RAIPUR, India — A Mennonite World Conference delegation celebrated global Anabaptist relationships with visits to a variety of congregations in India in December.
Deacons Commission secretary and MWC president-elect Henk Stenvers was joined by Hanna Soren and Vikal Rao of the Deacons Commission, Asia representative Paul Phinehas of the Executive Committee and South Asia regional representative Cynthia Peacock on the visits.
The group participated in the dedication of a new building for Antakiya Mennonite Church Kodopali, a Bhartiya General Conference Mennonite Church, on Dec. 14 in Raipur. This building received financial support from the Global Church Sharing Fund. About 500 people came from the surrounding countryside for the celebration, which included a program, lunch, dancing and singing.
Other BGCMC congregations the delegation visited included churches in Dangniya and Gehrapali.
The visit also included celebrating connections with Mennonite Church in India congregations and leaders. The group worshiped with conference leaders in Rajnandgaon and in the 4-year-old church building in Dondi and also connected with the congregation in Dhamtari.
Anabaptist membership in India is 257,029, according to the 2018 MWC census.
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