The International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) is made up of 21 national churches in 19 countries with approximately 450,000 members. ICOMB exists to facilitate relationships and ministries to enhance the witness and discipleship of its member national churches – connecting, strengthening and expanding.

Summit report  
Delegates reported on many positive things that are happening within their national conferences. It is obvious that God is moving around the globe; the number of overall baptisms numbered in the hundreds! Great growth is occurring in the newest context, Malawi, where new MB churches have been birthed in Malawi Refugee Camps. It was reported that as many as 8,000 believers are now a part of those refugee churches. In La*s, many new churches continue to be born among the Khmu, and there is growth in the churches in Bavaria and Germany.

Although much of the reporting was about the good things taking place in many of the conferences, some delegates asked for prayer for difficulties being experienced. In Japan, the church is aging and there is a real concern that young people are not engaging. In some countries there is simply not enough financial resources to do all the things pastors and leaders would like to incorporate in order to reach more people.

The Matthew Training Center (MTC), directed by long-term MB missionaries, Trever and Joan Godard, does a great job of training prospective young leaders from several countries. After completing the year-long training, these young people fill leadership needs throughout ICOMB conferences and beyond. The MTC hosted the Summit and these young students provided much of the preparing and serving of food and setting up the facility for meetings.

Click to read the full report on the USMB website.

—Excerpt from a summit report by Don Morris, USMB national director