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Training Anabaptist leaders in Latin America
Bogotá, Colombia – This year, 210 leaders will complete Anabaptist education courses at seminaries in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. Although the seminaries teach by “the book,” their students are far from traditional. Most are church members with full-time jobs and families. One Saturday a month, they gather for a daylong intensive class, only breaking for…
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Island chain gets Anabaptist link
La Laguna, Canary Islands – The green garage doors are unmarked, and there are no windows. The only hints of a church on the other side are the Sunday sounds of charismatic prayers and songs of praise. Well, that, and also the lives changed by the many ministries taking place the rest of the week,…
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Young adults learn to love God and others through cross-cultural service
Uganda — Among the many memories that Shammah Nakawesi of Uganda brings home from her one-year service assignment in Indonesia is her new understanding of loving God and others. “Even in the uncertainties of life, loving God and loving others is all that matters,” says Nakawesi, who served as an English teacher and community worker…
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Ecuador ministry partners reunite
Quito, Ecuador and Bogota, Colombia – A reunion of the “Ecuador Partnership” brought together Mennonites from Ecuador, Colombia and the United States for March 2013 visits in both Ecuador and Colombia. The partnership includes from Iglesia Christiana Menonita de Colombia (Colombian Mennonite Church), Central Plains Conference of Mennonite Church USA, and Mennonite Mission Network. For…
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Andean Anabaptist women pastor each other
Cachipay, Colombia – Forty-nine women pastors and leaders met here 7-10 August 2013 to receive training on the theme of “Caring for ourselves and each other among women” – also known as “Sister Care.” The event was part of the Anabaptist Women Theologians Movement of Latin America (MTAL) and brought together women of the Andean…
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Brethren in Christ summits build unity amid regional diversity
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada – “What can you do for your part of the world?” That’s the question the International Brethren in Christ Association (IBICA) has been asking Brethren in Christ church leaders across the globe, during a series of national summits. Launched in 2011, these national summits have drawn together a diverse mix of Brethren…
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New Anabaptist conference emerges in South Korea
Seoul, South Korea – A new conference of Anabaptist congregations has emerged in South Korea. The Korea Anabaptist Fellowship (KAF), formed in 2010, became an official conference of eight congregations and an associate member church of Mennonite World Conference earlier this year. The decision was finalized at the fellowship’s May 2014 meeting, held at the…
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Burkina Faso church experiences ëexplosion of baptisms’
Elkhart, Indiana, USA / Burkina Faso – Recent baptisms have swelled the membership of Eglise Evangélique Mennonite du Burkina Faso (Evangelical Mennonite Church of Burkina Faso) by 34 percent, according to recent reports by Mennonite Mission Network and Siaka Traoré, national president of the Burkina Faso church. “I cannot explain [this wave of interest, other…
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Global North mission agency learns from Global South partners
Changi Cove, Singapore — President Nelson Okanya and others from Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) found themselves celebrating the growth of and learning from Global South mission partners at the annual meeting of the International Missions Association (IMA), a group of 22 Anabaptist mission groups, held 26 August to 2 September in Singapore. Asia Pacific Mission…
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Typhoon Haiyan remains ëfront page’ for survivors
The Philippines – Like the news, the winds and rain that came with Super Typhoon Haiyan have let up. But the damage from the storm that slammed regions of the Philippines on 8 November 2013 remains on the mental and emotional front page for survivors. One of the most intense tropical storms on record, Haiyan…
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Connections with Colombian church and excitement about 2015 Assembly mark meetings
Soacha, Colombia – Tears flowed freely as a Mennonite World Conference delegation of international visitors exchanged stories and blessings with members of Iglesia Menonita de la resurrección (Mennonite Church of the Resurrection) in Soacha, Colombia on 18 May 2014. The delegation, with persons from around 18 countries, was enroute to Bogotá from a Catholic retreat…
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Congo Mennonites celebrate women’s ordinations
Kinshasa, DR Congo – In July 2012, Sidonie Swana Falanga heard news that she thought was too good to be true. The 100-year-old Communauté Mennonite au Congo (Mennonite Church of Congo, or CMCo) had approved the ordination of women. “I asked myself, is it an invention, a lie, a dream, or a wish?” she said…
