Creating new space: Established churches creatively extend their walls

Jessica Walter, Associate for Communication and Leadership Cultivation, Franconia Mennonite Conference with John Tyson and Emily Graber, Ministry Inquiry Participants

Church planting is not only a task for individuals who have felt God leading them to establish a congregation in a certain neighborhood. The task of creating a new space of worship, fellowship and accountability can come from within a long established congregation seeking to creatively respond to a need expressed among their neighbors and friends. In Franconia Conference there are several examples of established congregations reaching out beyond their church walls to meet needs, create new church space and help brothers and sisters in Christ come together. These examples include the Spanish Speaking Ministry at Franconia Mennonite Church, Nations Worship Center’s church plant in the Washington, DC area and Whitehall Mennonite Church’s outreach to neighbors, Ripple Effects.

John Tyson, Emily Graber and I have interviewed these three established congregations asking them about the inspiration behind these new growths; their learnings, both good and bad, and where God has clearly been at work in these initiatives.

Spanish Speaking Ministry at Franconia Mennonite Church
Responding to the needs of our local communities often leads to relationships and ministry opportunities. Franconia Mennonite Pastor Arnold Derstine discovered this when a Spanish speaking community member phoned the church seeking a place for her children to worship. According to Derstine, “This contact grew into a relationship and led some of us to ask a few questions. We realized that within our congregation we have a handful of bilingual speakers who could potentially reach out and welcome those around us who feel most comfortable speaking Spanish. In 2006 we decided to begin a Sunday School class in Spanish and we’ve had a small group meeting regularly since then.”

Prior to their arrival at Franconia, Arnold and his wife Marlene served for eight years in Puebla, Mexico with a sister church, and have remained in conversation with that community. “It’s encouraging and inspiring when looking back because one can see so clearly how God prompts, prepares and sets things in motion long before we fully understand what God is up to.”

Forging this new ministry, however, has not been without challenge. “We know,” explained Arnold, “it can be intimidating for people to come to a worship service at church when it hasn’t been their pattern or their practice to do so. This is true even for guests that speak the same language, grew up in the same community and share a similar ethnic identity, so when reaching out to our Spanish speaking friends we realize that the intimidation factor of coming to church is exponentially increased. Therefore we plan activities and events in addition to Sunday morning as a way of cultivating relationships and building rapport and trust.” Despite this challenge, the connections and relationships being built are creating hope. “While the number of Spanish speaking people is growing slowly within the congregation the number of Spanish speaking people we are connected to in the community is growing extensively.”

God’s movement became evident when the group was struggling to discern whether or not to purchase translating equipment and received an anonymous donation towards the fund. “The timing seemed so clearly to be a sign of God’s leading,” recalls Derstine. “We purchased our translating equipment this past spring leading up to a baptism service which included Reynaldo and Jaslyn Ramos, a young couple actively participating in our Spanish group. We see this translating equipment as a way of using the opportunities God gives us to share the message of Jesus.”

As this new ministry has taken off, things are changing, growing. “I sense God working in growing us as people who embrace diversity. As demographics and culture in our surrounding community continue to change we too, as a faith community, need to open ourselves and grow in our understanding of and outreach to folks who are different than us,” said Arnold. “Many Spanish speaking people have come to this country to escape violence and poverty and to make a better life for their families. Our ultimate desire is that this ministry would provide a setting where people meet Jesus and come to know him as their protector, provider and the Rock on which they can stand.”

A “Ripple” from Whitehall Mennonite Church
Commissioned by Whitehall Mennonite Church, Ripple began with breakfast and discussion at Tom and Carolyn Albright’s home. “God was nudging us to reach out to those we knew from work and the community who had questions about God but did not want to enter a church, or thought the church was not a place to ask their questions,” recalls Carolyn. “We also had a conviction that the current church needed to be different for our postmodern culture.”

The inspiration behind Ripple came from “the leadership of the Albrights and their ability to see that the present form of practicing ‘churchliness’ is not connecting with the general population in our communities,” states Whitehall’s congregational chair, Urbane Byler. “They began asking, ‘What do we need to change to become involved with our neighbors?’ They made suggestions to leadership but no one bought into it. When the Conference called for some radical experiments in reaching out, they were just waiting to give it a try. We were inspired to support a family so dedicated to reaching out to their neighbors.”

“I truly believe that we are missionaries from Whitehall,” adds Tom, “sent to go out into the community.”

Ripple has given people the opportunity to think outside the church box. “It’s been really refreshing to look at faith from the perspective of people who are sort of outside the church,” reflects Tom. “The first couple months made me look at my faith in a completely new way. There were people questioning everything, asking me, ‘Who is God’ and ‘Why do you believe this?’”

Though he admits that he was scared during the first few meetings, Tom realized that this process was important and life giving to those around him. “Watching other people come to see the Bible and faith in a new way and finding some really great people [has also been life giving]. Christians lives become focused on Christian friends, and I realized how out of touch I was with my community. People are honest and have honest questions; Ripple has given them space to question.”

The group, which now meets twice a month in various locations, not only provides space to ask questions of faith, but also to challenge how each attendee can do more in their community. “We encourage participants to ‘do a ripple’ and then share about it at each meeting.” notes Carolyn. “One woman paid for the groceries of the elderly man behind her at the grocery store and talked about how good she felt about helping someone with no strings attached. Another woman gave her favorite designer purse to a co-worker who had cancer and had always admired this purse. She said that she felt, distinctly, God telling her to empty her purse and take it to this co-worker on that particular day.”

Ripple also has a goal of spending their designated donation money before the next meeting. Members of the group often suggest where the donation should be made and this money has been given to individuals in need, local community organizations and global missions. “We have seen God move through this ministry in our letting go of being in control and waiting for participants and God to let us know what is needed,” says Carolyn. “Our own family has grown closer as we partner together to make Ripple and ripples happen.”

Alongside what has been life-giving there have also been challenges in mindsets, expectations and planning along this journey.

“We are learning to listen carefully and attentively to others needs and that no question is too hard for God,” shares Carolyn. “We don´t have to have the answers, as we stay centered on Jesus. I am also learning to trust that Jesus is at work in each person´s life, and it is a privilege to hear them share their stories of recognizing him in their lives.”

“People do respond to good neighbors,” said Urbane Byler. “Building relationships is worthwhile and table time with neighbors can be spiritual even though there is not a lot of ‘God Talk.’”

Nations Worship Center plants in Washington DC
Nations Worship Pastor Beny Krisbianto has been connecting with a group of Indonesian immigrants in the Washington, DC, area over the past year, helping to plant a church there. “The Indonesian immigrants in the DC area need a community where they can feel love and encouragement and are able to help each other,” states Beny. “Some of them feel lonely as they face the challenges of adopting the American culture. The Indonesian people in DC need the church as a community of Christ where they can be united and help each other as fellow immigrants. We want them to feel that our ministry is their home or family. As the church, we will stand with them in every situation.”

Nations Worship Center, DC spends a lot of time with its attendees, listening to struggles, praying for needs and helping people find practical ways to work through their problems. “We are there to help and not for our own business,” adds Beny. “We need to die from our will and really listen to what God wants us to do.”

Like all church plants, Nations Worship Center, DC, has had its ups and downs. Beny noted that there is a struggle to raise up committed leaders and ministers among the attendees of the new congregation. But they have also had their blessings. Last year Nations Worship Center was invited to the Indonesian Embassy. The Ambassador, a Muslim man, was so impressed with Nations Worship’s ministry that he invited them to dinner and asked them to pray for him. Since then the DC church has an open invitation to use the embassy for meetings.

“Ministry, including the church planting, is not ours. It belongs to God. We need to make sure that the churches we plant are in God’s will and not our own ambition.”