| December 6, 2017 Dear Phil & Kelly, Why does our global Anabaptist faith community matter to you? I want to offer one reason, out of many possible reasons, why the global church matters: Mennonite World Conference matters because we need the inspiration we provide for each other. "Look at how they live out their faith in… (name a country)!" It doesn't matter where you are from, each one of us takes inspiration from how Anabaptists in another part of the world are living out their faith. In this way, we teach each other and model for each other, with courage, creativity and commitment, what it means to be an Anabaptist Christian today. | 
Photo courtesy of: Francisca Ibanda | Anabaptists around the world are playing an active role in caring for refugees. MWC shared stories in this past year from Angola, Canada, Ecuador, Germany and the United States. Congregations, individuals and organizations are going out of their way to provide basic needs and spiritual supports to people who have had to leave their homes, not by their own choice. It is amazing to hear what churches can do. | | Tanzanian Mennonites are planning for explosive church growth. They have a strategic plan to share the gospel with a million people by 2034 (their 100th anniversary), by having every member bring one new person to church every year. Younger adults are already the vast majority of church members, and they continue to bring in younger adults. It is an awesome plan. |  Photo courtesy of: Nelson Kisare | | | 
Photo courtesy of: Anna Vogt
| Colombia is a deeply divided country after 50 years of armed confrontation. Reconciliation and restoration of relations are not cheap processes. This will mean years of healing wounds, transforming the causes of pain and building bridges toward the ones who have caused harm. This process of building bridges is costly, but it is the churches who are called to overcome as the body of Christ present in the here and now. It may look daunting, but not overwhelming to Colombian Anabaptists. | | Mennonites in Jepara, Indonesia, comprise about 1% of the total population, which is largely Muslim. Mennonites have been working for the last seven years on building relationships of peace and hospitality with their Muslim neighbours. Through Jesus' incarnation here on earth, Jesus provides the means for God's peace to be realized, which gives us courage. | 
Photo courtesy of Danang Kristiawan
| I trust you also find these stories to be inspiring. Our global church relationships inspire us to live out our Christian faith today. I ask you for a financial contribution this year to strengthen our global church through MWC. Even a small contribution makes a difference -- we have calculated that the value of one lunch in their own country from each adult Anabaptist each year would be enough to nurture these inspiring global relationships for one year. You can make a contribution on our website (www.mwc-cmm.org/donate) or mail a contribution to our mailing address in Canada or the USA (see below). What can you contribute to keep the inspiration going? |  | In the Peace of Christ, 
César García, MWC general secretary | |
| | |
Click here to unsubscribe from all email lists from MWC.
| |
