We pray for members of the human family who are in the midst of war or violence in their nations. At this time, our hearts cry out especially for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Myanmar, Ethiopia, Ukraine and Palestine. Lord, deliver them and silence the guns and bombs in those countries.
Photo: Merle Good

Myanmar is in the worst situation due to wars. The civil war is intensifying and spreading across the country. There is inflation and lack of employment. Due to the disruption of trade routes and insecurity within the country, a third of Myanmar (more than 18 million people) are in need of food. Among them, more than 200 Mennonite families are in dire straits.

The war between the Myanmar military and the revolutionaries continues with losses for the government. The military junta announced 12 February 2024 that every citizen (ages 18 to 35, regardless of gender) must serve in the military. Young people are banned from leaving the country and face a 5-year prison sentence for refusing conscription. That law will cause suffering for all citizens. Unrest is growing. Some young people many flee to avoid military service. Others seek refuge in the revolutionary groups.

The conscription law poses a special challenge for our Mennonite youth. They are also afraid to attend church and venture outside.

Our country faces many problems, but on the other hand, God is also opening a great door for the spread of the gospel and peace movement. We are doing great in here by the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Please pray for us and for peace in Myanmar.
—a message from the leaders of Bible Missionary Church, Mennonite

Recently Ecuador has experienced situations of extreme violence and social disorder, and the government has responded with militarization. We pray that the families and communities that are experiencing situations of violence in any form – extortion, robberies and all kinds of insecurities – may find peace in God, that the ecclesial community may be the arms of the Lord and ears to listen to how people feel, and that the churches may know how best to witness to the values of the Kingdom of God. 
—submitted by Pablo Stucky, MWC regional representative for South America – Andean region, and Marina Plua, Ecuador 

We pray for peace in the whole world: not only regarding wars which are cruel to humanity and also to the environment, but also corruption and ambition for power which harm people. God, deliver us from temptations to violence and power.
Photo: Ása Steinarsdóttir/Unsplash

Pray for migrants in Latin America. Some countries are both providing shelter to those who have fled and causing others to find new homes. Praise God for churches who are providing for the physical and spiritual needs of people on the move, even as they face their own challenges to have enough.
Photo: Canva

Church attendance in Canada and the USA has shifted significantly since before the pandemic. Some people have changed congregations, others have stopped attending at all; some congregations have changed denominations; some congregations have grown, others shrunk: all need wisdom to discern the ways they are called to change to meet today’s challenges and the ways they are called to strengthen and renew convictions and practices.
Photo: Karla Braun

Pray for the preparations to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism in Zurich in 2025. May it be an opportunity of reflection to celebrate the movement’s strengths and repent of its failures while also seeking reconciliation with those who have been estranged.

Read:
Anabaptists on the streets of Zurich

Pray for parts of East Africa affected by heavy rains and mudslides. Earlier in December, some 80 people were reported to have died in Tanzania after mudslides carried large rocks and uprooted trees, reaching depths of up to 8 metres. In the village of Hanang, Tanzania, the church remains standing but nearly all the houses were destroyed. Mennonite churches in Kisumu and Migori, Kenya, suffered excess rains. Flooding in Kenya continued to worsen throughout December with many deaths reported in northern Kenya.

Officials from MWC member church Kanisa la Menonite Tanzania visited the affected people in Hanang. Pictured (l-r) are a local diocese pastor; pastor Emmanuel Hagai, KMT General Secretary; Chris Rwanga Kateti, area bishop; bishop Nelson M. Kisare, KMT Moderator; local (government) leader.

“Let us pray for peace, because this war impoverishes us,” says Siaka Traoré, MWC regional representative for Central West Africa. In Burkina Faso, the government enlists young people to serve their country through the military, providing a dilemma for young Christians.
Photo: Virginia Lackinger/Unsplash