The Challenge & Hope of the Future

The Challenge and Hope of the Future. . , The Mennonites came here because of their Anabaptist vision of the Christian faith and established Christian communities. Some wept as they said farewell to Russia and later, as they saw the endless miles of raw prairie, and encountered prairie fires, grasshoppers, droughts, floods, blizzards, or experienced personal tragedy. At times there were differences but also spiritual renewals. Through it all, they grew in Christian faith and worked diligently to achieve a better life., What of the Future? Will we give highest priority to God as revealed in Jesus Christ or will we pursue self-centered interests and pleasures? Will Mennonites remain true to the Anabaptist vision of the Christian faith or become so acculturated as to be unidentifiable? Will a simple life style based on personal integrity, community well-being, and world brotherhood be perpetuated or will it disappear like a vapor trail? When faith erodes under the temptation of living in a changing world, will God, as revealed in Jesus Christ in the New Testament be repeatedly rediscovered?, The answer to these questions lies in the future and depends upon all of us. Our hope and prayer is that the distinctive Anabaptist emphasis in education, missions, peace, relief, and service will grow in His spirit so that our Lord's prayer may increasingly be fulfilled -- "Thy Kingdom come: Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.", "So faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." , I Corinthians 13:13