A walk through the assembly week . . .

The Mennonite World Conference opened Monday with greetings and an address by outgoing MWC president Mesach Krisetya of Indonesia on the conference theme. Each of the morning and evening services of the subsequent days featured the gifts – through sermons, testimonies and music – of churches on a different continent.

Tuesday: Asia Day

The sub-theme of Asia Day was “Celebrating Life Amidst Suffering and Violence”. Shant S. Kumjam (India) brought the morning Bible study on Philippians 3:10–16. Ambrocio Porcincula (Philippines) spoke in the evening, on Hosea, regarding God’s judgment and His ultimate goal, “our redemption”. He urged the audience to add their voices to his high-volume preaching, to “joyfully celebrate life in Jesus”.

The joy he spoke of was accompanied by the awareness of suffering in much of the world. “The suffering is so great that I don’t think you people from Europe, from Canada and North America, can understand it,” he said.

Hendro Soeradi shared the story of reconciliation in the Indonesian Mennonites’ GITJ conference, which had split in two, each side saying their own was the right one. Now good relationships have been restored.

Wednesday: Europe Day

In alternating format, Claude Baecher and Marianne Goldschmidt (both of France, see middle photo) conducted the Bible study, based on John 15:1–17 and its image of Jesus as the central vine and the disciples as branches. Baecher played humorously on the word “remain” which in Greek is menoo, used 11 times in John 15. He emphasized the importance of Menoonite people remaining in Jesus so that our fruit will menoo, or remain.

Fernando Enns (Germany) brought the evening message on Ephesians 6:10–20, challenging the contemporary church, living in times very similar to those of Ephesus, to put on the armour of God for the battles it faces.

A special feature of this day was the recognition of Ruthild Foth of Germany for attending her 10th consecutive Mennonite World Conference.

Thursday: Latin America Day

Many elements of this day focused on the suffering experienced by church members in Latin America. From Argentina to Mexico, a litany of miseries emerged. But there were also testimonies of hope, from the history of the Brethren in Christ church in Cuba (going from 200 members to 2,000 today) to a radio ministry of Mennonites in the Paraguayan Chaco that reaches eight language groups.

Ofelia Garcia (Mexico) challenged the global Anabaptist family to become even more aggressive in ministering to those who suffer. “If we want to find Christ today,” she said, “it will be within . . . the community of God’s kingdom that interprets the words and shares the bread.”

The day ended with a jarring silent skit. A Latin American family was sitting down to dinner when armed men broke into the house and killed the father. Several scenes later, the bereaved and impoverished family found their way into the embrace of a loving congregation. Several were baptized. They shared the gospel with others. The actors then moved through the audience, flinging handfuls of seeds to reiterate their message.

Friday: North America Day

Working under the day’s theme of “Sharing Gifts, Receiving Gifts”, a varied group of presenters offered glimpses into MWC groups of North America. Lindsey Robinson (USA) spoke on Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians in the morning, and Mary Anne Isaak spoke in the evening on Ephesians 4. “The gift of unity in Jesus Christ is what we are celebrating here at the Mennonite World Conference,” the MB pastor from Fresno, Cal. said.

Harriet Sider Bicksler, an American born in Bulawayo to missionary parents, offered warm reflections on childhood memories of people and ministry sites in Zimbabwe and Zambia. Mary Oyer Goslen, a song leader at two previous World Conferences, was invited to direct again. Goslen, who now uses a cane to walk, quipped that she looks forward to directing again in Paraguay (one of two proposed sites for the next World Conference), even if she has to use two canes to get there.

Saturday: Africa Day

“What we have, we give.”

This sub-theme set the tone for Africa Day. Siaka Traore (Burkina Faso) built an image from a Burkinabe proverb: “A guest should not try to judge the value of a chicken offered to him.” The African church, Traore said, wants to obey the Lord by giving what it has. His call to the church of the North and the West was to accept the gift of the African chicken, without judgment, without weighing it, and without comparing it with their own chickens. This challenge was met with resounding applause.

Traore identified a wide range of gifts Africa has to offer: the gift of community, the gift of gratitude to North Americans who came to share the good news of Jesus Christ, the gift of human and natural resources, spiritual life in abundance (for God is at the heart of life in Africa), the value of hospitality, the gift of respect for elders, and the gift of time for human relations.

In a workshop, Nzash Lumeya of Congo, who teaches at Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, Fresno, Cal., identified three mission frontiers in Africa: the migrations of people, the growth of world religion (especially African traditional religion and Islam), and the intersection of poverty and HIV/AIDS.

The evening service ended with a footwashing service between Africans and people of the African diaspora (see photo, right). The Africans knelt and asked forgiveness that their ancestors had not protected Africans of the diaspora from the slave trade. The Africans of the diaspora extended forgiveness. The act of mutual footwashing expressed the desire to serve each other and the Lord together.

Sunday: World Day

World Day closed the Conference on Aug. 17 with a three-and-a-half hour worship service designed as a banquet of stories, songs and testimonies. At times it also became a raucous celebration of the miracles that allowed the gathering to happen amidst the suffering in Bulawayo. But by the end, a solemn communion service had 7,500 participants breaking bread together as one family.

New MWC president Nancy Heisey of Harrisonburg, Va. drew on Ephesians 5 to show what the family is like, in pictures of “saints”, “sages” and “singers”. Ethel Sibanda, a Brethren in Christ woman who led the Assembly’s prayer committee described how her group had prayed and “declared before the Lord that this was holy ground.”

MWC president emeritus Mesach Krisetya reflected on the miracle of the meals and on the debate in early 2003 about whether to move or cancel Assembly Gathered over doubts about adequate food supplies and concerns about the well-being of international travellers.

In the end, Assembly Gathered was a triumphant celebration over fear and uncertainty. BIC bishop Danisu Ndlovu, the new vice-president of MWC’s General Council, offered thanks to all internationals, “because you chose to come and share our suffering.”

“This is a taste of heaven,” he said.

—From reports by Paul Schrag, Susan Brandt, Everett J. Thomas, Ron Ross, Arli Klassen and Keith Regehr