Stories

Reflections on Kintsukuroi

Brokenness into glory Clay in God’s hands Brokenness into glory Kintsukuroi , a traditional Japanese technique, involves repairing ceramics with lacquer and gold, embracing damage as part of an object’s history instead of concealing or discarding it... Lees meer

Peace Sunday 2024 – Activities

2 Corinthians 4:7 describes the gospel as a “treasure” in “clay jars.” These humble vessels bring to mind the Japanese tradition of kintsukuroi that creates (or recreates) pottery from broken pieces. Damaged vessels are put back together, often with... Lees meer

The mosaic of Scripture and of the church

Peace Sunday 2024 Teaching resource Reading Scripture has always been at the heart of the church’s life, but from early on, different ways of reading and understanding have led to conflict and division. What is Scripture? Already in the early... Lees meer

Interconnected family celebrates peace

Peace (English) – Paix (French) – Amani (Swahili) – Mirembe (Luganda): children at a Uganda Mennonite church wrote “Peace” in multiple languages. (See photo below.) Each year, the Peace Commission prepares a worship resource for Peace Sunday... Lees meer

Third peace conference brings faith and peace together

“There’s something in the water among Mennonite theologians and peace building scholars and practitioners…around the decolonial project that people are drinking from now that is interesting and quite good,” says Andrew Suderman. The Eastern... Lees meer

Time to correct the page

“Indigenous solidarity hits the heart of what we do in the Philippines with Coffee for Peace,” says Joji Pantoja, chair of the Peace Commission (2015-2022). The Peace Commission drafted a Statement of Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples that was... Lees meer

Jesus’ message of resilience and liberation

Reading: Matthew 5:3-20 In June 1981, our family moved to Cochabamba, Bolivia, where my parents were to teach in a Baptist seminary that wanted more Anabaptist input. We arrived at a particularly raucous point in Bolivian history. In July 1980, Luis... Lees meer

Finding new ways to respond

Resilience in the face of the pandemic When we look back at what happened in the last two years all throughout the world, one could just offer a sigh. We were never prepared for this. Being locked down for several months in the Philippines forced us... Lees meer

Peace with broken pieces

The power of resilience A Peace Sunday 2022 testimony “The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him” (Jeremiah 18:4). This theme has been discussed a lot recently,... Lees meer

Peace amid the storms of life

“As followers of Jesus, we follow his example and work to bring peace in the midst of chaos." Member churches around the world celebrated Peace Sunday 2021 using Mennonite World Conference’s Peace Sunday worship resource: “Finding hope and healing... Lees meer

A broader fellowship

Like the chambers of a heart, the four MWC commissions serve the global community of Anabaptist-related churches, in the areas of Deacons, Faith and Life, Peace, Mission. Commissions prepare materials for consideration by the General Council, give... Lees meer

Een onophoudelijke eis

Zoals vele mennonieten koester ik de zestiende-eeuwse verhalen van het lijden van de wederdopers. Zoals vele spookt de gevaarlijke herinnering van de gekruisigde in mijn hoofd: ‘Neem je kruis op je, en volg mij.’ [Mat.26;24]Lees meer

Solidair met de Wayana in Frans-Guyana

Linia woont in Frans-Guyana, in een afgelegen plaats in het oerwoud, Taluene geheten, aan de Marowijne. Het voedsel in Linia’s gemeenschap is besmet door de goudwinning. Evenals andere inheemse volken wereldwijd heeft Linia’s volk geen... Lees meer

‘Vrede in mijn hart’

Esuno Kokoro uchini (Het hart van Jezus wordt in mijn hart weerspiegeld). Esuno Heiwa uchini (Ik heb de vrede van Jezus in mijn hart). Mitsuru Ishido schreef dit lied ter bemoediging van Nasu Keiko, een medelid van de doopsgezinde gemeente die... Lees meer

Solidariteit en onze onderlinge verbondenheid

Justo al escribir estas palabras, nuestro mundo está envuelto por varias luchas. En primer lugar, hemos sido oprimidos por una pandemia mundial que ha alterado cualquier sentido de normalidad que pudiéramos haber asumido. Nuestra segunda lucha es... Lees meer

Amnesty for Sangmin Lee

It was Tuesday, 31 December, the last day of the year 2019, when Sangmin Lee called me with excitement to report news of his amnesty. Early in 2014, Lee was sentenced to 18 months in prison for refusing, on the basis of his faith, to complete his... Lees meer

“A peace that passes all understanding”

Sermon notes for Peace Sunday Background to the Letter The Writer This is a profound letter written by Paul. Rarely do we take the time to think about the conditions under which this letter was written in Philippi, but it is important to analyze the... Lees meer

Lessons from the crossfire: Remaining faithful to God’s peace

Colombia is in the early stages of a peace process signed in late 2016 between the largest guerilla group and the national government. Even though many of us had high hopes that the peace agreements would bring a turnaround in the country’s history... Lees meer

A transforming Spirit of peace

Like the chambers of a heart, the four MWC commissions serve the global community of Anabaptist-related churches, in the areas of deacons, faith and life, peace, mission. Commissions prepare materials for consideration by the General Council, give... Lees meer

Embracing vulnerability

A renewed peace church calls for renewed commitment to one another; even those who may be our enemies. Building bridges resolves disconnectedness. Without relationship and connectedness peace cannot flourish. This is essential if we want to relate... Lees meer