Mennonite Weekly Review

MANILA, Philippines — Mennonite World Conference Executive Committee meetings July 31-Aug. 5 focused on building global communion, the 2009 assembly in Paraguay, strengthening relations with Asian and African church bodies and hearing reports from the worldwide church.

“As we moved deliberately but gently forward this year, we did see signs of growth in communion within the Mennonite World Conference community of churches, between member churches and with other Christian world communions,” said Larry Miller, general secretary.

These words set the tone for much of the committee’s annual meeting, held in the Philippines for the first time. The Integrated Mennonite Church of the Philippines hosted the gathering.

The gathering itself builds global communion since the committee is made up of two members from each of five continental regions plus its officers. Committee, commission, Global Youth Summit (AMIGOS) and staff members came from Canada, Colombia, Congo, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Kenya, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Singapore, Switzerland, Tanzania and the United States.

Asia Mennonite Conference Executive Committee members from Japan and India participated in some sessions, as did leaders of the Integrated Mennonite Church.

This year’s meeting followed a two-day Mennonite Central Committee international summit, held in Manila to have MWC as a major participant. It was the first of a series of consultations MCC is conducting around the world in coming months to discern its future vision, priorities and structure.

Arli Klassen, MCC executive director, participated in the entire week of MWC’s meetings. Discussions between MWC and Klassen, along with other senior MCC staff and board chairs who attended part time, strengthened the link between MWC and MCC.

The Executive Committee moved ahead on forming commissions to advise and serve the General Council and the member churches. Recently appointed commission chairs — Alfred Neufeld of Paraguay for Faith and Life and Cynthia Peacock of India for the new Deacon Commission — were at the Philippine meetings. Mulugeta Zewdie of Ethiopia, Peace Commission chair, was unable to attend.

Conversations over several years between the Global Mission Fellowship and MWC aim to culminate in Paraguay in 2009 with GMF and the General Council Mission Commission joining to form one body. The Executive Committee expressed its support for a proposal according to which the GMF chair would serve also as mission commission chair. Janet Plenert of Mennonite Church Canada serves as GMF chair.

The commissions will work together and with the General Council to promote unity and the concept of a holistic gospel rather than compartmentalization. The image of a heart as one unit with four chambers illustrated how the commissions will function.