This fall has brought a handful of transitions to the staff at Franconia Conference.
In mid-August Karen Burkholder and Lora Steiner resigned from their roles with the conference. Karen, who was a receptionist for the conference, began a position in Christopher Dock Mennonite High School’s Development office. Lora, formerly a Communication Associate for the conference, is an MDiv student at Drew University and is now participating in her pastoral internship at James Street Mennonite Church in Lancaster, Pa.
While the end of summer brought goodbyes for conference staff the beginning of the school year brought two interns on staff. Joe Hackman, an MDiv student with Eastern Mennonite Seminary, has joined Franconia Conference staff as an associate for leadership cultivation and Nate Stucky, an MDiv student at Princeton Theological Seminary, has joined Franconia Conference staff as an intern in youth ministry.
Joe will focus primarily on young adults and providing pastoral care to college students. He’ll be working with Franconia students at Mennonite schools, as well as Messiah, Temple, Philadelphia Biblical University and Eastern University, with a particular emphasis on students who, for whatever reason, aren’t well-connected with the congregations in which they were raised. Joe will also be recruiting students for the Ministry Inquiry Program and other conference/congregational-based opportunities.
Joe says he hopes to create more space for conversations with college students-conversations about the conference itself as well as issues related to the broader Mennonite church. Students sometimes have these spaces at school, says Joe, but he’s looking for a way to “foster conversation with students within the conference.”
Joe, who has been working for the past three years as a history teacher at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, returned to full-time seminary studies this fall through Eastern Mennonite Seminary’s Lancaster program. He’ll be taking classes in Lancaster as well as at Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, Pa. and is hoping to better connect the conference with Mennonite and Anabaptist-minded students at Biblical.
Joe is also working as a pastoral intern in the Salford congregation, where he and his wife Angela are members. Joe plans on pastoring when he finishes his studies, but isn’t sure where. He says the decision to move back the area where he was raised was intentional, and he’s interested in seeing how the suburban context and dynamics of wealth and poverty affect how Christianity is lived out. “I’m pretty fascinated with suburban spirituality . . . I’m interested in how to express Christianity and Anabaptism in a suburban context.”
“I am excited about working with Joe, in continuing to cultivate his questions, his creativity and his gifts while he brings a sense of continued catalytic care to young adults and college students from Franconia Conference,” says Steve Kriss, director of communication and leadership cultivation. Joe joins the leadership cultivation and communication team for his time with the conference.
Nate will work alongside Conference Youth Minister Marlene Frankenfield participating in campus pastor responsibilities such as chapel planning and conference responsibilities like the fall youth leadership retreat.
When Nate began to plan for his internship requirements for his studies he said, “I sought out Marlene as someone to work with because of my previous experience with her, and my interest in campus and conference level youth ministry. I have great admiration for Marlene, and I owe a great deal of my own sense of call to Merv Stoltzfus, who is also a conference youth pastor (Atlantic Coast Conference). I love the challenge of working with teenagers, and I find great joy in relating to other youth workers. I hope to give and receive a great deal as I partner with Franconia Conference and Christopher Dock.”
Marlene was ready to offer Nate ample experiences in both of her roles. “I hope to connect Nate with as much hands on experience as possible,” she says. “In my Franconia Confernece and Dock combination role I hope to connect him with a variety of ministry experiences. Resourcing and soul care for youth pastors and volunteer youth leaders. Working with student leaders planning chapel, leading worship and mentoring. Learning about Mennonite Church USA youth ministry and the ways Franconia Conference connects. Nate has already helped with planning the leadership retreat for November and we are looking forward to Nate being the keynote speaker at retreat. I hope to connect him with some congregations to meet youth leaders and lead a youth bible study.”
“I am looking forward to learning from Nate,” continues Marlene, “he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in youth ministry to this internship. I hope to learn more about what he is learning at Princeton Seminary and from our informal conversations around what he notices about campus life and Conference youth ministry. I am incredibly blessed and looking forward to this year working with Nate.”
Nate and his wife of nine years, Janel, have two children, Joshua and Jenna. Nate is a native of Kansas and a graduate of Bethel College. Before his studies at Princeton, Nate served as a youth pastor with an Atlantic Coast Mennonite Conference congregation in Maryland for six years and farmed in Kansas for two.
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.