|
Twelve African Women Visit
Their "Sisters" in The Netherlands
by Ethel Sibanda
It was a great privilege to be invited to The Netherlands, a beautiful country with such lovely and kind people. The first two weekends we were hosted by families where we were able to see their way of life, and most important their church services. This enabled us to bring greetings from our churches to the brothers and sisters of that land.
Our sisters from The Netherlands had a concern that their church membership was becoming smaller all the time while the African church was growing. They wanted to learn from us how we were evangelizing our people. We also were eager to learn from them in those areas where we do things differently.
In the process of learning from each other we realized that there were many situations where our interpretations are different. In their churches only the vicar reads the Bible and prays aloud during a service. The rest of the members don't read the Bible, even in their homes. At meal times people pray silently on their own. We asked if we could pray aloud, and when we did they seemed to appreciate it. The question is when people pray silently what happens to the person who does not know how to pray? How can that person learn without an example?
My observation is that the Mennonite brothers and sisters in The Netherlands are rich in history, as shown in their Mennonite University library, which has four-and-a-half million books, including the Martyrs' Mirror. I also observed that they believe in faith with works, as shown by their charity, hospitality and care for the aged, the destitute, the lost, the homeless and the lonely. After visiting the many places which evidence the church's involvement with the community, I came back determined to share with my church the need for us to go out into society and show our love through our deeds.
They love and enjoy singing. There is a choir at the Aalsmeer church which has been in existence for 70 years. We learned with sadness that in The Netherlands people carry out their "own choice" to the extent that in many family settings people are not taught to appreciate coming to church right from childhood. When they become adults they don't choose to come to church because they don't even desire or miss it, having grown up in an environment of making their "own choices." As a result there are fewer and fewer people at the worship services in their churches because as the members grow older and die they are not replaced.
In Africa one of the daily challenges facing us as a church is that right across the continent we are needing to tear down old church buildings and to replace them with larger structures because more and more people are hungry for the Word and so are coming to church. In The Netherlands we were saddened at one church when we learned that the members were planning to get a smaller church building because of their dwindling membership.
At one point we were asked to pair off and share our vision for the future. My partner, who was responsible for a group of seven congregations, was planning to bring them all together for combined services so that they could encourage each other. Later when we had a footwashing service my heart just broke and I wept for the desire we shared to follow Christ, and yet there were such huge differences in the way we were going about it. I felt such a burden for my sister. Even now I pray for her and for the church. Many are searching because there isn't anyone to tell them.
As I reflect on the visit, the burden I feel for my brothers and sisters is that there should be a way for them to be taught how to read the Bible and how to pray. They need to be equipped in the way of winning souls for the Lord. Many said they were too shy to go out and share the Good News.
I share this not as criticism of the way of life in The Netherlands but as some of the areas I found different. I hope what we learned from each other will be the start to a new vision for life as God's servants for all of us who spent those weeks together.
Ethel Sibanda, Zimbabwe, was one of the 12 women who visited The Netherlands.
|
This spring, 12 Brethren in Christ (BIC) and Mennonite women came to The Netherlands from four African countries. They came at the invitation of the Dutch Mennonite Mission Board.
In the beginning, of course, many things were strange to both sides in this encounter. The different styles of living, thinking, expressing faith, and singing did not make for an immediately easy contact. But as the sisters went from one family to another and from one congregation to another, their understanding of each other grew.
Then came a four-day conference at Schoorl, in the Mennonite retreat center in the dunes close to the North Sea. The theme of the time spent working, studying, and sharing together was "Through Community the Song Goes On."
A major part in this conference was played by musician and choir leader Jan Marten de Vries, who has a fine ear for African rhythms and music, and who made the singing a highlight of the conference. (The most important highlight, certainly, was the bonding that occurred during those four days.)
The belonging together, across borders of culture, language, and styles, was aptly captured by de Vries when he invited the African sisters to sing, "Uthando Longaka," which means, "The love is great." The Dutch people simultaneously sang a line from the Dutch hymn, "Gods goedheid is te groot voor het geluk alleen" (God's goodness is too great for happiness alone). While the Africans sang their joyous, rhythmic lines, the Dutch sang their lines slowly. The effect was harmonious and beautiful, as the people from all cultures later testified.
Many colors, many rhythms, one beautiful harmony in God's love that is the impression we are left with after the visit of our sisters from Africa.
— Ed van Straten, The Netherlands, MWC Editor for Europe
Photo by Jacob Kikkert.
|
