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Response to MWC


Mennonite World Conference: Is it worth it?

Mennonite Brethren, on the whole, have been somewhat reluctant participants in Mennonite World Conference. Despite the fact that two of the 13 assemblies have taken place in strong Mennonite Brethren communities in Canada (1962 in Kitchener and 1990 in Winnipeg), two factors seem to prevent enthusiastic response to MWC. One is ignorance, and the other is suspicion of a presumed liberal theology and its ecumenical agenda.

I decided to check the record regarding the past 40 years of Mennonite Brethren response to MWC as reflected in reports in the Mennonite Brethren Herald. What I found surprised me somewhat.

The first article I found was written by Frank C. Peters and entitled, “Our Church and the World Conference” (March 23, 1961). Peters strongly urged Mennonite Brethren participation; he felt we had much to learn and a strong contribution to make. He assured readers that MWC had no “ecumenical overtones”.

After the Kitchener assembly in 1962, there were several reports, generally positive. Henry H. Janzen stated, “Many of the prejudices we have held in regard to other groups disappear as soon as we have time to listen to them, especially when we find that, basically, many of them love and serve the Lord who owns us.” Nevertheless he also warned against “the grave mistake of believing that intellectualism, social gospel theories and neo-orthodoxy will strengthen our testimony and make a useful impression upon the world” (Aug. 24, 1962).

In 1967, the feature news article about the Amsterdam assembly was entitled, “8th Mennonite World Conference Impresses with its Evangelical Concern” (Aug. 18, 1967). The article acknowledged that the Dutch and some of the German Mennonite churches took a very liberal theological stance, but otherwise referred to a “growing openness to the Holy Spirit’s leading” and a genuine desire to lead people to Christ.

In a similar vein, the feature article after the 1972 assembly in Curitiba, Brazil, written by Nick Willems, was entitled, “Evangelism Emphasis Strong at the 9th MWC” (Aug. 10, 1972). Willems stated enthusiastically, “I wish all our Mennonite Brethren people could have been present at this conference.”

Reports of the Wichita assembly in 1978, the Strasbourg assembly in 1984, the Winnipeg assembly in 1990 and the Calcutta assembly in 1997 were likewise generally very positive, and often described the events as extremely memorable experiences. Despite such positive responses, including those in this issue of the Herald concerning the General Council meetings in Guatemala, Mennonite Brethren reluctance seems difficult to overcome.

Still, more than ever, Mennonite Brethren need MWC. Our constituency needs to be better informed, and we need to realize what we stand to gain as well as what we can contribute. MWC is much more than an assembly every six years – it has many very exciting programs. It is also predominantly Southern by now. The fear of domination by liberal Mennonites from Europe is less a reason to withhold our support than ever. The churches of the South bring a very vibrant evangelical and anabaptist flavour that should challenge us, not threaten us. The cost is small in relation to the potential benefits.

 – Abe Dueck, Director, Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies, Winnipeg

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A rich, new experience

Mesach Krisetya of Indonesia (left), president of MWC, and David Wiebe of Canada share communion July 23.

My first encounter with Mennonite World Conference was the 1990 assembly in Winnipeg. I have two key recollections: the life in the African and Latin American presentations, and the Mennonite Brethren reluctance to participate in MWC given the liberal theology coming out of Europe.

The 2000 General Council meetings in Guatemala clearly demonstrated the increased voice of the former group, and the decreased voice and impact of the latter. It seems MWC is an association in which Mennonite Brethren can feel much more comfortable. The following are reasons why we might feel enthusiastic about this association.

The Gift Sharing Project and the Church Sharing Fund are two ingenious initiatives that could make a real difference. The first seeks to discern what every Mennonite conference in the world has to offer and provide a vehicle to assist interchange. The second helps the financially rich nations share money with those who need help getting projects off the ground. I loved worshipping together under a variety of traditions and musical styles. It made our worship style struggles seem petty. Associating globally puts some of our Canadian MB Conference struggles into perspective. We are not losing members to civil war or drug wars. I also saw peace/justice concerns and evangelism/ growth go hand in hand in other countries. We tend to say it’s one or the other, but it doesn’t have to be so. A unique synergy happens through MWC. I met a man who has planted 17 churches in the last 10 years and who wants to move to Toronto. I passed his name on to Ewald Unruh, the church planting director for the Canadian MB Conference. Several of us spent time with a Filipino and an Ethiopian woman, both of whom are part of church planting schools which require students to plant a church in order to graduate. I met a woman coordinating a huge Spanish curriculum writing project, and tied it to the Canadian MB Conference Board of Christian Education Ministries’ intercultural fundraising project.

There is a cost in associating with MWC. Our financial contribution as a rich-nation conference must cover costs that can’t be covered by poorer countries. We also continue to be concerned about the inclusion of conferences and groups which are not evangelical. Still, our association with MWC can continue with enthusiasm. The richness of this international communion affords both opportunity and challenge.

 – David Wiebe, Executive Director, Canadian MB Conference

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Dollars and souls

Flying home from Guatemala City, I felt rich, even though I had spent all my cash on souvenirs. Relationships forged at Mennonite World Conference meetings left me with this wealth – especially treasures received from new African friends.

I pondered how people with few financial resources can so lavishly enrich souls around them with a passion for Jesus Christ, deep-hearted laughter, trusting friendship and wisdom and joy born from suffering. When relating with people from such countries as Ethiopia or the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, I was the bigger recipient. Their huge love for God and people blessed my North American self, depleted from too many Wal-Marts and movies and too few relationships and prayer times with God.

What they gave me blessed me and yet confused me. It caused me to ask: What do I have to share in this relationship? What I brought from my North American context seemed shallow, spiritually and relationally impoverished, in comparison.

A conversation with Pakisa Tshimika, director for MWC’s Global Gift Sharing Project, brought some perspective. He helped launch the project, which is intended to take an inventory of MWC’s member conferences, including their spiritual and material gifts, professional capacities and human and institutional resources. Tshimika’s work focused on Africa this last year and will continue with the other continents. In nine African workshops, people found much wealth. “They discovered many people with theological training and an enormous amount of people trained in other ways,” he said. “They found many small groups of people involved in community-based programs, and many women involved in microenterprises, from which they can share technology with other churches.” Until this exercise, they had not considered these human resources as gifts, because they’re not listed in the Bible under spiritual gifts, but the exercise helped them to see all their resources as gifts from God. “When we recognize that all gifts belong to God and come from God, then the question of sharing them is not an option. It’s a must.”

Reflecting on his statement, I realized my uneasiness in relating to my African friends was linked to feeling guilty about the material wealth I have as a North American.

On the flight home, I met a Lutheran man who had taken youth on a missions trip to Guatemala City to work in a dump, where the poor find food and shelter in the garbage. Over breakfast, I lamented going back to the United States, where I had so many things and yet sometimes felt so spiritually impoverished. He wisely urged me to be grateful for North American blessings, for God hadn’t given them to hoard but to freely bless others.

As the plane touched down, I looked out the window on our North American abundance and realized that we, like our African brothers and sisters, suffer from gift blindness. We also need to see and accept our gifts. Until we do, we can’t freely give them away and humbly receive what others can give. Perhaps North Americans have more riches in dollars and Africans have more riches in souls. But God isn’t counting what we have – only what we give away and what we receive in trust. In His economy, generous, humble hearts are true wealth.

 – Laurie L. Oswald

Picture gallery

Dora Toc Alvarado from the K’ekchí Mennonite Church in the northern part of Guatemala demonstrates making cloth placemats and other items as Emebet Mekonnen of Ethiopia observes. The K’ekchí are an indigenous Guatemalan ethnic group.

Bishop Enock Shamapani of Zambia leads a Bible study July 18 during MWC meetings in Guatemala City.

John Lapp, (right), church historian, discusses the Latin American section of the Global Mennonite History Project with Jaime Prieto of Costa Rica.

Isaias Godoy, senior pastor of Jesus is Your Way church in Guatemala City (left), and Isaac Nii Kwatei Quartey of Ghana become friends during Sunday morning worship July 16. Godoy’s congregation was one of nine churches in the city that hosted guests from the GAMCo consultation.

New campus for Latin American seminary. Janet Breneman and Mario Higueros, staff members of SEMILLA, the Latin American Anabaptist seminary based in Guatemala City, discuss SEMILLA’s new campus. Staff moved onto the campus in late July. It includes classrooms, a library, office space, a small bookstore, the language institute of American Study and Service (CASAS) and a guest house. The building project was funded by MCC and various churches and individuals at a cost of $350,000 US.

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Last modified October 20, 2000.

© 2000 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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