Sharing God’s abundant hope during uncertain times
Etty and beauty By Laurie Oswald Robinson If I could channel the resilient spirit of anyone during this pandemic, it would be the late Esther "Etty" Hillesum(Jan. 15, 1914 – Nov. 30, 1943). She was the Dutch author of confessional letters and diaries, which describe both her religious awakening and the persecutions […]
Omnibus Edition
The image on the cover of this issue of Anabaptist Witness is a painting by our designer, Matt Veith, of a medieval church in Italy from a travel advertisement. The architecture—with the colonial-era buildings that bear resemblance to styles elsewhere in the world, particularly in the Americas—reminds me of a form of Christianity, and of Christian mission, […]
Migration, empathy and welcome
In his Pulitzer Prize-winning epic, Grapes of Wrath (1939), John Steinbeck recounts the harshness of the Great Depression and gives us a glimpse into the struggles of migrant farmworkers. In it, he tells the heart-rending stories of people who loaded up their vehicles with all they could fit and moved from a devastated and ravaged […]
Full Circle
This is the story of Anna Melinda (Hallman) Byler, daughter of Eli S. and Melinda Hallman. She married B. Frank Byler, and together they joined the great missionary expansion of Mennonites in the 20th Century, which took them to Argentina and Uruguay. There they raised their family of five children: Stanley, Marjory, Dennis, Carol, and […]
Hopi Community hub reaching next generations
Four-year-old Kamryn sang with his preschool classmates at Peace Academic Center during a concert last November on the Hopi Reservation in Kykotsmovi, Arizona. When he saw his mother, Yvonne Kaye, blowing him kisses, he stopped singing, wildly waved his joy, and blew kisses back to her. The strong tug of love between them pulled audience […]
El Centro de la comunidad Hopi llega a las generaciones siguientes
El pequeño Kamryn de cuatro años cantaba con sus compañeros de prejardín en el Peace Academic Center (Centro Académico de la Paz) durante un concierto realizado el pasado mes de noviembre en la Reserva Hopi en Kykotsmovi, Arizona. Cuando vio que su madre, Yvonne Kaye, le tiraba besos, dejó de cantar y lleno de alegría […]
Walking in peace through perplexing times
The real deal By Laurie Oswald Robinson In 2008, I left six and a half years of communication work with Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Women USA for a life of freelancing. This past May, I returned to the offices on Main Street in Newton, Kansas, to serve as editor for Mennonite Mission Network. […]
Mennonite peace witness
Objection to militarism has long been a central part of the Mennonite peace witness. From the persecution endured by Mennonites for refusing to participate in World War I, to development of conscientious objector (CO) status service during World War II, to actively speaking out against war in the Middle East, our history of opposing militarism […]
El Pacto del Día de la Supervivencia firmado en Australia
La mayoría de los australianos festejan el 26 de enero con desfiles, fuegos artificiales y carne a la parrilla. Pero los pueblos originarios de Australia y de las Islas del estrecho de Torres no lo llaman el Día de Australia, sino el Día de la Supervivencia. Todos reconocen la fecha como el aniversario de la […]
Survival Day covenant signed in Australia
Most Australians celebrate each Jan. 26 with parades, fireworks and barbecues. But Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples call Australia Day by another name: Survival Day. All recognize the date as the anniversary of British proclamation of sovereignty over the land now known as Australia. It was on this day in 2019 that Anabaptists from […]