{"id":17262,"date":"2023-03-19T17:39:33","date_gmt":"2023-03-19T17:39:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/resources\/courier-2023-1-february\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T20:08:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T20:08:32","slug":"courier-2023-1-february","status":"publish","type":"mwcresource","link":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/resources\/courier-2023-1-february\/","title":{"rendered":"Courier 2023 \/ 38.1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/38.1-en_fin.pdf\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 100px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 100\/100;float: right;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/ccc38.1worshipencover.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\"><\/a>Click the thumbnail below to view PDF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inspiration and reflection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/life-and-faith-within-gods-community\">Life and faith within God&#8217;s community<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Perspectives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Worship through and after the pandemic<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/always-trust-god\">Always trust in God<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/journeying-unknown-tasting-goodness-now\">Journeying into the unknown, tasting goodness now<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/lunch-break-presence-god\">A lunch break in the presence of God<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reading-lessons-creation\">Reading lessons in creation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Country profile<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/following-jesus-real\">Ecuador<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/node\/4609\">Executive Committee<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"\/node\/4612\">General Council<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"\/node\/3757\">Online Prayer Hour<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"\/node\/4643\">Officers&#8217; column<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"\/node\/4622\">Renewal 2023<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">General Secretary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/unity-purpose\">Unity with a purpose<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From the editor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen the music fades, all is stripped away,\u201d Those opening words to \u201cHeart of Worship,\u201d a popular 1997 worship song by Matt Redman from the UK resonate with pandemic experiences. We experienced a stripping away of rituals, spaces and\/or people who seemed key to worship. Due to restrictions, prudence or incapacity, all of us had to examine what is the heart of our worship. What is integral to our meeting with God as a community?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was a sort of <em>kairos <\/em>moment: an unplanned, unforeseen disruption; an opportunity to ask new questions and discover unanticipated answers; a time to examine and shift or reaffirm our values; a moment to equip us with fresh perspectives and new ways for new days.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the challenges, as Anabaptist-Mennonites around the world, we did not stop worshipping. \u201cThe strength of our relationships is not found in the order of worship, nor in the time spent. The strength that sustains the life of a church and its relationship comes from the blessed presence of the Spirit of God, which has been poured into our hearts,\u201d writes Jos\u008e Rafael Escobar Rosal.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We found ways to meet as a community in worship even without physical presence. We affirmed the prophetic nature of worship, speaking to our moment and reminding us of our solidarity with one another. \u201cThe force that gives life and depth to the relationships is indeed the grace and love of the Spirit of God, which produces the communion that transcends time, distance and place,\u201d he writes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this issue of <em>Courier<\/em>, in addition to teaching on the nature of worship from \u201cBrother Rafita\u201d (see page 3-5), we hear stories from Guatemala, Canada, France, DR Congo and South Korea. Our churches share how their communities innovated to meet each other and meet God in spite of and\/or because of pandemic challenges.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the crisis of the pandemic mostly behind us, our rhythms of work and of gathering establish themselves again. Yet we find we are not the same as we were before. Our worship has and continues to change along with a rapidly changing world, even as we continue to follow our ageless Lord Jesus.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This issue also marks a shift in the Courier schedule. In the spirit of new ways for new days, we will publish four issues of <em>Courier <\/em>this year \u2013 two in your mailbox as you are accustomed, with two online only, taking advantage of our newfound comfort with virtual spaces, to meet in text across the barriers of time and geography. Please forward this to members of your church family who may not be <a href=\"\/node\/117\">signed up for the electronic mailing <\/a>yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Karla Braun is editor of <\/em>Courier <em>and writer for Mennonite World Conference. She lives in Winnipeg, Canada. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/38.1-en_fin.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of 38.1-en_fin.\"><\/object><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-2cdb5c89-84f4-42c5-919d-1faaafe75ced\" href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/38.1-en_fin.pdf\">38.1-en_fin<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/38.1-en_fin.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-2cdb5c89-84f4-42c5-919d-1faaafe75ced\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":111247,"template":"","network":[302,1306,1307,1308,1309,1310,1311,1312,1313],"resourcetype":[381,1336,1337,1338,1339,1340,308],"language":[165,1344,168,1351,167],"resourcecategory":[161,1393,1394,1395,1396,1397,1398,1375],"resourcetheme":[336],"eventcategory":[],"class_list":["post-17262","mwcresource","type-mwcresource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","network-courier","network-courier-es","network-courier-fr","network-courier-ja","network-courier-zh-hant","network-courier-hi","network-courier-nl","network-courier-id","network-courier-de","resourcetype-pdf","resourcetype-pdf-es","resourcetype-pdf-fr","resourcetype-pdf-id","resourcetype-pdf-pt-pt","resourcetype-pdf-de","resourcetype-publication","language-en","language-en-de","language-es","language-es-pt-pt","language-fr","resourcecategory-courier","resourcecategory-courier-es","resourcecategory-courier-fr","resourcecategory-courier-hi","resourcecategory-courier-ja","resourcecategory-courier-ko","resourcecategory-courier-zh-hant","resourcecategory-publication-2","resourcetheme-worship"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Courier 2023 \/ 38.1 - Mennonite World Conference<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/resources\/courier-2023-1-february\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Courier 2023 \/ 38.1 - Mennonite World Conference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Click the thumbnail below to view PDF. Inspiration and reflection Perspectives Worship through and after the pandemic Country profile Resources General Secretary From the editor \u201cWhen the music fades, all is stripped away,\u201d Those opening words to \u201cHeart of Worship,\u201d a popular 1997 worship song by Matt Redman from the UK resonate with pandemic experiences. 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Inspiration and reflection Perspectives Worship through and after the pandemic Country profile Resources General Secretary From the editor \u201cWhen the music fades, all is stripped away,\u201d Those opening words to \u201cHeart of Worship,\u201d a popular 1997 worship song by Matt Redman from the UK resonate with pandemic experiences. 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