Prayers of gratitude and intercession

  • Chicago, Illinois, USA – “What would happen if, following the example of monastic orders, there would be a ‘vow of poverty’ in multicultural mission teams for everyone?”

    This question, posed by César García at the 22 January annual consultation of the Council of International Anabaptist Ministries (CIM), focused one of his proposals for how North American mission agencies might respond to shifting global realities.

    “Some attempts at a cooperative model between North American agencies and south agencies have failed because of huge financial disparities among members of the same team,” noted García of Bogotá, Colombia, General Secretary of Mennonite World Conference (MWC).

    “An Anabaptist emphasis on simplicity as a requirement for each member of the team regardless of the country of origin could help us to avoid many problems,” he added.

    This call for a new style of missionary presence – also referred to as “mission from below” – capped several presentations by García at the CIM consultation, which brought together representatives from North American mission and service agencies.

    The theme for the day was: What is the place of the North American mission agency amidst shifting realities in the global context? The consultation this year was held in part as preparation for the next MWC Assembly scheduled for 21-26 July 2015 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

    In one presentation, García described a number of realities for the global Anabaptist community of around 1.7 million members.

    A theological reality is the primary influence of Pentecostalism in the global south. García expressed concern “about ‘romantic’ views in North America which equate global south Pentecostalism with Anabaptism” and overlook problems created by strong, divisive leaders who emphasize a “prosperity gospel” rather than a gospel of peace and justice and Christ crucified.

    “We  need to avoid both ‘Charismania’ and ‘Charisphobia’…. We need both Anabaptist and Pentecostal values and commitment,” said García.

    An ecclesiastical reality is that many emerging churches still have relationships with mission agencies rather than directly with other churches. García emphasized the importance of church-to-church relationships both for the supporting and the emerging church.

    To highlight geographical realities, García presented maps which show that the majority of mission workers being sent outside of their own country are from the global north. The maps also show the growth of churches and mission activity in the global south, where churches have fewer resources and where the mission reach tends to be local rather than global.

    In a second presentation, García proposed ways in which North American agencies might respond. He called for more interdependency. “Agencies must speak with each other or the witness is negatively impacted,” he emphasized. He also called for a commitment to holistic mission. “The implicitly received message in the south in the past has been that service and mission agencies can’t work together.”

    He concluded his final presentation with the proposal to take a fresh look at the “missional monastic roots of Anabaptism.” He commented further: “Anabaptist agencies have followed protestant patterns of missions for many years. Could this be a time to turn to monastic patterns to learn from them on issues such as administration, multicultural teams, holistic ministries and mission from below?”

    According to Stanley Green, Executive Director of Mennonite Mission Network and one of the organizers of the consultation, “The global shifts that are impacting all of us call for what I would refer to as ‘Third Way mission’ which moves beyond imperialism on the one hand, and the abandonment of our mission calling on the other, to an engagement with our global partners that is characterized by mutuality and interdependence.”

    MWC release by Ron Rempel
    For the full text of César García’s presentation, click here.

     

  • Kitchener, Ontario, Canada – In Ukraine a former Mennonite church building is being restored and transformed – with the help of Canadian Mennonites – into a Greek Catholic church.

    This development, according to observers, is an example of Mennonite-Catholic collaboration in the spirit of other exchanges over the past decade or so.

    The Mennonite church in the former village of Schoensee (now Snegurovka) was originally built in 1909. During the post-October 1917 revolution Soviet era, when Mennonites were forced to leave, the church building was used for storage and then fell into disrepair.

    Recently the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine secured ownership of the building and a retired Catholic priest from the Czech Republic, Father Peter Trenzky, is giving leadership to the restoration as well as to the congregation, which has started to worship in the building.

    In learning about the restoration project, individuals associated with the Mennonite Centre in nearby Molochansk (formerly Halbstad) offered to help. The Centre was established in 2001 in the former Mennonite Girls’ School (Maedchenschule) to provide a range of community services.

    “Initially Father Peter was afraid that Mennonites wanted to take back the church,” said George Dyck, treasurer of “Friends of the Mennonite Centre in Ukraine” (FOMCU), the Canadian-based charity providing partial funding to the project over the past year. (See www.mennonitecentre.ca or the Facebook page “Mennonite Centre Ukraine” for more information on FOMCU.)

    Dyck describes the involvement as a “mutual embrace of returning Mennonites with their former fellow villagers.” According to Dyck, the official opening of the restored church will be held in July or August of this year.

    According to Darrin Snyder Belousek, the renovation of the former Schoensee church “is the fruit of the renewal of the Catholic Church in Ukraine.” Snyder Belousek is executive director of Bridgefolk, a North American-based movement of Mennonites and Catholics with an annual gathering to learn from each other’s traditions.

    He further pointed out “a parallel of sorts” between the experience of Ukrainian Catholics and that of Russian Mennonites. The former lost their churches, had no legal protection and survived as an underground church during the Soviet era. Russian Mennonites also were not officially recognized by the Soviets and assimilated with the Baptists.

    “Both churches faced repression under similar circumstances from the same oppressor,” commented Snyder Belousek, “and had to make costly choices to keep faithful.”

    Bridgefolk was formed shortly after the start of the 1998-2003 International Mennonite Catholic Ecumenical Dialogue organized by Mennonite World Conference and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. (See www.bridgefolk.net)

    In 2007 Bridgefolk held a conference to reflect on “Called Together to Be Peacemakers,” the final report of the Mennonite-Catholic dialogue. (See www.mwc-cmm.org for a copy of the report.)

    MWC release by Ron Rempel

     

     

     

     

     

  • Harrisburg, PA, USA – We Mennonites, Mennonite Brethren, and Brethren in Christ of North America have invited our sisters and brothers from around the world to come to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in a little more than a year from now—July 21-26, 2015.

    The event, Pennsylvania 2015, is Mennonite World Conference’s every-six-year Assembly, fondly known as a reunion of the worldwide Anabaptist-Mennonite family. It’s the first time the event will be held in the eastern US in MWC’s 90-year history. The Assembly was last in the US in 1978 in Wichita, KS.

    Here are some basic facts so you can plan to join this exuberant event and prepare to offer hospitality to those who accept our invitation!

    Who’s invited?

    Everyone who’s part of the family of 1.7 million souls (see the sidebar). Mennonite World Conference (MWC) staff are preparing for 6,000-10,000 people. Attending will be interested laypeople, leaders who represent their churches, families with young children, youth groups, and young adults.

    When?

    Tuesday afternoon, July 21, through Sunday morning, July 26, 2015.

    Where?

    The Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (This is close to the large Pennsylvania Mennonite and Brethren in Christ (BIC) communities of Lancaster, Grantham, Chambersburg, and Franconia. And it’s an easy drive from Philadelphia, central PA, and the Shenandoah Valley of VA.)

    What will happen at PA 2015?

    • Each day will begin with singing, led by a multinational worship team, with music from all continents.
    • Each morning one of MWC’s four Commissions (Faith and Life, Missions, Peace, and Deacons) will present, and a young adult, selected by the Young Anabaptist group, will respond.
    • Everyone attending will join a small multicultural group of 15-20 people for fellowship and a deeper discussion on the morning theme. The same groups will continue to meet throughout the week—a great opportunity for visiting and discovering new relationships.
    • Afternoons will be filled with workshops, service opportunities, local tours, sports activities, and performances and exhibits in the Global Church Village.
    • Each continent will contribute to each evening worship service, which will include testimonies, singing, prayer, and times of encouragement.
    • PA 2015 will include a children’s program. After morning singing, children will experience their own multicultural program all day, including lunch.
    • PA 2015 will also include a youth program (ages 18 and under). After morning singing, youth will meet for their own presentations, discussions, and service projects. They’ll join the adults for workshops, sports, tours, music, and relaxing in the Global Church Village. 
    • An international young adult convention, the Global Youth Summit (ages 18+), will take place July 17-19, three days before PA 2015. It will be held at Messiah College, Mechanicsburg, PA, just across the river from Harrisburg. Its theme is “Called to Share: My Gifts, Our Gifts.”

    What is the theme for PA 2015?

    “Walking with God.” Speakers each morning and evening will work with biblical texts and our own stories and experiences of joy and grief, uncertainty and hope.

    Why should you plan to attend?

    • Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience worship with our global Anabaptist family on our own continent. (If the MWC Assemblies continue to be held every six years, rotating among the five major continents, it will be another 30 years before the Assembly comes back to North America.)
    • Because it is relatively inexpensive to attend, compared to the next Assembly, scheduled for 2021 in Indonesia.
    • Because it will be global and colorful, full of character, stories, and inspiration, even though it is in the US!
    • And mostly because worship with our sisters and brothers from all over the world will feed and nourish our souls and faith for years to come. This will be an experience of Jesus that we cannot fully replicate in our own congregations or denominations, a taste of heaven as we worship the Lamb of God in many languages and cultures.
    • Because all of us who are members of the Body of Christ will learn about how to be more faithful Christ-followers today, as we fellowship and worship together.
    • Because we will all be encouraged and have our hopes renewed by engaging with individuals from our global family, many of whom live in inhospitable settings.

    What if you speak only English? Or Spanish? Or French?

    The platform language will be English. There will be simultaneous translations for Spanish and French speakers.

    How can you get updates about PA 2015?

    Go to mwc-cmm.org/pa2015. And to be part of the ongoing conversation about PA 2015, go to Facebook.com/MennoniteWorldConference.

    When and how do you register?

    Registration opens on August 20, 2014. Go to www.mwc-cmm.org/pa2015 for registration materials.

    A special welcome from MWC’s leader

    César García, MWC General Secretary, from Bogota, Colombia, says, “It isn’t possible to have real communion with those with whom we don’t communicate.  It isn’t possible to build a global community if we don’t talk with each other. It isn’t possible to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep if we don’t know each other’s joys or sufferings.

    “If we share our experiences, our resources, our gifts, and our fears and doubts, we will be strengthened and we will be more effective. Isn’t this what it means to be Christ’s church?

    “Let’s come together in July 2015 in Harrisburg as a global family, an organic body, that is interconnected and ‘intercommunicated,’ so that we’re more than just a network of institutions!”

    What is Mennonite World Conference?

    A communion of Anabaptist-related churches, linked to one another in a worldwide community of faith for fellowship, worship, service and witness.

    Who is included in Mennonite World Conference?

    • 1.2 million baptized members of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches around the world. (There are a total of 1.7 million in the family, but not all are MWC members.)
    • 101 national conferences (about 9,500 congregations)
    • located in 83 countries
    • 78% of baptized believers in MWC member churches are African, Asian, or Latin American.

    What is a Mennonite World Conference Assembly?

    A reunion of the Anabaptist-Mennonite family worldwide, usually held every six years, meeting on one of the major five continents on a rotating basis. During the nearly week-long gathering, attendees engage in fellowship, worship, service, and witness.

    In recent years, a Global Youth Summit has preceded the Assembly. Young adults (ages 18-30) gather to experience the global church and to develop a network of relationships, prayer partners, and co-workers in Christ.

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

    Storytelling and meditations will be shared by speakers from all of the continents.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Opportunities for visiting will fill the days—from small discussion groups each morning, to mealtimes, to relaxing in the Global Church Village in the afternoons.

     

    (All photos by Merle Good)

  • Harrisburg, PA, USA – Registrants for PA 2015 will be able to choose from 47 tours while attending the Mennonite World Conference Assembly, to be held July 21-26, 2015 in Harrisburg, PA.

    Ten full-day tours will take place on Monday, July 20. Registrants may choose among visits to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, and several Anabaptist communities in eastern PA. One of these is a full day in Lancaster County, where participants will meet with Old Order Amish and Mennonites, have dinner in an Amish home, and join in an evening singing with four Old Order groups.

    Areas of focus for half-day tours offered during the Assembly include local historical sites of Mennonite-related groups, activities and locations of current-day Anabaptists, United States history, general interest, and general interest/family friendly.

    Among the destinations of these 37 half-day tours are: active, non-farming Amish businesses; Native American village sites, as well as the Lancaster Longhouse of the eastern woodland Indians; Underground Railroad locations of 1800-1860, used to help enslaved African Americans; and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, designed to assimilate Native American children from 140 tribes into USA’s majority culture (1879-1918).

    Other tours will visit: a currently used Old Order Mennonite meetinghouse, along with an active buggy and carriage shop; the Ephrata Cloister where the Martyrs Mirror was first published in German; and a greenhouse employing guest workers from Mexico, the Spanish-speaking Brethren in Christ congregation where many of them worship, and stories from the immigrant workers.

    There will be: a PA Dutch Food Tour; walking tours of historic downtown Lancaster and the nearby town of Strasburg; a visit to three York County farms that are intentionally small scale and sustainable; kayaking on the Susquehanna River; and hiking the Appalachian Trail.

    “The Farm Show Complex is situated in a beautiful, historic, and culturally rich area of southeastern Pennsylvania,” says Howard Good, National Coordinator of “PA 2015.” “We want registrants to be able to visit nearby landmarks and join in local activities while they’re here for the Assembly. We’ve lined up the hosts and the transportation so our guests can fully absorb the experience.”

    Details about all tours are available on the registration form for PA 2015.

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

    One tour option for Assembly participants will be a visit to the Material Resources Center, a Mennonite Central Committee project in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. The center is a collection point for items given by people who are responding to requests for materials from MCC partners in places of need. Photo: MCC

  • Goshen, Indiana, USA – As Anabaptist denominations in the United States prepare to host the 16th Mennonite World Conference Assembly in Pennsylvania next July, a new survey sheds light on the strength of Mennonite Church USA’s existing global connections.

    The survey, designed and administered by the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism at Goshen College (Indiana), sought to collect concrete data on the scope and frequency of global connections within MC USA member congregations and the denomination’s relationship to MWC at the congregational level.

    “I have visited many MC USA congregations in recent years,” said ISGA Director John D. Roth, “and I am always impressed by the wide range of international connections evident in these local congregations. Yet I don’t think we have a very good sense yet of the larger patterns these relationships are taking.” 

    MC USA congregations connected globally

    A preliminary analysis reveals a high level of global connectedness among the 307 MC USA congregations who responded to the survey, everything from sister church relationships to direct financial support.

    The most common way that congregations are connecting globally is through Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite Mission Network; nearly all responding congregations reported giving to one or both of these agencies, sharing news from these institutions with congregants, or sending and receiving MCC and MMN workers.

    Yet, the survey also reveals a web of connections that expand far beyond the work of MCC and MMN.

    Congregations with a high percentage of members born outside of the U.S. constitute a particularly vibrant locus of connection with the global church. These churches tend to be directly involved in both international and domestic church life and ministry.

    “We have a significant number of immigrant families and persons in the congregation,” wrote one respondent. “This has shaped our identity and connects us to the broader church, both Mennonite and non-Mennonite.”

    Many churches fund learning tours and delegations to visit other congregations and conferences outside of the U.S., and a number of pastors have used their sabbaticals to either study about the global church or to visit international churches.

    Not all connections lead congregations to reach beyond the physical border of the U.S. Some congregations have helped to host and start immigrant congregations in their own community, while others support domestic programs that work with immigrants locally.

    Individual contacts proved critical for many congregations, as they have hosted international students, counted immigrants among the church’s congregants and leadership, or sent and received church members in international service and mission.

    Sister church relationships have been particularly meaningful for some MC USA congregations, though some congregations acknowledged that these relationships also come with a high level of commitment that can be difficult for individual congregations to maintain in times of transition and crisis.

    Despite the challenges present in establishing and maintaining these connections, respondents 66 percent classified global relationships as “good and necessary, central to our reading of the Gospel.”

    Those who ranked global church connections as a low priority often referenced complications in their local congregation that have temporarily prevented a more global orientation.

    Rural churches noted that their isolation was a challenge, keeping them from connecting with other MC USA churches outside of their regional conference, not to mention global churches.

    Connecting to MWC remains a challenge

    For the majority of responding congregations, however, these global connections do not appear to translate into a clear partnership with Mennonite World Conference.

    Although 87 percent of respondents reported that their congregation shares or “somewhat shares” similar convictions with other Anabaptist-Mennonite groups globally, there was little consensus on how MWC, the international fellowship of Anabaptist-related churches, is part of the picture. In fact, a majority of churches report weak connections to MWC programs and members.

    “Whereas we have a high level of international connections,” said Roth, “our congregations don’t necessarily have a very strong sense of connection to Mennonite World Conference, which is the strongest framework that we have for expressing our connectedness as a global body.”

    There are, accordingly, few churches that contribute directly to MWC, although many assume that a portion of their contribution to MC USA is passed on to MWC. While MC USA does make contributions, it is far below the annual “Fair Share” amount that MWC has requested, based on a formula that takes both MWC’s needs and member churches’ relative resources into account.

    Due to the gap between MWC’s expenses and incoming donations, the “Fair Share” formula is currently under review. One proposal would ask that all church members annually contribute the cost of one lunch to MWC, either fasting or sharing a communal lunch to make up the difference.

    When congregations in the ISGA survey were asked about their willingness to make a contribution equivalent to the cost of a lunch for each member, 65 percent affirmed the idea, suggesting that congregations may be open to increasing connections and relationship between MC USA member churches and MWC.

    Survey results to be shared

    After a more thorough analysis, the ISGA will share the survey results with MC USA and MWC. Most immediately, the survey results could aid MC USA as it prepares to serve as one of the host denominations for MWC Assembly 16 in Pennsylvania next summer.

    “My hope is that the results of the survey can assist Mennonites in North America in coming to a deeper awareness and appreciation of the global nature of our fellowship,” said Roth.

    “We need to be attentive to the remarkable growth in the global Anabaptist-Mennonite church and to ask how we can share more directly in the energy and vitality that is evident in these churches.”

    Release by Elizabeth Miller from the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism

     

  • Harrisburg, PA, USA – “What a sad irony it would be if we welcomed the world to PA 2015 but we failed to find a way for our U.S. and Canadian sisters and brothers who belong to immigrant congregations, and to congregations who need financial support, to attend MWC’s Assembly next summer,” reflects Lynn Roth, Mennonite World Conference’s lead North American staff person.

    “We have a rich diversity of nationalities within our 1400-plus congregations in the U.S. We worship in at least 20 languages – Indonesian, Amharic, and Karen, to name just a few. Many of the members of these congregations are fairly recent immigrants. Many of them have limited incomes. They want very much to attend PA 2015. But many cannot afford the registration fee, nor can they afford to take time off from work to attend.

    “Yet we believe it is essential for people from these congregations to experience the global church and to be strongly represented at the Assembly to be held July 21-26, 2015 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

    “Their presence at PA 2015 will help all of us more fully grasp the wonderful variety within the North American church,” says Roth.  “And having had this experience, we won’t be content to live so separately in the future.”

    A partnership solution

    “We’ve put together a plan that shares responsibility for solving this dilemma,” explains Roth. “Regional and area conferences, together with local congregations and church organizations with resources to share, are invited to partner with Mennonite World Conference, and with these congregations with limited financial resources.” (See sidebar for details.)

    “We urge all congregations and area conferences across North America to join us in this effort – both those who need financial support and those who have funds to share. Please keep this opportunity to ‘care for those in our household of faith’ in mind as you plan your 2015 budget,” suggests Roth.

    “Email registrations@mwc-cmm.org for instructions about how a conference or congregation can become a partner by sending funds to MWC for their portion of the registration, and how the persons receiving the subsidy should register.”

    A gift that keeps on giving

    “Think of this as an investment in our ongoing life together as a North American church,” says Roth. “PA 2015 gives us a rare chance to learn to know our neighbouring churches – our sisters and brothers from other cultures and language groups, and with different economic status – as partners.

    “We want to continue our shared life together when the last guest has gone home from PA 2015,” reflects Roth. “As a North American church, we want to more fully experience being part of a global faith family as a result of preparing for and hosting the Assembly.”

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

    Here’s how the partnership solution will work:

    The registration fee for a North American adult for PA 2015 (including the full meal plan) is $575.

    • Mennonite World Conference will subsidize $150 of that cost.
    • MWC invites the congregation’s regional conference or a partnering congregation to donate $150.
    • The participating individual (or his/her congregation) pays the balance of $275.
    • In addition, these persons will be given priority to stay in private homes for $25 per night (totaling $125 to $150).
    • An additional cost for which creative funding must be found is transportation to and from PA 2015.

     

  • Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA – “We should be well informed hosts,” said Richard Thomas recently about PA 2015, the Mennonite World Conference Assembly, to be held next July 21-26 in Harrisburg, PA.

    Thomas, who chairs the National Advisory Council for the event, is urging all North American Mennonites, Mennonite Brethren, and Brethren in Christ to honour their guests next summer by starting to prepare now.

    “Most of us probably can’t become fluent in Indonesian or Amharic or French between now and next July. But we can certainly learn to know more about our sister churches around the world before we’re sitting next to their members at next summer’s Assembly!” commented Thomas.

    Five-volume Global History Series available

    Mennonite World Conference commissioned the writing of a five-volume Global History Series over the span of several years. The volumes, one for each continent, are written by persons from their respective continents, and so reflect the perspectives, experiences, and interpretations of the local churches.

    “I’m reading these books as one way to get myself ready for PA 2015. I want to have a deeper understanding of how my sisters and brothers have found and sustained their faith,” said Thomas. “Many of them have survived wars and hunger and immense political pressure. Many have Muslim neighbors. I have so much to learn from them – and the histories tell those stories.”

    Book about Shared Convictions

    Thomas said he is also reading What We Believe Together: Exploring the “Shared Convictions” of Anabaptist-Related Churches. The book is a lively expansion of one of MWC’s great gifts to the global church – the brief statement, “Shared Convictions of Global Anabaptists.” In the book, Alfred Neufeld from Paraguay writes with unusual insights and examples from around the world.

    “Everyone should read these books, whether they’re coming to PA 2015 or not,” said Thomas. “This common reading material can be one of our global glues. And we’ll be talking about our ‘Shared Convictions’ when we’re together next summer.”

    Book discussions planned

    In eastern Pennsylvania, book discussions are scheduled, beginning October 26, 2014, and continuing through June 1, 2015. Go to www.mwc-cmm.org/journeytopa2015 to see the dates for the discussions, the book being discussed each time, and the location of each event.

    “If you live too far away to attend these get-togethers, why not schedule discussions of the books in your community? Invite anyone to come who’s interested, even if they haven’t read the books,” urges Thomas.

    The five histories include: Testing Faith and Tradition (Europe volume), Mission and Migration (Latin America volume), Anabaptist Songs in African Hearts (Africa volume), Churches Engage Asian Traditions (Asia volume), and Seeking Places of Peace (North America volume). These titles are available in the United States from the Bookshop and Online Book Service of Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society (www.lmhs.org, 1-717-393-9745) and in Canada from the online Bookshop at Pandora Press (bookshop.pandorapress.com, 1-866-696-1678). The title What We Believe Together is available only from the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society.

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

  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA – Quang Xuan Tran, the first Vietnamese Mennonite pastor, died in Philadelphia on 20 September at the age of 84.

    Quang came to the United States in March 1975 to attend the annual missions meeting of Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM). As South Vietnam was overrun by military forces from the north in the following weeks, he remained in the United States where his family joined him.

    The family initially settled in Ephrata where Quang established a Vietnamese church. For a few years he worked alongside Donald Sensenig of Mennonite Central Committee in assisting congregations to sponsor refugee families. In 1982 the family moved to Philadelphia where Quang became founding pastor of the Vietnamese Mennonite congregation. He retired in 2005.

    Quang (Trâ?n Xuân Quang) was born in Da Nang where his father was pastor in the Evangelical Church of Vietnam. Quang graduated from Da Nang Bible School of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in 1955.

    When EMM missionaries first went to Vietnam in 1957, they developed close relationships with the Evangelical Church in Vietnam, assisting in the formation of a new congregation in Saigon. Here they learned to know Quang, and in 1958 were invited to attend his wedding to the daughter of the local pastor. Quang and his wife visited the missionaries in their home.

    EMM established a student center in Saigon in 1960, and the Gia Dinh community social service center in the northern outskirts of Saigon in 1964. After a Mennonite congregation began forming here, Quang was invited in 1965 to assist in teaching and preaching. On March 16, 1969, he was ordained pastor of the congregation, the first Vietnamese Mennonite pastor. The church developed well under his leadership. In 1971 Quang represented Vietnam at the Asia Mennonite Conference in India.

    When the MCC merged its program with Church World Service and Lutheran World Relief in 1966 to form Vietnam Christian Service, VNCS director Atlee Beechy invited Quang to coordinate the material aid program assisting refugees.

    When after the 1968 Tet Offensive voices called for MCC to withdraw from Vietnam because of the savage destructive American fighting, MCC administrator Paul Longacre said that MCC had to listen closely to the voices of Vietnamese Christian leaders. He quoted Quang: “This is no time for the church to pull back in Vietnam. This is the time for her to move out with the good news. My fellow Vietnamese have spent their lives gathering things and now see them go up in smoke. They have sought security only to find death coming to them everywhere. What else but the Christian faith can bring to man a sense of reality?”

    Later Quang became director of the Gia Dinh community centre which operated an elementary school, classes for learning trades, and a clinic. Nguyen Quang Trung, the president of today’s Vietnam Mennonite Church, served as a pastoral assistant to Quang for several years.

    Quang and his wife, Tam Thi Nguyen, have four married children and five grandchildren. The funeral service was held 26 September at the Vietnamese Mennonite Church in Philadelphia with the participation of former missionary colleagues. Burial was at a Friends’ cemetery in Upper Darby.

    From an article by Luke S. Martin

     

  • Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA – An international group of young Anabaptists – called the YABs Committee for short – are deep into planning the next Global Youth Summit (GYS), which will immediately precede the upcoming Mennonite World Conference Assembly.

    As the official MWC youth committee, they are putting together a mix of worship – with each session planned and led by a different continent, discussions, workshops, fellowship and free time, games, concerts, late-evening activities, and sports. (In contrast to youth conventions in North America, which are geared to high-school-age youth, GYS attendees are ages 18 and older.)

    The GYS opens Friday morning, July 17, 2015, on the Messiah College campus in Mechanicsburg, PA, just across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg, site of the July 21-26 Assembly. GYS concludes late on Sunday evening, July 19.

    The GYS experience

    Kristina Toews, from Canada, who participated in the Paraguay Global Youth Summit, said recently that the best thing about GYS for her is “meeting new people, hearing what life is like for them, and learning together from each other. I’ve been amazed to see my peers be so passionate about living their faith and being part of a church that’s present in so many different places, languages, and cultures.”

    The YABs Committee defines the GYS as “a meeting of young Anabaptists, ages 18 and older, from the entire world.” During their three days together, they “listen to God, share information and experiences, listen to each other’s struggles from their different continents and countries, bless each other, and have their faith enriched.”

    Ayub Omondi, from Kenya, a member of the current YABS Committee as a mentor, reflected on the last GYS in Paraguay: “I have been so enriched by our different countries’ and continents’ approach to worship. When the Asians planned worship, I was touched in a different way than usual. When the Europeans led worship, I learned something else new!

    “Even in my lodging, I was stretched. My roommate was from Congo and spoke French. I’m from Kenya and speak English. So we used sign language to communicate whenever we were in the room together, and it got really funny!”

    Rodrigo Pedroza García, from Mexico and chair of the YABs Committee, urges young adults not to miss opening morning of the GYS for an overview of the event. “We are going to have a short service and then something more informal, inviting those who are arriving to mingle and connect. That’s our main focus of the morning. We’ll have all kinds of activities, some sports, snacks, and games.

    “At GYS, I’ve found that you can open your heart beyond the borders of geography, race, language, and social class. You feel like you are the body of Christ. The ‘new humanity’ is so real and wonderful as we young people get together to worship the Lord, without focusing on where we come from. When we’re together like this, we experience the unity of our Anabaptist identity in the middle of our plurality!”

    GYS includes delegates

    To make sure that GYS has representation from Anabaptist-related churches around the world, and to cultivate leadership in those attending, each MWC member denomination is invited to send one young adult delegate. Delegates must be active members of their churches and ideally be involved in youth work. Each should be recommended by the youth and the pastor of her/his local congregation.

    Good delegates, says the YABs Committee, are “committed to service and possess leadership qualities; they’re good listeners, learners, and speakers; and they have email access or other ways to stay connected with delegates and other young Anabaptists after GYS.”

    Being a delegate isn’t a puff job. Before coming to GYS, each delegate must survey a minimum of 50 young adults from her/his national church about the GYS theme. (“Called to Share: My Gifts, Our Gifts” is the theme for the 2015 event.)

    During GYS, delegates meet sometimes with their continental groups, and other times with inter-continental groups, to talk about challenges, joys, and resources that they experience in their home settings. They also mix with other participants at GYS to discuss their dreams for the church.

    Delegates also take the lead in planning the worship services from their respective continents at GYS, involving others from their regions. “The worship services are a huge highlight of GYS, and an amazing way to see how God has given us different gifts,” says Toews. “Our diversity is such a gift. My experience is that we grow closer to God when we see the variety in how our sisters and brothers worship.”

    Expected attendance at GYS 2015

    In Zimbabwe in 2003, more than 220 young adults from 28 countries attended the first GYS. More than 700 attended the second GYS held in Paraguay in 2009. They came from at least 34 countries.

    “For the third GYS coming up in 2015, we’re hoping for 600-1,000 registrants,” says Toews.

    For more information about GYS, its activities, and how to register, go to www.mwc-cmm.org/gys.

    MWC release by Phyllis Pellman Good, Lancaster, PA, a writer and editor for Mennonite World Conference

  • Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA – Mennonite World Conference is establishing a Prayer Network, recognizing the importance of prayer as preparations are made for PA 2015, the global Assembly being planned for July 21-26, 2015, in Harrisburg, PA.

    “We are confident that the Assembly will be a wonderful time of worship, celebration, and engagement next summer,” Lynn Roth, MWC North America Representative, reflected recently. “The Program Committee is putting together a week of amazing music, meditations, worship, seminars and arts performances and events around the theme of ‘Walking with God.’”

    Visa concerns

    “As with all of the Assemblies in recent years, we will face significant challenges that will allow us to experience God’s presence and answers to prayer,” said Roth. “The first worry on everyone’s mind is obtaining visas for registrants. Our main concern is for young people. But older persons from some of the countries where the largest Anabaptist churches are located – Ethiopia, Congo, and India, for example – may have trouble, too.

    “We confess that the American government’s concern for security, now more than ever, means that many of our sisters and brothers will likely be denied the possibility of worshiping and fellowshipping in this grand reunion.

    “When we invited the global church to come to the U.S. for the Assembly, we promised to do all in our power to work with U.S. government officials and embassies in those countries where this issue is especially difficult. We have a highly active and competent Visa Task Force and coordinators. We are leaving no stone unturned as we prepare, support, and walk with registrants as they go through the visa process.

    “But we believe that prayer is essential to this whole effort. This is one way Americans can humbly bear some of the burdens of our country’s travel policies, while exercising faith at the same time.”

    Learning to participate with the global church

    “We have a second concern,” said Roth. “Can we North American Anabaptists see the Assembly as a not-to-be-missed opportunity to participate in an unusual global celebration?

    “We’re endlessly busy. We’re quite independent. We have no extra margins of time in our days. Many of us will probably question whether we can set aside things in our daily lives long enough to travel to and attend the whole 5½ days of PA 2015.

    “And so we want to pray for ourselves, that we will learn the gift of hospitality of the heart and be willing to be transformed by the experience of hosting the global church.”

     “There will always be additional challenges like health concerns or international incidents that affect travel. We are organizing an event which will bring people together from all over the world. I believe it can happen only if it is bathed in prayer and is God’s doing.”

    Inspired by the Zimbabweans

    The idea for a Prayer Network for PA 2015 came from the Zimbabwean Brethren in Christ Church, who hosted the MWC Assembly in 2003. Within Zimbabwe, food and fuel were extremely scarce, the economy was weak and wobbly, and the government was unreliable. The Zimbabweans acknowledged all of this, and so they began stockpiling food and fuel for months in advance of the event. They also prayed.

    Ethel Sibanda, a member of the Zimbabwean BIC, stepped up to lead a Prayer Network across the country. She also rallied persons who weren’t attending the Assembly, but who wanted to assure hospitality for their church’s guests.

     “We have learned from the Zimbabweans,” says Prayer Network Coordinator, Joanne Dietzel of Strasburg, PA. “We invite everyone who believes in prayer and the global church to join the Prayer Network, even those who may not be planning to attend PA 2015. We will be sending e-blasts to all who sign up on the MWC website (www.mwc-cmm.org/pa2015prayernetwork), sharing specific needs and giving thanks for particular blessings.

    “We believe this is an opportunity to transform our hearts and our behavior if we together ask for God’s grace and help with this gathering of the global church.”

    MWC Prayer Walks forming

    Jane Hoober Peifer, a member of the Prayer Network Planning Team, has launched a regularly scheduled MWC Prayer Walk in the city of Lancaster, PA. “’Walking with God’ is the theme for PA 2015, so walking while praying seems like an appropriate discipline to practice,” says Peifer. “Not only will our guests be on a pilgrimage. As hosts, we’ll be ‘traveling,’ too, as we open ourselves to welcome them into our hearts and homes.

    “I hope that little groups of walkers will form in our communities across North America – and around the world – so that together we strengthen our faith in praying, and so that we all experience a renewed sense of God’s presence through PA 2015.”

    Ideas for forming an MWC Prayer Walk Group will appear on MWC’s Prayer Network page, along with passages of Scripture and prayer requests from the planners of PA 2015.

    “We will post the dates when individuals are scheduled for interviews with embassy staffs to secure their visas. We will ask for prayer for speakers and choirs. We will list requests for wisdom, courage, and imagination as uncertainties develop,” comments Dietzel. “We want to walk in prayer with all who are involved in PA 2015, rather than pray for them. So come walk with us!”

    Article by Phyllis Pellman Good of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a writer and editor for MWC.

     

  • Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA – On November 8, a dozen religious leaders from the greater Lancaster and Harrisburg, PA area met for breakfast to converse with MWC President Danisa Ndlovu.

    The focus was leader-to-leader visiting, sharing joys and concerns about their own churches and parishes. The session was chaired by Kate Good, Executive Director of Parish Resource Center, the local inter-church organization which hosted the breakfast.

    Then Danisa Ndlovu, from Zimbabwe, shared his own story, his own journey of faith, and his joys and concerns about the global church.

    The breakfast guests were fascinated to hear about the plans for 6,000 to 10,000 persons from around the world coming to Harrisburg next July for the Mennonite World Conference Assembly.

    Their comments were supportive. Several said that they themselves may want to attend and join in the global celebration with fellow Christians from more than 50 countries.

    In the closing moments, Father Fisher turned to President Ndlovu and asked, “What can we do to help?” It was a touching moment as these prominent leaders from throughout the region gathered around the MWC President and prayed for him and the upcoming Assembly.

    Article and photo by Merle Good. See also the interview with Danisa Ndlovu in the November 7, 2014 edition of LNP LancasterOnline

     

  • Mennonite World Conference mourns the passing of Cornelius J. (C.J.) Dyck, Mennonite historian and church leader, in Normal, Illinois, USA, on 10 January 2014. Dyck served as Executive Secretary of MWC from 1961-1973.

    Born in Russia on 20 August 1921, Dyck grew up in Kansas (USA). He served for several years with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). After earning a PhD in church history, he became professor of historical theology at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, in Elkhart, Indiana, USA, a position he held for 30 years until retirement in 1989. During his career he produced numerous books and articles on Mennonite history and theology, including the popular Introduction to Mennonite History (1967).

    Dyck’s service as MWC Executive Secretary came at an important time in the organization’s history. He played a crucial role in articulating the necessity of MWC’s global vision, claiming in 1972 that “[MWC] must be a part of the mission Mennonites are being called to in the world – not just white, Western Mennonites, [but] all Mennonites . . . Unless MWC can become an integral part of what all Mennonites want to be and do in the world, it cannot have a real future.” Dyck’s vision continues to inspire the mission of MWC today.

    According to César García, MWC General Secretary, “C.J Dyck led our global community during a crucial period of transition in which MWC shifted from its Euro-American orientation to becoming worldwide in character.”