Mennonite Church USA

God calls us to be followers of Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, to grow as communities of grace, joy and peace so that God’s healing and hope flow through us to the world.

In the Delegate Assembly in July, delegates talked frankly about what it means to be followers of Jesus Christ and communities of grace, joy and peace. We often find it difficult in our particular cultural context to know how to give our first allegiance to Christ and how to extend the church’s witness in the world.

In the delegate discussion, Dave Hockman-Wert from Corvallis (Ore.) Mennonite Fellowship said less than half the members in his congregation grew up in a Mennonite congregation. The congregation wondered if we are too focused on our own survival? Too ready to go along to get along?

Pastor Ron Adams of East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church in Lancaster, Pa., said his congregation studied Colossians to see how Paul’s instructions to Christians living in the Roman Empire can speak to Christians living in the United States. He said the study produced more questions about faithful living than answers.

“Questions keep us moving, thinking, dreaming and growing,” he said. “They keep us humble. Instead of resting on our answers, with God’s help, we make it up and are made up as we go.”

Ron is saying it isn’t our task to solve the world’s problems. We don’t know how God will solve them, but we do know God wants to. Our job is to stand with all that is broken in the world and be a sign of God’s healing and hope in the world.

At Open Door Mennonite Church in Jackson, Miss., being a sign of healing and hope means hosting 70 children each year for Bible school, half of whom are from the neighborhood and don’t normally go to church. Jody Miller says it’s exciting to see church members work together.

At North Side Mennonite Church in Hagerstown, Md., Teresa and Gary Zook are involved with the local high school band because they say it gives them an opportunity to talk to the youth and their parents. People have hurts and need to know someone cares about them. “God can use us wherever we are,” says Teresa.

At Lee Heights Community Church in Cleveland, a group from the congregation found that participating in a national rally in Washington to fight against poverty gave them new energy.

The experience linked them with other Christians who care about the same things they do. “We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit and that we can make an impact by working together across many classes and communities locally and nationally,” says member Al Anthony.

At Living Water Community Church in Chicago, Samrach Nuth became the first Cambodian licensed for ministry in a Mennonite church in this country. A product of the killing fields, he now leads a Cambodian group that meets with Living Water. He will travel to Cambodia this fall to help minister to 700 young churches there.

Nuth learned from Mennonites that forgiving enemies is an important part of following Jesus. He has forgiven the Khmer Rouge for what they did to him and urges others to do the same.
At the Columbus convention, speaker Shane Claiborne from Philadelphia told us to stop complaining about the church we’ve experienced and start becoming the church Christ imagined.

Mennonite Church USA congregations are learning what it means to be signs of God’s healing and hope in the world. We are learning together to be faithful followers of Jesus.

Ron Byler is interim executive director of Mennonite Church USA.