Fwd: MWC Info October 2020: Crossing boundaries to connect deeply

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Elina Ciptadi – Mennonite World Conference <info@mwc-cmm.org>
Date: Wed, Oct 21, 2020 at 1:03 AM
Subject: MWC Info October 2020: Crossing boundaries to connect deeply
To: Gehman Mennonite Church <info@gehmanmennonitechurch.org>

MWC Info October 2020 Fearless and prudent Our churches in this time "The 12 MWC regional representatives gather online every quarter to reflect on the struggles and joys of the Anabaptist churches in their regions. In our latest gathering, they shared the burdens and creative resilience they see in churches in response to COVID-19."... Read more Go into the community Anabaptist health network responds to COVID-19 "We are bound together as a community not only through this global pandemic, but through our faith," says Rick Stiffney, steering committee member of the Global Anabaptist Health Network. The Global Anabaptist Health Network held its first webinar 16... Read more A willingness to listen Victims and FARC dialogue "Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet… Righteousness will go before him," (Psalm 85:10,13). The people of Iglesia Cristiana Menonita de Colombia believe in this vision of justice and reconciliation even when it is hard. On 27 July 2020 in the San Rafael region of... Read more Receptive ecumenism Becoming vulnerable to the other There is a moment when everything changes among the students who take the Mission and Ecumenism course at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The student composition of this compulsory course is quite diverse; the majority represent shades from the... Read more Crossing boundaries to connect deeply Technology has cut the distance that has separated us during the pandemic times when we could not meet in person. Even though technology is able to bring us closer, it does not guarantee that we are truly connected and intertwined with one another. Physical and virtual closeness, even when we can... Read more Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday worship materials Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday is an opportunity to remind our communities of faith that we are all part of one body made up of many tribes, languages and nations (Revelation 7:9). Each year, we encourage Anabaptist-related churches across the globe to use a common theme in their service on the... Read more Assembly 17 Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday Courier: Financial update Ministry partner update: ICOMB Like us on Facebook YouTube Subscribe to publications via email COVID-19 response Donate Prayers of gratitude and intercession "O God, who will roll away the stone from the hearts of wounded Beirut and its affected citizens!" The Middle East Council of Churches raises a call to prayer for Lebanon. The 4 August 2020 explosion damaged 85 percent of the country's grain stores, left 300 000 people homeless, injured more than 5 000 people and killed almost 200 people. Three Christian hospitals and many churches and Christian schools were damaged. Many people have lost hope; this trauma adds to economic and health care challenges. Lebanon also hosts a large number of refugees. Mennonite Central Committee serves refugees in Lebanon with education, food and psychosocial care. In this crisis, MCC is working with Lebanese Popular Aid for Relief and Development (PARD) to provide food for the most vulnerable people. Pray for the churches who struggle to respond to the physical and spiritual well being of their neighbours when all have lost so much.   "But Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.'" (Exodus 14:13-14) Bahati Safari Mutabesha, leader of the Mennonite Brethren church in Malawi, takes courage from this verse and calls for prayer for the church to reach its mission of bringing hope, peace and reconciliation.   "How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!" To allow both MWC staff and attendees to properly plan for the event, MWC has chosen to postpone Assembly 17 until 2022. Pray for wisdom as the Assembly planning teams adjust to the new date. Please continue to pray for the healing of the world, and for the Assembly.   May God grant us resilience to be good neighbours and to show grace to others as the pandemic stretches on. May God grant governments wisdom to respond to citizens needs and to make procurement decisions as vaccines become ready for use. May we stand in solidarity with each other around the world as we grieve losses, economic and personal. Pray for those who respond to the pandemic with violence and greed. May God rattle their understanding and may the Holy Spirit turn their hearts to compassion and generosity. May anger at differences – racial, religious, economic – turn into curiosity to learn. May the power of Jesus bring healing to the wounds that drive their violence. Pray for food supply lines to be efficient and equitable. The combination of factors like poor harvests impacted by climate combined and disruptions to production, transportation and economic activity due to the pandemic could cause widespread hunger in some regions. Pray for a global effort to make food available to all populations.     We pray for everyone who has been affected by Covid-19. For those who have died; for those who have been ill; for the family members that this has affected; for those whose jobs and livelihoods have been affected by the economic downturn that this pandemic has caused; for all of us as our lives and our "normals" have changed.

Creation Care survey   The Creation Care Task Force requests that you take the creation care survey; we need your input! As the task force begins our work, it is important we hear from you, as a congregation within Mennonite World Conference, about issues of creation care such as climate change. Your feedback is critical as we create a plan to work on creation care issues which churches feel are most important, and as we provide resources for churches who want to engage with issues like climate change and other forms of environmental degradation which impact our congregations. Please take about 15 minutes individually, or together with other members of your congregation, to fill out this survey. Your input is highly valued; thank you for participating! You can reach the creation care task force at CreationCare@mwc-cmm.org, or visit our website at mwc-cmm.org/creation-care-task-force.   Click here to fill out the survey

Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday worship materials   Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday is an opportunity to remind our communities of faith that we are all part of one body made up of many tribes, languages and nations (Revelation 7:9). Each year, we encourage Anabaptist-related churches across the globe to use a common theme in their service on the Sunday closest to 21 January. On this date in 1525, the first baptism took place in Zurich, Switzerland. We celebrate that, in Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the cultural and national boundaries that separate us have been overcome by the cross. Materials for 2021 were prepared by Asian church leaders on the Assembly theme "Following Jesus across barriers" from the texts Isaiah 55:1-6, Psalm 27, John 4:1-42, Philippians 2:1-11. On Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday, Anabaptist congregations can lament together about pain and suffering; reflect the glory of God together as we reach across religious, racial/ethnic and gender boundaries; and follow Jesus together in obedience. Download this resource to celebrate Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday in your local congregation with the global Anabaptist family in January or at whatever time is convenient for your congregation in 2021. Send pictures and stories from your congregation's celebration to photos@mwc-cmm.org. #mwcmm #AnabaptistWorldFellowshipSunday    mwc-cmm/awfs

Season of Creation Christians across the world are walking in spirit toward care for creation. Read prayers from the Creation Care Task Force here.

MWC Online Prayer Hour Please join us in prayer! You are invited to join the Deacons Commission on a Zoom prayer call Friday, 20 November 2020 at 15:00 UTC. There will be breakout rooms with a prayer leader in English, French, Spanish, Hindi and Indonesian. Click here to register.

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