Several ACC congregations participated in Mennonite World Conference’s World Fellowship Sunday on January 20. This year, the theme for World Fellowship Sunday is “Justice on the Journey: Migration and the Anabaptist Story.” Anabaptist sisters and brothers in faith around the world joined in remembering that God is with all who have been uprooted and displaced from their homes.
The Scripture passages chosen by Mennonite World Conference were Leviticus 19:33-34 and Luke 4:18-21. In Leviticus, God reminds the people that
they were once strangers in the land of Egypt, and so must treat the aliens among them as fellow citizens. In Luke’s Gospel, meanwhile, Jesus proclaims the Jubilee year, the arrival of the promised day of good news for prisoners, the poor, and the oppressed.
At Ridgeview MC, Mu Kaw was invited to share his journey as a Karen refugee from Thailand to the United States and about his life now. Pastor Audrey Kanagy interviewed Mu Kaw. One thing that stood out to the congregation was his courage to learn despite the challenges he has faced. He is the first of his people group in Lancaster to attend college. He is currently in his second year at Millersville University. He also talked about his community receiving blankets and school kits when they were in the refugee camp, not knowing where they came from. When they came to Lancaster and began attending Habbecker’s Mennonite Church, they were surprised and delighted to see the church making blankets and putting MCC kits together. They immediately and enthusiastically jumped into this ministry and now bless each project as it goes out, just as they received those blessings in Thailand.
Thanks to Pastors Audrey Kanagy and Todd Friesen for contributing to this story.
