How can you participate?

     Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: what joy we have in your presence on this historic day of the first gathering of Congolese Mennonite women theologians. Despite different pastoral, homemaking, academic, and professional responsibilities, you have honoured us by responding to our invitation and by coming long distances to be with us.
     This conference marks a significant step in the history of the Mennonite churches of Congo. The results of this first gathering will put into place a structure which will permit Mennonite women theologians to live out fully their faith and to augment their active contribution to improve the conditions of life for brothers and sisters of the different Mennonite churches.
     Women theologians of the Mennonite churches of Congo, we have received a clear call. Let us take seriously our responsibilities, because if we decide to stand up, our role in the church and in society will be a light to all. We will be empowered to share our particular and special gifts — such as gentleness, temperance, sensitivity, and love — at all levels within the churches. But if we choose to remain seated or on our knees rather than standing up, the light that we possess will never shine.
     Our theme, "Women, Witnesses of Jesus Christ," has not been selected by chance. Rather, it is a challenge that Congolese Mennonite women theologians must take up at this critical moment of our history. In fact, our need to become fully involved is an urgent one, because the world we live in is constantly undergoing profound changes.
     This theme forces us to consider our mission as messengers, sent out to the world to proclaim the good news of salvation by faith. This is a noble, difficult, and important mission. We must accomplish it whatever the cost.
     We know that God is love, that God loves us all in the same way with no distinction. And the great revelation of Jesus Christ was that of the love of God for the lost. This message was clarified throughout the New Testament. Before Christ, God had chosen a people, set apart on earth, the people of Israel. But since Jesus, God has invited all people of the earth without distinction by race, nationality, or religion to be part of the people of God.
     Through Jesus Christ, God opened up a new covenant, accessible to all. The old covenant of justice, with its holy wars, has given way to the new covenant, which is a covenant of the grace and love of God manifested through Jesus Christ.
     What are the differences between the mission of God before and after the new covenant?
     In the old covenant, the people of God were used by God not only to accomplish God's plans but also to bring about justice. Under God's command, Israel conquered Palestine (Joshua 1:1-2) and engaged in violent and bloody wars. People guilty of serious wrongs were put to death as a part of God's law (Leviticus 20:1-2).
     Under the new covenant, God uses new methods. Yes, it is still the same unchanging God but with new ways of acting. God uses patience and love to win over a world in revolt. As a new people, holy and set aside on earth, God's disciples have been given a mission, a mission which begins with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
     This extraordinary mission is to be agents of reconciliation between God and human beings. The people of God must "shine like stars" in the midst of a "crooked and perverse generation." And we must bring the word of God to others (Philippians 2:15-16). The primary objective of the people of God is not only to improve the world socially and morally but especially to make known God's love as manifested in Jesus Christ.
     We know that the conversion to the gospel of a significant part of the population of a country will lead to social and moral awakening. Is this not the moment for us to respond to the call and to make known the truth of the one who has saved us?
     As we take the challenge of being women who participate in the life and work of the church and of society in our time, we need new ideas and visions. We will discover these through interaction with the marginalised in our communities. This is the challenge before Mennonite women theologians and the church today.