MennoLink Books and Music

Noted writers from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America tackle such questions. Drawing on rich traditions and experiences, they ponder peacemaking in local and global settings through stories of real people and their work. Stories like these can anchor us in the life of the church as it is experienced, through times of hope and optimism as well as through fears and crises. This is practical peacemaking at work.

Today the emphasis is on the need to build a just peace in direct and tangible ways. The large issues and threats are still with us, but our response is led by the stories of communities mobilizing to resolve problems through immediate and direct participation.

Who's rich? In What? Who's needy? In what way? Is endurance a gift to share? What about leadership in hard times? Music? Mutual sharing? Listening and patience? An African and an American reflect together.

Copyright 2003.

Anna and Katharine begin their lives in two Mennonite rural villages in Russia at the end of the 19th century. They come to their final restring places in urban settings in Canada towards the end of the 20th century. As they move in circles that overlap geographically and spiritually, the reality of the supernatural is a common thread in their life experiences.

Copyright 2006 Herb Swartz

Bela Banerjee: Bringing Health to India's Villages tells the story of this remarkable woman's life. It is amply illustrated with photographs from several sources, and includes a map of India noting in boldface type the places where Bela had lived and worked. The book is divided into eight parts, each beginning with a poem by Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, whose message Bela found inspiring.

Bela became ill during her North American trip in 1992, and died on January 1, 1993, at the home of friends in Kansas. During her illness, Bela still yearned to serve others. Some of her last words were, "I want to work." Nurses and others who helped Bela during that time were deeply touched by her vision and caring personality.

The coda also draws together some of the linkages among the many people who came to know and care for Bela Banerjee in her last days with others from many parts of the world whose lives had already been linked with hers. It suggests a sense of the continuing influence of Bela Banerjee's life through memorials that have been established in her honor and through the lives of those who have been inspired by her presence.