ICOMB gets serious

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the MB church in Colombia, the annual meeting of the International Committee of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) was held July 2-5 in Bogota, Colombia. ICOMB was established at the time of the 1990 Mennonite World Conference in Winnipeg to provide a structure for MB conferences around the world to meet as equal partners, and not as churches under the influence of MB Missions/Services, an agency of the North American MB Conference. The purposes of ICOMB, as described in its bylaws, are:

  • 1. To articulate and promote a vision for internationalization of the missions and ministries of Mennonite Brethren on a global basis;
  • 2. To facilitate inter-conference communication and information flow, thereby enhancing spiritual unity and brother/sisterhood among Mennonite Brethren churches of the world;
  • 3. To provide a framework for the exploration of mutual conference concerns such as the Confession of Faith, pastor-church relations, calling out leaders, leadership and lay training, ethical issues, publication of Christian literature, evangelism and church planting; and
  • 4. To develop a forum for mutual encouragement, a church-(conference)-to-church-(conference) partnership that transcends ethnic, cultural and language barriers and that celebrates our oneness in Jesus Christ.

    The 1996 meetings provided extensive time for sharing conference experiences. Unfortunately, the representatives of the two largest MB conferences (Zaire, 71,000, and India, 65,000) were unable to participate.

    Meeting in Bogota provided a firsthand opportunity to learn about the joys and struggles of the MB churches in Colombia. At one point, the delegates were called to pray for a 5-year-old girl who was experiencing a seizure and who had been brought to the church by her mother. The delegates laid hands on Andrea and her mother, and prayed for healing in English, German, Japanese and Spanish. Andrea soon became calm and opened her eyes.

    Another part of the discussions focussed upon strengthening ICOMB (see sidebar). A 10-year plan was developed to have the annual ICOMB meetings hosted by conferences in different parts of the world. Whenever feasible, the meetings will be held in conjuction with regional or local events like the 50th anniversary in Colombia. Next year's meetings will be held in conjunction with the Mennonite World Conference in Calcutta, India, followed by meetings with the Indian churches in Hyderabad.

    Abe Konrad,
    outgoing moderator, Canadian MB Conference

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