{"id":1435,"date":"2025-06-28T17:00:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-28T17:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mennonitearchivesofvirginia.net\/?p=1435"},"modified":"2025-06-28T21:42:19","modified_gmt":"2025-06-28T21:42:19","slug":"the-courage-to-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mennonitearchivesofvirginia.net\/?p=1435","title":{"rendered":"The Courage to Love"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At the Mennonite World Conference’s 500th anniversary of Anabaptism event, held in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 29, 2025, to which I was privileged to attend, I was greatly encouraged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was encouraged by vocal ensembles from Paraguay, Switzerland, Indonesia, Kenya, and the United States. Each group brought a unique style, voice, dress, culture, and language to the global event. Many of the singers were young and energetic in their delivery of music and lyrics. Outstanding musicians added to the glorious sounds that filled the Grossm\u00fcnster in Zurich. The organ was especially inspiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Agape singers from Paraguay, May 29, 2025. Photo by Elwood Yoder<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Eastern Mennonite University choir filled me with hope, refreshed my beliefs in young adults who proclaim the gospel, and inspired me with the courage to love. Three of the EMU chamber singers were former high school students of mine in Harrisonburg, Va. I loved their outstanding a cappella music at our 500th event in Zurich.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eastern Mennonite University Chamber Singers in Zurich, Switzerland, May 29, 1525, Benjamin Bergey, director. Photo by Elwood Yoder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

C\u00e9sar Garc\u00eda’s message, \u201cThe Courage to Love,\u201d was a great challenge to love in the face of differences and a hostile world. Using the account of the Israelite slave girl in 2 Kings 5:1-3, Garc\u00eda called Anabaptist Mennonites around the world to do something courageous for the kingdom of God: break the cycle of violence; confront the past to heal our wounds; mend fractured relationships; become beacons of hope in a fragmented world; and envision a new creation where compassion and love open doors to new beginnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Setri Nyomi, interim general secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, left, and C\u00e9sar Garc\u00eda, general secretary of Mennonite World Conference, washed each other’s feet in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 29, 2025. Photo by Elwood Yoder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I was encouraged to hear Cardinal Kurt Koch deliver a message from Pope Leo XIV that encouraged Mennonites and Catholics to heal past wounds and build a new future through the \u2018courage to love.’ I was encouraged by the footwashing event between the head of the World Reformed Church and the Mennonite World Conference general secretary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From left, Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch, who brought greetings from Pope Leo XIV, Larry Miller (Mennonite World Conference [MWC]), Janet Plenert (MWC), Anne-Cathy Graber (MWC), at microphone, Hanns Lessing, executive secretary for communion and theology for the World Communion of Reformed Churches, John D. Roth (MWC), J. Nelson Kraybill (MWC), and Anne Burghardt, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation. Photo by Elwood Yoder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I appreciated Nancy Heisey’s prayer, in which she gave thanks for signs of healing and renewal around the world, as well as the work of peacemaking and evangelism in many places. She concluded by praying that we would never be ashamed of the gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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EMU Chamber Singers Lawson Kauffman and Lauren Kauffman (siblings) met Elwood and Joy Yoder outside the Grossmunster in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 29, 2025. The Kauffmans, EMU students, attend Zion Mennonite Church in Broadway, Va., during the school year, where Elwood and Joy are members. Photo by Eli Stoll for Lauren Kauffman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the Mennonite World Conference’s 500th anniversary of Anabaptism event, held in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 29, 2025, to which I was privileged to attend, I was greatly encouraged. I was encouraged by vocal ensembles from Paraguay, Switzerland, Indonesia, Kenya, and the United States. Each group brought a unique style, voice, dress, culture, and language … Continue reading The Courage to Love<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[216,44,217,4,134,219,92],"tags":[200,220,222,221],"class_list":["post-1435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anabaptism","category-church","category-germany","category-mennonite","category-music","category-switzerland","category-virginia","tag-500th-anniversary-anabaptism","tag-mennonite-world-conference","tag-the-courage-to-love","tag-zurich-switzerland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mennonitearchivesofvirginia.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mennonitearchivesofvirginia.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mennonitearchivesofvirginia.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mennonitearchivesofvirginia.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mennonitearchivesofvirginia.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1435"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mennonitearchivesofvirginia.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1462,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mennonitearchivesofvirginia.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1435\/revisions\/1462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.mennonitearchivesofvirginia.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mennonitearchivesofvirginia.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.mennonitearchivesofvirginia.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}