Stories

Becoming part of God’s bigger picture

From sleepy Antakiya Mennonite Church in rural Kodopali, India, to Iglesia Hermanos Menonitas Concordia in bustling Asuncion, Paraguay to the open-walled gathering place of the Mennonite Church in Ntale, Uganda, to congregations in North America and... more/más/suite

AWFS 2024 Celebration Map

Add your pin to the celebration map “Dalam Yesus Kita Bersaudara...” In Jesus Christ, we are one family. Will you celebrate with us? Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday is an opportunity to remind our communities of faith that we are all part of one... more/más/suite

AWFS 2024 Cultural suggestions from Latin America

Latin American Anabaptist churches worship in multiple languages: Spanish, German, Portuguese and several Indigenous languages. Each language group has their own worship style. Many Latin American congregations have an informal and flexible worship... more/más/suite

AWFS 2024 Tithes and offering ideas

MWC invites a special offering to be taken for the global Anabaptist church community on Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday. One way to think about this offering is to invite every member to contribute the value of one lunch in their own community... more/más/suite

AWFS 2024 Children’s story and activity

Mosaics are beautiful pictures made from colorful tiles of different shapes and sizes. Help children make an inspiring piece of art that they can share with family and friends with this mosaic activity. Explain the meaning of this mosaic to the... more/más/suite

Growing in faith and discipleship in joyful communion

The possibility of mutual exchange and opportunities to share with the mosaic of brothers and sisters from the big picture of various Anabaptist churches contributes to affirming and cementing my faith, spirituality and personal identity as an... more/más/suite

One of the tiny squares

Creation is immense, an extremely large painting. A quick glance from a distance shows us a single painting; however, when one approaches and observes very closely, we discover that this apparently single painting is made up of millions of tiny... more/más/suite

The big picture of God at work in the world

The Bible includes lots of books that were written before, during and after the coming of Jesus, but his story does not end there; God is still working and continues to impact people’s lives. more/más/suite

AWFS 2024 Suggestions for gathering and benediction

Show the greeting videos to hear the connections with Latin American sisters and brothers (see multimedia resources) Show the MWC map to help people see the Anabaptists all around the world mwc-cmm.org/map At the start of the service light 5 candles... more/más/suite

AWFS 2024 Sermon content from biblical texts

Choose texts (one or several) that work for your congregation in your context. Job 42:1-6 Becoming a servant of a sovereign and just God Have we ever questioned the sovereignty and justice of God? It was not easy for Job to understand the situation... more/más/suite

It was as though they were celebrating with us

“We know that we are part of a larger community, but sharing this Sunday leads us to live it concretely,” says Sylvain Lavoué, church board vice president at Église Protestante Mennonite, Villeneuve le Comte, France. The church celebrated Anabaptist... more/más/suite

My true hope

Testimonies from Africa Working as a nurse is a challenging job. It needs a heart with passion, patience and love. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I saw the hand of God in my life as he protected me. There were times when I despaired with anxiety, but... more/más/suite

God fights for his children

Testimonies from Africa Psalm 62 expresses the cry of Christians in the West African Sahel. Several Sahelian countries have been experiencing terrorist attacks for more than 10 years. Like David, we feel hungry and harassed by the enemy. David was... more/más/suite

Hope is a position of optimism

Testimonies from Africa I was in a dark space June to July 2021 when my husband and my mom fell ill at the same time. My mother later passed on in August. Then in February to March 2022, my husband fell ill again. It took more than two weeks for the... more/más/suite

An opportunity to cross barriers

“Jesus is our hope: even if we go through the valley of the shadow of death, he is by our side.” In the Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday materials for 2023, meet the Christian believer in Burkina Faso who declares this faith despite challenges –... more/más/suite

Cultural suggestions from Africa

Check with Africans in your own community about incorporating their own worship traditions. The first hour of worship in Ethiopia is dedicated to prayer, including Scripture texts and songs guiding the hearts and minds of those who are praying,... more/más/suite

Tithes and offering ideas

The offering time is as important as the sermon. Often someone will give a testimony and Scripture on the theme of giving. The pastor often asks one of the ushers to pray, to bless the givers and also that those who are not giving may be blessed to... more/más/suite

Suggested liturgies for gathering and benediction

Gathering/Call to worship (loudly) Leader: Give me a J People: J Leader: Give me an E People: E Leader: Give me an S People: S Leader: Give me a U People: U Leader: Give me an S People: S Leader: What do we have? People: Jesus! Leader: What do we... more/más/suite

Biblical background for sermon content

Choose texts that work in your context. Old Testament: Isaiah 40:28-31 Jesus Christ our hope is a theme that comes at the right time, an appropriate theme in the aftermath of crossing zones of turbulence in our world and in our lives in particular... more/más/suite

How Mennonites came to be

*updated on September 2023 Anabaptist historical context Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday is an annual event for MWC member congregations around the world, worshipping together in spirit using the same worship resources, knowing that we belong to... more/más/suite