Prayers of gratitude and intercession

“The entire assembly is an opportunity to meet people from other countries,” says Jessica Mondal, coordinator of the Global Church Village. “But at the Global Church Village, we can see, touch and taste things from other cultures.” 

Displays and presentations teach about cultural and ecclesial practices in other regions. Storytelling puts faces to stories the news media covered – or left out.  

“We are all part of the same global church,” says Jessica Mondal. “Hearing from others broadens our horizons and helps to understand.” 

The Global Church Village stage features live performances of song, poetry, drama, dance and storytelling in 30-minute blocks; booths display artefacts and activities from around the world.  

Livestream from the stage will be posted to the Assembly Hub for watching in the moment or at a later time. Vlogs (video blogs) uploaded to the Hub will share the experience from GCV through interviews and descriptions.  

“Anyone can present: we’re not looking for professionals,” says Jessica Mondal. “This is a more relaxed atmosphere for people to share something from home. Participants can just enjoy: hear my language, my music, my stories; taste my food and touch my fabrics.”  

All on-site registrants may bring something to share about their culture.  

Common artefacts at past Assemblies include snacks and cultural specialities, traditional clothing and jewelry, flags, maps, banners, posters and charts explaining Anabaptist-Mennonite history and relationships, and liturgical items.  

Indonesian participants are preparing a coffee display. “Maybe participants from Ethiopia will also teach us about coffee, and those from Paraguay about terere/maté?” says Jessica Mondal.  

Global Church Village has been part of Assembly since the Kolkata Assembly in 1997 where teenaged Jessica Mondal was volunteer youth steward. A vivid memory she cherishes is the quilt making session: “North Americans cut out pieces of fabric that participants could stitch together in the GCV hut. At the end, it made an HIV-AIDS quilt that went around to several countries, raising awareness.”  

The GCV stage livestream (noon to 17:30 Semarang time*) will be available in the Assembly Hub. Online participants can join the contests and scavenger hunts and chat spaces. 

*Click here to find the time in your region

*Click here to sign up to contribute to the stage

 

“Do I participate alone at my computer, or will groups emerge to share what is typically a communal event?” Ray Brubacher, former event planner for Mennonite World Conference, didn’t wait until July to decide. Unable to attend the event in person, he is organizing watch parties for Anabaptist-Mennonites in his region to attend the hybrid Assembly together.  

Mennonite World Conference’s Assembly will take place in Indonesia 5–10 July 2022 both on-site and online. The event features 10 worship services across six days with inspiring speakers from the global Anabaptist-Mennonite family.  

On-site attendance is limited due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the hybrid event enables everyone to participate from wherever they are. Plenary sessions, workshops and Global Church Village stage will be livestreamed and recorded.  

Online registrants enter the Assembly Hub to join conversation spaces with other participants from around the world, attend workshops and view photos and videos from the live event.  

“We encourage local congregations to register for the Assembly,” says Jardely Martinez, Assembly communications coordinator. “You can view the livestream in real time with Indonesia or host a watch party at a time of your convenience.”  

The Anabaptist-Mennonite pastors and leaders group in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, is planning two viewing sessions from Wednesday to Saturday.  

“I learned in Zimbabwe to keep it simple,” says Ray Brubacher.  

Likely hosted at a Mennonite Church Canada congregation, these watch parties will be open to all Anabaptist-Mennonites from the region. Ray Brubacher is especially keen to see newer Anabaptist-Mennonite congregations attend, especially those on the margins of dominant culture in Canada.  

Assembly videos will be available for one month after the event.  

“You can relieve your pastor of sermon duties this summer by screening one or several of the Assembly plenary speakers,” says Jardely Martínez. “Your worship band can learn new songs from the international ensemble or take a break by airing the Assembly worship singing video.  

Experts from the global Anabaptist-Mennonite family will share their knowledge in workshops. Some will be livestreamed from onsite while others will be held in a webinar format. “Workshops may be used in Sunday school classes or provide material for discussion in week-day studies or youth groups,” says Rianna Isaak-Krauß, Assembly assistant. 

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This world-wide gathering only happens every six or seven years.

• Click here for morning speakers
• Click here for evening speakers
• Click here to learn about music selections

 

Everyone can travel to Indonesia for this year’s Mennonite World Conference hybrid Assembly. Around 1250 will do so in person, while thousands of others will visit Indonesia through screens. 

Through a daily “Panorama Indonesia” presentation, participants follow Jesus across barriers by sampling the multifaceted ministry activities of three host synods.* 

Each Assembly plenary session opens with a period of singing. An international ensemble choir and local band lead singing from the international songbook, compiled anew for each Assembly. “Participants will recognize old favourites and learn new ones,” says Benjamin Bergey, Assembly 17 music coordinator. (Click here to learn more) 

Inspiring speakers from each continental region – including Young AnaBaptist leaders – will teach on the daily themes. (Click here to see morning and evening speakers ) 

In the morning sessions, one of the four MWC Commissions will discuss their work of breaking barriers and building communion among Anabaptist-Mennonites across the world. 

The evening sessions will be hosted at a different location each night. “This way, online participants can ‘travel’ around Java, seeing the local church gathered in worship,” says Liesa Unger, chief international events officer. (Click here to learn about the host congregations).

• Delegates from the Global Youth Summit will share how they learned, served and worshipped through “Life in the Spirit.” 
• President-elect Henk Stenvers from the Netherlands will be introduced. 
• Representatives of Meserete Kristos Church will extend the invitation to the next Assembly in Ethiopia in 2028. 

Renewal 2022 will take place at the closing celebration worship service on Sunday morning. “This series of events commemorates the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement, remembering the past, and looking ahead to how God will shape us in the future,” says John D. Roth, Faith and Life Commission secretary and Renewal 2028 coordinator. (Click here to learn about prior Renewal events).

There are five evening worship services 5-10 July 2022 in Indonesia. These livestreams may occur at mid-afternoon or early morning in your local time, depending on location. (Click here to learn how to find Assembly sessions in your local time) 

There are five morning plenary services 6-10 July 2022 in Indonesia. These may be livestreamed in the evening, during sleeping hours, or early in the morning where you are. (Click here to find Assembly sessions in your local time) 

*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)

 

 

The Indonesian Assembly just got a little bit larger. The National Advisory Committee for Assembly 17 and the executive committee of MWC have decided to raise attendance numbers for the gathering in Indonesia to 1250.

COVID-19 cases in Indonesia remain low so the Indonesian government has lifted quarantine restrictions for travellers.

“We would love to see you in Indonesia. Please register now! It is not yet too late to make travel plans,” says Liesa Unger, chief international events officer.

“Anyone can register until we reach the limit. Our registration team is happy to put in the extra effort to facilitate these late registrations and General Council arrangements.”

If gathering sizes are increased later, more local participants may join the closing worship service at Holy Stadium, 10 July 2022.

The expanded number of participants allows for the General Council to take place onsite instead of online.

“Mennonite World Conference is a communion – that means we are in a deep, spiritual, unifying relationship with one another,” says César García, general secretary. “The discernment work of the General Council is best done where we can spend time with each other, fellowshipping not only in sessions but also over meals and in leisure outside of meetings.”

The Commissions will also attend Assembly and hold face-to-face meetings.

“Without a doubt, our time in Indonesia will be a blessing for our global communion,” says César García.

 

“We come together throughout the world to sing and to make music together,” says Benjamin Bergey, Assembly 17 music coordinator. With attendees from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia, “What we have [at Assembly] is an opportunity to reframe what is important about music.” 

At this hybrid Assembly, participants who have never been able to attend Assembly before can participate in the music from their homes and local congregations and learn how sharing music can connect communities throughout the world.  

“As the world becomes more connected, the music also becomes more shared,” says Benjamin Bergey.  

Registrants for Assembly online receive the International Songbook which contains 40 hymns that represent music from Mennonite traditions on five continents.  

The selection affirms and celebrates unity in the Anabaptist-Mennonite family while expressing diversity in multiple languages, highlighting new Indonesian and Asian songs to create a base of shared musical language for the years to come.  

“By taking the time to learn someone else’s songs, we have another opportunity to make it more universal,” says Benjamin Bergey.  

These new songs, with notation help from Anita Purwidaningsih, will be shared by the International Choir and an Indonesian band. The 10 singers come from each of the five continents represented at Assembly, and the band, under the direction of Debora Prabu, features musicians from Indonesian congregations.  

For online participants of Assembly, Benjamin Bergey invites all to enter into the music wherever they are.  

“For many, a part of what has been really fun has been having 8 000 voices together,” says Benjamin Bergey.  

“The music will be very different from the Assemblies in the past, but I really do encourage people to sing from home,” he says. “Try to enter in any that way that feels right or comfortable. If you can be open and dive in with your whole being, you can always learn new things by doing things differently.” 

• How has music shaped the ways in which you worship?  
• How has music shaped your understanding of different cultures and expressions of faith?  

Registering for Assembly online will give you a chance to experience both traditional and contemporary songs that form Mennonite congregations around the world as Anabaptist-Mennonites come together to worship using the unifying language of music.  

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Did you know? Registration gives you an all-access pass to Assembly.   

Not only…. 

• plenary speakers beamed to you from 5 different sites in Indonesia, 
• the international choir singing old favourites and new hits, 
• Workshops with scholars and practitioners in the Anabaptist-Mennonite family 

but also 

• video activities from the children and teen/youth program 
• a small group chat room to encounter new and old friends from around the world 
• opportunity to pray with brothers and sisters in places of challenge, suffering or joy. 

Nobody anticipated the pandemic barrier that would challenge Assembly plans when they chose the theme “Following Jesus together across barriers”. 

One year later than the original date, the 17th Assembly of Mennonite World Conference takes place 5-10 July 2022 with 700 participants on-site in Indonesia and thousands of online registrants across the globe, live-streaming sessions or watching the video recordings at a more convenient hour later in the day.  

Meet the evening speakers: 

• Timothy J. Geddert,* professor of New Testament at Fresno Pacific University (Biblical Seminary) in California, USA, opens the event by exploring how Jesus modelled crossing barriers in Mark 7:24-30.
• Therapist and newly minted AMBS theology graduate from France, Salomé Haldemann shares on learning together. Looking at passages from Scripture, she points at God’s passion for justice and the Holy Spirit’s empowerment for Christ-followers.  
• From Hong Kong, pastor and composer Jeremiah Choi speaks on living together within the body of Christ. Exploring passages from Scripture, he shares about unity in the body of Christ and solidarity with others.  
• Drawing from her experience ministering among people living on the street in Costa Rica, Cindy Alpízar speaks on caring together. Stories of Jesus from the Gospels and admonishments from Romans and Colossians animate her presentation on serving one another in the name of Christ.  
• At the final evening service, well-known speaker, author and church leader Barbara Nkala from Zimbabwe rallies participants to celebrate together. God’s reconciling Spirit that empowers barrier crossing between cultures, churches, ages, genders and more, as taught in Isaiah, John, Ephesians and 2 Corinthians.  

“We’ve put together an exciting set of plenary sessions with Anabaptist leaders from around the world,” says Frieder Boller, plenary session coordinator. “We expect to become inspired by the Holy Spirit through various people’s insights, experiences and stories of what it means to follow Jesus. Join us!” 

The evening sessions will air live in the afternoon in Europe and Africa, in the morning in the Americas.  

*Note: the previously announced speaker for Tuesday evening withdrew for personal reasons.

Click here to view a chart of times by city around the world   

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Did you know? Registration gives you an all-access pass to Assembly.   

Not only…. 

• plenary speakers beamed to you from 5 different sites in Indonesia, 
• the international choir singing old favourites and new hits, 
• Workshops with scholars and practitioners in the Anabaptist-Mennonite family 

but also 

• video activities from the children and teen/youth program 
• a small group chat room to encounter new and old friends from around the world 
• opportunity to pray with brothers and sisters in places of challenge, suffering or joy. 

 

Assembly plenaries set YABs and Commissions in conversation 

“It’s remarkable that I can share,” says Ebenezer Mondez, YABs (Young AnaBaptist) committee representative for Asia. “I come from a very small church with no more than 1 000 members nationally, and from a country that always has foreign missionaries. We have always been the recipient. The Assembly made me realize that I have a gift to share too.”  

As at the Assembly in Pennsylvania, morning worship at the Mennonite World Conference Assembly 17 in Indonesia 5-10 July 2022 bring the YAB representatives into conversation with members of MWC’s four Commissions through two plenary addresses.  

Some 700 people will worship together with the international choir at STT Sangakala in Salatiga while thousands of online registrants tune in from around the world.  

Under the theme “learning together,” Larissa Swartz, YAB chair and North American representative will speak on interacting with diverse faith perspectives. Faith and Life Commission member and consecrated sister in the Chemin Neuf ecumenical community Anne Cathy Graber from France will speak on discerning the will of God.  

On “living together,” Ebenezer Mondez will speak on living through a time of crisis. Teacher and advocate Adriana Belinda Rodríguez Velasquez from Honduras will represent the Peace Commission with an address on dialogue and solidarity in diverse religious settings.  

On “caring together,” Colombian musician and teacher Oscar Suárez will speak on care for the environment. Social entrepreneur Jose Rutilio Rivas of Colombia of the Mission Commission will speak on caring for people who are marginalized and displaced.  

In Saturday’s sessions on “celebrating together,” environmental scientist Makadunyiswe Doublejoy Ngulube from Zimbabwe will share on intergenerational solidarity. Representing the Deacons Commission, Patrick J. Obonde of Kenya will celebrate diversity.  

Morning plenaries also include a daily special feature on Indonesian churches. 

Closing worship on Sunday morning (in Indonesia) includes Renewal 2022. This event forms part of a series commemorating the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement. Plenary speaker Nindyo Sasongko, a theologian in Indonesia and USA, and member of the Creation Care Task Force, will speak at the original Assembly venue, JKI Holy Stadium in Semarang. 

Time zone differences mean morning worship sessions will be live the previous evening in the Americas, and in the early morning in Europe and Africa.  

Click here to view a chart of times by city around the world   

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Registration has perks: take in ALL of Assembly  

Online attendance at Assembly 17 is so much more than a YouTube video. Registration for Assembly 17 provides an all-access pass!  

• Take part in morning and evening sermons, greetings from ecumenical guests, worship singing with the international choir.  
• Attend workshop presentations.  
• Watch video activities from the children and teen/youth program.  
• Join a chat room to converse live with brothers and sisters from around the world.  
• Read stories and watch vlogs about the service projects, host churches in Indonesia, and attendees at Assembly 17.

All videos and stories will remain accessible for up to one month after Assembly.  

 

How is the gospel being shared in Indonesia, a country with the largest Muslim population in the world? Find out as you worship together with four local congregations that will host the evening worship sessions during MWC’s Assembly 17: in Jepara, Solo, Margokerto and Ungaran. 

“Through these satellite locations, all participants can see, hear and experience the unique worship styles found throughout Indonesia,” says Liesa Unger, MWC chief international events officer.  

How is the good news being shared in these local communities? 

All four pastoral teams mention the richness of the diversity found in Indonesia, a country that officially recognizes six religions. The local Mennonite churches have learned first-hand the importance of neighbours uniting.  

• The GKMI* congregation in Solo has been working with Peacemakers Confessing Christ International (PCCI), a network of Anabaptist partners from around the world (under the coordination of Eastern Mennonite Mission USA) with a focus on Christian-Muslim relationships.  

• In addition to creating relationships with other faith traditions, the GITJ* congregation in Jepara looks to the past for inspiration. The Mennonite community in Indonesia originates from Jepara: the first Mennonite baptism outside of Europe took place in Jepara on 16 April 1854,  

“The church’s vision is to be God’s family who brings prosperous peace,” say co-pastors Herodion Noto Widi Susabda and Danang Kristiawan. “This vision is realized through building relationships with other religious communities as the most real reality in Indonesia. GITJ Jepara is also a church that respects the cultural roots of its people, namely Javanese culture, and appreciates art and creativity which are the strengths of Jepara.” 

• GITJ* Margokerto takes its place in Mennonite history as the second Mennonite “village” founded out of P.A. Jansz’s vision. 

• Inspired by attending the Global Youth Summit in Paraguay 2009, young leaders at JKI* Maranatha Ungaran initiated an event that became Unlimited Fire, a conference that creates spaces where young people can encounter God’s love and be trained as they are plugged into local churches and communities. 

Access to full worship sessions, workshops, music and interactive chat spaces will be exclusively available to Assembly registrants, in-person or online. 

 

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*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) 

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Your registration gives you an all-access pass to Assembly.  

Not only…. 

• plenary speakers beamed to you from 5 different sites in Indonesia, 
• the international choir singing old favourites and new hits, 
• Workshops with scholars and practitioners in the Anabaptist-Mennonite family 

but also 

• video activities from the children and teen/youth program 
• a small group chat room to encounter new and old friends from around the world 
• opportunity to pray with brothers and sisters in places of challenge, suffering or joy.