Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • Hokkaido, Japan/Elkhart, Indiana, USA – Reacting to a proposed change in Japan’s ban against making war outside of its borders, Japanese Mennonites issued a statement reaffirming its anti-war stance.

    The protest issued in September 2014 was in response to the Japan Cabinet’s decision in July to reinterpret the country’s pacifist postwar 1947 constitution that limits the use of force to defend Japan. The proposed change would allow the East Asian nation to take offensive action outside of its borders to help defend allies “in close relationship.”

    A statement sent by the Peace Mission Center of the Nihon Menonaito Kirisuto Kyokai Kyogikai (Japan Mennonite Christian Church Conference), the conference of Mennonite churches of Hokkaido, Japan, protests this governmental change. Addressed to the administration of Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the statement outlines the Christian peace position and urges the government to reconsider its recent decision. The government has not responded to the statement.

    Earlier, in May 2013, fourteen Mennonite and Brethren in Christ leaders in Japan issued a call against this same proposed constitutional change.

    Within Christian and outside Christian circles, Hokkaido Mennonites are letting their convictions be known and encouraging others to do likewise. Yukari Kaga, pastor of Obihiro Mennonite Church and Peace Mission Center board member, said that unlike large denominations, the small conference is united in the stance that “the peace of Jesus is foundational in our faith.”

    As a result of the anti-war controversy, young people are also speaking out, taking a stand, and becoming aware of free-speech issues and the free exchange of ideas. “For the school newspaper, they write about what they perceive as odd, and their comments are read by the whole student body,” said Yasuko Momono, a high school teacher and newspaper advisor, who is a member of Furano Nozomi Mennonite Church and a Peace Mission Center board member.

    The Japanese government’s former stance emerges from its decision, after World War II, to no longer initiate war and to support only domestic and narrow military support operations. Some Japanese politicians and citizens want the self-defense limits to be lifted, for fear of aggression from neighboring countries in northeast Asia.

    – Adapted from a news release by Mennonite Mission Network by Wil LaVeist

     

  • Bogotá, Colombia/Elkhart, Indiana, USA – Are you thinking about attending Assembly Gathered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania July 21-26, 2015? 

    To get a taste of this once-in-six-years global gathering of Anabaptists, you can participate in a 30-minute webinar (online presentation) on Wednesday, February 25th at 4 pm EST.

    During the presentation, Mennonite World Conference President Elect J. Nelson Kraybill and General Secretary César García, will share stories from past MWC Assemblies and talk about the importance of unity not uniformity within the global Anabaptist family. 

    Webinar host Wilmer Martin, owner of Mennonite travel company TourMagination, will briefly outline heritage tours available in conjunction with PA 2015.  There will be time for questions. 

    To participate in the webinar, you need a computer with speakers and a microphone. You can also participate by telephone. Follow this link to register for the webinar: http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=EB55DF8081463D

    From a TourMagination release

     

  • Akron, Pennsylvania, USA – Several North American agencies have collaborated to produce a new Sunday school curriculum focused on building bridges between peace churches and military veterans.

     “Returning Veterans, Returning Hope: Seeking Peace Together” was created by Mennonite Central Committee, the Peace and Justice Support Network of Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA) and Mennonite Mission Network (MMN). MCUSA is a Mennonite World Conference member church, while MCC and MMN are linked to MWC through its Mission Commission – MCC through the Commission’s Global Anabaptist Service Network and MNN through the Global Mission Fellowship.

    Released in late 2014 on a U.S. holiday that honors military veterans, the free six-week course focuses on biblical reflections and insights about trauma with significant input from a third source.

    Evan Knappenberger, an Iraq War veteran studying at Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA) spent part of 2014 researching and writing as part of a nontraditional Ministry Inquiry Program placement.

    “I did a lot of coordinating with veterans in the Mennonite world,” he said. “In almost every little Mennonite community there is one or two, if not more. There are a lot more in the Brethren in Christ church in Pennsylvania.”

    Curriculum creators see the materials as a relatively new field for North American Mennonites – addressing how Christian pacifists can embrace returning warriors.

    “There are a lot of potentially good things that veterans can offer churches,” said Knappenberger. “There are good qualities of soldiers and veterans. Gandhi was a veteran; Tolstoy was a veteran. The people who teach us nonviolence, many of them wore a uniform.”

    Click here to see the free Sunday school curriculum “Returning Veterans. Returning hope.”

    – Adapted from a Mennonite World Review news release by Tim Huber

    Jason Boone Evan Knappenberger Titus Peachey

     

  • Akron, Pennsylvania, USA – When thousands of Anabaptists from around the world arrive in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania next July, they will each receive a hand-sewn bag, created from recycled materials by the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Material Resources Center (MRC). As excitement over these bags has grown, materials have come from surprising places.

    After attending Paraguay’s Assembly in 2009, MRC staff suggested that event bags be created for Pennsylvania 2015. The bags are made from donated fabric and neckties and are the same pattern that MCC uses for school kits, which are distributed to refugee children around the world.

    In Krefeld, Germany, a city where Mennonites had settled centuries before as silk weavers, children at the German Mennonite Convention used silk neckties for some of their activities.  Generations ago, immigrants from Krefeld were some of the first to settle in Pennsylvania. When the connection was made, convention organizers spontaneously decided to donate all 250 ties for Assembly bags.

    Minister Koo Jin Joo, a South Korean diplomat to the UN, visited the MRC during a trip to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and was impressed by their creativity in repurposing items.  After returning home, he told his staff about the Sewing Room: “There was a grandmother there who said that she needed thousands of neckties to use as shoulder straps for the book bags that they were sewing [for Mennonite World Conference] next summer.” He asked the diplomats and staff to help, and in several weeks, he had collected 34 neckties to help with this project.

    MRC volunteers have been working hard. By the first week of January, 8000 bags were already done and volunteers were on track to have the rest completed in a few months. Not only were the bags made from recycled materials, reports PA 2015 organizer Liesa Unger, but they will serve another purpose after Assembly. Attendees can donate bags back to MCC to be used for school kits, making the bags fully recycled and recyclable.

    Emily Ralph

    Minister Koo presenting donated neckties to Doug Hostetter, director of MCC’s UN office. Photo by JeaHyun Nham

     

     

    Liesa Unger with Mary Martin, a volunteer at the Mennonite Resource Center. 

     

     

     

  • Registrants for PA 2015, the Mennonite World Conference Assembly coming in July to Harrisburg, PA, can have a front row seat observing the Global Anabaptist Profile (GAP) study. But it will require some hard work and dedication.

    “Encountering Anabaptism in the Global South” is a graduate level course sponsored by Eastern Mennonite Seminary through its extension site in Lancaster, PA. “We are delighted that Anabaptists from around the world are coming to this region,” said Mark R. Wenger, director of EMS Lancaster. “We hope this study honours our guests and provides an opportunity for exposure and exchange with the global church at a deep level.”

    The course will be offered in a “hybrid” format, combining face-to-face interaction and online components. Students will attend PA 2015 (July 21-26), participate in the GAP Consultation (July 27-29), meet with the instructor, read sociologists and missiologists who are studying the global church as a whole, and write a paper. Students may audit the course or earn three semester hours of credit.

    Sociologist, author, and pastor Conrad L. Kanagy will be the instructor. Kanagy is co-director of the GAP, along with John D. Roth, who leads the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism at Goshen College. The Institute and Mennonite World Conference are sponsors of the GAP.

    The class is for North Americans and internationals. It will be conducted in English.

    “We will look at the church as a global body,” said Kanagy. “And we will hear findings from research associates from each of the 24 MWC member churches from around the world who are part of the Global Anabaptist Profile. We’ll compare and contrast what we hear from those participating churches. We will also compare Anabaptists with other global fellowships of churches. Our scope is the global church as a whole, including beyond Anabaptists. So we want to examine how Anabaptists’ faith-life is alike and different from other global faith fellowships.”

    Launched a year and a half ago, the GAP describes its mission as looking systematically at the “beliefs, practices and challenges” of Anabaptist churches around the world.

    “I will expect students to keep a journal of their experiences at PA 2015, and then reflect about how their time at the Assembly and what they hear at the GAP Consultation connect with what we’re reading and discussing during the class meetings,” explained Kanagy.

    Kanagy and Roth will share leadership of the GAP Consultation at Elizabethtown College, some 30 minutes from the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, site of PA 2015.

    “This course will have an important and sizable experiential dimension to it,” commented Kanagy. “Students will be able to be highly engaged at both the Assembly and the Consultation. This is also a unique opportunity since the Consultation is not open to the public.”

    For more information about the course content and how to register, write to lancaster_seminary@emu.edu. No prior experience in this field is required of the students.

    Article by Phyllis Pellman Good, a writer and editor for Mennonite World Conference.

    John D. Roth 
    Conrad L. Kanagy

     

  • Bogotá, Colombia – “Pray, pray fervently that God will bring his favour, and that my case will become a door that many young people can walk through as well,” Colombian Reinaldo Aguirre pleaded to the church throughout his three years of administrative limbo. A conscientious objector to Colombia’s obligatory military service, the young man from the outskirts of Bogota had decided that as a Christian he could not kill.

    Reinaldo declared himself as an objector at his local military base, where he was told that the base was not equipped to deal with his claim. Without his military passbook, which serves as proof of service or exemption, it was impossible for Reinaldo to get a job or to graduate from university. Everyday, he faced the risk of being arbitrarily detained by the Colombia Army. After Reinaldo had made over seven requests for CO status, without response over a period of three years, he decided to take his case to the Court.

    The 20 year old, who attends a Pentecostal church, learnt about conscientious objection through a series workshops with the Mennonite Church. Reinaldo maintains that “from the Christian tradition, we oppose military or armed service because it is incompatible with the teachings and examples of Jesus Christ. Those of us who have accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives owe him absolute loyalty, not to a nation, nor a state, nor government, but to the Son of God who teaches us to love our enemies, to do good to those who mistreat us, and to pray for those who wish to do us harm.”

    At the end of January 2015, the door opened for Reinaldo. In an historical ruling, the Colombian Constitutional Court ordered the military to issue Reinaldo’s passbook within 48 hours, arguing that his rights to work, education and worship were violated by the lack of response to application for CO status.

    “This court ruling also contains new and important elements for conscientious objectors,” reflects Jenny Neme, director of Justapaz, on the historical decision. “The Court orders the army to direct those in charge of recruitment to process requests for conscientious objection and to not deny exemption requests. It also establishes a strict timeline for the army to resolve said applications. “

    Throughout every step of Reinaldo’s journey, Justapaz was there, providing legal advice and letting the young man know that he was not alone. This accompaniment is now second nature for the organization. According to Jack Suderman, secretary of the Mennonite World Conference Peace Commission, “This (court ruling) is the fruit of 26 years of sustained, budgeted, planned, dogged, tenacious institutional commitment on behalf of the Colombian Mennonite Church and its institutions.”

    “It is necessary, however, to continue on in the defense of these rights.” says Jenny, expressing Justapaz’s continued commitment to conscientious objection, “The very fact that the army is responsible to resolve requests for conscientious objection must be revised. Ethically, a military body cannot approve or disapprove the decision of a person, who by conscience, does not hold to military logic. We must continue insisting that the Congress of the Republic legislate these rights and eliminate all barriers for its recognition. Finally, the Colombian state must revise the pertinence of its military structure within a country that is nearing a post-conflict stage. “

    As for Reinaldo, he is hopeful. “I want to give thanks to God for this joyful court ruling, not only for me, but for the many young men in Colombia who believe in peace and are committed to conscientious objection. This is a door that is opening for many. We are going to walk through, and are already walking through.”

    Article by Anna Vogt

  • Kingston, Jamaica – A consultation held here 08-10 January involved representatives from six different believers baptism church traditions. They shared their understandings and practices of baptism and explored how their thinking has changed in light of the emerging theological convergence on baptism and growing ecumenical encounter over the past 30 years.

    This was the first time such a gathering has taken place, and thus represents an historic moment in the life of these traditions.

    The traditions included the Baptists, Church of the Brethren, Churches of Christ, Disciples of Christ, Mennonites, and Pentecostals. The 18 participants came from Jamaica, Kenya, Germany, Paraguay, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

    Mennonite participants were Fernando Enns of Germany, Alfred Neufeld of Paraguay and Rebecca Osiro of Kenya. Click here for a full list of participants.

    The initiative for the consultation grew out of the annual meeting of Secretaries of Christian World Communions in 2012, which noted fresh thinking and official agreements around the mutual recognition of baptism between churches who practice “infant baptism” and those who have practiced “believers baptism.”

    The agenda of the consultation included presentations from each of the traditions on their past and current teaching and practice of baptism, with attention to how their understandings have changed or developed. A representative of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches was also present to provide input from the wider global discussion on baptism within the ecumenical movement.

    The highlights of the consultation, as stated in a report on the meeting, included:

    • gratitude for the opportunity to have an open and honest reflection on the meaning, practice and shared understandings of baptism among the participants;

    • naming the potential found in the image of “being on a journey” for the Christian life, with different forms and expressions of initiation and confession, while sharing a similar call to discipleship;

    • the significance of understanding the Holy Spirit as a source both of our diversity as well as our unity in Christ;

    • the need for a re-examination of the language of sacrament, ordinance, sign and symbol as ways to acknowledge that God is the primary actor in baptism;

    • the need to recognize the continuity between ecumenical reception of other traditions as church, and the practices that mark each tradition as a unique expression of the body of Christ.

    The full text of the report on the meeting will be shared with both the Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions and the Faith and Order Commission of the WCC with the hope that it will move the discussion and work on the mutual recognition of baptism and Christian unity forward.

     

  • Almere, Netherlands – Some 30 years ago the Dutch Mennonite Mission Board (DZR), which had been exclusively oriented toward foreign lands, began a missionary project on its own soil. This decision was motivated by an awareness of the increasing secularization of Dutch society.

    This led to the start of a project in a new town called Almere, which was originally built to solve the housing problems in and around Amsterdam. The DZR established a house of hospitality in a neighbourhood located close to Almere’s developing city center. This drop-in centre, called Inloophuis de Ruimte, aimed to have an open door and a low threshold.

    It was to be a place where people could easily and genuinely meet with one another – no simple task in a new city like Almere, where everyone is a relatively recent “immigrant.” At Inloophuis de Ruimte, these ordinary moments of meeting together are honoured as something holy, something through which the Spirit can and does work.

    The DZR intentionally chose to open a drop-in center rather than to pursue more traditional missionary methods.  On one hand, the centre is an outreach program and, on the other hand, it is also a learning experience for the Dutch Mennonites in order to provide tools that enable Mennonite congregations to relate to the “world” around them.

    In November 2014 this joyful event was commemorated with a conference meant to cast a thankful but critical eye over the past 25 years and look ahead in hope.

    The conference was not just attended by Dutch Mennonites, but also by workers from other Urban Mission centers and workers from local health care  and welfare agencies as well as by members of other denominations.

    In presentation, Stuart Murray, an Anabaptist theologian from the United Kingdom drew a picture of the changed position of churches in society – a shift from being at the margins rather than at the centre. He encouraged churches  to show greater readiness to partner with others, rather than acting independently or trying to control everything.

    Churches should also be clear about their motivation – social engagement as valuable in itself, not as a cover for trying to convert people. Finally, churches should show greater insistence on being explicit about their Christian basis and the way in which their convictions undergird their activities.

    He encouraged local councils and agencies to move beyond suspicion and welcome churches as partners in initiatives that can meet social needs and engage effectively in local communities.

    Secular partners, he said, should accept that Christians are motivated by their faith and need not hide or apologize for this, but that this does not mean they will use their activities as a cover for proselytizing.

    In the second presentation Andries Baart outlined the “presence approach” practiced in urban mission work in the Netherlands. In this approach, he said, the focus is on cultivating caring relationships rather than on problem-solving. “Try to stay close to people and always focus on people and never write people off,” he maintained.

    Baart also pleaded that we acknowledge the apparent vulnerability of women and men in society. And he proposed that the Care System should operate in a reflective and relational manner at all times as care givers and the cared-for remain in dialogue about their care.

    The conference attracted mainly two groups of visitors: church-related and non-church related, such as social workers and health care workers.

    From an article by Gerrit Jan Romeijn

     

  • Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA – “We’re coming together at PA 2015 to talk with each other about our faith-life with open hearts and open minds,” says Liesa Unger, International Coordinator of this summer’s Mennonite World Conference Assembly.

    “We’ve invited our speakers to address the creative tensions found in several important topics that we all face daily,” explains Unger, who’s working closely with the Program Planning Committee for the global gathering.

    “As Christians, we tend to think we should conquer or resolve these struggles,” she commented. “So we’ve asked a pair of speakers each morning to explore how we live faithfully within these tensions.”

    “Walking with God” is the guiding theme for PA 2015, which opens Tuesday evening, July 21, and continues through Sunday, July 26.

    Speakers will address these subjects during morning worship services:

    • “Walking in Doubt and Conviction,” Wednesday, July 22
    • “Walking in Conflict and Reconciliation,” Thursday, July 23
    • “Walking in Autonomy and Community,” Friday, July 24
    • “Walking in Receiving and Giving,” Saturday, July 25

    Confirmed speakers for the mornings include Rebecca Osiro (pastor from Kenya), Tom Yoder Neufeld (professor from Canada), Nancy Heisey (professor from the U.S.), Shant Kunjam (bishop from India), and Hippolyto Tshimanga (mission director from Canada).

    “We’ve also invited young adult speakers from around the world to be full members of our platform team at PA 2015,” comments Unger. “A young adult leader will give a response each morning to the presentation.” Confirmed are Tigist Tesfaye Gelagle (Ethiopia), Remilyn Mendez (Philippines), Rodrigo Pedroza (Mexico), and Marc  Pasqués (Spain/Australia).

    “God has given us such a rich variety of experiences, cultures, and settings – and we want to learn from our different lives while we’re together in July,” says Unger. “So often we only see a narrow wedge of  God’s Kingdom among us. Each of us, in our particular settings, is up against dilemmas that feel threatening. So why not explore the Bible in the company and support of each other and together commit to greater faithfulness?”

    César García, General Secretary of MWC, from Colombia, reflected recently about the idea of  “walking with God”: “I like the idea of understanding the Christian life as a way of living that’s under construction, a process that isn’t static or finished. I really believe that our conversations at PA 2015 will transform us because we’ll be discovering together the implications of following Christ in our home communities.”

    An unusual small group experience planned for morning services

    “Each morning, international Friendship Groups will gather after the presentations to talk about what’s been said.  We will help the audience form these groups, and the same groups will meet each day, so friendships can develop. This is a fellowship experience, as well as a chance for give-and-take in a fairly intimate setting about matters we care deeply about. We don’t want anyone going home and saying they never talked with anybody except friends they knew before,” smiles Unger.

    Additionally, an international music group will lead all who gather each morning in rousing singing.

    Programming planned for children and youth

    “Children and high-school youth will love their days at PA 2015,” says Unger. “What greater gift can we give our children than 4+ days in the arms of the global church!

    “After the morning singing, children ages 4-11 will enjoy a multicultural program and lunch. They’ll rejoin the adults for dinner and evening worship.”

    “Youth from ages 12-17 will have their own morning program after the singing, as well as late night events for youth staying at Messiah College. Their afternoons will be filled with workshops geared especially to youth, service projects (including building a house for MDS), tours, kayaking, hiking, sports, and even a Menno World Cup! And the Global Village stage will feature a line-up of not-to-be-missed acts from all over the world throughout the afternoons.”

    Evening programs to be filled with music, storytelling, and witness

    “Worship planners on the program committee and the music director are just now listening to recordings of groups from many parts of the world who have applied to sing and play during the evening worship services. We’re praying that the choirs, ensembles, and individual musicians will be able to get visas so they can minister in worship at the close of our days together.”

    “In addition to singing each evening, the services will include stories and witness, prayer, sharing of gifts, stories, and encouragement.”

    For more information about the programming and to register for PA 2015, go to www.mwc-cmm.org/pa2015.

    Article by Phyllis Pellman Good, Lancaster, PA, a writer and editor for Mennonite World Conference.

     

    Photos:

    Tom Yoder Neufeld. Photo by Liesa Unger

    Rebecca Osiro. Photo by Merle Good                      

    Tigist Tesfaye Gelagle. Photo by Liesa Unger

     

  • Bogotá, Colombia – As excitement continues to grow for the global Assembly, Mennonite World Conference has created a variety of free resources for congregations and communities to use as they talk about and promote Pennsylvania 2015, all available on the MWC website.

    Church leaders can find a downloadable word doc with ready-made announcements to use in church bulletins. They come with suggested dates for when to publish them and are an easy way to mention MWC on a weekly basis.

    If a visual is needed there is a colour poster for PA 2015 with dates including Assembly Gathered, Assembly Scattered and the Global Youth Summit. This is available as a PDF file, easy to download and print.

    As a way to introduce MWC to congregations and friends, there is a 3.5 minute video called, “Who is Mennonite World Conference?” This video explains what it means to be a worldwide community of faith and is available in English, Spanish and French.

    Another great video, that shows how MWC is much more than just the global Assembly every six years, is “Beyond Assemblies.” This video is available in English and Spanish.

    There are also resources for those who want to support PA 2015 in prayer. Brothers and sisters from the global Anabaptist family world-wide are invited to join the PA 2015 Prayer Network. There is information posted online and people can sign up to receive monthly communications with scriptural meditations, stories, information surrounding Pennsylvania 2015, and items to pray about.

    The latest issue of Assembly News is posted online. This 2 page news sheet contains all the latest information about PA 2015 preparations and is also available for download.

    All of these resources are easily found on the “Resources” page in the Assembly section of the MWC website: www.mwc-cmm.org/pa2015resources.

    MWC Release

     

  • Amid growing anticipation and excitement about the Mennonite World Conference Assembly (PA 2015) to be held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania July 21-26, 2015, a number of questions keep surfacing within North American churches. MWC General Secretary, César García of Bogotá, Colombia, shares his thoughts and answers to questions being talked about in hallways and over dinner tables.

    Question: Should we really come to PA 2015? I hear they don’t want too many North Americans there. Will there be enough internationals for this to be a truly global event?

    García: At Mennonite World Conference (MWC) Assemblies, the people of the hosting country always outnumber their guests. It was true in India, in Zimbabwe, and in Paraguay. Those who live in the host country know there’s a rich feast to experience, and they don’t want to miss it.

    It’s also a chance for the various Anabaptist groups from within the hosting country (and continent) to work and worship together. This will include not only the host churches (Mennonite, Mennonite Brethren, Brethren in Christ, Conservative Mennonite Conference), but also newer immigrant churches (for example Vietnamese, Ethiopian and Korean congregations), which are firmly planted and growing in strength and numbers in the United States and Canada.

    All of these MWC members based in North America will be at PA 2015, fully participating. You’ll have them as friends and resources long after your guests have gone home. Why not build your futures together? So, please don’t hold back. You are ALL absolutely welcome. And, yes, there will be enough internationals for this to be a truly global event. Registration so far shows strong enthusiasm.

    Question: Why have the event in the U.S. with the visa issue? What is being done about ensuring that our sisters and brothers from the Global South can get visas?

    García: We learned something from the Zimbabweans when they invited all of us to their country for the MWC Assembly in 2003. They had worrisome food and fuel shortages. Inflation was out of control. Daily life was a major struggle for many church members. But they wanted to share what they had – and they needed to experience the support of their sisters and brothers from around the world. So they stockpiled food and fuel for months before the Assembly. And they set up a Prayer Network throughout their country, and they prayed vigorously.

    Mennonites in the U.S. are saying, “We humbly acknowledge that we live in a deeply fearful society and that our government is preoccupied with security. But we need the presence of our faith family with us. We believe they can help us be more faithful if they spend a week in our country.

    “We have established a Visa Task Force [go to http://www.mwc-cmm.org/visaissue to read about its efforts] to work carefully with this issue. And we’ve called a Prayer Network into being so that together we can ask God for guidance, hope, and strength as hosts of this global gathering.”

    All countries have problems, but MWC goes where its people are, despite the difficulties. We all need the support of our faith family.

    Question: Why is the Mennonite Church USA Convention being held in July 2015, just a few weeks before PA 2015?

    García: MWC is a global community. Each of its member churches has its own calendar of events. MWC hasn’t been able to find dates for its Assemblies that don’t conflict with major events put on by its member churches somewhere in the world.

    In fact, two of the inviting churches within the US have their conventions close to the time of PA 2015. But when the MWC member churches in North America invited MWC to bring its every-six-year-Assembly to its continent in July, MWC wanted to accept their invitation rather than (impolitely) question the wisdom of holding its event so close to Mennonite Church USA’s convention (June 30-July 5) and to Conservative Mennonite Conference’s annual meeting (July 16-19).

    Question: Why is the registration cost so high for PA 2015?

    “Global North pricing” and “Global South pricing” is the way in which MWC recognizes the economic differences in our global family. MWC uses the principle of each paying their “Fair Share” – based on their country of citizenship – when calculating how much persons should pay to attend PA 2015.

    It is not a perfect system. MWC’s goal is to distribute costs as evenly as possible around the world, so that it is not a heavier burden proportionately in one place than in another.

    Question: Why does PA 2015 include two “youth” events, and one of them is not even for youth? Why didn’t MWC change the name of the young adult event so it wouldn’t be so confusing?

    García: North Americans are simply fitting into a tradition which made sense when it was begun by MWC and still makes sense in many places in the world.

    The Global Youth Summit was created for persons aged 18 to 30. It began in Zimbabwe in 2003 with more than 220 registrants and happened again in Paraguay in 2009 with more than 700. It is a movement that is growing. More than 1000 registrants are expected to attend the GYS in PA.

    At PA 2015, there will be planned activities for children and high-school-aged young people at an MWC Assembly. Children from ages 4 to 11 years will gather every day from 10:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

    There will be a special program for youth 12 to 17 years of age every day from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. In the afternoons youth will be able to choose from workshops with a special focus on youth, sports, games and fun, afternoon tours, service opportunities and the Global Church Village & Stage.

    Each day will start and end including everyone—in the morning with singing with an international choir, and in the evening with a worship service that will include participation from all continents.

    Question: Why should I take a week off and come to PA 2015?

    García: We hope that North Americans will feel called to join this global experience. Yes, it does involve committing time and money, but we believe that this is a rare opportunity to become involved in a spiritual experience that will be truly transformative. Are North Americans really so busy that they can’t set aside 5 ½ days to spend time worshiping and fellowshipping and sharing about their faith-lives with sisters and brothers who live faithfully in many parts of the world? North Americans are being offered a chance to practice true hospitality by sharing life with our global faith family. What’s more important than participating wholeheartedly and seeing what we can learn? And why not include children and young people so that they have an indelible experience of life in God’s rich community, which could shape their understanding of church for the rest of their lives?

    Question: What is Mennonite World Conference? If it is more than a once-every-six-years conference, why is it called a “conference”?

    García: Mennonite World Conference began as an event, a single meeting in 1925, when a relatively small group of European and North American Mennonites planned a “conference” to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Anabaptism in Switzerland in 1525. (The Mennonite world at that time was largely confined to Europe and North America.)

    Other Mennonite World Conferences followed, being held about every five or six years, often to celebrate an historical occasion, and over time, to consider themes of interest and concern to Mennonites as a whole. Fellowship and support for each other became increasingly important, although MWC has never had the authority to control or impose doctrine or practice on its members.

    The word “conference” accurately described the activities of these early get-togethers. And the name has stuck, although there is periodic discussion about using the term “communion” instead of “conference.”

    Over the years, as fellowships began to form around the world, MWC began to recognize ways in which national churches could become resources to each other. MWC began to develop programs that are year-round and ongoing to bring the global family into greater relationship with each other.

    Today, in addition to its global Assemblies, MWC sponsors World Fellowship Sunday, nurtures solidarity and networking among its member churches, publishes periodicals, encourages the publishing of the Global Anabaptist Shelf of Literature, includes Commissions who support the faith life of MWC member churches, and much more. All of this contributes to our becoming a global communion.

    As the founder of MWC said 90 years ago, “We are stronger when we are together.” In the midst of persecution and suffering, MWC brings hope to a world that needs to see that in Christ, it is possible to find an interdependent, multicultural community that loves and serves in the way of Jesus.

    For more information about PA 2015, the next Mennonite World Conference Assembly, to be held July 21-26, 2015, at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, go to www.mwc-cmm.org/pa2015.

     

     

  • Bulawayo, Zimbabwe – Danisa Ndlovu, president of Mennonite World Conference, retired from his position as bishop of Ibandla Labazalwane KuKristu eZimbabwe (Brethren in Christ Church in Zimbabwe), effective 31 December 2014.

    Ndlovu has been bishop of the Brethren in Christ Church since 2000. Beginning in 2015 he assumes a new role with the Susek Evangelistic Association, a United States–based ministry that “is committed to the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ by strengthening and building of the church” through evangelism, conferences and other initiatives. In this new role Ndlovu will help to organize and co-facilitate leadership summits in Africa and elsewhere.

    Ndlovu has ministered as bishop during difficult times for Zimbabweans. Government corruption, violence, famine and skyrocketing inflation have resulted in devastation, despair and even death. Yet, as Ndlovu told the 2008 General Conference of the Brethren in Christ Church in North America, “In the midst of suffering, God is calling us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices.” Under his leadership, the Brethren in Christ of Zimbabwe have committed themselves to service and worship despite seemingly insurmountable trials.

    In reflecting on his years as bishop, Ndlovu counts the 2003 MWC Assembly in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, as one of his greatest achievements. The Assembly “gave our brothers and sisters around the world an opportunity to put a face to the plight of the Zimbabwean people,” Ndlovu says. “The world had a taste of our strength (and possible weaknesses) as a church, as well as our spiritual vibrancy.”

    At the local level, Ndlovu celebrates the maturity he has seen in the Zimbabwean church during his tenure as bishop. He reflects, “Doing business in the church—whether at the congregation, District Council or Conference level—has been seen as an important, integral and sacred part of worship. As a result, during my years as bishop, business session have been for the most part extremely peaceful and worshipful.”

    Ndlovu has served as bishop for fifteen years. He was succeeded by Sindah Ngulube on 1 January 2015. Ngulube has served in various ministry roles in the Brethren in Christ Church in Zimbabwe, most recently as overseer for the Harare District.

    – Devin Manzullo-Thomas

     

    Danisa Ndlovu