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GYS sends a strong call to impact the world by sharing gifts
Anabaptist youth from around the world learn and fellowship together at summit The three-day Mennonite World Conference (MWC) Global Youth Summit (GYS) at Messiah College, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, USA, concluded Sunday, 19 July 2015, with a strong desire to impact the world by sharing their gifts. Under the theme “Called to Share: My Gifts, Our Gifts,”…
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What I found at PA 2015 and will take home with me:
Paulus Hartono, Indonesia Being a part of the throngs at PA 2015 made Paulus Hartono of Indonesia reflect on his early life and how unlikely it is that he found his way to this place. Now a Mennonite pastor and highly active in peace work in Solo (Surakarta) Central Java, Indonesia, with its strong Muslim…
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Young Anabaptists: the present church
YABs take the stage at PA 2015 and set plans for their future They have a relatively short history, but their voices at PA 2015 were arresting and incisive. In fact, the Young Anabaptists’ presentations throughout the morning worship at the Assembly caused some of the most spirited conversation at the Farm Show Complex (FSC)…
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Inspiration and reflection: Hospitality
Piring bukan beling: Hospitality not hostility Indonesians are famous for their hospitality. If you visit their home, they will serve you food and drink. In the villages, the housewife will cook the family’s only chicken to serve a guest. I learned hospitality from my parents. I grew up in a big family with nine children…
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Global young adult advocates at UN with MCC
New York, USA – Juan Sebastián Pacheco Lozano is uniquely qualified for his position as the International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP) participant serving as the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) intern at Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) United Nations Office this year. From 2011 to 2013, Pacheco Lozano learned about how to address issues of violence, poverty…
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More united than ever before
Alfred Neufeld, chair of MWC’s Faith and Life Commission, reflects on the state of the global Mennonite faith community Alfred Neufeld, theologian, historian and generally insightful philosopher, reads on two tracks these days: “Proceedings” from past Mennonite World Conference Assemblies and social media. Neufeld, of Asuncion, Paraguay, is on a year’s sabbatical from his administrative…
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“Nothing that I am doing am I doing by myself”
Rebecca Osiro of Nairobi, Kenya, steps into her new role as vice president of Mennonite World Conference (MWC), with a life of experiences that has tested her faith and taught her wisdom. Rebecca was the first woman to be ordained in the Kenya Mennonite Church (in August 2008), but her interest in the church stretches…
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Recognizing our interconnectedness
Like the chambers of a heart, the four MWC commissions serve the global community of Anabaptist-related churches, in the areas of deacons, faith and life, peace, mission. Commissions prepare materials for consideration by the General Council, give guidance and propose resources to member churches, and facilitate MWC-related networks or fellowships working together on matters of…
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New MWC leaders foster relationships
Regional representatives and treasurer introduced at Indonesia meetings Bogotá, Colombia – When the church is suffering in a remote or politically sensitive part of the world, it is the regional representatives who convey the news to the global Anabaptist family. These servants share joys and sorrows, and connect their region with the resources of Mennonite…
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Mennonites respond to Ecuador earthquake
Bogotá, Colombia – Members of the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) body are responding to the April earthquakes in Ecuador. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific coast of northern Ecuador 16 April 2016, followed by a second earthquake 20 April, and continued strong aftershocks for several days. At least 570 people have been killed and more…
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Renewal decade commemorates 500th anniversary
Bogotá, Colombia – On 12–19 February 2017, Anabaptist-Mennonites from around the world will gather in Augsburg, Germany, to celebrate the opening event of Renewal 2027 in conjunction with meetings of the Mennonite World Conference Executive Committee. Renewal 2027 will be a 10-year series of events (culminating in 2027) to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the…
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“Not in my name” – European Mennonites reject violence
Bogotá, Colombia – Mennonite churches in Europe are responding the violence and displacement in the Middle East that is affecting their society. Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Gemeiden (AMG – Mennonite church in Germany) and Algemene Doopsgezind Societeit (ADS – Dutch Mennonite society) each wrote a letter to their governments urging peace. The AMG recognizes its country’s compulsion…
