Who is MWC?

Councils

Networks & Projects

News & Testimony

Publications

World Assembly: Africa 2003

World Directory

Site Map

     The Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand (AAANZ) met in Melbourne, Australia for a conference January 25-28, 2001. The theme of the gathering was "Peacemaking, Reconciliation and Mission" and the setting was Whitley College, the Baptist theological college connected to the University of Melbourne. This was the second national conference since the AAANZ became incorporated as an Australian religious organization.
     The main presentations covered the historical and biblical basis for Anabaptism and its relationship to the contemporary church scene in Australia, and Anabaptist perspectives on peacemaking and mission. Besides the Hursts, the speakers were professors from theological schools in Melbourne who have in one way or another come into contact with Anabaptism through their biblical and theological training. John Howard Yoder's The Politics of Jesus was often mentioned as a book that was influential as an introduction to Anabaptism and the ethics of Jesus.
     The AAANZ plans to have these kind of gatherings at least every 18 months to bring together like-minded people from across Australia and New Zealand, a vast territory taking in six time zones. It is a time for fellowship, teaching, and encouragement for people who are often feeling quite alone in their Anabaptist way of life.
     Gordon Preece in his talk on contemporary issues said, "Raising three children in the faith — without much help from the church — has made me more Anabaptist." He said raising children in the face of "capitalistic consumerism" was one of the greatest challenges facing the church today. "How do we make disciples?" he asked.
     One encouraging thing about this conference was the presence of a number of people in their twenties. The future of Anabaptist discipleship in Australia and New Zealand depends on this younger generation picking up the Anabaptist vision for themselves and shaping it into something genuinely Aussie and Kiwi.
     Conference participants welcomed Mark and Mary Hurst to Australia once again after their five-year attempt to gain permanent residency was successful. The Hursts are missionaries who began working in Australia in 1990 with Eastern Mennonite Missions and mission associates with Mennonite Board of Missions and the Commission on Overseas Mission. They are the AAANZ pastoral workers responsible for organizing, resourcing, and pastoring people in both Australia and New Zealand who are interested in Anabaptism.
     — Mark and Mary Hurst, Australia

     STRASBOURG, France — C. Arnold Snyder's study book, From Anabaptist Seed, which was commissioned by Mennonite World Conference and first published in 1999, is now available in English, Spanish, French, and Indonesian, and translations into Chinese and Japanese are nearing completion.
     The Chinese translation is being done in Taiwan by Paulus Pan, who is also a member MWC's Global Mennonite History Project team. The translation is an undertaking of the Fellowship of Mennonite Churches in Taiwan (FOMCIT). The first chapter was published in the February 2001 issue of FOMCIT's monthly periodical. Pan's translation is being checked with leaders of the Conference of Mennonite Churches in Hong Kong for possible use in that city.
     The electronic version of the Chinese translation being done in Taiwan will be made available for conversion into simplified Chinese characters for use in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Myrrl Byler, director of the China Educational Exchange program, will be making arrangements for the publication of the "simplified character" version of the booklet. The translators for the Japanese version are Hiro Katano of Sapporo, Japan, and Akiko Ogawa, who is currently in the U.S. under the International Visitor Exchange Program. Only a few parts of the book, such as the Preface, still need to be done.
     Translations of From Anabaptist Seed are also in the planning stages in India, Germany and The Netherlands.
     The English and Spanish versions of this 54-page booklet are available from Pandora Press (http://www.pandorapress.com).
     — Larry Kehler, MWC News Editor