Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • Comment répond-on à cette question, selon que l’on vit dans le Nord ou le Sud du globe ? Points de vue suisse et congolais.

    Point de vue Suisse

    Dans la vie communautaire des mennonites suisses romands ou francophones, certaines questions se posent par rapport au baptême. Elles sont révélatrices des changements intervenus au sein des communautés ces dernières années. L’époque où les communautés étaient formées de groupes de familles aux noms typiquement mennonites, où l’on allait dans la même école, où l’on se mariait entre membres de la même communauté, est bien révolue.

    Cheminement

    La question du baptême d’adulte sur son principe n’a jamais été remise en cause, elle est bien vécue. La question en titre donne l’impression d’une sorte d’examen de passage que l’on va réussir ou rater ; « remplir les conditions » ou ne pas les remplir. L’expérience montre qu’il faudrait plutôt parler de « cheminement » avec les candidats au baptême d’arrière-plans souvent très différents.

    La majeure partie des personnes qui demandent le baptême sont des jeunes gens et jeunes filles qui ont passé par un temps de catéchisme. Si tous les jeunes qui ont été instruits demandent le baptême, certains membres de l’Église pensent que l’on assiste à une dynamique de groupe et que les demandes ne sont pas toutes sincères. Si au contraire, aucun jeune ne souhaite être baptisé, l’on s’interroge sur la qualité de l’enseignement. Cette tension entre ces deux extrêmes est saine. Elle nous rappelle que chaque démarche devrait être personnelle, que chaque « je crois en Dieu, Père, Fils et Saint-Esprit » est unique, est une grâce.

    Confession de foi

    Les personnes qui demandent le baptême rédigent en général une confession de foi et sont invitées par un ou une responsable spirituelle pour en discuter de manière plus approfondie. La pastorale de l’Église prend connaissance et approuve ces démarches. La forme du baptême est laissée au choix des futurs baptisés : aspersion, immersion dans un baptistère ou dans un milieu naturel, rivière, étang, etc.

    Pour les jeunes, l’implication dans la communauté n’est pas facile ; elle coïncide souvent avec le temps où ils quittent la maison pour se lancer dans des études ou la vie professionnelle. Les personnes déjà baptisées dans leur jeune âge peuvent devenir membres des communautés sans être rebaptisées. Un rebaptême est possible suite à un cheminement entre les candidats et les responsables spirituels ; il est une réponse au souhait de la personne qui le demande et en aucun cas imposé par la communauté.

    La communauté reste un groupe qui a choisi en pleine conscience de se mettre à la suite du Christ et de constituer un signe du Royaume de Dieu.

    —Michel Ummel, Eglise évangélique mennonite du Sonnenberg, Suisse, ancien

    Point de vue congolais

    L’église primitive étant notre modèle, voyons dans les Ecritures comment les choses se sont déroulées.

    Jean, le précurseur du Fils de Dieu, a prêché la bonne nouvelle annonçant au peuple de Dieu de se repentir et de se convertir en vue du royaume de Dieu. Il préparait le peuple à la venue du Messie pour le sauver. Quiconque écoutait et prenait la décision de se conformer à son message était baptisé. Il n’y avait pas d’autres conditions administratives ou protocolaires. C’était un fait spontané. Personne n’était poussé ni forcé au baptême, mais c’était le fruit d’une foi provoquée par la prédication de la repentance. Le baptême était le résultat de la réponse individuelle du croyant au message de Jean-Baptiste, selon le processus : prédication (évangile), foi, repentance, baptême.

    Avant son ascension, le Seigneur a donné l’ordre aux apôtres d’aller prêcher la bonne nouvelle partout, pour que celui qui croit soit baptisé (Mc 16.15-16). Nous voyons que le schéma est le même : prédication, foi, repentance, baptême. Voilà le cheminement biblique que toute église chrétienne devrait suivre. Nous le faisons au sein de la Communauté évangélique Mennonite (CEM) de la République Démocratique du Congo.

    La vraie instruction, en vue du baptême, reste la prédication de l’évangile, sous la forme de la prédication ou du catéchisme donné lors de rencontres spéciales en cours de semaine. Cet enseignement est suivi d’un appel de la part du pasteur. Les personnes qui se sont repenties manifestent verbalement ou par lettre motivée leur désir d’être baptisées.

    Vérification du témoignage

    Il n’y a pas un moment favori. C’est possible dès l’âge de 12 à 15 ans, mais il est rare que des jeunes de cet âge manifestent le désir d’être baptisés. Parfois, ce sont les parents qui encouragent leurs enfants à demander le baptême. Le baptême est précédé d’un temps de cure d’âme et de confession.

    Enfin, l’église doit vérifier le témoignage de ses aspirants au baptême, pour que leur baptême ne soit pas une simple formalité, mais qu’il soit réellement l’engagement d’une bonne conscience envers Dieu. La repentance, suivie des « fruits dignes de la repentance », sont les signes qui permettent à l’église de vérifier le témoignage de ces personnes…

    En l’absence de ces « fruits », l’église peut reporter ou ajourner le baptême. Suivront alors un bon enseignement et un bon accompagnement en vue d’une bonne compréhension du baptême, pour parvenir à une vraie repentance produite par la Parole de Dieu. Les personnes d’autres dénominations rejoignant les paroisses de la CEM et n’ayant pas été baptisées par immersion reçoivent le baptême sous cette forme après avoir reçu un enseignement spécifique et avoir, elles aussi, manifesté les fruits de la repentance.

    La seule condition matérielle, c’est l’eau dans laquelle les baptisés seront immergés.

    —Nathalie Yowa, Communauté évangélique mennonite, République démocratique du Congo, étudiante en théologie, avec la collaboration de Mimie Kanku, pasteur

    Ces articles en provenance du Réseau mennonite francophone sont publiés sur plusieurs supports (Perspective (CH), Courrier Congo, site de la Conférence Mennonite mondiale, Christ Seul…). Coordination : Jean-Paul Pelsy

  • Taipei, Taiwan – On 25-26 October 2014, more than 1,100 Taiwanese Mennonites attended a gala celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the Fellowship of Mennonite Churches in Taiwan (FOMCIT). FOMCIT is a Mennonite World Conference member church. 

    Held at the China Youth Activities Center in Taipei, the two-day celebration focused on the theme “Legacy, Renewal, Expansion.” The program began with a processional of pastors and church leaders of the 22 churches, accompanied by the sounding of two trumpets and 12 ram’s horns along with a “revival fire” banner dance. The banner with 72 cloth-imprinted photos will make the rounds of the churches for display. (Click here to see photos from the event.)

    The first day of the celebration focused on praise and thanksgiving, and included a skit on reconciliation and a number of musical performances, including a rendition of the hymn “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” performed by the hand chime choir of the New Dawn Educare Centre, a FOMCIT institution for persons with mental handicaps.

    The Taiwan church is known as a praising church – in comparison to the Korean church known as a praying church, and the Japanese church characterized as a studying church.

    The second day of the celebration included a two-hour worship service featuring testimonies, singing, and a sermon by Titus Liao, chair of the FOMCIT board of directors. “The only hope for Taiwan resides with the church,” he asserted. “We do not want to establish a mega-church, rather, like the 7-11 convenience stories in Taiwan, we need a church on every street corner.”

    Contributions for the anniversary event totaled $64,502 US. After expenses were paid, the remains funds were designated for missions. The celebration concluded with a banquet spread out on 95 round tables seating up to 12 persons each.

    Reflecting on the anniversary celebration, FOMCIT General Secretary Robert Chang stated, “My deepest impression is that we have faith in the Lord who hears prayer. Because of your intercession, we work together to complete the mission that cannot be completed on its own. . . . . May the Lord be glorified, and grant us His power. . . . With God’s grace, together we can change the world.”

    From a report by Sheldon Sawatzky of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a former mission worker in Taiwan.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Friendship Groups and Activities

    There were so many great things about the Mennonite World Conference [Assembly, PA 2015]. This was my first time going, and I really appreciated the worship sessions, especially the diversity. (I had no idea what Japanese worship was like!) But perhaps the most important reason I wanted to go to [PA 2015] was to meet and interact with Mennonites from around the world. Two of the best places to have conversations were in the friendship groups and the activities.

    Every day after the opening worship time, we were invited to join a friendship group. The first few times we met, the conversation was very cautious as we tried to get to know each other. We were given questions to discuss, which helped. But toward the end of the week, the questions got our group thinking about a controversial topic. After the amazing worship all week, I was curious to see how our group (four Canadians and one Filipino) would handle this. I was disappointed. You could almost see the relational barriers, that had been so cautiously breaking down, going right back up as the group sorted itself into theological camps.

    There is no way that in 30 minutes or so this theological issue was going to be resolved. But that didn’t stop people from bringing out their favourite Bible verses and theologies, which I’m sure everyone had heard before. What could have been an opportunity to reaffirm the things we held in common and commit to remaining in fellowship while holding on to our particular beliefs had turned into a simmering “agree to disagree.”

    But friendship groups were just one part of the day. On the first full day of [Assembly], I went on a hike on a section of the Appalachian trail. Most of us didn’t know each other, and everyone was so focused on the footing that we were about halfway up the trail before I noticed that no one was really talking. At one break, I finally struck up a conversation with a woman from the UK who works with the Anabaptist Network. It was great to talk with her, since I had read The Naked Anabaptist a few years ago. We talked about a number of topics, including the different ways that our countries remember war veterans and the various responses that peace churches have given.

    On the way down, I began a conversation with a seminary student from the USA. He, like me, was a late convert to the Anabaptist tradition, and we talked about our experiences. He had come from the Pentecostal tradition and sometimes missed the emphasis on the Holy Spirit. Though I don’t come from the Pentecostal tradition, I could understand this feeling. He also recommended an author whom I will read. These were two uplifting moments of conversation and solidarity on the mountain.

    In my friendship group and in the activities, I experienced two different kinds of conversation: guided and natural. Both had their merits, but the conversations that arose while we were doing things together naturally – on the bus back to the hotel, around the meals, and on the mountain – are where relationships and understanding were built. And for me that’s what going to Mennonite World Conference [Assembly] was all about.

    This reflection was part of September 2015 issue of Lendrum Grace Notes, “Mennonites: A Global Family.” Click here to see the whole magazine. 

    *Join with the global Anabaptist family as we continue to celebrate the PA 2015 theme, Walking with God, through World Fellowship Sunday in January, 2016. Click here to see resources for your congregation. 

  • Meal ministry at Dutch Mennonite church welcomes addicts and homeless

    Life did not go as planned for Max Tauran. A patron of Doperse Dis (a three-year-old meal ministry in a northern Dutch city), he told the audience at a fundraising dinner that “[Life] simply went as it came…[including] chaos, mistakes, pain and sorrow.” For six and a half years, he was homeless.

    Doperse Dis is a monthly meal developed out of Doopsgezind Gemeente Groningen (Groningen Mennonite Church), the Netherlands, for people who are homeless. “Warm food, warm house, warm welcome” is the event’s tagline.

    Every third Tuesday of the month, some 20 volunteers prepare a three-course meal (soup, entree, dessert) for up to 80 guests. A volunteer host serves each table of 5–6 guests. “The social aspect is as least as important as the food,” says organizer Pijke.

    “It’s not just the conversation and attention the volunteers give,” says Tauran. “It is the whole package of love, consideration and warmth one experiences there that gives you as a homeless person a moment to be human and to feel so.”

    Officially, there are more than 800 people who are homeless in Groningen, a city of 200,000. Local social agencies reported that few offered regular meals for people who are homeless. Doperse Dis grew out of Vossestein’s desire to “[do] something with my faith…[to keep] moving forward.”

    Vossestein and fellow organizers Annie and Anton van Til were already cooking for fellowship meal Mennomaaltijd once a month, so serving dinner to those who have less seemed a natural service to fill a need.

    “You should not be afraid to do God’s work, even if this means inviting drug addicts,” says Vossestein. “Just start, have faith in the people you’re working with, and God will show you the way.”

    Doperse Dis receives private donations and some church contributions. Every year, local politicians, university professors and church members attend a luxury fundraising dinner that helps to finance the meal. Patrons like Tauran share their story.

    “A little love can give a withering flower enough strength to raise itself,” Tauran told the group. The volunteers at Doperse Dis “gave me the strength and courage to follow a better path.”

    “I’ve learned that if you treat people kindly and truly see them as God’s children, almost everyone, with few exceptions, will behave accordingly,” says Vossestein.

    Sint Pannekoek

    A fictitious feast day has migrated from the pages of a newspaper comic to the streets of Rotterdam, and recently, to the northern Dutch city of Groningen. Sint Pannekoek (Saint Pancake’s Day), Nov. 29, is a holiday that spreads warmth, fills stomachs and makes strangers into neighbours.

    Inspired by the grandfather demands for pancakes in a comic strip called Jan, Jans en de kinderen, students and local residents in Rotterdam celebrate this made-up festival by making, sharing and eating traditional Dutch pancakes.

    The idea was recently adopted in Groningen. Last year, pastor Jacob Kikkert of the Mennonite church and chef Pijke Vossestein of the congregation’s outreach ministry Doperse Dis braved the brisk November weather to cook and distribute pancakes to passersby on the street. Guests from Doperse Dis also took part in the receiving and giving.

    Kikkert and Vossestein are gearing up for the event again this year. 

    Prayers from the Doopsgezinde Gemeente Groningen

    We pray for comfort for those who are homeless in shelters, in doorways and byways; lost, invisible, neglected; hungry and emotionally wounded. In Groningen, around 1,500 people are registered at shelters as homeless. Thank you for the ministry of Doperse Dis, providing a warm meal and fellowship to those who have no network of support to fall back on. With winter approaching, there is a need for gloves, socks and hats. With our human condition, there is a need for healing and community. Lord, equip your church to meet the needs of our fellow humanity. 

    We lament the violence and crisis in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. We pray for all the refugees, those who have lost their homes, who are hurting, with nowhere to turn. We are alarmed by the situation of those seeking asylum in the Netherlands. There is a general tendency for our governments to close borders and to stop the growing influx of refugees. We feel that our moral responsibility calls us to act: to avoid the burden and sorrow connected with giving shelter to refugees means refusing to regard violence and injustice as a common problem.  Our faith that God wants unity for humankind urges us to reject inaction and instead take sides with asylum seekers. We pray for courage and wisdom to encourage local governments and institutions to meet their responsibilities. We thank God for the power of faith communities to provide support, prayer, friendship and welcome, stemming from our belief.

     

  • Winnipeg, Canada – Representatives of every stream of global Christianity met in Tirana, Albania, 1–5 November, 2015 for a consultation on Discrimination, Persecution, Martyrdom: Following Christ Together, convened by the Global Christian Forum.

    Together, these 145 Christian leaders recognized the continued persecution of Christians, repented of the times Christians have persecuted those of other faith, and called on governments and churches globally “to respect and protect the freedom of religion” as a fundamental human right.

    Mennonite World Conference (MWC) general secretary César García, MCC area director for Europe and Middle East Amela Puljek-Shank, and a church leader from Eritrea (name omitted for security reasons) represented MWC.

    The consultation produced a document in which the leaders committed to “listen more…, pray more…, speak up more…, and do more in mutual understand to find effective ways of solidarity and support.”

    The document also calls churches, persecutors, governments, media and people of goodwill to act in respect and justice toward all people.

    “It was inspirational to see leaders from Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, Evangelical and Orthodox churches gathered together to look for how to respond from the example of Jesus in the reality of persecution, discrimination and martyrdom that the Christian church experiences in some contexts today,” said Garcia. “We pray that these Christians who suffer for their faith convictions can find in the church of the crucified support and accompaniment to respond with love and overcome with hope in the midst of their situation.”

    The historic gathering marked the persistence of Christianity despite adversity: the constitution of Albania declared it an atheist state in 1967; today churches flourish in a framework of religious freedom though some discrimination remains.

    Click here to see the entire official consultation message.

    -Karla Braun, MWC News Release

    Photo from http://resources.globalchristianforum.org/pages/themes.php

  • A retired school teacher and prison inmates are unlikely pen pals who have exchanged thousands of letters in Curitiba over the past decade.

    It began when a man in prison responded to a short piece 76-year-old Dona Maria Martins published in a devotional magazine in 2006. She replied to the letter that arrived at her church’s address, and soon found herself responding to dozens of letters each week from inmates seeking pastoral care

    “Often these men are abandoned by their families,” Dona Maria says. “I became a spiritual mother to them.” Her letters tell about Jesus and usually include illustrations clipped from magazines.

    Now a small circle of women from Igreja Evangélica Menonita Água Verde (Green Water Mennonite Church) join Dona Maria several times a week to read and answer correspondence. Inmates often request Bibles, so the Mennonites of Curitiba designed a Bible correspondence course. Hundreds of inmates have completed it.

    “God is love,” Dona Maria declares, “and the letters are my way of sharing that good news.”

    —J. Nelson Kraybill, MWC president

     

  • Collaboration de Zacharie Leclair, Muriel et Claude Queval, Richard Lougheed et Danielle Lajeunesse

    L’idée avait germé à Montréal, autour d’une table lors d’un repas pris en compagnie de Neal Blough, directeur du Centre mennonite de Paris et l’un des initiateurs du Réseau mennonite francophone mondial (Rfm), de Marc Paré, directeur du Centre mennonite de Montréal, et de Muriel et Claude Queval, directeurs de MCC Québec. Nous discutions de la solitude des mennonites francophones d’Amérique du Nord, du Québec, environnés par une culture ecclésiastique majoritairement anglophone et germanophone.

    Et puis… à la fin de novembre 2015, une petite délégation québécoise, invitée par le Comité du réseau mennonite francophone* (CERF), et merveilleusement organisé par Max Wiedmer, s’est rendue en France. Le groupe était formé de Claude et de Muriel Queval, de Richard Lougheed et de Zacharie Leclair, deux membres de la Société d’histoire mennonite du Québec et de Danielle Lajeunesse, rédactrice de la publication des frères mennonites du Québec Le Lien. L’occasion était d’amorcer des relations avec des mennonites francophones de France et de Suisse et de tisser des liens avec d’autres chrétiens anabaptistes d’expression française de l’autre côté de l’Atlantique et d’y gagner un aperçu du monde évangélique français.

    Dès notre arrivée, le 21 novembre, nous avons visité le Centre mennonite de Paris. Le lendemain, le dimanche, nous visitions une Église mennonite à Paris où douze baptêmes étaient célébrés. Une célébration inoubliable! Les deux journées suivantes se tenaient au Centre Évangélique de Paris un ralliement avec au menu conférences, louange, et visite de stands d’information. Nous sommes ensuite partis vers l’Alsace, étant reçus trois jours dans la maison de Max et Astrid Wiedmer, à Altkirch. Max nous a ensuite fait visiter divers lieux anabaptistes de Suisse et d’Alsace, dont l’école biblique du Bienenberg en Suisse, et rencontrer de nombreux mennonites de la région. Puis, nous sommes allés au Rimlishof, appartenant à la Ligue pour la lecture de la Bible, où avait lieu le rassemblement annuel des Centres mennonites d’Europe. Après deux nuits, nous sommes allés à Strasbourg pour assister au culte d’une Église mennonite, et des chrétiens nous ont hébergés et fait visiter cette magnifique et ancienne ville. C’estlà que nous avons participé à la réunion du CERF, chapeauté par Max. En soirée, nous assistions à une formation en église donnée par des professeurs du Bienenberg. Après deux jours à Strasbourg, la fin du voyage approchait et il était déjà temps de retourner à la maison.

    Et Claude de dire : Nous avons savouré chaque goutte, jusqu’à la dernière, avec reconnaissance. « J’ai eu faim et vous m’avez donné à manger; j’ai eu soif et vous m’avez donné à boire; j’étais étranger et vous m’avez accueilli ». C’est ce que vous avez fait pour nous, chers frères et sœurs. Merci!

    Nous sommes revenus charmés par la gentillesse et l’accueil des mennonites que nous avons rencontrés. Aussi, nous avons découvert un monde, une communauté d’Églises mennonites dynamiques, composées de personnes chrétiennes depuis plusieurs générations, ayant duré et cultivé la foi pendant la persécution, fortement attachés à l’Évangile de même qu’à leur héritage anabaptiste, et capables de générer une relève et de se rendre pertinents dans la société contemporaine.

    Commencement ou fin? L’Europe mennonite a reçu le Québec mennonite. A quand la réciproque? Tant de choses à partager… Une collaboration à suivre…

  • How did you become interested in the life of the church?

    Kraybill: Growing up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA, my family was deeply involved in the mission of the church at the local level. Both of my parents gave tirelessly to the congregation, serving in many roles, from Sunday school teachers to janitors.

    My uncle Nevin served as a missionary in present-day Tanzania. The stories he told when he came home on furlough were my introduction to the global church. That sparked my interest in the worldwide body of Christ.

    Can you describe your call to ministry?

    My primary call is to pastoral ministry. But over the years, I have combined pastoral ministry with work in theological education and academia. It has been a rewarding journey!

    In what roles have you served over the years?

    My studies took me to Goshen College, a Mennonite college in Indiana; Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey; and Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia.

    Over the course of my ministry, I taught Bible at Summit Hills Mennonite Academy in San Juan, Puerto Rico, offered conflict mediation seminars while serving at the London (England) Mennonite Centre, and served as president of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Indiana. I also pastored a small congregation in Vermont.

    What is your current ministry?

    After retiring from the seminary presidency, I returned to full-time pastoral ministry, unexpectedly, with my home church, Prairie Street Mennonite, a multi-racial congregation in the heart of Elkhart.

    The experience has been so life giving for me: shepherding, nurturing, and learning from one sustained community. I’m very glad to be serving in this role with these people.

    How have you been involved in MWC up to this point?

    In 2003, Mennonite Church USA asked me to serve as the North American representative to the MWC committee tasked with producing what became our seven Shared Convictions. I went to Zimbabwe to work with a group of scholars and pastors on reading and analyzing 34 confessional statements from various MWC constituencies. We distilled the core ideas that form our identity as a global faith family.

    How did you come to be MWC president?

    A few years ago, the search committee tasked with finding a successor for Danisa Ndlovu of Zimbabwe called me to ask if I would allow my name to be considered for the role.

    At first, I resisted. As we had done before, my wife Ellen and I called together a group of Christians who knew us and knew our hearts for both the local and global church. We asked them to pray with us and help us to discern. Ultimately, they urged me to let my name stand, sensing that this new direction was God’s will.

    Day-to-day, what does the MWC president do?

    My role is not management, it’s governance. (We have a very capable chief executive officer in our general secretary, César García.) I’m strictly a volunteer who has the privilege of moderating the MWC Executive Committee and General Council, two groups that help us do the work of the global church.

    I’ll meet with the other MWC officers – the vice-president and the treasurer – to do business: monthly (via Skype), face-to-face two or three times per year.

    Perhaps the best part of my role is my opportunity to visit MWC member churches around the world! My intention is to spend time visiting local churches in various countries, learning to know the leaders and hear their stories.

    Ultimately, I see my role with MWC as pastor, encourager: someone with ears and eyes open to the global church, and someone who helps foster the vision.

    And what is your vision for MWC?

    The core of our ministry is reconciliation. I want for myself and for the church to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. I want us to know the power of his resurrection, and to know that the energy for our global gatherings emanates from that core reality.

    But that reconciliation with God through Christ is only one part of the reconciliation equation. Mission is reconciling work that includes both the dimension of calling individuals to faith – to salvation, repentance, forgiveness, and regeneration by the power of the Holy Spirit– and the dimension of nurturing and repairing relationships between people in the church, outside the church and within the global ecology.

    The biblical vision of God is to unite all things in Christ. As Anabaptists, we need to hold together individual conversion and peace and justice work. If we lose one aspect or the other, we lose all reason for our existence.

    Former Courier editor Devin Manzullo-Thomas asks new Mennonite World Conference president J. Nelson Kraybill about his call to Christian ministry, his roles in his home country and around the globe and his vision for the reconciling work of MWC.

    This article first appeared in Courier/Correo/Courrier October 2015

  • Winnipeg, Canada – Mass events can leave behind a mountain amount of trash. But at Mennonite World Conference’s 16th Assembly in Harrisburg, 21–26 July 2015, the management of garbage was an expression of worship to God the creator.

    Assembly organizers “decided early on that we would attempt to make the conference environmentally friendly to the degree that it was economically possible,” says national coordinator Howard Good.

    Fresh air
    The selected venue, the Farm Show Complex has a comprehensive recycling plan, a 1.8kw wind turbine and 125kw photovoltaic solar energy generation system and a 30,000 gallon rainwater recovery tank to capture roof runoff.

    Chief international events officer Liesa Unger worked with the engineering team on the air conditioning “to create an environment that people around the world feel comfortable in.” In response to guests who left the cold building in the hot Pennsylvania summer, the team reduced the number of fans by half and raised the temperature several degrees.

    Shuttle busses ferried guests between their accommodations and the convention events to reduce use of private vehicles.

    Every registrant received a MWC-branded aluminum water flask fillable at one of 25 water stations throughout the building to replace disposable plastic bottles.

    Even the convention bag was green. Local volunteers, including groups of Amish, sewed event bags at Mennonite Central Committee’s Ephrata Material Resources Center from donated fabric and discarded neckties. Matching the dimensions of the school kits sent overseas, the bags could be donated to MCC after the event.

    But Good and his team went even further.

    Eaten up after eaten on
    With encouragement from the Mennonite Creation Care Network (MCCN), the planning committee made the extra investment to ensure that for the 39,000 meals, all plates, cutlery, napkins, cups, leftover food were fully compostable at a cost of about $0.60/meal.

    Even the communion cups for Friday’s celebration of the Lord’s supper were compostable.

    “Spread across 39,000 meals, [it] was not that expensive,” says Good. Savings in other areas mitigated higher costs incurred by the sustainability measures. Thirty volunteers at lunch and 40 every supper supplemented caterer Centerplate’s staffing needs. Local Mennonite agribusinesses donated some foodstuff or sold it to the caterer at reduced prices.

    Over the course of the week at the Farm Show Complex, the Environmental Recovery Corporation trucked away almost 4.25 tons of waste Oregon Dairy Organics, a sister company to the Lancaster County farm and supermarket. There, the items were shredded, mixed with manure and periodically turned. After three months, this was blended with soil for use in landscaping and erosion control.

    There were bumps along the way. “We discovered it was much easier for people to comingle regular trash and compostable trash than we realized,” said Good. Recyclable trash also found its way into compost receptacles. One container, refused because too much non-compostable material was mixed in, had to be incinerated.  

    Educating eaters
    “Initially, the sorting made little sense to convention goers,” says Marlisa Yoder Bontrager. With five members of her family, she volunteered at disposal stations during meals at Assembly to help diners sort out their garbage from compostable items.

    The Assembly team also produced more signage and an explanatory video to help guests discern which materials were recyclable, compostable or just plain garbage.

    “Once they understood the process, many shared feelings of relief and appreciation when they realized that their trash wasn’t going to a landfill,” says Yoder Bontrager.

    Cooperation
    The cooperation of leadership from the Farm Show Complex was key to the success of the ambitious waste reduction strategy, says Good.

    Sharon Altland, executive director of the Farm Show Complex, says they do their best to accommodate client requests. Centerplate, the onsite catering contractor, used their broad food services network to find a reliable vendor able to meet MWC’s needs.

    The venue already prioritizes green initiatives, but “working with Mennonite World Conference opened the doors to yet another conversation,” says Altland. “We are working to take steps to reduce food waste and are in conversations with the food vendors for the 100th Farm Show to capture prep waste.”

    “The fact that 4.25 tons less [garbage] was hauled [to the incinerator] is a huge accomplishment,” says Altland.

    “[Assembly planners] were willing to grapple with the gap that sometimes exists between best environmental practices and convenience – and then made it work for a huge gathering,” says Yoder Bontrager who is also a member of MCCN’s council. “They reflected in practice…an important commitment: growing in our dedication to care for God’s creation as an essential part of the good news of Jesus Christ.”

    “Even though being responsible can mean higher costs, good planning in other areas can make it all affordable,” says Good.

    —MWC Release by Karla Braun

     

     

  • Pietermaritzburg, South Africa – September 21 marked the International Day of Peace – an event observed around the world with the hope that global citizens may renew their desire to work for peace. Mennonite World Conference and its member churches participated in this global day of commitment to peace by celebrating Peace Sunday on September 20, 2015.

    As we focused on peace, we were not far removed from images that shocked us with the recognition that shalom is still desperately needed around the world.

    Earlier in September, the world was accosted with photographs of the lifeless body of Aylan Kurdi (3) washed up on the shores of Turkey. We were confronted with the ramifications of years of civil war in Syria and ongoing bombing by foreign powers.

    We saw the human price paid for the perpetuation of war and violence.

    Although the flood of people leaving Syria and other countries, such as Afghanistan and Iraq, has been described as a refugee crisis, we know that it is but a symptom of a much larger issue. Europe has been in the spotlight for the way its countries have responded (or not) to the influx of refugees and asylum seekers crossing their borders.

    But this is not only a regional issue. For decades, Colombia and DR Congo have seen large numbers of people flee or be internally displaced due to ongoing conflict.

    This is a human issue with deep causes.

    In the book of James, we are reminded that “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:18, WEB). The author of James reminds us that the way in which we sow matters. Our governments continue to assume that peace and justice can be achieved through violent means. Not surprisingly, peace pursued with guns and bombs continues to be unattainable.

    And the spiral of violence costs human lives.

    As people who seek to sow in peace, we would like to share stories of the way(s) in which our churches have responded to the refugee crisis in Europe and the Middle East or the larger backdrop of violence occurring in our own communities and regions.

    Member churches in Europe, how are you responding to the influx of refugees coming into the EU? In what ways can other churches around the world support your efforts?

    Member churches in other parts of the world, how are you responding to this immediate crisis in Europe and the Middle East? How are you working to be peacemakers amid the violence and injustice in your community and region?

    Click here to share stories of how your church is responding.

    Click below to support member agencies of the Global Anabaptist Service Network who are working with refugees and peace making:

    —Andrew Suderman, MWC Peace Commission, secretary

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    Photo: Caisse de secours (http://caissedesecours.menno.fr/)

     

     

  • Pietermaritzburg, South Africa – As Mennonite World Conference (MWC) member churches celebrated Peace Sunday on 20 September 2015, they also recognized the ways in which peace continues to be wanting in their communities.

    In Colombia, Mennonite and Mennonite Brethren churches, and Global Anabaptist Service Network agencies Justapaz and Mencoldes considered the meaning of peace as gospel. They celebrated Peace Sunday with the national event Pan y Paz (Bread and Peace) where many congregations shared bread and blessings in their neighbourhoods. Pan y Paz called local churches to reflect on the relationship between economic justice and peace, and focused on supporting the peace talks in Colombia with a theme of “Stop War: Make Peace Happen.”

    In Central America, Iglesia Evangelica Menonita Hondureña, an MWC member church in Honduras, along with Casa Horeb, a Mennonite congregation in Guatemala, released pronouncements on Peace Sunday about the ongoing challenges and injustices they face.

    Iglesia Evangelica Menonita Hondureña reminds us that insofar as some people live in poverty while others do not check their greed, peace will still be in want in their country. They observe that governing authorities embody different values than those of the Kingdom of God.

    “We point out the inability of the ruling class in its responsibility of imparting justice, applying unequal, rigid, and malicious processes. To date, the militarization of a society as an alternative to provide security, does not meet the expectations of the people and the continuous deaths which are adding up in the neighborhoods and colonies of the country on a daily basis, is linked to this, instead of seeking real solutions to the economic crisis, offering populist actions that are not a response to the huge needs of the majority.”

    And yet, our Honduran brothers and sisters continue to work toward a holistic peace as they seek to participate in the Kingdom of God and be led by its values.

    “Historically, we are a peaceful and nonviolent church, founded on the values of the Kingdom of God, such as love, justice, peace, forgiveness and reconciliation. We believe in conflict transformation through sincere and fair dialogue, and in promoting respect for human rights.”

    Casa Horeb also released a pronouncement for the need of God’s Kingdom to be made apparent, both in the world and in the Guatemalan context. “It is with humility that we express our call, founded in radical claims demanded by the Kingdom of God, especially in this country that considers itself as Christian: love, that makes us see one another as neighbors, justice, demanding from us to be welfare builders, and peace which compels us to live a life of service (not for selfish advantage, assaulting everybody’s heritage and cynicism to find justifications).”

    Peace is realized when we make intentional efforts to live in right relationships with one another, with God and with creation. Our sisters and brothers from Colombia, Honduras and Guatemala remind us, however, that as long as people continue to suffer, injustice occurs, corruption steals from those in need and people continue to assume that violence will bring about the shalom the world so desperately needs, we are still in want of right relationships.

    Thus, our sisters and brothers from Honduras call us to action: “To all members of Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Hondureña, to all our Mennonite brethren around the world, and to all brethren of the churches with whom we share the honor, subjection, and obedience to the name of Jesus Christ, to declare a day of fasting and prayer for our nation, asking our Lord to guide us towards a true social transformation, freeing our people from social injustice, corruption and impunity.”

    Our mission to be peacemakers and to realize God’s peace continues. May we heed the call from our fellow sisters and brothers.

    —Andrew Suderman, MWC Peace Commission, secretary

    To see the full pronouncement of Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Hondureña, click here.

    To see the full pronouncement of Casa Horeb, a Mennonite congregation in Guatemala, click here.

    To see a video of Pan y Paz in Colombia, click here. 

     

  • GYS hears the challenges of the Mennonite church in Ukraine

    More than a year ago, Crimea – a Russian-speaking province on the south of Ukraine – was taken over by Russia through some military actions and a referendum. The conflict has since expanded to parts of eastern Ukraine, where more than 6,000 people have been killed after a year of fighting.

    One of the Anabaptist churches in Ukraine is Molochansk Mennonite Church, located just three hours’ drive away from the battle region. Four members of this church were in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, to attend Mennonite World Conference’s Assembly 16.

    Molochansk Mennonite Church has been doing what they can to ease the burdens of the affected people. They regularly send food to people near the battlefront and provide counselling to people traumatized by the violence.

    However, while the Mennonites are now safe from harm, this conflict has politically divided the nation where Russian speakers and Ukrainian speakers used to live harmoniously.

    “We have seen churches where the pro-Russian and the anti-Russian members won’t have communion with each other,” Utkin said. “Pastors are facing challenges in leading their divided members.”

    “It has been amazing to directly see the support we are getting from the global community represented in GYS. Please continue to pray for our country. For us, to live is to establish the Kingdom of God, and your prayer mean a great deal to us,” Molochansk Mennonite Church pastor Alexey Makaiov stated.

    How you can pray for Ukraine:

    • Pray for God-inspired wisdom for Ukrainian pastors so they continue to speak truth and peace
    • Pray for protection for the people displaced by the conflict.
    • Pray for safety and healing in the communities affected by violence.
    • Pray for unity among the Christians, so they continue to be salt and light regardless of the challenges they face.

    —Elina Ciptadi-Perkins

    Update:

    Ukrainian Mennonite churches pray that they will continue to serve according to the gospel. “In spite of the fact that it is difficult, our Mennonite brothers and sisters don’t stop. In November, we plan to open a church in the city of Berdiansk [not far from the conflict zone],” says Alexey Makaiov via email. He indicates that New Hope Church in Zaporozhye continues to expand its vocational training opportunities.

    “We pray that the family of Mennonites in Ukraine will multiply.”

    As winter approaches, the eight Mennonite churches are preparing to offer “Warm Church” for a second time in December and January. Power cuts and fuel shortages leave homes and schools cold during the worst of winter. With support from MB Mission (the Mennonite Brethren mission agency), the churches heat their buildings each day. They invite the community to this warm haven offering food, activities and the hope of the gospel. MB Mission also purchased a van for the church leaders who make regular trips to visit soldiers and bring relief supplies to citizens in the conflict region of Donbass.

    “We continue to pray for Ukraine – and for the world – for a repentance and humility of the people before God,” says Makaiov.—Karla Braun