The Gospel and the Bible
Proclaiming the gospel and Bible teaching among Bolivia’s Old Colony Mennonites.
Two years ago, Midnight Call purchased a small parcel of land in the village of Villa Nueva, 1½ hours from the city of Santa Cruz, to start a new ministry among the ethnic German Mennonites. We’re focused on two goals: reaching people with the redeeming gospel, and teaching Christians the Word of God, to shepherd them in conforming to Christ.
Proclaiming the Gospel
There are over 100,000 Old Colony Mennonites in Bolivia, in more than 100 different colonies. They live by strict laws, trying not to mix with the modern world system. Cars, cell phones, and electricity are forbidden. Sports like soccer and volleyball are also prohibited. Traditional clothing and horse-drawn carriages define the scene in the colonies.
The Mennonites in these colonies have the understanding that the only people who can go to heaven belong to the colony and respect its laws. If someone doesn’t conform to the colony’s lifestyle, he is shunned and avoided. According to the colony, that person is headed to hell. His sins can be forgiven and he can be restored to the community through repentance and penance before the elder. This puts him back on the right path (to heaven).
Although the Bible is used as a schoolbook and for sermons, and the Mennonite catechism is learned by heart in the colony’s own schools, only excerpts of the content are understood—if that. The Old Colony Mennonites have the Bible close at hand, yet they’re far removed from its content and true meaning. They need the gospel, and people who will explain biblical truths to them during personal visits. Even if many are hostile to this, God always enables open hearts to receive the seed of the sown Word.
Bible Teaching
We’d like to begin offering regular Bible lessons in September of this year. The purpose is to spiritually equip born-again Mennonites who have left the colony. These people live in modern villages and attend a local Mennonite church. We want to offer solid, Bible-based instruction alongside these local churches, enabling brothers and sisters (whether laypeople or those in positions of authority) to capably complement their local body and follow Christ in faithfulness to the Scriptures.
Midnight Call - 09/2024
