ICOMB appoints executive secretary

Victor Wall, president of the Paraguay–German Mennonite Brethren Conference, was chosen to be the first executive secretary of ICOMB, the International Committee of Mennonite Brethren. This is a new position, created to coordinate the Mennonite Brethren global ministries, and marks a maturing of this association.

Wall said, “I have always valued ICOMB. My experience in working in different language and cultural contexts has led me up to this point.”

ICOMB was originally created by MBMS International, with its first meeting in Curitiba, Brazil in 1988. At that time MBMS International carried the impetus and financial backing. During the past 17 years, however, ICOMB members have seen the need to take responsibility as an international body outside of the missions umbrella. This marks a significant step in moving toward that.

The ICOMB group at the conclusion of their meetings. New executive secretary Victor Wall is in the back, second from the left, in the white shirt.

ICOMB’s annual meeting was held this year in Osaka, Japan, April 27–30, at the Evangelical Biblical Seminary, which is owned and operated by the Japan MB Conference. The site proved valuable to seminary students who were able to observe proceedings and learn about the international MB family.

In another significant decision, ICOMB received resolutions from a global missions task force, which it commissioned Randy Friesen of MBMSI to convene this past year. This was an effort to coordinate the global effort to plant Mennonite Brethren churches through the various mission agencies owned and operated by our MB conferences in different parts of the world. ICOMB members voted to establish the Global Mission Alliance, a new coordinating body for this purpose.

The Global Mission Alliance will not supplant the Mennonite World Conference Global Mission Fellowship. It will also not be able at this time to initiate new projects in different parts of the world. However, it will be a vehicle to coordinate mission and will speak into and receive perspective and direction from ICOMB in respect to global strategic priorities.

A picture of a wheel was drawn to illustrate the relationship between ICOMB, the member conferences and the various projects. ICOMB is the hub organization. The member conferences are the spokes. The Global Mission Alliance, the theological work (for example the recent International Confession of Faith), education forums, and other global efforts each form parts of the “rim and rubber” that tie the conferences together. In this way, MBMSI and other agencies become contextualized into the larger picture.

In other business:

• ICOMB members reported to each other about their conferences.
• Financial reports showed stability in income and expenses.
• A section was added to the bylaws outlining the conditions under which new conferences can be added. This reflects the growth of emerging MB conferences worldwide.
• Plans for a 2010 assembly in Europe to mark the 150th anniversary of Mennonite Brethren continued.
• A history project that shows the progress in mission and growth through the years will be undertaken.
• Ernesto Wiens of COBIM, Brazil was elected vice-chair, and Chuck Buller of USA was elected treasurer.

On Friday, April 29, ICOMB members were treated to a day of services and workshops celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Japan MB conference. ICOMB members were introduced in the service, and we sang “God is so good” in 10 different languages as supplied by ICOMB members. In a workshop hour each ICOMB member brought information to interested participants. About 350 attended, as it was the beginning of “Golden Week,” a national Japanese holiday.

On Saturday the group travelled to Kyoto to tour a major Buddhist temple, and on Sunday those ICOMB members who could speak English were asked to preach in local MB churches. The gracious hospitality of the Japanese leaders and members made this event memorable for all.

—David Wiebe, ICOMB treasurer