For much of the previous week, I had the privilege of representing Mennonites at meetings of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches in
MÜNSTER, Germany — An unprecedented time of forgiveness came in May to the site of a notorious and violent Anabaptist uprising.
BROMSGROVE, England — Participants at the Anabaptist Theology Forum applauded when Eleanor Kreider walked into the room. Some considered her a spiritual mentor or close friend. Others had never met her but had been influenced by the work she and her husband, Alan, did in the United Kingdom.
In 1994, Shimeles and Yutta Retta met the “Russian Mennonites,” or Aussiedler, who had recently moved from the former Soviet Union to Germany. Being recently converted to Christ, Shimeles, an Ethiopian refugee, and his German wife, both of Catholic background, were incorporated into and discipled by this conservative Anabaptist community.
Imagine the pain of losing a child to war, compounded by not having a safe space to express grief.
European Mennonites gather every six years for worship and fellowship. This spring, the European Mennonite Conference will be the most diverse gathering yet.
