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A rush of violent wind
Three reasons the Holy Spirit is relevant to the church today Fifty days after Passover, the Jewish community gathered in Jerusalem for the Festival of Weeks. At the same time, the followers of Jesus gathered in a room awaiting the promise of the Holy Spirit. As they were waiting, “suddenly from heaven there came a…
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The gift of the Holy Spirit in the 16th century and today
Many written testimonies of the early Anabaptist movement point toward the work of the Holy Spirit as the central driving force. The Holy Spirit goes to people who are awaiting. It was the case in Pentecost (Acts 2) while the disciples were praying; it was the case in Reformation times; and it is the case…
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YABs in MWC’s General Council
Decision making in a large group can feel like a game of misunderstood messages, says Matthias Claassen, General Council delegate for Konferenz der Mennonitengemeinden in Uruguay. It’s important to have leaders in the room representing a variety of ages and experience in addition to the various national churches that make up MWC. Claassen was one…
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“Djagalah Anak Kambing Koe” (“Tend My Lambs”)
On his deathbed, Tee Siem Tat called his sons, Tee Yan Poen and Tee Yan Siang, and his son-in-law, Tan King Ien. To them, Tee Siem Tat spoke his last words: “Djagalah anak kambing koe” (“Tend my lambs,” John 21:15 in Old Bahasa). His grandson, Rev. Herman Tan, believes his last words were to ask…
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Standing in solidarity with Indigenous people in Canada
“Our global value of peacemaking is expressed in the Declaration of Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples,” says Mennonite World Conference general secretary César García. “How a church in South Korea or Colombia lives that out is not something we can legislate. It’s an issue we need to discern as churches in our specific contexts.” For Steve…
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Peace, history, mission and care: new developments in MWC
Mennonite World Conference weaves a web of connections within the Anabaptist Mennonite family around the world through website, emails, social media, publishing and relations with other organizations. Here are some new connecting points. The Mission Commission appointed José Arrais of Portugal to a newly created part-time role as coordinator of networks. He is the contact…
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Dal se Dil tak: to the heart through soup
As an Indian living in Canada on MCC’s International Volunteer Exchange Program, I have made dal (lentil soup) a number of times. When I made it for the first time, I was little nervous, but it was requested again for different groups of people and every time quantity increased. First, I cooked dal for my…
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A day peace and justice kissed
A local church in Colombia lives out peace Why won’t a country forgive? Why are there people who seem to prefer war? These are questions that disturb the soul and invite us to look for answers, not in the cold streets of the city, but the forgotten countryside, in the small towns of Colombia directly…
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A people transformed by the Spirit in migration and service
A brand-new Courier brings Kenya to you while World Fellowship Sunday tells migration stories from Latin America and Indonesia comes to the Bogota office. New ways Mennonite World Conference is connecting churches worldwide: A hopeless church planter, powerful women on mission and a conscientious objector in Colombia: Courier October 2018 has stories of the Holy…
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Ministry partner update: ICOMB – October 2018
The International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) is made up of 21 national churches in 19 countries with approximately 450,000 members. ICOMB exists to facilitate relationships and ministries to enhance the witness and discipleship of its member national churches – connecting, strengthening and expanding. “All our members thank the community of ICOMB who joins us…
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Ministry partner update: IBICA – October 2018
The International Brethren in Christ Association (IBICA) is the common network for all national conferences of the Brethren in Christ church with the aim to facilitate communication, build trust and cooperation within our global community, and to establish common and mutual understanding through our set of core values. An associate member of MWC, IBICA has…
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“I need to go to school”: Mennonite relief in DRC
Ten-yea-old Kanku Ngalamulume fled from his home in the village of Senge after armed groups beheaded his mother and father and his siblings too. He was among 1.4 million people in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who have been forced from their homes as violence among local militias and the…
