Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • 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 duties as president of the Universidad Evangélica del Paraguay, spending his time in Regensburg, Germany.

    He’s reading the “big books of Proceedings,” produced after the first 10 Mennonite World Conference (MWC) Assemblies (held between 1925 and 1978) to discover the big issues surrounding each of those events.

    And he reads social media attentively, especially the theological expositions by “neo-Calvinist preachers,” as he calls them, who, he observes, lots of Mennonite young people are currently following.

    Neufeld, who chairs MWC’s Faith and Life Commission, recently addressed the General Council of Mennonite World Conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, as part of the 16th MWC Assembly, PA 2015. He spoke about “How Have We Dealt with Conflict in the Past?” He finds the subject of high interest to Mennonites in many places who wonder whether splitting and fragmenting will continue to be part of their futures.

    “As I study the history of our Anabaptist fraternity and admire the lives of the founding fathers and mothers of Mennonite World Conference, I discover much wisdom in their way of dealing with conflict and holding the family together,” says Neufeld.

    While none of the major historic conflicts or tensions has completely gone away, Neufeld says, “I am encouraged. The global family today is probably more united than ever before, even though the challenge to do this with 100 Mennonite cultures is far bigger than it was with a quite homogeneous group 90 years ago.”

    Current struggles in the global family

    And yet, Neufeld notes reasons to stay watchful and in meaningful support of each other throughout our global fellowship. “Here are the things I hear stirring that need attention:

    “The new cruel actions of Islamic terrorism are a critical test for the quality of Mennonite peace convictions based on the gospel.

    “Who should our leaders be and who will shape our theology?

    “In Paraguay, Germany, and parts of Canada (the places in the world that I know best) 60 percent of our young people are getting their theological inspiration from several North American neo-Calvinists who have powerful social media presences.

    “These motivated young people aren’t looking for cheap, right-wing stuff. They want straight, hard, biblical wisdom. But they’re listening to voices who are strongly opposed to women in leadership and who say that the spiritual ethic of nonresistance is a compromised way to live.

    “Not only do I see this as seriously confusing to our young people, it may also undercut our women pastors in countries where they don’t have a lot of institutional support. “These threats to our Anabaptist identity markers call for very wise and strategic care.”

    “What priorities determine where our money goes?

    “Some want all our donations to go to missions and church plants.

    “Should churches accept government money to do their work? If so, how much, or what percent of the whole for particular projects?

    “Those with mission interests sometimes ask if it’s appropriate for service agencies and networks or our schools to accept this ‘easy’ money when missions don’t get that kind of funding.

    “As a church, we renounced state sponsorship 500 years ago. That was at the heart of Anabaptism. How do we manage this today?

    “In my reading of the MWC Proceedings from the early gatherings, I‘m reminded that this is a similar agenda as during the period of the Nazis, who offered to help bring Mennonites out of Russia.”

    Clearly, these early “global” gatherings of Mennonites included a measure of honesty about the issues besetting them.

    Reasons for hope from the past

    So why does Neufeld think the global Mennonite family has grown in numbers, strength, and support of each other?

    “Definitely [through] the grace of God, the lordship of Jesus and the miraculous glue of the Holy Spirit present in all of our churches.”

    And, he adds, there might be at least three additional secrets:

    • “All along the way, God gave us very integrating and gifted leaders.
    • “Missions, and the growth of the young churches in the Global South.
    • “Christ-centred fellowship has helped us to focus on our common ground, to strengthen our shared convictions and to be gracious and patient with each other.”

    Some advice for churches in the Global South

    This theologian/historian/philosopher from the Global South has a few suggestions for his sisters and brothers from the Southern Hemisphere about their role and place in the global faith family:

    1. “The churches of the North need our support and understanding. But not our arrogance.
    2. “This is not the moment for the churches of the South to make points against the churches of the North.
    3. “Missions is a two-way road, with our older churches now being on the receiving end – which our churches in the South have been for a hundred years. Let’s be attentive and humble.”

    Neufeld’s observations about Mennonite structure and behaviour

    1. “It might be one of the present-day miracles of the grace of God that our global, but very pluralistic, community has been able to find ways of staying united for such a long time. Our theology and our structure do not help. We have no global centre of church authority, since each national church is autonomous. We have no historic or present-day unified Confession of Faith.
    2. “There were times in the past when older people and ‘elders’ held strong authority and were considered bearers of identity. Today, we all are aware that if we are not able to articulate our theology
    3. and identity in a relevant way for the emerging and digitalized generation, there will be no future for Mennonite World Conference.” Nor for its member churches.
    4. “Whenever persecution and marginalization have ended, Mennonites have identified quite strongly with their surrounding national culture. Separation from the world immediately becomes a complicated topic.”

    Neufeld’s distillation of conflicts from the past

    Neufeld sees four substantial issues, each of which could have wrecked the Anabaptist peoplehood multiple times during the last 90 years since the first MWC was held in 1925:

    1. The struggle to be either an ethnic or a missional church.
    2. War and peace.
    3. The emerging generation versus the leaving generation.
    4. Revival Pietism versus Enlightenment Liberalism.

    Phyllis Pellman Good is a writer and editor for Mennonite World Conference.

    This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2015

     

  • 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 back to her childhood.

    Her father was a Mennonite church leader, and Rebecca remembers helping to carry food to fellowship events and going with him as he visited church members and neighbours. “The dominant church was Anglican, but many of the families in our area were unable to pay their tithes to the church. So when there was a death in those families, the church wouldn’t do the funeral.

    “Because my dad visited widely, offering pastoral care, the families often asked him to have the service and burial. I liked going along, comforting, singing and making strong tea.

    “The simplicity of visiting, of listening, of being welcoming and open drew people to our church. And it drew me. When I was in my third and fourth years of high school, I’d spend Saturday afternoons doing evangelism out in the open and fellowshipping with all who came.”

    Rebecca’s mother made a special point of introducing her to the Bible and the songs of the church. Why she got that kind of attention from her mother still mystifies Rebecca.

    “I was her third daughter, and not the last of her 10 children. But she told me she gave me to God as her tithe before I was born. When I learned to read, she gave me a Bible. She’d tell me a Bible story as we worked together, or she’d suggest a passage or verse for me to read. Then she’d come up with a hymn that fit. In that way, she integrated me – and my siblings – into the church.”

    Rebecca may have had strong coaching from both parents, but when she was ready to get married, she insisted on independence. “Matchmaking was the order of the day, often by an aunt. But I chose my own spouse. His church and mine often competed informally in singing and fundraising!”

    Rebecca and Joash J. Osiro were married in 1981. They are the parents of five grown children. Joash is a bishop in the Kenya Mennonite Church (KMC).

    To be ordained, or not?

    Rebecca did not crusade to be ordained. But the matter of women’s ordination had been on her mind for quite a while.

    “As I was growing up, I saw women standing strong. They would say to my dad, ‘We need a church.’ A church would begin, and soon it was time for a leader, so they’d look for a man. They’d ordain someone who didn’t have a vision – and the church would die!

    “When I was still in high school, I’d ask my dad, ‘What does the Mennonite church say about women being pastors?’

    “My dad always supported the ordination of women and was the first bishop in Kenya to ordain a woman (in 1994), amid great controversy. Fortunately he lived to see me be ordained when I was 49 years old. I was so blessed to have his support.

    “At one point, I thought maybe the idea of ordaining me should just be dropped because of all the stir it was creating. I didn’t feel the need of it strongly, but I knew it was important for other women who were also leaders to have their authority recognized.”

    Today Rebecca pastors the Eastleigh Fellowship in Nairobi. “We have 40–70 attendees at our weekly services in a space owned by the KMC, which we may use from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Sundays. The neighbourhood is lower-middle class, international and becoming somewhat gentrified. A strong majority are Muslim radicals.

    “Our attendees are indigenous, and many work for the local merchants who often won’t let them have off to attend church functions.”

    Solidarity through choir practice

    Eastleigh Fellowship had prepared to send part of their group to PA 2015 as members of the KMC Choir, which was scheduled to perform at the event. But when only five from the entire choir were granted visas (including Rebecca and her son, but not her daughter), there was great disappointment.

    “We had been meeting in our home to practice the music because we don’t have access to our church’s space outside of our worship hours. People would come straight from work, and some would spend the night with us because they had no other place to stay.

    “Some women from our church were locked out of their homes by their husbands because choir practice ran late into the evening. But they wanted to participate because it’s only through singing that they get to express their solidarity with each other.

    “So when we got the word that most of their visas had been denied, I first thought I should stay home to stand with them. But then I realized that when I had the opportunity, I should go.”

    Work for peace

    To contribute to the family’s livelihood, Rebecca lectures twice a week about Islam in a Jesuit seminary. She has an MA in Islamic Studies from Kenya’s St. Paul’s University and has participated in research related to the Sharia Debates organized by Bayreuth University.

    Rebecca is involved too in helping survivors of female genital mutilation. “It’s a small organization, and we do our work in peace.” Because the practice is deeply rooted in tradition, the men who inflict the damage are often unprepared for the horror of the harm they do.

    “When we meet with abusers who confess to having participated in this, they often say forthrightly that they will never do it again. We work quietly. We want to help them be restored, so we build relationships.”

    “My life is full of failed plans!”

    How does this woman manage her life with all of its responsibilities and demands?

    “My life is full of failed plans!” Rebecca says as she laughs and throws her hands in the air. “We have a grandson who lives with us, and extended family are always in and out for varying lengths of time.”

    MWC’s leaders stand in line to get their food!

    Rebecca has been a member of MWC’s Faith and Life Commission, a position she will leave as she becomes vice president of the organization. She is convinced of the value and necessity of the global body.

    “MWC’s genius is fellowship and networking. We share our stories. We come together and find that we are one.

    “We find strength beyond class, beyond status. MWC gives me courage. I feel I’m in the right place. Here at the Assembly, when I see MWC leaders, pastors and other church leaders standing and waiting in line to get their meals along with everyone else, I am so touched. In many other settings, they’d be brought their food rather than needing to wait in a queue!

    “When I go home and see women living in paper houses, often over sewage, and they make me strong tea (probably having borrowed money to buy the tea), I am deeply moved.

    “Sometimes I feel weak. Am I really on the right track? But nothing that I am doing am I doing by myself.

    “I remember my mother saying, ‘Love your enemies.’ I think that is something God is doing inside me. I am not perfect. I do get irritated.

    “But I find that with time, people who have said hard things, who have been against things in the church that seem important, those harsh differences often are taken care of – or at least no longer seem to stand between us.”

    This woman has much to bring to the leadership of Mennonite World Conference.

    Phyllis Pellman Good is a writer and editor for Mennonite World Conference.

    This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2015

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Servant leadership means waiting in line to register, for meals—an opportunity for fellowship, to
    reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. Photo: Jonathan Charles

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Only five members of Kenya Mennonite Choir were able to obtain visas to travel to the USA for PA 2015. Rebecca Osiro is second from right. Photo: Ray Dirks

     Click on the photos to see the high resolution version.

     

  • 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 common interest and focus. In the following, one of the commissions shares a message from their ministry focus.

    There is a South African term that has been instrumental in its people’s difficult journey in search of reconciliation – ubuntu. Western languages have no equivalent for ubuntu, a word that expresses the essence of humanity and its interconnectedness. In some ways it has become shorthand for the Zulu proverb umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, which can be translated roughly as “a person is a person because of other people.” What affects one affects others, and this matters because our humanity – our being – is dependent on one another.

    These notions fly in the face of western individualism. They also provide a different imagination for how we live and relate to others. If we see others beyond ourselves, it allows us to explore ways in which we can walk with one another in our common quest for humanity and dignity.

    As our Australian aboriginal brothers and sisters remind us: “If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. If you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

    As Anabaptists, we have a historic and ongoing concern for peace (shalom), which is intimately connected to issues of justice. As disciples of Christ who see peace as gospel, we have a heavy but necessary burden: we must walk with one another as we together witness to and participate in God’s peaceable kingdom on earth. Indeed, as the quote above highlights, our quest towards peace and justice in our world rests on walking with one another, from across the street to around the world. To love our neighbours as ourselves as Jesus taught is the foundation on which to build an ubuntu perspective.

    Unfortunately, current South African realities also teach us what happens when we fail to recognize our common and interconnected humanity. Greed, misuse of power, racism and selfishness begin to plague and dissolve the community. Those who are privileged and comfortable tend to forget those who are suffering. And pretty soon we, like Cain, also forget to keep our brother (and sister!) (Genesis 4:9).

    If we are truly interested in pursuing justice and embodying peace in our world, then we are tasked as a church – a people “called out” to seek God’s peaceable kingdom – to walk with others in this pursuit. As our South African brothers and sisters remind us, this is the way in which we come to better understand our identity and our very being.

    May we remember this as we walk with God and with each other.

    —Andrew Suderman, Mennonite World Conference Peace Commission secretary

     

  • Fourth meeting of the Catholic, Lutheran and Mennonite Trilateral Dialogue Commission on baptism 

    Bogotá, Colombia – Representatives of the Catholic Church (Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity), The Lutheran World Federation, and Mennonite World Conference met in Bogotá, Colombia, 29 February–4 March 2016, for the fourth meeting of the International Trilateral Dialogue Commission.

    The Commission developed the general topic of the dialogue “Baptism and Incorporation into the Body of Christ, the Church” through papers on “Living out our Baptism,” the theme of the fourth meeting.

    Marie-Hélène Robert (Catholic), Alfred Neufeld (Mennonite) and Raj Patta (Lutheran), made major presentations reflecting on discipleship, participation in Christ and public witness. In anticipation of the conclusion of the trilateral dialogue, members reviewed the work of the previous years and further developed the document prepared by the drafting group. Each day began and ended in common prayer with morning prayers including joint reflections on biblical texts relating to baptism.

    The meeting, hosted jointly by the Lutheran, Mennonite and Catholic churches in Colombia took place at the premises of the Catholic Bishops Conference (CEC) of Colombia where the members of the commission enjoyed the warm hospitability of the staff of the CEC. One evening commission members met with Alberto Franco CSsR, representative of the Interchurch Dialogue for Peace – DiPaz and heard about the ways the local churches participate in and promote the peace and reconciliation process in Colombia. The participants visited also the Cathedral of Bogotá and the Basílica del Señor de Monserrate.

    The fifth and final meeting of the Trilateral Commission is scheduled to take place 8–14 February 2017 in Germany where the commission is expected to finalize its report for submission to The Lutheran World Federation, Mennonite World Conference and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

    —Mennonite World Conference release courtesy of Lutheran World Federation

    Reflections from Mennonite participants in dialogue:

    Meeting in the Colombian context of wide scale violence and focusing on this meeting’s topic “Living out our Baptism,” I had expected this gathering to become “a moment of glory” for our Mennonite interpretations of adult baptism. Yet, I was humbled by the rich insight of the Lutheran presentation by a Dalit theologian from India on Dietrich Bonhoeffer´s witness on costly discipleship. And I was surprised by the accentuation of the call to evangelism as a fruit of our baptism by a Roman Catholic sister from France. In most societal contexts we find ourselves in today (so different from the European setting of the 16th century, where our traditions went different ways), it seems so appropriate to acknowledge each other’s baptism as authentic commitments to witness to the peace of Christ, together.

    —Fernando Enns, chair, (Peace-) Theology and Ethics, Faculty of Theology, Free University, Amsterdam

    From “Baptism and Discipleship: Holding together ‘sola fide’ and ‘imitatio Christi,’” a presentation on Mennonite understanding of baptism:

    It seems clear that for the three traditions that in Christian initiation the primary actor is God, his grace and his justification….

    Christian life must have a beginning, it must be positively affirmed and embraced by each one living in a discipleship relation to Jesus and his body, the church. And it needs continued nurture, instruction, forgiveness and encouragement. From the self-understanding of the Mennonite tradition, this best can be achieved and comes closest to Scripture evidence through conscious believer’s baptism and discipleship within the committed community of the church.

    —Alfred Neufeld, chair, MWC Faith and Life Commission

    Participants

    Roman Catholic

    • Archbishop Luis Augusto Castro Quiroga, IMC (co-chair, Colombia);
    • Revd. Prof. William Henn, OFM Cap (USA/Italy);
    • Revd. Prof. Luis Melo, SM (Canada);
    • Sister Prof. Dr. Marie-Hélène Robert, NDA (France);
    • Revd. Avelino Gonzalez (co-secretary, USA/Vatican).

    Lutheran

    • Prof. Dr. Friederike Nüssel (co-chair, Germany);
    • Bishop Emeritus Dr. Musawenkosi Biyela (South Africa);
    • Prof. Dr. Theodor Dieter (France);
    • Revd. Raj Bharath Patta (India/UK);
    • Revd. Dr. Kaisamari Hintikka (co-secretary, Finland/Switzerland).

    Mennonite

    • Prof. Dr. Alfred Neufeld (co-chair, Paraguay);
    • Prof. Dr. Fernando Enns (Germany);
    • Prof. Dr. John Rempel (Canada);
    • Revd. Dr. Larry Miller (co-secretary, France).

    Regrets

    • Revd. Prof. Peter Li (Lutheran)
    • Revd. Rebecca Osiro (Mennonite).

     

  • 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 World Conference. MWC has 12 positions in this role to foster relationship between local congregations and the world communion.

    MWC regional representatives are part-time volunteer staff responsible for developing and supporting relationships with MWC member, associate-member and potential-member churches; local congregations; and MWC-related partners and agencies.

    In the MWC “body,” Executive Committee members from the regions serve as the head, discerning and decision-making with the MWC officers while the regional representations are the hands and feet who visit churches to connect personally with leaders in their region. “This is about bringing MWC relationships closer to the members and their congregations,” says Arli Klassen.

    New regional representatives Tesfatsion Dalellew of Ethiopia (Eastern Africa) and Peter and Gladys Siemens of Brazil (Latin America – Southern Cone) joined the team at the February 2016 Executive Committee meetings in Semarang, Indonesia.

    Klassen coordinates the regional representatives who also include Francisca Ibanda (Central/West Africa), Kyong-Jung Kim (Northeast Asia), Cynthia Peacock (South Asia), Henk Stenvers (Europe), and Lynn Roth (North America).

    MWC is in the process of seeking representatives for Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, and three Latin America regions (Andean, Central America, Caribbean).

    Additionally, the Executive Committee appointed a new treasurer, Sunoko Lin. This change occurred at the committee meeting following Assembly to allow for a smoother transition.

    Lin, raised in Indonesia, moved to the United States to study accounting and, later, theology. He has served as a pastor at Maranatha Christian Fellowship in Northridge, California, since 2006. He also works as a CFO and is a licensed CPA and CMA.

    Ernst Bergen completed his term as treasurer (2009–2016), begun in 2009 at the General Council meetings at Assembly 15 in Asunción, Paraguay. A businessman from Paraguay who served as minister of industry and finance in the cabinet of the Duarte government 2005–2007, Bergen was the first MWC treasurer from the Global South.

    “These church leaders who volunteer their time as leaders within MWC enable us to serve Anabaptists of the world on a small budget,” says César García, general secretary. “We are so grateful for their work; many thanks, especially to Ernst who volunteered his considerable skills in a challenging portfolio.”

    —Mennonite World Conference release

     

  • 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 than 7,000 injured.

    Several Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Ecuatoriana (IEME) congregations are located in Manabi Province, an area that was severely damaged by the earthquakes.

    Rosedale Mennonite Missions (connected to IEME) has sent initial response support and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has sent disaster response coordinator David Shenk, of Harrisonburg, Va., USA, to assist IEME in assessing the need and planning the response.

    MWC member churches, Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Colombia and Iglesias Hermanos Menonitas de Colombia (Mennonite and Mennonite Brethren denominations), who have been collaborating with Ecuador Mennonite churches on peace and migration issues, are also responding through the regional MCC office.

    IEME requests prayers: damaged infrastructure makes it difficult to distribute supplies and raises concerns about the spread of diseases, and the continuing tremors cause further damage to buildings and emotions.

    “We keep trusting that God will help us rise above” says Angel Castro Leon, IEME vice president. “We greatly appreciate your prayers and help.”

    Click here to support MCC’s response to assist IEME.

    Click here for a prayer.

    —Mennonite World Conference release, with files from Mennonite Central Committee

  • 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 beginnings of the Anabaptist movement. MWC representatives from Europe have planned a day-long public conference 12 February 2017: “Transformed by the Word: Reading the Bible in Anabaptist Perspectives.”

    Occurring 500 years after Luther’s famous appeal to sola scriptura launched the Reformation, the conference will explore how Anabaptist-Mennonites around the world have engaged Scripture in the past…and how Scripture continues to be relevant today.

    “After 500 years,” says Alfred Neufeld, Faith and Life Commission chair, “it is time for us to ask the challenging question: Do we still have anything in common with the founding mothers and fathers of the Anabaptist church? Should we? Can we?”

    Neufeld chairs the planning committee for the 2017 event which includes Henk Stenvers, Rainer Burkart, Jantine Huisman, Arli Klassen, Liesa Unger and John D. Roth.

    The event, which runs run from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will include worship and singing, examples of biblical interpretation from the global church, insights from ecumenical partners and an opportunity for all participants to participate in biblical interpretation.

    Watch for more information later in the year regarding speakers, schedule and online registration. Space will be limited!

    – Mennonite World Conference release

    Click here to see this article in German

  • 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 to respond to terrorism with action, the obligation to show solidarity to France following November’s attacks and the desire to use the state’s power to protect its citizens and others who are vulnerable.

    “From our perspective, however, it does not follow from all of these motivations that military action in Syria is the appropriate response,” writes Doris Hege, AMG board chair.

    “We are in no way convinced that military action will achieve greater security,” Hege writes. The development of a political future for people in the affected areas “would involve working toward a future for the region that is economically just, providing adequate support, initially through relief organizations, and also long-term in the development of democratic civic and social structures.”

    Similarly, ADS urged that “assistance for the victims of this drama, support for organizations which pursue this effort and the stimulation of dialogue between the parties should be the cores of policy.”

    “The Mennonite community…does not see violence as the means by which to approach conflicts, let alone the means by which to end them,” write Frans Dukers and Henk Stenvers, ADS moderator and secretary.

    To their respective government’s military actions, the ADS and AMG declare: “Not in my name.”

    —MWC release

    Addendum: In February 2016, the government of Canada ended its direct participation in the bombing mission over Iraq and Syria. Mennonite Central Committee Canada executive director Don Peters wrote to the prime minister to “affirm the significant steps Canada is taking.” However, he expresses concern about Canada’s continued on-the-ground support for airstrikes and expanded role in military training in the region. “It is imperative that the international community continue to expand its diplomatic efforts to support a negotiated political solution to the Syrian civil war and greater inter-party political cooperation in Iraq,” writes Peters.

    Click here to see the letter from AMG to the German government (in English and German).

    Click here to see the letter from ADS to the Dutch government (in English and Dutch).

    Click here to the letter from MCC Canada to the Canadian government (in English).

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Don Peters, MCC Canada executive director, shares stories from displaced Syrian women in Lebanon. Photo: LIFE TV (Indonesia)

     Click on the photo to see the high resolution version.

     

     

  • New Executive Committee meets in Indonesia

    Bogotá, Colombia – Excitement for Mennonite World Conference (MWC) Assembly 2021 was in the air at the MWC Executive Committee annual meeting 12–19 February 2016 in Semarang, Indonesia.

    Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia (GKMI), Gereja Injili di Tanah Jawa (GITJ), and Jemaat Kristen Indonesia (JKI), the three MWC member churches (called synods in Indonesia) hosted the gatherings of the MWC Executive Committee and the Young Anabaptists (YABs) committee.

    The Indonesian leaders shared how they had been inspired by fellowshipping with each other at the MWC Assembly in Paraguay in 2009. Since that time, they have been meeting regularly as an “Indo-Menno-Leaders” group. Out of this group grew the desire to invite the worldwide Anabaptist community to meet in Indonesia for the next MWC Assembly, Indonesia 2021.

    The Executive Committee heard and approved reports from staff and commissions about ongoing projects, membership applications to join MWC and the MWC budget. They thanked Ernst Bergen (Paraguay) for his years of service as the MWC treasurer and welcomed Sunoko Lin (Indonesia/USA) as the new treasurer. The Peace Commission shared updates on the working document Statement on Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples. The Faith and Life Commission outlined strategies for networking with Anabaptist education institutions connected to MWC.

    Renewal 2027, a celebration from 2017–2027 commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement, was also approved by the Executive Committee. This will include regional celebrations around the world culminating in the MWC Assembly in 2027.

    The Executive Committee approved the dates for the next MWC General Council meeting. In 2018, from 9–19 April, the triennial MWC General Council meetings will take place alongside those of the Executive Committee, Commissions, networks including the Global Anabaptist Service Network and the Global Mission Fellowship and the YABs committee.

    This was the first gathering of the Executive Committee with the new model of staggered terms. At the July 2015 MWC General Council meeting, to assist with continuity in the work of MWC, some Executive Committee member terms were extended for another three years to serve alongside new appointments on six-year terms.

    The new YABs committee had their first meeting with the continental representatives appointed after GYS 2015 and rolled out the new initiative, YABs Fellowship Sunday. This annual celebration to bring Anabaptist young people together in worship around a common theme is planned for June 2016; check the MWC website and social media, and YABs social media, for more information.

    Preceding their meeting, the Executive and YABs Committee members and MWC staff visited a number of local congregations. Liesa Unger, MWC Chief Events Officer, says, “The churches here are excited and eager to host our global Anabaptist family in 2021. Through this visit to Indonesia, MWC leaders and staff will be able to collaborate better as we prepare to invite all our family here in five years.”

    —MWC Release

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    MWC Executive Committee, Young Anabaptists Committee, Staff and volunteers at their 2016 meetings in Indonesia. Photo: LIFE TV (Indonesia).

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    From Left: Regional representatives Cynthia Peacock (South Asia), Henk Stenvers (Europe) and Francisca Ibanda (Central/West Africa) report to the Executive Committee. Photo: LIFE TV (Indonesia).

    Click on the photos to see the high resolution version.

     

  • South American Mennonite youth build friendships across borders

    Cartagena, Chile – When talking about the sea and border problems between Chile and Bolivia, it is common to hear derogatory and xenophobic comments that mirror patriotic ideas, and which appeal to conflicts that have existed for more than a hundred years. The 19th-century War of the Pacific resulted in Bolivia becoming a landlocked nation and losing their seaport to Chile.

    This situation is also promoted by the attitude of governments that, far from encouraging peace, make political use of it. As a consequence, we see a sense of hatred emerging toward the Bolivian people. This hatred takes control over the relations in which people enter in Chile, a country receiving an increasing number of immigrants.

    As Chilean Mennonite youth leaders shared their experiences meeting other Mennonites at Mennonite World Conference Assembly in Paraguay and Southern Cone meetings in Bolivia, this led to the idea of organizing a camp to give Paraguayan and Bolivian youth the chance to visit the sea for the first time in their lives. Paraguay and Bolivia are both landlocked countries. With that idea in their hearts and minds, people worked in different ways for more than a year in order to achieve this objective which they called Proyecto A-Mar. In Spanish, the word “amar” means “to love,” and “a mar” means “to the sea.” This double meaning was fulfilled by hosting the retreat near the sea while focusing on the theme of love. As a tangible expression of love, Chilean youth raised funds to cover some of the costs for international participants.

    Organizer Fabián Díaz, youth pastor at Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de Chile (Evangelical Mennonite Church of Chile), was invited to participate in the Global Youth Summit (GYS) in July 2015. What he shared motivated participants from Colombia to join the retreat as well. Every night, the youth from different countries would share about their churches and cultures in creative ways.

    “Through our lived experiences, we had the opportunity to make friendships with young adult brothers and sisters and pastors from different countries,” says Diaz. “There are such different realities even though we are from nearby countries; that is why we decided to travel and meet on location.”

    Proyecto: A-Mar was finally carried out at Lyon’s School in Cartagena, Chile, 25–31 January 2016, with Mennonite youth coming from Bolivia, Paraguay and Colombia, as well as Linda Shelly from Mennonite Mission Network, and Chilean-Canadian pastor Jorge Vallejos, who assists the church in Chile.

    Proyecto: A-Mar was a pleasant and unforgettable experience for the participants, not only because they achieved the goal they initially set, but also because love was the main theme throughout the whole camp, and that was reflected in the friendships and the multicultural environment individuals created, as well as in the empathy shown toward the different experiences and realities of each person.

    “We have experienced the love that we have both for Chile and Bolivia, and it has been one of the best experiences that we have had,” said participant Gabriela Hurtado from Bolivia, “to see that neither of us have a border and no limits exist for God’s love.”

    After seeing each other as brothers and sisters despite the borders that artificially divide us, and after forgiving each other for the harm produced in our hearts by a war that took place more than a hundred years ago, these Mennonite youth were able to worship God and fellowship with each other as one nation. Youth from the following MWC member churches participated in this reconciliation-building retreat:

    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de Chile (Evangelical Mennonite Church of Chile)
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Boliviana (Evangelical Mennonite Church of Bolivia)
    • Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Colombia (Christian Mennonite Church of Colombia)
    • Convención Evangélica Menonita Paraguaya (Evangelical Mennonite Convention of Paraguay)
    • Convención Evangélica de Iglesias Paraguayas Hermanos Menonitas (Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Churches Convention of Paraguay).

    Learning to love the way God expects from us is the teaching and challenge received in hearts at Proyecto: A-Mar 2016.

    Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7 NRSV)

    Daniela Solis is a young adult from Evangelical Mennonite Church of Chile who participated in the Proyecto A-Mar retreat to build relationships between youth from South American countries that have a history of political hostility. A joint release of Mennonite Mission Network and Mennonite World Conference.

    Experiencing the sea on a boat. Photo: Einar Cavero, Bolivia. Photo: Linda Shelly

    Click on the photo to see the high resolution version.

  • Goshen, Indiana, USA – On 30 January 2016, nearly 100 people gathered in downtown Seoul, Korea to participate in the first Korean Anabaptist Conference. The goal of the gathering, according to Bock Ki Kim, director of the Korea Anabaptist Center and co-sponsor of the event, was “to introduce Anabaptist theology and values in a public, academic setting” and to “challenge ourselves as Korean Anabaptists to see who we are and what we have to do in South Korea.”

    Participants listened and responded to presentations by five speakers on the theme of “What is Anabaptism and Why is it Needed in Korea?” Presenters included John D. Roth, secretary of the MWC Faith and Life commission and director of the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism at Goshen College; Baptist seminary church historian Byung Doo Nahm; Sang Kyu Lee of the Presbyterian Kosin Theological Seminary; conference organizer and Baptist professor Ki Hyun Kim; and Won Bum Jung of the Daejeon Theological Seminary.

    In the conversation following the presentations, the question of nonresistance sparked the most vigorous exchange. For the past 60 years, South Koreans have lived in the shadow of a nuclear power to the north. Consequently, military service is an important part of Korean cultural identity, especially for young men. The only recourse for conscientious objectors is imprisonment, a choice recently exercised by Sang Min Lee of the Grace and Peace Mennonite Church in Seoul, but his decision remains a highly controversial topic among Korean Anabaptists.

    Today, South Korea is home to one of the most creative and dynamic expressions of contemporary Anabaptism anywhere in the global church, with potential for explosive growth in the future. The origins of Korean Anabaptism can be traced back to multiple sources. In the decades immediately following the Korean War (1950–1953), Mennonite Central Committee had a modest presence in the country. In the 1980s, several key Korean leaders, based in part on their contact with MCC personnel, began independent theological study of the Anabaptist tradition. Several pursued training at Mennonite seminaries in North America. In 2001, a more formal relationship with Mennonite Church Canada Witness, combined with the energetic leadership of members of the Jesus Village Church, led to the formation of the Korea Anabaptist Center, which has since served as an important resource to the growing movement.

    Dae Jang Gan Press has overseen the translation and publication of nearly 100 Anabaptist-Mennonite books into Korean. In fact, church leaders and others celebrated the book launch of the Korean translation of John D. Roth’s Beliefs: Mennonite Faith and Practice before the conference began.

    Through this Korean Anabaptist Conference, various Anabaptist groups came together to offer a unified voice within the larger Korean Christian context.

    “People want to see a healthy, biblical church, justice in the public square, and a tangible community based on the Anabaptist movement,” says Bock Ki Kim. “We hope that the conference can be a small catalyst for the future movement as well as a clear invitation to the participants to follow the way of Jesus Christ in their daily lives.”

    -MWC Release by the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The World Fellowship Sunday celebrations at Jesus Village Church, one of the oldest Anabaptist-related congregations in South Korea. Photo: Bock Ki Kim.

     

    A participant comments at the first-ever Korean Anabaptist Conference in January 2016. Photo: Austin Headrick. 

    Click here to see a high resolution version of the cover photo. Click on the other photos to see the high resolution versions. 

     

  • Sang-Min Lee freed after 15 months in jail for refusing mandatory military conscription

    Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA – Sang-Min Lee, a South Korean Mennonite conscientious objector (CO) has been released from prison. Lee was sentenced to 18 months in prison for refusing, on the basis of his faith, to complete the government’s mandatory military service.

    According to a report from Kyong-Jung Kim, Lee was freed on 30 July 2015, after serving only 15 months of his sentence. Kim is Mennonite World Conference Northeast Asia representative and director of the Korea Anabaptist Center, a ministry of the Anabaptist churches of South Korea.

    “It was the power of our prayers that enabled Sang-Min to endure the hardship of his prison life,” said Kim in an email correspondence announcing Lee’s release.

    Kim explained that Lee was released three months early because of his service work while in prison. “He worked as a barber,” Kim said. “He was relatively well treated by others because of his work but, more importantly, he was in our prayers all the time.”

    Robert (Jack) Suderman, secretary of the MWC Peace Commission, expressed gratitude for Lee’s faithful witness in the midst of a difficult situation. “His story was an inspiration at the MWC Assembly in Pennsylvania this year,” Suderman said.

    Global Youth Summit participants were particularly inspired and reportedly filled a book of encouragement notes for Lee.

    Kim notes that although Lee is no longer imprisoned, his refusal to accept the South Korean government’s military service will have lingering consequences. Lee now has a criminal record, which will prevent him from finding employment at many businesses and in government-related offices.

    In addition, he faces the challenge of rejection by those who do not support conscientious objection, which includes many Korean Christians, who do not see military service as incompatible with their faith.

    Because of its strictly enforced mandatory military service with no option for alternate service for COs, South Korea has the highest CO imprisonment rate in the world. In 2013, the United Nations’ Human Rights Council reported that 92.5 percent of the world’s imprisoned COs are in South Korea.

    Most South Korean COs are Jehovah’s Witnesses; Lee is the first Mennonite CO in the country.

    “Please continue to remember the rest of COs who are in prison,” urged Kim, “and pray for the Korean churches’ active participation in non-violence and the peace movement.”

    – Devin Manzullo-Thomas