Prayers of gratitude and intercession

These reflections are a brief summary linking the historical development, profile and tendencies of the multiethnic Anabaptist communities and Mennonite churches in Latin America that belong to MWC, and present the challenges faced by Mennonites in their mission work, ministry and witness for peace and justice as they follow Jesus in a multiethnic continent.

1. Multiethnic character of Anabaptist and Mennonite communities and churches 

Argentina. In 1917, the Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities in Elkhart, Indiana, sent missionaries Josephus W. and Emma Shank, and Tobias K. and Mae Hershey to Argentina; in 1919 they planted the first Mennonite church in Latin America in the town of Pehuajó. This missionary effort led to church-planting among the Tobas in 1943.  

Mexico. Ever since the first decades of the past century, the Mennonite presence in Mexico was characterized as ethnic due to migration. An example is Old Colony Mennonites, originally from Russia, migrating from Manitoba and Saskatchewan (Canada). It was located in the city of San Antonio de los Arenales, Mexico, from 1922 to 1926, founded with the migration of around 6,000 people.

Paraguay. A total of 1,763 Mennonite settlers from Canada emigrated to Paraguay between 1926 and 1927, establishing Menno Colony. Fernheim Colony, which was also located in the Paraguayan Chaco, was made up of 2,000 migrants from: a) Molotschna in Russia (1930–32), b) Amur, a region near Harbin in China (1932),c) a small group from Poland. The third colony called Friesland was founded in 1937 due to the breakup of Fernheim Colony and was located in eastern Paraguay. It was from this colony that missionary work began among the Enhelt in 1937, which led to a new indigenous Mennonite church organization in Yalve Sanga (Lago Armadillo). 

The Mennonite Anabaptist history in Latin America must be seen as the encounter between the evangelical brothers and sisters sent by North American mission societies and the Latin and native peoples of this continent. On the other hand, Mennonite colonists (with many ethnic and cultural customs inherited in Europe in the 16th century) settled in the territories of native, Afro-descendant and mestizo peoples. The encounter between culturally diverse people occurred in very different historical contexts and countries; through mutual aid and cultural, ethnic and social tensions, churches that emerged today are a part of Mennonite World Conference.

In the Mennonite-Anabaptist communities and churches, conversations and praises to God can be heard in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Creole-English, Creole-French, but also in Qom, Guaraní, Bribri, Enlhet, Cabécar, Kekchí, Tupí, Garífuna, Quechua, Emberá-Wounmeu and many other indigenous tongues. The dynamics of the interaction between the various cultures in the formation of churches and faith communities was fostered since the very beginning by Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite voluntary agencies, education organizations, Mennonite seminaries and universities (largely from the United States and Canada, but also from Europe). They provided vitally significant input on the practice of following Jesus.

Throughout the history of constant migrations, tension can be seen between those who prioritize the growth of communities and the building of temples – without challenging the social structures of their times – and those who emphasize the struggle for peace and justice as a priority of the gospel. On the basis of these migrations – of Mennonite groups of German origin, as well as internal and external migrations by indigenous peoples – Anabaptist communities and churches emerged.

Regarding the beginning of this movement in Latin America, the presence of Anabaptist-Mennonite churches and communities in almost all the countries is characteristic of the last decades (1980–2015). When MWC’s 2015 statistics are compared against those of 2013, the countries that show the greatest Anabaptist growth are located in Cuba (150%), Haiti (70%) and Bolivia (80%). Here, we observe that Mennonite communities marked by intercultural encounter and an understanding of the purpose of ministry and evangelism share significant aspects linking them to their past.

Cuba. In the 1950s, the Brethren in Christ came to Havana, Cuba, to evangelize together with Quakers and Nazarenes in Cuatro Caminos. In 1954, the Franconia Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities (USA) sent missionary Henry Paul Yoder and his family to plant a church in the province of Las Villas, in the town of Rancho Veloz. The revolution headed by Fidel Castro against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959 brought about a great exodus of North American missionaries who left the island in succeeding years. During the revolutionary period, the leadership of Juana M. García was fundamental to maintaining the church work that the Brethren in Christ had begun in the town of Cuatro Caminos, in Havana. On August 19, 2008, new missionary work was begun by Mennonites in Cuba. Pastor Alexander Reyna Tamayo and his family had served before as pastors of the Iglesia Evangélica Misionera (evangelical missionary church). In 2004, he met Janet Breneman from the USA and Jack Suderman from the Canadian Mennonite church, after they had given courses on Anabaptist tradition in the Iglesia Evangélica Libre (Evangelical Free Church). In agreement with the Iglesia Evangélica Misionera, Alexander Reyna contacted the Canadian Mennonite church and formed this new organization that works in small home cells in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Olguín, Granma, Villa Clara and Cienfuegos. The tremendous growth experienced in Cuba, especially in the last decade, reflects the new political situation on the island – which has recently renewed diplomatic relations with the United States – and the religious openness it is experiencing.

Haiti. The poorest country in Latin America with a population originally from Africa, Haiti has suffered its governments’ political and economic crisis as well as a devastating earthquake on January 12, 2010. Haiti is another example where Anabaptist churches have a multiethnic profile and service tendencies.

In the case of Cuba and Haiti, we need to carry out a detailed study in order to explain their great numerical growth as well as the current cultural profile of the life and mission of the members of their communities.

Bolivia. This country received the greatest migration of conservative Mennonites of German background to Latin America in the last two decades. From 1980 to 2007, a total of 53 new colonies have been established in the provinces of Pando, Beni and Santa Cruz. These colonies originated from the internal division of other Mennonite colonies in Bolivia, Belize, Paraguay, Mexico, Argentina and Canada. In 2007, altogether these new colonies had a population of 30,618 people (including adults and children).

In civil society, one of the reactions to this situation seemingly is that agrarian reform still hasn’t come to Latin America to strengthen the most disadvantaged groups, such as the native peoples or those of African origin. Our questions once again are oriented toward: a) the relationship that arises between the Mennonite colonies and the surrounding native population; b) the role of missionary societies and the founding of churches whose purpose is to follow Jesus based on their own cultural and ethnic roots. The challenges of the gospel amid the mis/understandings between such diverse communities are just as strong as at the time of the first ethnic migrations of Mennonites in Latin America. 

2. Statistics of Mennonites in Latin America

I. Central American Region (including Mexico):

Country:	Membership:
Mexico	33,881
Guatemala	9,496
Honduras	21,175
El Salvador	909
Nicaragua	11,501
Costa Rica	3,869
Panama	820

II. Caribbean Region

Country:	Membership:
Bahamas	25
Cuba	8,664
Jamaica	733
Haiti	5,566
Dominican Republic	5,780
Puerto Rico	798
Belize	5,405
Grenada	8
Trinidad & Tobago	300

III. South American Region 

Country:	Membership:
Venezuela	596
Colombia	3,664
Ecuador	1,340
Peru	1,524
Brazil	14,748
Bolivia	26,661
Chile	1,452
Paraguay	34,574
Uruguay	1,464
Argentina	4,974

Grand Total: 199,912

Statistics from Mennonite World Conference, Membership, A Community of Anabaptist related Churches, Membership, June 2015.

3. Pastoral challenges

These brief reflections lead us to consider the following pastoral challenges in light of the multiethnic reality of Latin America.

Renewal in the Spirit. The experience of the Spirit, like that of our ancestors in the 16th century, should mean enlightenment and strength so as to recreate our Anabaptist identity in order to take on a) a critical view of the state, b) a theology and pastoral practice in favour of the poor, c) a contextual biblical hermeneutic of nonviolence, d) a commitment for peace and justice, e) a great tolerance of the diverse forms of understanding the profound mystery of God in the multiethnicity of Anabaptist churches and communities, and in the civil society.

Movement of Latin American Women Theologians. The meeting of African women theologians that convened in 2003 at the MWC Assembly in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, marked a great challenge for Latin American women. From this meeting arose the “Movement of Latin American Women Theologians,” which has carried out various meetings in Latin America with the support of the MWC project “Global Gift Sharing.”

At the MWC Assembly held in July 2009 in Asunción, Paraguay, 120 Latin American Mennonite women met to reflect on the theme: ‚ÄúJesus’ liberating message for women today.‚Äù At the 2015 MWC Assembly in Pennsylvania, USA, the ‚ÄúMovement of Latin American Women Theologians‚Äù gathered with Anabaptist women theologians from all around the world to promote a global network. One of the major challenges of this movement is how to integrate women into leadership to represent the multiethnic character of Mennonites in Latin America. Based on this great diversity of peoples and cultures, our families, churches and movements will be able to bear greater witness in society and at the heart of MWC itself.

Witnesses for peace. The witness of those who work for peace, even risking their lives for other people’s well being, reminds us of Jesus’ words: ‚ÄúBlessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God‚Äù (Matthew 5:9). The testimonies from Mennonite organizations such as Justapaz in Colombia and Mennonite Central Committee during the revolution in Central America in the 1970s and 1980s remind us that it is possible to contribute toward peace. But this leads us to reflect on how shall we bear witness in the new scenarios in Latin America with the growth of the population, the destruction of ancestral cultures and peoples, racism, xenophobia, youth unemployment, environmental pollution and new forms of oppression and violence that destroy populations and life on our planet.

Pastoral models. It is necessary to carry out a more detailed analysis of what the Anabaptist and Mennonite witness has been in Latin America. In the 1970s, a method was developed which guided pastoral action in many communities: “see, judge and act”; in other words, with the help of the social sciences, analyze what occurs; judge this in light of of the Word and following Jesus, and finally respond through the ministry with concrete actions. Maybe it is time to acknowledge that this method challenges us once again to review our pastoral tasks, but not only in the sense of analyzing a situation of injustice on a macroeconomic and social level, but also based on the needs of a ministry that is attentive to the new expressions of family in the whole continent and the cries of new marginalized groups of our society which also include our indigenous, Afro-descendant and poor mestizo peoples.

The Afro-Caribbean expression. The Caribbean is the region in Latin America which has had the most difficulties in organizing itself due to its history, political complexity and great diversity of languages. At the MWC Assembly in Asunción, Paraguay, in the Latin American caucus, the representatives of the Caribbean expressed their need to also be organized as a region. The strengthening of the theological, social and pastoral reflections of the Anabaptist churches and communities in the Caribbean should be a priority for MWC. Afro-descendant churches in the Caribbean greatly enrich the multiethnic character of MWC, which will strengthen the dialogue between these sisters/brothers and the Afro-Brazilian churches and the Mennonite churches in Africa. 

Great ethnic and cultural diversity. Amid economic poverty, the Mennonite communities of indigenous peoples and those of African background in the whole continent, share with us their historical, cultural and spiritual heritage. Through their stories and myths buried deep in the rainforest, the seas, the rivers, the rocks and grasslands, they urge us to protect and look after Mother Earth. Their visions and dreams help us to see the disorder caused by economic systems that protect the economic interests of transnationals, or ‚Äúpromote development‚Äù at the expense of destroying cultural diversity. 

The visit of the brothers and sisters of indigenous peoples such as the Métis and Ojibwe (North America), the Quechuas (Peru), the Kekchíes (Guatemala), the Emberá and Wounaán (Panama) to the territories of indigenous peoples in the Paraguayan Chaco during the MWC Assembly in Paraguay (2009), is a beautiful sign of unity and fraternity amidst diversity. From this desire to learn from one another and to put our gifts at the service of others, this great ethnic diversity of Mennonites in Latin America can nurture the Anabaptist community; and, furthermore, make real our efforts to be instruments of God in the creation that waits eagerly in the pains of childbirth to be set free, thus we groan inwardly for the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:18–25).

‚ÄîJaime Prieto is from Costa Rica, married to Silvia de Lima from Brazil, and they are the parents of Thomáz Satuyé. Jaime has a PhD in Theology from the University of Hamburg, Federal Republic of Germany (1992), has been a member of the Costa Rican Mennonite Church since 1971, and now belongs to the Asociación de Iglesias Evangélicas Menonitas de Costa Rica (member of MWC). He is author of Mission and Migration, the volume on Latin America in the Mennonite World History series published by MWC.

This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier April 2016

 

 

The first Mennonites arrived in Brazil during the year 1930, coming as refugees from Russia/Ukraine, where their property, churches and schools were taken over by the state during the Stalin years.

Thousands of Mennonites (15,000–25,000) and other groups took their few belongings and travelled to Moscow in 1929 to get a visa. Only 5,000 received permission to leave the country. Arriving in Germany, they were not allowed to stay there, so they had in mind to migrate to Canada. Because of the economic depression of the 1930s, Canada only accepted a few of these migrants, mainly those who had close relatives already living in the country and who were in good health.

The other two options of countries that would receive them were Brazil and Paraguay. European and North American church leaders encouraged the refugees to move as a group to Paraguay, where there was already a settlement of Mennonites from Canada. In Paraguay, Mennonites already had several privileges like exemption from military service and the right to self-government of the colonies. Around 3,000 chose to go to Paraguay.

Early struggles

Another 1,300 chose to move to Brazil. The real reasons for the choice to Brazil are not very clear. Arriving in Brazil, they were settled in a hilly, rainforest region in the south, completely different from what they had known in Russia. One settlement group (Stolz Plateau) could not develop, and they found a good place in Curitiba (300 km north). Here, there was a colder climate and prairie land. Within a few years, all Mennonites had moved away from the original settlement place.

Among the settlers, there were three different groups: Mennonite Brethren, Mennonite Church (kirchliche) and Evangelical Mennonites. Initially, all the services were held together except the assembly meetings, everything in the German language. During World War II – which Brazil joined in 1942 – the use of the German language was prohibited in public until the end of 1945. So the churches conducted their services in Low German, sometimes in Russian and even began to use Portuguese.

Outreach

The first outreach project began in 1948 with an orphanage for abandoned children and with it the first exclusively Portuguese-speaking congregation, in the outskirts of Curitiba. It had the support from Mennonite Brethren (MB) workers from North America. Several other church planting projects followed, and soon the Association of Mennonite Brethren Churches was formed with Portuguese-speaking congregations. In 1994, the German-speaking conference and Portuguese-speaking conference merged, creating COBIM (Convenção Brasileira das Igrejas Evangélicas Irmãos Menonitas: Brazilian MB conference). Today, COBIM has more than 60 congregations and several mission projects in Brazil and Africa.

In the year 1955, the Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities of the Mennonite Church General Conference in the United States sent their first missionaries to Brazil. Several congregations were planted in Sao Paulo, central Brazil and the Amazon region, forming the Alliança Evangélica Menonita (evangelical Mennonite alliance). The Associação das Igrejas Menonitas do Brasil (AIMB: association of Mennonite churches in Brazil, a merger of two German-speaking groups and other evangelical Mennonites), and COM (Commission on Overseas Mission) joined this church planting project and began to send missionaries in 1976. AEM now has some 35 churches and congregations and mission projects in Brazil and Albania.

In the year 1965, Mennonite Central Committee started several agricultural and social development projects in Northeast Brazil. In 2012, this outreach was ended. Some local organizations (AMAI) are keeping on several of the projects, in promoting peace and reconciliation. Three congregations were planted and are affiliated with AEM.

The AIMB conference formed by Mennonites and evangelical Mennonites has nine churches and congregations. For many years, they had their services in German. In the 1980s, this began to changes as the churches moved into using more Portuguese to reach out to neighbours and to the Brazilian context. Their strongest mission project is Associação Menonita de Assistência Social (AMAS: Mennonite relief organization) with six daycare centres for low income families, caring for more than 1,000 children daily.

In 1960s, a group of Holdeman Mennonites (Church of God in Christ Mennonites) moved from the USA to central Brazil (400 km west of the capital city Brasilia), and formed their colony in Rio Verde in the state of Goiás. Their contact with the larger Mennonite community in Brazil is mainly through Anabaptist/Mennonite literature they distribute.

After 85 years in Brazil, the number of church membership of all conferences may be estimated as 12,000 to 15,000. In the last 30 years, there have been several divisions and splits in the churches and conferences, mostly because of Pentecostal/charismatic renewal movements. A desire to move away from the German ethnic church culture has also been a factor that led to the formation of several independent Mennonite congregations.

What are the main challenges for Mennonites in Brazil?

1. Identity. What does it mean to be a Christian Mennonite in Brazil, where 90 percent of all evangelical Christians are Pentecostal/charismatic/neo-charismatic. Related to this, we still have an ethnic church culture. One leader observed: “We do not live in the colony anymore but the colony is still in us.” Brazilians do not understand this Mennonite mindset and find it foreign to their culture.
2. Outreach and acculturation. How to be committed and faithful to a Jesus-centred interpretation of the Bible in the midst of a context of all kinds of religiosity, “Christian superstition,” “direct divine revelation,” power controlling-centred gospel, prosperity gospel, etc.
3. Diversity and conflict. The congregations with the German speaking background are reaching to the end of language change. Some have two services, one in each language and others have bilingual worship. Interethnic marriages are more common than before. The new baptized members are mostly non-German background. Cultural and theological diversity are every day more present.
4. Leadership. The concept of a servant leader, appointed by the congregation, forming team leadership is being challenged by power-oriented, hierarchical, productivity-centred, even “self-appointed” leadership.

But the Holy Spirit is moving among the different conferences and congregations, to support and help out more each other. The Theological School Fidelis belongs to the 3 bodies: AEM, COBIM and AIMB.

Other projects as the Mennonite School Erasto Gaertner and the Nursing Home Lar Betesda, are under a joint board with Mennonites and Mennonite Brethren.

The need to dialogue, to share experiences, to learn from each other is getting every time more important.

Peter and Gladys Siemens are team pastors at Vila Guaíra Church, Curitiba, Brazil. Gladys also serves on the Deacons Commission of Mennonite World Conference.

This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier April 2016

 

Mennonite national churches in Brazil

*Alliança Evangélica Menonita

Members: 2,900

Congregations: 35

Headquarters: Paulista, Brazil

Presiding officer: Cristiano Maiximiano de Oliveira

 

*Associação das Igrejas Menonitas do Brasil

Members: 1,184

Congregations: 9

Headquarters: Curitiba, Brazil

Presiding officer: Fridbert August

 

Church of God in Christ, Mennonite

Members: 344

Congregations: 5

 

±Convenção Brasileira das Igrejas Evangélicas Irmãos Menonitas

Members: 6,960

Congregations: 70

Headquarters: Curitiba       

Presiding officer: Emerson Luis Cardoso

 

Igreja Evangélica Irmãos Menonitas Renovada

Members: 3,350

Congregations: 27

Headquarters: Sao Paulo

Presiding officer: Jose Eguiny Manente

 

* indicates membership with MWC

± COBIM has re-engaged the process of taking up membership with MWC

www.mwc-cmm.org/maps/world

Accessed January 2016

 

Hospitality: Exploring what it means to offer hospitality as followers of Christ

Shocking photographs published in the news media awoke the Western world to the refugee crisis on September 2015. With a heightened awareness of the issue, the Anabaptist communion worldwide considers what it means to welcome the stranger as those from different religious backgrounds enter our neighbourhoods.

The April 2016 issue of Courier/Correo/Courrier seeks to discern the variety of reasons why Anabaptist communities from around the world come together to form MWC. In the articles that follow, writers reflect on the question: How does Christ’s love for us motivate and guide our response to strangers in our local context?

A ministry of inclusive hospitality

A Scripture: “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy” (Ezekiel 16:49, NIV).

A story: A refugee complained bitterly to God because they had not let him in a church and God responded: “Don’t feel bad. They don’t let me in either.”

Using this Biblical passage and short story as reference points, I write this simple note from my own personal testimony to contrast these texts.

Colombia, where I currently live, is a country with an internal war for the last 60 years and has the last internal armed conflict remaining in the Western hemisphere. With more than five million internally displaced people, it has the second highest rate of internally displaced people in the world according to the United Nations, plus has another million external refugees in other countries. Twenty-five thousand violent deaths occur each year, thousands of persons are disappeared and kidnapped, and the Colombian government recognizes more than six million victims in general.

If there were oil or any other economic interest of the multinationals in our conflict, this impressive social scenario would have appeared in the mainstream news in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The Anabaptist churches of the North would have heard about it.

Threats and uncertainty

After living for many years in Bogotá, in 1986, my wife, our children and I moved to a small town called San Jacinto, in the northern part of the country in the Caribbean region.

There we acquired a farm, house, agricultural machinery and vehicles, and with my wife and four small sons, we lived from my law practice, agriculture and journalism. We supported the social and grassroots work of the peasants in the region.

Due to my work with the campesinos (local peasant farmers), I was accused of being an ideologue of the guerrilla movement. The local police commander, and later a paramilitary group called “Death to Kidnappers” (referring to the guerrillas), began to persecute me and threaten me on a regular basis.

In March 1988, the Colombian National Army and the police joined forces to raid our home. The death threats increased. Our friends avoided us. The banks wouldn’t serve us. Living there became unbearable. Because of the death threats, we found ourselves forced to move to the nearby city of Cartagena, losing everything we had acquired with our labour.

There in Cartagena, we received hospitality from one of my uncles, who opened his home to us. In his patio, with support from the Mennonite church, we built a dwelling to reside in while the storm passed.

But the situation of a displaced person, whether displaced internally or internationally, is quite difficult. You are leaving behind your territory, friends, family members, job, belongings, culture, contacts and good name. Additionally, you enter an unknown territory, which is threatening and inhospitable; a world full of prejudice and stigmas.

From being considered an upright person, suddenly, you are suspected of terrorism and criminality which creates great fear among your neighbours. You enter into an environment of fear, not only due to your displacement, but because all the people surrounding you – your friends, relatives and churches – all fear that they may be mistaken for or pointed out as the enemy and declared “military objectives,” threatened and hurt.

The fear impregnated in others is what most affects the person who is displaced as it paralyzes those people and hinders hospitality and solidarity. Many church people want to be hospitable, but they have families, small children, debts and mortgages, and are afraid of endangering their lives and threatening the stability of those who depend on them. They say that if they were alone, they would give their lives to help, but in these conditions, it would be irresponsible of them and unfair to their children.

In July 1989, we arrived once again to Bogotá; beaten down, but not defeated. A displaced and threatened couple with four children. We arrived in a city affected by terrorism, full of the living dead begging at every intersection, boys and girls abandoned in the streets, the threat of crime; surrounded by areas of racist and discriminatory poverty.

The central government had used the excuse of war to suppress most civil liberties and ordered raids and arbitrary detentions each day in the city and in the country. Distrust and fear reigned in the city. The ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu said “War is the art of deceit,” to which American politician Hiram Johnson famously added, “where truth is the first victim.” This makes it difficult to believe in someone and even believe in God.

Shelter and welcome

However, today my family and I are alive thanks to decisive action by a group of people belonging to the Teusaquillo (Bogotá) Mennonite Church, headed by pastor Peter Stucky. Although they had young children and people under their responsibility, they overcame fear of stigmatization and of being declared supporters of the guerrillas, and organized themselves to offer inclusive hospitality that sheltered us and gave us enough energy to awaken our power of resilience and recover.

It is when we practice these acts of hospitality that the damnation of Sodom is broken and the beautiful phrase of Jesus becomes reality: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…. Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did for me” (Matthew 25:35–40, NRSV).

But it did not end there with the assistance to one family who were members of the church. The concept of inclusive hospitality expanded. No one was excluded and there was always a place for the stranger, the traveller and those who suffer. Inclusive hospitality opened the doors of the church and created an entire ecclesiastical ministry to support hundreds of displaced people who arrived fleeing their lands after losing their belongings and their hope. “The refugee [or displaced person] is the living messenger of misfortune, bringing with him the image, smell and taste of the tragedy of war, genocide, slaughter and abandonment of their home because of violence.” (Javier Jurado, member of the Arjai Association, an initiative of philosophy students).

For many years, this ministry of the Teusaquillo Mennonite Church has functioned in Bogotá. Hundreds of people have been assisted and comforted. From there, dozens of displaced people have been sponsored by the Canadian Mennonite church and today enjoy a new and tranquil life in that country. This ministry also expanded to the city of Quito, Ecuador, which receives hundreds of Colombians who flee the country seeking refuge.

To create, initiate and maintain a ministry such as this, open to any person regardless of where they come from, what they believe, what political ideology they have, whether their persecutors are guerrillas or paramilitaries means a great risk. Sometimes, members of the congregation stop attending. However, we are convinced of the coherence between the mandate of Jesus and the right of asylum. The community is strengthened and new leaders emerge open to hospitality.

It is gratifying to be a historic, Anabaptist peace church where no refugee will protest to God for being denied entry, and like Job we can say, “I have never turned away a stranger but have opened my doors to everyone” (Job 31:32, NLT).

—Ricardo Esquivia Ballestas is a lawyer and a member of the Colombian Mennonite Church, with more than 45 years of experience in peacebuilding from a community and ecclesial base. He is director of Sembrandopaz (Planting Seeds of Peace) and works with returned communities in the Colombian Caribbean.

This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier April 2016

 

 

Hospitality: Exploring what it means to offer hospitality as followers of Christ

Shocking photographs published in the news media awoke the Western world to the refugee crisis on September 2015. With a heightened awareness of the issue, the Anabaptist communion worldwide considers what it means to welcome the stranger as those from different religious backgrounds enter our neighbourhoods.

The April 2016 issue of Courier/Correo/Courrier seeks to discern the variety of reasons why Anabaptist communities from around the world come together to form MWC. In the articles that follow, writers reflect on the question: How does Christ’s love for us motivate and guide our response to strangers in our local context?

Love opens hearts to learn more

Refugees have been part of the story of the Mennonite Brethren church in Neuwied since its beginning: the history of our church is marked by efforts to integrate people from different cultural backgrounds.

Evangelische Freikirche Mennonitische Brüdergemeinde Neuwied, Germany, was founded after World War II by refugees from West Prussia (now Poland) and is the oldest Mennonite Brethren Church in Western Europe. At the beginning, the Mennonites who founded the church had to work out a way to worship together with brothers and sisters from different Christian traditions like Protestant, Plymouth Brethren and Baptists. The next generation learned to integrate Christians from Croatia and South America who joined the church in the 1960s. In the mid-1970, the integration of great numbers of Mennonites from the former Soviet Union was a challenge. Even though they had the same Mennonite roots, they held to some specific traditions that differed from the culture of our church. But with God, nothing is impossible. Over the years, brothers and sisters from North America, Asia and Africa have also become part of this colourful community of Christ followers.

Presently, we are a congregation of 460 members that Christians from more than 14 different nations call their home. Even though the background and traditions of our church members are sometimes very different, their faith in and commitment to the one Lord Jesus Christ help to build bridges between each other.

A new chapter

A completely new chapter of church life began about eight years ago, when we had the courage to open our doors to people with a completely different religious background.

How did that happen?

Community leaders from our city came to us with the request: would we be willing to open a youth club and help the city take care of young people 12–17 years of age with an immigrant background? Looking back, we know we were very naïve at the time; nevertheless, we were faithful when we said yes to obey God’s command “to seek the peace and prosperity of the city” (Jeremiah 29:7, NIV).

And so, this youth club (30 young people from Muslim and Yazidi background) found a home in our church building. We quickly realized that these young people took it for granted that they could attend “their meeting place” at any time. When the doors opened, they entered, whether it was to a ladies meeting, a prayer time or another event. When they found the doors locked, they would simply sit on the steps in front of the entrance and hang out there, not caring if it was day or night.

The first three months this youth club opened were really stressful for the church! We only survived this time with much prayer, patience, discussions and by setting up some rules and consequences for the youth.

Appreciation, respect and Christian charity

To our surprise, the relationship with the young people got better in the coming months. In our church, the young people experienced something they had not received so far: appreciation, respect and Christian charity. The leaders of the city were amazed to see the behaviour of these young people change in a positive way.

Through the experience with the youth club, we were prepared to welcome the refugees and asylum seekers with open arms and hearts when they came to church looking for help and fellowship. For us, their religion is very foreign. It’s hard to hear what these people have experienced on their journey to Germany, fleeing from war and terror. But on the other hand, it is also hard for them to get settled in a completely new culture with all these traumatic experiences that happened to them. We hear often that it is not what we say that makes them come to church but the warm love and care they feel.

This love opened their hearts to learn more about this Jesus of whom we speak. And so, we started with a Bible study group in Farsi and later another in Arabic. When people out of this group find faith in the living God and are baptized, we are aware that there will be more changes in our church through these new brothers and sisters.

Every nation and tongue

Everybody noticed that when the first brother from Iran was baptized. When he came out of the water, his Persian friends responded with a storm of true jubilation that struck the rest of the congregation speechless with surprise. But when we realised that we were witnessing God’s promise come true – that people from “every nation and tongue” will be part of his kingdom (Revelation 7:9) – there was joy everywhere!

Meanwhile, we have learned that it’s a blessing that our typical German characteristics such as punctuality and order are being supplemented with characteristics from other countries, such as spontaneity and hospitality. Though hospitality is supposed to be a special trademark for Christians, we are learning a lot about it from people from an Eastern background. They always seem to have time to talk and enjoy a cup of tea while having fellowship. Their doors and tables are always open for guests.

Investing in strangers takes courage, because in doing so we leave our well-known comfort zone. But what we learn living this way is indescribable. The encounters with my new friends from around the world, has changed my life so positively that I cannot imagine what it was like when they were not yet a part of my life.

Walter Jakobeit is pastor of the Evangelische Freikirche Mennonitische Brüdergemeinde Neuwied, Germany, (MB church). He is chairman of the AMBD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Brüdergemeinden Deutschland) a national church that was accepted to the MWC General Council in July 2015.

This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier April 2016

 

 

Hospitality: Exploring what it means to offer hospitality as followers of Christ

Shocking photographs published in the news media awoke the Western world to the refugee crisis on September 2015. With a heightened awareness of the issue, the Anabaptist communion worldwide considers what it means to welcome the stranger as those from different religious backgrounds enter our neighbourhoods.

The April 2016 issue of Courier/Correo/Courrier seeks to discern the variety of reasons why Anabaptist communities from around the world come together to form MWC. In the articles that follow, writers reflect on the question: How does Christ’s love for us motivate and guide our response to strangers in our local context?

The heart of a stranger

I once heard a newcomer to Canada describe the relief he felt at being welcomed into a church community of other recent immigrants after a long period of disorientation. His words stuck with me:

They knew how to embrace the stranger because they had the heart of a stranger themselves.

In other words, those who know firsthand the experience of being outsiders – the desperation and loneliness that come along with being separated from all that is familiar and all that gives one meaning, security and stability; the frustration that comes with not being able speak the language; what it means to long for embrace – these ones have the heart of a stranger. These ones have hearts that are willing to make room.

Choosing strangeness

And yet, the experience of being a “stranger” in any meaningful sense is foreign to many of us. Some of us have experienced discomfort as we navigate unfamiliar contexts of our own choosing. However, these are mostly the inconveniences borne out of choices exercised within the parameters of privilege. Others have never even had the luxury of being a “stranger” because we’ve never been able to travel far beyond the places of our birth. 

But how many of us have been driven to distant shores by violence and political instability and poverty? Have we ever arrived in an unfamiliar land with few possessions, no language and years of trauma in the rearview mirror? Have we ventured forth in contexts where few people look or sound like us? Where the customs are incomprehensible, the beliefs impenetrable? How many of us have been strangers in any sense deep enough to produce “the heart of a stranger?”

So, what would it take to develop the “heart of a stranger” in our present cultural moment, with so much polarizing discourse among Christians (and others) about the Syrian refugee crisis and what it asks of us? There is so much fear and suspicion, so many angry and misinformed words, so much reactionary and impulsive dismissal, so many arms protectively closing rather than opening in embrace. How might we move beyond these reflexive responses to better paths?

Memory and imagination

Could it be as simple as looking a few generations back and remembering that nearly all of us are a part of a story of strangers on some level? Could our unwillingness to embrace the stranger be due, in part, to the fact that our hearts have lost or forgotten or never developed the ability to put ourselves in the stranger’s shoes? 

Could our chief problem be little more than a failure of memory or imagination – a failure either to remember what it was like to be the “other” that longs for welcome or to even imagine this possibility? Could the “heart of a stranger” be as near to each one of us as choosing to remember and imagine differently?

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the divine command to care for the stranger is tied directly to the fact that the people of Israel were also strangers once (Deuteronomy 10:19). In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus sums up all of the Law and the Prophets – and “all” is a pretty comprehensive word, it should be remembered – in the simple exhortation to do to others as we would have done to us (Matthew 22:40). The former urges us to better memory, the latter to better imagination. We need both, if we are ever to develop the right kind of hearts. And once we begin to take these steps – once we try to remember and imagine in better ways – it becomes easier to intentionally move toward the stranger. 

The church that I am a part of is welcoming nine people from Syria into our community and into our lives. We, along with others in our community, have spent months preparing for their arrival. We’ve secured a house, applied a fresh coat of paint, purchased food, clothing and toys. We have made connections with others in our community: other Christian churches, folks from the university, a group of local doctors, members of the local Muslim community. We have had opportunities to share meals with Syrian families already in Lethbridge and to learn from them in impromptu cooking classes and cultural background information evenings. We have made new friends.

We have tried to develop the heart of a stranger. And in so doing, we have discovered that the heart of a stranger is actually not far from any of us as long as we are willing to remember and imagine in the right ways.

Ryan Dueck is pastor of Lethbridge Mennonite Church in Alberta, Canada. The church is part of a local Ecumenical Social Action Group that is sponsoring two Syrian refugee families to resettle in Lethbridge. He regularly blogs at ryandueck.com and contributes to Wondering Fair, “an online café” for discussing matters of faith. 

This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier April 2016

 

 

Hospitality: Exploring what it means to offer hospitality as followers of Christ

Shocking photographs published in the news media awoke the Western world to the refugee crisis on September 2015. With a heightened awareness of the issue, the Anabaptist communion worldwide considers what it means to welcome the stranger as those from different religious backgrounds enter our neighbourhoods.

The April 2016 issue of Courier/Correo/Courrier seeks to discern the variety of reasons why Anabaptist communities from around the world come together to form MWC. In the articles that follow, writers reflect on the question: How does Christ’s love for us motivate and guide our response to strangers in our local context?

Hospitality transforms

Deymaand’s story

In the late 1970s, during the period in India’s history known as the Emergency (when democratic freedoms were effectively suspended), Deymaand, an 18-year-old youth, decided to be baptized in a local Mennonite Church. Since Deymaand’s family belonged to another faith, they opposed his decision to accept Christian faith. When Deymaand refused to turn back, his family disowned him. So Deymaand decided to leave his village. This resulted in a mob-like situation in the village. Due to political unrest in India in those days, Deymaand was immediately arrested to avoid any undue incident and was brought to Rajnandgaon to be imprisoned. A month later when the situation in the village was under control, Deymaand was released from prison but was asked not to enter the village again.

Disowned by his own family, Deymaand had nowhere to go and knew no one who would shelter him. But the pastor of the Mennonite Church of Rajnandgaon (MCR) welcomed Deymaand into the church and into his own family as one of their own sons. Deymaand decided to pursue theological education and completed his theological studies from Union Biblical Seminary, Yeotmal. From there, he went on to serve the Lord through preaching and teaching the Bible across India. In the midst of threat to his life and equal threat to the church, MCR helped sustain Deymaand and his faith in the Lord Jesus.

Sarika’s story

In 1990s, under the leadership of pastor Theo Philus Singh, MCR started an outreach program in the State of Maharashtra, planting some new churches in villages. There was much opposition and persecution from the extremists. Members of the newly formed church would often visit homes of the members of MCR to find support and spiritual growth. The people of MCR risked social reputation and the threats of the fanatics when welcoming the new believers in their homes. Members of MCR visited the newly formed churches and ministered to needs even in the face of opposition.

A young man from MCR married a young woman, named Sarika. As time went by, Sarika discovered that her husband was an alcoholic. She was being physically abused at home. When Sarika couldn’t take it anymore, she approached the women’s group of MCR. The church council tried its best to bring reconciliation between the couple but all efforts were in vain. So, the women’s group helped Sarika and her nine-year-old daughter flee from her abusive husband. They received Sarika and her daughter in their homes and sheltered them. The women’s group offered them spiritual, moral and financial support.

Today, after 15 years, the daughter is well-educated, serving as a nurse in a reputed hospital. Sarika recognizes that MCR received her when she was a stranger and helped her when she needed to find a way out. She is grateful to the women’s group for all that was done to protect and sustain their lives.

Hospitality and evangelism

These stories are just a few among several others where the Mennonites reached out to their communities and welcomed strangers among themselves. Such opportunities have transformed not only the life of the church but have helped the church to transform lives of many others. Our understanding of hospitality is to not just offer food and water to strangers and send them their way but also being willing to journey with them even in the basics of life.

We have come to understand that hospitality is an integral part of evangelism. Without creating space in our own lives for others, we cannot lead others to make space for Christ in their lives. Hospitality has never been easy because it brings disruption in our lives.

Hospitality, in context of evangelism, puts at risk our own identity as a church. Receiving people from other faith increases our struggle to evade integration of rites, rituals and traditions from other faiths. This has taught us the importance of being strongly rooted in the Lord, being united as a church and discerning between right and wrong.

The Conference of the Mennonite Church in India (MCI) has been involved in activities of hospitality since the beginning. Each unit church has stories to tell. My home church is thankful to God for the many privileges of receiving strangers in our midst and ministering to them in a variety of ways. Being a part of this church has proved formative and helped shape my understanding of hospitality.

Elisabeth Kunjam, originally a member of the Mennonite Church in India, became a member of the Governing Council of the Mennonite Brethren Churches in India in 2005 after marrying Frank Sanjay. She serves as a member of MWC’s Deacons Commission. She is also coordinator of Theologically Trained Anabaptist Women of Asia (TTAWA), an association that started with the help of MWC’s Deacons Commission in 2012.

This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier April 2016

 

L’amour ouvre les cœurs et donne envie d’en apprendre davantage

Les réfugiés ont fait partie de l’histoire de l’église Frères mennonites de Neuwied depuis ses débuts : le passé de notre église est imprégné d’initiatives visant à intégrer les personnes d’origines culturelles différentes.

L’Evangelische Freikirche Mennonitische Brüdergemeinde de Neuwied (Allemagne) a été fondée après la Seconde Guerre Mondiale par des réfugiés de Prusse occidentale (aujourd’hui Pologne) ; c’est la plus ancienne église de Frères mennonites d’Europe occidentale. Au début, les mennonites ont dû apprendre à prier avec des frères et sœurs de différentes traditions chrétiennes tels que protestants, Frères de Plymouth et baptistes. La génération suivante a appris à intégrer des chrétiens de Croatie et d’Amérique du Sud qui se sont joints à l’église dans les années 1960. Dans le milieu des années 1970, l’intégration d’un grand nombre de mennonites de l’ex-Union soviétique a été un défi. Bien qu’ayant les mêmes origines mennonites, ils tenaient à certaines traditions spécifiques différentes de celles de notre église. Mais avec Dieu, rien n’est impossible. Au fil des ans, des frères et sœurs d’Amérique du Nord, d’Asie et d’Afrique sont aussi devenus membres de cette communauté bigarrée de disciples du Christ.

Notre paroisse compte aujourd’hui 460 membres, originaires de plus de 14 nations différentes. Mais malgré un arrière-plan et des traditions très variés, les membres de notre assemblée ont une foi et un engagement envers le Seigneur Jésus-Christ qui aide à construire des ponts les uns des autres.

Un nouveau chapitre

Un tout nouveau chapitre dans la vie de notre assemblée a commencé il y a environ huit ans, lorsque nous avons eu le courage d’ouvrir nos portes à des gens d’origine religieuse complètement différente.

Comment est-ce arrivé ?

Des responsables de notre ville sont venus nous trouver avec cette requête : serions-nous prêts à ouvrir un club de jeunes pour aider la ville à s’occuper des jeunes de 12 à 17 ans issus de l’immigration ? En y repensant, nous réalisons que nous étions très naïfs à l’époque ; néanmoins, quand nous avons dit oui, nous avons obéi au commandement de Dieu ‘de chercher à rendre prospère la ville’ (Jr 29:7 BFC).

Donc, ce club de jeunes (30 jeunes issus de milieux musulmans et Yezidi) a démarré dans notre bâtiment d’église. Nous avons rapidement compris que ces jeunes pensaient pouvoir venir dans ‘leur lieu de rencontre’ n’importe quand. Lorsque les portes étaient ouvertes, ils entraient, qu’il y ait une réunion de dames, de prière ou toute autre rencontre. Quand ils trouvaient les portes fermées, ils s’asseyaient tout simplement sur les marches de l’entrée et y restaient, de jour comme de nuit. Les trois premiers mois ont vraiment été stressants pour notre paroisse ! Nous n’avons survécu qu’avec beaucoup de prières, de patience, de discussions et en mettant en place quelques règles et leurs conséquences pour les jeunes.

Appréciation, respect et amour chrétien

À notre grande surprise, les relations avec les jeunes se sont améliorées les mois suivants. Dans notre église, les jeunes ont découvert quelque chose qu’ils n’avaient jamais connu jusque là : appréciation, respect et amour chrétien. Les responsables de la ville ont été surpris de voir combien le comportement de ces jeunes avait changé.

Grâce à l’expérience avec le club de jeunes, nous étions prêts à accueillir à bras ouverts les réfugiés et les demandeurs d’asile venant à l’église pour trouver aide et amitié. Leur religion nous est vraiment étrangère. C’est difficile d’entendre ce qu’ils ont vécu pendant leur exil, fuyant la guerre et la terreur. Mais d’autre part, c’est difficile aussi pour eux de s’installer dans un pays complètement nouveau avec leurs expériences traumatiques. Ils nous disent souvent que ce ne sont pas nos paroles qui les attirent à l’église, mais l’amour chaleureux et l’attention qu’ils reçoivent.

Cet amour a ouvert leur cœur pour en savoir plus sur ce Jésus dont nous parlons. Nous avons donc commencé un groupe d’étude biblique en farsi, et plus tard un autre en arabe. Quand des membres de ces groupes trouvent la foi dans le Dieu vivant et sont baptisés, nous savons qu’ils apportent des changements dans notre église.

De toutes les nations et langues

Lorsque le premier frère iranien a été baptisé, ce n’est pas passé inaperçu ! Quand il est sorti de l’eau, ses amis persans ont éclaté en un tonnerre de jubilation qui a rendu le reste de l’assemblée muet de surprise. Mais quand nous avons réalisé que nous étions témoins de la réalisation de la promesse de Dieu : que les gens ‘de toutes nations, tribus, peuples et langues’ feront partie de son royaume (Ap 7:9), tout le monde s’y est joint !

Nous avons aussi découvert que c’est une bénédiction que nos caractéristiques allemandes typiques, telles que la ponctualité et l’ordre, soient complétées par des caractéristiques étrangères, telles que la spontanéité et l’hospitalité. Bien que l’hospitalité soit censée être l’apanage des chrétiens, nous apprenons beaucoup des immigrés de l’Est. Ils semblent toujours avoir le temps de causer et de boire une tasse de thé. Leurs porte et leurs table sont toujours ouvertes aux autres.

S’investir dans l’accueil des étrangers demande du courage, parce que nous devons sortir de notre zone de confort. Mais ce que nous apprenons en vivant ainsi est impossible à décrire. Les rencontres avec mes nouveaux amis du monde entier ont tellement changé ma vie, que je ne peux imaginer ce qu’elle était quand ils n’en faisaient pas encore partie.

—Walter Jakobeit est pasteur de l’Evangelische Freikirche Mennonitische Brüdergemeinde de Neuwied (Allemagne), église Frères mennonites. Il est président de la AMBD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Brüdergemeinden Deutschland), une union d’églises devenue membre de la CMM lors au Conseil Général de la CMM en 2015.