Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Articles

Breathing Deep as We Move Forward Together as Mosaic

by

by Stephen Kriss

A few weeks ago, my blood pressure reading was high at the beginning of my doctor’s visit. The provider said, “We’re going to take it again after you settle into the office.” Toward the end of the appointment, she told me to take a few deep breaths and repeated the reading. It was down significantly. 

The next thing for us as Mosaic is to take a deep breath. The past months have been intense for many of us. While there’s a sense of urgency around us, I hope our leaders, board, staff, and delegates can lean into a peaceable Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas season. Our church and sociopolitical landscape have been overwhelming for many of us, and I hope we can rest in the Advent themes of watching and waiting, hope and joy.

The board’s recommendation on affiliation was a both/and statement. It recommended discontinuing our membership with Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) and moving toward healthy, mutual partnerships. Orienting toward health and mutuality requires that we begin to process our collective anxiety and grief. 

For Mosaic’s congregations that wish to maintain formal membership in Mennonite Church USA, we’ve begun initial conversations with Allegheny and New York Conferences about ways to do that. Dual affiliation will require extra energy—holding onto Mosaic while connecting with another conference—but it is possible.   

Just as we offered lovingkindness several years ago to congregations that wished to detach from MC USA, we will offer the same gesture of navigating to those who desire to remain connected. If the MC USA structure allowed congregations to directly affiliate with MC USA, we would be open to that arrangement too. At this point, it does not. 

Mosaic will need to continue to invest in building relationships across differences. Our conference is full of all sorts of diversity. Our centering document provides a foundation for commonality amid our unique Anabaptist expressions. It is the way forward that also hearkens back to some of the earliest shared Anabaptist practices (like some of those that Stuart Murray Williams highlights in The New Anabaptists).  

Our ongoing work includes living out our commitment to being an intercultural community, creating space for every form of diversity to be brought into the kin-dom of God toward transformation and flourishing.  

Practically speaking, we will begin conversations in the new year around membership with Mennonite World Conference. This process will likely include some mediation with Mennonite Church USA (if they agree), and discernment to find our place at the global Anabaptist table. This will require patience and intentionality—we cannot barge our way in. In the meantime, we’ll work to strengthen relationships with other conferences and Anabaptist expressions to broaden our connections.  

For credentialed leaders, your credentials are already held by Mosaic. The Corinthian Plan remains in place for those enrolled. While MC USA-appointed board and committee terms will end this month, our board and committee work with Mennonite Central Committee, Everence, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Goshen College and Eastern Mennonite University remain unchanged. We are working our way toward how we will partner with MennoMedia and Mennonite Mission Network.   

Amid these changes, we will honor the Spirit’s work in us by celebrating what is good amid what is hard. I’m grateful for the new congregations that joined us this fall. We rejoice in the new leaders that have been called and sent to our Mosaic communities. We celebrate the gathered time at Souderton (PA) Mennonite, where our diversity becomes real life for a day in all its complexity and wonder. 

Paul reminds us in the first letter to the church at Corinth that the Spirit brings life—and that the Spirit is also breath. To my siblings in Mosaic: for now, let us breathe deeply, embrace the Spirit around us, within us, and within those different from us. Let us move toward God’s dream for us all, though we are broken and beautiful.  

Stephen Kriss

Stephen Kriss is the Executive Minister of Mosaic Conference.

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To share your thoughts with Stephen Kriss, contact him at skriss@mosaicmennonites.org.

A Spirit-Filled 2025 Assembly – Be My Witnesses

by

“I am grateful for a God who gathers us in together. I am grateful for a conference who is willing to wrestle together, who is willing to speak, invite, challenge, and be honest,” shared Leadership Minister for Intercultural Transformation Danilo Sanchez in his opening remarks at Mosaic Mennonite Conference’s Annual Assembly on November 1, 2025.  

Leadership Minister of Intercultural Transformation Danilo Sanchez opens the worship in prayer.

“I don’t know how the Spirit will show up today, but we are grateful for your presence here and the God that we serve,” he continued.  

The morning began with vibrant worship led by a team representing seven nations and at least nine languages. The team sang in each other’s languages, embodying the rich diversity of the conference. Worship leader Makinto wrote a new song for the gathering, “We Are Your Witnesses.” 

The Assembly’s theme, Be My Witnesses (Acts 1:6-8,), was introduced through Scripture read in six of the conference’s languages—Cantonese, Russian, Indonesian, Kirundi, English, and Spanish. 

(The worship livestream is available here; more photos are available here). 

The worship team led songs of praise in many of Mosaic’s worshipping languages.
All who gathered praised the Lord.

In her sermon, Rev. Dr. Meghan Larissa Good cast a vision for renewed Anabaptist witness, rooted in Jesus as the center of everything. Reflecting on the temptation for Anabaptists to “be proud of our humility,” she reminded participants that it is Jesus’ kingdom that matters, not our particular brand. 

“If there is one thing that will be the death of our witness in the next 50 years, it will be trying to save our own lives,” Good challenged. “A church equipped for witness is one that is postured and prepared to give its life away for something better.” 

“God excludes nobody. God wastes nobody. If you want to be part of the mission of Jesus, the answer is ‘yes,’” she encouraged. 

Executive Minister Stephen Kriss prays for Assembly preacher Rev. Dr. Meghan Larissa Good.

The time of worship included a welcome and prayer for three new member congregations: Iglesia Menonita del Cordero (Brownsville, TX); Iglesia Menonita Fuente de Agua Viva (Los Fresnos, TX); and Redemption Church of Bristol (PA). 

Iglesia Menonita del Cordero (Brownsville, TX) was one of three congregations welcomed as Mosaic members during worship.

Participants also honored five credentialed leaders who had died in the past year and recognized two congregations (Salem Mennonite [Quakertown, PA] and Vincent Mennonite [Spring City, PA]) and a Conference-Related Ministry (Spruce Lake Retreat [Canadensis, PA]), that had left Mosaic.  

Sixteen Mosaic leaders—newly credentialed, newly ordained, transferring credentials, and credential reaffirmed—were anointed and then offered anointing for all who wished to receive it. 

Newly credentialed and ordained leaders receive anointing and then anoint those who came forward.

During the morning session, 165 delegates committed to guidelines for respectful communication, and shared communion, and engaged in conversation around the board’s recommendation around denominational affiliation.

(Read more about the delegate sessions and the vote on affiliation with MC USA.) 

Lunch followed, offering time for fellowship and connection with leaders from Mosaic’s Conference-Related Ministries (CRMs) and other partner agencies. 

In the afternoon, Makinto and Mukarabe Makinto, Associate Pastors of LA (CA) Faith Chapel and Co-Directors of CRM Amahoro International, led the group in an embodied peacebuilding and drumming ritual guided by Acts 1:6-8. 

Participants were invited to reflect in table groups on Mosaic Conference’s new Centering Document (see: A Mosaic Identity: Clarifying our Center) and offer verbal and written feedback.   

Beny Krisbianto, pastor of Nations Worship Center (Philadelphia, PA) noted that his table group emphasized that keeping Jesus at the center of Conference life will bear much fruit, and that listening to one another amid many differences will lead to a “rich theology.” 

At the close of the discussion on the Centering Document, Emily Ralph Servant, Leadership Minister for Strategic Priorities, shared, “All of your table feedback is shared with the board. This is a living document. As they continue to receive your feedback, they’ll continue working on expressing who we are.”  

The conference recognized board members who are completing their terms at the end of the year: Kiron Mateti (Plains Mennonite [Hatfield, PA]), Angela Moyer Walter (Ripple Church [Allentown, PA]), Herman Sagastume (Healthy Niños Honduras), and Rodger Schmell (Deep Run West [Perkasie, PA]). 

Beyond Saturday’s main gathering, the weekend included “Witness Together,” on Friday night: an evening of worship, intercultural relationship building, and equipping on Mosaic’s three core priorities of formational, missional, and intercultural transformation. On Sunday, numerous Pennsylvania congregations received visits by Mosaic leaders and guest preachers from Mosaic pastors and partner agencies.   

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.   

Delegates Affirm Mosaic Board’s Recommendation to Leave MC USA with 74% Support

by

Over 300 people gathered for Mosaic Mennonite Conference’s annual Assembly on November 1, 2025, at Souderton (PA) Mennonite’s meetinghouse. Centered on the theme “Be My Witnesses” (Acts 1:6-8), the day opened with worship and opportunities to deepen relationships (a report on more of the Assembly, including worship, is available here).   

Those gathered shared in communion during the morning delegate session.

During the morning delegate session, attendees shared communion, recognized board and committee members, and affirmed incoming board members and committee chairs: 

  • Roy Williams, Conference Moderator (3-year term, beginning Jan. 2026) (College Hill Mennonite, Tampa, FL) 
  • Janet Panning, Assistant Moderator (3-year term, beginning Jan. 2026) (Plains Mennonite, Hatfield, PA) 
  • Jim Musselman, Board Secretary (3rd term, beginning Jan. 2026) (Zion Mennonite, Souderton, PA) 
  • Haroldo Nunes, at-large member (1st term) (Resplandece Mennonite, Florida, Colombia and hybrid)  
  • Jenny Fujita, at-large member (1st term) (Blooming Glen [PA] Mennonite) 
  • Lucy Hananto Parsono, at-large member (2nd term) (International Worship Center, San Gabriel, CA) 
  • Michael Howes, Ministerial Committee Chair (1st term) (West Swamp Mennonite, Quakertown, PA)  
  • Lindy Backues, Conference-Related Ministry Committee Chair (1st term) (Philadelphia [PA] Praise Center) 
  • Emmanuel Mwaipopo, Intercultural Committee Chair (1st term) (Nueva Vida Norristown [PA] New Life) 
Delegates gathered at tables.
Mukarabe and Makinto (LA Faith Chapel) led those gathered in a drumming and peacemaking ritual focused on Acts 1:6-8.

Board Recommendation on Affiliation 

The Mosaic Executive Committee shared with delegates the rationale for the recommendation “to discontinue Mosaic Mennonite Conference’s membership with Mennonite Church USA and cultivate healthy mutual partnerships with Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite World Conference, and other Anabaptist communities.”

“The board does not make this recommendation lightly,” said Conference Moderator Angela Moyer Walter. “For some of us the relationship has been healthy, and we are experiencing significant loss and disorientation, and for others of us it has been painful, and we were ready to discontinue membership last year. Our task as your leaders is to make a recommendation on what is best for the whole of Mosaic.”  

Moyer Walter noted that efforts to explore new partnership structures with MC USA revealed significant tensions. “Our current membership excludes too many and cuts us off from relationships that are emerging and flourishing,” she said. “When we addressed these issues with MC USA, we were met with dismissiveness, minimization, and rigidity rather than creative collaboration.”  

“MC USA counseled reconciliation, and that requires all parties involved to be willing to be honest, listen to understand, and make the necessary changes for healing to take place. MC USA has remained rigid in their responses to us, telling us what to do rather than finding solutions together, and writing letters rather than speaking to us face to face.”  

Assistant Moderator Roy Williams added, “This has been a sad year because MC USA is no longer what I helped put together in the late 90s. From the start, it needed tending and updates because there were so many concessions that were made for it to get off the ground. But they never happened. Now they are in desperate need to update their structures, but rather than working with us to find solutions, they chose to stick with those structures….We cannot allow their rigidity and unwillingness to navigate the changing demographics in the church and world to negatively influence the health and life we find in Mosaic.”  

Delegates engaged in table conversation around the board’s recommendation around affiliation, and table leaders were invited to report back what was shared within their groups.  

Sonya Stauffer Kurtz (Zion Mennonite) reports back from her table group.
Delegates who gathered in southern California. Photo courtesy of Hendy Matahelemual.
Danilo Sanchez reports back for the virtual table group who participated via Zoom.

“It is decision time,” shared Jeannine Adams of Garden Chapel (Victory Gardens, NJ), “Going forward, we need to listen, whatever happens, and the leadership at all levels needs to listen and be supportive.”  

In the afternoon, delegates were asked to vote on the board’s recommendation, using a green-yellow-red system. Of the 165 delegates from congregations and Conference-Related Ministries (CRMs), 64% of delegates voted “green” (affirm the recommendation); 10% voted “yellow” (yield to the recommendation); 23% voted “red” (do not affirm); and 3% abstained (according to Mosaic Conference bylaws, abstentions are counted as “no” votes).  

With 74% overall support, the vote passed—exceeding the two-thirds majority required for bylaw changes. 

Before announcing results, Leadership Minister for Missional Transformation Noel Santiago invited reflection, “Our story together is larger than any one decision. Whatever we may feel—joy, grief, anger, uncertainty—God welcomes that and holds us in mercy and grace. When the results are announced, we invite everyone to hold this time gently, letting our response be quiet and prayerful, so we can stay attentive to God and to one another.”  

Conference Moderator Angela Moyer Walter and Board Secretary Jim Musselman announce the results of the two delegate votes.

Moving Foward

Following the vote, Williams, who begins his term as Moderator in January 2026, affirmed his commitment: “I am trained to serve where I am called, and I will do that with Mosaic.”  

Executive Minister Stephen Kriss thanked delegates for their discernment and acknowledged the gravity of the moment. “We have done serious and historic and painful work today,” he said. “I am committed to us living into our vision and mission, and to creating space where you all can flourish as communities and individuals.”  

Kriss emphasized that congregations who wish to maintain a connection to MC USA should inform their leadership minister. “We will work alongside congregations who wish to maintain that connection, and I am committed to helping those congregations who wish to maintain dual memberships to have that option even though it does not currently exist in our bylaws.”  

He highlighted the spirit in which Mosaic hopes to move forward: “We will continue to be people of Christ’s peace. We will continue to have to work at difficult things. This gives us space and challenge to continue to navigate who God is calling us to be.” 

Calling the outcome a “both/and vote,” Kriss noted that the decision was not only to end membership but also to build new, healthy partnerships. “The work for us now is to stay at the table and extend those relationships further.” 

Mosaic Mennonite Conference’s formal discontinuation of membership with MC USA took effect on November 3, 2025. 

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.   

A Letter to Mosaic Conference Delegates

by

To our Mosaic Mennonite Conference delegates and constituents: 

I recommend voting a respectful RED (No) vote at the Mosaic Mennonite Conference Assembly. 

The Mosaic Mennonite Conference Board and the Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) Board have been in very difficult circumstances since the November 2024 Mosaic delegate vote. That vote, which passed with 40% affirmation (and 31% yielding, for a total of 71%), directed the Mosaic Board to establish a partnership with MC USA, while Mosaic is still a member conference. Throughout this past year, MC USA continued to relate to Mosaic as a member conference, and communication was difficult for both entities.  

The Mosaic Board has partially followed through on the directive given by the action of the November 2024 delegates by bringing the proposal to withdraw from MCUSA to this November 2025 assembly. They have not been able to follow through on the directive to establish a robust partnership with MC USA. However, it can be recognized that they tried to do so, and their November 2025 proposal still hopes to establish a partnership. 

Several significant things have occurred since the November 2024 delegate vote which the delegates of the November 2025 assembly can carefully consider: 

  1. MC USA Executive Board has offered to engage in mediation with the Mosaic Board. That offer remains open.
  2. Leaders at the MC USA Assembly in July 2025 informed us as members of MC USA that we will be engaging in a restructuring process, which is something that the Mosaic board and staff have stated that MC USA needs to do. 

A respectful RED (No) vote: 

  1. Is appreciative of the difficult work of the Mosaic Board in the past year.
  2. Is appreciative of the difficult weight placed on the Mosaic Board to decide what action to bring to the delegate assembly this November 2025.
  3. Frees the Mosaic Board to engage in mediation or not engage in mediation with MC USA. It does not require a timeline for this possible engagement. The Mosaic Board can focus on the work of being Mosaic, which is what they stated in May that they want to do. They can do so without needing to make major transitions to absorb the work that MC USA has been doing for us.
  4. Frees us as people who are part of congregations who are part of Mosaic and part of MC USA to participate in both the conference and the denomination. We will continue to be able to: 
    • Relate as a sibling conference with the other 14 conferences of MCUSA. Mosaic members are approximately 1/6th of the membership of MCUSA. We can bless and receive blessings by being part of this wider church together with all the other MC USA members.
    • Send representational delegates to the Mennonite Convention, and whether we are delegates or not, we can enjoy the opportunities for spiritual growth and relationship building through workshops, Bible studies, worship services, and service opportunities for children, youth, and adults.
    • Send leaders to be a part of the Constituency Leadership Council for the purpose of fellowship and support, and to give counsel to the MCUSA executive board, staff, and broader church.
    • Receive resources and collaborate in the making of resources in Mennonite education, Christian life and faith, singing, Hispanic ministries, church planting, women in leadership, undoing racism, and climate justice.
    • Receive the benefits of pastoral search and pastoral transition leadership that MC USA provides.
    • Apply for scholarships for BIPOC students attending Mennonite schools. 
    • Jointly witness for peace with our siblings across the Mennonite Church in the U.S.
    • Support and participate in the restructuring process for MC USA. This is really important – we can be a part of this process.  

A respectful RED (No) vote recognizes that there is an opportunity for reconciliation to take place and invites God’s creative work within the people who have been part of Mosaic and part of MC USA who have experienced brokenness. 

A respectful RED (No) vote is freeing, bringing us to a new place which is not stuck in the same jam that we have been in during the past year. 

I write this with humility, knowing that I do not fully understand all the factors involved for everyone in this situation. This is simply my best analysis of the circumstances that we are in during this time.  

Maribeth Benner

Maribeth Benner is a Mennonite pastor, teacher, educational leader, and mother of two young adult daughters. Maribeth lives in Telford, Pennsylvania with her husband Darin.

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.   

Our Journey of Faith and Fellowship

by

Reflections from the Mosaic Conference Indonesian Mennonite community 

by Hendy Matahelemual

The Indonesian Mennonite immigrant community living in the United States has experienced great blessings and real challenges. Living in a new culture has stretched us, sometimes in difficult ways. Cultural tensions, microaggressions, and racism are part of our daily experience, even in Christian circles. Yet we continue to find strength in God and in our church community. The church has become the center of our lives—a place where we are reminded of God’s faithfulness and where we find belonging, healing, and hope. 

Amid these challenges, our connection with the broader U.S. Mennonite community has been a valuable source of encouragement and support. Our relationship with Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) was once positive and meaningful, but in recent years it has become more complicated and difficult.  

My journey in this fellowship began when I joined the Franconia Conference (now Mosaic) and attended my first Mennonite Convention in Orlando, Florida, in 2017 through the Servant Leader program. In 2021, I had the honor of serving as one of the worship leaders at MennoCon in Cincinnati, Ohio. I also participated in Hope for the Future, a national gathering of leaders from racial and ethnic minority groups, and became involved in Mennonite Men, where I serve as a board member. These experiences strengthened my commitment to the broader Mennonite community. 

It is deeply unfortunate that much of the good that had been built over the years was overshadowed by the way the Resolution for Repentance and Transformation was introduced and approved in Special Delegate Session in Kansas City in 2022. The process lacked intercultural sensitivity and felt one-sided. Conversations were cut short because of time limits, leaving little room for genuine dialogue—especially among people meeting for the first time. As someone whose first language is not English, I experienced this process as exclusionary and, in many ways, discriminatory.  

The resolution imposed a particular cultural framework and language—using terms and words that did not always reflect our context, culture, or beliefs. As Indonesian immigrants, we often felt powerless under the dominant influence of white majority, which pressured us to affirm values that conflicted with our culture and convictions. 

What has been done cannot be undone. The question now is: what can we, the Indonesian Mennonite community, do? Our response is to depend on those who are willing to listen and walk with us.  

While many congregations have chosen to leave Mosaic Conference or MC USA, we chose to stay with Mosaic. We need spiritual covering, care, and support. We are deeply grateful for Mosaic Conference, who has shown understanding, compassion, and genuine intercultural awareness. The Indonesian Mennonite community in the U.S. feels that our voices are truly heard by Mosaic, and we feel a closer connection to Mosaic than to MC USA. 

There are many things I cannot put into writing here. In our culture, some matters are inappropriate to express in written form, but that does not mean they cannot be discussed in person. One of the challenges for the dominant white American culture is learning to hear what is not spoken and to see what is not written, and to understand that these unspoken and unwritten realities exist. 

MC USA does not represent the voice of the Indonesian Mennonite immigrant community in the U.S. Therefore, we believe that discontinuing our membership is the right decision. We do not see this as a division but rather as an opportunity for Mosaic to grow—building relationships that sharpen one another as equal siblings in Christ.  

For this reason, the Indonesian Mennonite community in Mosaic requests to join Mennonite World Conference (MWC) and invites them to act as a mediator between Mosaic and MC USA, helping unite us under the broader family of MWC, so that together we can walk in unity, remain centered on Jesus, and continue to bear witness to his peace in a world that desperately needs it. 

Hendy Matahelemual

Hendy Matahelemual is pastor of Indonesian Light Church, Philadelphia, PA.

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.   

Recognizing Mosaic’s New Congregations and the Transitions of Credentialed Leaders 

by

During the Mosaic Conference 2025 Fall Delegate Assembly worship, we will recognize the credentialed leaders who have died within the past year, those congregations and Conference-Related Ministries who have left, congregations who have joined Mosaic, and the new leaders among us. Below are those who will be recognized on Saturday, Nov. 1.  

Those who have passed: 

  • Paul Long – longtime leader at Ambler (PA) Mennonite 
  • Joshua So – founder of San Francisco (CA) Chinese Mennonite 
  • Luke Beidler – former Franconia Conference staff and pastor of Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life Mennonite 
  • Carl Walcott – pastor of North Tampa (FL) Christian Fellowship  
  • Bob Walters – founder of Whitehall (PA) Mennonite 

Congregations and Conference-Related Ministries who have left Mosaic:    

  • Salem Mennonite (Quakertown, PA)
  • Vincent Mennonite (Spring City, PA) 
  • Spruce Lake Retreat (Canadensis, PA) 

Welcoming new member congregations to Mosaic: 

Recognizing New Leaders

Approved three-year license toward ordination (LTO) for:  

  • Karen Bergey, Salford Mennonite (Harleysville, PA) 
  • Carlos Sánchez, Comunidad Anabautista de Medellín  
  • Manuel García, Resplandece Mennonite (Pembroke Pines, FL, Colombia and hybrid) 
  • Zacharie René, Lakeview Mennonite (Susquehanna, PA) 
  • Dave Moyer, Zion Mennonite (Souderton, PA) 
  • Michael Marpaung, Ark of Christ (Anaheim, CA) 
  • Beverly Benner Miller, Plains Mennonite (Hatfield, PA) 

Approved ordination for:  

  • Angelia Susanto, Nations Worship Center (Philadelphia, PA) 
  • Makinto, LA (CA) Faith Chapel  
  • Mukarabe Lysianne Makinto, LA (CA) Faith Chapel  
  • Kevin Opett, Church of the Good Samaritans (Holland, PA) 
  • Jaye Lindo, 7 Ways (Bowie, MD and hybrid) 

Approved transfer into Mosaic Conference:  

  • Matthew Peterson, Deep Run East (Perkasie, PA), transfer ordained  
  • Karl McKinney, Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life  
  • Robert Petersheim, retired transfer from Atlantic Coast Conference 

Credentials reaffirmed:   

  • Beth Yoder, Active without charge 

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.   

10 Things to Know Before Assembly 2025

by

1. Delegates should read the docket and other important documents before Assembly. Print out a hard copy (if you want one) or bring an electronic device on which you can read it. We will not be supplying hard copies.

2. Delegates should review the FAQ document to understand what a red, yellow, and green vote indicates regarding the partnership recommendation with MC USA.  

3. On Saturday, Nov. 1, enter Souderton Mennonite Church through the main carport entrance. There is a parking lot across the street from the meetinghouse, on Chestnut Street, and parking around the building. Parking and getting through the registration line could take 15 minutes.

4. Doors open for registration at 8:30 am. Arrive early for community time in the Exhibit Hall with Conference-Related Ministries (CRMs) and other agencies. Worship will begin at 9:30 am and will feature seven different languages. This year’s worship team comes from seven different nations, speaking at least nine languages.

5. From 12:30-1:50 pm, the Exhibit Hall and lunch from Biryani Bowl in Lansdale (Indian cuisine) will be available. Make time to visit both! A prayer room will also be available for reflection throughout the day. It is located just off the sanctuary and main foyer.

6. Due to space limitations and to maintain a quiet working space for delegates, all non-delegate guests will be seated in chairs, rather than at tables, and asked to be quiet observers. For guests who wish to talk to others during the session, the delegate sessions will also be livestreamed in the sanctuary.

7. Take time to familiarize yourself with “We are your Witnesses,” a song written for the 2025 Delegate Assembly by Makinto. Watch their rehearsal video available here, courtesy of Makinto and the videographer at Nations Worship Center (Philadelphia, PA).

8. Please bring a handheld rhythm instrument, such as a djembe, bongos, shaker, or a bucket and drumsticks, for the peacemaking and drumming time during our afternoon session. If you don’t bring something, your hands work great too! 

9. Our Assembly Support Fund remains open for online giving and also through a collection basket at lunch. Your gifts offset the travel costs for delegates coming from a distance (FL, CA, VT). If travel isn’t a barrier for you, please help remove it for someone else.

10. In addition to lunch, coffee, and tea are provided throughout the day. The coffee served at Assembly comes from Pear Tree Coffee Roasters, whose mission is to create a community of people (including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities) who bring their diverse abilities together. The tea served at Assembly comes from a Chinese-American Christian tea company based in San Francisco, called Prince of Peace.  

We look forward to seeing everyone on November 1! Need more information? Visit the Assembly webpage. 

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.   

Iglesia Menonita Fuente de Agua Viva: Perserverance and Mission 

by

Congregational Profile

by Javier Márquez

Editor’s Note: Iglesia Menonita Fuente de Agua Viva was approved by Mosaic Conference’s board as a member congregation and will be welcomed at Mosaic’s 2025 Fall Delegate Assembly.  

Fuente de Agua Viva (Fountain of Living Water) Mennonite Church, located in Los Fresnos, Texas, is one of the oldest Hispanic Mennonite congregations in South Texas. Its members are mostly Texans of Mexican descent, with a faith deeply rooted in the Mennonite witness of peace, service, and community. 

The congregation was born as an extension of Iglesia Menonita del Cordero in Brownsville, where many of its founders had been members for more than three decades. The first gatherings began as prayer cells in homes, driven by a desire to bring congregational life closer to those living farther from Brownsville. Over time, the group grew and gave rise to a new faith community. 

Guided by pastors Alejo and Alma Solís, who accepted the call to accompany and organize the emerging congregation, Fuente de Agua Viva has developed a ministry committed to peace, justice, hospitality, and service to immigrants. Its community life is marked by mutual care, attention to the internal needs of the church, and active engagement with the neighborhood. 

A recent worship service. Photo by Marta Castillo.

After years of effort and perseverance, the church celebrated the construction of its new building—a symbol of the fruit of shared labor and God’s faithfulness. 

The church holds its main worship service on Sundays in a bilingual format: if the message is given in English, it is translated into Spanish, and vice versa—reflecting the cultural and linguistic diversity of its community. It also maintains various weekday activities that strengthen fellowship, Bible study, and prayer. 

The mission of Fuente de Agua Viva Mennonite Church is “to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ,” strengthening the faith of its members and extending its witness to the community. 

Previously, the church belonged to the South Central Conference, where they were accompanied for several years by Marco Güete as associate conference minister. After a time of changes within that conference, Fuente de Agua Viva decided to seek affiliation with Mosaic Conference, along with two other congregations. Since then, they have been welcomed and feel they are an integral part of Mosaic’s life. 

Members are baptized at the local beach.

The church members express gratitude for the openness and understanding with which Mosaic has received them, especially valuing the pastoral support of leaders like Marco Güete and Noel Santiago. 

The congregation looks forward to continuing to grow in fellowship with Mosaic Conference, receiving support in areas such as communication and technology, while offering their continued commitment, faith, and service to the body of Christ. 

Pastors Alejo and Alma feel blessed, comfortable, and supported within the new conference. Both they and the congregation believe that joining Mosaic was the best decision, and they express a desire to maintain a long-term relationship. From the beginning, they have taken their participation seriously—not only receiving support but also actively contributing to the life and sustainability of the conference. 

The recently baptized receive membership certificates.

Javier Márquez

Javier Márquez is Associate for Communication and Community Engagement for Colombia. 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.