Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • From banquet to disaster relief 

    In 2008, Jemaat Kristen Indonesia (JKI)’s senior pastor’s vision for feeding the multitude came into reality with the establishment of Rojo Pawon. Today, it is a thriving venture that serves a wide range of clientele: Unlimited Fire and church conferences, interreligious events, Sekolah Kristen Terang Bangsa (Light of the Nation Christian School), as well as the catering needs of the Semarang City government. Rojo Pawon will be Mennonite World Conference’s catering partner for Assembly 17 in Indonesia in 2022. 

    “They are excited about serving meals for Indonesia 2022. The plan is to put a wide array of Indonesian flavours and ingredients on the platter, while incorporating the various dietary needs of our international guests,” says Assembly national coordinator Sarah Yetty.  

    Rojo Pawon has a long track record of serving meals to thousands of people, true to John 6:1-14 where Jesus fed the 5 000 and no one was left hungry. In its first year of operation in 2008, it took on an order to serve 55 000 people from the city government and has since served many big events. 

    Fast-forward 13 years: Semarang was hit by flash floods in early 2021 and some JKI church members were stuck at home without being able to leave home to buy food. The church quickly organized to provide 2 000 meal boxes three times daily to be distributed to members, but then the government ordered another 5 000 boxes for residents in Semarang.  

    The church youth helped to distribute 7 000 meal boxes three times daily, going directly into flooded alleyways using 4-wheel drive cars and lifeboats so that people did not go hungry. 

    Rojo Pawon now employs 15 people on a full-time basis during the pandemic to serve the church and its school as well as its hospital visitation and street kids meal program. It hires more people for bigger events. 

    “They have put extra safety measures for operating during and post pandemic. All staff must wear a mask and a face shield when they enter the complex, and must wear gloves when handling food. At the moment they also put on hold banquet-style catering and only serve food in compostable meal boxes for hygiene purposes,” Sarah Yetty says. 

    “We look forward to a time of gathering and having meals together!” Sarah Yetty says. 

  • During times of uncertainty, it is normal to be filled with doubt, fear and panic.

    Remember when Jesus called Peter out onto the water: Peter took a few steps, but as soon as he looked at his circumstances, he was filled with doubt, fear and panic. (Matthew 14:22-33).

    In this global pandemic, our routines have been disrupted and our future is uncertain.

    In the midst of COVID-19, we have hope: knowing that our eternal home is heaven, we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2); and preach the gospel with urgency.

    Secondly, our hope lies in God our protector. God will cover us with his feathers, and under his wings we will find refuge (Psalm 91).

    There are many lessons to be drawn from this pandemic. Here are five I have taken to heart:

    Cherish your loved ones and always tell them how much they mean to you.

    We never know what tomorrow brings, yet we live each day with hope for the next. Remember that one day, each of us will breathe their last. Cherish those around you and make the most of the moments you share with them. This gift we call life should be valued.

    Trust in the Lord

    This is not easy to do. Trusting God with all your heart means surrendering to his will and believing that he has the best plans for your life (Proverbs 3:5-6). It means trusting God even in the fire, knowing that he will rescue you (Daniel 3:7). It means trusting God even when your plans don’t succeed, knowing that he has greater ones (Jeremiah 29:11).

    Accept God’s divine will

    During these times, we may be filled with questions as to why bad things are happening. Instead, I encourage you to shift your perspective from asking ‘why’ to trusting God to sustain you through challenges. Allow God to uphold you with his righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10), and comfort you as you grieve.

    Self-sufficiency is a myth

    Many of us felt financially secure; but some lost jobs and sources of income through the pandemic. We need to come before the altar of repentance for the times we believed in the lie of self-reliance. Reflecting on God’s divine provision, ask how we have believed that we could do it all on our own. Remind yourself that God will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

    Human connection and interaction are of utmost importance.

    It is easy to feel isolated during this time. Most of us have not been able to see our families or friends for a very long time. Reflect on the importance of human connection and interaction. Think of ways in which you can nurture these relationships despite the distance.

    YABs Fellowship Week is a time for young people to connect and interact, despite barriers of distance and time zones. It is a time for us to testify of God’s love for us and celebrate the diversity of the body of Christ.

    I encourage young people from all Anabaptist-related churches to participate. Get together in your churches – this could be virtually or in a socially distanced setting – and join other young people in different parts of the world as we celebrate YABs Fellowship Week.

    May the peace of Christ be with you.

    —Makadunyiswe Doublejoy Ngulube is the Africa representative on the YABs Committee. A member of Mount Pleasant Brethren in Christ Church in Zimbabwe, she is currently in Canada, studying environmental science.

    Click here to download the YABs FW materials

    If your youth or young adult group celebrates YABs Fellowship Week, we invite you to share your stories and photos with MWC at photos@mwc-cmm.org.

    2021 YABs Fellowship Week

  • “Transforming our thoughts from entitlement to sacrifice is a timeless challenge we face in Christian maturity,” says D Berg, a long-term worker with Multiply, the Mennonite Brethren mission agency. “Each church should consider the sacrifice they must make to include evangelism as a key (if not central) aspect of their congregation’s commitment to mission both locally and globally.”

    God’s People in Mission: An Anabaptist Perspective is a tool to explore that commitment. Each chapter of this 2018 addition to the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Shelf of Literature explores one of the 10 statements the Mennonite World Conference Mission Commission accepted in 2014.

    Authors from Spain, Colombia, USA, DR Congo, Indonesia, Paraguay, South Africa and Mexico bring perspectives from their long-term service in France, West Africa, East Africa and Mongolia as well as their home cultures.

    “We come from diverse cultures, many distinctive spiritual expressions and different histories of mission engagement,” says Stanley W. Green, chair of the Mission Commission. “This book is an attempt to inspire each other to greater faithfulness and integrity in God’s mission.”

    For Berg, one highlight of the book is its portrayal of multidirectional mission work. Churches in both the Global North and Global South are sending and receiving mission workers.

    “Only as we share cultural understandings with other ethnicities will the church mature in the fullness of God’s kingdom purposes,” says D Berg.

    “We hope that in sharing our understanding of Christ’s call and our mutual commitment to God’s mission within the differences of language, culture, spiritual expression and mission history, we might discover a common language in mission,” says Stanley W. Green.

    “The goal is that the book might help us communicate more effectively with other so that collaboration in mission is made simpler and more effective,” says Stanley W. Green.

    “The Global Anabaptist/Mennonite Shelf of Literature invites our members to participate in a global conversation about matters of faith and practice from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective,” says John D Roth, secretary of the Faith and Life Commission. “Most of the books include study questions, which aid small group discussion; all are deeply rooted in Scripture.”

    The Commissions are committed to ongoing translation of these volumes. “This is a living series,” says John D. Roth. “We are always open to suggestions or proposals for new titles.”

    Translation of God’s People in Mission in Spanish is complete. The French is underway.

    Click here to read the book in English and Spanish.
    Click here for links to all eight titles in the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Shelf of Literature
    two men display a book cover