Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • MDS has been responding to a repeat flood disaster in and around Barre, Vermont, USA, where volunteers have mucked out or repaired more than 50 homes. The women pictured cleaned mud out of the basement of a home flooded with river water. Photographer: Brent Trumbo 

    North America: USA 

    Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) responds to disasters, rebuilds homes and restores hope by organizing and empowering volunteers to respond to people hit by disasters in the USA and Canada. Created in the 1950s as an organized expression of the Anabaptist practices of mutual aid, today MDS is respected by national disaster management agencies in both countries. In 2022-2023, MDS had more than 7 000 volunteers – some skilled in construction, others completely unexperienced – from the supporting Mennonite churches, other churches or none at all, and from across the spectrum of Anabaptist identity in North America, from Old Order Amish to the variety of urban and technologically savvy Mennonites. MDS is a member of the Global Anabaptist Service Network. 

    On 29 July 2024, Brent Trumbo was serving as crew leader in Barre, Vermont, USA, alongside Old Order Mennonite volunteers from Dayton, Virginia, and the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania area. The longtime MDS volunteer attends Harrisonburg Mennonite Church, Virginia, USA. 

    “I was dumbfounded when I saw what they were doing,” he said. The women, most of whom were in their early 20s, were using shovels to fill five-gallon buckets (20L) with mud, then carrying them, one in each hand, out of the basement of a 200-year-old home that had been inundated with river mud. 

    “They were carrying about 40 pounds (around 18 kgs) in each hand,” he said. “They did this for hours on end with no stopping and no slowing down.” 

    And they were singing while they worked. “Their harmony was phenomenal,” said Brent Trumbo. “You could have made a recording in that basement.” 

    Brent Trumbo marvelled at the beautiful singing that rose up out of the mud in that basement. “It was a nasty environment,” he said. “We put some temporary lights down there but it was dark. It didn’t smell good.” 

    But the conditions didn’t seem to faze the women at all. So he joined in the work. 

    “I was trying to keep up with them,” said Brent Trumbo, who is 65. “I did have to take a couple of ibuprofen (painkiller).” 

    He recalls getting a little teary-eyed on his last day on the job, which was 2 August 2024. 

    “These were young people who were so hardworking. They were humble. They were very friendly and they’d come over and chat with me for 20 minutes very comfortably,” he said. “They restored my hope in the next generation. That’s genuinely the way I feel. I get very emotional when I talk about it.” 

    He had no idea the photo he took of the women with muddy dresses would be viewed by thousands on Facebook and Instagram. 

    “People thought this was someone getting creative with AI!” said Brent Trumbo, who would like to assure people that he’s a real human being. 

    Who’s not in the photograph? The homeowner, a man who periodically brought snacks and drinks down into the basement for the volunteers, and had a look of stunned surprise when he saw the work being accomplished. 

    “As we were leaving, I was pulling out, I noticed that he had walked out into the yard and had just sat in a lawn chair – and it appeared like he was crying,” said Trumbo. “I am sure he was just in shock. It was a very touching moment.” 

    —This story was first published on MDS’s website after the photo was shared on social media. 

    Reflection from MDS executive director Kevin King: 

    In late August, I spent several days in Barre, Vermont, visiting the MDS project and surrounding communities. I joined volunteers from Arizona, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia, Minnesota, Indiana and listened to flood survivors and the local community leaders. Three major floods have impacted north and central Vermont in the last 12 months. I heard stories how when thunderstorms arise, many residents relive the trauma and wonder if the fourth flood will hit them. 

    Over breakfast one morning with local Baptist pastor, Dan Molind, remarked: “How blessed I am to see the wide variety of Mennonites that have come to clean up and rebuild through MDS – from the Amish to the progressive English. How is that possible?!” 

    I shared that it was out of our compassion, obedience to the Scripture and gratefulness to God. 

    We as an Anabaptist community of faith may have our differences, but I always come away seeing MDS volunteers live out their unity in Christ by putting their faith into action. 

    And I remain encouraged. 

    Website: mds.org 

    This article first appeared in
    Courier / Correo / Courrier, volume 39, number 4

  • Courier: Perspectives

    Asia: India 

    Little Flock Discipleship School is a “ring” of fellowships in Uttar Medabari, Alipurduar District, West Bengal, India. In 1985, Little Flock was established as an evangelical church organization to carry out the Great Commission in the northern part of West Bengal. However, as the ministry spread, the need to train, equip and send disciples into unreached regions became apparent. The first batch of Little Flock Discipleship School with 12 disciples began in April 2010 in a rented house in the village called Bamanpara. By 2024, the 14th batch is being completed, adding another 24 to the 201 disciples who have been trained.  
    Little Flock is part of India United Missionary Church (BJCPM-Bharatiya Jukta Christa Prachar Mandali) and runs in partnership with Nappanee Missionary Church. It is a member of the Global Mission Fellowship.  

    Little Flock is situated at the foot of the Himalayan mountains, surrounded by beautiful scenery – forests and rivers, mountains and tea gardens – reaching out to seven Indian states and bordering on three neighbouring countries: Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. 

    We have set up the four following objectives:  

    • #1 Transform disciples into Christ-like character. 
    • #2 Equip disciples with Scripture. 
    • #3 Impact lives through effective disciples. 
    • #4 Multiply disciples. 

    Our ministry wings include a discipleship training centre; discipleship training workshops; child development centres (schools for socially, economically and politically marginalized children with free tuition and provided meals); basic computer training centres; prayer and counselling centres; blood donation camps; eye camps; children’s festivals. 

    After studying in Little Flock’s training school, students have a bigger vision to learn and serve. They have gone on to health training or theological colleges. Other organizations and denominations send their grassroots workers for training for the mission field.  

    Here are some case histories: 

    Social and spiritual transformation 

    Transformed from drug addiction through the power of the Holy Spirit while training in Little Flock in 2018-2019, Saikhoram Reang went back to his village Gaurangapara, Tripura. He was filled with vigour to work among the poorest of the poor children deprived of basic food, school, education and parental care.  

    Little Flock helped him establish a child development centre. Children are taught songs, skits and artwork, both biblical and secular. The school has brought dropouts back into education, now at the high school level. 

    Since 2020, Saikhoram Reang and his team have been a great blessing to educate, feed and spiritual enlighten 71 children.  

    From timid man to fearless missionary 

    When he joined Little Flock in 2014, Bibek Narjinary was extremely timid and introverted. But his life was radically transformed.  

    Seeing his motivation for mission work, Little Flock sent him to study in a theological college. After the completion of his master’s degree, he committed his life to establish a school for the most underprivileged children in the Nornoso forest village of Karbi Anglong, Assam.  

    This place has no road, electricity, school, market or church for 400 children and their families. The community is alien to the gospel. “I am ready to die for the sake of the gospel here,” says Bibek Narjinary.  

    Untouchable spirit of faith and grace 

    Dimasa tribes in North Cachar Hills, Assam, are vehemently opposed the gospel. Christians, a micro group, are considered “untouchables.” 

    But Gobilal Ponglo, who was discipled at Little Flock in 2010, returned to his village and has stood rock solid in his faith in spite of persistent persecution from his neighbours. He has been instrumental in forming a couple of house churches and has started a child development centre in the village.  

    This is not easy place to practice Christian faith, but God has been so good and so gracious to protect them.  

    A trainer for transformation 

    Discipled at Little Flock in 2011, Kripa Joy Reang also works as a passionate missionary in the North Cachar Hills. His gift is to establish new mission stations in the remotest pockets of the region.  

    On one of his mission ventures, he met Samson Reang in Dasta, South Tripura, who was running a tiny nursery school for poverty-stricken refugee children. Kripa Joy Reang discipled him for a bigger work. As a result, Samson Reang has established a Victory English School with a hostel and a chapel. 

    This school is an agent of social, educational, economical and spiritual transformation where 200 students are studying from nursery to Standard 5. 

    Beyond the borders  

    Amrit Kujur, an Adivasi man, discipled in 2010, has been instrumental in assisting the Little Flock missionary in East Nepal. Amrit Kujur has formed house fellowships in Tokla tea gardens.  

    Growing faith in the forest  

    Another Adivasi evangelist, Chotelal Oraon and his wife Filmita Oraon continue to work to establish God’s kingdom among the forest villages of North Bengal Since were led to Christ and discipled in 2010, they have established two churches. 

    In Lothabari village, where they started a fellowship house, there is now a small church building to serve the congregation. 

    India has witnessed renaissance among the majoritarian religion in the last decade. We have seen a lot of challenges in doing mission work and encountered persecution. So we have a paradigm shift in mission strategies. One-to-one sharing of the gospel and training lay members to carry the mission is crucial. Discipling believers to develop Christ-life character is a necessity. We take an apostolic approach by training native leaders to share the gospel in the remotest places. We believe in being the agent of social, economic and spiritual transformation for eternal purpose. 

    And we pray continuously.  

    Through the work of Little Flock, churches are being revived to disciple believers and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in unreached areas. And the young generation Christians are catching up with the vision.  

    We thank God for opportunities to spread the good news of Jesus Christ in these regions and countries.  

    —Reverend Asit Basumata serves as a principal at Little Flock Discipleship School in India. He has a Master of Divinity and has worked as a professor at the Pax Christiana Bible College in Chennai and as a project coordinator for an HIV/AIDS project. He presented about Little Flock Discipleship Schools along with Mr Gyan Mochary, executive of Little Flock and president of Literacy International India, in a GASN webinar, 10 September 2024.  

    This article first appeared in
    Courier / Correo / Courrier, volume 39, number 4

  • “Their commitment to passing down the message of peace and the gospel inspires me to live a sacrificial life for peace.” Stories of the early Anabaptist martyrs have shaped and inspired Mennonites around the world for 500 years. They continue to do so for suffering pastors in Myanmar, like the one quoted above.  

    From 25-29 November 2024, five MWC leaders, one MC Canada staff member and 17 pastors from Bible Missionary Church, Mennonite in Myanmar met in Chiang Mai, Thailand for a solidarity visit.  

    Myanmar’s years-long civil war has meant fear, violence, displacement and lost loved ones.  

    “The purpose of the visit was to learn how the global church can support the church in Myanmar during this time of suffering and oppression,” says Deacons Commission secretary Tigist Tesfaye. “And to foster mutual learning about peace and Anabaptism.”

    The solidarity delegates wanted to learn about the situation that the church in Myanmar faces. The challenges of living under military dictatorship have intensified for the church with the recent increased enforcement of mandatory military service.  

    The pastors shared about the burden of possibly being conscripted or having their young adults sons compelled – even kidnapped – into military service. They spoke about fasting from their one meal a day. They said they are sometimes regarded with suspicion by government forces and local religious leaders (Buddhist) for following what is perceived as a Western religion.  

    4 men and 1 woman stand in front of a tropical house
    The MWC delegation: Andrew Suderman, Andres Pacheco Lozano, Agus Mayanto, César García, Tigist Tesfaye.

    The visit was also a response to an invitation for learning about the Anabaptist movement. The schedule included sessions on What We Believe Together (Shared Convictions) led by César García, MWC general secretary. Peace Commission secretary and chair Andrew Suderman and Andres Pacheco Lozano led sessions that explored what it means to be a church dedicated to the ways of Jesus Christ’s peace. 

    There were teaching sessions and pastoral sessions with prayer times, time for discussion and mutual learning. And the pastors from Myanmar shared their experiences and what was on their hearts.  

    Agus Mayanto, MWC’s regional representative for Southeastern Asia, and Norm Dyck of MC Canada Witness led evening prayers.  

    Many of the pastors commented that the lessons on Anabaptist history and being a peace church were entirely new and opened a way to personal change and social change. 

    “They encourage me to view life and faith through a fresh lens,” said one pastor.  

    “I was inspired to learn more about peace – especially active peace as a way of living and responding to challenges,” said another.  

    “Understanding the history of the Anabaptist movement was a significant highlight,” said another. “I am committed to sharing the story of Anabaptism and its history with others.” 

    “When faced with conflict, we often feel limited to two options: seeking revenge or remaining silent. However, studying the Beatitudes taught me a third way: responding with peaceful action,” said another pastor. “This revelation was transformative for me.” 

    The solidarity visit concluded with the pastors from Myanmar highlighting particular ways forward for them to respond to their context. The group identified several ways to grow in the knowledge and practice of building peace as Jesus followers. Discussions groups, task forces and conferences – especially for the youth – were some of the suggestions.  

    How can you pray for Myanmar? 

    The pastors requested prayer  

    • For courage and skill to preach the gospel of peace. 
    • For the pastors to be faithful servants despite the persecution. 
    • For the soldiers who are also suffering. 

  • “It was necessary to take courage: it’s another world, another vocabulary, another way of thinking. How was I to bring my own questions and be respectfully present as a guest while being fully Mennonite?” Anne-Cathy Graber asked these questions as she received an invitation to attend the Vatican’s Sixteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod in October 2024. 

    Having taken the role of MWC Secretary for Ecumenical Relations for MWC in 2023, Anne-Cathy Graber represented Mennonite World Conference at the month-long event, which had 16 “fraternal delegates” representing other Christian churches and communities, 8 Protestant and 8 Orthodox. 

    Anne-Cathy Graber is an itinerant Mennonite pastor and theologian and co-director of the Chair of Ecumenical Theology at the Faculties Loyola Paris. She serves on MWC’s Faith & Life Commission. Additionally, she has represented Anabaptists at the Global Christian Forum Committee, in the Faith & Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (2014-2022), in the bilateral dialogue between MWC and the Reformed Church. She is also a consecrated sister in Chemin Neuf, a Catholic community with an ecumenical vocation.  

    The subject was “synodality” which is not the word we use in anabaptist churches, Anne-Cathy Graber says, “but the reality is really inside our churches.” MWC often uses another not-so-accessible theological word, koinonia. 

    Equality and dignity 

    “I was astonished that MWC was invited,” she says, because MWC is such a small church in the scope of other communions. “It says something about the place of minorities.” 

    “In Christ, we are the same body, we are equal.” 

    The welcome extended to the fraternal delegates was a sign of trust, says Anne-Cathy Graber, because the fraternal delegates “listened to each word; sometimes we were witnesses to differences between bishops.” 

    In a further sign of equality and dignity, fraternal delegates had the same opportunity to speak as a cardinal or bishop. “It was possible – in fact, they expected – that I could ask my own questions, voice my hesitations and share my own surprises.” 

    Mutual listening and testimony sharing were key throughout the process.” We could listen to the difficulty of the others,” she says. Particularly as the leaders from the Middle East spoke, “we share their suffering. I am very far from their liturgy, but we were very close in Christ.” 

    The process was demanding and it took a lot of time, but it allowed for many steps for these conversations in the Spirit, she says.  

    Conversion is needed 

    Participants wrestled with a question that MWC also struggles with: “How can we avoid a unity that is uniformity, but instead live out a unity that integrates difference?” 

    An answer that was received and repeated is that “it isn’t possible to live synodality without conversion,” says Anne-Cathy Graber. “Our logic, our ways of doing, and our ways of reflecting must undergo a conversion.”  

    The synod was prefaced by two days of silent retreat. In this period of penitential prayer, “We begged for forgiveness for sins against women, against creation, against migrants. It set the tone of a church that hears the calls of the world and admits its own failings.” 

    At the end of the month of gathering, the synod produced a magisterial text about synodality. In yet another courageous move, the fraternal delegates were invited to propose amendments.  

    It will take time for the document to be received in practice around the world. “It is necessary,” says Anne-Cathy Graber. “When something is important, very fundamental, it takes time.” 

    The experience renewed her commitment to ecumenicity: “it was like a parable: to really be the church, we need each other.” 

    Even in this highly structured, formal process, “I saw how the Holy Spirit can work in the institutional matters. We cannot stop the work of the Spirit.” 

    Read more

    Ecumenism as Ministry – Anne-Cathy Graber in France
    Synodality: A conversion aimed at becoming more missionary

  • Photo: Mennonite church of Ghana – Dalive congregation

    Christmas! Christmas!! Christmas!!! Christmas in Ghana is a season of magic and wonder.  

    Every Ghanaian has their own definition to what Christmas means to them. It reminds me of the fact that no matter what one might go through, nothing is permanent. It brings joy and assurance that tomorrow can be better.  

    The December weather greets us with dry air in the day and warmth at night. When this weather change is experienced, Ghanaians begin to harvest their inner Christmas spirit.  

    Neighbours begin to play sweet local and global Christmas carols to inform that the greatest season of the year is in.  

    Workers begin to work harder. 

    Children try to obey every rule set by their parents.  

    We greet each other: 

    • “May a good year meet you.” / “May we be alive to see another year as any form of bad luck moves far from us.” 
    • Ga dangbe: “Afioo Afi.” / “Afi aya ni eba nina wor, wor femomoomo, alonte din ko akafo wor ten.” 
    • Akans: “Afihyiapaoo.” / “Afi nkor nbe to yen.” 
    • Ewes: “Blonya fedzorgbenyuie na mi.” / “Blonya fedzorgbenui.”  

    This runs through the whole month. But the main celebration begins on 24 December and ends after the first week of the new year.  

    Christmas Eve begins with decorations of house and church buildings with bright lights along with colourful artefacts. On this day, folks visit their families at home. They then join their families for a midnight activity.  

    The activity that a Ghanaian will engage in on this day varies. Some choose to go partying, others prefer to stay indoor with their families but my family prefers to go for a church service where we sing local Christmas carols, hymns songs of praise and pray into the upcoming year.  

    On 26 December, women prepare special meals for their families while the men and young ones engage in so many different kinds of games and sports.  

    The King and the royal family along with many sponsors may place a trophy and the team to win gets the ultimate prize.  

    During the days from 27-30 December, most families get to spend time together: shopping, visiting entertainment parks, tourist sites or the beach. Basically, we engage in anything fun.  

    31 December is a magical day. It is a time for self-assessment and making new year resolutions. The day is mostly silent as families meet to discuss the way forward into the next year. The leaders of the church and the society call on people to try to solve disputes. The church organizes an all-night service.  

    With empty streets, neglected drinking spots and bars, sports centres closed, turned tables on the streets, the location of almost everyone is the church. People come to confess their sins, hoping to see the next year going well for them.  

    1 January is a blessed day. Every house in the community spends so much time to prepare different kinds of foods. They share these foods as gifts to their neighbours. This is a day to get satisfied and make merry.  

    The celebrations end exactly a week after. Things go back to normal. Schools begin to reopen for students; workers go back to work; everything follows in the normal way.  

    People plan for the life ahead hoping that things will go better than the previous year. 

    –Gborbitey Isaac Nii Torgbor is a member of Ghana Mennonite Church, Ghana. He is the Africa representative on the YABs Committee (Young AnaBaptists).  

    YABs Committee
    Christmas reflection videos

  • Discover the global family on a fresh website. Users will find a new look when they visit starting 12 December 2024.  

    The expiry of old technology was the impetus for Mennonite World Conference to refresh the website on a new platform.  

    MWC’s website is a portal to a tool kit of information about our communion of Anabaptist churches.  

    Users can learn how to Get Involved by praying with us, donating, participating in the Global Church Sharing Fund.  

    website header menu preview with "get involved" circled

    They can learn more About MWC’s vision and mission, the General Council and can find MWC’s statements on living out solidarity with Indigenous Peoples, on conscientious objection and more.  

    website header menu with "about mwc" circled, and arrows pointing to "vision & mission", "General Council", "MWC Statements"

    They can explore Our Work through stories from around the world, the information about our Commissions, Young Anabaptists (YABs), Networks, Creation Care Task Force and the Francophone Network (Reseau Mennonite Francophone).  

    header menu with "our work" circled, and arrows pointing to "YABs", "Creation Care Task Force" and "Reseau francophone"

    Our Resources library is one of the popular reasons to visit MWC’s website. Users can find all their worship resources, videos of webinars and songs, Courier magazine PDFs, Creation Care Task Force resources and more. The Resource library can be browsed according to resource type or theme. 

    Similarly, videos and information on past Assemblies are found in the main menu bar where newly released information on the upcoming Assembly will also appear.  

    header menu visual with "Assembly" circled

    Interchurch relations – one of the three pillars of MWC’s mission – is easy to find in the main menu. 

    header menu with "interchurch relations" circled

    Additionally, the site will have a new map with a dashboard that allows users to dig deeper into the information about baptized members, congregations and national member churches (to be revealed shortly). 

    One special new function of our refreshed website is a Submit a Prayer function.  

    header menu with "submit a prayer" circled and arrow pointing to in the dropdown

    “Praying for each other is one of the most immediate ways we can live out unity and build peace. We welcome your submission to share with the global family,” says César García, MWC general secretary.  

    “Our website helps to connect our members around the world as we follow Jesus together in our different locations,” says Kristina Toews, MWC Chief Communications Officer. “We are grateful to the team at Bethink Studio for their work in providing a fresh look in accordance with our design standards. Their expertise in transferring our content from Drupal to WordPress was complimented by their deep listening to help us reorganize our content. We also appreciate Mathieu Cain who consulted on map redesign to make member information much easier to find.” 

  • “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” This saying summarizes one of the ideas from Lewis Carroll’s classic children’s tale, Alice in Wonderland. Having a road and defining your destination is crucial if you want to arrive there. 

    There is a biblical version of that saying in Proverbs 11:14: “Where there is no guidance, a nation falls” (NRSVue). Guidance, direction, road, destination – all those words are implied in another word that is sometimes misunderstood and historically problematic but with plenty of theological content: mission. 

    In the book God’s People in Mission: An Anabaptist Perspective, I define mission as everything the church is and does, bearing witness to Jesus Christ in her ministry of reconciliation. Let me expand this definition a bit more: 

    Everything that the church is and does 

    • The church is a foretaste of the Kingdom of God. 
    • The church as a message implies her very presence. Any mission that is not communal and interdependent is weak. 
    • The church does not have a message. She is the message. 
    • The church’s presence announces the gospel of Jesus Christ through words and deeds, thus promoting reconciliation. 
    • The church’s action in its testimonial work includes everything it does: worship, pastoral care, teaching, evangelism, service, peacebuilding and health ministries, among other things. What the church does or does not do, and how it does it, is part of its message. 

    bears witness to Jesus Christ 

    • Through its words and deeds, the community’s message is delivered as a witness, affirming their experience and testimonial knowledge. This implies an approach that is not imperialist (as if they were the master and keeper of the absolute truth) and is not delivered from positions of human power. Instead, it is sharing “from below,” with steadfast humility, our faith experience. 
    • The message is about Jesus Christ, so it must be communicated from a position of vulnerability and service, just as Jesus did. This requires sacrificial surrender and a cruciform lifestyle that practices ministerial strategies consistent with Christ’s life and work. 
    • Considering the divine incarnation and Christ’s identification with discriminated persons, bearing witness to Jesus requires a serious contextualization of the message and an intentional identification with those excluded, ignored or victimized by society. 

    in her ministry of reconciliation  

    • The ministry of reconciliation has been entrusted to the church. This implies that the new life in the community, thanks to the Spirit, makes it possible to experience reconciliation with God and among humans. 
    • The ministry of reconciliation seeks not only the salvation of the soul in the distant future but also the re-establishment of an entire relationship with the Spirit of God and a life of just relationships which allow us to enjoy the peace which the same Spirit makes possible in the new creation. 

    From an Anabaptist perspective, how you arrive at your destination – the road – is crucial. That is why our understanding and practice of mission are so important. At Mennonite World Conference (MWC), we want to organize ourselves (structure) and our work (road) in a way that shows what we understand by mission.  

    The MWC Mission Commission brings together a network of agencies from all over the world to work interdependently in a multicultural way. By belonging to the Mission (GMF) and Service (GASN) networks of the MWC Mission Commission, agencies affirm their identity as church organizations, as missional expressions of the church. Through their work, they bear witness to Christ in several areas of specialized ministry, such as church planting and social development. That is what this issue of Courier is about. Let’s join our agencies and MWC networks to follow Jesus, live out unity, and build peace! 

    —César García, MWC general secretary, originally from Colombia, lives in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. 

    Read César García’s chapter, “The fulfillment of our mission” and 9 other chapters on the Mission Commission’s 10 statements in God’s People in Mission: An Anabaptist Perspective, edited by Stanley W. Green and Rafael Zaracho, ©2018. 

    God’s People in Mission: An Anabaptist Perspective
    This article first appeared in
    Courier / Correo / Courrier, volume 39, number 4

  • The church as the body of Christ is central in God’s activity of reconciliation in the world. We want to embody this idea in our global structure. 

    Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is an organic community and not a bureaucratic institution. As a global church, we are committed to serving people rather than building an infrastructure to maintain our institution. 

    Although we want to have a strong body that follows plans, policies and healthy organizational principles, all this exists to serve people and to nurture relationships. 

    We speak of MWC as having a heart with four chambers with the Commissions representing each one: Faith & Life (theology), Peace, Deacons and Mission. 

    The Mission Commission has the mandate to strengthen mission and service awareness in national churches. 

    “We create conversations that show how mission and service belong together within Anabaptist theology,” says James Krabill, chair of the Mission Commission. “We encourage different organizations to partner together, but we’re not an administrative body that programmatically does mission.” 

    “What we do is facilitate conversations. We network across organizations doing mission and we try to provide resources that help them to do their work better. We get people together,” he says. 

    The Mission Commission also oversees the Networks which are a gathering place for agencies and organizations that serve the church as expressions of the church. 

    “It’s easy for these agencies to create a life of their own and not be in conversation with the other parts,” says James Krabill. “When we gather, we strengthen our understanding that mission and service are all part of being faithful to kingdom priorities.” 

    Both service and mission are inextricably linked to the church as a gathering of Christ-followers in the world. If that link is lost, something is missing. 

    These are the general goals of the Mission Commission and the Networks. 

    1. To link arms in mission – north, south, east, west. 
    2. To pray for each other, encourage each other and partner together as God leads us. 
    3. To learn from each other. 
    4. To share resources in mission – prayer, personnel, teaching and finances. 

    Background 

    The Global Mission Fellowship (GMF) and Global Anabaptist Service Network (GASN) are established Networks.  

    Since 2015, other networks have also been emerging: 

    • Global Anabaptist Education Networks – Primary and Secondary [GAPSEN] and Higher Education [GAHEN] 
    • Global Anabaptist Peace Network [GAPN]  
    • Global Anabaptist Health Network [GAHN]

    GMF was started in 2003 around the Assembly in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It meets in-person every three years alongside the General Council. In between those meetings, there are online gatherings. 

    From consultations on diakonia and service in Pasadena, California, USA, in 2006 ongoing dialogue and consultation led to the formal formation of GASN in 2012 in Switzerland. 

    The GMF promotes consultation, cooperation and works on intercultural mission and building churches, says Nelson Okanya, GMF steering committee chair. 

    It’s an opportunity for members to learn from each other, says Nelson Okanya. Organizations can create strategic spaces to contribute to what each other are doing around the world in mission as they ask: 

    • What’s happening in that part of the world? 
    • What’s happening in this part of the world? 
    • What can we learn from one another? 

    Barbara Hege-Galle, GASN steering committee chair, says GASN emerged because there were groups whose focus on service bound them together in mission-focused spaces. 

    “It is hard to explain the value of spending this time together without planned tangible outcomes.” says Barbara Hege-Galle. “What you get from the Network is the growing knowledge of each other – who is working where – and knowing that you are not the only ones doing this work.”. 

    To encourage and build up 

    “These are the things the Networks are for: that people are encouraged and recognized in the ministry and service they provide and also affirmed in the personal experience they share with each other,” says Barbara Hege-Galle. 

    A comment from in-person meetings alongside the General Council in Kenya in 2018 is seared in memory. Members of the group were speaking of their experiences with microfinance. One member from the Global South was quiet during the discussion but afterward came to Barbara Hege-Galle. He assumed others had more wisdom and he was only there to learn, he said, but he realized he also had relevant experience to share. 

    GASN is growing in its capacity to create these spaces for sharing. 

    Recent webinars have been structured with one featured presentation plus sharing time. Members learn about one organization – its best practices, its areas of challenge – and have the opportunity to ask questions. 

    In smaller groups members can further discuss their own relevant experiences and expertise and ask questions. Finally, they all have opportunity to pray for and encourage each other. 

    A global shift 

    “I have been ‘singing’ the fact that the centre of Christianity has shifted from the Global North to Africa, Asia and Latin America,” says Nelson Okanya. 

    But Nelson Okanya notes that shift is not as apparent when it comes to missiology where the majority of voices still come from the Global North. 

    “How do we create that cross-fertilization in our spaces so we can listen to voices that actually are hosting the church in large numbers?” says Nelson Okanya. 

    This shift is apparent in the global Anabaptist family: some two-thirds of baptized believers live outside Europe and North America, the historic poles of Anabaptism: 37% in Africa, 20% in Asia and the Pacific, 10% in Latin America and the Caribbean; only 3% in Europe and 30% in North America. 

    The Mission Commission took a step to address the unrepresented voices with the 2018 book God’s People in Mission: An Anabaptist Perspective, with contributors from all over the world. 

    Barbara Hege-Galle regrets that it seems “our Southern brothers and sisters still look at the North.” There’s a tendency to defer to those who are educated in formal institutions. “But those are not the ones who are the most important.” 

    “We are all part of it; you are not alone” is a key message for GASN participants, says Barbara Hege-Galle. 

    The Networks – where all come to the table as equals – is one place to hear voices from other places. Each has been structured with a steering committee with a representative from each region.  

    “But we have a long way to go,” says James Krabill. 

    A communications shift 

    With members coming from cultures around the world, there are different ways of sharing knowledge and experience. For many, stories rather than reports or didactic methods are the ways to share. 

    Stories move us from the dryness of numbers and reporting (which are fine in their own right), to engaging people in changing moments, not just statistics, says James Krabill. 

    “When you tell a story, there are more the facts; there’s a life to the telling. It gives witness not only to what was going on but also the impact it has on you and the world around you,” says Barbara Hege-Galle. “To listen to each other requires patience and respect.” 

    “If we value the global voices, then we all need to be able to come to the table,” says Nelson Okanya. 

    It also means we have to make it possible to hear one another. This applies to translation and the words we use and also to just making sure each one can hear, says Nelson Okanya. “Make it accessible.” 

    That means putting a priority on making sure each one can be present. “That doesn’t mean a handout,” says Nelson Okanya, but it means being honest about global financial disparities. 

    “When we gather and we hear inspiring stories from parts of the world that don’t have a lot of financial resources, it just reminds us that that the gifts are so much more than money,” says James Krabill. 

    “What often inspires us is faithful service and activity. In some cases, being faithful has brought on persecution or difficult life: through stories, we are reminded that the gifts that we’re talking about are multiple,” says James Krabill. 

    “Everybody comes to the table with something. Bring what is in your hand,” says Nelson Okanya. 

    Growing together  

    James Krabill invokes Ephesians 3 where the Apostle Paul says it is together that we grow into the knowledge of the wisdom of God. Often theologians focus on defining ‘wisdom,’ he says, “but maybe the most important word is ‘together’.” 

    “It really requires everyone bringing their knowledge and wisdom to the table so that together we grow into that knowledge,” says James Krabill. It’s a constant reminder that there is no one person, no one professor, no one pastor, no one culture that understands everything about the wisdom of Christ.” 

    ‘Together’ has been a key component in MWC themes: included in the Assembly themes from 2022 (Following Jesus Together Across Barriers), 2009 (Come Together in the Way of Jesus Christ), implicit in 2003 (Sharing Gifts in Suffering and in Joy) and key in MWC’s new three-part tagline that sums up the mission: Following Jesus, living out unity, building peace. 

    Both churches and organizations that are part of the Mission Commission Networks are in the process of figuring out how to witness to the world, how to build peace (sometimes at odds with mission) and how to function together as the body of Christ. 

    Tensions and divisions 

    Nelson Okanya observes the opportunities in the tensions, even as divisions are occurring. 

    “Mennonite World Conference is sort of safe place where those who want to maintain an Anabaptist identity and be part of that stream of history can do that,” he says. “And they find themselves around the tables with people that they just divided out from.  

    “It’s hopeful. It creates a space for people to stay in conversation.” 

    The Networks – with their focus on work instead of theology – can be a helpful place for building relationship on collaboration without focusing on differences. 

    “I think Mennonite World Conference kind of creates that space that’s a little bit less threatening,” says James Krabill. 

    The Shared Convictions provide a theological grounding so members can focus on learning from each other, doing things together and worshipping together. 

    “People eat together and have communion together,” says Nelson Okanya, referencing the times he’s seen leaders eat together in network contexts – leaders who otherwise don’t tend to work together. 

    The fellowship, the learning and the strategy sessions are all so valuable when done face-to-face, says Barbara Hege-Galle. But the most important part of being together at face-to-face meetings in Virginia in 2023 (making up for COVID-related challenges to meet in Indonesia in 2022) was a story. A member from India said what she told the group in person could not have been shared in any other forum. For the safety of those involved, it could not be shared in a newsletter, email or even an online meeting. 

    “It’s different when you meet and see the face of the other person,” says Barbara Hege-Galle. “And this is worth spending that money for triennial meetings so that you have the opportunity to know the face on the other side of the screen.” 

    The Networks will gather alongside the General Council meetings in 2025. The year marks the 500th anniversary of the first Anabaptist baptisms. 

    “Those first Anabaptists in Switzerland made a plan for evangelizing Europe, and within a year or two, most of them had been put to death. So that’s a reminder of the implications of the work we do,” says James Krabill. 

    At the 2025 meetings, the revised terms of reference will be up for consideration. The new document is streamlined and has greater clarity on the roles of the Networks and their leadership. 

    This article first appeared in
    Courier / Correo / Courrier, volume 39, number 4

    GASN 

    Member organization 

    Africa 

    • La Casa Grande – Benin 
    • Centre de Réflexion et d’Appui aux Initiatives de Développement – DR Congo 
    • Meserete Kristos Church Development Commission – Ethiopia 
    • Mennonite Association for Peace and Development – Malawi 
    • Passion Center for Children – Malawi 
    • Igreja Irmãos em Cristo em Moçambique – Mozambique 
    • Brethren In Christ Church (Zambia Conference) – Zambia 
    • BIC Compassionate Ministries-Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe 

    Asia & Pacific 

    • Brethren In Christ Church, Odisha – India 
    • Emmanuel Ministries (BJCPM) – India 
    • Little Flock Fellowship (BJCPM) – India 
    • Mennonite Brethren Development Organization – India 
    • Mennonite Christian Service Fellowship of India – India 
    • Mennonite Diakonia Service-GKMI Synode – Indonesia 
    • Japan Mennonite Fellowship (JMF) –Japan 
    • Korea Anabaptist Center – South Korea 
    • Nepal BIC Church/Brethren in Community Welfare Society – Nepal 
    • Integrated Mennonite Churches, Inc. – Philippines 

    Europe 

    • Caisse de secours – France 
    • Christliche Dienste – Germany 
    • Mennonitisches Hilfswerk e. V. – Germany 
    • Doopsgezind WereldWerk – Netherlands 
    • Services Missionnaires Mennonites/Schweizerische Mennonitische Mission – Switzerland 

    Latin America & Caribbean 

    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Boliviana – Bolivia 
    • Iglesia Misionera Anabaptista – Bolivia 
    • Associaçao Menonita Beneficente – Brazil 
    • Associação Menonita de Ação Integral – Brazil 
    • Associação Menonita de Assistência Social – Brazil 
    • Asociación Sembrando Semillas de Paz – Colombia 
    • Centro Cristiano para Justicia, Paz y Acción Noviolenta – Colombia 
    • Fundación Agropecuaria Tejiendo Esperanza – Colombia 
    • Fundación de Educación para la Paz y Resolución de Conflictos Edupaz – Colombia 
    • Fundación Menonita Colombiana para el Desarrollo –Colombia 
    • Comité de Justicia y Paz – Costa Rica 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de El Salvador – El Salvador 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de Guatemala – Guatemala 
    • Programa Fundameno – Guatemala 
    • Red Regional de Justicia y Paz – RedPaz – Guatemala 
    • Acción Cristiana Educativa Menonita – Honduras
    • Comisión de Acción Social Menonita – Honduras 
    • Proyecto Paz y Justicia – Honduras 
    • Comisión de Emergencia Anabautista de Nicaragua (CAE) – Nicaragua 
    • Comisión de Paz y Justicia de las Iglesias Anabautistas de Nicaragua – Nicaragua 
    • Asociación de Servicios de Cooperación Indigena Menonita – Paraguay 
    • Servicio Voluntario Menonita – Paraguay 

    North America 

    • Mennonite Central Committee Canada – Canada 
    • Mennonite Central Committee – USA 
    • Mennonite Disaster Service – USA 
    • Mennonite Health Service Alliance –USA 
    • Mennonite Mission Network – USA 

    GMF 

    Member organization 

    Africa 

    • Igreja da Comunidade Menonita em Angola – Angola 
    • Igreja Evangélica dos Irmãos Mennonitas em Angola – Angola 
    • Igreja Evangélica Menonita em Angola – Angola 
    • Église Évangélique Mennonite du Burkina Faso – Burkina Faso 
    • Communauté des Églises des Frères Mennonites au Congo – DR Congo 
    • Communauté Évangélique Mennonite – DR Congo 
    • Communauté Mennonite au Congo – DR Congo
    • Meserete Kristos Church – Ethiopia 
    • International Mennonite Mission of East Africa – Kenya 
    • Kenya Mennonite Church – Kenya 
    • Mpingo Wa Abale Mwa Kristu – Malawi 
    • Mennonite Church Nigeria – Nigeria 
    • Grace Community Church in South Africa – South Africa 
    • Kanisa la Mennonite Tanzania – Tanzania 
    • Brethren In Christ Church (Zambia Conference) – Zambia 
    • Ibandla Labazalwane kuKristu eZimbabwe (Brethren in Christ Church) – Zimbabwe 

    Asia & Pacific 

    • Bharatiya Jukta Christa Prachar Mandali (India United Missionary Church) – India 
    • Bhartiya General Conference Mennonite Church – India 
    • Bihar Mennonite Mandli – India 
    • Brethren In Christ Church, Odisha – India 
    • Gilgal Mission Trust – India 
    • Mennonite Christian Service Fellowship of India – India 
    • Mennonite Church in India Dhamtari CG – India 
    • The Governing Council of the Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Church of India – India 
    • PIPKA – GKMI Synode – Indonesia 
    • Nepal BIC Church/Brethren in Community Welfare Society – Nepal 
    • Integrated Mennonite Churches, Inc. – Philippines 

    Europe 

    • Igreja dos Irmãos Menonitas de Portugal – Portugal 
    • Anabautistas, Menonitas y Hermanos en Cristo – España (AMyHCE) – Spain 

    Latin America & Caribbean 

    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Argentina – Argentina 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de Belice – Belize 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Boliviana – Bolivia 
    • Iglesia Misionera Anabaptista – Bolivia 
    • Liga de Iglesias Anabautistas de Bolivia – Bolivia 
    • Aliança Evangélica Menonita – Brazil 
    • Associação das Igrejas Menonitas do Brasil – Brazil 
    • Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Colombia – Colombia 
    • Iglesias Hermanos Menonitas de Colombia – Colombia 
    • Asociación Iglesias Cristianas Menonitas de Costa Rica – Costa Rica 
    • Sociedad Misionera Cubana Hermanos en Cristo – Cuba 
    • Conferencia Evangélica Menonita, Inc. – Dominican Republic 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de El Salvador – El Salvador 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de Guatemala – Guatemala 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Hondureña – Honduras 
    • Organización Cristiana Amor Viviente – Honduras 
    • Jamaica Mennonite Church – Jamaica 
    • Conferencia de Iglesias Evangélicas Anabautistas Menonitas de México – Mexico 
    • Conferencia Menonita de Mexico – Mexico 
    • Asociación Misión Evangélica de los Hermanos en Cristo en Nicaragua – Nicaragua 
    • Asociación Hermanos Menonitas – Paraguay 
    • Convención de los Pastores de las Iglesias Mennonitas del Paraguay / Vereinigung der Mennonitengemeinden von Paraguay – Paraguay 
    • Convención Evangélica de Iglesias Paraguayas Hermanos Menonitas – Paraguay 
    • Convención Evangélica Hermanos Menonitas Enlhet – Paraguay
    • Convención Evangélica Hermanos Menonitas Nivaclé – Paraguay 
    • Convención Evangélica Menonita Paraguaya – Paraguay 
    • Consejo de las Congregaciones de los Hermanos Menonitas del Uruguay – Uruguay 
    • Konferenz der Mennonitengemeinden in Uruguay – Uruguay 
    • Casa de Restauracion y Vida Shalom – Venezuela 

    North America 

    • Evangelical Mennonite Conference (EMC) – Canada 
    • Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada – Canada 
    • Mennonite Church Canada WITNESS – Canada 
    • Multiply – Canada 
    • Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission (AIMM) – USA 
    • Brethren in Christ World Missions – USA 
    • Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) – USA 
    • Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) – USA 
    • Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) – USA 
    • Mosaic Mennonite Conference – USA 
    • Rosedale International – USA 
    • Virginia Mennonite Missions (VMM) – USA 

  • Many hands make light work 

    This adage is one we use frequently when we’re doing work together. A core part of our identity as Mennonite World Conference is living out unity, so pooling our efforts to make a positive difference in the world is fundamental. 

    Living out unity is calls on each one of us to to share with each other. MWC’s Fair Share operates on this principle (More on Fair Share below). It insists that we all have something to share but also for that sharing to be just, we need to acknowledge our different situations across our planet.  

    Fair Share 

    MWC has 110 national member churches in 61 countries around the world. Except in the context of the most grievous situations like active warfare, all member churches are expected to make annual Fair Share contributions to help support MWC’s core work as we’re linked to one another in a worldwide community of faith for fellowship, worship, service and witness.  

    We share what we have is a meaningful sentiment in most parts of the world. Of course, some have more and some have less, but what’s foundational is that we all give from what we have. We know from Jesus’ story of the widow’s offering in Mark 12 that sacrificial giving is part of reaching out with God’s love.  

    Today, about 30% of MWC’s annual unrestricted revenue comes through Fair Share contributions from national member churches. These contributions are critical to MWC’s thriving as a worldwide Anabaptist family of faith. In our community of faith, we inspire each other by our investments in building-up the global church community.  

    Stewardship in the household of faith 

    We asked several regional representatives to reflect on the meaning they find in MWC’s work in the area of Fair Share. Across the globe, these 13 people are the face of MWC to and for our national member churches. They live in 5 regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America & Caribbean and North America. These experienced leaders help interpret their regional contexts to the rest of the global family They also use their contextual wisdom to help negotiate Fair Share.  

    Here are some of their thoughts on Fair Share: 

    Siaka Traoré, living in Burkina Faso and MWC regional rep for Central West Africa, insists that Fair Share is an act of justice, collaboration and communion. Siaka Traoré sees it as justice because it is required of all members without exception based on race or place. To be part of the community, all must contribute. 

    Willi Hugo Pérez, living in Guatemala and MWC regional rep for Central America, sees MWC’s Fair Share approach as a gesture of love, gratitude and commitment. Willi Hugo Pérez sees the gratitude for the generous gifts, joys and blessings that we receive from God through the beloved family.  

    Jeremiah Choi, living in Hong Kong and MWC regional rep for Northeast Asia, observes the practical benefits of these annual investments by MWC national member churches. MWC’s support makes it possible for national member church delegates from all over the world to gather and see each other face-to-face as we live out unity together. 

    Jumanne Magiri, living in Tanzania and MWC regional rep for East Africa, sees Fair Share as a duty we all carry as part of the global Anabaptist family. As we all contribute together, it is an indicator of our stewardship and responsible action as members of the household of faith. 

    As we join together in the MWC family, we are all called to bring our full selves to enrich each other’s lives. Just as in our families at home, we share love in a variety of ways. Contributing to the building-up of the worldwide Anabaptist family of faith is a powerful way to “preach the gospel” without necessarily using words. It’s an opportunity for all of us to do our share – our Fair Share.  

    May God continue to bless the work of our hands together.  

    —Bruce Campbell-Janz is MWC’s Chief Development Officer. He lived in DR Congo on church-related service for eight years and now lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA, with his wife Ann. 

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