Indigenous believers in Ecuador seek Anabaptist identity

Mar 2, 2020 by and

​Clever Mashiant, right, of the Shuar indigenous group in Ecuador, talks with Jerrell Ross Richer of Mennonite Mission Network. — Jane Ross Richer/MMN

Clever Mashiant and Sofia Gualinga, Shuar indigenous leaders in Ecuador’s Amazon region, asked mission workers Jane and Jerrell Ross Richer, “How can we become Mennonites?” The question arose after they...

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Church groups respond to virus outbreak

Feb 24, 2020 by and

People from local churches pass out masks in Wuhan, China. The red banner thanks the benevolent society of the church for the supplies. The white sticker on the boxes says “Jesus loves you.” — Mennonite Partners in China

Mennonite Church Canada reports that 10 North American English teachers serving with Mennonite Partners in China have not been able to return to their placements in China due to the coronavirus outbreak, as...

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New York peace center doubles as a church plant

Feb 17, 2020 by and

Brooklyn Peace Center and Brooklyn Peace Church will be housed in what used to be First Mennonite Church in Brooklyn (Primera Iglesia Menonita de Brooklyn), which closed last year. — Jason Storbakken

The first rule of real estate can also be the first rule of church planting. But what is coming together in New York City under the working name “Brooklyn Peace Church” is built upon more than...

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‘Hope’ gathering stresses peace with justice

Feb 17, 2020 by and

Bishop L.W. Francisco of Calvary Community Church in Hampton, Va., leads Hope for the Future attendees in prayer for Stanley W. Green, who is retiring as executive director of Mennonite Mission Network in July. — Wil LaVeist/MMN

DALLAS — Hope for the Future attendees celebrated the legacy of Stanley W. Green, one of the event’s original organizers, and discussed ways to press forward for peace and justice throughout the...

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Issue was a new low

Feb 10, 2020 by

The Jan. 27 issue reached a new low. The same-sex marriage supported by First Mennonite Church of Champaign-Urbana, Ill., is not a “natural” step of inclusion. Quite the contrary. It is unnatural, against...

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Storm destroys Congo churches

Jan 13, 2020 by and

​Children from Ndjoko Punda, Democratic Republic of Congo, observe the damage to a Mennonite church caused by the Nov. 22 storm. — Mennonite Mission Network

Thirty-five buildings on the Mennonite mission station, including the oldest central Mennonite church, were destroyed when wind and torrential rain ripped through Ndjoko Punda, Democratic Republic of Congo,...

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Muslims help to build a church in Burkina Faso

Dec 30, 2019 by

Steve Wiebe-Johnson, left, Mennonite Mission Network co-director for Africa and Europe, and Siaka ­Traoré, a retired church leader, stand on the foundation of the new Kodeni Mennonite Church building in Burkina Faso. — Rod Hollinger-Janzen/AIMM

BOBO-DIOULASSO, Burkina Faso — The Mennonite church in Burkina Faso has grown both physically and relationally over a decade, and the newest church is being built by Christians and Muslims working...

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I wear my heart on my sleeve

Dec 9, 2019 by and

​A tattoo on Joshua Garber’s right arm tells the story of Dirk Willems from Martyrs Mirror. — Alisha Garber/MMN

When Alisha and I and our son, Asher, moved to Barcelona, many things didn’t make the cut in our attempt to “leave all things behind” and follow Jesus. However, Martyrs Mirror was never on the chopping...

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Consultation offers peace-church voice on military service

Oct 14, 2019 by and

Donald Kraybill, senior fellow emeritus of the Young Center for Ana­baptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College, gives a presentation during the Anabaptist Church Consultation June 4 at the Mennonite Central Committee office in Akron, Pa. — Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford/Church of the Brethren

As a federal commission reviews the Selective Service System and other issues regarding the American public’s relationship with military service, Ana­baptists have given their input. A diverse collection of...

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Survivors rebuild lives

Sep 16, 2019 by , and

Sixth-graders Mayambi Mayambi, Luta Nguadi and Mputu Shayi return home from class in Tshikapa.— Kabamba Lwamba/MCC

TSHIKAPA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Four women laughed as they filled a water trough for their pigs — ­animals that hold the promise of income. Their laughter stood in contrast to their experiences,...

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AMBS board appoints Boshart fourth president

Sep 11, 2019 by

The Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary board of directors has appointed David W. Boshart as the seminary’s next president. His wife, Shana Peachey Boshart, is Mennonite Church USA denominational minister for faith formation and a 2017 AMBS alumna. — Melissa Troyer/AMBS

ELKHART, Ind. — The Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary board of directors announced its appointment of David W. Boshart as the seminary’s next president Sept. 10 at an all-campus meeting. Boshart —...

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God Speaks Potawatomi

Aug 12, 2019 by and

Trail of Death participants gather for a time of lament in the shade of a white oak tree in Illinois that may have sheltered the Potawatomi people during their forced removal. — Peter Anderson/MMN

On Pentecost Sunday, God’s words in the Potawatomi language, “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophesy,” anointed the day’s journey for 19 Trail of Death...

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Peace gathering builds partnerships

Jul 29, 2019 by and

Jamie Rye of Millersburg, Ohio, shares ideas with Melissa Florer-Bixler of Raleigh, N.C., during “Journey Forward: Peacemaking,” July 2 at the Kansas City Convention Center preceding the Mennonite Church USA convention. — Laurie Oswald Robinson/MMN

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jason Boone, Mennonite Mission Network minister for peace and justice, believes 21st-century peacemaking is not about leaders setting the agenda. Rather, it’s about people in the...

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MMN executive director announces retirement

Jul 22, 2019 by

​On May 23, 2004, in Paris, Stanley Green, right, delivers greetings and proclaims oneness in Christ to Assemblée Evangélique Le Rocher (Evangelical Church of the Rock). The pastor of the church, Emman­uel Botolo, is on the left. Translating is Neal Blough of Paris Mennonite Center. — Mennonite Mission Network

ELKHART, Ind. — Stanley W. Green, who has served 19 years as executive director of Mennonite Mission Network, will retire at the end of July 2020. The MMN board of directors announced Green’s decision at...

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Delegates study ‘unity of the Spirit,’ offer ideas for peacemaking

Jul 4, 2019 by and

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mennonite Church USA delegates on July 4 studied the biblical vision for “unity of the Spirit,” heard the announcement of a mission leader’s retirement and offered ideas for the...

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MVS marks 75 years of formation for young adults

May 20, 2019 by and

The Elkhart, Ind., Mennonite Voluntary Service unit shares a meal with community members in 2008. The Elkhart unit supports a neighborhood bike project, victim offender reconciliation, a local food bank and other community organizations. — Mennonite Mission Network

When Gilberto Perez was 12, he hung out with the older guys who came from the Browns­ville, Texas, Mennonite Voluntary Service unit to help his parents build a Hispanic Mennonite church in Robstown. At 19,...

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With country in crisis, Venezuelans request prayer

Apr 8, 2019 by and

Inspired by Mennonite World Conference, people of the Mennonite church in the El Paraíso neighborhood of Caracas celebrate World Fellowship Sunday. — ​Linda Shelly/MMN

With economic and political conditions in Venezuela deteriorating, Mennonite leaders are asking for prayers for peace for their nation as their churches sow seeds of peace in their communities. “The news...

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LMC breaks new ground

Mar 25, 2019 by and

Keith Weaver, moderator of LMC, greets Nancy and Carlos Rodriguez-Lora, welcoming their congregation, True Vine Tabernacle in Elkhart, Ind., as a member of LMC. Nancy Rodriguez-Lora is the senior pastor. — Jonathan Charles for MWR

NEW HOLLAND, Pa. — Leaving Mennonite Church USA on Dec. 31, 2017, brought one of the biggest changes LMC (formerly Lancaster Mennonite Conference) had undergone in dec­ades. Now the Anabaptist fellowship of...

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Denver church an intercultural effort

Mar 11, 2019 by and

Denver church an intercultural effort

A Denver area congregation’s efforts to be intercultural go far beyond being merely multicultural. Rather than a collection of cultures and identities tolerating each other but lacking mutual roots...

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Dancing in the street, Africans celebrate God’s faithfulness

Mar 4, 2019 by and

Mennonites march to their 40th anniversary celebration in Orodara, Burkina Faso. — James R. Krabill/MMN

More Mennonites worship in Africa than on any other continent. In this epicenter of Ana­baptist witness, Mennonites in Nigeria and Burkina Faso celebrated anniversaries last fall. Mennonite Church Nigeria...

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Congo violence diminishes; international aid continues

Dec 17, 2018 by , and

​Innoncente Ngandu, a widow, and her family fled from their home due to violence. They recovered health after receiving help from the Inter-Mennonite Kasaï Relief Project. — Joseph Nkongolo

TSHIKAPA, Congo — Violence in the Kasaï region has diminished during the past year, but the economic struggles that inspired the fighting persist. An alliance of international Anabaptist organizations...

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EMM leader’s termination leaves unanswered questions

Dec 5, 2018 by and

Nelson Okanya, then-president of Eastern Mennonite Missions, speaks at the Church and Post-Christian Culture conference in 2014 at Carlisle (Pa.) Brethren in Christ Church. — Kelli Yoder/MWR

Eastern Mennonite Missions “separated employment with President Nelson Okanya” on Nov. 16, the organization announced in a statement, leaving unanswered questions about what warranted the move and...

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U.K. Anabaptists celebrate mission worker’s legacy

May 21, 2018 by and

At the U.K. Anabaptist Theology Forum honoring the late Mennonite Mission Network worker Alan Kreider, Eastern Mennonite Missions worker Carol Wert, left, presents her paper to participants, including, from left, Lloyd Pietersen, Eleanor Kreider, Sian Murray Williams, Fran Porter, Linda Wilson and Ian Wilson. — Alan Wert

BROMSGROVE, England — Participants at the Anabaptist Theology Forum applauded when Eleanor Kreider walked into the room. Some considered her a spiritual mentor or close friend. Others had never met her but...

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Beekeepers learn about caring for creation, community

Mar 19, 2018 by and

Ryan Goertzen-Regier captures a wild honeybee swarm to add to Sugargrove Apiaries’ hives of bees. — Anthony Esau

NEWTON, Kan. — Two co-workers at Mennonite Mission Network have discovered that even with a full-time “city job,” beekeeping is a great way to keep the boy on the farm. Several years ago, when former...

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Couple retire after decades of mission work in Spain

Jan 15, 2018 by and

Dennis Byler, left, teaches a Greek New Testament class at the El Escorial seminary. — Ryan Miller/MMN

ELKHART, Ind. — Connie and Dennis Byler, serving with Mennonite Mission Network, watched Anabaptism take root in Spain in their 37 years of ministry there. They helped tuck seeds into the ground tilled by...

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