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Greetings!
Josh Meyer wrote a thoughtful essay, “Anabaptism at 501,” published in the January 2026 issue of Anabaptist World, which names with clarity both the tensions we face and the hopes we are called to embody. His reflections resist nostalgia while honoring the courage and imagination that marked our beginnings — a posture the church needs so deeply in this moment.
As Mennonite Disaster Service marked its 75th anniversary, I read this piece with particular gratitude. For decades, volunteers and partners have lived out many of the hopes Meyer names: an economy of enough expressed through generosity, a faith rooted in helping our neighbors in need—what I call the “theology of the hammer”—and a resilient hope carried not by hero leaders but by shared community. Disaster response has continually required improvisation, interdependence, humility and trust in the Spirit — precisely the qualities this article lifts up as essential for the future of Anabaptism.
Anabaptism is not preserved by careful guarding of the past but by faithful, embodied discipleship in the present. When communities show up with compassion after disaster, share resources freely, and work across cultural and denominational lines, the tradition remains alive and credible. I would hope that MDS is known more for the “walls” torn down, than the walls we build.
As the Anabaptist church seeks to follow Jesus with courage into what comes next, may we at MDS continue to help our neighbors in need, and live into the “theology of the hammer.”
Sincerely,
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