Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • MDS has been responding to a repeat flood disaster in and around Barre, Vermont, USA, where volunteers have mucked out or repaired more than 50 homes. The women pictured cleaned mud out of the basement of a home flooded with river water. Photographer: Brent Trumbo 

    North America: USA 

    Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) responds to disasters, rebuilds homes and restores hope by organizing and empowering volunteers to respond to people hit by disasters in the USA and Canada. Created in the 1950s as an organized expression of the Anabaptist practices of mutual aid, today MDS is respected by national disaster management agencies in both countries. In 2022-2023, MDS had more than 7 000 volunteers – some skilled in construction, others completely unexperienced – from the supporting Mennonite churches, other churches or none at all, and from across the spectrum of Anabaptist identity in North America, from Old Order Amish to the variety of urban and technologically savvy Mennonites. MDS is a member of the Global Anabaptist Service Network. 

    On 29 July 2024, Brent Trumbo was serving as crew leader in Barre, Vermont, USA, alongside Old Order Mennonite volunteers from Dayton, Virginia, and the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania area. The longtime MDS volunteer attends Harrisonburg Mennonite Church, Virginia, USA. 

    “I was dumbfounded when I saw what they were doing,” he said. The women, most of whom were in their early 20s, were using shovels to fill five-gallon buckets (20L) with mud, then carrying them, one in each hand, out of the basement of a 200-year-old home that had been inundated with river mud. 

    “They were carrying about 40 pounds (around 18 kgs) in each hand,” he said. “They did this for hours on end with no stopping and no slowing down.” 

    And they were singing while they worked. “Their harmony was phenomenal,” said Brent Trumbo. “You could have made a recording in that basement.” 

    Brent Trumbo marvelled at the beautiful singing that rose up out of the mud in that basement. “It was a nasty environment,” he said. “We put some temporary lights down there but it was dark. It didn’t smell good.” 

    But the conditions didn’t seem to faze the women at all. So he joined in the work. 

    “I was trying to keep up with them,” said Brent Trumbo, who is 65. “I did have to take a couple of ibuprofen (painkiller).” 

    He recalls getting a little teary-eyed on his last day on the job, which was 2 August 2024. 

    “These were young people who were so hardworking. They were humble. They were very friendly and they’d come over and chat with me for 20 minutes very comfortably,” he said. “They restored my hope in the next generation. That’s genuinely the way I feel. I get very emotional when I talk about it.” 

    He had no idea the photo he took of the women with muddy dresses would be viewed by thousands on Facebook and Instagram. 

    “People thought this was someone getting creative with AI!” said Brent Trumbo, who would like to assure people that he’s a real human being. 

    Who’s not in the photograph? The homeowner, a man who periodically brought snacks and drinks down into the basement for the volunteers, and had a look of stunned surprise when he saw the work being accomplished. 

    “As we were leaving, I was pulling out, I noticed that he had walked out into the yard and had just sat in a lawn chair – and it appeared like he was crying,” said Trumbo. “I am sure he was just in shock. It was a very touching moment.” 

    —This story was first published on MDS’s website after the photo was shared on social media. 

    Reflection from MDS executive director Kevin King: 

    In late August, I spent several days in Barre, Vermont, visiting the MDS project and surrounding communities. I joined volunteers from Arizona, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia, Minnesota, Indiana and listened to flood survivors and the local community leaders. Three major floods have impacted north and central Vermont in the last 12 months. I heard stories how when thunderstorms arise, many residents relive the trauma and wonder if the fourth flood will hit them. 

    Over breakfast one morning with local Baptist pastor, Dan Molind, remarked: “How blessed I am to see the wide variety of Mennonites that have come to clean up and rebuild through MDS – from the Amish to the progressive English. How is that possible?!” 

    I shared that it was out of our compassion, obedience to the Scripture and gratefulness to God. 

    We as an Anabaptist community of faith may have our differences, but I always come away seeing MDS volunteers live out their unity in Christ by putting their faith into action. 

    And I remain encouraged. 

    Website: mds.org 

    This article first appeared in
    Courier / Correo / Courrier, volume 39, number 4

  • The church as the body of Christ is central in God’s activity of reconciliation in the world. We want to embody this idea in our global structure. 

    Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is an organic community and not a bureaucratic institution. As a global church, we are committed to serving people rather than building an infrastructure to maintain our institution. 

    Although we want to have a strong body that follows plans, policies and healthy organizational principles, all this exists to serve people and to nurture relationships. 

    We speak of MWC as having a heart with four chambers with the Commissions representing each one: Faith & Life (theology), Peace, Deacons and Mission. 

    The Mission Commission has the mandate to strengthen mission and service awareness in national churches. 

    “We create conversations that show how mission and service belong together within Anabaptist theology,” says James Krabill, chair of the Mission Commission. “We encourage different organizations to partner together, but we’re not an administrative body that programmatically does mission.” 

    “What we do is facilitate conversations. We network across organizations doing mission and we try to provide resources that help them to do their work better. We get people together,” he says. 

    The Mission Commission also oversees the Networks which are a gathering place for agencies and organizations that serve the church as expressions of the church. 

    “It’s easy for these agencies to create a life of their own and not be in conversation with the other parts,” says James Krabill. “When we gather, we strengthen our understanding that mission and service are all part of being faithful to kingdom priorities.” 

    Both service and mission are inextricably linked to the church as a gathering of Christ-followers in the world. If that link is lost, something is missing. 

    These are the general goals of the Mission Commission and the Networks. 

    1. To link arms in mission – north, south, east, west. 
    2. To pray for each other, encourage each other and partner together as God leads us. 
    3. To learn from each other. 
    4. To share resources in mission – prayer, personnel, teaching and finances. 

    Background 

    The Global Mission Fellowship (GMF) and Global Anabaptist Service Network (GASN) are established Networks.  

    Since 2015, other networks have also been emerging: 

    • Global Anabaptist Education Networks – Primary and Secondary [GAPSEN] and Higher Education [GAHEN] 
    • Global Anabaptist Peace Network [GAPN]  
    • Global Anabaptist Health Network [GAHN]

    GMF was started in 2003 around the Assembly in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It meets in-person every three years alongside the General Council. In between those meetings, there are online gatherings. 

    From consultations on diakonia and service in Pasadena, California, USA, in 2006 ongoing dialogue and consultation led to the formal formation of GASN in 2012 in Switzerland. 

    The GMF promotes consultation, cooperation and works on intercultural mission and building churches, says Nelson Okanya, GMF steering committee chair. 

    It’s an opportunity for members to learn from each other, says Nelson Okanya. Organizations can create strategic spaces to contribute to what each other are doing around the world in mission as they ask: 

    • What’s happening in that part of the world? 
    • What’s happening in this part of the world? 
    • What can we learn from one another? 

    Barbara Hege-Galle, GASN steering committee chair, says GASN emerged because there were groups whose focus on service bound them together in mission-focused spaces. 

    “It is hard to explain the value of spending this time together without planned tangible outcomes.” says Barbara Hege-Galle. “What you get from the Network is the growing knowledge of each other – who is working where – and knowing that you are not the only ones doing this work.”. 

    To encourage and build up 

    “These are the things the Networks are for: that people are encouraged and recognized in the ministry and service they provide and also affirmed in the personal experience they share with each other,” says Barbara Hege-Galle. 

    A comment from in-person meetings alongside the General Council in Kenya in 2018 is seared in memory. Members of the group were speaking of their experiences with microfinance. One member from the Global South was quiet during the discussion but afterward came to Barbara Hege-Galle. He assumed others had more wisdom and he was only there to learn, he said, but he realized he also had relevant experience to share. 

    GASN is growing in its capacity to create these spaces for sharing. 

    Recent webinars have been structured with one featured presentation plus sharing time. Members learn about one organization – its best practices, its areas of challenge – and have the opportunity to ask questions. 

    In smaller groups members can further discuss their own relevant experiences and expertise and ask questions. Finally, they all have opportunity to pray for and encourage each other. 

    A global shift 

    “I have been ‘singing’ the fact that the centre of Christianity has shifted from the Global North to Africa, Asia and Latin America,” says Nelson Okanya. 

    But Nelson Okanya notes that shift is not as apparent when it comes to missiology where the majority of voices still come from the Global North. 

    “How do we create that cross-fertilization in our spaces so we can listen to voices that actually are hosting the church in large numbers?” says Nelson Okanya. 

    This shift is apparent in the global Anabaptist family: some two-thirds of baptized believers live outside Europe and North America, the historic poles of Anabaptism: 37% in Africa, 20% in Asia and the Pacific, 10% in Latin America and the Caribbean; only 3% in Europe and 30% in North America. 

    The Mission Commission took a step to address the unrepresented voices with the 2018 book God’s People in Mission: An Anabaptist Perspective, with contributors from all over the world. 

    Barbara Hege-Galle regrets that it seems “our Southern brothers and sisters still look at the North.” There’s a tendency to defer to those who are educated in formal institutions. “But those are not the ones who are the most important.” 

    “We are all part of it; you are not alone” is a key message for GASN participants, says Barbara Hege-Galle. 

    The Networks – where all come to the table as equals – is one place to hear voices from other places. Each has been structured with a steering committee with a representative from each region.  

    “But we have a long way to go,” says James Krabill. 

    A communications shift 

    With members coming from cultures around the world, there are different ways of sharing knowledge and experience. For many, stories rather than reports or didactic methods are the ways to share. 

    Stories move us from the dryness of numbers and reporting (which are fine in their own right), to engaging people in changing moments, not just statistics, says James Krabill. 

    “When you tell a story, there are more the facts; there’s a life to the telling. It gives witness not only to what was going on but also the impact it has on you and the world around you,” says Barbara Hege-Galle. “To listen to each other requires patience and respect.” 

    “If we value the global voices, then we all need to be able to come to the table,” says Nelson Okanya. 

    It also means we have to make it possible to hear one another. This applies to translation and the words we use and also to just making sure each one can hear, says Nelson Okanya. “Make it accessible.” 

    That means putting a priority on making sure each one can be present. “That doesn’t mean a handout,” says Nelson Okanya, but it means being honest about global financial disparities. 

    “When we gather and we hear inspiring stories from parts of the world that don’t have a lot of financial resources, it just reminds us that that the gifts are so much more than money,” says James Krabill. 

    “What often inspires us is faithful service and activity. In some cases, being faithful has brought on persecution or difficult life: through stories, we are reminded that the gifts that we’re talking about are multiple,” says James Krabill. 

    “Everybody comes to the table with something. Bring what is in your hand,” says Nelson Okanya. 

    Growing together  

    James Krabill invokes Ephesians 3 where the Apostle Paul says it is together that we grow into the knowledge of the wisdom of God. Often theologians focus on defining ‘wisdom,’ he says, “but maybe the most important word is ‘together’.” 

    “It really requires everyone bringing their knowledge and wisdom to the table so that together we grow into that knowledge,” says James Krabill. It’s a constant reminder that there is no one person, no one professor, no one pastor, no one culture that understands everything about the wisdom of Christ.” 

    ‘Together’ has been a key component in MWC themes: included in the Assembly themes from 2022 (Following Jesus Together Across Barriers), 2009 (Come Together in the Way of Jesus Christ), implicit in 2003 (Sharing Gifts in Suffering and in Joy) and key in MWC’s new three-part tagline that sums up the mission: Following Jesus, living out unity, building peace. 

    Both churches and organizations that are part of the Mission Commission Networks are in the process of figuring out how to witness to the world, how to build peace (sometimes at odds with mission) and how to function together as the body of Christ. 

    Tensions and divisions 

    Nelson Okanya observes the opportunities in the tensions, even as divisions are occurring. 

    “Mennonite World Conference is sort of safe place where those who want to maintain an Anabaptist identity and be part of that stream of history can do that,” he says. “And they find themselves around the tables with people that they just divided out from.  

    “It’s hopeful. It creates a space for people to stay in conversation.” 

    The Networks – with their focus on work instead of theology – can be a helpful place for building relationship on collaboration without focusing on differences. 

    “I think Mennonite World Conference kind of creates that space that’s a little bit less threatening,” says James Krabill. 

    The Shared Convictions provide a theological grounding so members can focus on learning from each other, doing things together and worshipping together. 

    “People eat together and have communion together,” says Nelson Okanya, referencing the times he’s seen leaders eat together in network contexts – leaders who otherwise don’t tend to work together. 

    The fellowship, the learning and the strategy sessions are all so valuable when done face-to-face, says Barbara Hege-Galle. But the most important part of being together at face-to-face meetings in Virginia in 2023 (making up for COVID-related challenges to meet in Indonesia in 2022) was a story. A member from India said what she told the group in person could not have been shared in any other forum. For the safety of those involved, it could not be shared in a newsletter, email or even an online meeting. 

    “It’s different when you meet and see the face of the other person,” says Barbara Hege-Galle. “And this is worth spending that money for triennial meetings so that you have the opportunity to know the face on the other side of the screen.” 

    The Networks will gather alongside the General Council meetings in 2025. The year marks the 500th anniversary of the first Anabaptist baptisms. 

    “Those first Anabaptists in Switzerland made a plan for evangelizing Europe, and within a year or two, most of them had been put to death. So that’s a reminder of the implications of the work we do,” says James Krabill. 

    At the 2025 meetings, the revised terms of reference will be up for consideration. The new document is streamlined and has greater clarity on the roles of the Networks and their leadership. 

    This article first appeared in
    Courier / Correo / Courrier, volume 39, number 4

    GASN 

    Member organization 

    Africa 

    • La Casa Grande – Benin 
    • Centre de Réflexion et d’Appui aux Initiatives de Développement – DR Congo 
    • Meserete Kristos Church Development Commission – Ethiopia 
    • Mennonite Association for Peace and Development – Malawi 
    • Passion Center for Children – Malawi 
    • Igreja Irmãos em Cristo em Moçambique – Mozambique 
    • Brethren In Christ Church (Zambia Conference) – Zambia 
    • BIC Compassionate Ministries-Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe 

    Asia & Pacific 

    • Brethren In Christ Church, Odisha – India 
    • Emmanuel Ministries (BJCPM) – India 
    • Little Flock Fellowship (BJCPM) – India 
    • Mennonite Brethren Development Organization – India 
    • Mennonite Christian Service Fellowship of India – India 
    • Mennonite Diakonia Service-GKMI Synode – Indonesia 
    • Japan Mennonite Fellowship (JMF) –Japan 
    • Korea Anabaptist Center – South Korea 
    • Nepal BIC Church/Brethren in Community Welfare Society – Nepal 
    • Integrated Mennonite Churches, Inc. – Philippines 

    Europe 

    • Caisse de secours – France 
    • Christliche Dienste – Germany 
    • Mennonitisches Hilfswerk e. V. – Germany 
    • Doopsgezind WereldWerk – Netherlands 
    • Services Missionnaires Mennonites/Schweizerische Mennonitische Mission – Switzerland 

    Latin America & Caribbean 

    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Boliviana – Bolivia 
    • Iglesia Misionera Anabaptista – Bolivia 
    • Associaçao Menonita Beneficente – Brazil 
    • Associação Menonita de Ação Integral – Brazil 
    • Associação Menonita de Assistência Social – Brazil 
    • Asociación Sembrando Semillas de Paz – Colombia 
    • Centro Cristiano para Justicia, Paz y Acción Noviolenta – Colombia 
    • Fundación Agropecuaria Tejiendo Esperanza – Colombia 
    • Fundación de Educación para la Paz y Resolución de Conflictos Edupaz – Colombia 
    • Fundación Menonita Colombiana para el Desarrollo –Colombia 
    • Comité de Justicia y Paz – Costa Rica 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de El Salvador – El Salvador 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de Guatemala – Guatemala 
    • Programa Fundameno – Guatemala 
    • Red Regional de Justicia y Paz – RedPaz – Guatemala 
    • Acción Cristiana Educativa Menonita – Honduras
    • Comisión de Acción Social Menonita – Honduras 
    • Proyecto Paz y Justicia – Honduras 
    • Comisión de Emergencia Anabautista de Nicaragua (CAE) – Nicaragua 
    • Comisión de Paz y Justicia de las Iglesias Anabautistas de Nicaragua – Nicaragua 
    • Asociación de Servicios de Cooperación Indigena Menonita – Paraguay 
    • Servicio Voluntario Menonita – Paraguay 

    North America 

    • Mennonite Central Committee Canada – Canada 
    • Mennonite Central Committee – USA 
    • Mennonite Disaster Service – USA 
    • Mennonite Health Service Alliance –USA 
    • Mennonite Mission Network – USA 

    GMF 

    Member organization 

    Africa 

    • Igreja da Comunidade Menonita em Angola – Angola 
    • Igreja Evangélica dos Irmãos Mennonitas em Angola – Angola 
    • Igreja Evangélica Menonita em Angola – Angola 
    • Église Évangélique Mennonite du Burkina Faso – Burkina Faso 
    • Communauté des Églises des Frères Mennonites au Congo – DR Congo 
    • Communauté Évangélique Mennonite – DR Congo 
    • Communauté Mennonite au Congo – DR Congo
    • Meserete Kristos Church – Ethiopia 
    • International Mennonite Mission of East Africa – Kenya 
    • Kenya Mennonite Church – Kenya 
    • Mpingo Wa Abale Mwa Kristu – Malawi 
    • Mennonite Church Nigeria – Nigeria 
    • Grace Community Church in South Africa – South Africa 
    • Kanisa la Mennonite Tanzania – Tanzania 
    • Brethren In Christ Church (Zambia Conference) – Zambia 
    • Ibandla Labazalwane kuKristu eZimbabwe (Brethren in Christ Church) – Zimbabwe 

    Asia & Pacific 

    • Bharatiya Jukta Christa Prachar Mandali (India United Missionary Church) – India 
    • Bhartiya General Conference Mennonite Church – India 
    • Bihar Mennonite Mandli – India 
    • Brethren In Christ Church, Odisha – India 
    • Gilgal Mission Trust – India 
    • Mennonite Christian Service Fellowship of India – India 
    • Mennonite Church in India Dhamtari CG – India 
    • The Governing Council of the Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Church of India – India 
    • PIPKA – GKMI Synode – Indonesia 
    • Nepal BIC Church/Brethren in Community Welfare Society – Nepal 
    • Integrated Mennonite Churches, Inc. – Philippines 

    Europe 

    • Igreja dos Irmãos Menonitas de Portugal – Portugal 
    • Anabautistas, Menonitas y Hermanos en Cristo – España (AMyHCE) – Spain 

    Latin America & Caribbean 

    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Argentina – Argentina 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de Belice – Belize 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Boliviana – Bolivia 
    • Iglesia Misionera Anabaptista – Bolivia 
    • Liga de Iglesias Anabautistas de Bolivia – Bolivia 
    • Aliança Evangélica Menonita – Brazil 
    • Associação das Igrejas Menonitas do Brasil – Brazil 
    • Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Colombia – Colombia 
    • Iglesias Hermanos Menonitas de Colombia – Colombia 
    • Asociación Iglesias Cristianas Menonitas de Costa Rica – Costa Rica 
    • Sociedad Misionera Cubana Hermanos en Cristo – Cuba 
    • Conferencia Evangélica Menonita, Inc. – Dominican Republic 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de El Salvador – El Salvador 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de Guatemala – Guatemala 
    • Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Hondureña – Honduras 
    • Organización Cristiana Amor Viviente – Honduras 
    • Jamaica Mennonite Church – Jamaica 
    • Conferencia de Iglesias Evangélicas Anabautistas Menonitas de México – Mexico 
    • Conferencia Menonita de Mexico – Mexico 
    • Asociación Misión Evangélica de los Hermanos en Cristo en Nicaragua – Nicaragua 
    • Asociación Hermanos Menonitas – Paraguay 
    • Convención de los Pastores de las Iglesias Mennonitas del Paraguay / Vereinigung der Mennonitengemeinden von Paraguay – Paraguay 
    • Convención Evangélica de Iglesias Paraguayas Hermanos Menonitas – Paraguay 
    • Convención Evangélica Hermanos Menonitas Enlhet – Paraguay
    • Convención Evangélica Hermanos Menonitas Nivaclé – Paraguay 
    • Convención Evangélica Menonita Paraguaya – Paraguay 
    • Consejo de las Congregaciones de los Hermanos Menonitas del Uruguay – Uruguay 
    • Konferenz der Mennonitengemeinden in Uruguay – Uruguay 
    • Casa de Restauracion y Vida Shalom – Venezuela 

    North America 

    • Evangelical Mennonite Conference (EMC) – Canada 
    • Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada – Canada 
    • Mennonite Church Canada WITNESS – Canada 
    • Multiply – Canada 
    • Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission (AIMM) – USA 
    • Brethren in Christ World Missions – USA 
    • Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) – USA 
    • Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) – USA 
    • Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) – USA 
    • Mosaic Mennonite Conference – USA 
    • Rosedale International – USA 
    • Virginia Mennonite Missions (VMM) – USA