Throughout Anabaptist history, adversity has deepened commitment to the peace of Christ. Where Anabaptists find themselves in close proximity to violence, their faith and their churches are tested and strengthened.

Three countries where this is hap­pening today are Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Myanmar.

The war in Ukraine began in 2014 when Russia occupied Crimea and escalated dramatically with a full-scale invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2022. The biggest conflict in Europe since World War II has resulted in a refugee crisis that has caused multiple Mennonite Brethren churches to close or move.

“The pain from losses and devastation is increasing,” said Roman Rakhuba, leader of the Association of MB Churches in Ukraine, in early December by email. “But even in these conditions, with God’s help and your help, we are working and, most importantly, the number of people who have accepted Christ is growing.”

AMBCU counts 27 churches and ministry centers in Ukraine, which include not just churches and church plants but also shelters where basic human needs are met. Some congregations have moved as a group, restarting in a new location and growing as new friendships are formed.

“These are our Mennonite structures, where, along with food, water and fellowship, people get an opportunity to return to life, perhaps hear about God for the first time,” Rakhuba reported. “Services are temporarily suspended in five churches located in the zone of active hostilities. Two of these churches were destroyed, four churches were captured and are in enemy territory. Also, services are still held in two churches in the temporarily occupied territory.

“Ministers perform sacrificial service at the risk of their lives. This awakens people’s interest in the Mennonite movement. People are surprised and attracted to the sacrifice, charity, good deeds, virtue and piety of the Mennonites.”

Pastors and church members work in hostile areas to provide assistance to those in need or transport people out of dangerous areas. Medicines are distributed via mobile clinics that travel to underserved locations. Some individuals feed hundreds of people several times a week.

It is not easy. Chronic stress and increasing requests for assistance create chronic fatigue. This is compounded by the threat of forced conscription into the military.

“The most difficult choice facing our brothers is go to war or go to prison. Our men are forced to go to war and die,” Rakhuba said. “Those who did not go to the front work in the rear, and this is also not a peaceful life at all. At any moment you can be caught and sent to the front. . . .

“When a young man, our Christian brother, is faced with a cruel choice to go to war and very likely die or gather his family and leave, ministers help with words. That’s where empathy and love are required! In such times they turn to the Lord more and more often, and the number of those who repent and accept Christ is growing! In all these deprivations they see a helping hand — each member of the church who distributes food and says it’s not us, this is the Lord! These voices seem to reach hearts.”

In spite of war’s hardships, Rakhuba finds hope in Ephesians 6:12, noting that AMBCU members experience the truth that the battle is not against flesh and blood and that evil cannot be overcome with evil.

“The Lord has called us to peace!” he declared. “Our prayers are for God’s peace, salvation from evil and eternal torment. The way out of all difficult situations is only in Christ Jesus.”

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mennonite Brethren churches’ proximity to militias creates opportunities for ministry. Pastor Jacques Pilipili’s work to reach out to fighters in 2021 and 2022 resulted in dozens of militiamen laying down their weapons. The story was first reported in the MB magazine Christian Leader in 2022.

Based in Bukavu, Pilipili is MB coordinator in North and South Kivu in eastern Congo. He shared about the need for more Bibles in a 2021 prayer letter after meeting Garry Prieb on a visit to Kinshasa. Prieb, a retired worker with the MB mission agency Multiply, received the letter and was inspired in part by his childhood in the DRC as the son of mission workers. Prieb asked around to raise funds and worked with the MB Foundation, Nzash Lumeya and Fidèle Lumeya to support Pilipili’s vision.

“From this distribution we had baptized 12 militiamen, and 18 militiamen abandoned the army and returned to their families,” he told Anabaptist World in late November. “If there is a way to revive this activity again, we are here for the service of the Lord.”

Pilipili said the process is straightforward, though Kivu Province is home to more than 100 militia groups that clash using fighters as young as 12 years old. He and others first approach warlords or commanders and explain their objective of peace.

“They testify before the church,” he added. “I even went to see two militia­men who were baptized before the commander of the army of the DR Congo, so that one could testify and hand over their armies to the commander.

“The militiamen who were baptized in our church are choir members today, so they sing in church, and others do activities in church. Others enter church only on Sundays, but they have not yet made a commitment to be a permanent member.”

More than 400 Bibles were sent to Kivu in late 2024 to strengthen 42 MB congregations there as militias continue to clash over mineral rights and other matters.

The outreach follows in the footsteps of Mama Kafuti, who confronted fighters boldly in Kafumba during the Mulele Rebellion of 1963.

At that time, Lumeya said, many families were trapped in fear of rebels and government forces. Men hid or joined the resistance. But she gathered women from her church and marched to the rebel camp wearing a white scarf to signify peace.

“Our land has suffered too long,” she told them, as recounted by Lumeya. “We cannot build the future with more bloodshed. We are your mothers and sisters. We are here to ask you to choose life, not war.”

The young fighters grew up hearing the women sing hymns in church and call their names during prayer. They began to plead for peace.

Mama Kafuti and her congregation negotiated a cease-fire, promising the church would help rebels who disarmed and returned home.

“Mama Kafuti’s bravery inspired other women across the province to engage in peacemaking efforts,” Lumeya said. “Her story became a testimony to how faith and community can overcome violence, even in the darkest moments.

“In the years that followed, the church’s position as a peacebuilder in Kwilu Province was cemented. It became a trusted institution, sought out by both local leaders and rebel factions for mediation.”

Women continue working for peace in the MB Church of Congo in education initiatives. One is Celestine Mayindama, a deaconess at her congregation in Mbandu Parish Kikwit Plateau, the same region where Kafuti made her stand. She and a team of women began conducting trainings two years ago to raise awareness among girls about nutrition, income generation, reproductive health, child exploitation and sexual abuse.

“We conduct the trainings in one of our churches,” Mayindama said. “Next year, in 2025, if we have financial resources, we will start with some schools in our community. . . . When we see a case of rape, we make it available to the local psychological service. We also work on conflict resolution and mediation.”

While the program realizes immediate benefits by raising awareness about taboo topics among young women, there are other indirect dividends.

“People in the community see how the church cares for its neighbors,” she said. “I think [the MB church] is quite unique compared to many other churches. Women have a stronger voice and role.”

Myanmar has been wracked by civil war since a military coup in 2021. Daily bombings persist as about half of the Southeast Asian country is controlled by rebel forces. Bible Missionary Church, a member of Mennonite World Conference, has been impacted in a host of ways. Nearly half of its 47 congregations are in locations severely impacted by the war. Four churches were abandoned after everyone had to flee their homes to hide from the conflict in mountainous forests.

Of Myanmar’s population of 54 million, about 20 million have been displaced by the war, said Amos Chin, president of Bible Missionary Church. The rebels’ success and the population’s displacement have prompted conscription and military recruitment.

“One of the biggest challenges for us is our youth,” Chin said. “The military government and the revolutionary group on the other side are trying various ways to recruit the youth. Some of our youth have joined the revolutionary movement for various reasons. We do not want our youth to join any military force and are working on providing peace training to young people with special priority.

“By God’s grace, my young people understood the Anabaptist way and refused to join the war. They decided to go to prison rather than join the military. In addition, many young people flee because they do not want to serve in the military.”

Due to inflation and unemployment, many families now eat one meal a day while living under the threat of aerial bombardment at any moment.

“My sister died [in October] in the forest due to a lack of medicine,” Chin said in November. “Presently, 215 Mennonite families are displaced, and they face a shortage of food, so please pray for them.”

In spite of the difficulties, Chin noted one congregation recently commissioned a new worship space, and Bible Missionary Church’s mission work progresses “unprecedentedly.”

“For those who are worried about a hopeless future, the good news of Christ has become a source of interest, and poverty has opened the door to believing in Christ,” he said. “This situation also affects our mission work, and new believers are increasing day by day.”