Erwin Mirabal, president of the Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de Oriente (Evangelical Mennonite Church of the East), reflects on how reading the Bible from an Anabaptist perspective guides the church’s response to an economy that leaves more than half of the population under-nourished.
Today in Venezuela, food can’t be purchased. Commerce is paralyzed, and medicine is lacking. Basic services fail. The price of this disaster is paid with lives.
As Mennonites, we feel a deep commitment to our country. The Anabaptist vision has helped us to understand the message of the Lord Jesus Christ more clearly, and to commit ourselves to this immense task. We announce the good news of peace and reconciliation. We cultivate nonviolence and the love of enemies in our own lives. We gather around a shared table and trust in God, our Provider, who frees us from the tyranny of goods, to follow Jesus in his dedication to give abundant life.
The Anabaptist vision teaches us that when we are willing to follow Jesus and behave like the lamb, then we have the strength of a lion (Revelation 5:4-6). Although this vision may seem weak, we have been able to experience its power. It has been our commitment during these years to:
- Learn the Anabaptist vision.
- Ask the Lord to allow us to experience the Anabaptist vision through the Holy Spirit.
- Share the Anabaptist vision with others.
- Form small communities of disciples.
We want to share this message that we have received and experienced in each of Venezuela’s states.
