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MWC welcomes election of new pope
Mennonite World Conference congratulates Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost on his election as Pope and 267th Bishop of Rome 8 May 2025, taking the papal name Leo XIV. The election makes history with the first pope selected from North America, following Pope Francis (Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio) who was the first Latin American. In a letter…
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Seeking common witness together
MWC-WCRC dialogue creates statement and study guide “The search for peace starts within the body of Christ,” says Tom Yoder Neufeld, chair of MWC’s Faith & Life Commission. As Mennonite World Conference celebrates 100 years of living out unity within the Anabaptist family, our leaders are also working on our mission to relate with other…
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A training ground for leaders
YABs mentor Ebenezer Mondez describes his journey from attendee at the Global Youth Summit (GYS) in 2015 to staff from 2022-2028 and his hopes for the Global Youth Summit. Young AnaBaptists (YABs) aged 18-30 are the target audience for GYS. What was it like going to GYS in the USA for the first time in…
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Easter message: Together
A holy day message from the General Secretary Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed for his followers to be one. This Easter, I am pleased to share this message from leaders of Christian communions across twelve distinct traditions. Through my work with various world communion leaders, I…
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A pastoral letter from Anabaptists in Ecuador
A state of “internal armed conflict” has been declared in Ecuador since January 2024. The government continues to struggle against violence from organized crime groups. The three Mennonite national churches in Ecuador – Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Ecuatoriana (IEME – MWC member church), Iglesia Cristiana Anabautista Menonita de Ecuador (ICAME), Iglesia Cristiana Menonita (ICME) – call…
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A spirit of teamwork
James Krabill with students at STAKWW (Sekolah Tinggi Agama Kristen Wiyata) in Pati, Indonesia. About the Mission Commission The Mission Commission provides MWC member churches with resources and a forum for dialogue on global witness and service. The commission brings together the Global Anabaptist Service Network (GASN) and the Global Mission Fellowship (GMF) and enables…
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We are one
Evangelism rallies, energetic music and dancing all day; witnessing, altar calls with a dozen respondents. Praying is loud, through tears or joy. You can feel the enthusiasm. I was heartily welcomed by the Mennonite Brethren church in DR Congo to celebrate their 100th anniversary in August 2024. The multiday event was held in a big…
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Prayer: To hope and act with creation
The Season of Creation, an annual ecumenical initiative, concludes with the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi on 4 October. Inspired by his Canticle of Creatures and Romans 8:19-25, this prayer invites us to praise, repent and lament, and then “to hope and act with Creation”. God, Creator of heaven and earth, We praise you…
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The unity of the Spirit
About the Faith & Life Commission Anabaptist churches around the world live their faith diversely, addressing local challenges and opportunities while adhering to Shared Convictions. The Faith & Life Commission enables MWC member churches to receive and provide counsel on Christian faith and practice, as well as on Anabaptist witness in the world today. This…
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Beneath the baobab
Engaging with the dynamic youth of Kanisa La Mennonite Tanzania was an exhilarating exploration into a kaleidoscope of traditions, like the interconnected branches of the baobab tree. The mighty Adansonia digitate (baobab) tree (found on the compound of the Dar Es Salaam Police Academy, where the event was partly held) is a silent maestro of…
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Kenya Mennonite: a living church
After an eight-year gap, leaders and members of Kenya Mennonite Church (KMC) held its national convention in in the town of Migori in August 2023, attended by 1 300 people. A delegation from Mennonite World Conference consisted of president Henk Stenvers, Faith and Life Commission member Desalegn Abebe of Ethiopia, Mission Commission member Simon Okoth…
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Renewal: the core of the gospel
Over the past 100 years, the world has changed immensely and at the same time, not so very much, says Henk Stenvers; both then and now, there is nationalism and polarization in church and society, and even war in Ukraine. As we prepare to mark 100 years of MWC and 500 years of Anabaptism in…
