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A pastoral letter from Anabaptists in Ecuador
A state of “internal armed conflict” has been declared in Ecuador since January 2024. The government continues to struggle against violence from organized crime groups. The three Mennonite national churches in Ecuador – Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Ecuatoriana (IEME – MWC member church), Iglesia Cristiana Anabautista Menonita de Ecuador (ICAME), Iglesia Cristiana Menonita (ICME) – call…
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Building peace between Bantu and Batwa
Alarming situation: discrimination and violence “We understand that God doesn’t discriminate,” says Nathan Mudiji, “but that before God, everyone must acknowledge their sin and do their best to repair the relationship broken because of sin.” In the DRC, the Batwa (an indigenous people mainly settled in the Equateur and Mai-Ndombe provinces), suffer discrimination and inhumane…
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Building peace with holistic services
Courier: Perspectives Latin America: Paraguay This mission of ASCIM (Association of Services within the Indigenous-Mennonite Cooperation; Associacion De Servicios De Cooperacion Indigena – Menonita in Spanish) is to promote socio-economic growth in Indigenous communities through partnership programs in education, health, economy and socio-spiritual orientation and thus supports harmonious intercultural coexistence. ASCIM grew out of evangelization…
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Four peacebuilding stories in fifth film
“We live in a complicated world. Erosion of trust and breakdown in relationships are all too common. The good news is that as abundant as conflict may be, so is the commitment within Anabaptist Mennonite communities around the world to follow Jesus’ call to work for justice and to make peace,” says Max Wiedmer, producer…
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A pastoral letter regarding legal action for the protection of religious liberties
Beloved sisters and brothers We call you to prayer for our siblings in the USA who are taking legal action that seeks to restore the rights of people of faith to gather, worship and serve without government interference. Mennonite Church USA joins more than 20 Christian and Jewish communities in this action. The current presidential…
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Yesterday’s martyrs inspire those who suffer today
“Their commitment to passing down the message of peace and the gospel inspires me to live a sacrificial life for peace.” Stories of the early Anabaptist martyrs have shaped and inspired Mennonites around the world for 500 years. They continue to do so for suffering pastors in Myanmar, like the one quoted above. From 25-29…
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Revenge songs then and now
What do music star Shakira and biblical prophet Deborah have in common? In a special service on 6 September 2024, Riki Neufeld explored revenge songs through a peace lens with the Mennonite congregation in Hamburg-Altona, Germany. The Center for Peace Theology at University of Hamburg, Germany, and the congregation awarded the Menno Simons Sermon Prize…
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Grieving a year of increasing violence in the Middle East
A pastoral letter on October 7, 2024 Beloved brothers and sisters of the global Anabaptist/Mennonite communion: With heavy hearts, we mark the one-year anniversary of terrible events that signalled the beginning of a new cycle of violence in the Middle East. We are heartbroken at the number of lives taken a year ago and since.…
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Reflections on Kintsukuroi
Brokenness into glory Clay in God’s hands Brokenness into glory Kintsukuroi, a traditional Japanese technique, involves repairing ceramics with lacquer and gold, embracing damage as part of an object’s history instead of concealing or discarding it. This process entails identifying broken areas and delicately mending them with precious gold, resulting in unique pieces that blend…
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Peace Sunday 2024 – Activities
2 Corinthians 4:7 describes the gospel as a “treasure” in “clay jars.” These humble vessels bring to mind the Japanese tradition of kintsukuroi that creates (or recreates) pottery from broken pieces. Damaged vessels are put back together, often with gold binding, to create a useful object once again. The new piece tells a story about…
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The mosaic of Scripture and of the church
Peace Sunday 2024 Teaching resource Reading Scripture has always been at the heart of the church’s life, but from early on, different ways of reading and understanding have led to conflict and division. What is Scripture? Already in the early centuries several movements arose with differing claims about the meaning of the Gospel and how…
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Interconnected family celebrates peace
Peace (English) – Paix (French) – Amani (Swahili) – Mirembe (Luganda): children at a Uganda Mennonite church wrote “Peace” in multiple languages. (See photo below.) Each year, the Peace Commission prepares a worship resource for Peace Sunday. Organized around a new theme each year, the package includes a Scripture focus, prayers, an activity and a…
