How exciting it is, looking forward to special events and projects in 2025 commemorating the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Anabaptist movement!
Among the gifts under our Christmas tree this year were copies of the Anabaptist Community Bible, which our family eagerly anticipated because we were one of the groups that had studied assigned scripture passages and contributed reflections for this project. Published by MennoMedia using the Common English Bible translation, the Anabaptist Community Bible features commentary from Anabaptist scholars, historical notes from the Anabaptist tradition, original visual images, and reflection notes from nearly six hundred Bible study groups across the wider church. This includes 26 congregations from Western District Conference that are in the list of groups who participated in the process of creating Community Reflection notes! MennoMedia notes that the “pairing of notes and introductions alongside the biblical text commemorates the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism by modeling a community-based approach to reading Scripture and calling readers to follow Jesus in word and deed.” The Anabaptist Community Bible’s introductory words say, “…the Anabaptist Community Bible is an invitation to a renewed encounter with Scripture as a living text that has the power to transform our lives.” I hope that WDC congregations and members will fully engage this rich resource for group study, faith formation, personal devotions, worship, sermon preparation, learning about Anabaptist theology and history, and interpreting scripture together in our contemporary context.
MennoMedia is collaborating with Mennonite World Conference for the Global Anabaptist Read-a-thon,with 500 voices joining together to read through the entire Bible – from Genesis to Revelation – in multiple languages. As one of those 500 voices, I submitted a recording of reading several chapters of Jeremiah; I wonder what other voices from WDC will be part of the reading? The livestream of the Read-a-thon is available online beginning January 18, 2025, and concluding on January 21, 2025 in a live-streamed celebration in Goshen, IN, with the reading of the final passage from Revelations and celebrating the launch of the Anabaptist Community Bible. MennoMedia’s Anabaptism at 500 project is also publishing several special books including devotionals, faith formation resources, children’s books, and surveys of Anabaptist history and global witness. You can check them out from WDC’s Resource Library as soon as they are available, or order from MennoMedia. For more information see Anabaptism at 500.
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) will welcome guests from around the world to Courage to Love: Anabaptism@500, a day-long celebration commemorating the birth of the Anabaptist movement on May 29, 2025, in Zurich, Switzerland, with optional tours before and afterwards – including a tour led by WDC pastor Weldon Martens from Grace Hill Mennonite Church! Learn more at https://mwc-cmm.org/en/500-the-courage-to-love/.
Follow Jesus ‘25, the Mennonite Church USA biennial convention July 8-12, 2025, in Greensboro, NC, will feature an Anabaptism at 500 party, as well as learning tracks and activities for youth, adults and children, a women’s leadership summit, delegate sessions, and worship. Begin planning now to send delegates and members from your congregation! For updates and registration information, see https://convention.mennoniteusa.org/.
Western District Conference annual assembly August 8-9, 2025, at Hesston (KS) Mennonite Church will include celebration of the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism, exploring how this relates to the diverse contexts and stories within our conference. Stay tuned for more updates on the WDC website at https://mennowdc.org/2025-assembly-save-the-date/.
Local communities within WDC are also planning special events. One of these is Anabaptism at Five Hundred: Hymn Festival, a program hosted by the Hesston College Music Department on Sunday, January 19 at 3 pm, at Hesston Mennonite Church, 309 S. Main Street, Hesston, KS. The public is invited to this community-wide celebration with singers from area churches as well as audience participation, and historical narrative tracing hymns and texts from the past five centuries. The event will also celebrate the release of the Anabaptist Community Bible.
How is your congregation planning to commemorate Anabaptism at 500? For lots of great ideas, see the Anabaptism at 500 Tool Kit. If you are hosting a special program or planning congregational activities around this theme, let WDC know. We’d like to include announcements of public events in the WDC newsletter and share ideas and stories of how congregations are observing this significant anniversary.
2025 has arrived! May it be a year of strengthening, deepening and renewing our faith as Anabaptists following Jesus together.
-Heidi Regier Kreider, WDC Conference Minister