Ra\u00fal O. Garc\u00eda, Mennonite World Conference president 1990-1997 died 30 October 2022. A long-term pastor, teacher and professor, he was born in Argentina 26 August 1930. <\/p>\n
Converted as a Mennonite from a Catholic family at age 14, his pastoral gifts were recognized and 10 years later, he was appointed assistant pastor at Iglesia Evang\u00e9lica Menonita Pehuaj\u00f3, in a city inland from Buenos Aires, Argentina. <\/p>\n
The next year, Ra\u00fal Garc\u00eda graduated from university as a translator and teacher of English left for the USA to study at Goshen College Biblical Seminary. <\/p>\n
There he re-encountered Anita Schwartzentruber, daughter of missionaries in Argentina, and they were married 28 July 1956. <\/p>\n
They returned to Argentina where he took up pastoral leadership at Pehuaj\u00f3 again in addition to teaching English in high school and later serving as director. <\/p>\n
He played a major role in the development of biblical-theological education for South American leadership. Over the years, he served as chairman of the Board of the Mennonite Seminary in Uruguay and Paraguay, and board chair of the Argentine Evangelical Mennonite Church (IEMA) Conference. <\/p>\n
Ra\u00fal O. Garc\u00eda was the first president of Mennonite World Conference to come from Latin America. He was installed at the 1990 Assembly in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. <\/p>\n
He authored \u201cI Am A Christian Evangelical Anabaptist\u201d in English and Spanish which was also translated into Portuguese. <\/p>\n
In 2004, Goshen College (USA) awarded Ra\u00fal and Anita Garc\u00eda their \u201cCulture for Service\u201d Award in recognition of their lives of exemplary service. <\/p>\n
Ra\u00fal O. Garc\u00eda is survived by his wife Anita Schwarzentruber Garc\u00eda and their three sons. <\/p>\n
In late July 1990, Ra\u00fal and Anita Garc\u00eda went to the MWC Assembly in Winnipeg, they said, not expecting \u201canything important to happen. Just to be there and enjoy the fellowship.\u201d But something important and totally unexpected did happen: Ra\u00fal was elected president of Mennonite World Conference. His first words, like those of Pope Francis decades later, were \u201cPray for me. If the Lord has put me in this place, he will help me with the grace and wisdom needed to keep involved.\u201d The Lord did provide Ra\u00fal grace and wisdom as he presided gently over MWC during a period of historic change in the Anabaptist-Mennonite world and corresponding changes in MWC. In 1994, for the first time, the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ family numbered more members in the Global South than in the Global North, inspiring MWC\u2019s initial steps from \u201cconference\u201d to \u201ccommunion,\u201d the establishment of the Global Church Sharing Fund, a reconceptualization of the global Assembly and more. In his first message as MWC president, addressed to the 32 000 people gathered in the Winnipeg stadium (probably the largest gathering of Anabaptist-Mennonites in history) Ra\u00fal spoke from his heart as he so often did: \u201cIf we have been faithful, there is joy in heaven for each one of us who has been a witness.\u201d Ra\u00fal has been a witness. Ra\u00fal has kept the faith. There is joy in heaven! And gratefulness on earth. For over six decades, Ra\u00fal O. Garc\u00eda was faithfully engaged in multiple forms of service work. Co-workers, church members, and students experienced him as faithful, kind, thoughtful, reliable, productive and much more. He was a mentor to hundreds in Argentina and beyond. \u201cIt was with sadness that I received the news of the death of our dear brother Ra\u00fal Garc\u00eda. I was always impressed by his humility, simplicity, love for serving Jesus Christ and concern to honour our Anabaptist heritage and values. We had many good conversations, among them, regarding the progress of our churches in South America. He faithfully fulfilled his calling. May the Lord comfort his family.\u201d In every church meeting I have participated in [with pastor Ra\u00fal Garc\u00eda], we have had a time of sharing that has been a great blessing for the life of the church in Argentina. Leave your memories of Ra\u00fal Garc\u00eda below \u201a\u00dc\u00b0 <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ra\u00fal O. Garc\u00eda, Mennonite World Conference president 1990-1997 died 30 October 2022. A long-term pastor, teacher and professor, he was born in Argentina 26 August 1930. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":95933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"network":[],"eventcategory":[],"class_list":["post-8023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n\u2014Larry Miller, former MWC general secretary (1990-2011) <\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Daniel Schipani, Professor Emeritus, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary <\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Hans Gerhard Peters, Alian\u00e7a Evang\u00e9lica Menonita, Brazil (Executive Committee representative for Latin America 1990-1997) <\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Elvio Danilo Cayul, pastor, Iglesia Evang\u00e9lica Menonita Argentina <\/em><\/p>\n