Articles

Partnering in Redemptive Work

June 6, 2019 by Conference Office

by Justin Burkholder, summer intern with South Philly’s Indonesian congregations

Last week I began my summer ministry in South Philadelphia by getting settled into an action-packed Indonesian household with two exuberant children. I quickly received the warmest welcome a family could possibly give a young adult who they had never met before. The exchange consisted of hospitality and inner peace that rested in the joint vision of seeing lives changed in the community.

The new church building space of St. John Baptist where Indonesian Light Church will share with the Burmese and American congregations.

While growing familiar with the neighborhood and surrounding area, the diverse atmosphere paved way for an attitude of learning this summer. Learning took place as I was fortunate enough to meet the close-knit community of believers that attend Indonesian Light Church. One of the first experiences I had was a beautiful moment of restoring the once-thriving St. John’s Baptist Church to a space that now holds services for Baptist, Indonesian Mennonite, and Burmese congregations. The church now consists of believers of different tongues giving glory to God. It was fitting that my first Sunday here was Ascension Sunday. Among the early church of Acts, the gospel message was to be proclaimed to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Praise God for the witnesses who have called believers from the ends of the earth to worship in the same space in South Philadelphia and beyond.

I am excited to get begin serving with Philadelphia Praise Center’s Peace Camp which runs from June 5-28 on the theme of Serving in Christ. Up to fifty children will join the camp this year for teaching, games, lunch, and field trips.

My experience so far has been lively greetings and a faith community that is active in the community. This experience will grow challenging, tiring, and fulfilling as I discover my role in this community, but I am assured that the leaders and members have the peace of God, surpassing all understanding. God is working in South Philadelphia and it has been a pleasure to join alongside the work of reconciliation.

Beyond Our Comfort Zones

June 6, 2019 by Conference Office

by Andrés Castillo, communication intern

Finland congregation’s CrossGen conference at Spruce Lake Retreat, with speaker Sean McDowell. The conference focused on intergenerational unity, with panels representing different generations asking questions of each other.

Every year, Franconia Conference gives Missional Operational Grants to congregations to help them think and dream about mission. Noel Santiago, Franconia’s leadership minister for missional transformation, described his initial vision for the 2018 MOGs as providing “resources to help congregations reach out and get out of their comfort zone.”

Both executive minister Steve Kriss and Santiago have emphasized that the grants are for starting new initiatives, not sustaining them forever. By overcoming the obstacle of money, churches can begin to experiment; leaders and congregations are encouraged to be more creative. The ultimate hope is that, after the grant period ends, the new conversations and ideas started by it will continue to live on and evolve.

Last year’s MOG recipients have done a good job at what Kriss calls “honoring the legacy of Franconia’s mission to spread Christ’s peace throughout the world.” Here’s a look into what some of them did in 2018:

Indonesian Light Church (ILC) in South Philadelphia has hosted a monthly “food bazaar” to reach out to their community. “We learned that every seed planted needs nurturing and time to grow until it can grow strong roots and bear fruit,” ILC’s report reads. “Without time, love, and commitment to sowing and nurturing, there will be no significant result.” ILC plans to continue experimenting with ways to connect with the Indonesian community in south Philadelphia.

Nations Worship Center (Philadelphia) conducted a Vacation Bible School (VBS) with students from Dock Mennonite Academy (9-12) that received positive feedback and results, including new families faithfully attending church after the VBS was over. They also received help from the city of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Praise Center, and ACME. Nations Worship acknowledges that many of the children who attended their VBS come from struggling families and, “If we lose them, we lose our future.”

A Karen member of Whitehall congregation leads in prayer.

Philadelphia Praise Center (PPC) further developed the Taproot Gap Year program, an initiative for college students that involves sending them to live in Philadelphia and Indonesia. PPC maintains an office and staff in Indonesia for this purpose, which PPC pastor Aldo Siahaan says is not easy. “Thank God we have support from the conference,” he says. “Creating a program like this is not new to the conference, but it is for us.”

Whitehall (PA) congregation used their MOG for increasing leadership development among its Karen (Burmese) members. Pastors Rose Bender and Danilo Sanchez have been creatively finding new ways to integrate the various ethnicities within the church. “It isn’t as much about ‘let’s help these poor people’ as it used to be,” Bender says. As this long process unfolds, the congregation “understands more and more how much everyone needs each other.”

Vietnamese Gospel (Allentown, PA) invited people in its surrounding community to have a large fellowship gathering, with speakers giving testimonies. The event was meant to empower their members and share the word of God with people outside of their church. Vietnamese Gospel hopes to make this an annual event to build relationships with its community.

Pastor Bruce Eglinton-Woods of Salem congregation has been working closely with the Quakertown (PA) Community Center (The Drop), an after-school and weekend program for at-risk children and teens created in response to the opioid crisis. The ministry helps attendees figure out the next steps of their lives in a judgment-free zone. Eglinton-Woods has learned how hard it is hard to gain the trust of teenagers and children and hopes to eventually grow the program to five days a week.

Ripple congregation (Allentown, PA) was able to provide training for two of their pastors, Charlene Smalls and Marilyn Bender, at the International Institute for Restorative Practices. The Ripple pastors have been using restorative practices to better meet their congregation and community’s needs.

Salem congregation has been partnering with Quakertown’s “The Drop” community center for at-risk children and youth.

Other congregations who received MOGs were Plains congregation (Hatfield, PA) for an unconventional July 4th picnic, Souderton (PA) and Doylestown (PA) congregations for the Vocation as Mission Summer Internship Program, International Worship Center (San Gabriel, CA) for technological equipment, Finland congregation (Pennsburg, PA) for their CrossGen conference, and Perkiomenville congregation for its GraceNow conference.

Every congregation has a unique, beautiful story that honors God’s mission to unite the world as one under Him. What is God doing in your congregation and community? Share your stories by emailing communication@mosaicmennonites.org or check in with your congregation’s leadership minister about ways that your congregation might use an MOG to develop your missional imagination and neighborhood connections.

Male and Female, in the Image of God

June 5, 2019 by Conference Office

by Doris Diener, Franconia congregation & Danilo Sanchez, Ripple congregation

On May 8 & 9, credentialed leaders from Franconia conference gathered for a Faith & Life Gathering to talk about women in leadership, with input from Carolyn Custis James. In response, Danilo Sanchez and Doris Diener reflect on what they heard.

Danilo:
As a family, we often take walks around our Allentown neighborhood. My two daughters love playing “follow the leader.” We each take turns being at the front of the group, calling out commands like “march,” “act like a dinosaur,” and “neigh like a horse.” Everyone must follow what the leader says, and my girls get so much joy out of making mommy and daddy be silly in public. This may seem like a simple game, but I want my daughters to know from a young age that they are leaders. I don’t know if enough young women hear that message of leadership from their fathers or male leaders at home. Unfortunately, the likelihood that they’ll hear the invitation to be a pastor or leader is even less in the church.

Doris:
The impetus for Carolyn Custis James to seek God’s intention for gendered humans emerged when marriage did not appear on the horizon throughout her twenties. She wondered what God’s purpose was for young females prior to marriage, or those who were single and widowed. She sought a scriptural answer that is globally relevant for all women everywhere and always.

Carolyn focused on Genesis 1 and 2 for God’s blueprint for his image-bearers. She discovered the meaning of ezer (Genesis 2:18) as it is used in twenty-one “warrior” contexts in the Old Testament: an ezer is an active intervening warrior that partners in a battle for God’s people. The powerful message is the imperative significance of male and female working together for God’s kingdom.

The incredible ingenuity of the tempter in Genesis 3 destroyed God’s original intentions for this earth: It ruined human potential to be his image-bearers as well as it shattered the “blessed alliance” between male and female. “This was a spiritual equivalent of a nuclear weapon to destroy what was intended to be God’s kingdom strategy for the life-giving maintenance of the earth,” Custis James said. Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and His empowering gift of the Holy Spirit provide opportunity for his people to live into his original design.

Danilo:
This makes sense to me. The women and female pastors that I know are warriors. God created male and female in God’s own image (Gen. 1:27). Men and women both carry the image of God and can be God-bearers in the world. This means both men and women have equal worth in the kingdom, equal honor to share the gospel, and equal right to leadership and authority.

From the beginning of creation, we see God reversing cultural norms. But we male pastors and leaders have not carried on a similar empowerment. We have allowed sexism and patriarchy to thrive in the church. I cannot escape culpability because there have been times that I have not spoken up on behalf of women in an all-male room or provided ministry and leadership opportunities for my sisters in Christ. But I am learning and I want to do better because I believe God created male and female in God’s own image. And I believe that God wants to use both men and women for the work of his kingdom.

Our next Faith and Life Gathering will be August 7-8. We will be considering the dynamics of Intercultural Leadership.

What Binds Us Together?

May 28, 2019 by Conference Office

by Mark Reiff, Doylestown congregation

When I was in seminary, I had a professor start a class by sharing with us the background of the word “religion” (or in the Latin, religaire): “to bind.” He then asked us, What does it mean for our religion to bind us together?

The Structure & Identity Task Force (L to R): Scott Roth (Eastern District Conference), Mike Clemmer (Towamencin), Mark Reiff (Doylestown), Rina Rampogu (Plains), Ron White (Church of the Good Samaritans), Sherri Brokopp Binder (Ripple) and Josh Meyer (Franconia) – missing from photo, Edie Landis (Zion).

I can’t remember where the conversation went after that question, but as I have participated in the Structure and Identity Task Force for the new, reconciled Conference, this has been the driving question in my mind:

“What binds us together as a conference?”

For many generations, this question has been answered by some geographic grouping, both at the conference level and at the congregational level. I have often been reminded by older members at Doylestown congregation about how many of the families who are still connected to our congregation have or have had farms near the church’s building. In the same way, conferences in our denomination generally grouped congregations based on geographic proximity.

Another significant piece of Mennonite church history was the work of bishops or overseers, who were responsible for ensuring that the congregations and households within their sphere conformed to a shared understanding of Christlike living. I have been told stories by older members of my congregation about their families hiding TVs or other “worldly” things when the bishop visited. These bishops played a significant role in binding up a shared identity through setting boundaries and disciplining congregations and families.

As technology has made our world smaller and allowed information to travel faster and as our lives have become more visible through social media, our attention has shifted towards binding our shared identity around other factors. As we continue to discern a way forward in our life together as a new Conference, a few reflections stick out in my mind:

How we figure out a shared belief system will require more reflection, nuance, and grace given our polarized context. To some extent, when we declare that Jesus is Lord and the center of our faith, we are anchored together in that belief. Yet theological and ecclesial fault lines exist between and within our congregations; our cultural tendency is to take the convenient road of blasting someone with whom we disagree instead of doing the hard work of self-reflection on why their contrary belief bothers us so much. I imagine the work of Franconia’s Faith and Life Commission could offer us some further wisdom in this area.
Even a completely successful reconciliation process could result in feelings of loss and/or grief. Many of the congregations forming this new conference have already experienced seasons of loss and grief because of broken relationships and shifting affiliations. As we come together to chart a new shared journey, it is likely that many congregations will encounter new losses, which could range from missing some past traditions to saying good-bye to familiar and beloved congregations who feel God’s call to connect elsewhere within the Church.
God is good and can be trusted with our shared life. This work of creating a new conference is hard because of the energy it requires and scary because we might not always know what the end result will be. Since we have entered into this process through mutual discernment and prayer, however, we can have confidence that God will provide for us as a conference and as congregational families.

As we continue to discern our way forward as a new Conference, I invite you to reflect on your sense of belonging, both on congregational and conference levels. What binds you to your faith community and why? What binds your faith community to other faith communities and why?

As we reflect honestly on this and hear from one another, God’s path forward for us will become more clear and we will be better equipped to connect with others on the journey.

Rutinas para el viaje / Routines for the Journey

May 22, 2019 by Conference Office

(SCROLL DOWN FOR ENGLISH)

El ministro de Liderazgo, Marco Güete, es el director y fundador del programa binacional de capacitación del Instituto Bíblico Anabautista (IBA) y recorrerá el Camino de Santiago para recaudar fondos para el programa. Cada año, cientos de miles de personas viajan al Camino, una gran red de antiguas rutas de peregrinos que se extienden por todo el continente, para caminar solos o en una excursión.

(Reimpreso de Meno Acontecer/la Menonita, abril, 2019)

¡Bienvenido y bienvenida a Meno Acontecer de abril, 2019!

El plan de caminar 15 días consecutivos para colectar fondos para el Instituto Biblico Anabautista-IBA sigue adelante. Como preparación estoy poniendo en práctica 10 rutinas para los 260 kilómetros de caminata, de pueblo en pueblo, comenzando desde el sur de Francia en Saint Jean Pied de Port hasta Burgos, España. Tengo 68 años de edad y me pregunto: ¿será que me estoy reinventando al cuidar mi estado físico y el cuerpo que me ha dado Dios? Creo que sí, es importante reinventarse, soñar nuevos sueños, ponerse nuevas metas y usar la experiencia de mis 68 años para vivir el siguiente año día a día. Me inspira la porción bíblica de Joel 12:28: “Y sucederá que después de esto, derramaré mi Espíritu sobre toda carne; y vuestros hijos y vuestras hijas profetizarán, vuestros ancianos soñarán sueños, vuestros jóvenes verán visiones.”

Te preguntarás ¿y… cuales son las 10 rutinas? Aquí están: Comer sanamente, constantemente en movimiento caminando, conversar con la gente, leer y estar siempre aprendiendo, hacer ejercicios de aérobico (con los pasos de la salsa), escuchar mucho, hablar despacio, lento para el reproche, aceptarme a mi mismo, adaptarme al cambio, orar y meditar en Dios.

Hay un estimado, según las estadísticas de Santiago de Compostela, que de los más de 327,000 caminantes que anualmente hacen este camino, solamente el 17 porciento tiene más de 60 años de edad. Este será el reto tanto para mi acompañante el Pastor Gamaliel Falla y para mi. Gamaliel tiene 72 años de edad. Todo va en marcha, ya compramos los boletos de avión. La fecha es del 11 al 25 de septiembre. ¡Buen camino!

Leadership Minister Marco Güete is the director and founder of the bi-national Anabaptist Biblical Institute training program (IBA) and will be walking the Camino de Santiago to raise funds for the program. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people travel to the Camino, a large network of ancient pilgrim routes that stretch across the continent, to walk either on their own or on a tour.

(Reprinted from Menno Happenings/The Mennonite , April 2019)

Welcome all to Menno Happenings from April, 2019!

The plan to walk 15 consecutive days to collect funds for the Anabaptist Bible Institute-ABI continues. As a preparation I am putting into practice 10 routines for the 260 kilometers of walking, from town to town, starting from the south of France in Saint Jean Pied de Port to Burgos, Spain. I am 68 years old and I wonder: Will it be that I am reinventing myself by taking care of my physical condition and the body that God has given me? I think so; it is important to reinvent yourself, dream new dreams, set new goals and use the experience of my 68 years to live the next year day by day. I am inspired by the biblical portion of Joel 2:28: “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” You will ask yourself, “And what are the 10 routines?” Here they are: Eating healthy, constantly in movement walking, talking with people, reading and always learning, doing aerobic exercises (with salsa steps), listening a lot, speaking slowly, being slow to reproach, accepting myself , adapting to change, and praying and meditating on God.

There is an estimate, according to statistics from Santiago de Compostela, that of the more than 327,000 walkers who annually make this journey, only 17 percent are over 60 years old. This will be the challenge for my companion Pastor Gamaliel Falla and for me. Gamaliel is 72 years old. Everything is set; we already bought the plane tickets. The dates are September 11 to 25. Good journey!

Summer Interns to Serve and Learn

May 21, 2019 by Conference Office

by Jennifer Svetlik, Salford congregation

Listening for God’s calling. Serving their home communities. Learning from new communities. Cultivating pastoral skills. These are some of the hopes that six interns bring to their time of service and formation with Franconia Conference this summer. They come as part of the MCC Summer Service Program, the Ministry Inquiry Program, as well as the Conference’s own summer placements.

As part of the MCC Summer Service Worker Program, Jessica Nikomang will work at Philadelphia Praise Center. This summer she will direct a Vacation Bible School (VBS) for kids ages 5-12 as well as work with the Indonesian community around the church and her neighborhood, providing translation support and other help. After the summer, she will begin studies at the Community College of Philadelphia as a first-generation college student in pursuit of her dream to be a school counselor.

This will be Rebecca Yugga’s second summer serving at the Crossroads Community Center in partnership with her home congregation, West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship. Rebecca studies Nursing and Spanish Language/Hispanic Studies at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU). She will be planning activities for children and build on leadership skills and strategies she cultivated in the program last year.

Graciella Odelia will serve at Nations Worship Center, which has been her home church since 2013 and where she is an active member of the worship team. Graciella studies Biology and Chemistry at Eastern Mennonite University. She will be organizing the summer VBS program in July and August at Nations Worship Center.

“Seeing kids excited to worship God makes me look forward to what God has in store for the next generation. By participating in the MCC Summer Service program, I hope to discover how God can use me in His church,” Graciella shares.

As the Conference’s summer placement, Andrés Castillo, a member of Nueva Vida Norristown New Life, will serve as a communication intern for the conference. Andrés studies English at West Chester University. More of his writing, photography, and videos will be shared on our website throughout the summer. Andrés is excited to make connections in his communication work between Christ’s teachings and the social issues about which he’s passionate.

Justin Burkholder, who attends Deep Run East, will be working with the conference’s south Philadelphia Indonesian congregations. He will be serving with the peace camp at Indonesian Light Church as well as summer VBS programs at other congregations. Justin is in Intercultural Studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

“I grew up traveling into Philadelphia just for ball games or cheesesteaks and I was disconnected from the lives of people living in the city,” Justin shared. “I am looking forward to building relationships and learning what it looks like to serve the church and community in South Philly.”

As part of the Ministry Inquiry Program, Luke Hertzler, who studies Bible, Religion and Theology at EMU, will be working with Whitehall and Ripple Allentown congregations. Luke will help at Ripple’s Community Building Center and garden and test out gifts on Sundays at both Ripple and Whitehall.

“We hope Luke will bring new ideas and energy. Right now we are forming gift groups at Ripple and I hope Luke can give some direction to this new model,” Danilo Sanchez, co-pastor for Ripple Allentown shared. “Internships are important to Ripple because we care about raising up leaders. Ripple is a different kind of Mennonite church and we like to show young adults that pastoring and church can take a variety of forms.”

Summer interns are an important part of Franconia Conference’s commitment to leadership cultivation. “Each year it is a gift to interact with this next generation of leaders. We learn alongside them and contribute to their formation in the way of Christ’s peace,” Franconia’s executive minister Steve Kriss shared.

We are grateful for and look forward to sharing more about the work that these six young people will offer Franconia Conference this summer!

Learning and Celebrating Along the Way

May 21, 2019 by Conference Office

by Randy Heacock, Leadership Minister

In my work both as a pastor and for the conference, one of my greatest rewards is the opportunity to learn from and with others working in God’s Kingdom.

This display from Sandy Landes’ ordination represents God‘s power to transform what was once a barren desert into a lush land.

In the first congregation I served as a young minister in the United Methodist Church, the board of ordained ministry was wise enough to pair me with an older minister (younger than my current age) to mentor me. Charles and I were very different both in our theological perspective and in our view of worship; however, he taught me the importance of accepting affirmation and “to let it sink deeply into your entire being. Challenges and criticism will come frequently enough and you will need to have a strong bank account of affirmation to keep your balance.” Fast forward to my current work, I file notes of affirmation and appreciation with a prayer of gratitude as evidence of God’s grace.

More recently, in working with the pastoral search committee at Towamencin, a person called to share concern regarding our process. As I listened, I gained a fuller understanding both of what happened at our last meeting and how we could find our way forward. Grateful for the honest feedback, I reached out to some other people for wisdom and discerned an approach for our next meeting. The meeting was vastly improved with more vigorous engagement. On the ride home, I thanked God for the varied gifts people contribute to the church.

I recently met with Tim Moyer, pastor of Bally congregation, for breakfast at his house. Let me first say that Tim knows how to fix breakfast! As we talked, his excitement and energy was contagious. The Bally congregation is working to learn about and practice a centered-set approach. Tim shared how this focus is uniting the congregation. They are also rethinking and reshaping who they are as a church. I give thanks for the fresh wind of God creating new expressions. I look forward to what God is yet to do at and through Bally.

At Doylestown, where I serve as pastor, we recently celebrated the ordination of Sandy Landes. Sandy’s ordination was a tribute to God’s constant pursuit and Sandy’s willingness to say “yes.” Many people present would have witnessed Sandy’s transformation through the process of refusing, then reluctantly leading, and now leading boldly in a public setting. Former members, family, neighbors, colleagues, and friends celebrated Sandy’s faithful example of answering God’s call. The day after Sandy’s ordination, I rejoiced for the many people who nurtured and participated in this work of God.

The photo above is a display that was present during Sandy’s ordination. It represents God‘s power to transform what was once a barren desert into a lush land. As in the little stories I have shared, it visually reminds us of God’s life-giving power. May we all give thanks for the ways we have witnessed God’s transformational power. May we continually learn to wait on God.

A Conference Assembly of an Extraordinary Kind

May 15, 2019 by Conference Office

by Sharon K. Williams, Minister of Worship, Nueva Vida Norristown New Life congregation

At the gracious invitation of Eastern District Conference, Franconia Mennonite Conference delegates joined in Eastern District’s Spring Assembly on May 4. The purpose of this unique gathering at Zion Mennonite Church in Souderton was to receive and discern recommendations for the possible formation of a new conference arising from the reconciliation of Eastern District and Franconia Conferences. The new conference would be affiliated with Mennonite Church USA, of which both conferences are members.

What transpired at this assembly likely exceeded everyone’s expectations. The members of the joint Structure and Identity Task Force guided us through their prayerfully conceived recommendations for an annual assembly, conference board structure, delegate representation, member congregations, and Conference-Related Ministries (CRMs). Delegates shared questions and gave thoughtful feedback to the task force members in break-out groups. The positive spirit and “humble confidence” of the task force (as noted by Steve Kriss, Franconia’s Executive Minister) was contagious.

The recommendations represent the best practices of both conferences’ cultures. Careful consideration was given to the representational needs of all our congregations according to size, ethnic backgrounds, and locations. The task force also noted areas that need further discernment: procedures for delegate voting, CRM participation, receiving new congregations, and of course, a new name for the new conference.

What should have been a boring trudge through a proposal for reorganization and new structure was an amazing gift in our reconciliation process, enlivened by the Holy Spirit.

Nathan Good shares about what God is doing at Swamp Mennonite Church.

Eastern District’s Spring Assembly style is delightful. Scott Roth (Eastern District executive minister) “strongly encouraged” delegates to “brag” about how God is working with our congregations to share the gospel with our communities. Time for informal conversations was deliberately left open in the assembly schedule. I had several interesting conversations with delegates of different demographics.

Worship team member (L to R): Brent Camilleri (Deep Run East), Emily Ralph Servant (Franconia Conference), Danilo Sanchez (Ripple/Whitehall), and Hendy Stevan (Indonesian Light).

Some people acknowledged the real potential for “the big fish to swallow the little fish.” But my Eastern District friends reminisced about cooperative, fruitful Eastern District and Franconia efforts in lay leadership training, prison ministries, education, and missions dating back to the 1960s. Franconia delegates anticipated that a new, joint conference won’t change the day-to-day life of their congregations. In many situations, reconciliation between neighboring Eastern District and Franconia congregations has already been found. Delegates from our newer congregations are patiently waiting for this work to be accomplished and are glad to be witnesses to the possibilities of this reconciliation. All agreed: why have we waited so long?

During lunch, Aldo Siahaan (Franconia Leadership Minister and pastor of Philadelphia Praise Center) led our “mixed” table in a fun conversation about possible names for the new conference. After identifying a few realities such as our conferences’ expanding geography and offering some trial suggestions, “Mennonites Without Borders” seemed to be the most satisfying idea!

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