Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

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Introducing the 2026 Mosaic Summer Ambassadors: Part 3

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Editor’s Note: This summer, 16 young adult Ambassadors are serving in congregations and ministries across Mosaic Conference. This article highlights four of them. In the coming weeks, you’ll be introduced to the remaining Ambassadors. Read Part I | Part II.

The Summer Ambassadors are well into their summer projects and have been receiving site visits from Mosaic staff. This weekend, half of the Ambassadors will gather in Cartagena, Colombia, for a closing retreat. The following week, the other half of the Ambassadors will gather in Pennsylvania for their in-person time of reflection and relationship building.

Below, four more Ambassadors introduce themselves:

Brendan Sagastume, Healthy Niños Honduras and Mosaic Mennonite Conference

“I became an Ambassador because I wanted to be part of a community of young leaders who are passionate about making a difference and supporting one another. I have had the opportunity to learn from mentors, connect with peers from different backgrounds, and develop both personally and professionally. I look forward to strengthening the relationships I’ve built and contributing to a supportive and encouraging community. This summer I hope to continue building my skills, learning from those around me, and preparing for the opportunities that await me after college.”

School: Messiah University
Interests: Leading worship at my congregation, Perkiomenville Mennonite
Hobbies: Music and soccer

Demarcus Daniels, Midian Leadership Project (Charleston, WV)

“I became an Ambassador to learn and grow in leadership skills, to be able to share with the next generation for them to spread as well. This summer, I hope to impact my community in a positive way through Jesus.”

School: Fairmont State University
Interests: My passion is to help the next generation in any way God leads. I love being in my community because I remember being a young guy and the troubles I had, so I hope to help others.
Hobbies: Serving my community, pursuing a degree in education, and playing defensive back on the football team.

Josiah Marrero, Crossroads Community Center (Philadelphia, PA)

“I became an Ambassador because I wanted to continue building stronger relationships with the children in my community while deepening their understanding of God through spending time together and learning about bikes. My interest in the bikes is what sparked the idea, but being invested in the youth is what encouraged me to apply to be an Ambassador again. This summer I hope to learn more about myself, including my weaknesses and my strengths, so that I can continue to grow in all areas. I hope to be a light to at least one youth within my community.”

Occupation: Youth Worker
Interests: I’m interested in becoming a minister or youth leader. I would like to start a YouTube channel that is relatable and encouraging to today’s youth of today, with positive messages because there are too many negative influences reaching our youth today.
Hobbies: I love basketball, and I’m easy to talk to.

Lincoln Matonti, Redemption Church of Bristol (PA)

“I became an Ambassador because I’m very passionate about the community where I live. I view any chance to give back to my community as exciting and worth my time. This summer I hope to reach out to young people through a Christ-based video game group.”

School: Bucks County Community College
Occupation: Security Guard
Hobbies: I love playing ice hockey, hanging out with friends, and having fun with my family.

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To share your thoughts or send a message to the author(s), contact us at communication@mosaicmennonites.org.   

Who Will Represent Your Congregation? Discernment Begins for Mosaic’s 2026 Delegate Assembly

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As Mosaic Mennonite Conference prepares for its Annual Delegate Assembly on Saturday, November 7, congregations are beginning the important process of discerning who will represent them as delegates.

The ways congregations choose delegates vary widely, including discernment by the pastor, board, elders, or congregational invitations. Mosaic congregations differ greatly in size, language, culture, governance, and history, and all share the responsibility of naming people who will listen well, prepare thoughtfully, and represent their congregation within the life of Mosaic Conference.

This year, Assembly will be held at Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church, with a gathering on the evening of Friday, November 6 at Zion Mennonite in Souderton. Congregations are asked to submit the names of their delegates by August 15.

For some congregations, delegate discernment is rooted primarily in pastoral leadership.

At Centro de Alabanza de Filadelfia, Pastors Letty Cortes and Fernando Loyola select delegates from among the congregation’s leaders. Within their immigrant congregation, members trust the pastors to identify people whose Christian character and commitment enable them to represent the church well. Prior to Assembly, delegates are held during the congregation’s times of intercessory prayer.

Pastor Cortes notes that delegates often balance demanding work schedules while also participating through interpretation because English is not their primary language.

A similar emphasis on leadership discernment exists at Nations Worship Center (NWC) in Philadelphia. Pastor Beny Krisbianto says the pastoral team and elders choose delegates from among faithful ministry leaders, including elders and worship leaders, who understand the congregation’s life and can represent the church rather than primarily their own perspectives.

Before the annual Assembly, NWC gathers its delegates to discuss agenda items together and discern how the congregation hopes to engage the conversations. Pastor Krisbianto also emphasizes the importance of language access, noting that Indonesian interpretation helps delegates fully participate in Assembly discussions.

Other congregations incorporate boards or elders into the discernment process.

At Church of the Good Samaritans in Holland, Pennsylvania, the congregation’s elders typically serve as delegates. When additional delegates are needed, the elders prayerfully identify other members who can serve, as they did last year when they invited a younger adult from the congregation to participate.

At Souderton Mennonite, delegates often serve for multiple years if they remain available. When openings arise, the board discerns potential delegates and extends personal invitations. Pastor Jen Erickson-Morales says one ongoing challenge is helping delegates see their role as more than attending Assembly and voting.

Souderton prepares delegates by discussing upcoming Assembly conversations, gathering congregational perspectives, and praying publicly for delegates before Assembly.

While every delegate brings their own experiences and convictions, delegates are called to represent the discernment of their congregation rather than simply their individual opinions. That often requires preparation before Assembly by reading reports, attending pre-Assembly meetings, discussing agenda items together, and listening carefully to fellow congregants.

The process also invites congregational support. Some delegates take vacation time from work, arrange child or elder care, travel significant distances, or step away from family and ministry responsibilities to participate. Congregations can support delegates by praying for them, offering tangible support, expressing appreciation for their service, and inviting them to share what they learned after Assembly.

As your congregation discerns delegates for the 2026 Assembly, consider discussing:

  • Who in our congregation demonstrates the spiritual maturity, humility, relational gifts, and wisdom needed to represent us well?
  • How can our delegates reflect the diversity of gifts, generations, cultures, and experiences within our congregation?
  • What opportunities do potential delegates have to listen to the hopes, questions, and concerns of the congregation before Assembly?
  • How can we prepare delegates to engage thoughtfully with Assembly materials and conversations?
  • In what ways can our congregation pray for, encourage, and practically support delegates before, during, and after Assembly?
  • How might delegates help strengthen the relationship between our congregation and the wider Mosaic Conference throughout the year?

2026 Delegate Assembly

  • Friday Evening Event: November 6, 2026, 4-8pm at Zion Mennonite (Souderton, PA) – Celebrating the God who listens to us! Dinner and worship, featuring Karen González
  • Annual Delegate Assembly: Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Souderton (PA) Mennonite. Theme: We Love the Lord (Psalm 116:1-2)
  • Delegate naming deadline: August 15, 2026

Each congregation is eligible to name lay delegates according to Mosaic’s bylaws and congregational size. In addition, all Mosaic-credentialed pastors currently serving in pastoral roles are delegates and should also be included when congregations submit their delegate information.

This year, Assembly Travel Grants are available to help offset a congregation or Conference-Related Ministry’s expenses for transportation and lodging expenses for delegates participating in the Fall Assembly. The deadline to apply for these grants is August 15. Learn more.

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To share your thoughts or send a message to the author(s), contact us at communication@mosaicmennonites.org.   

Mosaic Mennonite Conference Receives $25,000 Grant for Preaching Cohort Initiative

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Mosaic Mennonite Conference has received a $25,000 Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW) to support a new initiative designed to strengthen preaching across the conference’s diverse communities.

The project, “Anabaptism at 501: Preaching for a Living Church” will be led by Leadership Minister for Formation Rose Bender Cook and will provide accessible, practical training for emerging and active preachers, particularly those who have been called to preach without formal seminary education.

The initiative will bring together English-, Spanish-, and Indonesian-speaking leaders for a series of online learning experiences that combine biblical interpretation, storytelling, sermon preparation, public speaking, participatory preaching, and Christ-centered Anabaptist theology. Participants will learn from experienced preachers, engage in peer feedback, and practice preaching in supportive cohort settings. The project will culminate in a multilingual Pentecost Festival of Homiletics in June 2027, celebrating the gifts and growth of preachers across Mosaic Conference.

“This work builds on the preaching courses Mosaic Institute has offered in the past, expanding them into a more comprehensive, multilingual learning community,” said Project Director Rose Bender Cook. “I hope participants will discover that good preaching is never a solitary endeavor. Sermons grow from listening to Scripture, the Holy Spirit, the needs of our communities, and the wisdom of others. I hope this cohort encourages preachers to make their circle bigger, inviting more voices into sermon preparation and proclamation.”

Leadership Minister Marco Güete also affirmed the initiative: “This is an important opportunity to strengthen preaching in our English- and Spanish-speaking communities. Strong preaching builds stronger churches, and investing in our leaders strengthens the church for generations to come.”

The cohort reflects Mosaic’s commitment to forming leaders who interpret Scripture through the lens of Jesus, preach in ways that are deeply rooted in their communities, and cultivate worship that is participatory, intercultural, and transformative.

“Cultivating our mosaic of preaching voices is critical for our ongoing witness centered in the reconciling love of Jesus,” reflected Executive Minister Stephen Kriss. “This initiative responds to our reality that preachers are increasingly called once again from within our communities to teach, lead, and proclaim. This project will offer opportunities for building community and capacity, and for celebrating that growth and investment together. We are grateful for Calvin’s leadership, trust, and generosity.”

This program is made possible through a Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc.

Mosaic Mennonite Conference was one of seventy-seven applicants across the U.S. and Canada to receive yearlong grants promoting thoughtful, creative projects to strengthen Christian worship practices and preaching.

This is the second grant that Mosaic Mennonite Conference has received from CICW. In 2024, Mosaic was awarded funding for “Anabaptist CCLI Top 100 and Beyond,” a collaborative project with the Anabaptist Worship Network that expanded song resources for Anabaptist congregations.

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To share your thoughts or send a message to the project director, contact Rose Bender Cook at at rbender@mosaicmennonites.org.

Introducing the 2026 Mosaic Summer Ambassadors: Part 2

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Editor’s Note: This summer, 16 young adult Ambassadors are serving in congregations and ministries across Mosaic Conference. This article highlights four of them. In the coming weeks, you’ll be introduced to the remaining Ambassadors. Read Part I here.

The 2026 Mosaic Conference Summer Ambassadors have spent been engaged in their work for several weeks now. They gather monthly in a cohort to learn, pray, and reflect together on their experiences, and they are receiving site visits from Mosaic staff members. Below, four more Ambassadors introduce themselves:

Karen Walojo, International Worship Church (San Gabriel, CA)

“I became an Ambassador because I want to contribute more in my congregation and learn from other people’s experiences. I will be leading and teaching the preteens in my church to develop their belief in Christ. I hope to help them become more involved in their congregation and guide them closer to God.”

School: East Los Angeles College
Interests: I enjoy helping foster growth in children, both academically and spiritually. I want to become a pediatric nurse.
Hobbies: I have a pet cockatiel named Lemon. I play piano and I’m learning the bass guitar.

Josiah Yoder, Philadelphia (PA) Praise Center

“The Lord opened a door for me to be here, halfway across the country, in a surprising way with many different things aligning. I wanted to be able to serve the Church in a unique way and to invite church leaders to help me become a stronger man of faith and a leader within the church. I hope to hear many stories and testimonies, join a small group, try many new foods, learn about cultures I am unfamiliar with, serve wherever the Lord leads, and grow within a new community as well as with Christ.”

Home Congregation: College Mennonite (Goshen, IN)
School: Ball State University
Interests: Film, videography, photography, theology, history, and hearing different perspectives. My favorite movies are The Lord of the Rings series and I would love to live in New Zealand in later life because of the beautiful landscape.

Rosita Mojica, Wiwa Church (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia)

“As a mother and church leader, I am passionate about helping the next generation grow in both their cultural identity and their faith. This summer I am welcoming children from the community to teach them the Damana language, one of the most valuable expressions of my people’s identity. Through these gatherings the children experience belonging and learn to value the cultural richness inherited from their elders. I also share biblical teaching with them, creating a space where faith and Indigenous identity mutually enrich one another.

I became an Ambassador because I want to strengthen my leadership skills and gain tools to serve my community. I hope to learn from other young leaders, contribute to initiatives that support the spiritual and cultural development of Indigenous children and families, and serve God through the work I do with families and young people.”

Rumaldo Conchacala, Wiwa Church (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia)

“Under the guidance of my pastor and supervisor, Ismael Conchacala Gil, this summer I am developing a community garden initiative to support local families in La Tagua. The purpose is to provide nourishment for families while encouraging collective work within the community. 

I enjoy working with the land, learning from the elders of my community, and participating in activities that strengthen Wiwa traditions and community life. I am is passionate about serving others and contributing to the well-being of his people. I became an Ambassador because I wanted to develop leadership skills and learn new ways to serve my community. I hope to learn from other young leaders, strengthen my faith, and contribute to projects that create positive change in Indigenous communities.”

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To share your thoughts or send a message to the author(s), contact us at communication@mosaicmennonites.org.   

Reading the Word: Eight Points of the Gospel

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by Lindy Backues

Editor’s Note: As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary this week, many are reflecting on the values and stories that shape common life in the U.S. We are republishing this reflection from a Mosaic board member because its themes—humility, hospitality, service, nonviolence, and care for neighbors near and far—speak to globally-minded and neighborhood-rooted Anabaptist convictions and practice. 

Approaching the Christian gospel thematically can be a helpful way of distilling its central claims. While no summary can fully capture the richness of the New Testament witness, the following eight themes seem to me to stand very near the heart of Jesus’ message and ministry.

The Character of God and the Way of Christ

(1) Humility at the Heart of Reality

The Christian story begins with the claim that the God revealed in Jesus Christ is not fundamentally characterized by domination, coercion, or self-assertion, but by humility. Divine humility is not merely a strategy God occasionally adopts; it appears to be woven into God’s very character. If God is humble at the deepest level, then Christian discipleship necessarily involves learning humility as a way of life.

(2) Kenosis: Self-Emptying Love

The New Testament repeatedly points toward kenosis—self-emptying love for the sake of another. This movement reaches its fullest expression in the life and death of Jesus, who gives himself not only for friends but even for enemies. The gospel calls believers into this same pattern of costly love, service, and, when necessary, sacrifice.

(3) The Great Reversal of Power

Jesus consistently overturns conventional assumptions about power and status. The lowly are lifted up; the exalted are brought low. Strength is revealed through weakness, leadership through service, and kingship through suffering. This is the logic embodied when Jesus washes the disciples’ feet, and it reaches its culmination in the biblical image of a Lamb seated upon the throne. In the kingdom of God, power is transformed rather than merely transferred.

Life Toward the Other

(4) Hospitality Beyond the Tribe

A central concern of the gospel is care for the xénos (ξένος)—the stranger, foreigner, outsider, or one beyond the boundaries of our tribe. Christian love extends beyond kinship, nationality, ethnicity, ideology, and social affinity. The question is not merely how we treat those who belong to us, but how we respond to those who do not.

(5) A Preferential Concern for the Poor

Throughout Scripture, God displays a persistent concern for the poor, the vulnerable, and the marginalized. The gospel repeatedly directs attention toward those who bear the greatest burdens and possess the fewest resources. This is not because the poor are morally superior, but because God’s justice and compassion are consistently oriented toward those most easily overlooked, excluded, or oppressed.

(6) Forgiveness and Release

At the center of Jesus’ teaching stands forgiveness. Followers of Christ are called to release resentment, abandon vengeance, and extend mercy to those who have harmed them. Significantly, this forgiveness often includes economic dimensions as well, as reflected in biblical themes of debt release, jubilee, reconciliation, and restoration.

The Shape of God’s New Community

(7) The Rejection of Redemptive Violence

Jesus rejects the notion that violence ultimately saves, heals, or redeems. Closely tied to this is a rejection of self-righteousness, for the conviction that we are unquestionably right often becomes the justification for coercion and harm. As Walter Wink argued, the gospel stands opposed to the “myth of redemptive violence” and invites humanity into a different way of confronting evil.

(8) Persons-in-Community

The biblical vision rejects both radical individualism and the erasure of the individual within the collective. Human beings are neither isolated atoms nor anonymous cogs. Rather, we are persons-in-community: creatures endowed with agency, dignity, and responsibility, whose lives are formed within relationships of mutual dependence, stewardship, and koinonia. We become most fully ourselves not apart from others, but in faithful participation with them.

A Final Observation

These themes do not exhaust the gospel, but they seem to recur with remarkable consistency throughout the New Testament witness. Indeed, I would argue that they are not peripheral concerns but central ones. If humility, hospitality, concern for the poor, forgiveness, nonviolence, self-emptying love, the inversion of worldly power, and life-in-community are absent from one’s understanding of Christianity, then one has likely missed some of the most important threads running through the story Jesus told and embodied.

Lindy Backues

Lindy Backues, PhD, is a member of the Mosaic Board and serves as chair of the CRM Committee. He is also Associate Professor of Business and Leadership at Eastern Mennonite University.

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To share your thoughts or send a message to the author(s), contact us at communication@mosaicmennonites.org.   

Introducing the 2026 Mosaic Summer Ambassadors: Part 1

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Editor’s Note: This summer, 16 young adult Ambassadors are serving in congregations and ministries across Mosaic Conference. This article highlights four of these Ambassadors, and in the coming weeks, you will be introduced to the other Ambassadors.

When Mosaic Mennonite Conference launched the Summer Ambassadors initiative in 2022, the cohort was comprised of six young adults. Each year since, the initiative has grown in the number of participants and in geographic diversity. This year, Mosaic once again received an unprecedented number of applications and is hosting its largest cohort yet – 16 Ambassadors, including three Ambassadors with Colombian ministry partners and two with Mexican ministry partners.

Over the next few weeks, each Ambassador will introduce themselves. Get to know four of the 2026 Ambassadors below.

Dustin Aurelius, Indonesian Light Church (Philadelphia, PA)

“This summer, I hope to learn more about the Bible and get to know our youth and congregation better. I want to help our youth and help our church grow.”

School: Community College of Philadelphia
Interests: Technology and filmmaking
Hobbies: Playing badminton and video games

Evan Hamm, Souderton (PA) Mennonite

“This summer, I hope to make a difference and grow the senior high youth group into a more active community. I also hope to grow more as a follower of Christ.”

School: Liberty University
Interests: Sports radio
Hobbies: Playing ultimate frisbee and video games

Jadon Harley, Ripple Church (Allentown, PA)

“I hope to learn how to serve underprivileged communities in ways that benefit them in both the short and long term. I hope to apply what I have learned in my peacebuilding major, and to help as many people as I can.”

Home congregation: Zion Mennonite (Broadway, VA)
School: Eastern Mennonite University
Interests: I’ve played saxophone for 13 years. I am majoring in music education as well as music and peacebuilding.
Hobbies: Playing video games, snowboarding, skateboarding, mountain biking, and spending time with friends

Marciella Shallomita, Nations Worship Center (Philadelphia, PA) 

“Last year was my first year as an Ambassador and I enjoyed making connections with peers working on similar projects. This year, I hope to make connections with others and learn more within the work at my congregation. I have served my church for a long time, but as an Ambassadors I am becoming more involved in youth programming and social media. I want to grow in creativity and be more organized in my planning.”

Occupation: Science Teacher
Interests: In the future, I hope to go to graduate school and contribute to research in organ scaffolding and biomedical sciences
Hobbies: Playing badminton, pickleball, volleyball, swimming, playing board games, card games, singing, playing piano and guitar.

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To share your thoughts or send a message to the author(s), contact us at communication@mosaicmennonites.org.   

What to a Mennonite is the 4th of July?

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Some thoughts on Living in the USA at 250

by Stephen Kriss

Written with respect to Frederick Douglass’ reflections on the Fourth of July (1852) and the Germantown Protest Against Slavery (1688).

Sometime in 6th grade, I started to question the words and ritual of the Pledge of Allegiance. My family had not yet begun attending a Mennonite church, which would eventually give more of a framework for my conscientiousness. But I began to wonder in the midst of the heaviness of the Cold War if I should offer my words every morning at West End Elementary School. By the end of the year, I stopped reciting it and moved my hands to my side rather than over my heart.

Following Jesus and becoming Mennonite gave words and a theological position that spoke to my conscience and questions. All of human life is sacred. Nations rise and fall. Those of us who follow Jesus must question our allegiances and our willingness to bear the sword, carry a gun, or fund a system that does violence on our behalf.

As I reflect on our country’s 250th anniversary, I carry the tensions that citizenship gives with both possibility and responsibility. Our country these days looks more like an empire. Fortunately, the Biblical texts give us some guidance on how to live within an empire and how to embody faithfulness. Biblical stories remind us that empires will resist our declaration that Jesus is Lord.

These tensions have long shaped the Anabaptist story in North America.

Long before the United States existed, Mennonites settled in what would become Pennsylvania, drawn by the possibility of practicing their faith in relative freedom. Communities like Germantown (now in Philadelphia) flourished through the craftsmanship and industry of Mennonite settlers and within William Penn’s vision of religious diversity.

Yet very early on, at Germantown, we recognized this freedom and flourishing were not afforded to all people. The Germantown Protest on slavery in 1688 became the first written protest by Euro-American Mennonites and Quakers, in a city where enslaved people were sold along the banks of the Delaware River—the same place Mennonite immigrants themselves likely first stepped ashore to find a new life living alongside the Lenape.

That witness still calls to us.

As Mennonites, we offer gratitude for the freedoms this land affords us to flourish and live according to our convictions. Yet the lines between serving Jesus and the Empire aren’t always clear. We make compromises. We can become more loyal to political movements than to Christ himself (see this article from Joel Horst Nafziger of the Mennonite Heritage Center [Harleysville, PA]). Christian nationalism, in its current forms, presents a particular danger to the church, even if it is not a defining characteristic of most Mosaic Mennonite communities.

Like the Apostle Paul, many of us possess privileges through our citizenship. We are called to use those privileges to extend the good news of Jesus and to advocate for those who are marginalized or mistreated. The early Mennonites of Germantown understood that faithfulness meant speaking and acting on behalf of those denied justice. We are called to do the same.

Not everyone experiences the U.S. American story in the same way. For many of us whose families have immigrated, the US experiment is one of finding opportunities. For those of us who are descendants of enslaved Africans and Indigenous peoples, that story includes displacement, violence, and loss. As people committed to the peaceable way of Jesus, we hold those tensions in community and with respect.

So, what is the 4th of July to us as Mennonites? Rather than praise, may it call us to prayer. May we humbly recognize the possibilities and opportunities and hold the pain and inadequacies. May we seek the peace and flourishing of the place God has sent us yet acknowledge that this country cannot receive our full loyalty. Our allegiance belongs to God alone and to the way of Jesus, bound to those who share our baptism regardless of their place of birth.

We are grateful for God’s provision. We embrace honest storytelling, confession, prayer, and discernment of what it means to live in the tension between God and country with the privilege and pain that we carry. We acknowledge that respect, not unswerving loyalty, is due to those who serve in places of authority.

This 4th of July, I’ll catch a glimpse of fireworks. I’ll also remember that our Anabaptist movement was here in this land before the country existed, and by God’s grace and mercy, we will remain (or we will move on, as we have before). We seek the shalom of the places where God has sent or planted us because our flourishing is intertwined.

We seek first the reign of God—the story of the Alpha and the Omega, from generation to generation. We offer our loyalties and allegiances to Jesus as Lord, the light of our world.

Stephen Kriss

Stephen Kriss is the Executive Minister of Mosaic Mennonite Conference.

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To contact Stephen Kriss, please email skriss@mosaicmennonites.org.

True Significance is in Following God’s Vision

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Graciella Odelia’s Call Story

I spent my childhood in Serpong and Tangerang in Indonesia. Church was always part of our routine, though as a kid I mostly went for the food and family time afterward. It was the one day each week when we were all together. Around age nine or ten, I had my first spiritual encounter at a youth retreat. During an altar call, I went forward simply because everyone else did, but I began crying without knowing why. I didn’t understand it then and soon forgot about it.

Soon after, at age 10, my family moved to the U.S. That transition changed my life and faith. We arrived with four suitcases and all our savings, renting a small apartment while my parents searched for work. My mom quickly found an Indonesian church near us in South Philadelphia. For my parents, the church was more than worship; it was where they learned how to navigate life in a new country. For me, it became home. Even though I struggled with English, I felt confident there. We shared the same language, food, and culture. It was a place where we felt seen and understood.

By age 11 or 12, I was deeply involved in church ministry. I joined the tambourine and banner dance teams, then the second keyboardist on the youth worship team. I grew passionate about my faith and chose to be baptized at 12. As an immigrant, church became the one place where I truly felt like myself.

In 2013, my mom was invited to Nations Worship Center (Philadelphia, PA) for their anniversary by Pastor Beny, whom she met at a health clinic. The church needed musicians, and she volunteered me to play keyboard. I was not very skilled at first, but I kept serving and growing.

When I reflect on my call as a youth pastor, I think about Jonah’s reluctance. Before graduating from Eastern Mennonite University, I wanted to take a gap year with Mennonite Voluntary Service and then pursue medical school. When the prospect of serving as a youth pastor with my home congregation emerged, I resisted.

But just as Jonah received a second chance from God, I too was blessed with an opportunity to align with God’s plan, letting God take full control over my life.

A missionary from Turkey visited my congregation once and shared his story about chasing the American dream and the pressure to succeed. His testimony resonated with my immigrant experience, making me reevaluate my priorities. I realized how much of my motivation was shaped by achievement and validation.

Not long after that, while volunteering as an interpreter at a health clinic in Chinatown, an elderly volunteer shared with me their perspectives about the dangers of the American dream. These encounters along with discussions with my advisor, prayer, and fasting, helped me to understand that true significance comes from following God’s vision for my life. God began to give me clarity about my calling.

During the pandemic, I realized I had known about God for most of my life but had not consistently created space to truly know Him. Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:30—“But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first”—challenged my understanding of success. My seminary experience has since taught me the importance of intentionally creating consistent time and space for God.

From 2018 to 2023, I served as co-director of Nations Worship Center’s Vacation Bible School. In 2023, I stepped into the role of youth pastor. Since then, I have led youth services every Friday and Sunday. Together with my youth team, we have organized summer retreats, holiday events, outings, and other activities.

And yet I have learned from my spiritual mentor that fun activities are not enough. Above all, we must pray for the next generation and align our vision with God’s. As the song says, “Break my heart for what breaks Yours.” We must carry God’s heart for the young generation.

Graciella Odelia at her graduation from Eastern Mennonite Seminary.

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To share your thoughts or send a message to the author(s), contact us at communication@mosaicmennonites.org.