Mennonite World Conference’s commemoration of Anabaptism’s 500th anniversary on May 29 in Zurich, Switzerland, will include a panel discussion and a story trail.

Anabaptists from Myanmar, Mexico, Burkina Faso, Switzerland and the United States will speak to questions of being a peace church today. Must a peace church be neutral? How do we live out nonviolence?

“Most early Anabaptists advocated for nonviolent witness in a context of spiritual, political and economic upheaval,” said panel organizer Simon Rindlisbacher, communications coordinator for the Swiss Mennonite Conference. “Today we’re also standing in a world on fire and are kind of caught in the middle of conflicts.”

Swiss journalist Judith Wipfler, an expert in interreligious dialogue, will moderate the panel.

“Talking and shouting is increasing while listening and understanding are in decline,” said panelist Hansuli Gerber of Switzerland. “Our panel could be a test on how we can talk to one another from our different angles and perspectives.”

The story trail will bring history alive as visitors join teams of two to eight people, putting themselves in the shoes of early Anabaptists.

“It is envisioned as a choose-your-own-adventure experience, set in the context of Zurich in the midst of the faith convulsions going on in the Christian world in the time of the Reformation,” said David Stutzman, the activity’s creator.