Greetings to you in this sombre season. Through the centuries the church has observed the 40 days leading up to Easter as a special time to focus on God, called Lent.
A path to finding extra space in our lives to listen to the Spirit is often practiced through austerity by changing a routine or abstaining from a habit. The space this opens up can in turn be spent “going deeper” with God.
When I consider how I experience God revealed in the world, I think of the global family – of Mennonite World Conference (MWC). With our Anabaptist-Mennonite brothers and sisters around the world, we celebrate with each other in worship and we walk with each other through pain and hardship.
As I write this, I think of our Mennonite brothers and sisters in Ukraine who have been living amid war for 10 years and invasion for the past two.
I think also of those suffering amid civil war in Myanmar, regional violence in Ethiopia and gang violence in parts of Latin America.
We feel helpless to help, but we offer them our prayers and our solidarity through their times of hardship.
It is often through hardship that we discover the unity Christ prayed for the church. Our disagreements – from mode of baptism, to worship styles, to theological explanations of ethical living – do not disappear, but we find the grace to be identified as brothers and sisters even with those with whom we disagree.
This season of Lent, as your ascetic practices make space for God, we invite you to go deeper with the global family by supporting MWC. The work of MWC is to affirm that we are one body of Christ around the world. Living out unity amid our mosaic of diversity, we proclaim the kingdom of God by resisting the trend to polarization and by affirming “In Jesus Christ, we are one family.”
In Christ, Henk Stenvers President Mennonite World Conference
As a generation of experienced pastor enters retirement age, many churches around the world are seeing a shortage of trained leaders. Pastoral candidates who have studied Anabaptist theology are even more rare. However, the three Anabaptist-Mennonite synods in Indonesia have proactive strategies to equip future leaders.
GKMI
“Pastors, teachers and evangelists retire at some point, or move on to a different calling. We want to make sure that GKMI has a ready pool of theologians, pastors, evangelists and church planters to continue leading GKMI into the future,” says Daniel K. Trihandoyo, head of human resource development of the GKMI synod.
It is in this spirit that GKMI started the theological study bursaries in 2009, although only made official in 2014 during its national convention in Bali.
“Active members of GKMI churches are eligible to apply if they are called to full-time ministry and need financial aid. Recipients will be decided based on psychological test results, interviews, endorsement by their pastor and home church leader, and assessment of their financial need,” says Daniel K. Trihandoyo.
In this scholarship scheme, the local congregation and the parents contribute to the college fees. This creates a collective accountability for the student to complete study and serve in the GKMI synod.
“We want all GKMI members who study theology to have a place to serve in GKMI. So far, our local congregations have been proactive in informing the synod of their need,” says Daniel K. Trihandoyo.
On average, three bursary recipients graduate each year and are recruited for ministry within GKMI. This roughly matches the number of pastors who retire annually.
“Interest in studying theology has increased for both fresh high school graduates as well as people who have a degree in other fields,” says Daniel K. Trihandoyo.
“This is encouraging, because we need Christ-centred leaders who are not only equipped theologically but are also keen learners of psychology, sociology, technology, management, leadership, financial management, coaching and communication.”
GITJ
“GITJ has seen an upward trend in young people wanting to study theology. We are optimistic that the future need for pastors, assistant pastors and ministry leaders can be filled from our pool of graduates, with some of them being recruited by other mission agencies and churches,” says Pendeta (pastor) Herin Kahadi Jayanto of GITJ Kudus, who is a faculty member of Wiyata Wacana.
GITJ began STAK Wiyata Wacana (Wiyata Wacana) in Pati, Central Java, in 2014 to address the need for Anabaptist-rooted theologians to lead its churches. Almost all of the 190 full-time pastors serving GITJ’s 120 congregations are graduates.
In addition to its undergraduate degree-programs in theology, the school offers training in Christian education (Religious studies is a core subject in Indonesian schools, creating demand for religious education teachers).
Pdt. Herin Kahadi Jayanto credits GITJ’s recognition of pastors and church workers as a profession as one of the top reasons for the uptick of interest in theology studies.
“In the past, church planting and being a pastor were viewed as a calling that may not necessarily come with church support, meaning they need to find a living or financial support independently. Now they know that while serving God and his mission field requires a passion and a clear calling, this is also a profession receiving the support of the church.”
Financial aid could also be behind the increasing interest, “Some local congregations are keen to sponsor their own church members to study theology and would encourage their young generation to consider this field of study,” says Pdt. Herin Kahadi Jayanto.
To stay rooted in its Anabaptist teaching and expose its students to global trends in ministry, Wiyata Wacana collaborates with Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) since 2022 to offer a theological program with global perspective, taught by AMBS professors but conducted at Wiyata Wacana’s Pati campus.
“This program has sparked yet more interest in studying at our school, especially among IVEP and YAMEN alumni and young people who are keen to understand the global context and challenges,” says Pdt. Herin Kahadi Jayanto. “We have received more applications for the next intake compared to previous years.” This program is now within the scope of MWC-AMBS’ Forming Leaders Together campaign to nurture and develop Anabaptist leaders globally.
STT Sangkakala. Photo: Ebenezer Mondez
JKI
Meanwhile, JKI has a big vision for their theological school, STT Sangkakala, started in 1986. “Our vision is to have 1,000 local churches Indonesia and 1,000 missionaries to send to various countries. This vision cannot be achieved without a training centre to prepare them. STT Sangkakala is our way to prepare them,” said Yusup Rogo, head of STT Sangkakala’s undergraduate program.
Every JKI congregation has independence, so each is free to recruit pastors and church workers from any theological schools according to their needs. “But many of our graduates become independent church planters, and their churches join JKI once established,” said Yusup Rogo.
“Other than Bible-based pastoral, preaching and evangelism skills, I believe it is imperative that today’s theologians have entrepreneurship, social media skills, interpersonal and networking skills – including how to build bridges with community leaders and local governments – to foreign language ability,” he says.
His observation is consistent with that of GKMI and GITJ, which doesn’t see a decline in interest to study theology and entering full-time ministry. “It is not uncommon for people who have encountered God at personal level to want to serve God and accept the calling to full time ministry.”
*Today, there are three Anabaptist-Mennonite groups in Indonesia:
Gereja Injili di Tanah Jawa (GITJ –Evangelical Church in the Land of Java)
Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia (GKMI –Muria Christian Church of Indonesia)
Jemaat Kristen Indonesia (JKI –Indonesian Christian Congregation)
10 September 2024
13:00 UTC
Impact of making disciples in the life of indivdiuals, society and church through Little Flock Discipleship School.
Presenters: Rev Asit Basumata, Mr Gyan Mochary
27 February 2024
14:00-16:00 UTC
“Sharing best practices of the Good Dear Child and Youth Development Project”
We will learn from the best practices of self-help groups in the Child and Youth Development Project of Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) in Ethiopia.
The speakers: Mr Abdi Dubale (Project Director) and Mr Dejene Gurmessa (Project Coordinator) will introduce their ministry. Mr Dubale has a MA degree in Bible theology and a BSc degree in Development & Agriculture. Mr Gurmessa has a MA degree in Business Administration and a BA degree in Anthropology.
After the presentation we will have a chance to reflect with them and ask our questions. We will also share our own experiences with other GASN members.
The webinar will be in English with interpretation into Spanish and French.
Praise God for a new Mennonite church established in India, where most of the members have come to Christian practices from other faiths.
Pray that God would raise up new leaders in North American churches.
Pray for people in Latin America, particularly Venezuela and Ecuador where violence harms people, and feeds into migration stresses.
Pray for peace and justice.
Praise God for the gift of unity; may we receive it.
These petitions were noted in the report-backs from small group rooms in Online Prayer Hour.
Every two months, Anabaptist-Mennonites from around the world gather online to pray together on Friday at 14:00 UTC. That’s morning in the Americas, late afternoon in Africa and Europe, and evening across Asia.
Deacons and regional representative facilitate the small group prayer in breakout rooms. They share concerns and joys from their region.
“We had five people from Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras, Paraguay,” says one Spanish room leader. “We had seven from the USA, Canada, Germany and Ethiopia,” says an English group leader.
“Praise God we had a meaningful prayer time for unity of Spirit to pray for suffering and bleeding humanity. May God have mercy over this world. We will continue pray for shared points,” says participant Rechal Bagh.
Walk in solidarity with Anabaptist-Mennonites around the world by joining in prayer together at the next online prayer hour, 15 March 2024.
You are invited! Join us for Climate Pollinators, a webinar series on creation care. See below!
Andre Wiederkehr, of Ontario, Canada, doesn’t have a driver’s license. That’s because he chooses not to use fossil fuels to get around.
Without using a car, attending Hanover Mennonite Church on Sundays means riding 21 kilometers by bike. “None of us is really an enthusiastic biker,” says Andre Wiederkehr, who lives on a farm with his brother and parents.
The question is: “Do we drive and continue the system which can’t be continued forever, so eventually there will have to be a break, or do we make the break now?”
Andre, his brother Theo and their parents have decided to make the break in numerous ways.
On their 100-acre farm, they are working to swap out tractors and power tools for human-powered farming methods.
They burn firewood instead of using a gas or electric stove, and let their wood stove double as a heater for their house.
They grow most of their own food, eliminating the need for transportation.
They use local building materials, like wood, as much as possible, instead of metal or cement.
The lifestyle they have chosen isn’t easy. The brothers work hard and sometimes feel isolated from friends and family. So how do they stay motivated, and what keeps them accountable?
“Most people hold themselves to some kind of moral standard,” Andre Wiederkehr says. “For me, I want to be a person of integrity, I want to be able to think well of myself.”
Andre Wiederkehr enjoys making tools for use on the farm, and he said he finds satisfaction in a job well done. He also said there’s something rewarding in “feeling that the thing you did, you’ve done in the right direction, in the right way.”
For Theo Wiederkehr, “The satisfying thing is… when I’m working with another species well. That happens most for me with our domesticated plants.”
Theo Wiederkehr owns a seed company and grows a wide variety of grains, including wheat. “We’ve had this relationship with this plant for 10 000 years of human history,” he said. “and it has shaped how our species has developed and we have shaped how its species has developed.”
“There is this enormous, strange satisfaction when you hold a sheaf of grain that you have grown and harvested in your hand,” says Theo Wiederkehr. “I felt it the first time I harvested.”
Modern society is structured around many systems that are harmful to the earth and to people. “Because of how our society has developed,” Theo said, “we end up in situations where there seems to be no good choice.”
For example, “Do we make a bad choice of travelling to church in a damaging way, or do we make a bad choice of not being part of that church? Neither really feels like a good option.”
For inspiration, the brothers turn to their Mennonite heritage. “Desire for integrity is something which is deeply ingrained in our faith,” Theo Wiederkehr says.
Andre provided an example: “I used to be really into robotics, and I do enjoy that a whole lot more than gardening at a brain-tickling level, but I don’t think I would feel good about my life if that was what I was doing right now.”
MWC’s Creation Care Task Force members from each region will host one hour of storytelling and Q&A. Church members from around the world will share how they are affected by climate change – and responding with resilient action and gospel hope.
Other featured stories for the North America webinar
“We are here to walk together as churches so we can help each other follow Jesus,” says Arli Klassen, MWC regional representatives coordinator.
She gave that message as she visited the five Caribbean countries with MWC member churches in November 2023. An in-person visit creates space to develop a real relationship, with time for the conversations over coffee which don’t occur in a Zoom meeting, she says.
Since Mariano Ramirez had to stepped down from the work due to health concerns, there has been no regional representative for the Caribbean. Shortly after the visit, William George Broughton, long-time pastor and church leader from Jamaica, was appointed as a new MWC representative for the Caribbean.
Local congregations graciously hosted the MWC coordinator from Canada. One memorable moment was lunch at a Chinese restaurant in Jamaica with 12 church leaders around a large round table, Arli Klassen says. Conversations stretched over four hours as each person shared about their life and ministry.
“To be able to connect is quite profound,” she says. To do it in the context of a Chinese restaurant in Jamaica is “part of our multicultural flavour,” she says with a smile.
The MWC member churches on the islands of Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba range from three congregations with a total of 100 members to almost 100 congregations with nearly 5 000 members. Many of them continue to look to North America for training and support from the mission agnecy that helped birth, says Arli Klassen.
Although there are significantly different cultural factors on each island (e.g., some are English-speaking, others Spanish-speaking), she observes that island living provides a shared perspective based on isolation and small economies.
The need for Anabaptist-Mennonite training for pastors was shared across the islands, although churches in Cuba have made connections with SEMILLA seminary in Guatemala. Several of the islands have older pastors and overall lack of opportunity for young leaders. All are aware of their vulnerability in the face of the climate crisis.
“We try to encourage these MWC member churches to connect with each other and the wider MWC family, so they feel less isolated,” says Arli Klassen. “We have so much to learn from each other about deepening our understanding of who God is through different cultures.”
India
A brief description of the journey of the Bharatiya General Conference Mennonite Church from the darkness of the 7-year period of division to the light of unification.
The division and reunification of the Bharatiya General Conference Mennonite Church were marked by a series of events and challenges. The initial division was caused by a dispute over the rights of the chair and the secretary of the church.
In 1994, a seemingly minor issue of choosing the date and venue for the annual convention became the catalyst for division. Some members wanted the convention to be held in Jagdishpur (in the church’s northern zone) instead of Janjgir (in the southern zone), leading to differences among the office bearers.
This led to two separate meetings, one in Janjgir and one in Jagdishpur, resulting in a divided church with two chairpersons.
Elections were a significant concern during this time. To resolve the issue, the decision was made to hold elections separately in Janjgir and Jagdishpur, creating two executive committees. This division escalated when the chairperson tried to impose restrictions on bank operations, leading to legal disputes and FIRs (police reports).
Efforts for reconciliation were made, including interventions by pastors, the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), and the Evangelical Fellowship of India conference. However, these attempts did not yield positive results, and animosity continued to grow between the two factions.
The situation took a legal turn with hearings in the High Court, with both parties and registrar firms and institutions involved. The High Court ruled, but the dispute continued.
In 1997 and 1998, elections were held again, further solidifying the division. It seemed that reconciliation was becoming increasingly unlikely. Neither side was willing to cooperate.
However, a turning point came when a chance meeting occurred between me and the late Mr. N.S. Badhai in Gass Memorial, Raipur, in 1999. This unexpected encounter led to a conversation about reconciliation.
Both of us recognized our roles in leadership and the responsibility to bring about unity in the church. We decided to seek mediation from Rev. C.S.R. Geer (a former Mennonite from Jaghdishpur) with the goal of convening a joint conference (AGM).
With the support of a leader from the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), a joint conference was organized in Jagdishpur in November 2002. Despite initial competition, I called back my name for the position and Mr. N. S. Badhai was elected as chair. A powerful message from the EFI leader on the prodigal son story (Luke 15:11-32) touched hearts.
Members of both factions forgave each other and resolved to reunite and live together in the future.
Since then, the Bharatiya General Conference Mennonite Church has maintained its unity under the leadership of the conference’s president. The grace of God has continued to guide the church toward a harmonious path in spite of many challenges.
—Mr. Prem Kishor Bagh is church secretary at the head office of Bhartiya General Conference Mennonite Church in Jagdishpur, India.
Brazil
Sometimes, it’s not an option to discuss difficult topics. Conflicts arise, but we can build something new instead of shattering the old.
In 2011, the Mennonite Brethren church in Brazil (COBIM) faced difficult conversations. God had brought leaders from other denominations into COBIM. Now we had to learn how to handle these differences. The traditional MB leaders had not planned to bring in these pastors from different backgrounds; they had certainly not planned to become MBs.
I was one of the latter. As an Assemblies of God pastor, I preached once at a Mennonite Brethren church and vowed never again.
But after moving to a suburb of Curitiba in 2006, a series of Holy Spirit promptings led me into an MB church again and again. After several months of involvement and becoming a member, in October 2007, the pastor invited me and my wife to be pastors.
God was doing some very big things in that congregation. What God was doing locally started moving in direction of the national church.
When we got together in conferences, we would see the differences in way of worship, in way of praying, in way of preaching. We had differences of culture between German and Portuguese; between an individualist culture and a collectivist culture. These were apparent.
Who was right? Those who were more traditional or those who were more Pentecostal?
God who sees everything said: “I will mix these two. We want to build something new where no one is right and wrong, but both are right and both are wrong and we bind both together.”
We decided to create a wider path where traditional and more charismatic could live together. Where both can respect and teach other: where we complement each other.
The Pentecostal folk who had gotten inserted in Anabaptist culture have to learn from this Anabaptist movement. But we also have to share what we have received.
It takes a lot of talking.
We pointed out one side. We showed the other side. We defined our limits so we could cooperate.
We wanted our strengths to converge, not to fight or bring power tensions.
There were many moments that were difficult.
Several times, I received tap on shoulder to ask: “How long will you stay here yet?” They implied that I should take my different-ness and go elsewhere.
Another time at a conference of pastors, some were making light about the work of the Holy Spirit, and how people react with emotion. My heart was heavy that they should take something so serious and made jokes about it.
But I felt the Lord calling me to be patient. God was going to do a something new. If people were not willing to change, God would deal with it.
Over the next period, the leaders who had been most resistant to change each left the MB church, for a variety of reasons.
These leaders were not bad leaders nor sinful, they just couldn’t see what God wanted to do. Their convictions based on their background and what they had learned were stronger than what the Lord wanted to do.
I think of when the Spirit came upon the Gentiles. The leaders didn’t understand why God would go to the Gentiles. But they were open to understand the Lord was doing a new thing, building a “jug” of blessing from the mixed “clay” of Jews and Gentiles with the water of the Holy Spirit.
In COBIM, God provided a “Barnabas” for me – named Paul. He is a “traditional” Mennonite Brethren, with a father from Russia and a mother who studied in Goshen College, USA.
After a career in international business – which opened his eyes to different ways of doing – he became involved in church leadership. His background allows him in a sense to “interpret” the charismatic movement into the culture of Anabaptists. People need a bridge; new ways are not just downloaded.
As we learn to live with difference, we pray for each other. It shows an attitude of your heart.
I have learned much from studying Anabaptist history. Through the traditional MBs, God led me to his Word. When I share a prophetic word, it is grounded in Scripture and joint discernment.
Step by step, two very different groups within COBIM are taking our differences and going in a smooth way. We could try to make it white or black – or we can create a path where we understand that if this one can go this far, the other can go this far, and we can go together.
“We have all our backgrounds,” says Paul, “but when we are open, God shows us things through Scripture and through experience.”
In the past, the clash of cultures hindered. Now. when we have problems, we don’t each go to our own side, but instead we sit together. We must be open to understand God works in different ways (see like Larry Miller’s three practices for building communion).
What did God do with the conflict in COBIM? God gave some charismatic leaders open hearts to hear and learn. God gave traditional MBs open hearts to hear and to love. God brought us together so the kingdom of God is multiplied, in Brazil and the world.
—Reginaldo Valim is pastor of Igreja Evangélica Irmãos Menonitas (Mennonite Brethren) de Campo Grande MS, in Brazil.
Add your pin to the celebration map
“Dalam Yesus Kita Bersaudara…”
In Jesus Christ, we are one family. Will you celebrate with us?
Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday is an opportunity to remind our communities of faith that we are all part of one body made up of many tribes, languages and nations (Revelation 7:9).
The worship resource package makes it possible for every local congregation to join in shared worship, in spirit, in their own time, own place and in their own way.
We want to share your celebration with the family by adding your location to the celebration map.
b) the address of your congregation’s worship gathering place
c) your church’s website URL (if applicable)
d) (optional) Tell us your story: Will you have a special speaker from another part of the world? Will you sing songs from the Assembly songbook? Will you practice the children’s activity? Will you have any other special activities to celebrate being part of the body of Christ in the Anabaptist tradition?
Malawi
“I am Yao,” says Madalistso Blessings Kaputa. That people group is regarded to be Muslim in Malawi. “Someone has reached me.”
Chewa, Yao, Lome (major people groups in Malawi): they can all be part and parcel of this family of God, he says.
As a Yao, he is able to represent the church in Muslim areas. “There is a connection, a relationship, between the Muslims and the church. We try to have a sense that we let the Yao Muslim community understand themselves. We are part of the family of God. We do not impose. The church is working together,” he says.
“I am the living testimony of the church and how Anabaptists live with other people. If I were not able to grow in this way, it would be hard to live in Muslim community. I pursue peace. I share gospel with peace.”
Anabaptist-Mennonite churches in Malawi boldly proclaim the gospel as they offer aid and succor to members and community alike.
There are two MWC member churches in Malawi: Mpingo Wa Abale Mwa Kristu (Brethren in Christ) and Mennonite Brethren Church in Malawi. Both were nurtured in their early days by African evangelists.
Mpingo Wa Abale Mwa Kristu (BIC): Like the Macedonian call
A small group began to meet for prayer in Blantyre in 1983. They became aware of the BIC church in Zimbabwe and desired to link with them. As they prayed, they were led to write a letter, inviting leaders from Zimbabwe to come.
BIC Zimbabwe received the call. In 1984, they sent pastors Philemon M Khumalo, Bekithemba Dube and their families.
A fellowship began meeting in Ndirande, a suburb of Blantyre, the country’s industrial and urban centre. A second church was soon started in Zombe. The church was officially registered in 1986.
Early leaders were Sani Selamani Chibwana who called the first friends together; Melawrie Fred Mbamera who became the chairperson; Ephraim Disi, the secretary.
Today the church has grown to 75 congregations in both the southern and central regions of the country. It comprises members from several ethnic groups.
The church has ministries for youth and for women. There are evangelism projects, ministries to people affected by HIV/AIDS and other compassion ministries.
The church is living out its Anabaptist identity by pursuing peace and loving one another. They seek to live as Christ gave to us in Matthew 5. “We need Jesus since God is love. This shows our real identity,” says Madalitso Blessing Kaputa.
As church members reach out with the gospel and find there is a physical need, they help: praying, walking alongside, supporting in seeking healing or resources.
They also offer teaching from the Bible and sound understanding about the need to put faith in Christ Jesus, not false doctrines.
“We can reach the person not only one-sided but both sides: spiritual aspects and even physical aspects,” says Madalitso Blessings Kaputa.
“We are there. We are salt and light, meeting their needs as a whole person with a holistic gospel,” he says.
Challenges
The pandemic was only one of the major challenges affecting the BIC church in Malawi. HIV/AIDS continues to break apart families. A cholera epidemic has only recently subsided. Climate change causes droughts and severe weather. Recently, Cyclone Freddy swept through the country, destroying homes, church buildings and wiping out both gardens and crops, resulting in the loss of pastors, church members and neighbours. Food shortages will mean higher prices. The church is praying about how they can help when the harvests do not come.
But the BIC church does not just look at challenges. There is hope.
“We are the agent that God has entrusted with to give love those that are not being loved,” says Madalitso Blessings Kaputa.
“Even though today we have health challenges, the church is there to give hope.
“Even with challenge like climate change: we have hope with Jesus,” he says.
Baptism: a time of joy
“If it would have been like a cup of tea, so much sugar is added showing that there is a joy,” says Madalitso Blessing Kaputa, about a recent baptism event.
Baptism in Malawi, a largely rural country, is mostly performed at the rivers or the lake.
Most of the time there is a large bunch of people, standing and looking, celebrating together.
It is time to fellowship, so there is often food.
Nothing can happen without singing. Singing is part of our joy.
Sometimes baptism is undertaken after months or year of study. But others wake up and say ‘let’s go!’ then go on to understand their baptism. After all, it’s not baptism that brings salvation but what is happening in their heart.
—Madalitso Blessing Kaputa is an evangelist with BIC Malawi.
Leaders at the MBCM annual general conference. Photo: Lyson Makawa
Mennonite Brethren Church in Malawi: multiplying churches
In 2009, a man from DR Congo in Dzaleka Refugee Camp in the Dowa district of Malawi saw a need to start a church. Safari Mutabesha Bahati (DRC), Onesime Kabula (Rwanda), Charles Isaiah, Chiza Sedata, Gems Mariamungu, Gemeya and their families started a church and it started to grow. People from DRC, Burundi, Ethiopia, Rwanda joined, speaking French, English, Swahili and more were drawn in.
Their evangelistic fervour took them beyond the bounds of the camp to plant churches among local Malawians.
Today there are two congregations in the camp and 60 outside scattered through the rural areas of the densely populated country.
The strategy is that one congregation should plant another. These form into hubs of 7-12 congregations around a mission centre led by a senior pastor who reports to the executive. With this rapid growth, not all congregations have a formally trained pastor, but three times a year, pastors gather for one or two weeks of training through ICOMB’s Missional Leadership Training workshops.
Regional and cultural solidarity is strong in Malawian society. The MB church seeks to cross those barriers. “In church, we have all these groups together: our language is that Jesus Christ is our leader. What unites us is the gospel,” says Lyson Makawa.
The MBs strive to plant holistic churches. Evangelism and discipleship are priorities. “We believe to nurture the people who have just come to Jesus Christ so they can and grow in maturity,” says Lyson Makawa. New believers are encouraged to attend classes for at least a month to learn the basics prior to baptism.
“We also believe in planting churches where you are empowered spiritually and also physically.”
One example is the sewing project that was started in the refugee camp. Women are taught how to sew items for sale so they can have a source of income.
Another is promoting a pail kit system of farming. In one pail, the farmer receive an irrigation tool and seeds to plant vegetables.
The church has also started an incubator to hatch chicks for pastors to raise chickens for food and income.
Challenges
Pastors face many struggles, from lack of education to travelling between villages to supporting their families with little income. Their congregations look to them for spiritual support while their families seek financial support.
Although most pastors are men there is one woman who serves as a pastor. Up to 70 percent of church members are women. Although differences in faith practices between husbands and wives can cause marital problems, sometimes marital problems drive women to seek relief at church.
The MB church was not spared the affects of Cyclone Freddy. They are focusing relief efforts on elderly people, people with disabilities and those who are otherwise not able to support themselves.
Worship gatherings
A Sunday morning gathering starts with prayer, followed by about 30 minutes of teaching. Singing follows in several moments: vigorous praise with dancing, more contemplative worship, and choir performances. Over the next hour there is preaching from the Word of God by the pastor or an elder, or even a pastor from another church. After that, offering is taken, followed by the benediction.
Congregations may also hold midweek services for about an hour.
Gatherings focused on teaching from the Word of God take place on Wednesday, starting around 3 pm.
On Thursdays, the women often gather. These are times for work like decorating the church or encouraging one another.
On Saturdays there are meetings for intercessory prayers. “We have a God who answers our prayers,” says Lyson Makawa.
—Lyson Makawa is leadership and capacity building coordinator with the Mennonite Brethren church of Malawi.
Relationships with other churches
“We believe we belong to the larger family of anabaptists,” says Lyson Makawa. “Belonging to same roots brings us together.”
The Anabaptist-Mennonite churches in Malawi are connected to the larger body of Christ around the world as well as with each other. Both BIC and MB relate to Mennonite Central Committee and work with each other.
The MBs have also collaborated with a conservative Anabaptist-Mennonite group in the country on publication of evangelistic materials.
Relationship continues between BIC churches in Malawi and Zimbabwe: There are frequently Zimbabwean guests at Malawian church conferences, sometimes bringing teaching. A delegation of women from Malawi visited Zimbabwe on a learning project.
Following the example of their mother church, Malawi BIC is also evangelizing in new areas. Strategic planning is underway to reach the northern part of the country and also to reach into neighbouring Mozambique. “Mission is on our hearts,” says Madalitso Blessing Kaputa.
And the relationship with other church bodies reminds Malawian brothers and sisters they are not alone. “Whatever is happening with MWC, it is involving even the church in Malawi. We do not take this for granted: we are family,” says Madalitso Blessings Kaputa.
You are invited! Join us for Climate Pollinators, a webinar series on creation care. See below!
January to April is the rainy season in Guayaquil, a port city on the coast of Ecuador. But this past year, says Sara Noemi Viteri Moreno, a member of Iglesia Jesus el Buen Pastor (Jesus the good shepherd, a Mennonite church) in Guayaquil, it hardly rained at all.
Sara Noemi Viteri Moreno is an environmental engineer who helps lead the youth program at her church.
“It has stopped raining the way it used to,” she says, “and that makes it so it’s hotter.” She suspects these trends are linked to something else: decreasing tree cover in the city.
“Close to the church, there used to be these trees that were really old,” Sara Noemi Viteri Moreno says. But about five years ago, the city removed them.
Since then, there is less shade and the increased heat is notable, Sara Noemi Viteri Moreno says. It’s not just those trees. All around the city, trees have been cut down as the population increases. “Those trees brought rain to this area,” she says.
With over three million residents, Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador, and it’s constantly growing. Many of the newcomers are Ecuadorians from rural areas, but the city has also been receiving an increasing number of refugees from outside the country, mainly from Venezuela.
Since 2015, Ecuador has received more than 500 000 refugees fleeing political turmoil, violence, poverty and economic and social insecurity in Venezuela. In Guayaquil, many end up living by the rivers, under bridges and in parks.
United Nations Climate Change (UNFCCC) describes climate change as a threat multiplier. It “worsens social, economic and environmental pressures, leading to social upheaval and possibly even violent conflict.”
Immigration of refugees from Venezuela means that destinations like Guayaquil become more crowded. People cut down forests and build near rivers. This leads to problems like landslides and flooding, says Sara Noemi Viteri Moreno.
In the church, “We aren’t very conscious about what is happening.”
However, they are supporting Venezuelan refugees. Over the years, the church building has served as a temporary home for families searching for work and housing. Congregants have provided newcomers with mattresses to sleep on, food to eat and clothes to wear.
“Migration means there are more people in one place,” says Sara Noemi Viteri Moreno. “There aren’t any more places to get established anymore.”
“This is a part of climate change. It’s one of the problems we can start with.”
The Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions met at the Ecumenical Institute of the World Council of Churches at Bossey, Switzerland, from 30 October-3 November 2023.
To foster mutual understanding and familiarize participants with each other’s areas of work, each communion presented a report. Morning and evening prayers reflected on ongoing wars and violent conflicts in the world. Participants also received guided tours of the Ecumenical Centre and the United Nations.
“By listening to what God is doing in each global communion, we identify common challenges and current trends in the Christian church,” says César García, general secretary of the Mennonite World Conference and meeting chair.
“By praying with and for each other, we nurture our commitment to follow Christ.
“By deepening our relationships, we witness the gift of unity amid diversity and difference, a witness so much needed in the current world circumstances,” says César García.
Rev. Dr Ganoune Diop, current secretary of the Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions and director of public affairs and religious liberty for the worldwide Seventh-Day Adventist Church, says: “This unique yearly gathering is a space where distinguished leaders of Christian world communions engage in bilateral and multilateral dialogues, each communion sharing on their own terms about their ecclesiastical life and work as witnesses to the sovereignty of the triune God and his ultimate purpose to gather the whole world (oikumene) under the lordship of Christ.”
Since 1957 (except 1960, 1961, 1975), the annual Conference of Secretaries of World Christian Communions brings together representatives from diverse Christian traditions. The World Council of Churches hosted the meeting in 2023.
“This group does not sign resolutions, engage in common strategic planning or plan of actions. The focus is on relations, on being rather than doing things together,” Rev. Dr Ganoune Diop says. “Mingling with one another helps dispel prejudices and helps us focus on our respective participation in what God is doing in the world.”
