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. 


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

    ambassador kit

     

  • “Mennocostal” – Pentecostal Mennonites – may be the best characterization of most Anabaptists in Mennonite World Conference today. The influence of Pentecostalism in Mennonite congregations worldwide is an overwhelming reality. In their study of Mennonite World Conference churches, Conrad Kanagy, Elizabeth Miller, and John D. Roth conclude, “One of the defining differences between MWC members in the Global North and the Global South is their experience of the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit, with Europeans and North Americans much less likely to identify with these experiences… Pentecostalism is the most rapidly growing expression of Christianity in the world, and Anabaptists are not foreigners to this reality.”1

    Pentecostalism’s influence in our lives has pushed many of us towards an internal dialogue between the Anabaptist tradition and the new Pentecostal tendencies that emerge in some parts of the world. In my faith journey, that dialogue looks like the following so far:

    Do I believe in miracles and the gifts of the Spirit such as prophecy and tongues?

    Yes, I do. I have experienced them.

    I also think, as Encanto (a recent movie about Colombia) says, people themselves are God’s miracles. People are more important than the gifts they bring to the table. In Jesus’ words, at the end of the Sermon of the Mount, you can do all sorts of supernatural things, but if you do not do what he says, you do not know him (Matthew 7:21-23).

    I also believe illness and suffering are everyday human experiences that God may transform for our wellbeing and growth. God does not promise to remove those experiences from our lives. Instead, God promises to walk with us through them.

    Do I believe that God wants us to prosper?

    Yes, I do. Financial prosperity is one of the many things in which followers of Jesus may thrive.

    However, such economic prosperity is not the result of a special prayer technic. It is not related to an individualistic consumerist desire, and it is not a reward God gives to those who provide their tithes to force God’s hand.

    Financial prosperity results from a simple lifestyle, the consequence of living a life that cares for creation and is aware of our responsibility on the environmental crisis.

    We communally experience financial prosperity. It happens when followers of Christ share their possessions and needs. Anabaptists understand that according to the Book of Acts, a consequence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is financial sharing in the community of the Spirit (Acts 2:44).

    In addition to prophecy, miracles, and other mystical experiences, a life of generosity and sharing of wealth has to be a fruit of the Spirit. Only God’s presence can overcome the natural human tendency toward egocentrism and self-satisfaction. Only God’s presence overcomes consumerism and materialism, creating an alternative community to the society.

    Do I believe that God empowers leaders with the Holy Spirit? Yes, I do.

    When the Holy Spirit fills a leader, they serve others and do not look for recognition, honour or positions of power. A leader that serves in God’s Spirit solves conflicts in the way of Jesus and never takes the initiative to fragment Christ’s body. Divisions and power struggles never are a path of a leader that follows God’s Spirit.

    Do I believe in peacemaking and reconciliation? Yes, I do.

    Life in the Spirit is a life of peacemaking and restorative justice. It is possible to be an activist that promotes justice and peace without following Jesus. However, to be so in the way of Jesus, we need to depend on the Holy Spirit and have a solid personal relationship with the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

    Those are some of my internal, personal thoughts about my commitment to follow Jesus in the Anabaptist tradition and my experience of doing so in the context of modern Pentecostalisms in the Americas. But of course, these opinions may change because following Christ implies movement and growth. So, likewise, they may change when tested and submitted to the community of Christ’s followers, the church. As vital as they are, individual beliefs are never enough to witness a life fulfilled with the Spirit. Only a life submitted to the community of believers bears witness to God’s presence in our lives.

    In this issue of Courier, internal dialogues open the way to intercultural, inter-Anabaptist conversations about the influence of Pentecostalism in our global communion and our experience of life in the Spirit according to our Anabaptist tradition.

    May the Spirit of God guide us to continue discovering in practice the implications of following Jesus in the power of God’s Spirit!

    —Cesar Garcia, General Secretary, Mennonite World Conference


    This article first appeared in Courier / Correo / Courrier, April 2022
  • In the Democratic Republic of Congo, lack of vaccination is a problem. Even before COVID-19, a measles outbreak took more than 40 children in 2019 in Kikwit, a city of some 500,000 people, and host to a growing number of internally displaced persons. But the church is not silent. 

    Last August, Mennonite World Conference (MWC) called on members to Love neighbours: share vaccines. Although the equitable rollout of COVID-19 vaccination is still a global concern, the focus has shifted to strengthening vulnerable health care systems. 

    MWC invites members to love neighbours through four Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) projects. These health care efforts are supported by MWC member churches in Kenya and DR Congo. One supports health care centres owned by Communauté des Eglises de Frères Mennonites au Congo (CEFMC), the Mennonite Brethren church. 

    CEFMC proclaims the gospel beyond the church walls through medical care. Although the government pays the medical staff salaries, CEFMC runs the operations at four hospitals and 10 health centres in the central African country.  

    Through these church-run health facilities, an MCC-funded project aims to inform households – of displaced people and church members – of the hygiene measures enacted by the World Health Organization to combat COVID-19 through door-to-door distribution of hygiene kits.  

    The project provides free quality medical consultations and care to internally displaced persons. After fleeing violence in Kasai, they are particularly vulnerable to health problems. MCC’s project also provides capacity building training in peace, trauma and humanitarian principles for hospital staff. 

    CEFMC has a local relief committee that serves as an intermediary between CEFMC and the Kanzombi hospital. This committee has received training from MCC on humanitarian assistance. The committee is made up of the hospital’s physician, Dr. Jacques Tangudiki, members of the host community, and internally displaced persons. 

    “The extraordinary threat wealthy countries experienced from COVID-19 is an every-day realty for many people in regions with weak health care systems and lacking basic vaccination programs. The pandemic’s focus public health provides opportunity to strengthen general health care and vaccination programs in poorer regions of the world,” says Henk Stenvers, MWC Deacons Commission secretary.  


    Click here for more on Love Neighbours: Share Vaccines 

    Click here to donate to MCC’s four MWC member church projects 

  • 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)

     

    ambassador kit

     

  • Empowered by the Spirit

    The filling of God’s Spirit in our lives is reflected through both the maturing process by which we are transformed into Christ’s image and by the Spirit’s empowerment to proclaim Christ. The Spirit has come to testify about who Jesus is and to be a witness to his saving work in the world (John 15:26-27; 16:8-11). The Spirit also empowers Jesus’ disciples to be witnesses (Acts 1:8), testifying not only through what they say and do (Matt 10:17-20) but also through the testimony of their lives (2 Corinthians 3:2-6). 

    In the Old Testament we see the Spirit coming upon God’s people, enabling them to either act by his power or prophesy under his influence (Jud 14:6; 1 Sam 10:10-11). Similarly, God’s Spirit filled Jesus’ disciples in the early church to accomplish his purpose to proclaim Christ (Acts 2:4; 4:7-8; 4:31). The power of God’s Spirit was evident in both word and deed as well as in signs and wonders (Rom 15:18-19; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5). However, the power of the Spirit looks very different than worldly expressions of power – Jesus came in the weakness of human flesh yet lived by the power of God (2 Corinthians 13:4). So too, it is in our own weakness that the power of God is evident through the strength of his grace and love (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). 

    The Spirit’s empowerment is also expressed in his gifting of all believers for the purpose of serving others and building up the church (1 Corinthians 12:11). The Spirit reveals himself through his gifting of each member of the body of Christ, which he distributes to both men and women as he chooses (1 Corinthians 12:7). There is a diversity of gifts, yet the source is the same one Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4). Each gift contributes toward the Spirit’s purpose of serving and building up the church. Since the gifts are an expression of God’s grace, God’s love must be the motivation for using one’s gifts (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). 

    Since Christ himself suffered, we should not be surprised when we also experience suffering (1 Pet 2:21; 3:17-18; 4:12-14). The presence of God’s Spirit in our lives offers us comfort and hope in the midst of our suffering and help in our weakness (Rom 8:26-30). It is in our weakness that the power of God is at work making visible the life of Jesus through us (2 Corinthians 4:7-12). 

    How have you experienced the empowerment of the Spirit this week? 

    —Doug Heidebrecht 


    ICOMB
    The International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) is made up of 22 national churches in 19 countries. ICOMB also has associate members in more than 20 countries, all at different points along the pathway to full membership. ICOMB exists to facilitate relationships and ministries to enhance the witness and discipleship of its member national churches – connecting, strengthening and expanding.
  • 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.

     

  • Millicent conceived in March 2020, just when Kenya reported the first case of COVID-19. The resident of Mathare, a poor district, was very fearful. Her neighbour Sophie, a care group volunteer with Centre for Peace and Nationhood (CPN), reached out when she realized Millicent was worried. With the support of Sophie and other CPN-trained mentors, Millicent was able to deliver her baby safely and receive post-natal support.  

    Last August, Mennonite World Conference (MWC) called on members to Love neighbours: share vaccines. Although the equitable rollout of COVID-19 vaccination is still a global concern, the focus has shifted to strengthening vulnerable health care systems. 

    MWC invites members to love neighbours through four Mennonite Central Committee projects. These health care efforts are supported by MWC member churches in Kenya and DR Congo. One is the Centre for Peace and Nationhood maternal and childcare initiative, a work of Kenya Mennonite Church.  

    Centre for Peace and Nationhood began this project when the COVID-19 pandemic had just reached Kenya.  

    Life in the informal settlements changed significantly for many project participants, and the project’s scope also shifted. Despite all these challenges, women in the care group reported significant improvement in the care for their pregnancies and children.  

    As women in the Mathare community build rapport with health care workers, they become champions within their neighbourhoods of the hygiene skills they have learned. The trust built with health care provides is also a step on a pathway to vaccination for COVID-19. The clinics also teach on COVID-19 prevention and promote vaccination. 

    Millicent can’t help but compare this child’s birth with her previous. In her first pregnancy, she was all alone. This time, despite the threats of pandemic and more, she was comforted by the support of neighbourhood women, giving care and teaching healthy practices.  

    “When mothers and babies are healthy, families and communities are healthy,” says Paul Shetler Fast, MCC global health coordinator.   


    Click here for more on Love Neighbours: Share Vaccines 

    Click here to donate to MCC’s four MWC member church projects 

  • “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.  


    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   


    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   


    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,  
    GITJ Jepara

    GITJ Margokerto

    “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. 

     


    *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) 

    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.