Assembly plenaries set YABs and Commissions in conversation 

“It’s remarkable that I can share,” says Ebenezer Mondez, YABs (Young AnaBaptist) committee representative for Asia. “I come from a very small church with no more than 1 000 members nationally, and from a country that always has foreign missionaries. We have always been the recipient. The Assembly made me realize that I have a gift to share too.”  

As at the Assembly in Pennsylvania, morning worship at the Mennonite World Conference Assembly 17 in Indonesia 5-10 July 2022 bring the YAB representatives into conversation with members of MWC’s four Commissions through two plenary addresses.  

Some 700 people will worship together with the international choir at STT Sangakala in Salatiga while thousands of online registrants tune in from around the world.  

Under the theme “learning together,” Larissa Swartz, YAB chair and North American representative will speak on interacting with diverse faith perspectives. Faith and Life Commission member and consecrated sister in the Chemin Neuf ecumenical community Anne Cathy Graber from France will speak on discerning the will of God.  

On “living together,” Ebenezer Mondez will speak on living through a time of crisis. Teacher and advocate Adriana Belinda Rodríguez Velasquez from Honduras will represent the Peace Commission with an address on dialogue and solidarity in diverse religious settings.  

On “caring together,” Colombian musician and teacher Oscar Suárez will speak on care for the environment. Social entrepreneur Jose Rutilio Rivas of Colombia of the Mission Commission will speak on caring for people who are marginalized and displaced.  

In Saturday’s sessions on “celebrating together,” environmental scientist Makadunyiswe Doublejoy Ngulube from Zimbabwe will share on intergenerational solidarity. Representing the Deacons Commission, Patrick J. Obonde of Kenya will celebrate diversity.  

Morning plenaries also include a daily special feature on Indonesian churches. 

Closing worship on Sunday morning (in Indonesia) includes Renewal 2022. This event forms part of a series commemorating the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement. Plenary speaker Nindyo Sasongko, a theologian in Indonesia and USA, and member of the Creation Care Task Force, will speak at the original Assembly venue, JKI Holy Stadium in Semarang. 

Time zone differences mean morning worship sessions will be live the previous evening in the Americas, and in the early morning in Europe and Africa.  

Click here to view a chart of times by city around the world   

Registration has perks: take in ALL of Assembly  

Online attendance at Assembly 17 is so much more than a YouTube video. Registration for Assembly 17 provides an all-access pass!  

• Take part in morning and evening sermons, greetings from ecumenical guests, worship singing with the international choir.   
• Attend workshop presentations.   
• Watch video activities from the children and teen/youth program.  
• Join a chat room to converse live with brothers and sisters from around the world.   
• Read stories and watch vlogs about the service projects, host churches in Indonesia, and attendees at Assembly 17. 

All videos and stories will remain accessible for up to one month after Assembly.