Reaffirming a clear commitment to a focus on groups outside of Europe and North America, the GAMEO (Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online) management board concluded its annual meeting held May 6-7 in Goshen, Indiana.

“We are pleased that GAMEO now includes more than 16,500 articles and receives 1,300 visitors each day,” said John D. Roth, GAMEO’s general editor, “but we still have a long way to go if GAMEO is going to truly reflect the global reality of our church.”

A widely-recognized and authoritative source of information on the Anabaptist and Mennonite tradition, GAMEO has had a formal relationship with Mennonite World Conference since 2012.

The GAMEO management board affirmed a strategy of following MWC’s Renewal 2027 regional gatherings, soliciting articles on congregations and church leaders from the country where Renewal 2027 is meeting. Costa Rica and Indonesia will be a primary focus in the current and coming year.

The board noted with deep appreciation the ongoing financial support that Mennonite colleges, universities and historical societies have provided annually, in addition to individual contributions.  

Although GAMEO’s management team, editors and consulting editors are volunteers, the cost of maintaining its web-based service continues to rise. This year, GAMEO will shift to a dedicated server, managed by PeaceWorks Technology Solutions in Waterloo, Ontario, which will result in additional expenditures.

Launched in 1996 by the Mennonite Historical Society of Canada, GAMEO is owned by six institutional partners under the oversight of the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism at Goshen College.