My Account

Engaging the World

For those who lead in mission, service and peace ministries.

A Canadian experience in Colombia

by Dan Kehler

In some ways February 18, 2008, was like any other Sunday. I got up early to reflect on the morning’s sermon. I ate a hearty breakfast and went to church to meet people and address last-minute details. But this is where the similarities end. On that Sunday I was not with my congregation in Altona, Manitoba. I was in Madrid, Colombia, worshipping with the Comunidad Cristiana de Monte Santo, believers I had never met in person but had long held dear to my heart.

Our sister-church congregations had prayed for each other and shared photos and gifts. We were, of course, connected as brothers and sisters in Christ, but on that February morning, the nearly 5,500 kilometers that divided us was bridged as eight of us visited in a Mennonite Church Canada learning tour. Worship began with 30 minutes of singing and prayer, with only a few people in attendance. By the time our group was introduced by pastor Genaro Gonzalez, the beautiful sanctuary was full. The highlight was presenting Genaro and his wife, Cecilia, with a prayer shawl signed by the Altona congregation. It was a gesture of our ongoing prayer and desire to share in the lives of the Madrid congregation. In this moment, a long-term dream of our congregation was unforgettably realized.

With the presentation of a prayer shawl, our dream was unforgettably realized.

As with all ventures, this one had its struggles. After three years as sister churches, we had set a goal of visiting as the next logical step in our evolving relationship. At our annual membership meeting in February 2006, the Canadian congregation approved the trip. At that time, the biggest hurdles were making the trip accessible to all and making the experience congregational rather than individual.

After much prayer and discussion, both obstacles were addressed with one answer: our church would create a special Colombia learning tour fund to finance the trip. The congregation could take part by contributing to the fund. In this way, everyone who had a desire to go could participate. Any remaining funds would be sent to IMCOL (Mennonite Church Colombia). After our group returned home, we focused on stories from our experience through the Lenten season. Thus our Lenten journey became the congregation’s journey to Colombia.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Cor 12:27). This was the final verse that I preached from in Madrid, with Jack Suderman providing the Spanish translation. As I reflect on this passage and the significance of our sister relationship, I see the blessings that engaging the diversity of the body of Christ can bring. Our intention from the outset was to learn from each other and share our understanding of how to be the body in our unique circumstances. We have compared struggles, failures, and successes in an attempt to appreciate the challenges of ministry in our respective contexts.

The believers in our sister congregation had long been dear to my heart.

The sister-church visit also helped our Altona congregation to place itself in the big picture of the body. We are a rural congregation that in many ways is isolated from the world. By looking at the Colombian experience of the body, we are able to place ourselves in it and to appreciate how we participate on a global scale. This experience has also allowed us to focus our attention on one part of the world: instead of being overwhelmed by global need, we focus on this particular country, setting manageable and attainable goals as we seek to extend our support to the church in Colombia.

For more information about becoming a sister church to a congregation in another part of the world, contact Hinke Loewen-Rudgers at Mennonite Church Canada Witness or Sandy Miller at Mennonite Mission Network.

Dan Kehler is assistant pastor of worship and Christian formation at the Bergthaler Mennonite Church of Altona, Manitoba.