Mennonite Brethren community thrives in remote Russian province
A Ukrainian community once known as New York, founded in 1889 by Mennonites, could once again be known by its surprisingly American original name.
Ela Castro always knew she wanted to spend her life serving those in need. She studied for years to earn her medical degree. She worked at a clinic. She was helping people, but something was missing. The 30-year-old felt called to serve, not just to work for a paycheck.
Western Christian denominations, she said, have been largely silent beyond calls for both sides to be peaceful.
Mennonites in Colombia asked international siblings in faith for prayers in early May after a wave of protests and violence broke out across the country.
On a Sunday in November after worship, Alice Tou, a member of one of our Mennonite churches in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, asked to have a word with me. I could see she was worried. Large groups of Muslim neighbors kept arriving at her house, asking her to arrange a meeting with her pastor. They wouldn’t say why they wanted to see me.
Anabaptists in Myanmar requested prayer from the broader church community after the military seized power there in February.
Jeanette Bissoon of Kitchener, Ont., is Mennonite World Conference’s new chief operations officer. She succeeds Len Rempel, who is moving into a pastorate after 10 years serving MWC.
Living Water Church in Borabu, Thailand, hosted the first Anabaptist gathering planned and led by Thai leaders in November.
