{"id":122296,"date":"2025-12-22T22:30:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T22:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/?p=122296"},"modified":"2026-01-15T06:07:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T06:07:31","slug":"reflect-back-reflect-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflect back to reflect forward"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

On this 100th anniversary of Mennonite World Conference, leaders were gathered at Sch\u00f6nblick, Germany, in May to celebrate and to continue the work of MWC through the gathering of the General Council.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The <\/em>Courier editor gathered former leaders (Danisa Ndlovu, J. Nelson Kraybill, Larry Miller, Nancy Heisey) to reflect on the \u201csweet memories\u201d of watching MWC become a global communion and on our call to have the courage to love and to speak as a peace church to strife in the world today.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Danisa Ndlovu, president (2009\u20132015)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

J. Nelson Kraybill, president (2015\u20132022)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Larry Miller, general secretary (1990-2012)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nancy Heisey, president (<\/a>2003\u20132009)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Convictions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Shared Convictions of MWC came out of a 13-year process from beginning, through drafts, to approval at the General Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some 34 or more Confessions of Faith had been collected from member churches around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were emailing back and forth\u201d \u2013 \u201cmaybe even by fax!\u201d inserts Larry Miller \u2013 \u201clooking for commonalities,\u201d says Nelson Kraybill, who was involved in drafting the document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt felt like a spiritual moment to actually see in these documents: these are the things we have in common<\/em>,\u201d Nelson Kraybill says. \u201cFollow Christ; peacemaking; mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe took the statement about we are Anabaptist<\/em> from the top to the bottom,\u201d says Nancy Heisey. \u201cThe top says: As part of the one body of Christ at all times and places,<\/em>\u2026 Rather than starting out with: We are Anabaptists<\/em>, we started out with: the church of Jesus Christ<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the end, as we adopt these: we draw inspiration from Anabaptist forebears of the 16th century<\/em>. That was a really critical decision,\u201d says Nancy Heisey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe intended that beginning and ending to be just as important as the seven points,\u201d says Nelson Kraybill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meeting in Pasadena where the General Council approved the Shared Convictions in 2006 was the first one to use the consensus model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNancy (then president) was sitting on the left, Danisa (then vice-president) on the right and one word was still problematic. Jesus Christ incarnate<\/em>,\u201d remembers Larry Miller.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe North American delegates were in the back defending the word incarnate, which had been inserted during the General Council meetings in Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJoren Basumata was a warm, quiet laughing fellow from India. He didn\u2019t speak much in meetings. But he rose then to say: If you include that word, I can\u2019t use this in India. All the gods in India are incarnate<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll the blue cards (disagreement) instantly switched to orange (agreement).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whole process of how the Shared Convictions came about illustrates how MWC can work together according to the mission of being a global community of faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Shared Convictions were intended not to replace what churches have already discerned but to affirm what we share together,\u201d says Larry Miller \u2013 \u201cwhat we hold in common,\u201d Nelson Kraybill adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy prayer is that we continue to use them that way and not become a bone of contention,\u201d says Nancy Heisey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be the place where you create a synthesis of something by majority vote, trying to reconcile various opinions. Instead, it\u2019s a place where the gathered body receives their revelation and offers it to the world and sees what happens,\u201d Larry Miller says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been astounding to see how broadly the Shared Convictions have been used,\u201d says Larry Miller. \u201cAffirming what we share together has been very meaningful as we try to work out how to be God\u2019s people in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Present and former MWC leaders at an ecumenical reception in Zurich in 2025 (l-r): Janet Plenert, former vice president (Canada); Rebecca Osiro, former vice president (Kenya); Henk Stenvers, president (Netherlands); Lisa Carr-Pries vice president (Canada); Danisa Ndlovu, former president (Zimbabwe); C\u00e9sar Garc\u00eda, general secretary (Colombia); J. Nelson Kraybill, former president (USA); Ernst Bergen, former treasurer (Paraguay); Nancy Heisey, former president (USA); Larry Miller, general secretary emeritus (USA\/France); Sunoko Lin, treasurer (Indonesia\/USA). Photo: Kristina Toews<\/sup><\/sub><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fellowship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The global Assembly in Zimbabwe in 2003 was formative in MWC\u2019s mission of facilitating relationships between Anabaptist-related churches worldwide. The country was under dictatorial rule. There was an economic crisis with the host of challenges that come along with hyperinflation. Yet Anabaptists from around the world intended to meet to worship together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had long discussions whether to even go,\u201d said Nancy Heisey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to impose more suffering on the church there,\u201d said Larry Miller. \u201cBut the Brethren in Christ would say: Where is your faith?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BIC Church (BICC) sent a letter to the Netherlands where the Doopsgezind were concerned (as they had been regarding Assembly in Brazil in 1974) about appearing to support a regime by attending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not the government that is inviting you; it is the church!\u201d BICC Zimbabwe responded. The Dutch Mennonites came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizers encouraged attendees to bring a small gift of tea or sugar for the hosts. \u201cI\u2019ll never forgot three men from Angolan who had brought bags of dried fish. What an amazing sign of what we want to be for one another,\u201d says Nancy Heisey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were looking at the whole thing from two different worlds,\u201d says Danisa Ndlovu. \u201cFrom a Zimbabwean African context, we have a saying The tummy of a stranger is as big as the horn of a god<\/em>. When a stranger comes, there will be communion, fellowship. You don\u2019t say: Why is he coming here to eat the little that I have!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world has its own stuff going out there, but we as a church can still gather and be a church together,\u201d said Danisa Ndlovu. \u201cThe Assembly theme, Sharing gifts in suffering and in joy<\/em>, helped to bring that together. People left with the feeling that it was good to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was a foundational experience in our movement toward understanding our global body as a communion,\u201d says Larry Miller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Part of MWC\u2019s mission is to relate to other Christian world communions and organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MWC\u2019s first secretary to serve as paid staff Paul Kraybill became involved with the conference of secretaries of Christian world communions. This is a gathering of leaders from organized Christian bodies in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, every MWC general secretary has joined the group. C\u00e9sar Garc\u00eda and Larry Miller have also been called upon to serve as the group\u2019s chair. \u201cWe decided consciously to engage in those spaces. When they call on us, that recognizes a gift from the Mennonite world,\u201d says Larry Miller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPart of MWC\u2019s work is to help moments of reconciliation in the ecumenical movement grow, both at level of international and national dialogues and ongoing challenges of getting them out to where people are living and worshipping,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou start with a mustard seed,\u201d says Nancy Heisey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early seeds of MWC\u2019s 2025 reconciliation with the World Communion of Reformed Churches were planted in 1952 when then president H.S. Bender attended an official event at the Grossm\u00fcnster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another seed was what the Lutherans call \u201cthe Mennonite Action\u201d in the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) assembly in Stuttgart, Germany, in 2010. This apology for the repudiation of Anabaptists in the Augsburg Confession was the culmination of a long process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The president of LWF brought the action to delegates and said: We would like to you approve this action either by standing or kneeling in prayer, Larry Miller remembered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuddenly, everyone one was on their knees or standing. The only ones sitting were Mennonite guests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t hold my tears,\u201d says Danisa Ndlovu. \u201cIt was incredible to see those people on their knees. It was like electricity, a shock; they all fell down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs that story has moved its way through the ecumenical world, people who study these things have lifted that out as a new form of reception: not only us accepting documents but also receiving each other in our worship,\u201d says Larry Miller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The worship service in Zurich on 29 May 2025 is a dramatic representation of that \u201creception\u201d as an experienced unity, not necessarily a unity of agreement. In the Grossm\u00fcnster on that day, it was not just theologians and church authorities in discussion but ordinary people in worship, in liturgy, in life; Mennonites and Reformed in this place of historic division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The MB church in Panama (Iglesia Evang\u00e9lica Unida Hermanos Menonitas de Panam\u00e1) worships during a solidarity visit from the Peace and Deacons Commissions in 2015. Photo: Henk Stenvers<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Witness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Growing into being a communion has been accompanied by this care for one another, and learning to find our voice collectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSituations can be diverse, but speaking to the situation is critical. Public words must be well thought; people that see our statement must see integrity in us,\u201d says Danisa Ndlovu. \u201cHurriedly chosen words can bring more fire into a situation instead of reconciliation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter decades in ecumenical movement, I am dubious of the impact of statements \u2013 except perhaps on ourselves. Perhaps they are most effective when there is suffering in some place in our body that we are speaking about and to. There can be impact especially if it is growing out of our own pathos,\u201d says Larry Miller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the General Council met in Guatemala in 2000, the African caucus called for a statement about the violence in Eastern DR Congo. Although there were no MWC member churches in that region at the time, \u201cWe decided that because so many member churches had a sense of need and engagement with the conflict, we needed to say something,\u201d says Nancy Heisey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was a lot of caution, but I remember saying strongly, we should write the letter,\u201d says Danisa Ndlovu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A year later, the church in DRC wrote a fraternal letter to church in USA just after 9\/11 (the attacks on World Trade Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was really significant,\u201d says Nancy Heisey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a resident of the USA, she was again touched by a message from the global church just after the USA election in 2024. I want you to know I\u2019m praying for you, wrote a professor at CEMTA (Centro Evang\u00e9lico Menonita de Teolog\u00eda Asunci\u00f3n) in Paraguay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having lived under military dictatorship, \u201che understands what authoritarianism means for the church, with all the complexities of how Mennonites navigated that,\u201d Nancy Heisey says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know where the world is going, but I think that North Americans \u2013 churches \u2013 are going to have to tune in a lot more to wisdom from other places if we want to keep being a church.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have appreciated the current use of pastoral letters that call to prayer. I would encourage using that format to address not only our own immediate concerns but also prayer for wisdom to navigate; how we should be thinking about doing; encouraging us to search our hearts about our mission; how we express our peace witness in the face of concrete situations today,\u201d says Nancy Heisey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose calls to prayer go out broadly. People in congregations at an ordinary level may actually listen. It\u2019s striking what comes up in our Online Prayer Hour breakout groups, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPart of it is to help our own constituency in terms of \u2018what are we saying.\u2019 It gives direction and some form of unifying, rallying together around an issue,\u201d says Danisa Ndlovu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt connects to our role as a peace church,\u201d says Nelson Kraybill. \u201cWe need to continue to strengthen relationship and bonds of love and fellowship in global Anabaptist communion, always with peacemaking and mission held together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we can continue to strengthen those internal relationships in the global body \u2013 theology of salaam\/shalom<\/em> \u2013 then each regional part of the church needs to embody that in their area. We stand with them. We pray with them. We have a call to prayer if there\u2019s a concern. It\u2019s the spiritual bond that will have most lasting effect than political statements,\u201d says Nelson Kraybill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think we should be politicizing, but we can be people who are trying to do what their faith calls them to do,\u201d says Nancy Heisey. \u201cI put in every letter I write [to my political representatives] that I am a Mennonite Christian and my people care about this. There is power in being able to say: My world church is calling us to prayer on this issue. As Bishop Charles Nseemani from BICC Zambia said: We can go talk to our leaders, but they should know we are coming as Christians not as partisans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you say Mennonite, people think peace,\u201d says Danisa Ndlovu. \u201cWe are known as an Historic Peace Church. If we use it wisely, it\u2019s a good testimony.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n
This article first appeared in
Courier \/ Correo \/ Courrier, volume 40, number 4<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
history<\/a>, <\/span>identity<\/a>, <\/span>president<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On this 100th anniversary of Mennonite World Conference, leaders were gathered at Sch\u00f6nblick, Germany, in May to celebrate and to continue the work of MWC through the gathering of the General Council. The Courier editor gathered former leaders (Danisa Ndlovu, J. Nelson Kraybill, Larry Miller, Nancy Heisey) to reflect on the \u201csweet memories\u201d of watching MWC […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":122471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1181,377,525],"tags":[236,426,390],"network":[302,302,302,302,302,302,302,302,302],"eventcategory":[],"class_list":["post-122296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-courier","category-featured-items","category-from-our-leaders","tag-history","tag-identity","tag-president","network-courier"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nReflect back to reflect forward - Mennonite World Conference<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Courier editor gathered former leaders to reflect on the \u201csweet memories\u201d of MWC becoming a global communion and on our call to have the courage to love and to speak as a peace church to strife in the world today.\" \/>\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\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reflect back to reflect forward - Mennonite World Conference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Courier editor gathered former leaders to reflect on the \u201csweet memories\u201d of MWC becoming a global communion and on our call to have the courage to love and to speak as a peace church to strife in the world today.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mennonite World Conference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MennoniteWorldConference\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-22T22:30:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-15T06:07:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2003Zimbabwe816.stage01.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Karla Braun\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Karla Braun\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/9cb7cad70e3a0ac2b145c3441df0dc08\"},\"headline\":\"Reflect back to reflect forward\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-22T22:30:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-15T06:07:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/\"},\"wordCount\":2112,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2003Zimbabwe816.stage01.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"history\",\"identity\",\"president\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Courier\",\"Featured Items\",\"From our Leaders\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/\",\"name\":\"Reflect back to reflect forward - Mennonite World Conference\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2003Zimbabwe816.stage01.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-22T22:30:06+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-15T06:07:31+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Courier editor gathered former leaders to reflect on the \u201csweet memories\u201d of MWC becoming a global communion and on our call to have the courage to love and to speak as a peace church to strife in the world today.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2003Zimbabwe816.stage01.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2003Zimbabwe816.stage01.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1536,\"caption\":\"File name :DSCN2026.JPG File size :914.0KB(935917Bytes) Shoot date :0000\/00\/00 00:00:00 Picture size :2048 x 1536 Resolution :72 x 72 dpi Number of bits :8bit\/channel Protection attribute :Off Hide Attribute :Off Camera ID :N\/A Model name :E995 Quality mode :FINE Metering mode :Center-weighted Exposure mode :Programmed auto Flash :No Focal length :20 mm Shutter speed :1\/5.2second Aperture :F3.9 Exposure compensation:0 EV Fixed white balance :Flash Lens :Built-in (wide converter) Flash sync mode :N\/A Exposure difference :N\/A Flexible program :N\/A Sensitivity :Auto Sharpening :Auto Curve mode :N\/A Color mode :COLOR Tone compensation :NORMAL Latitude(GPS) :N\/A Longitude(GPS) :N\/A Altitude(GPS) :N\/A\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Reflect back to reflect forward\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Mennonite World Conference\",\"description\":\"A communion of Anabaptist-related churches\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"MWC\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Mennonite World Conference\",\"alternateName\":\"MWC\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/MWC_Sig_Blue_Horiz_webheader1-logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/MWC_Sig_Blue_Horiz_webheader1-logo.svg\",\"width\":786,\"height\":82,\"caption\":\"Mennonite World Conference\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MennoniteWorldConference\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/mennonite-world-conference-mwc\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mwcmm\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/mwccmm\",\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/mwcmm.bsky.social\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/9cb7cad70e3a0ac2b145c3441df0dc08\",\"name\":\"Karla Braun\",\"pronouns\":\"she\/her\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/330c84143dc3a1bf6e7887f828baae23c874bf72d5eedb0461d88c0725087370?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/330c84143dc3a1bf6e7887f828baae23c874bf72d5eedb0461d88c0725087370?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/330c84143dc3a1bf6e7887f828baae23c874bf72d5eedb0461d88c0725087370?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Karla Braun\"},\"description\":\"Karla Braun serves as editor and website coordinator for MWC since 2015.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/author\/karla\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Reflect back to reflect forward - Mennonite World Conference","description":"The Courier editor gathered former leaders to reflect on the \u201csweet memories\u201d of MWC becoming a global communion and on our call to have the courage to love and to speak as a peace church to strife in the world today.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Reflect back to reflect forward - Mennonite World Conference","og_description":"The Courier editor gathered former leaders to reflect on the \u201csweet memories\u201d of MWC becoming a global communion and on our call to have the courage to love and to speak as a peace church to strife in the world today.","og_url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/","og_site_name":"Mennonite World Conference","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MennoniteWorldConference","article_published_time":"2025-12-22T22:30:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-15T06:07:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2048,"height":1536,"url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2003Zimbabwe816.stage01.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Karla Braun","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/"},"author":{"name":"Karla Braun","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/9cb7cad70e3a0ac2b145c3441df0dc08"},"headline":"Reflect back to reflect forward","datePublished":"2025-12-22T22:30:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-15T06:07:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/"},"wordCount":2112,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2003Zimbabwe816.stage01.jpg","keywords":["history","identity","president"],"articleSection":["Courier","Featured Items","From our Leaders"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/","name":"Reflect back to reflect forward - Mennonite World Conference","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2003Zimbabwe816.stage01.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-22T22:30:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-15T06:07:31+00:00","description":"The Courier editor gathered former leaders to reflect on the \u201csweet memories\u201d of MWC becoming a global communion and on our call to have the courage to love and to speak as a peace church to strife in the world today.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2003Zimbabwe816.stage01.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2003Zimbabwe816.stage01.jpg","width":2048,"height":1536,"caption":"File name :DSCN2026.JPG File size :914.0KB(935917Bytes) Shoot date :0000\/00\/00 00:00:00 Picture size :2048 x 1536 Resolution :72 x 72 dpi Number of bits :8bit\/channel Protection attribute :Off Hide Attribute :Off Camera ID :N\/A Model name :E995 Quality mode :FINE Metering mode :Center-weighted Exposure mode :Programmed auto Flash :No Focal length :20 mm Shutter speed :1\/5.2second Aperture :F3.9 Exposure compensation:0 EV Fixed white balance :Flash Lens :Built-in (wide converter) Flash sync mode :N\/A Exposure difference :N\/A Flexible program :N\/A Sensitivity :Auto Sharpening :Auto Curve mode :N\/A Color mode :COLOR Tone compensation :NORMAL Latitude(GPS) :N\/A Longitude(GPS) :N\/A Altitude(GPS) :N\/A"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/reflect-back-reflect-forward\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Reflect back to reflect forward"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/","name":"Mennonite World Conference","description":"A communion of Anabaptist-related churches","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization"},"alternateName":"MWC","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#organization","name":"Mennonite World Conference","alternateName":"MWC","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/MWC_Sig_Blue_Horiz_webheader1-logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/MWC_Sig_Blue_Horiz_webheader1-logo.svg","width":786,"height":82,"caption":"Mennonite World Conference"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MennoniteWorldConference","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/mennonite-world-conference-mwc\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mwcmm\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/mwccmm","https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/mwcmm.bsky.social"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/9cb7cad70e3a0ac2b145c3441df0dc08","name":"Karla Braun","pronouns":"she\/her","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/330c84143dc3a1bf6e7887f828baae23c874bf72d5eedb0461d88c0725087370?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/330c84143dc3a1bf6e7887f828baae23c874bf72d5eedb0461d88c0725087370?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/330c84143dc3a1bf6e7887f828baae23c874bf72d5eedb0461d88c0725087370?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Karla Braun"},"description":"Karla Braun serves as editor and website coordinator for MWC since 2015.","url":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/author\/karla\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122296"},{"taxonomy":"network","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/network?post=122296"},{"taxonomy":"eventcategory","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/eventcategory?post=122296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}