Indonesia Mennonite Synods Hold Second Joint Conference on Peace
Semarang, Indonesia (MWC/MCC)—The three Indonesian Mennonite synods held a joint conference on “The Church: A Community of Peace-Building” here in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia, July 20 to 22. Forty-five pastors, seminary students and community workers, mostly from Java, were present. Several came from as far away as Irian Jaya and Sumatra. All three Mennonite synods in Indonesia—GITJ, GKMI and JKI — and a few other church groups were represented.

Indonesia is home to three Mennonite synods or conferences, with 84,300 members in 155 congregations. GITJ (Gereja Injili di Tanah Jawa) has 85 congregations with 65,000 members. GKMI (Persatuan Gereja-Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia) has 34 congregations with 13,300 members. JKI (Sinode Jemaat Kristen Indonesia) has 36 congregations with 6,000 members.

The goal of the July conference was to encourage the transformation and peace-building efforts of the churches at all levels of society in situations of complex, violent or potentially violent social conflict in Indonesia and to equip Mennonite church leaders to respond redemptively to conflicts in local congregations. This conference was a follow-up to the first joint conference, “Training Workshop for Church Leaders on Conflict Transformation Skills,” held in the same location in 1997.

The opening worship included the release of two white doves of peace by Mesach Krisetya, the president of the Mennonite World Conference (MWC). The doves flew around the room, skimming just over the heads of the worshipers before landing on the outstretched wings of a bronze Indonesian Garuda (eagle) that was mounted on the wall. The Garuda is the symbol of the modern state. Some saw the doves landing on the eagle as an auspicious omen of increased peace for the suffering people of the country. Others interpreted this as a more cautionary tale pointing out that the doves should be careful because the Garuda enjoys eating tasty young doves.

Each session of the conference was opened and closed with a devotional and lively singing. The presentations included personal testimonies, a biblical reflection by Mesach Krisetya, and a lecture on “Mennonite Peacemaking and Nonviolence in a Violent World,” by Charles Christano, a former MWC president.

Mikha Joedhiswara, who received Mennonite Central Committee-sponsored training at Eastern Mennonite University’s Summer Peace-building Institute, presented a lecture titled, “Anatomy of Violent Conflict in Indonesia.” This lecture depicted the escalation of social conflict in Indonesia. Dave Worth, Kitchener, Ont., presented two workshops on “Introduction to Conflict Transformation.”

Participants felt that developing common understandings on what a relevant Christian peace building agenda might include in Indonesia will be urgent in the next decade. The ongoing economic crisis, the rapid pace of political change and the way various forces use cultural, religious, ethnic and economic differences within the country to fuel fires of discontent will continue to press the church to discover its role in the wider society.

A discussion of the concept of justice and its relationship to the peace-building agenda revealed large cultural gaps among the participants. People of the various Javanese cultures represented said that their languages did not have a word for justice. They see justice as a Western concept for dealing with conflict and have borrowed a word from Arabic to talk about justice. The Javanese traditionally are more concerned with maintaining proper relationships in the community in a spirit of harmony, which is more closely related to the Hebrew concept of Shalom than to Western concepts of justice and truth.

Much work remains to be done to discover creative ways to bridge cultural and religious gaps such as those within the various Mennonite groups and in the wider society. In a brainstorming session at the end of the event participants raised a dozen ideas for further action. The group decided to work together on conflict transformation education and training in family, church and school settings.

The planning group will develop the ideas further and present them to the participating Mennonite synods for approval and action. Ideas for further action on interracial, religious and ethnic conflict were proposed but did not make it onto the final list.

The event closed with a worship service that included music on the pentatonic scale, a gong and foot-washing. The foot-washing service was new for some people at the workshop. (Report prepared using information received from Dave Worth of Kitchener, Ontario, and Paul Gunawan, General Secretary of GKMI in Indonesia.)

Jakarta, Indonesia—The word “bridge” has various meanings: a physical construction enabling people and vehicles to cross a body of water and, more abstractly, a symbol of reconciliation. For 35 Indonesian youth, bridge building was a physical, social, emotional and spiritual experience.

At the annual Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)-sponsored work camp July 26 to August 7, 1999, youth from three different islands, four different church conferences and five different locations met in Java. Some participants were from threatened groups, including ethnic Chinese and Irianese. The youth worked together to construct a 40-foot by 12-foot bridge to connect the two predominantly Muslim villages of Ngeling and Ngabul.

The government had promised the two villages a bridge for many years but without results. Local Mennonites organized the work camp and invited other churches to join them. Ngeling and Ngabul have several Mennonite churches so one goal was to promote understanding between Christians and Muslims. The project started with evening worship in a Mennonite church, attended by some 125 people, featuring singing, a message and a welcome speech by a Muslim village leader.

Work campers used shovels and baskets to move dirt and stone for the approaches to the bridge. They were joined by some 200 villagers, providing a practical way for Muslims and Christians to relate, as well as opportunity for cross-cultural, multi-ethnic and religious understanding.

In addition to physical work, the youth worshiped together each morning and evening, and shared recreation, meals and wholesome fellowship. Evening discussions focused on peace and reconciliation, working with conflict, current politics, outreach and mission and the spirituality of service to others.

Indonesia has suffered, and continues to suffer, violence and bloodshed among religious and ethnic groups, often instigated for political purposes. In this country of more than 200 million people, the Mennonite work camp may hardly seem significant, but as Christians it is our responsibility to be active in peace, reconciliation and sharing the good news of Jesus where we are and at this time. (Clair Brenneman is MCC’s Indonesia country co-representative.)

European Mennonites are entering a period of celebrations. Three important Mennonite centers have a special birthday to celebrate and several big meetings are to be held between May 1999 and mid-September, 2000. It all starts in Germany. Near the age-old city of Karlsruhe is “Thomashof,” opened as a Bible school in 1924.

Later it also became a home for the aged, but the house continued to function as a conference center as well. In the early 1990s it was decided to end the work for the old people. So when the 75th birthday drew near it was time to look at the future. The board found that the best way to continue its original commitment (to awaken and to support faith) would be to concentrate its efforts on making Thomashof a better conference center. A new part was added to the building to create more room for groups; it was opened in May 1999 as part of the festivities.

At Pentecost, 2000, Swiss, French, German and other Mennonites will celebrate the fact that in 1950 the Bienenberg Bible school was started near the town of Liestal. I first came to the Bienenberg in the mid-1960s and have been back there several times, always enjoying the refreshing atmosphere. Like Thomashof, Bienenberg is not just looking back. Recently the Bible school was overhauled to become a theological Seminary, geared to educate pastors for our European congregations. I hope there will be some form of cooperation with the Amsterdam Mennonite Seminary in the future, to ensure a concerted effort to renew Anabaptist theology in Europe.

Also at Pentecost, 2000, the conference and vacation center Mennorode, in Elspeet, The Netherlands, is celebrating its 75th birthday. This center, still going strong, was first meant and still wants to be an incentive to rich congregational life. Its facilities are used for conferences and groups. Like in Thomashof and Bienenberg, I’ve attended MWC-related meetings in Mennorode.

These three centers have several things in common. First, each of them has been and wants to be a strong support to congregational and individual spiritual life. Second, each of them is located in an area of unspoiled, beautiful nature. And thirdly, each of them is a place where you feel at home. Moreover, there is interesting history around. Mennorode is only a two-hour drive away from Witmarsum, and not far from Bienenberg is the hidden canyon where Swiss Anabaptists used to gather for worship when persecution was fierce. At each of these centers groups and individuals from outside Europe are welcome, too.

And there’ll be two big meetings in 2000. June 1-4 some 700 European Mennonites will be in Ludwigshafen, Germany, to celebrate their sister- and brotherhood in the MERK (Regional European Mennonite Conference). People from outside Europe are welcome, too, of course. The theme is something like, “Shalom within God’s wide space.” (An official English version of the theme has not been decided upon yet.) As we know from experience, these MERK meetings are both helpful for our own lives and for getting to know other Mennonites from throughout Europe.

On September 17 there will be a big meeting for Dutch Mennonites in Mennorode—as part of its celebrations. Over a thousand are expected. The theme is, “Building the future of the congregation.” Preparations are underway.

The Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand (AAANZ) met in Wollongong, Australia, June 11-14 for its second national conference and its first Annual General Meeting since its incorporation as a religious association. Adults and children gathered from several Australian states for a time of teaching, fellowship, worship, business and fun.

Graeme Chatfield, a church history professor at a Baptist theological college in Sydney, presented two talks on 16th century Anabaptism. He also told about his personal journey to Anabaptism.

Mark and Mary Hurst, mission workers with Eastern Mennonite Missions in the USA, gave two talks on peacemaking and one on “Anabaptist Perspectives for the Church Today.” The Hursts were in Australia and New Zealand on a seven-week trip visiting people throughout the Association and speaking to small groups and in churches, universities and theological schools.

The AAANZ was born as the Anabaptist Network at a similar gathering in Tasmania, Australia, in 1995 and became incorporated this year. A national committee that holds regular phone conferences handles most of the Association’s business.

The Wollongong gathering gave opportunity to some of the people who had been communicating with each other on the phone and via email to meet each other face to face for the first time.

A newsletter as well as a homepage on the Internet (http://www.northnet.com.au/~gbaker/) have been created by AAANZ. Regional coordinators were chosen, and the decision was made to hold national conferences once every 12-18 months. The next meeting is scheduled for Melbourne sometime after the Olympic Games in Sydney.

The committee members elected at this year’s AAANZ national convention were Ian Duckham, president; Doug Hynd, vice-president and editor of the Association’s newsletter; Gary Baker, treasurer; John Cox, membership secretary; Tim Costello, public officer; and Ross Coleman, Tim Dyer, Chris Marshall and Bessie Pereira.

Currently there are 80 people interested in AAANZ, with 50-60 members spread over 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles) from Perth on the west coast to Auckland in New Zealand. Approximately 20 adults and eight children attended the conference at Wollongong over the June 11-14 weekend. They came from Western Australia, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. The Annual General Meeting also linked New Zealand by tele-conference.

There are no congregations in AAANZ. Its membership is made up of individuals identifying with Anabaptist belief and practice in Australia and New Zealand. (Based on a report by Mark S. Hurst)

Shirati, Tanzania (EMM/MWC)––Zedekia Marwa Kisare, a former longtime bishop of Tanzania Mennonite Church (KMT) died on July 16, at about age 90. He was a member of Shirati Mennonite Church. Bishop Kisare served as a Mennonite pastor in Tanzania beginning in 1950, and was ordained as the first bishop of Tanzania Mennonite Church in 1967, serving in the post until his retirement in 1995. He will be remembered as the father of KMT, often serving as a spokesman for God’s work in Africa.

Bishop Kisare was noted for his uncompromising Christian principles, and looked to as a spiritual leader. He successfully gave leadership to KMT, which now includes 15 language groups. “Bishop Kisare was somehow able to rise above tribal loyalties and affiliations and bring unity to the whole church,” said Don Jacobs, former missionary to eastern Africa. “He was a man of peace and reconciliation,” he said. (from a report by Joseph C. Shenk)