May 14th, 2025IW Global Companion of the Month - Philippines
Mennonite Church Canada Witness in the Philippines
At the foot of Mt. Apo, in the ancestral lands of the Bagobo-Tagabawa people, Mennonite Church Canada Witness is honored to walk in companionship with Indigenous leaders, peacemakers, and young visionaries. Through long-term relationships built on trust, respect, and shared hope, we journey together toward God’s dream of shalom — a flourishing of life rooted in justice, peace, and reconciliation. Our ministry here is not about directing outcomes, but about listening deeply, learning humbly, and standing in solidarity as Christ’s companions on the way.
This companionship finds expression in initiatives like the agroforestry project at Mt. Apo — a partnership of PeaceBuilders Community, Coffee for Peace, and the Indigenous Ancestral Domain Association. Here, the planting of coffee trees alongside native forest species becomes an act of restoration, resilience, and remembrance. It is a living testimony of Indigenous stewardship being renewed, and a shared offering of hope for future generations. In every seed sown and every tree nurtured, we glimpse the Spirit’s invitation to participate in creation’s healing.
We are also companions in raising up a new generation of transformational leaders through inclusive development initiatives. Programs like the Inclusive Development (IncluDev) Learning Community bring together youth from diverse backgrounds — North and South — to journey in shared learning, cross-cultural friendship, and grassroots leadership. Here, leadership is not imported or imposed; it emerges organically through mutual empowerment, rooted in the dignity and giftedness of every participant and every community.
As companions, your prayers, your encouragement, and your financial gifts sow seeds of peace that will bear fruit for generations to come. Your investment is not simply a donation — it is a joining of hands, a weaving of lives, a tangible sign that we believe, together, that another future is possible. Join us in tending to God’s shalom — here in the Philippines, and around the world.