Adi Walujo — Indonesia

“Maybe people think persecution is always negative, but for us we learned how to depend on God while our church was closed.”

When Christianity is a minority religion

Like Paul and Suja Phinehas, featured in a recent story on the main Bearing Witness site, Naomi Tamura’s Christian faith makes her a religious minority. At Mennonite World Conference Assembly 16 in Harrisburg, PA, this past July, Tamura shared with us both the struggle and the opportunity that accompanies Christian faith in Japan. Both the  Keep Reading…

Paul and Suja Phinehas

In the Tamil Nadu region of India, Paul and Suja Phinehas serve as leaders of Gilgal Mission Trust, a member church of Mennonite World Conference. In August they shared with Bearing Witness some of the struggles they face as Christians in a predominantly Hindu society. Paul Phinehas’s grandfather worked as a healer in a Hindu  Keep Reading…

Prayer and fasting

Today’s post is focused on the Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) and their experiences amidst the violence that currently wracks northern Nigeria. The Church of the Brethren (US) has identified next week (August 17-24) as a week of prayer and fasting for the EYN and for the violence in Nigeria more generally.  Keep Reading…

Martyr stories and right remembering

One of the complications of telling martyr stories is that they can deepen current divisions and animosities. In a letter sent to Mennonite educators and historical societies in January of this year, representatives from Mennonite World Conference acknowledged that the way we tell and remember stories of costly discipleship from within our tradition has an  Keep Reading…