by Javier Márquez
On August 29, pastors and leaders from churches in South Texas and northern Mexico gathered at Iglesia Menonita Fuente de Agua Viva in Los Fresnos, Texas, for a gathering of these congregations with Mosaic Conference staff.
The day began with a time of welcome and introductions led by Marco Güete. Participants talked about their lives, their prayer needs, and what is happening in their churches and communities. They then prayed for one another.
Michael Howes, a member of the Mosaic Board, led the morning devotional. His reflection invited the group to recognize the ways God continues to work and surprise God’s people.
“I was deeply impressed with the lay leadership of the congregations, complementing their wonderful pastors and spouses. I was moved by the account of how they had cared for the flow of immigrants arriving in the area,” Howes later reflected.
The conversation continued around several topics connected to the life of the conference. Participants received updates about the upcoming year-long Preaching Institute cohort; the new opportunity to study through the Mosaic Academy; Mosaic’s Annual Assembly, scheduled for November 6-7, and the next South Texas pastors’ gathering, which will take place February 5-7, 2027.
There was also time to talk about the Mosaic Priorities Guide and Vibrant Mosaic, presented by Danilo Sanchez. These conversations helped connect the work of the conference with the needs and hopes each congregation is experiencing in its own context.
One of the most meaningful moments was a time of prayer for Mosaic Conference and those serving on its team. Pastors and leaders prayed for Güete, Sanchez, and Howes, expressing the care and trust that continues to grow between these congregations and the conference.
The following day, Howes and Sanchez worshiped with Iglesia Menonita del Cordero, where Sanchez preached. Güete accompanied Fuente de Agua Viva during worship and shared the message.
There was also time to share a meal. Iglesia del Cordero invited the group to lunch at a Tex-Mex restaurant, while Pastor Rigoberto and his spouse Sonia, accompanied the group on a tour of the area including seeing the border between Texas and Mexico.
These moments offered a glimpse into the context in which these congregations serve, a reality shaped by geographic proximity, cultural diversity, and a border that is part of everyday life.
Beyond the topics and updates, discussed, the focus of the time was to get to know one another, listen, and walk together. Each intercultural gathering reminds us that a conference is more than a structure connecting churches. It is also a network of relationships that grows stronger when we share our stories, our concerns, our faith, and our tables.
In South Texas and northern Mexico, Mosaic continues to discover that God is doing new things. Those surprises begin by sitting together and listening to one another’s stories.
Javier Márquez
Javier Márquez is Associate for Community Cultivation and Leadership Development. He is an Anabaptist Colombian pacifist and poet. He is based in Bogota, Colombia.
Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To contact Javier Márquez, please email jmarquez@mosaicmennonites.org.
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.
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