The Anabaptism at 500 reception at Follow Jesus ’25 brought fun, games, camaraderie and unity.
By Jessica Griggs for Mennonite Church USA
Participants in the Anabaptism at 500 Bible-reading experience rush to read through their assigned sections of the Bible in under 15 minutes.
Photo by Mackenzie Miller for Anabaptist World; used with permission.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (Mennonite Church USA) — On the final night of Mennonite Church USA’s national convention, Follow Jesus ’25, MC USA and MennoMedia hosted an Anabaptism at 500 party, in celebration of the tradition’s 500th anniversary. The event consisted of fellowship, trivia and an attempt to read the entire Bible in under 15 minutes.
The night began with a welcome from the event’s MCs, Mitch Stutzman, MennoMedia’s director of development and partner engagement, and Madalyn Metzger, Everence’s chief marketing officer.
“We are celebrating the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism tonight. That’s 500 years of honoring believer’s baptism, peace theology and potlucks where everybody races for a deviled egg,” Stutzman said.
“Tonight, we’re honoring this tradition … born out of this deep conviction rooted in community, carried forward by generations of people who believed in living simply, loving deeply and committing to journeying together. … We’re not only going to talk about where we’ve been, but we’re excited about where we’re going, as well, because that’s what 500 years of radical discipleship has taught us.”
In the first event of the night, teams participated in a highly competitive round of Anabaptist trivia, featuring questions ranging from global Anabaptist history to Anabaptists in popular culture to Mennonites in the U.S. context. Cheers and groans filled the ballroom, as the answers to each question were revealed and the trivia standings were shared. At the end of the first round, Team Q won, with the Radical Reformers coming second. Each member of the top two teams choose from prizes including Anabaptist themed t-shirts and gift cards.
Joy and exhilaration can be felt, as participants in the Anabaptism at 500 Bible-reading experience start to complete their passages. Photo by Mackenzie Miller for Anabaptist World; used with permission.
The highlight of the night was the collective Bible-reading experience. Prior to the event, MennoMedia organized the Bible into 500 sections, with the hopes that 500 people would participate and simultaneously read one section each, in an attempt to read the whole Bible in under 15 minutes. Despite not having quite enough participants, all of the passages were passed out, with some people taking two or more passages. When the count-down timer began, the room erupted into a cacophony of voices reading the biblical text. As the clock ticked down, the energy and exhilaration became palpable. In the final minute, the crowd began cheering and clapping as each remaining individual completed their reading. While the collective took slightly longer than hoped, the 16 minutes and 15 seconds it took to complete the task were filled with joy and teamwork as participants worked toward a common goal.
After a short break, allowing for a much-needed water break, the night ended with a final trivia round. The CDC IMC Sibs won this round of trivia, and in an act of benevolence, the Radical Reformers, who won second place again, offered their prize to the second-to-last place team.
“I found it very interesting and very encouraging,” said Merle Christner, a retired pastor of Stephens City (Virginia) Mennonite Church. “We’ve celebrated 500 years and we’ll celebrate another 500. The community and camaraderie as we gathered around and did the game and so on brought us all together.”
Mennonite Church USA is an Anabaptist Christian denomination, founded in 2002 by the merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. Members of this historic peace church seek to follow Jesus by rejecting violence and resisting injustice. MC USA’s Renewed Commitments state the following shared commitments among its diverse body of believers: to follow Jesus, witness to God’s peace and experience the transformation of the Holy Spirit. Mennoniteusa.org