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Refusing to be a victim and an offender
It was one of the passages narrating the week of Jesus’ passion that first led SangMin Lee to consider the way of peace. Soon after he became a Christian, Lee was moved by Jesus’ teaching to love our enemies, especially his rebuke to Peter for defending him with a sword in the Garden of Gethsemane.
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Teach the gospel and hold the faith
In 21 January 1525, a dozen or so men slowly trudged through the snow. Quietly but resolutely, singly or in pairs, they came by night to the home of Felix Manz, near the Grossmünster, Switzerland. The chill of the winter wind blowing off the lake did not match the chill of disappointment that gripped the…
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Prayer requests YABs Fellowship Week 2023
Young Anabaptists from around the world share concerns and joys for communal prayer. Latin America El Salvador That we may give priority and recognize the importance of our relationship with God and the service to others, instead of thinking only of ourselves. That we can make a noticeable difference in our society; that we can…
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Equipping our church to care for creation
Colombia Now Israel, what does the Lord your God desire from you? … love him, serve him with all your heart and in all your life, and observe his commands… You see, What does it mean to worship God and to walk in his ways while keeping in mind that “the heavens and the earth…
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Love in a time of climate change
Indonesia I cannot forget the high tide flooding of 23-25 May 2022. As pastor of GKMI Sidodadi in Semarang in Central Java province, Indonesia, I still recount the anxieties and panic of the community. Our church building is just 10 minutes’ walk from Tanjung Mas Seaport from where the flood came. Seawater ran down…
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Is this climate change?
Canada Early in January I took my kids to our local indoor ice rink to skate. The place was packed, and people were frustrated. All-tosoon we were shooed off the ice to make way for an afternoon hockey game. The one-hour public skate was clearly not enough to meet the community’s need. It wasn’t until…
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Pastoral letter regarding persecuted Anabaptist-Mennonites
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26) Beloved sisters and brothers: An MWC member church in an African country is not recognized by the government and thus operates in difficult circumstances. Recently, the BBC reported that a pastor from this MWC…
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A “capital C” church worldwide
Surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation, Mennonite World Conference’s Executive Committee (EC), regional representatives, YABs Committee, senior staff and development volunteers met at Camp Squeah in British Columbia, Canada, for annual governance deliberation. The joy of gathering in person after the pandemic years of Zoom meetings was tempered by sadness over Executive Committee members…
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Gospelling with creation care at heart
Climate anxiety may be a new term coined in the Global North, but it is not a new experience for communities that depend on rain-fed subsistence farming. I first joined the adults in my family in worrying about the weather when I was 8 years old.
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Living More with Less
Given the reality of climate change and the crises caused by it in recent years, such a statement surprised me. Climate issues have become another issue of political polarization in our societies. Amid fear and guilt, arguing about facts and fake news, is it possible to find hope and healing for a divided world? Can…
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A visible global church
“My heart hasn’t stopped beating fast since hearing the testimonies last night,” said mission committee member Joanne Lang at Arnold Community Church, B.C., Canada. Her local congregation was one of 29 that hosted Mennonite World Conference guest(s) for Sunday worship. The previous night was the 2023 local iteration of Renewal 2028, a series of events…
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Mennonites advocate for total peace in Colombia
Over decades of violence between state, paramilitary and guerillas, the Mennonite church in Colombia has been working in the affected regions, accompanying victims, denouncing violence and calling for peace. Now a Mennonite has been appointed to represent the World Council of Churches (WCC) in government peace talks. The peace process signed in 2016 continues to…
