The last two years have been unique in many ways, but we are thankful for what could be done, and we are also grateful that limitations are decreasing. In May 2021, we celebrated our Summit with online meetings on three consecutive days. Additionally, we had two virtual meetings (April and Nov) focused on the Delegates. It was time to share, reflect, and make decisions about our global relationships. How to serve each other, inform about conferences with special needs, and in crises. ICOMB was able to assist in some susceptible situations, and we are thankful where we could be of help.

There is communication between ICOMB leadership and the conferences and among the meetings, which is one of our goals. We rejoice when leaders share prayer motives, bits of advice, different resources, friendship, etc. This is blessing individuals, churches, and conferences.

In our partnership with Multiply, we have intensified our joint reflection about the 22 member conferences and emerging groups in the different regions. This widens the understanding of situations and opportunities to connect better, and it lets us use resources more efficiently. As ICOMB leadership, we are very thankful that Victor Wiens is seconded to us as Emerging Conferences Coordinator. And the disposition of Doug Penner and the regional leaders in Multiply to engage in a joint effort to strengthen and expand ICOMB has been an important encouragement.

Global Scholarship Fund (GSF) and Mission Leaders Training (MLT) are two specific joint programs serving in equipping and offering educational possibilities to many leaders or potential leaders. ICOMB needs to widen the virtual communication and data exchange system to be more efficient in our “connect, strengthen, expand” goals of the conferences. We are talking about how Multiply can share Systems they developed that can enhance our work.

On November 21, I had the opportunity to visit European Anabaptist Leaders in Holland and visit Churches in Austria. Together with Multiply leaders, we visited the conference in Portugal and churches in Turkey. We have painted the picture that Multiply is a mission agency, and ICOMB is the global family that groups of churches can belong to. These visits have confirmed how encouraging it can be for a group of churches when a broader community is interested and supportive.

In the past years, the contribution of CCMBC and donations from Individuals and churches from this conference, have been very generous. We wholeheartedly want to thank for this.

In our 2022 Budget (165.000,00 U$.), the main expenses are leaders’ meetings, travel expenses, an extension of communication systems, and staff salaries. For the revenues, approx. 41% will come from Conference contribution, and the balance needs to go through fundraising. We aim to get 39% from individuals and churches, 5% from various sources, and the rest (15%), if needed, will come from our reserves. These have grown because of the travel limitation in the last two years.

We plan to have an in-person summit in Brazil (May 16-22) with the possibility of connecting online. This summit will be with the elements of an assembly and culminate with a conference that shall encourage and challenge us to be awakened by God, called Despertar 22. And it will be open not just to delegates but to more leaders so that the fellowship between conferences does not depend just on the delegates.

Click here to see our Executive Team

– Rudi Plett, Executive Director