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Using violence against violence? Statement from a peace church perspective
In the face of the terror caused by the IS militias in Iraq and Syria, Western nations have reacted with air strikes and deliveries of weapons. A reaction that, given the atrocities described, has been widely accepted – also increasingly in churches. Among the same churches that almost unanimously raised their voices in protest against…
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Ukrainian Mennonite leader tells dramatic story about the power of prayer
Lisbon, Portugal – Roman Rakhuba, a leader of the Mennonite Church in Ukraine, shared the trauma of recent military actions in his country during his first ever participation in the annual gathering of leaders of European Mennonite conferences. He shared how the church is responding in the face of lost homes and a mandatory draft…
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New intern brings Korean voice for reconciliation to UN
New York, New York, USA – JeaHyun Nham from the Republic of Korea (ROK/South Korea) is the latest Mennonite World Conference (MWC) intern to join the staff of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) United Nations Office. The intern is a joint appointment of MCC and MWC. Nham is a member of Jesus Village Church in…
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Walking together while speaking different languages
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA – “Isn’t English your first language?” Marius van Hoogstraten (Netherlands) asked Don McNiven (Canada), after a laughter-filled conversation about the proper spelling of the English word “future.” Both men are members of Mennonite World Conference’s Program Oversight Committee, which met in October to further plan the upcoming Assembly at the Farm Show…
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García calls for ‘mission from below’ amidst shifting global realities
Chicago, Illinois, USA – “What would happen if, following the example of monastic orders, there would be a ‘vow of poverty’ in multicultural mission teams for everyone?” This question, posed by César García at the 22 January annual consultation of the Council of International Anabaptist Ministries (CIM), focused one of his proposals for how North…
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Greek Catholics in Ukraine restore former Mennonite church building
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada – In Ukraine a former Mennonite church building is being restored and transformed – with the help of Canadian Mennonites – into a Greek Catholic church. This development, according to observers, is an example of Mennonite-Catholic collaboration in the spirit of other exchanges over the past decade or so. The Mennonite church…
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Mennonite World Conference Assembly to meet in Pennsylvania July 21-26, 2015
Harrisburg, PA, USA – We Mennonites, Mennonite Brethren, and Brethren in Christ of North America have invited our sisters and brothers from around the world to come to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in a little more than a year from now—July 21-26, 2015. The event, Pennsylvania 2015, is Mennonite World Conference’s every-six-year Assembly, fondly known as a…
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Local Tours Add Flavor to PA 2015 Experience
Harrisburg, PA, USA – Registrants for PA 2015 will be able to choose from 47 tours while attending the Mennonite World Conference Assembly, to be held July 21-26, 2015 in Harrisburg, PA. Ten full-day tours will take place on Monday, July 20. Registrants may choose among visits to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, and…
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Survey of MC USA congregations reveals strong global connections but weak connections to MWC
Goshen, Indiana, USA – As Anabaptist denominations in the United States prepare to host the 16th Mennonite World Conference Assembly in Pennsylvania next July, a new survey sheds light on the strength of Mennonite Church USA’s existing global connections. The survey, designed and administered by the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism at Goshen…
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Partnership solution developed to make PA 2015 attendance possible
Harrisburg, PA, USA – “What a sad irony it would be if we welcomed the world to PA 2015 but we failed to find a way for our U.S. and Canadian sisters and brothers who belong to immigrant congregations, and to congregations who need financial support, to attend MWC’s Assembly next summer,” reflects Lynn Roth,…
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Read your way to PA 2015
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA – “We should be well informed hosts,” said Richard Thomas recently about PA 2015, the Mennonite World Conference Assembly, to be held next July 21-26 in Harrisburg, PA. Thomas, who chairs the National Advisory Council for the event, is urging all North American Mennonites, Mennonite Brethren, and Brethren in Christ to honour…
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First Vietnamese Mennonite pastor dies
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA – Quang Xuan Tran, the first Vietnamese Mennonite pastor, died in Philadelphia on 20 September at the age of 84. Quang came to the United States in March 1975 to attend the annual missions meeting of Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM). As South Vietnam was overrun by military forces from the north in…
