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In a separate caucus, the African delegates recommended that Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, be given first consideration as the site of the next assembly. The General Council agreed, listing Zambia and Zimbabwe as the second and third choices, respectively, if an Ethiopian site is not feasible.
MWC assemblies are usually held every six years. The next assembly will only be the third time it has been held outside of North America or Europe. Ethiopia has the second-largest number of Mennonites in Africa, behind Zaire.
The General Council also approved a "Resolution Regarding the Burning of Church Buildings" in response to recent events in Indonesia, Nigeria, Jamaica and the United States. "We stand in prayer with those who have been the target of violent acts which seek to destroy not only buildings but also the spirit of those who meet within them," the statement reads. It calls on all churches of the MWC global family "to seek ways to respond in love to those who have committed these acts and to those who have been victims." The resolution also encourages churches to participate "in the rebuilding of these structures and the restoring of human spirits".
This was the first meeting of the 14th General Council, which will guide MWC until the next assembly. The General Council will meet again in three or four years, likely in Central America.
J. Lorne Peachey
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