In this Closing Worship Service of the #Occupy Empire Conference, members of the Listening Committee offer their reflections of what they heard during conference sessions and through informal conversations with conference participants.
serves as the lead pastor of Community Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and serves as lead pastor of Park View Mennonite Church, also in Harrisonburg.

Conference planners聽听补苍诲听 describe the conference in this way:

鈥淎nabaptism at its best has been a series of attempts both to live into God鈥檚 in-breaking occupation and to faithfully occupy the empires of this fallen age, signaling the shalom to come. Anabaptists have gone about this work by imaginatively patterning their worship and witness after the New Testament communities of Jesus. Come explore ways in which the Anabaptist tradition can help inspire faithful occupation in today鈥檚 world. Interdisciplinary academic presentations will be infused with worship and testimonies to open our minds and spirits to where God is calling us into mission in the midst of empire.鈥�

Session V is a series of three Lectures (Note: David Stutzman鈥檚 presence in the first lecture is via Skype)

Matthew Krabill and David Stutzman present on 鈥淓mpire: The Mission Frontier of the Church.鈥澛� Matthew Krabill currently lives in Pasadena, CA, and is a doctoral candidate at Fuller Theological Seminary where enjoys studying immigration, global Christianity and Anabaptist theology.聽 David Stutzman works and lives in Los Angeles and is finishing up his MA in Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary.聽 He and his wife, Rebekka, serve in youth ministry at Maranatha Christian Fellowship, Northridge, CA.聽 Along with their newborn son, Immanuel, they hope to return to Europe one day (where Rebekka is from) to promote church renewal and mission. Matthew and David are both graduates of 黑料正能量.

Josh Brockway presents on, 鈥淭actical Asceticism: Transformation in the Fissures of Empire.鈥� Josh is the Director of Spiritual Life and Discipleship for the Church of the Brethren, located in Elgin, Illinois.聽 Josh is also a doctoral candidate in Church History at the Catholic University of America.聽 His research focuses on the ascetic movements of the 5th and 6th centuries.聽 He is the current Book Review Editor and Blog Editor for Brethren Life and Thought.

Nathan Hershberger presents on 鈥淧ower, Authority, and Renewal: The Concern Movement, Paul Peachey, and the Fragmented Institutionalization of Mennonite Life.鈥� Nathan is a senior History and Philosophy/Theology major at 黑料正能量.聽 He was born in Managua, Nicaragua and grew up in Harrisonburg, Va.聽 He is married to Kaitlin Heatwole.

Conference planners and describe the conference in this way:

鈥淎nabaptism at its best has been a series of attempts both to live into God鈥檚 in-breaking occupation and to faithfully occupy the empires of this fallen age, signaling the shalom to come. Anabaptists have gone about this work by imaginatively patterning their worship and witness after the New Testament communities of Jesus. Come explore ways in which the Anabaptist tradition can help inspire faithful occupation in today鈥檚 world. Interdisciplinary academic presentations will be infused with worship and testimonies to open our minds and spirits to where God is calling us into mission in the midst of empire.鈥�

offers a lecture, 鈥淓mbodied Discourse as Truth Claims and Behavior Change: A Constructive Alternative to Human Rights,鈥澛� followed by a response by Mark Thiessen Nation.聽 Janna Hunter-Bowman is pursuing a Ph.D. in peace studies and theology from the University of Notre Dame.聽 She earned an M.A. degree in peace studies from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary while teaching as an adjunct peace studies professor at .聽 As a senior program officer for Justapaz, a Mennonite NGO in Bogota, Colombia, Janna developed and directed a national program monitoring political violence and peacebuilding.聽 She also led and translated for fact-finding missions, authored in-depth investigative reports on the effects fo U.S. plicy and published numerous book chapters and popular journal articles.聽 She served overseas through Mennonite Central Committee.聽 Janna also led policy advocacy efforts for Witness for Peace.聽 Her research interests鈥搃ncluding rights talk, embodied ethics, and peacebuilding鈥揳re informed by her experience.

is professor of聽 theology at Eastern Mennonite Seminary.聽 Prior to coming to EMS, Mark was the director of the London Mennonite Centre and previously led an ecumenical peace and justice organization in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.聽 One of the world-s leading scholars and interpreters of John Howard Yoder, Mark is also completing work on a forthcoming book about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, contesting the common assertion that Bonhoeffer was involved in the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.聽 Mark holds a Ph.D. from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Conference planners and describe the conference in this way:

鈥淎nabaptism at its best has been a series of attempts both to live into God鈥檚 in-breaking occupation and to faithfully occupy the empires of this fallen age, signaling the shalom to come. Anabaptists have gone about this work by imaginatively patterning their worship and witness after the New Testament communities of Jesus. Come explore ways in which the Anabaptist tradition can help inspire faithful occupation in today鈥檚 world. Interdisciplinary academic presentations will be infused with worship and testimonies to open our minds and spirits to where God is calling us into mission in the midst of empire.鈥�

Conference planners and describe the conference in this way:

鈥淎nabaptism at its best has been a series of attempts both to live into God鈥檚 in-breaking occupation and to faithfully occupy the empires of this fallen age, signaling the shalom to come. Anabaptists have gone about this work by imaginatively patterning their worship and witness after the New Testament communities of Jesus. Come explore ways in which the Anabaptist tradition can help inspire faithful occupation in today鈥檚 world. Interdisciplinary academic presentations will be infused with worship and testimonies to open our minds and spirits to where God is calling us into mission in the midst of empire.鈥�