By Marta Castillo
We’ve all heard the phrase, “The church is not a building; it is the people.” In a similar fashion, Mosaic Mennonite Conference is not simply the executive minister, the board, or the staff, but rather the people of the conference working together to further the Kingdom of God. One way this is manifest is in the working committees, which are composed of faithful, discerning, creative, and collaborative volunteers from all parts of the conference. We are grateful for those who have said yes to serving on the following four committees. They are always hard at work, meeting together to process information, write reports, and make decisions under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and existing guidelines and policies.
The Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee is where it all begins, since they vet and discern new members for the Conference Board and other committees, based on nominations from others within the conference. Nominations are made via an online form or at assembly with written forms.
The Nominating Committee seeks to ensure that the board and various committees reflect the diversity that is Mosaic. Members should be balanced in terms of the gender, racial, cultural, geographic, and historic diversity of the Conference, reflect the diverse gifts represented in the Conference, are persons of good standing in their congregations, and exhibit a high level of intercultural capacity.
This year we welcome Roy Williams (North Tampa, FL) as the chair of the Nominating Committee in his role as Moderator Elect. We also welcome Wendy Kwong (Souderton) to the Nominating Committee.
The Credentials Committee
The Credentials Committee interviews and recommends individuals for credentialing. This committee has the privilege of hearing the stories, beliefs, and callings of the pastors coming into the Conference with requests for licensing and transfers, in addition to those who are being ordained. They write reports and recommendations from interviews and other paperwork that are sent to the Ministerial Committee for approval.
This year we welcome Lisa Quinones (Garden Chapel), Sonya Stauffer Kurtz (Zion), Drane Reynolds (Homestead), and Kathy Tuttle (Lakeview) to the Credentials Committee.
The Ministerial Committee
The Ministerial Committee makes decisions on ministry credentials and policies that promote the support, health, and training of credentialed leaders and promote safe church practices for congregations.
This year we welcome Mike Spinelli (Perkiomenville), Tomas Ramirez (Luz y Vida) and Rose Bender Cook (Whitehall) to the Ministerial Committee.
The Finance Committee
The Finance Committee provides leadership on fiscal matters and develops the budget based on the vision of the Conference.
This year we welcome Ryan Ferguson (Philadelphia Praise Center) and Jessica Clopton-Robinson (College Hill) to the Finance Committee.
*No photo on file for Jessica Clopton-Robinson
We are thankful for these and other Mosaic committees and all the faithful, hard-working volunteers who serve. To see a full list of committees and members, visit the Boards and Committees page.
Please pray for wisdom, grace, and strength for the members of these committees as they faithfully serve where God has called and equipped them to be.
Marta Castillo
Marta Castillo is the Associate Executive Minister for Mosaic Conference. Marta lives in Norristown, PA, with her husband, Julio, and has three sons, Christian, Andres and Daniel and one granddaughter, Isabel.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.