South American Anabaptists to gather in Cusco

South American Anabaptists will gather in Cusco, Peru, to celebrate 500 years of Anabaptism. — Caleb Cutipa of Iglesia Evangelica Menonita de Perú

On January 18-22, Anabaptists in South America will gather in Cusco, Peru, to celebrate 500 years of Anabaptism. Many 500th anniversary commemorations of Anabaptism are occurring in the Europe and North America, but the event in Cusco is special because it is being celebrated in the Southern hemisphere.

This gathering brings Anabaptists together from different parts of South America for the first time. Up until now, Anabaptists in South America had only regional gatherings. Three Mennonite conferences in Peru will host the event: Iglesia Evangélica Menonita del Perú, Conferencia Peruana Hermanos Menonitas and Iglesia Cristiana Menonita del Perú. The planning committee includes members of Mennonite conferences in Bolivia, Brazil and Argentina.

When Anabaptism was beginning 500 years ago in Europe, Inca emperor Atahualpa was killed, leading to the conquest of Cuzco in Peru. Tomas Guiterrez, a pastor and historian, will present on the realities of this history.

Other speakers will discuss Christology, or interpretation of the person and work of Jesus.  Arnold Snyder will focus on the Christology of early Anabaptists, and Jaime Prieto will talk about Christology in Latin America for the past 100 years.

Alix Lozano, a pastor and a leader of Movement of Anabaptist Women Doing Theology in Latin America, will present on emerging understandings of Jesus. Lozano explained that these Christologies challenge attendees to reflect on and put forward hopeful ecclesiological and pastoral “approaches for the present and future on this side of the world, where the churches recover their vocation for peace.”

The gathering in Cusco will be followed by a Peace Summit on January 22-24, sponsored by Ecuadorian Mennonite conferences. Speakers include Ramón Guevara of Ecuador, who will discuss pastoral peacemaking; David Morales of Guatemala, a Bible expert; and Fernando Carrión, an Ecuadorian professor who studies organized crime and security.

According to Cusco 500 website, the goal of the Peace Summit is “to learn together to build peace in scenarios of violence like those that our countries are experiencing,” to seek practical answers to violence and to equip faith communities.

Cynthia Dück, a Mennonite World Conference representative, hopes that gathering in Cusco will help South American Mennonites feel “like the global family has come to them.” The Anabaptist global family is not limited to Indonesia, Ethiopia, Europe or North America. She is excited for the possibility of new connections and friendships among attendees.

For more information and to register for Cusco 500, visit the conference website here.

Eileen Kinch

Eileen Kinch is digital editor at Anabaptist World. She lives near Tylersport, Pennsylvania, with her husband and two cats. She Read More

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Anabaptist World Inc. (AW) is an independent journalistic ministry serving the global Anabaptist movement. We seek to inform, inspire and Read More

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