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YAMEN: Planting seeds of goodwill, transforming communities
Sheila Rivera Plúa first heard about YAMEN eight years ago, when her parents became hosts for a YAMEN participant serving in her home city of Manta in Ecuador. “YAMEN* is an excellent program for professional, spiritual and personal growth,” Sheila Rivera Plúa says. “And this happens when you’re willing to grow, to step outside your comfort zone, and to embrace the place and culture you’re in.” She is currently serving a one-year assignment in Arusha, Tanzania, the home city of MWC’s
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Building bridges across the global Mennonite body
Three new continental representatives have been appointed to the Young AnaBaptists (YABs) Committee. The five volunteer Committee members plus a staff mentor facilitate a network of global Anabaptist young people for empowerment, support and decision-making. The YABs Committee also presents to the Executive Committee and General Council about the concerns of young Anabaptists worldwide.
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Mentoring the next wave of global church leaders
From YABs to General Council: A path laid through mentorship “The strength of the young and the wisdom of the old, the Lord wants both,” said Timo Doetsch from Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Brüdergemeinden in Deutschland (AMBD) in Germany. He took to heart what church planter Lawrence Warkentin said to him many years ago – and so
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A lifestyle of giving takes many shapes and forms
Young adults are ambitious, capable, and more educated than the previous generations, according to a 2025 study by Randstad. However, the job market is becoming more competitive, and many are struggling to find employment. Yet giving is a part of life as Christians. Young Anabaptists agree that financial giving is important. They recognize their local
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Deep, spiritual transformation on YAMEN year
“I have always desired to see and understand the world beyond my immediate environment, to learn from diverse communities. When I learned about YAMEN’s vision for young people of global learning and service, I saw it as a platform that will expose, shape and equip me for the betterment of myself, the church and my community,” says Moses Johnson Jumbo. Moses Jumbo, a member from Mennonite Church, Inen district, Nigeria, served
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YAMEN: Opening a window onto the global church
YAMEN 2024/2025 orientation at Cambodia. Photo: Sarah Sarauniya Adamu “This service experience, without a doubt, was a beautiful gift…. Upon returning [from my service assignment], I realized that my place was at home, with my faith community, but my heart burned to return to the Indigenous Mayan Popti’ communities where I had spent my time
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Young Anabaptists eager to encounter the global family
During the Global Youth Summit (GYS) in 2015 in Pennsylvania, USA, Mennonite World Conference (MWC) general secretary César García said, “If you want a revolution, ask someone young to lead.” This year’s GYS was the latest step in MWC’s journey of walking with young leaders in following Jesus together. From the creation of the GYS
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Living “inefficiently” as the children of the Lord
Recently, the number of young people in churches across Asia has significantly declined. This is likely a global phenomenon. Why has believing in God become a foolish act? Because in this harsh world, what young people need most is money, and to earn money, one must become an “efficient” being. The younger generation lives with
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Investing in young adults is key
“Investing in young adults is a key way to move forward. Mennonite World Conference is the best way I can imagine to do that,” said Doug Klassen, executive minister of Mennonite Church Canada and the North America representative on MWC’s Executive Committee. The member church of Mennonite World Conference puts its money where its mouth
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A beautiful mosaic, crafted by God’s hand
The first story below is from one of our brothers in Argentina. He chose to be anonymous because the story involves sensitive topics. We share this beautiful story because it shows how God put together people with different colours and background, creating a colourful mosaic of people. Similarly, Elisante’s story is about God drawing people
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Beneath the baobab
Engaging with the dynamic youth of Kanisa La Mennonite Tanzania was an exhilarating exploration into a kaleidoscope of traditions, like the interconnected branches of the baobab tree. The mighty Adansonia digitate (baobab) tree (found on the compound of the Dar Es Salaam Police Academy, where the event was partly held) is a silent maestro of…
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The perfect placement
A Kenyan Mennonite in the MCC UN Office New York, USA – Right outside the window from my desk at the MCC UN Office on the 10th floor of the Church Center for the United Nations, I can see the UN entrance and the Kenyan flag, which unexpectedly brews the feeling of patriotism; I am
