Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Articles

Hope Chapel – Congregational Profile

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by Javier Márquez

Editor’s Note: Hope Chapel was approved by Mosaic’s board as a member congregation and will be welcomed at the 2026 Fall Delegate Assembly.

Pastor Edwin Palit.

At Hope Chapel, ministry is personal and relational. An Indonesian American community, Hope Chapel is devoted to growing together in faith, worshiping God, and sharing the love of Christ. It is a warm spiritual home where people of all ages are welcomed to discover community and purpose.

“Church is family, where people of every generation can find belonging, encouragement, and a spiritual home as they grow and serve together,” shares Pastor Edwin Palit

Hope Chapel began around 2007 as an outreach program from an established church in San Bernardino, California. Its goal was to bring together a small group of Indonesian Christians living in the Temecula, Murrieta, and Sun City areas.

“For many years, people gathered in one another’s homes to worship, pray, study the Bible, and enjoy fellowship together,” recalls Pastor Edwin.

This intimate house-church model sustained the believers through many seasons. After navigating the pandemic, the community reached major milestones: in 2022, they formally organized as a church body, and in 2023, they officially became an independent congregation.

Hope Chapel’s heart for ministry is straightforward: to share the Gospel, make disciples, and serve the local community with the love of Christ.

While the church’s core identity is anchored in serving the Indonesian community, its doors are wide open to spouses, friends, and anyone connected to their fellowship.

A highlight of Hope Chapel’s identity is its intergenerational work.

“Our ministry uniquely serves first- and second-generation Indonesian Americans, helping bridge cultural differences through the Gospel of Christ,” explains Pastor Edwin.

Sunday worship and praise.

The church serves as a bridge, helping families navigate cultural nuances while remaining united in their shared faith, Hope Chapel’s decision to join Mosaic Conference comes from a conviction that believers are not meant to work in isolation.

Pastor Edwin notes, “We believe we are all part of the Kingdom of God and are not meant to work alone. Mosaic shares this vision and mission and has a proven track record of living it out.”

“I am grateful and excited to welcome Pastor Edwin and Hope Chapel Temecula into our Mosaic family!” shares Leadership Minister Hendy Matahelemual.

“As a fellow member of the Indonesian diaspora, it is meaningful to see another Indonesian congregation join our wider family from many nations and backgrounds. I look forward to walking together, learning from one another, and growing in faith as we serve Christ together.”

A fathers’ fellowship meal.

Hope Chapel invites the Mosaic family to keep them in prayer:

For spiritual well-being: Pray for the continued spiritual growth of the congregation, that each person may become firmly rooted in the church and faithfully fulfill God’s calling.

For unity and community outreach: Pray for greater internal unity and for opportunities to build meaningful fellowship with the broader community beyond the church walls.

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.

Delegate Affirmation Votes for Board and Committee Chairs November 2026

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At the Fall 2026 Mosaic Mennonite Conference Delegate Assembly, delegates will be invited to affirm several Board members and Committee Chairs for three-year terms beginning in January 2027. Get to know each of these leaders and their roles below.

The Conference Board supervises the business of the conference, provides leadership to conference committees, and engages in strategic planning to ensure that the conference stays aligned with its vision and responds to the Spirit’s leading into areas of growth and change.

The Nominating Committee ensures that those who fill these roles reflect the gender, racial, cultural, geographic, and historic diversity of the Conference, while also embodying a high level of intercultural competency and diverse giftings.

JANET PANNING

Plains Mennonite (Hatfield, PA)

Role: Moderator

Raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Janet Panning became a Christian at age 14. After graduating from Michigan State University, she was introduced to the Mennonite church through the Inter-Menno Program, and spent a year in the Netherlands. Janet and her husband Steve served with Mennonite Central Committee for nine years in Jamaica and three years in Kentucky. After returning from service, Janet spent 18 years helping resettle refugees through a Lutheran social service agency. She later worked for the Montgomery County Health Department, including serving as interim director during the COVID pandemic. She now works with the PA Lead-Free Promise Project, which seeks to reduce the impact of lead poisoning on Pennsylvania’s children. Janet and Steve have two adult daughters and three grandsons. The Pannings have been part of Plains Mennonite Church since 1987 and became members in 2004.

JESSICA CLOPTON ROBINSON

College Hill Mennonite (Tampa, FL)

Role: Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair

Jessica Clopton-Robinson has served as Worship Leader at College Hill Mennonite Church in Tampa, Florida since 2017. Music has been an important part of her life for more than 30 years, and she enjoys creating spaces where people can experience God through worship. She also serves as a member of her church’s Council, contributing to the leadership, discernment, and overall life of the congregation. Professionally, Jessica brings more than 17 years of experience in the finance and insurance industry, with a background in claims, leadership, problem-solving, and helping people navigate difficult moments. She has served on the Mosaic Mennonite Conference Finance Committee since July 2023. She views stewardship as faithfully and transparently caring for what God has entrusted to us. Through music, leadership, fitness, and ministry, Jessica seeks to serve others, build authentic relationships, and use her gifts to strengthen the church and wider community.

WAYNE NITZCHE

Plains Mennonite (Hatfield, PA)

Role: Ministerial Committee Chair

Wayne Nitzsche’s roots are in the fertile soil of NE Nebraska. He keeps his connection to the land by returning to help with the fall corn harvest. He was baptized at age thirteen in the family-oriented Beemer Mennonite. After Hesston College, he spent two years in development work in Ghana. He completed an undergraduate degree at Goshen College and an MDiv at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. Wayne has served in three Mennonite conferences in youth and conference ministry. His heart is in being a pastor, having served churches in Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, retiring from Perkasie (PA) Mennonite after sixteen years. He recently completed a wonderful year as Bridge Pastor at Salford (PA) Mennonite. Wayne is married to Mary, former Associate Executive Minister, in Franconia and Mosaic Conferences. They have two adult daughters and two grandchildren.

GEORGETTE KOUTTJIE-PEREZ

Ark of Christ (Anaheim, CA)

Role: Member-at-Large, 1st term

Georgette Kouttjie-Perez serves at Ark of Christ in Westminster, California. She and her husband, Larry, live in Mission Viejo and have both spent nearly 30 years teaching mathematics in Southern California public schools. Having grown up in Indonesia, Australia, and the United States, Georgette brings a deep appreciation for cultural diversity and Christian community. Faith and ministry have been central to her life, including serving in music ministry at GKII Zion (affiliated with Southwest Pacific Conference), where her father was pastor. She looks forward to bringing her experiences in education, multicultural communities, worship, and ministry to her service on the Conference Board.

RON WHITE

Church of the Good Samaritans (Holland, PA)

Role: Member-at-Large, 1st term

Ron White was born in Jackson, Michigan and is a graduate from Purdue University. He has worked several jobs on the east coast in test engineering and systems engineering and currently works in Mt. Laurel, NJ as an Engineering Technologist for BAE System. Ron was the Eastern District Conference Moderator from 2011 to 2013. He is an Elder, Sunday School Superintendent, Sunday school teacher, and the Everence Advocate at the Church of the Good Samaritans in Holland, PA.

Ron is married to Janet White, a retired Registered Nurse who worked at Germantown Hospital for 13 years and worked as a consultant in support and installation of medical software for 24 years.

At Assembly, the Nominating Committee will also make forms available for nominations for the role of Assistant Moderator, along with all Mosaic committees. All are invited to share their nominations with the committee at any time.

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.   

The Layers of Intercultural Work

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by Danilo Sanchez

Recently I was conversing with two of my PhD classmates as we gathered in Florida for the new semester. We each shared about our summers and family activities. One classmate had a young child who was just starting school, and they were talking about vouchers in the Florida school system. Vouchers gave them the option to send their child to a private school 20 minutes from their home that had a high rating rather than the local school just eight blocks away, which they described as “trash.” While they appreciated the diversity of their majority-Hispanic neighborhood, they couldn’t imagine their child attending the local school.

On the plane ride to Florida, I had been reading Robin DiAngelo’s book Nice Racism: How Progressive White People Perpetuate Racial Harm. In chapter 5, she describes how white supremacy continues to function in ways that keep our lives racially segregated. White people often have the choice not to interact with people of color if they don’t want to, through decisions about where they live, where they receive medical care, and where they send their children to school. And, she argues, they can be rewarded for those choices.

There is often no indication to white people that we are missing out on anything by not being in relationship with people of color, which allows segregation to continue. DiAngelo challenges white progressives who champion anti-racism while also participating in systems that uphold white supremacy. The U.S. education system is one example of how racial segregation and inequality can persist. Those with the financial means and upward mobility to send their children to schools they perceive as better will often do so to provide their children with greater opportunities.

While seeking a good education is admirable and something any parent would want for their child, DiAngelo points out that these individual choices can also contribute to a system in which lower-income students, disproportionately students of color, do not have access to the same educational opportunities.

DiAngelo’s words were in the back of my mind as I listened to my classmate. Here it was, a real-life example. As I stood there processing the conversation, I felt a sense of guilt rise within me. Our daughters attend a charter school and do not attend public school in the Allentown (PA) school district, which is majority people of color and has lower school ratings. By sending our daughters to a charter school, we are unintentionally upholding white supremacy and education inequality. I am part of the problem. DiAngelo’s words pierced my own heart.

Our intercultural work is a journey. There is always more to uncover within ourselves and more to understand about oppressive systems. It requires us to never stop growing, learning, and changing. Are we committed to that journey? Are we open to being changed by the love and justice of Jesus?

I am learning that our intercultural work is layered. It may require me to confront my own complicity, whether knowingly or unknowingly, in oppressive systems. It may require me to go back and apologize to someone or to do better the next time.

I am willing to engage in that hard work because I believe the reward is a more whole and just kingdom of God.

Captivating close-up of a water droplet splashing into a pond, forming mesmerizing ripples.

Danilo Sanchez

Danilo Sanchez is the Leadership Minister for Intercultural Transformation for Mosaic Conference.

Healing and hope for our children 

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by Jeannine Adams

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in Leader magazine, Summer 2026, copyright © MennoMedia. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

I am fortunate to have been raised in The Garden Chapel (Victory Gardens, NJ), a Mennonite church that is invested in children. The leaders supported my spiritual growth, and I was surrounded by adults who prayed for me, cared about my success, and were people I could talk to. Those relationships and experiences helped shape the adult I am today and compelled me to serve within the same congregation. My life would not be the same without the individuals who fostered my spiritual and emotional development.

For many of us who grew up in Victory Gardens, New Jersey, The Garden Chapel was a refuge. For many years, our small congregation hosted a low-cost summer day camp that served children from the community, including many who had little or no church exposure. We spent the hot summer days enjoying activities planned by our pastor, counselors, and church members; learning about God, playing sports, taking cooking classes, making crafts, and going on field trips.

Without my church’s camp, many of the children in the community would not have safe summer environment and exposure to spiritual, physical, and cultural activities. During a field trip to American Museum of Natural History, I remember several kids mentioning that this was their first trip to New York City, even though our town is only 40 miles away.

ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES

A 2023 report, “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines ACEs as potentially circumstances, events, or environmental problems that occur in childhood. These include abuse, neglect, witnessing violence or substance use, and experiencing financial hardship, food insecurity, or family separation. ACEs have a lasting impact on an individual’s physical health, cognitive development, emotional well‑being, and life opportunities. Early adversity is common and affects many children we encounter in our communities and congregations.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that more than two‑thirds of children experience at least one traumatic event by age 16. This includes our neighbors, relatives, church members, and the children who participate in our ministries and activities. While educators and mental health clinicians play an important role, they cannot meet the needs of children alone. Individuals and community organizations can provide protective factors that nurture and support children’s resilience.

A SAFE CHURCH HAS MUCH TO OFFER

In his article “Toward a More Trauma-Informed Church,” Pete Singer notes that many people first seek help within the church. Congregations are uniquely positioned to promote the emotional health of children by offering hope and healing in practical, relational, and spiritual ways. The church can serve as a source of support by creating safe environments, meeting basic needs, responding with understanding, and helping children and families develop healthy ways of coping.

Our churches should be a place where children are physically safe and emotionally secure. This requires clear policies, consistent oversight, and staff and volunteers who understand and follow established standards of conduct. Churches should develop documented guidelines that outline procedures for screening and selecting those who work with children, expectations for appropriate behavior, systems for accountability, clearly defined steps for responding to concerns or reports of harm and strategies for ongoing support and repair should a damaging event occur.

Creating safe environments is not the responsibility of children’s workers alone. This shared commitment involves the entire congregation. Singer recommends that every member should receive basic education on the events, experiences, and effects of trauma, as well as child safety practices, so we all understand our role in recognizing concerns, preventing harm, and supporting the wellbeing of the children in our communities.

ADDRESSING HOLISTIC NEEDS AND TRAUMA

The Gospels tell us that Jesus attended to both physical and spiritual needs. After ministering to and healing the multitude, he also fed them, choosing not to send them away hungry. We should not underestimate the impact of adversities such as food insecurity, housing instability, lack of reliable transportation, limited childcare, and unmet medical needs on the families that we serve. It is difficult for children to grow spiritually or emotionally when their basic needs remain unaddressed. Following Christ’s example, our children’s ministries should take a comprehensive approach by assessing the needs of our community and responding to these problems in ways that foster more meaningful effects.

A direct correlation can often be found between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the behavioral and emotional difficulties children exhibit. What we sometimes interpret as “acting out” or defiant behavior may be signals of unmet needs and significant life stressors. In “Trauma-Informed Children’s Ministry,” Robert Crosby et al. address how childhood trauma can contribute to poor impulse control and affect regulation and inattentiveness. Believers should pause and prayerfully consider what may be happening in a child’s life before making assumptions about behavior. This shift in perspective enables us to respond with empathy, patience, and compassion.

SEEN AND HEARD

Our congregations should provide opportunities for healthy expression. We must reject the adage that “children should be seen and not heard.” Children need spaces where they can express their concerns, feelings, and ideas in healthy, appropriate ways. This requires adults to practice attentive, nonjudgmental listening, and to communicate without becoming dismissive or overly corrective. Pete Singer notes that we must also ensure that our use of scripture is truly edifying and does not unintentionally minimize or invalidate the experiences and views of our youth. Children possess a God-given capacity for leadership, insight, and spiritual understanding (1 Timothy 4:12), and adults should recognize this by providing them with opportunities to develop these gifts with appropriate oversight and support.

BUILDING STRONG CHILDREN

With the stress, societal pressure, and difficulties they face, our children need to learn healthy ways to cope with emotional challenges. Philippians 4:6–7 provides a framework for emotional regulation by encouraging us to identify the emotion (anxiety), pray about it and give thanks. We can teach them to incorporate coping skills such as simple breathing exercises and taking a peaceful pause to help with implementation. Grounding techniques such as spending time outdoors and mindfully observing aspects of God’s creation can help children sense God’s presence and stay present in the moment to avoid dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Developing a gratitude practice fosters emotional stability by shifting attention away from sources of distress and toward God’s provision and blessings, even in difficult times. However, teaching coping skills is not enough; adults must model these practices through our responses to stresses we bear, demonstrating how faith and practical tools work together.

In my work as a licensed clinical social worker, I witness how positive and negative childhood experiences affect adult clients’ wellbeing and sense of self. I’ve worked with many adults who struggle with issues stemming from their foundational years, including low self-concept, feelings of inadequacy, perfectionism, anxiety, and difficulty with establishing and maintaining boundaries. For some, having their needs consistently met, being protected from harm, and a stable environment might have prevented psychological damage. As I hold therapeutic space for my clients during the difficult process of healing, I am reminded of the quote attributed to Frederick Douglass: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

Jeannine Adams

Jeannine Adams is a member of The Garden Chapel in Victory Gardens, New Jersey, where she serves as church council president. She is a licensed clinical social worker providing mental health services for Rutgers University Behavioral Healthcare and in her private practice.

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.   

How May I Help You?

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by Jaye Lindo

Hospitality, by definition, involves other people. It’s not about you or me; it is about the We of Mosaic. As Mosaic’s Hospitality Coordinator, I love to see the many ways that Mosaic Conference embraces hospitality across our community.

Photo may be AI-generated.

We show hospitality through our actions as we love God and each other. Mosaic’s practices provide us an opportunity to show hospitality – for example, through mutual invitation or circle process in our gatherings. In our events, like the Oasis conference or delegate prep sessions, we have the opportunity to welcome each other across differences. And we’re invited to do so in our equipping and leadership development spaces, like the Ambassadors, or the new Art of Preaching cohorts.

This summer, I got to spend time with some of the Ambassadors at their closing retreat, leading a session on spiritual direction. I was struck by how they didn’t fear the unknown and were willing to share openly with each other. They were willing to go beyond their own communities and comfort zones, and the program is stronger because of it.

I have observed in many of our meetings how space is given for each person to be heard, engage, and grow in relationship with one another – even when our languages and traditions are different. In fact, we are creating new traditions together.

In the Centering Document published last year, I was struck by the encouragement for all of us, in our communities, to offer high expectations and gracious hospitality as we become, love, and live like Jesus. We consider where God is on the move, and if we are being faithful to God’s call as Jesus followers, in all that we do. We are gracious with one another, assuming good intentions, even when we don’t see eye to eye.

This can show up when we host someone in our home, each with our own different expectations about what hospitality looks like. Hosting and being hosted both require us to offer something and receive something. That is mutual hospitality.

It can also show up when we seek to learn each other’s languages, or when we work together, using a translation app, to understand one another. We are invited to challenge ourselves, learn about others’ cultures, and seek first the Kingdom of God.

We must remain centered and focused on Jesus, committed to serving God and each other in all that we do. Let Jesus show us that there truly are no differences in him.

3 John 1:5-8 reminds us of the value of hospitality. Read from the MSG Version:

Dear friend, when you extend hospitality to Christian brothers and sisters, even when they are strangers, you make the faith visible. They’ve made a full report back to the church here, a message about your love. It’s good work you’re doing, helping these travelers on their way, hospitality worthy of God himself! They set out under the banner of the Name and get no help from unbelievers. So they deserve any support we can give them. In providing meals and a bed, we become their companions in spreading the Truth.

Mosaic family, keep modeling this good work!

My mother never met a stranger. I try to embody that same sentiment every time I interact with you, via talking, text, email, or WhatsApp. If you are in need or have a question, I hope to consistently say with a smile:

“Hi, my name is Jaye Lindo, and I am Mosaic’s Hospitality Coordinator. How may I help you?”

And I hope that when I call you, I will hear you say:

“Hi, I am your Mosaic family centered on Jesus Christ. How may I help you?”

It’s the Mosaic way—mutually. Amen.

Jaye Lindo

Jaye Lindo is the Hospitality Coordinator for Mosaic Conference and serves as Pastor of 7 Ways Home Fellowship in Bowie, MD. She provides spiritual companioning relationships with Mosaic.

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

Casa de Oración (House of Prayer) Mennonite Church – Congregational Profile

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by Javier Márquez

Editor’s Note: Iglesia Menonita Casa de Oración was approved by Mosaic’s board as a member congregation and will be welcomed at the 2026 Fall Delegate Assembly

The birth of Iglesia Menonita Casa de Oración (House of Prayer Mennonite Church) is rooted in family, faith, and finding comfort during a time of loss. Following the passing of Pastor Irma Solís’ brother, the family began gathering around faith and God’s Word.

Pastor Irma and her congregation during the celebration of baptisms.

“The ministry began within our family after losing a brother who was already walking in the way of the Lord,” shares Pastor Irma Solís. “We started gathering, and Pastor Alejo Solís shared the plan of salvation with us. That is how the ministry began.”

The congregation was planted through the guidance and outreach of Iglesia Menonita Fuente de Agua Viva in Los Fresnos, Texas, receiving ongoing pastoral mentorship from Pastor José Alejo Solís.

Despite limited financial resources, members demonstrated extraordinary faith and perseverance by constructing their own church building through sacrificial giving and volunteer labor. Today, this facility serves as a place of Sunday worship and a beacon of hope for the surrounding community of García, Nuevo León, México—an area significantly impacted by violence, economic hardship, and social vulnerability.

Casa de Oración stands out for its deep commitment to serving as a light in an environment of high need, extending pastoral care, community outreach, practical assistance, and hope to families in crisis.

“Our mission is to keep preaching the Gospel, and what makes us unique is our love for our Lord Jesus Christ,” reflects Pastor Irma.

Community baptisms.

“Casa de Oración is a Christ-centered faith community committed to love, prayer, discipleship, and service to others, living out and sharing the values of the Anabaptist faith,” shared Leadership Minister Marco Güete, welcoming them to Conference membership.

The congregation continues to grow in its Anabaptist theology, discipleship, peacebuilding, community life, and servant leadership, moving ministry beyond the church walls into the daily life of the neighborhood.

Following a season of prayer, discernment, and congregational dialogue, the members of Casa de Oración unanimously voted to request membership in Mosaic Mennonite Conference. This decision comes from a desire to be aligned with a conference that honors Anabaptist procedures and values.

A time of gathered worship.

“The reason we wish to join Mosaic is because we really appreciate Mosaic’s ways of working and procedures,” Pastor Irma shares.

Through this partnership, the church seeks to strengthen its Christian discipleship, evangelistic mission, and local leadership development to serve its neighbors in Mexico.

The congregation in García remains focused on the saving mission of Jesus Christ and invites the entire Mosaic Conference community to stand with them in prayer, asking the Lord to bring more souls to salvation.

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.

Do we really need diversity?

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by Makinto

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in Leader magazine, Summer 2026, copyright ©MennoMedia. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

While studying at Eastern Mennonite University in 2025, I did an internship with Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church (SMC) as an adjunct worship leader and with Mosaic Mennonite Conference as the worship team coordinator for our annual assembly.

DIVERSITY IN THE CONFERENCE

Traditionally, the worship team meets the day before the assembly and rehearses previously planned music. Most of the musicians represent traditional white churches in Mosaic’s heartland.

I chose Nations Worship Center, an Indonesian Mennonite church in Philadelphia, as the base for the worship team. The musicians were from five nations and sang in seven languages. With four rehearsals, we prepared advanced arrangements and even an original song I wrote around the conference theme “Be my witnesses.”

This worship team reflected the true ethnic diversity of the conference and was a witness of what Jesus’ kingdom looks and sounds like: “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9 NRSVue).

In contexts like that, diversity is called for and needs to be manifested, not just in the representation of different cultures, but in participation and direction. Diversity is not just the presence of minority groups that the majority group can present as a token of inclusion. Instead, active participation of all groups is needed, sharing power as a sign of equity and mutual accountability.

But is diversity always called for? Is immediate integration always a good thing?

DIVERSITY IN THE CONGREGATION

I ask this question within a US Mennonite context, and it connects to my second internship assignment. I brought new worship styles to SMC, such as African songs, drumming, movement, and drum processions. The congregation, although initially challenged, was receptive and excited about those worship expressions. Some Mennonite congregations are indeed ready to grow in their embrace of culturally different worship expressions, especially when those cultures are represented in their congregation.

SMC is proactively reaching out to African refugees and asylum seekers in their community, and the church is trying its best to welcome them into all aspects of congregational life. However, this process is not without challenges and can be wrought with cultural misunderstandings.

UNDERSTANDING POWER DYNAMICS

I witnessed a Sunday school class with both traditional Mennonites and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) participants. White people dominated the conversation, while the mostly African attendants contributed very little.

In most African cultures, people don’t speak until called upon and respond with a story rather than with two-word responses or matter-of-fact solutions. In The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb, Eric H. F. Law discusses low- and high-power distance cultures. People from the Global South belong to high-power distance cultures, where authority is not questioned and inequality is accepted as normal reality.

On the other hand, white North Americans, belonging to low-power distance cultures, question authority, assume power dynamics can be changed, and don’t readily acknowledge their positions of power. Even when a white congregation is open to embracing other cultures, the power dynamics are hard to reconcile. Tensions and even failure of the process can result from these cultural misunderstandings.

SMC’s pastor Ken Burkholder was open to suggestions about streamlining the integration process. We started a Sunday school class to encourage the BIPOC participants to express themselves freely within a familiar and culturally safe space and build an identity that they could then offer to the congregation. These meetings were fruitful. People shared their valuable perspectives on biblical passages and confided their often-painful stories to one another. “

I worked with the pastoral staff to enhance their understandings of African cultural specificities. Pastors and staff need to understand the history, cultural particularities, and colonial traumas of the specific countries from which immigrants come, as there are no “Africans” but rather Congolese, Angolans, Burundians, Sudanese—all who have distinct cultures and traditions. The Democratic Republic of Congo has over three hundred ethnic groups. Ethiopians, Congolese and Nigerians, just to name a few, have significant cultural differences. In most African cultures, the pastor has a godlike status and is not criticized, while in white culture the pastor is considered a friend and buddy.

Aiming for integration and diversity in the church is a messy affair. It takes hard work to achieve a power equation that assures free and balanced relationships.

DIVERSITY BUILT ON RIGHT RELATIONSHIPS

The same challenges exist in the wider American and Canadian church. Diverse churches and conferences are often majority-white groups with a few BIPOC elements sprinkled throughout. The power dynamics are solidly established on the white side. That’s why diversity is often not a desired condition from the minority perspective. Diversity often means that the white majority is in charge and may allow the BIPOC members to occasionally manifest their difference in a controlled manner. The principle of diversity is emphasized without forging healthy relationships.

True diversity is difficult to achieve in a majority white context. However, in a diverse community, the church should reflect its social context in its leadership. SMC recently took a step in the right direction in electing its first African member to the church board.

On the conference and denominational levels, we indeed should strive for diversity, as our communities are increasingly multicultural. We must come together and learn from each other’s cultures and worship expressions.

As a person of African heritage, I enjoy loud, rhythmic praise with a full worship band; nevertheless, I can partake and enjoy calm hymn singing with traditional Mennonite congregations. Leading the worship at the Mosaic assembly, I chose hymns, African songs, contemporary worship music, and gospel songs in many languages. We gathered as one, to the glory of God.

My internship at SMC ended on a high note with the added chorus “Tupe amani,” sung in Swahili, translated from the Latin “Dona nobis pacem“. The One we worship gives us peace and unifies us into a kingdom of joy, justice, and compassion for our neighbor—the perfect basis for diversity in equity, expressed in the love of Jesus!

Makinto

Makinto is the Associate Pastor of Worship and Mission with Los Angeles (CA) Faith Chapel and co-director of Amahoro International (AMI), a Mosaic Conference-Related Ministry promoting peace and development in East Africa.

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.   

Staying at the Table

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by Calenthia S. Dowdy, PhD

Editor’s Note: This reflection is based off a sermon that Dr. Dowdy preached at Philadelphia (PA) Praise Center in September.

Humans don’t simply want love and community; we yearn deeply for love and connection. The human longing for meaningful relationship runs deep. It is shaped by images we carry in our hearts and mind which shape our hopes for radical love, acceptance, and embrace. This longing is a large part of what makes us human.

If this is true, why do relationships end? Why do churches continue to split, families fracture, friendships end, and marriages break up? This question occupies my thinking every day as we exist in the never-ending shake-up that is our church body. People leave. Churches depart. Whole countries walk away.

I imagine a design lab focused on what it takes, and looks like, to practice active love in community with others when I wholeheartedly disagree with some of them. What does it look like to remain in active love and relationship with people and organizations that don’t fully align with me? When do I know if I should stay, or if I should go?

Parker Palmer wrote an insightful essay many years ago that offers a way into these questions. The essay, Staying at the Table: A Spirituality of Community, was required reading when I was teaching first-year college students. Four hundred students were newly entering university life, meeting professors, friends, and roommates who did not all believe exactly what they had been taught to believe. Yes, even though we all professed to be Christian, we did not all think, believe, or behave alike.

In Staying at the Table, Palmer writes that the first image of community is found in Genesis: the Garden. In the garden, we are presented with a scene of harmonious, organic unity; humans, animals, vegetation, and mineral life all living in oneness with the Creator. It was an ecology of grace. “They were naked and unashamed.” The humans were able to let down their barriers, be their true selves, and be fully accepted.

It is the dream of love and embrace: to be vulnerable and without shame in relationship with others. The Garden is a pre-sin era existing outside the realm of human time.

Palmer’s second image of community is found in Revelation: the New Jerusalem. It is the city of God, cleansed and made holy by God’s grace, where “every tear will be wiped away.” There will be no more sorrow, pain, strife, or struggle but only solace and joy. It is a secure city where everyone’s needs are met. The New Jerusalem is a post-sin era, also existing outside the realm of human time.

Both these images, the Garden and the New Jerusalem, resonate deeply within the human soul and draw us toward the dream of community. They profoundly shape what we believe community should look like.

But our experiences right now, in human time, don’t look much like the Garden or the New Jerusalem.

We become disillusioned after the honeymoon period of community ends, and humans reveal their flawed selves. Barriers go up as we protect ourselves from the inevitable pain of community. Palmer suggests that, in this period of disillusionment, we may choose to stay in the community but disengage, withdrawing our hopes and dreams and settling for a lukewarm community. Others will choose to leave the community altogether.

It is here that Palmer offers a third image of community, found in the Gospels. It is the image of the Table.

The Last Supper is a culmination point for Jesus. He has been pouring his life into these people for three years, bringing them together in friendship, family, and hospitality. Now, at the table, Jesus breaks bread with them. And as he breaks bread, he says, “One of you will betray me.” He tells Peter that he will deny him three times. The disciples argue over who among them is the greatest.

These are some of the very things that make community difficult: disagreement, betrayal, denial, and power struggles.

And what does Jesus do amid the messiness around the table?

He continues to break bread and pass the cup. He stays at the table.

He keeps doing good.

Community happens when we stay at the table, working through harm and disagreement, learning how to be together even when it is difficult. It happens when we commit to keep showing up, to keep listening, to keep loving, and to keep doing good.

Dr. Calenthia Dowdy

Calenthia S Dowdy, PhD is the Director of Collaborative Ministries with Mosaic Conference. She attends Ambler (PA) Mennonite, serves as trustee board president of the Metropolitan Christian Council of Philadelphia, and is active in Philadelphia faith communities.

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To contact Dr. Calenthia Dowdy, please email cdowdy@mosaicmennonites.org.