro, Kan., USA – Maleghi Lumeya has recently been appointed Ministre des affaires foncières (minister of land [property]) of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lumeya, who has served as a national congressman, is the first Mennonite Brethren to serve at this level of government in DR Congo.

    “Serving in the political arena is like being a Good Samaritan,” says Lumeya, the son of a Mennonite Brethren pastor and an attorney by profession. “It’s an opportunity for the poor to see the hand of God.”

    Nzash Lumeya, Maleghi’s brother who lives in Fresno, Cal., asks Mennonites around the world to pray for Maleghi as he strives to influence the decisions being made in DR Congo.

    “Maleghi and his wife Lyly confess Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord,” says Nzash. “They belong to the Mennonite Brethren church in Congo. Humility and wisdom are much needed as they serve ‘as unto the Lord’ in our beloved country.”

    DR Congo is currently led by president Joseph Kabila, whose presidential term ended in 2016, but he continues to hold office. In April, Kabila appointed Bruno Tshibala, a former leading member of the main opposition coalition, as prime minister. A new transitional government, of which Maleghi Lumeya is a member, was sworn into office May 2017.

    Nzash says Maleghi’s political involvement is inspired by John Redekop, a Canadian Mennonite Brethren church leader, author and professor of political science at Wilfred Laurier University, Waterloo, Ont., who also served as a city councillor in Abbotsford, B.C.

    Maleghi attended Redekop’s seminars on principles for political involvement in Kinshasa in 2003.

    Nzash points to characters from the Bible like Joseph and Daniel who played a prophetic role in government. “Congo is a place where God’s name can be made known,” he says.

    —A Mennonite World Conference release by Connie Faber, originally published in the Christian Leader, the magazine of the U.S. Conference of Mennonite Brethren. 

     

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  • A renewed peace church calls for renewed commitment to one another; even those who may be our enemies. Building bridges resolves disconnectedness. Without relationship and connectedness peace cannot flourish. This is essential if we want to relate with those who are of a different faith or culture.

    A significant challenge in multi-faith and cross-cultural relationships is the perception we create of the other based on assumptions and preconceptions. This causes us not to see and value the other as a child of God. To overcome this challenge, it is important to meet.

    Hospitality plays a key role in building understanding across religious and cultural views. Churches have a responsibility to create spaces where authentic engagement can occur. However, churches must also embody the spirituality of a stranger, a guest, assuming a position of vulnerability. This provides the disposition to reach out. The church no longer has to wait to host others, but can initiates new forms of relationships with others.

    The Javanese Mennonite Church in Jepara does this is by visiting our Muslim neighbours. Mennonites in Jepara comprise about 1% of the total population, which is largely Muslim. There is no animosity between the different religions in Jepara, but even though our church building is only 300 meters away from an Islamic organization’s building, there has not been much of a relationship established among Christians and Muslims!

    When our church decided to take seriously our call to be a peace church, we prioritized building relationships with those of other religions in our city. Our first step was to visit one of the young Islamic leaders and share our dream to build relationships between Mennonites and Muslims in Jepara. Together we arranged an art and culture performance in which our communities, not just our leaders, could participate and get to know each other. We also initiated meetings to reduce wrong perceptions of the other.

    This required a long process. It was difficult to look beyond our suspicion (or preconceived notions) of the other. After seven years, we have a good relationship with our Muslim neighbours. We celebrate the International Day of Peace together; the church participates in their anniversary celebrations; they participate in our Christmas celebrations, even when there is a fatwa that prevents Muslims from giving Christmas greetings to Christians in Indonesia.

    Assuming the posture of a visitor requires humility. We approach others without having a full picture of who they are. This requires us to approach someone with respect and trust, believing that we have something to learn from those who may be different. The vulnerability that comes with being a visitor or stranger requires one to need the other. It means that we come not in arrogance and power but with openness and sincerity, vulnerable with the possibility of being rejected.

    Such an approach does, however, bring hope. In being a vulnerable guest, we invite prayer and blessing from the other, even if the other is our enemy. This is the posture that Jesus demonstrates through his incarnation. The reconciliation Jesus provides between humanity with God is made possible through his example of being a guest in the world. He emptied himself and became a servant, thus showing humility. He embraced suffering, which demonstrated his vulnerability (Philippians 2:6–8). His posture provided the means for God’s peace to be realized (Ephesians 2:14), which provides us with hope and courage.

    –A Mennonite World Conference release by Danang Kristiawan (Indonesia)

    This testimony is part of the Peace Sunday worship resource for 2017. Click here to see more: www.mwc-cmm.org/peacesunday

  • Mennonite World Conference weaves a web of connections within the Anabaptist Mennonite family around the world through website, emails, social media, publishing and relations with other organizations. Here are some new connecting points.

    • MWC’s social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) is expanding to include Flickr, a photo-sharing site. MWC images are organized by event, tagged by subject and can be downloaded for use with news stories.

      Click here to view MWC photos.

    • With gratefulness for their faithful contribution, MWC said farewell to some workers and welcomed new ones. MCC SALT volunteer Danielle Gonzales returned to the USA and new SALT participant Taressa Van Dam (USA) arrived to continue the job of web communications coordinator in the MWC Bogota office. Earlier in the year, MCC International Programs assistant in the MWC Lancaster office (USA) Marianne Hlavaty took over administrative duties from Rebecca Pereverzoff, and in the MWC Kitchener office (Canada), Sarah Cain replaced Kristen Hines who served as administrative assistant since 2006. Karina Derksen-Schrock, interpretation coordinator during Assembly 16, now joins the team from the USA in the newly created role of translation/interpretation coordinator.

    • Translated into Japanese by a Mennonite Brethren member Hironori Minamino, Word of Life Press Ministries has published God’s Shalom Project, an MWC Global Anabaptist Shelf volume by Bernhard Ott. The Japanese book can be purchased on Word of Life’s website and through Amazon.

    —Karla Braun, Mennonite World Conference news release

     

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  • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – John D. Roth, Mennonite World Conference Faith and Life Commission secretary, was appointed general editor of the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (GAMEO – www.gameo.org). The GAMEO board voted unanimously 19 May 2017 to transfer oversight of the project to the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism (ISGA), which Roth directs, at Goshen College, Indiana, USA.

    GAMEO is an online encyclopedia, begun to provide digital access to the five-volume Mennonite Encyclopedia. It contains the original 12,000 English entries, many of them updated with current information, plus an additional 4,000 new entries contributed by volunteer editors and regional committees from around the world. And the corpus continues to grow.

    “As the scope of Anabaptist-Mennonite research [at Goshen College] has broadened to include the global church, it is fitting that we could bring the long tradition of ‘scholarship for the church’ to support now the global vision of GAMEO in the digital age,” says Roth.

    GAMEO is committed to expanding future entries to include greater representation from the global church.

    With the addition of GAMEO to its oversight, the ISGA will shift the focus of its Global Anabaptist Wiki (www.anabaptistwiki.org) to become an online archive for the global church and a repository of digital resources such as the Anabaptist Dictionary of the Bible, the Bibliotheca Digital Anabautista, and materials related Anabaptist-Mennonite ecumenical involvements.

    The ISGA will continue to support the “Bearing Witness Stories Project” (www.martyrstories.org), featuring stories of Anabaptist-Mennonite Christians who have suffered for their faith.

    Mennonite World Conference is one of GAMEO’s six institutional owners: Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Historical Society of Canada, Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite Brethren Historical Commission and the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism. A management board, composed of representatives from these organizations, oversees the operations. Mennonite World Conference provides accounting services to the project.

    –A Mennonite World Conference release, with files from Goshen College.