{"id":116446,"date":"2025-07-28T13:45:51","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T13:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/?p=116446"},"modified":"2025-07-29T13:38:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T13:38:28","slug":"new-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/new-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Living in a new era\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

C\u00e9sar Garc\u00eda (right) interviewed church leaders from other traditions who were present throughout General Council meetings in May 2025. (l-r) Paul Tch\u00e9, Tim Gee, Neil Vigers, Hanns Lessing (with microphone), Samuel van der Maas,  Anne-Cathy Graber (MWC secretary for ecumenical relations).<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReconciliation is central to our faith as Anabaptists,\u201d said C\u00e9sar Garc\u00eda, Mennonite World Conference (MWC) general secretary. \u201cWe knew that as we commemorate the division and fragmentation that occurred in the body of Christ 500 years ago, we needed to bring together our mother churches \u2013 the Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed churches \u2013 to bear witness to the healing God is bringing among us and will continue to do in the process of reconciling everything under Jesus\u2019 kingdom.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accompanying the General Council <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Church leaders from other Christian traditions accompanied MWC General Council<\/a> (GC) members in their meetings. Each ecumenical guest brought greetings at the beginning of the GC sessions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019m in a family reunion,\u201d said the Rev. Paul Tch\u00e9, general secretary of the Disciples of Christ World Communion.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the final GC session, C\u00e9sar Garc\u00eda interviewed the ecumenical guests about their connections to Anabaptism and their hopes for the church.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe best way to learn who you are is to try and work it out with an ecumenical partner. [It\u2019s] a voyage of rich discovery into the mystery of God\u2019s grace,\u201d said the Rev. Neil Vigers, Programme Executive for Unity, Faith & Order for the Anglican Communion.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

C\u00e9sar Garc\u00eda asked each guest to share about their experiences with Mennonites. Prof. Dr. Otniel Bunaciu, vice president of the Baptist World Alliance, said he first heard of Mennonites as a child receiving Christian aid parcels in Eastern Europe. \u201cOne of the parcels contained quilts. I learned they were from Mennonites. All the \u201880s and \u201890s during the cold Romanian winters, I had a Mennonite quilt that covered me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rev. Dr. Hanns Lessing from the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) said conversations with Mennonites are very significant as WCRC discusses how to be God\u2019s church in a world marked by violence. \u201cThis is something where the Mennonite history is very important for us\u2026. My hope is that we recover this joint history to something that will serve the kingdom.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fellowshipping together <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As part of the Anabaptism@500 commemoration day in Zurich, MWC hosted a reception for representatives from 13 global communions and 3 multilateral ecumenical organizations. MWC gifted representatives from the global communions a copy of the Anabaptist Community Bible, which \u201creflects the distinctive hermeneutic of the Anabaptist tradition,\u201d said C\u00e9sar Garc\u00eda.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Church leaders from the diverse communions shared greetings and thanksgiving for the ministry of MWC. \u201cThough they were unable to send representatives, the Ecumenical Patriarchate (Orthodox Church) and the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church also sent meaningful written greetings for the commemoration,\u201d said C\u00e9sar Garc\u00eda. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Anabaptist commitment to peace, faithfulness, justice and reconciliation reaches far beyond your own tradition and is a gift beyond measure for the oikoumene<\/em>. Our hearts are glad for your witness over the centuries and we look to your future with courageous love,\u201d said the Rev. Dr. Casely Essamuah, Secretary of the Global Christian Forum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Lutheran world gives thanks today for the witness of the Anabaptist-Mennonite communion, for its radical and uncompromising commitment to love and to seek peace. We can all learn from your courage to love, a love that continually opens doors toward deeper communion among us,\u201d said the Rev. Dr. Anne Burghardt, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrating worship in confession and hope <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Reconciliation guided the planning for the worship service on 29 May 2025. MWC officers, former officers and ecumenical representatives entered the worship service together as part of the procession.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The service included liturgy of reconciliation which incorporated parts of the recent statement, \u201cRestoring our Family to Wholeness: Seeking a Common Witness\u201d that was approved by both MWC and WCRC.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Click here to see the statement<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Click here to download a study guide and suggested worship liturgy for joints Anabaptist-WCRC celebration<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs Reformed Christians, we are deeply grateful to the Mennonite World Conference for inviting us to journey together toward mutual understanding and reconciliation,\u201d said the Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi, general secretary, WCRC. \u201cIn Christ we are members of one another, brothers and sisters of the same flesh and the same Spirit.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Representing newly appointed Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Kurt Koch from the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (Roman Catholic Church) brought a message during the service: \u201cThe motto chosen for your celebration, \u2018The Courage to Love\u2019, reminds us, above all, of the need for Catholics and Mennonites to make every effort to live out the commandment of love, the call to Christian unity and the mandate to serve others.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are living in a new era: churches who once regarded each other as enemies have found ways to apologize and forgive, to work toward the healing of memories, and to take steps toward reconciliation, even amid our ongoing differences,\u201d said Henk Stenvers, MWC president.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"ecumenical<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Global Christian Communions and multilateral ecumenical organizations represented:  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n