Church members gather in a school auditorium, singing worship songs in both Cantonese (the mother tongue for most people in Hong Kong) and Mandarin. The Chinese languages share a script that contains thousands of characters. Through the internet and the globalization of church music, people who can’t read the script can now find a translated version of the songs to understand and sing along.
While many churches in the region abandoned online services as pandemic restrictions eased, Agape Mennonite Church in Sha Tin, Hong Kong, continues to record and stream their services on Facebook.
“Some of our members have moved overseas in recent years. Sometimes they join our Sunday services so they could worship in their own language, and they join our Zoom Bible study too,” says Esther Choi, Global Youth Summit delegate from Hong Kong.
As the population of Hong Kong ages, the church is also affected: some church members are not physically able to come to church. “Making our worship services available to them is our way to let them know that we remember them and are praying for them,” says Jeremiah Choi, the congregation’s pastor and MWC regional representative for Northeast Asia.
“He made no distinction between us and them,” says youth pastor Leung Tak Kwan, preacher of the day, quoting Acts 15:9. While the passage counsels not to discriminate against the Gentiles (who have received Christ but not followed the Jewish traditions), the same advice pertains to who are those too ill to take public transport to church, are in hospital or simply miss their friends after leaving Hong Kong.
Regardless of location or physical challenges, with virtual services, the Word of God and the fellowship continue.
Photo: Elina Ciptadi
Hong Kong is facing a challenging period: government restrictions on religious activities may increase; an exodus from the working population leaves some industries with staff shortages; and church members are divided regarding politics.
But those at Agape Mennonite take comfort from lyrics they sang that morning, Won’t Give Up:
Afflictions may come, we won’t grow weary.
Wasting away, we will not lose heart
All these troubles one day soon will pass
Eternal glory will be our reward
About MWC national member church: the Conference of Mennonite Churches in Hong Kong
The Conference of Mennonite Churches in Hong Kong consists of three Mennonite congregations in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China that is home to 7 million people. Following Mennonite Central Committee relief work with mainland Chinese refugees in the 1950s and North America mission workers starting in the 1960s, the church was officially established in 1985.
Myanmar
I want to highlight some of the political situation and current events in Myanmar.
Political climate
Regarding the political situation, I will not provide details.
Since the military coup on 1 February 2021, there have been terrorist killings and armed revolutions in all regions in Myanmar.
I will present a few highlights only citing the United Nation’s report (27 February 2023):
There are 1.6 million refugees who have fled their homes in Myanmar, and the people of Sagaing Division and Chin State are facing the worst.
The conflicts are continuing throughout Myanmar, and the humanitarian needs of displaced people and refugees are increasing.
IDPs are living in precarious conditions in displacement camps and temporary camps, and are mostly sheltered in the nearby jungles.
According to Media Monitor Collective, since the military coup, 53 786 civilian houses have been burned and destroyed.
In addition, there are 2 725 civilian deaths due to armed conflict, and Sagaing Division has the highest number of deaths with 2 047, according to Media Monitor Collective.
24 065 civilians have been arrested and detained as a result of the coup and armed conflict.
According to information from the United Nations and civil society organizations, the people of Sagaing Division and Chin State are the most affected by the war and are in need of emergency assistance. (Most of our Mennonites are living in the conflict regions.)
We are also happy to record that MWC provided US$10 000 for food and medicines for 415 refugee families of Mennonite in last year. Thank you, MWC.
Inflation and food shortages
Due to the impact of civil war, conflict and domestic inflation, livelihoods have become rare. There is a shortage of jobs. Meanwhile, the price of goods is rising at an alarming rate.
Not only the war victims, but there is a lack of food in many places. More than 45 percent of the country is suffering from food shortages. In Myanmar, we people usually eat food three times a day, but now, many people only eat once a day. This number is increasing. Some don’t eat even once a day.
BMC Mennonite families are also greatly affected by the food shortage. Some members attend Sunday worship without eating at all. It is our great challenge to help the vulnerable Mennonite families in the congregations.
International organizations are unable to come and help.
Mennonite youth and armed revolution
After the military coup, young people took up arms against the military. The armed struggle is affecting our Mennonite youth: some Mennonite youth are also willing to join the armed struggle. Some young people are already participating in the armed revolution. They also have a bitterness and avid to take arms against the military.
Our biggest challenge is the Mennonite youth and the armed revolution. We are also guiding our young people not to get involved in armed revolution, violence and political conflict. We absolutely do not want our youth to participate in the armed revolution. We absolutely do not want our youth to be involved in the political conflict.
We are peace-loving Mennonites because we believe only in the nonviolence movement.
Therefore we are holding Mennonite Youth Peace Conferences in several regions. We fully believe that through the Mennonite Youth Peace Conferences, our youth will be trained as peacemakers.
We also request you to help us with prayer support for this project of the Mennonite Youth Peace Conferences.
I would also like to record my special thanks to our friends, Mennonite Church Canada for prayers and financially supporting for the Youth Peace Conferences and any other things we need in mission work.
Dear MWC and Mennonite Church Canada, you are the angels sent by God to Myanmar. You fed us when we were hungry. When we are down, you comfort us. You help us when we are refugees. You bring us a ray of hope when we are hopeless.
The world forgets our condition, but you remember us. You are true and very Mennonite.
Eventually Jesus Christ is still our hope. Shalom.
—Amos Chin is the president of Bible Missionary Church – Mennonite, and MWC member church in Myanmar. He also serves on the MWC Executive Committee.
Amos Chin’s presentation at Renewal 2023 – Jesus Christ, our hope – was delivered by John D. Roth in Abbotsford, B.C., Canada, 25 March 2023. This article has been adapted from her presentation.
Portugal
The world changed profoundly since 24 February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. This has had a strong impact on all Europeans.
We have 14 Mennonite conferences in 11 countries in Europe, all of them with their own culture, history, work within our Anabaptist-Mennonite family.
In 2018, the Association of Mennonite Brethren Churches in Ukraine hosted our annual gathering with participants from Austria*, France*, Germany*, Lithuania, Netherlands*, Portugal*, Spain*, Switzerland* and the MWC president in Zaporizhzhia and Berdiansk.
So you might imagine when the violence began last year, people from all the conferences in Europe started asking: “What are we going to do to help our brothers and sisters?”
From the smallest to the biggest, they all wanted to help in different ways. All the conferences had a role to help what is going on in Ukraine. Some send funds, all pray, of course, and some even take initiative to bring relief supplies directly to Ukraine.
There was one conference – a small conference, located close to Ukraine – who started to help right away in a very specific, caring way.
The Mennonite Brethren church in Lithuania (Lietuvos Laisvųjų Krikščionių Bažnyčia), started to pack vans in Vilnius and drive all the way to Ukraine to share goods with MB brothers and sisters in Ukraine.
They stop in Poland overnight, pass through the border and drive on into Ukraine to meet the brothers and sisters and give them supplies. Then they turn around to drive home, often waiting hours at the border due to the long lines of people seeking to leave.
At first, they didn’t even have time to explain about their excursions; they just started acting.
I shared with other churches when I learned of this. They also sent funds and goods.
The big effort by all the rest of the European family, each of them in a different way, to bring relief was a fantastic way to show hope to our sisters and brothers in Ukraine.
This solidarity is not only between Anabaptist-Mennonite churches in Europe and Ukraine but between the European churches to help each other help Ukraine.
It is a living out of 1 Corinthians 12:26-27: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
The situation in Ukraine is still a challenge. We keep in touch as the needs continue, and we keep praying.
We thank God that hope was never lost. Keep praying.
—José Arrais is from Lisbon, Portugal. He is a member of Loures Mennonite Brethren Church and serves as MWC’s regional representative in Europe. His work of interacting with the European Mennonite church leaders, hearing their needs, challenges, and blessings, is a source of joy and motivation to prayer, and he is eager to continue deepening and adding to those relationships. José Arrais is married to Paula; they have three children and one grandchild. José Arrais spoke at Renewal 2023 – Jesus Christ, our hope – in Abbotsford, B.C., Canada, 25 March 2023. This article has been adapted from his presentation.
*Indicates national churches from this country are members of MWC.
Introducing the Global Family
Mennonite Brethren Church of Malawi
ICOMB conference and MWC national member church
Mennonite Brethren Church of Malawi, invites everyone to celebrate progress and join in prayers for a bright future. At the core of their mission lies a deep commitment to establishing holistic churches throughout Malawi. With great humility, they strive to plant churches that diligently attend to the spiritual needs of their communities while also embracing their physical, emotional, and social well-being. These humble places of worship radiate hope and illuminate even the remotest corners of Malawi.
The missionaries who selflessly spread the Word of God beyond borders, reaching neighboring countries and faraway regions, are deeply appreciated. Their dedication and sacrifice have transformed lives and strengthened communities through the power of faith.
Discipleship, rooted in humility, stands as a pillar of their work in Malawi. The church, drawing from collective wisdom, experiences growth not only in membership but also in spiritual maturity. As individuals and families humbly embrace the teachings of Jesus Christ, they witness personal and communal transformation fueled by the power of the gospel.
In addition to spiritual growth, the Mennonite Brethren Church of Malawi recognizes the practical needs that require attention. With a humble spirit, they venture into the realm of agriculture, diligently working to promote food security by providing irrigation equipment and support to communities. They also remain steadfast in their commitment to ensuring access to quality education for children, empowering them for a brighter future.
Building capacity is of utmost importance, and the Mennonite Brethren Church of Malawi approaches this task with humility. They invest in the training of church leaders, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide sound biblical teaching. Through this effort, they strive to foster a culture of excellence and a deeper understanding of God’s Word, guided by the principles of the Mennonite Brethren community.
Deep gratitude is extended to the beloved partners, the Mennonite Brethren, for their unwavering support through ICOMB. Their generosity and dedication have had an immeasurable impact, enabling remarkable feats to be accomplished in Malawi and beyond.
On behalf of the Malawi Conference, prayers are sincerely requested. Known and unforeseen challenges require divine intervention. You can pray for the leaders of the country, that they may be granted wisdom, humility, and a deep commitment to long-term planning based on biblical principles. Their decisions should prioritize the well-being of the people and guide the nation towards prosperity and sustainability.
Pray for a spirit of long-term planning to permeate the hearts of the leaders. Vision and discernment are needed to implement sustainable solutions that address the root causes of poverty, population growth, and agricultural challenges. Divine guidance is sought to anticipate future obstacles and make decisions that yield lasting positive outcomes.
Economic development stands as an essential component in the journey towards a brighter future. With heartfelt prayers, they seek the advancement of trade, industry, and entrepreneurship in Malawi. They ask for God’s blessings upon their efforts, providing opportunities for job creation and financial stability while uplifting individuals and communities out of poverty. Through sustainable economic growth, hope and dignity can be brought to the people of Malawi.
In their pursuit of progress, the Mennonite Brethren Church of Malawi humbly acknowledges the importance of education and healthcare. Pray for improved access to quality education, breaking the cycle of poverty for future generations. Pray for God’s wisdom and resources to be bestowed upon the government and relevant organizations, empowering them to invest in educational initiatives that uplift children. Prayers are also offered for enhanced healthcare services, ensuring better access to essential medical care, disease prevention, and comprehensive support for those affected by HIV/AIDS.
With humble recognition of the central role of family, prayers are invited for strength and resilience among families in Malawi. They ask for prayers that parents be equipped with the necessary skills and resources to provide for their children’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. They also pray for restoration and healing where family structures have been broken, and for the nurturing of healthy relationships and positive role models within the communities.
Lastly, prayers are requested for religious leaders. As Christianity flourishes as the largest population in Malawi, they are asked to embody humility and unwavering faith. May they stand as humble servants of the true God, seeking His guidance and wisdom in all aspects of their work and endeavors.
An invitation is extended to all who are free to come and witness firsthand the incredible work that God is doing in their beloved nation.
With hearts full of gratitude, they pray for God’s continued blessings upon Malawi, its people, and all those who support their journey towards a brighter future.
Praise God. Amen.
—ICOMB update July 2023
The International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) is made up of 22 national churches in 19 countries. ICOMB also has associate members in more than 20 countries, all at different points along the pathway to full membership. ICOMB exists to facilitate relationships and ministries to enhance the witness and discipleship of its member national churches – connecting, strengthening and expanding.
South Korea
To talk about hope, I have to start with despair.
There’s a question that I often get when I say I’m from Korea. It’s “Which Korea?”
Yes, it’s been 77 years since Korea was divided into North and South Korea. The deep-rooted fear that comes from a history of war and the insecurity that comes from that fear have created a lot of different forms of despair
South Koreans have four major obligations. One of the obligations is the duty of national defense. And one of the duties of national defense is the duty of military service. This obligation applies to men between the ages of 18 and 40 in South Korea. They are conscripted to serve as soldiers for one and a half years. After that, they have to train regularly as reserve soldiers.
People say it’s gotten better, but the military culture is still very violent. The stories of bullying, suicides and shootings is not hard to find in the news.
When you think of conscientious objectors in South Korea, the most common group that comes to mind is the Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are also various organizations such as World Without War. And there are struggles of those who have survived imprisonment and stood up for their beliefs.
As of 2020, conscientious objectors no longer go to jail. This is something I’ve found hope for over this past year, but there’s still a long way to go. The current alternative service system has a punitive nature to it, where you have to serve twice the length of your military service and you are only allowed to work in prisons.
There are also alternative services that are not a conscientious objection in nature. My younger brother graduated from a government-run agricultural university and started farming potatoes. In Korea, the number of farmers is decreasing, and there are no young farmers, so a select group of young men is chosen to farm in place of his military service. Similar cases are also found in certain industries. The application process is very tough, and the duration is also three years.
My younger brother was recently informed by the government that he was allowed to replace military service with farming. The church had been praying together and I can’t tell you how fortunate he is. But, no, it’s not a feeling of relief, because my friends still have to go to the army, and my neighbours still have to go to the military.
Korean Mennonite churches are constantly trying to stand in solidarity with conscientious objectors. We invite them to give lectures, and we try to listen to their voices through face-to-face meetings. Our motivation and hope in the midst of the struggle for recognizing the legal status of Conscientious Objectors are in Jesus who is our teacher and example for the longstanding commitment in the AnabaptistMennonite community to the principle of nonviolence.
Most people may think that there is nothing wrong with the current system of conscription. But I see despair. I’m grateful that there is a community that also sees despair and takes action. That community is my local congregation and Mennonite Church South Korea (MCSK). We also have MWC walking the path together with us as disciples of Jesus.
Recently, MWC has issued a statement of support for conscientious objectors, largely in response to the challenges that the MCSK is facing. The MWC statement is an effort to stand in solidarity with us. And that signifies hope for me, and for my fellow Mennonites in Korea.
Thank you.
—Kkot-ip Bae (Î∞∞ÍΩÉÏûé) is a member of Nonsan Peace and Joy Mennonite Church in South Korea. She studied sociology and digital media content and works as social economy program planner specialist with design responsibilities for social value propagation. She is the Asia representative in for the MWC YABs Committee (Young AnaBaptists). Kkot-ip Bae spoke at Renewal 2023 – Jesus Christ, our hope – in Abbotsford, B.C., Canada, 25 March 2023. This article has been adapted from her presentation.
“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 Mennonite University (EMU) professor and secretary of Mennonite World Conference’s Peace Commission organized the third Global Mennonite Peacebuilding Conference and Festival (GMP III) in Virginia, USA. “Coming Together: The Journey of Faith and Peace” was the theme of the 15-18 June 2023 event organized by EMU and endorsed by MWC.
The four plenary speakers included Tigist Tesfaye, MWC Deacons Commission secretary, and César García, MWC general secretary. Some 160 participants from 20 countries participated in 10 presentations of papers, 15 workshops, a panel discussion, an art installation and four theatre and music performances. Difficulties obtaining travel permission prevented some international guests from attending.
Scholarship and worship came together at the conference. “We unabashedly housed the conference within worship,” says Andrew Suderman. Each plenary session opened and closed with a time of prayer and singing.
César García urged participants bring together church and peace work despite the former’s past mistakes: “Creating structures that are completely independent and separated from the church is an unnecessary detour that affects the impact of our peace witness…. The need of peace work that is theologically and biblically grounded is an ongoing reality in many of our churches and institutions.”
César García. Photo: Henk Stenvers
Art and performance also came together with theology and theory. “The idea for this GMP was to bring together academics, practitioners, pastors and artists to share with one another what they’re working on, how they are working toward embodying peace,” says Andrew Suderman. “Musicians and a theatre group help give expression to these values, to this journey…to connect head, hands and heart.”
Music and peace also come together says Juan Moya, member of La Repvblica, a band from Colombia that performed. “[Music] depends on vibrations, rhythms and poetry to convey a message. It is a universal language.” The barrier-crossing, peacebuilding capacity of music was demonstrated as MWC president Henk Stenvers from the Netherlands joined the Colombia band on the drums.
As a global conference, the event also brought together voices from around the world. “I appreciated the emphasis on listening to and involving people from the Global South, who shared how peace is not only taught as a concept but also suffered, demanded and – for some – becomes a call to action in order to survive,” says Juan Moya.
I have been a General Council member, representing Nihon Menonaito Kirisuto Kyokai Kyogikai (Japan Mennonite Christian Church Conference), since 2016. I serve MWC by connecting it with my church conference through correspondence, information, translation and teaching. I also began to serve as a member of Faith and Life Commission in July 2022.
How do you serve your local church?
I have been a member of Sapporo Bethel Mennonite Church since 1998 with regular assignments of preaching and worship leading. My wife Miwako and I reside at Fukuzumi Mennonite Center in Sapporo. The Center is owned and managed by our church conference to host guests, provide space for worship services, business meetings and other gatherings. I also help my wife with her ministry as a selfsupporting pastor.
On behalf of Anabaptist/Mennonite churches in Japan, I have been organizing Northeast Asia Regional Peacebuilding Institute (NARPI) since its launch in 2010. I have had other opportunities to present lectures, workshops, and writing assignments on peace theology both inside and outside of the Mennonite denomination.
What does it mean for the body of Christ to be unified?
For me it means to keep returning from time to time to our common values as followers of our Lord Jesus.
Faith: we regularly return to the life, teachings and ministry of Jesus to examine our discipleship.
Life: we regularly meet in a community of faith to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit for renewal and growth.
Work: we regularly pursue holistic reconciliation with God, others, self and creation in our daily walk of faithful living.
While my framing is based on the socalled Anabaptist essentials, these core values are universally appealing to other denominations as well.
What book or podcast have been reading/listening to lately whose insights you would recommend?
I have been blessed and inspired by “The Jesus Way: Small Books of Radical Faith” series by Herald Press. These 10 books are concise, readable and clearly focused exposition of Anabaptist faith and worldviews. I developed them into booklets to introduce basic Anabaptist faith to Japanese youth.
What MWC resource do you recommend and why?
“Shared Convictions of Global Anabaptists” is worth reading, reciting, reflecting and studying to embody. While our church conference has its own confession of faith, Shared Convictions helps us obtain more comprehensive, additional and communicative elements of Anabaptist faith.
What We Believe Together by Alfred Neufeld is a helpful guide as we dig into the document. I organized a workshop to explore the Shared Convictions and made a series of sermons based on the learnings. I am now expanding them into a series of video lectures on basic Anabaptist doctrines.
Like the chambers of a heart, the four commissions of Mennonite World Conference 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 guidance and propose resources to member churches, and facilitate MWC-related networks or fellowships working together on matters of common interest and focus. In the following, one of the commissions shares a message from their ministry focus.
Young AnaBaptists build global connection during YABs Fellowship Week
Between 18-25 June 2023, young adult groups around the world celebrated the Young AnaBaptist (YABs) Fellowship Week. Themed The family I found in my salvation, young people shared stories, worshipped together, prayed as one, learned from each other’s testimonies, and discussed Luke 15:4-7.
A new way to meet this year was the launch of the YABs’ Discord group, with four virtual hangouts during YABs Fellowship Week, attended by 65 people from 11 countries.
“As more young people use this platform to play games, chat, listen to voice notes/webinars and hold virtual meetings, we want to have as many young Anabaptists as possible connect to each other through this platform,” says Ebenezer Mondez, YABs mentor.
In two of the four virtual hangouts, the current YABs Committee invited two of the original YABs Committee (then called AMIGOS): Sarah Nahar (nee Thompson) is now a nonviolent action trainer and interspiritual theologian; Elina Ciptadi is now MWC Interim Chief Communications Officer and a family counselling student.
“Coming to the Global Youth Summit / Assembly was lifechanging,” says Elina Ciptadi. “It opened doors to a leader of a small young adult group like me to work on bigger causes at a national level, and then at a global level through MWC. It was uplifting to know that I have friends around the world we could share our struggles and triumphs with, that we could pray for and learn from each other.”
The YABs will continue to use Discord as they build on connections made during the 2022 Global Youth Summit in Indonesia.
“I encourage everyone to cultivate the global connections you started in Assembly, see how God can work wonders through these relationships,” says Elina Ciptadi.
It’s not too late! Anyone still wanting to use the YABs Fellowship Week materials for their church can download them here. Youth and young adults wanting to join the online community can sign up on Discord.
This committee represents young people before the MWC General Council and works with the MWC Executive Committee. The YABs Committee is made up of a representative from each continent and a mentor.
“I learned that each participant has their own accent; it comforted me to know that having an accent is normal,” says Hens Sita, a member of GITJ Kelet, Indonesia.
In advance of the Mennonite World Conference Assembly in Indonesia, IndoMenno (a collaborative of the three Indonesian synods*) facilitated language classes in both English and Indonesian.
MWC offers all written and most spoken communication in English, Spanish and French. For Assemblies, English and the local language – in this case, Bahasa Indonesian – become the stage language while interpreters relay proceedings through headsets in Spanish and French.
Not only were Indonesians learning to speak English, MWC event staff also took lessons in Indonesian.
Deeper knowledge
Hens Sita (Interpreter: English-Indonesian), Maria Hoffscholte Spoelder, Henk Stenvers, J. Nelson Kraybill. Photo: Nelson Okanya
MCC International supported the classes, teachers and materials.
For English, a two-day training session equipped teachers to offer local classes (supported by videos and written materials). The target of 60 trainers was nearly reached: each then trained multiple learners in their local congregations for more than a hundred volunteers to serve Assembly guests.
Hens Sita joined the classes “to have deeper knowledge of the English language and self preparation on how to welcome guests with proper and polite English.” She interpreted English into Indonesian in some workshops and appreciated the opportunity to join seminars to learn more about Mennonites during Assembly.
Indonesian classes were offered online twice a week for about two months for the six Assembly staff who were based in Indonesia.
Although the instruction wasn’t enough to learn the language, Assembly staff learned key words, basic language structure and some cultural factors. “Although I always brought someone to translate for me when meeting with people [on business], it was still very helpful [to have taken the classes],” says Ebenezer Mondez.
Ebenezer Mondez. Photo: Nico Yonatan
In his work on the multilingual website and the complicated registration forms, this basic knowledge of Indonesian language and culture often proved useful.
Tagalog-speaking Ebenezer Mondez had an advantage in learning Indonesian from a related language family. “Because of the training, I was able to connect some dots between the two languages” and he was pleased to be able to get around the city independently.
“I never had any opportunities to speak Bahasa Indonesia after leaving the country and I’m afraid I will lose it in the long run,” says Ebenezer Mondez, “but I actually think it is a very important language for us in Southeast Asia since it’s spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Timor Leste.”
“MWC is about creating relationships in our global family,” says Liesa Unger, chief international events officer. On a day-to-day basis, this happens between national member church leaders, but at Assemblies, MWC congregation members cross barriers to know each other face to face as members of the global Anabaptist-Mennonite family together.
Gereja Injili di Tanah Jawa (GITJ –Evangelical Church in the Land of Java)
Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia (GKMI –Muria Christian Church of Indonesia)
Jemaat Kristen Indonesia (JKI –Indonesian Christian Congregation)
Over the past 100 years, the world has changed immensely and at the same time, not so very much, says Henk Stenvers; both then and now, there is nationalism and polarization in church and society, and even war in Ukraine.
As we prepare to mark 100 years of MWC and 500 years of Anabaptism in 2025, it’s a time to look forward, says Henk Stenvers. “This is a time to look at what is the significance of our message and mission for the coming years. Are the topics important in the Reformation still essential for us at the moment? Are new topics added? Have topics disappeared?”
“Studying the history of our church tradition helps us to remember who we really are and reminds ourselves of the true foundation which is grounded on the Bible,” says Tigist Tesfaye.
“Renewal is not about recovery of the past, even if it includes remembering it,” says Tom Yoder Neufeld. “Renewal is opening ourselves to the life-giving breath of God, the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 37).”
“It is the promise that resides in the call to repentance, to ‘turning’ and heading in a new direction. It is the gift in forgiveness, opening the future to reconciliation. It is central to the drama of baptism, of dying with Christ and then walking in the newness of life, living the resurrection. It resides in the hope of a new heaven and a new earth,” says Tom Yoder Neufeld.
“Renewal implies looking with new lenses to the past as well as re-imagining the present and future,” says Andrés Pacheco Lozano. “In order to be renewed we must retell our stories. Retelling stories can be a transforming experience because it allows us to (re)shape the narratives that form our identity. This liberating creativity opens the possibility for new interpretations to live out the radicality of the gospel message of justice and peace in the present and into the future”.
“Renewal moves us from old to new,” says Andi Santoso.
“The God who is also spirit calls people in different eras throughout history, always to bring something new and connect us to God. The newness is something that is spiritual and natural (e.g., there are seasons – spring after the winter),” says Andi Santoso.
“It’s important to be in a constant state of renewal,” says Lisa Carr-Pries. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all situation. We need to pay attention. Renewal requires our ears; it requires a change of view on a constant basis.”
“New wine can’t go into old wineskins; it will burst,” says Sunoko Lin, reflecting on Mark 2. When Jesus tells the paralyzed man to take his mat and go home, he gave the man more than he expected: the ability to walk and carry. “Renewal brings something new or better. Jesus promised new wine, new wineskins; not only to walk but pick up mat.”
“The need for renewal remains constant, whether our focus is on identity (What does it mean to be Anabaptist?), or on task (What is our mission in the world? Evangelism? Peacemaking?),” says Tom Yoder Neufeld.
“I don’t think renewal is so much about how Anabaptism has been adapted to different contexts and realities as it is about seeing the nuances and the ways in which new forms, or visions of Anabaptism have been emerging in different places,” says Andrés Pacheco Lozano. “The ways in which the Anabaptist tradition came to a given place and the ways in which people and communities have embodied it in those places have made unique hybrid compositions in many parts of the world.”
He says we should speak not only of polygenesis but polyAnabaptism to see that there are differences and variations. “A space like MWC has the potential to place them in dialogue: that is one of the most important gifts of our global communion: to put all these visions and embodiments of Anabaptism into conversation.”
One young pastor in the Netherlands told Henk Stenvers: ‘We will really be Mennonites again when the police are knocking at our doors.’ “The peace message of Christ was radical,” says Henk Stenvers. “Are we in Global North becoming part of society too much in the sense of conforming to authority, economic systems.?”
“Is there renewal in our relationship with others in our life?” asks Andi Santoso. We need to challenge the status quo and consider the social aspect of salvation as well. “Jesus brought reconciliation through himself: are we making a difference in working at peace and justice? Is there a change in how we conduct ourselves?”
“Today, renewal should make us uncomfortable…especially if we hold a fair bit of power,” says Anicka Fast. “When the Anabaptist movement began, it was disruptive and bothersome. People on the margins of the church challenged what powerful church leaders were saying. Renewal will often unsettle.”
As a historian, she studies the story of the church in Africa which is driven by waves of revival, led by Africans, led by women.”
The East Africa Revival started in the 1930s and swept across Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. “It started with friendships and fellowship between African Christians and European and North American missionaries. They would repent together of attitudes toward each other. They developed strong friendships, and become close-knit groups called revival fellowships.”
“The first Mennonite bishop of Tanzania, Zedekiah Kisare, recalled that when revival arrived it was as if a fuse had ignited dynamite: it was an explosion,” says Anicka Fast.1 “Everyone started weeping and crying. They changed their lives. The American missionary bishop changed his attitude of superiority toward African Christians. It was a complete change of heart that led to a new way of living together.”
“Revival exploded boundaries between denominations. People wanted to take communion together,” says Anicka Fast. Unfortunately, “sometimes renewal is happening and we hold on to things and block it.”
Risks
Sometimes we need to leave everything behind to experience new things and really depend on God, says Andi Santoso. He did so personally, leaving behind culture and his ministry, to study in the USA. “Seeing new realities, I question my own faith, my beliefs. If God exists, where is God’s love in this broken reality? There’s a communal aspect to churches as we become the broken healer, the broken peacebuilder.”
The need for renewal shouldn’t make us defensive. “We still have challenges: intercultural challenges, enormous difference in economic situation. How the Global North became so rich: how economic streams go with exploitation of countries in Africa for well-being of the Global North; those are reasons for repentance,” says Henk Stenvers. “Part of renewal is recognizing that things have to change.”
Leaning on the work of theologian Dorothee Sollee on spirituality, Andrés Pacheco Lozano identifies renewal as a (spiritual) process that includes three dimensions. Via positiva: celebrating God’s gifts and how they have been expressed in different times and contexts. Via negativa: letting go of the ego, confronting the ways in which we have benefited from or reinforced oppressive systems (including discrimination based on race, gender, ability or class, and other forms of injustice and violence, including the human-induced climate emergency) and seeking to recognize and heal the wounds that these have caused and repair the broken relations. And via transformativa: being transformed in order to transform the injustices and violence in the world.
“Based on the gifts we build on, the systems and practices we confront and let go of and the wounds we visit, the invitation must be to be transformed and to incorporate new practices, new understanding, new ways of seeing Anabaptism” says Andrés Pacheco Lozano.
Strategies
“Renewal is individual, but it’s also a posture you can take as a communion, …like how we take decision in consensus, talking to each other even if it takes a long time,” says Henk Stenvers. “Together in dialogue with each other and in dialogue with the Spirit, we want to find out what God is saying to us. That means openness to each other (listen to what people are saying), openness to time (no hurry to make decisions) and listening to what the Spirit brings.
“Listening is what moves people,” says Henk Stenvers. “What does the Bible say to you, what does the Bible say to me, and how can we find each other in that.”
“If we come from a place there hasn’t been renewal, it can be hard to put our brains in a place to hear from those who have,” says Anicka Fast. The stories may sound strange, but the work of the Holy Spirit is often scary. It crosses barriers.
“Renewal happens when people take a step, together as a group, and start to repent together, pray together, and study the Bible together in small groups,” Anicka Fast says.
“There’s something very political about renewal and revival. It’s never limited to something inside individuals. Historically revivals almost always begin with repentance movements; making things right that have been broken, often in relationship,” says Anicka Fast.2
“Renewal is connected to mission: enlarging the family of God,” says Anicka Fast. “Recognizing in our own hearts where we are not faithfully following – and then changing.” What arises is both a new way of being church and new perspectives on social relationships.”
During the Mau Mau anticolonial war in Kenya in the 1950s, the “abalokole” – the revived ones – would not participate in war. “These revived ones would say ‘I cannot kill someone for whom Christ died.’ They drew on this strong idea that Jesus makes us into a new kind of family – one that crosses the boundaries of ethnic group, race and nationality – as a reason not to participate in either side of the war,” says Anicka Fast.3
“The only way to transform is to practice,” says Lisa Carr-Pries. We’re tempted to hide our bad parts because we fear being condemned or dismissed by others; we don’t like accountability because it feels like shame about not meeting standards. “That’s not what the church can be about if we want to renew. Admit we made a mistake and want to do better.”
“We need to try on radical things that feel uncomfortable,” says Lisa Carr-Pries. “We need to be a community that is like a trampoline: it has some give; it catches people before they get hurt; it’s fun.”
There’s nuance in communities of practice. We aren’t going to get it right even when try. There’s room for mistakes and there is room for repair, says Lisa Carr-Pries. And we work under the assumption not everyone is on board.
“Repair and forgiveness are not necessarily the same thing. Flourishing, reconciliation, homecoming, belonging – these are words that invite transformation in communities of practice.”
“If we avoid discussing topics, if we restrict conversations, that’s one of the most counter-productive ways of dealing with these things. If anything, global spaces should precisely help us in our process of renewal: understanding that siblings of faith in different contexts will have different ways to contribute to our own struggles and our own questions of what it means to be a church,” says Andrés Pacheco Lozano.
“We’re going to have to get better at holding multiple truths at the same time,” says Lisa Carr-Pries. “That is different than being wishy washy or fence sitting.
Today, there are multiple ways the church is facing critical times from divisions within to climate emergency without. Crisis reveals the need for renewal – and to avoid dealing with challenges is in itself violence.
Ideally, MWC should create spaces, opportunities and conditions for relationships to happen and to also experience difficult conversations – and be transformed in the process.
“The church is as a living system,” says Andrés Pacheco Lozano. “A system that does not have exchange with the environment around it is stuck. It dies in the long term. We should learn from our legacy in conflict resolution/transformation: denying conflict is not the solution. If addressed properly, conflict can lead to transforming not only of opinions but also relationships, for growth.”
“It’s not easy to sit in the same room with people who have different experiences or who interpret similar experiences in a different biblical or theological way,” says Andrés Pacheco Lozano. But, like a family, “when you come to the dining table, you also talk about the difficult parts.” Putting aside some of the power dynamics that come into play with a family metaphor, the dining table is a space for sharing both joys and difficult topics, and a space that is returned to again and again, hopefully able to engage the topics in a different way.
“We can be inspired, challenged, transformed and renewed by the witness from siblings in other parts of the world. That’s the beauty and the challenging part as well. Maybe, if anything, diversity is what empowers us,” says Andrés Pacheco Lozano. “MWC is an opportunity for growth.”
“There’s a lot of reason for hope. We as MWC we are an example of how you can cross barriers culturally, nationally and also in theology and still be one communion,” says Henk Stenvers. “Our challenge is to be open. To change even if we don’t know what that change will bring. When Christ asks to us to be one, this is the only way we can be one: in hope and trust in God.”
Anne Marie Stoner-Eby, “Building a Church Locally and Globally: The Ministry of Zedekiah Marwa Kisare, First African Bishop of the Tanzanian Mennonite Church,” Journal Biographique Des Chrétiens d’Afrique 7, no. 2 (July 2022): 26. Festo Kivengere y Dorothy Smoker, Revolutionary Love (Moscow, Idaho: Community Christian Ministries, 2018). David W. Shenk, Justice, Reconciliation and Peace in Africa, Revised edition (Nairobi: ‘Uzima Press’, 1997) see also; Festo Kivengere, “Force and Power”, in Justice, Reconciliation and Peace in Africa, by David W. Shenk, Revised edition (Nairobi: Uzima Press, 1997), 169–72.
In 2017, Mennonite World Conference began a series of events called Renewal.
The original vision was organized with a view toward the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Anabaptist movement in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2025.
It included several key components:
The event should honour the past but focus primarily on the present and the future.
The event should take note of Anabaptist beginnings but should focus especially on the global witness of the church today, highlighting the expressions of Anabaptism in the cultural context of each host country.
The event should connect with ordinary church members as they testify Holy Spirit’s presence in the church today.
The format of each Renewal event has varied. Sometimes it has been a day-long gathering, with meals and workshops. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we hosted the event on-line as a global webinar. In Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, we celebrated with a two-hour evening worship service.
But at each occasion, we have sung together, prayed together, shared together, been inspired together and welcomed the presence of the Holy Spirit as the good news of the gospel continues to find expression in many different cultures and contexts.
Begun as a renewal movement, Anabaptism has endured only because each generation of Anabaptist-Mennonites has been renewed by a fresh movement of the Spirit.
Beginning in 2017 in Europe and culminating in 2028 in Ethiopia, the MWC Renewal initiative has celebrated this ongoing renewal of Anabaptism around the world.
Join us in 2024 as we celebrate the MWC Renewal event in Brazil, and then again for a global family reunion in Zurich in 2025.
And be sure to keep 2028 on your calendar when we gather for Assembly 18 to celebrate the remarkable ways that the Holy Spirit has been moving in the Meserete Kristos Church in Ethiopia!
—John Roth, coordinator of Renewal events
“That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21)
With these words from the Gospel of John 17:21, we warmly greet the sisters and brothers of Anabaptist churches worldwide and also those from other Christian communions.
At this moment in history, we reflect on the first 500 years of the Radical Reformation.
“Renewal” is the name that the Mennonite World Conference has given for a decade of regional events around the memory of five centuries of our existence as a community of faith. We are approaching these 10 years of commemorations by focusing on our history from a global, ecumenical and transcultural perspective.
We remember the past to look toward the future. We want to recall our roots as we express gratitude to God for the inheritance of the faith we have received. But we also come before the Lord in a spirit of repentance and renewal, committed to learning from the past to grow in our relationship with God both here and now and in the years to come.
Why do we need each other?
With the theme of “Jesus Christ, Our Hope,” we seek to explore how our Anabaptist tradition has offered its witness to the world about Jesus as our hope since the 16th century.
Unity is one of the challenges that we have historically faced in the Anabaptist world.
Why do we need to be one globally with other members of our family of faith?
Why do we need something like Mennonite World Conference, a body that facilitates unity around 10 000 local congregations, 108 national conferences and 1.5 million baptized believers?
In contexts of persecution, oppression or violence, reasons why we need a global church seem more evident to our members: a global communion offers support when local congregations cope with difficult circumstances (e.g. financial resources, political advocacy, pastoral care).
In Africa, Asia, and Latin America, global interdependency is crucial for projects exceeding a local church’s capacity (e.g. mission, theological education, formation of new agencies).
What do our churches say about Jesus?
However, beyond pragmatic reasons to look for unity, our Anabaptist tradition must recover the idea of a visible global church.
The reason I affirm this has to do with the New Testament concept and practice of ecclesia. Scripture speaks of interdependent local congregations that lean on each other for theology, pastoral care, financial support in times of crisis and mission, among other things.
However, even more, critical is the fact that Jesus linked the credibility of his life to the unity of his followers.
Mennonite World Conference is the global “space” where we can receive unity as God’s gift.
As we thank God for Jesus Christ, our hope, let us also maintain an attitude of repentance for the divisions that have arisen among us, negatively affecting the impact of Jesus’ life and ministry in a world marked by polarizations, divisions and fragmentation.
Let us ask for forgiveness for all the wounds that we have caused on Jesus’ body.
Let us seek the renewal that sees the lack of unity of the church as evidence of sin.
Let us seek the unity that comes from a contrite heart that recognizes its sin.
I pray that reflecting on John 17:21 will renew our understanding of Jesus as our hope.
May we embody hope by showing the world that the blessing of unity is possible when Jesus is the centre of our lives.
— César García is general Secretary of Mennonite World Conference. Originally from Colombia, he lives in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. He delivered a version of this speech at Renewal 2023 in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, on Saturday, 25 March 2023.
