by Cindy Angela
Earlier this year, MennoMedia applied to join a storytelling program called the Austin Story Project, a storytelling program by Austin Seminary. The program trains leaders from interdenominational congregations and Christian organizations across the country to facilitate storytelling circles in their communities.
MennoMedia was accepted to send two participants. As MennoMedia and Mosaic experiment with new ways of partnering together, they invited Mosaic to fill the second seat, with the hope of putting what we learn to use together. I went to represent Mosaic.
From January 18-22, 2026, I traveled to Danville, California, alongside Chrissie Muecke of MennoMedia for the first in-person training. The training was led by Mark Yaconelli, co-founder of the Austin Story Project and founder of The Hearth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the practice of storytelling.
Over five days, we were immersed in the practice and theology of Christian storytelling. It was a formative experience. I learned a great deal about the power of stories in community, and how stories can help us understand each other across difference. Beyond the training itself, I appreciated that there was space for worship, rest, and connection.
After the training, participants were placed into small cohorts. Since January, our cohort has met monthly — checking in, sharing what we are learning during our story circles, and preparing for what comes next. We will have a second in-person training (October 2026, back in Danville), and each pair is expected to complete three storytelling circles within our community before then.
I am currently organizing Mosaic’s first story circle with our staff, set to begin in early June. We don’t know what the Spirit will bring, but I hope it will be a rich time for all of us together.
This experience has opened a door. Mosaic Conference and MennoMedia are now in conversation about building something together — a longer-term collaboration that puts what we’re learning about storytelling to work for Anabaptist communities. The shape of that project is still forming, but a grant is already in place to support it.
Stay tuned for any updates as this work develops.
Cindy Angela
Cindy Angela is the Director of Communication for Mosaic Conference. She is an Associate Pastor at Philadelphia (PA) Praise Center, and she lives in South Philadelphia with her husband, Andy, and son, Noah.
Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To contact Cindy Angela, please email cangela@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.