Stories

Warmth, Honesty Mark Mennonite-Adventist Dialogue

Liestal, Switzerland—Representatives of Mennonite World Conference and the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists met in dialogue May 28-31 at the Bienenberg Study and Conference Center in Liestal, Switzerland. The four days of conversation... more/más/suite

Kenyan Mennonites make history by writing it

Nairobi, Kenya – Nine Kenyan delegates and three editors gathered together at the Mennonite Guest House in Nairobi the last week in January. Their task: to proof the manuscript of a history of the Kenya Mennonite Church (KMC), a Mennonite World... more/más/suite

Aid to residents of temporary housing a focus of relief assistance in Japan

Japan—Assistance to residents of temporary housing is one way that Japan Mennonite Fellowship is focusing its ongoing work of relief assistance following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. By the end of December, many shelters had closed and... more/más/suite

Anne Zernike Fund marks centenary of first ordination of female pastor in the Netherlands

Netherlands—On November 6, 2011, the Anne Zernike Fund was established in honour of the first Mennonite female pastor in the Netherlands to mark the centenary of her ordination on November 5, 1911. She was also the first female pastor ordained in... more/más/suite

Colombian Anabaptist churches request prayer for victims, perpetrators and peacemakers

Bogotá, Colombia—On Sunday, April 15, some Colombian Anabaptist churches ask congregations in their own country and beyond to worship, pray and reflect for the victims, perpetrators and peacemakers related to conflict in their country. The... more/más/suite

Seminars encourage spiritual renewal–and much more–in Burkina Faso

Orodara, Burkina Faso – During the second week of February, more than 100 Mennonite women had the time of their lives in Orodara, Burkina Faso. The Eglise Evangélique Mennonite du Burkina Faso annual women’s seminar combines adult continuing... more/más/suite

Well attended women’s conference in Zimbabwe spawns a wider network

Mtshabezi, Zimbabwe—A women’s conference held here in April 2011 attracted more than 1,300 women and resulted in the formation of an “interlink” committee to carry forward the vision of the organizers. The purpose of the gathering was to “link and... more/más/suite

Bert Lobe to retire in December; will assist with MWC transitions

St. Jacobs, Ont., Canada—Bert Lobe of St. Jacobs, Ontario has announced that he will retire from his work with Mennonite World Conference (MWC) at the end of 2012. He has served with MWC since 2008. During this year he will assist the new General... more/más/suite

Operations Team appointed in new MWC structure

Bogotá, Colombia—In January, Mennonite World Conference (MWC) General Secretary César García unveiled a new staff structure developed with the assistance of consultants James and Karen Klassen Harder of Bluffton, Ohio. The growth and maturity of MWC... more/más/suite

No longer foolish and small

Sukodono, Indonesia--In 2008 I went to Cairo, Egypt, under YAMEN! to work at the Anaphora Retreat Centre of the Coptic Orthodox church. I used my limited English language as a basis for learning Arabic. After a month and a half, however, just as I... more/más/suite

Brethren in Christ Church in South Africa celebrates conference status

Energetic music, lively dance, and passion for the church they belonged to was apparent to those who came, both church delegates and visitors, to the conference held just outside of Johannesburg from April 15-17, 2011. A second celebration was then... more/más/suite

Church in India celebrates centennial

Dhamtari, India — The Mennonite Church in India celebrated its 100th anniversary Oct. 27-30 with a gathering of about 1,000 people at Sunderganj Mennonite Church. The MCI is one of eight MWC member churches in India. The MCI traces its origins to a... more/más/suite

Europeans plan to hire coordinator; seek to be ‘a place of blessing’

Madrid, Spain—At their annual gathering, held here in November 2011, leaders of European Mennonite conferences decided to hire a coordinator to serve as their liaison to Mennonite World Conference (MWC) and to fulfill some coordination tasks for the... more/más/suite

MWC Asia Caucus strengthens identity and looks to future

Kolkata, India—Strengthening Anabaptist identity, learning more about Mennonite World Conference (MWC) and their responsibilities and proposing priorities for the future were the main issues that engaged Asian members of the MWC General Council at a... more/más/suite

Peace-building model takes root in Colombia

Arauca, Colombia—A grassroots peace-building model, initially developed by Ricardo Esquivia, a Mennonite leader in Colombia, is being utilized in a growing number of places. The model, called Citizen Commissions for Reconciliation (CCR), now links... more/más/suite

General Council Meetings

MWC contributing carbon tax to global projects

MWC contributing carbon tax to global projects In recognition of the environmental impact of their global work, Mennonite World Conference staff and executive committee members are now imposing a simple surcharge on themselves for each mile that... more/más/suite

MWC and trees − 2010

MWC continued a tradition of planting a tree at some location in the country hosting an MWC event; but on Sunday, August 1, it planted 38 trees at the Misrak Meserete Kristos Church, the largest MKC congregation in Ethiopia. Pictured, MKC chair... more/más/suite

Enhancing koinonia in the MWC family

The move of Mennonite World Conference toward being an expression of koinonia is a noble one. To make it happen, however, we need mutual sharing of resources and mutual accountability. As a global community, we value fellowship. Members bound... more/más/suite