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Uruguay hosts Southern Cone Anabaptist-Mennonite Congress

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — The 13th Anabaptist-Mennonite Congress of the Southern Cone addressed the role of women in the life of the church and models for the household of God.

More than 250 delegates from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and fraternal participants from Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Canada and the United States gathered here for the congress January 22-28.

Study sessions on the role of women arose out of an urgent concern expressed by women at the congress in Argentina in 2003 and again in 2005 in Curitiba, Brazil. Organizers this year decided to invite John Driver, teacher, theologian and author, to present in-depth biblical studies to all participants, women and men, on the theme from an Anabaptist perspective.

Driver guided participants on a journey, beginning with the Old Testament, continuing into the New Testament with the inspiring song of Jesus' mother, the Gospels' witness to Jesus’ relationship with the women of his time and a review of Paul and his female collaborators in the spread of the good news of Jesus Christ throughout the Gentile world. He concluded with a study of the participation of women in the early church, a counter cultural community in the midst of a patriarchal society. Publishing these four lectures in a book is being planned.

Dennis Byler, a prolific author and a native of Argentina now living in Burgos, Spain where he participates in church and social ministries and teaches at the Seminario Evangélico Unido de Teología (SEUT) in El Escorial, made four presentation on the second principal theme.

Byler discussed fraternal relationships, the resolution of conflicts, authority in the church, and the challenge to the church in confronting violence. He concluded by inviting his hearers to own this declaration: “All that is not conformed to the Spirit of Jesus are vain words, pious lies without any real power to take us from this present cruel and violent world into the new world of peace and justice which all humanity longs wholeheartedly to experience.”

In group discussions and plenary sessions following each presentation, churches in different countries shared their experiences, questions, and responses.

Each night, the delegation from Concepción, Chile, presented a dramatization which illustrated the daily studies. Several groups offered cultural presentations characteristic of their own countries.

Guests from Mennonite Church USA Mission Network and Mennonite Church Canada Witness provided an opportunity for conversation on themes such as preparation of leaders, mission outreach, mutual encouragement and finding ways of working together within the region.

Women met together to share reports and to reflect on their own situations. A committee was named to give continuity to future encounters for treating the agenda of women.

Sandra Campos, a fraternal participant from CAMCA (Consulta Anabautista Menonita Centroamericana), suggested a Latin American Consultation in connection with the next CAMCA meeting. The recommendation was that representatives from other Latin American countries be invited to the CAMCA meeting scheduled for November, 2007 in Nicaragua.

Young people participated in special meetings to learn about AMIGOS, the MWC global youth committee. Two members of this committee were present: Sarah Thompson from USA and Amandus Reimer from Paraguay. They are preparing a second Global Youth Summit (GYS) to be held along with the 15th Mennonite World Conference Assembly in Paraguay in 2009.

On Saturday night, John Driver’s 60 years of ministry, service and mission in Latin America was celebrated, recognizing his contribution to the articulation of a Latin American Anabaptist theology. A book, Comunidad y Misión desde la Periferia: Ensayos en celebración de la vida y ministerio de Juan Driver, containing contributions from theologians from churches in Latin America and Spain who have been his disciples, was presented to him. The book, edited by Milka Rindzinski and Juan Francisco Martínez, is published by Kairos, Argentina and Semilla, Guatemala. Among contributors present were Byler, Martínez and César Moya.

Driver, immersed in a wide Latin American context since his youth, is himself the author of a number of books which grew out of his interaction with sisters and brothers in the Hispanic world.

Earlier on Saturday morning, Guillermo Font from Argentina introduced a new book of Driver's lectures from an earlier visit to that country. Convivencia Radical – Espiritualidad para el Siglo 21 is published by Kairos from Argentina. Copies of both books are available from Kairos and Semilla.

According to the schedule, Paraguay was to have hosted the next congress, but because the churches there will be organizing the MWC in 2009, Chile will host the next congress, to be held in 2011. Themes proposed for the 14th Southern Cone congress include worship, pastoral models, divorce and remarriage and the missional church. We pray that the Lord will guide the organizers.

The closing worship service on Sunday morning, January 28, coincided with the celebration of World Fellowship Sunday established by MWC. The worship team from Uruguay led the service. Waldemar Driedger, elder pastor in the Mennonite Church of Uruguay, preached on the love of God and led in celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

— Milka Rindzinski, MWC correspondent for Latin America

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Photos available on request:
1. Discussion groups met frequently during the Congress
2. Women at the Southern Cone Congress
3. Presentation of book to John Driver by writers present at the Congress. Left to right: Milka Rindzinski, Juan Martínez, John Driver, Dennis Byler, César Moya.