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Curitiba, Brazil
Latin American MBs gather to discuss future of church


“Have you seen the harvest as Jesus saw it? Jesus saw plenty of need and opportunity because He was in the midst of the people. Never have we had such opportunity in Brazil – and in the rest of Latin America,” said Heins Schartner, pastor of the Boqueirao Mennonite Brethren Church in Curitiba, Brazil, to delegates at the opening night of the Latin American Congress in Curitiba July 18–20.

Five hundred delegates – from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela – came for the congress that focused on the future of the church in Latin America. Brazil conference moderator Harry Janzen welcomed everyone Thursday evening in Portuguese, translated into Spanish from the platform.

The conference theme was E Tempo de Colher (“It’s Harvest Time”). The event consisted of morning Bible study, prayer and issues facing the Latin American MB church as it reaches out; afternoon workshops; and evening worship, prayer and inspirational messages. No business was discussed.

The purpose of the consultation was for mutual encouragement and for establishing an Latin American identity. Key issues included “The Challenge of the MB Spiritual Legacy in the Latin American Context” and “The Future of Mission Action in Latin America.” In these papers, along with the messages, people were challenged to break out of cultural Mennonite boundaries in order to be among the people, learn their needs and how to meet them. Victor Wall, professor at the Paraguay Evangelical University and president of one of the Paraguayan MB conferences (VMB), noted, “Take the fire, not the ashes, from the past.”

The event generated great enthusiasm, and many participants asked for such a consultation to occur again soon.

A highlight was the testimony of a Mennonite Brethren Paraguayan woman whose husband was Minister of Education in Paraguay for a number of years and is now a front running presidential candidate. He was strongly pressured not to associate formally with the MB church. A Christian, he is supportive of the small group his wife hosts in their home. She said, “There are pressures to keep true to the faith and to discern what God wants me to do.”

Several of the Bible study presenters were teaching at MB training institutions and many of the leaders have trained at MB Biblical Seminary. High on their agenda is the issue of breaking out of the traditional Mennonite community mindset. Many talks emphasized the need to get out into the world.

It is uncertain when the next Latin American consultation will be held. While MBMS International sponsors the event in part, it is not responsible for calling such a meeting. Changes in leadership in the Brazil conference, including the stepping down of Janzen as moderator, will likely mean a new initiator. Nevertheless, this event could serve as a model for North America as the General MB Conference is dissolved. A gathering for this kind of input could ignite into new enthusiasm and shape the movement anew.

 – from a report by David Wiebe, executive director of the Canadian MB Conference

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Last modified October 10, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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