Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

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Count Down to Assembly: Delegate Scattered Meetings Wrap-Up

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In eight days, people from across three states will gather at Penn View Christian School for the Franconia Mennonite and Eastern District joint Conference Assembly. All those planning to attend are asked to register at  HERE.

scattered photoOver the past two weeks, delegates and their congregations have been reviewing three Church Together Statements, each one scheduled to be voted on at assembly. The statements each stand on their own but are interlocking as the conference confers around how to continue moving forward as the Church Together, the body of Christ. All three statements: Going to the Margins, Grace & Truth, and Faith & Life, can be found on the Franconia website HERE.

Delegates have gathered at assembly scattered meetings across the region to begin the discernment process on the Church Together Statements. They have been asked to consider specific questions for each of the statements.

For Going to the Margins, delegates were asked: How would this manifest in your congregation? Who are the marginalized in your congregation and community? The conference leadership asked delegates to consider three questions for both the Grace & Truth and Faith & Life statements. Those questions were: What clarification is needed in these statements? What basic things need to be considered in discerning/implementing these statements? How can we build trust with one another? Delegates were encouraged to take those questions back to their congregations and send responses to the bfischer@mosaicmennonites.org by November 10th. The feedback received on Going to the Margins will be available to inform delegates on the thoughts of other conference members. The feedback on the other two statements will allow the conference leadership to work at providing clarity to ease the conferring process and inform their facilitation of the process.

Stay tuned to the conference assembly website for all your assembly needs!

Conference Welcomes Angela Moyer to the Board

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by Lisa Rand

God is at work in Allentown, and pastor Angela Moyer witnesses God’s movement in the lives of her friends and neighbors. Angela is one of five co-pastors at Ripple, where her ministry focuses on serving children and women. Franconia Conference welcomed Angela to the board at the August 2015 board meeting. In her new role as board member, Angela will help communicate the perspectives and needs of Lehigh Valley congregations as they continue to grow. As an urban and bi-vocational pastor with roots in Telford, Angela’s gifts and background are well-suited for this role as a conference board member.

Angela 2Angela also is an occupational therapist for Good Shepherd Rehabilitation. She worked as an occupational therapist after graduating from Elizabethtown College, when she accepted a post at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Through this role, Angela was exposed to city life and city concerns. She recognized the opportunity for the church to help ease the challenges facing families in crisis. During this time Angela felt a draw and pull to youth ministry, and began working with the youth at her home church, Rockhill Mennonite, eventually serving as youth pastor.

Angela also began taking classes at Eastern Mennonite Seminary’s Pennsylvania campus. “Tentatively and very hesitantly, I took a few classes. I just had a few questions.” One semester led to another, and in 2012 she completed her studies. While at seminary Angela met Tom & Carolyn Albright and learned about the ministry happening through Ripple. Sensing that this was a place where her gifts could be used, Angela completed an internship in Allentown where Ripple is located and got to know the community, which she describes as open, welcoming, and multiethnic.

Angela 1In Allentown Angela lives in the intentional community Zumé, in a neighborhood full of people from varied backgrounds and experiences. Asked to describe the work of Ripple she said, “Ripple is Christ-centered and Community-Focused. We are at a place where we are learning the depth of patience and trust in God that’s required when working for transformation, justice and dignity for all people. We are learning to support one another in this walk, in the long, hard work of walking alongside people through hard times expectantly awaiting new life and resurrection.”

Angela is an avid Phillies fan and for relaxation she enjoys trying new restaurants and traveling.

 

 

Tending Intentionally to Congregations in Transition

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Tending Intentionally to Congregations in Transition: Intentional Interim Pastor Training

by Noel Santiago

“Intentional Interim Training is a specialized ministry intended to help congregations take fuller advantage of the time between long term pastors.”

interim trainingThus begun our orientation to this training event held at the Towamencin Mennonite Church on October 26-30, 2015.

With a dozen participants from varied Anabaptist Conferences from the east coast plus one Canadian Pastor, we engaged with each other around the material, stories, resources and toolkit that would equip us for Intentional Interim work.

We learned there are five developmental tasks of this work which really focus on five points:

interim training chart

“The real work of the intentional interim minister is to facilitate and coach, guide and support the members and leaders of the congregation as they engage in the focus points.” (John Keydel)

“But a second task for interims today is a new one. It is to help congregations understand the seismic shifts in American culture that I and others describe as ‘the ending of North American Christendom’ and ‘the waning of modernity.” (Anthony B. Robinson)

Such were the realities we delved into during our week together. Looking at case studies provided us the opportunity to practice thinking about what we were learning. How should you address a situation where a long term pastor who has retired or stepped down from their role but wants to remain in the congregation?  What happens if people still want their former pastor to do a wedding, funeral or baptism?  What if there is a family or a person in the congregation that is holding all the power where no decision can be implemented unless they approve? What if there has been a wounded history of pain that no one really talks about but continues to affect our interactions together? How does one address these dynamics in ways that are healthy even if difficult? These and many other scenarios were presented for engagement.

Intentional Interim training is offered bi-annually and is jointly sponsored by Franconia, EDC, ACC and Lancaster Conferences.  One of the strengths of this training is the variety of trainers.  Topics are presented by seasoned Intentional Interim Ministers and Conference Ministers who offer keen insights, share from their experiences, and offer practical ideas and resources.

At the end of our time together there was a time of certification and prayer over each of those who had finished the training. We were sent forth into God’s mission as temporary shepherds over a given congregation with a renewed sense of empowerment and hope that with God, all things are possible!

Conference and Living Hope Farm Share Faith through Relationships

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by Colin Ingram

LHF 4Franconia Mennonite Conference is known for working with ministries and churches “in engaging the world through witness and relationships” with “Christ as the center of shared and individual vision.” One of the ministries the conference does this with is Living Hope Farm (LHF), a tenant of the conference for the past six years.

The conference acquired the land known as Indian Creek Road Farm in 1955 with the vision of utilizing it for mission work in the community. In the early 2000s, the conference was faced with the possibility of selling the land to housing developers, but instead sought out a tenant that would use the land for ministry and connect to the conference mission of “equipping leaders, to empower others, to embrace God’s mission.”

LHF 1Henry Rosenberger, board chair of Living Hope Farm (LHF), says, “Living Hope Farm grew out of a renewed sense that the ‘earth is the Lord’s.”

Living Hope Farm is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in Harleysville located off Indian Creek Road. Beyond growing food, the farm seeks community between farmers, CSA members, market buyers, foodbanks, and the underserved. By growing food organically and inviting members to participate, LHF is engaging the world through relationship.

LHF 2According to Sheldon Good, writer of an Intersections article about the newly launched LHF in 2010, the farm is “a chance to rediscover values of corporate faith, local food, and loving community.”

LHF also impartially connects with persons of various financial situations and abilities with its mission to serve the disadvantaged. Donating the first and best of the crops to food banks and low-income programs may not be a face-to-face way to build relationships, but it connects with the conference’s mission of witness by relationship.

Franconia Conference and LHF meet on mission, sprouting with food as the platform, and reaping loving community where people are empowered to follow God.

LHF 5Stop by the Living Hope Farm Indoor Market on Tuesdays and Friday between 2:00 and 7:00 pm or pick up some Fall Ornamentals available daily at the roadside stand from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Pastors Gather to Confer and Offer Counsel

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pastors meeting 1On October 15, 2015, over 50 Franconia Conference pastors joined the conference board and staff at Towamencin Mennonite Church to confer around the Church Together Statements and offer counsel to the Church Together Statements Committee.

This summer the board of Franconia Conference announced that they would be accepting Church Together Statements from the conference members and conference-related ministries that would facilitate discernment, educate the conference, build unity, provide the conference understanding while acknowledging dissenting voices, and provide a foundation for member advocacy/witness to government and society. The board formed the Church Together Statements Committee that included a cross section of individuals from
around the conference to oversee this process.

pastors meeting 2In mid-September, the committee had received nine Church Together Statements that ranged in focus. Four addressed the topic of how to live out forbearance within the conference context. The committee requested some revisions and that a few statements be combined with others that were similar. What remained were six Church Together Statements that were brought before the pastors, board, and staff on October 15th.

The time was divided into two discussion periods. The first period was spent discussing four of the six statements, including a statement on Israel Palestine, one addressing abuse, one on going to the margins, and one on kingdom missional strategy. The pastors were then encouraged to fill out comment cards for each of the statements.

The second discussion period was spent on two statements addressing forbearance. After time in table group discussion, there was a time for open mic comments where it was noted that there were similar themes in both statements, and that people found things they could appreciate in both even if they did not entirely agree with them.

pastors meeting 3Before the meeting closed, John Ruth, a former conference overseer and local conference historian, offered insight to the history of conferring within the conference. He noted the importance of pastors meeting together and engaging in dialogue about issues of the day.

Comment cards on all six statements were collected and compiled for the Church Together Statements Committee to consider. There was a clear sense that the conference remains divided on the issue of forbearance and human sexuality, yet there is a desire to stay united where possible. There was also a call to more often study scripture together.

After meeting earlier this week, the committee has put forward a recommendation to the board that includes which statements they believe should go before the delegates at conference assembly and which should be voted on. The board will be meeting this evening (October 22, 2015) to make the final determination.

As discernment begins this weekend at conference assembly scattered meetings, this year’s assembly is not to be missed. If you have not yet done so, be sure to register for conference assembly HERE.

 

MDS Monitors Flooding in the Carolinas

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(Statement From Mennonite Disaster Service)

SC flooding“As the disaster continues to unfold in the Carolinas and surrounding states, our thoughts and prayers are with the people in the midst of flooding from drenching rains. MDS representatives are in touch with churches and our contacts in the area and other faith-based organizations. We are watching and gathering information and taking appropriate steps to determine where and when we might respond. More information will be posted [HERE] when available.”

Contributions are being accepted and designated as “Carolina Floods”.

While the rains may have stopped, South Carolina still faces a host of concerns, including cresting rivers and failing dams.  Though it is still an evolving situation, our prayers and assistance are clearly needed. Few service opportunities are as memorable, humbling and impactful as working on a disaster relief site. Anyone can volunteer! Those skilled in construction and/or leadership are essential, but they can use and train any adult volunteer, regardless of skill. Volunteers need to be willing to reach out to people in need, risk becoming a part of a new experience and serve with a positive and Christ-like heart. While projects in the Carolinas are yet to be organized, there are currently numerous short and long term opportunities with MDS.  

Relationships at the Forefront

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by Naveen Singh, Whitehall Mennonite Church

samantha lioi ord 2

I vividly remember when we as a congregation met Samantha for the first time. After having enjoyed a nice potluck meal, we spent an evening together in the church fellowship hall. This was a time to get to know her, so we all took turns asking questions (silly and also important ones). This journey started back in 2010, along the way meaningful relationships developed as we fellowshipped, learned, served and struggled together.

samantha lioi ord 1On September 13, 2015 we gathered around Samantha for a significant milestone, to give her charge and to present her to be set apart for ministry in God’s beloved community.

Growing up in India in a very small church, I wasn’t exposed to big words like commissioning or ordaining someone in the church. Besides, when I think about a person being set apart for serving/leading and taking care of God’s flock – the thought is quite overwhelming. It was only after moving to the United States that I started to realize that these were essential processes that are required in a church, but I saw it as a formality that the conference leaders had to come and perform. In recent years I have found this process more meaningful as I have witnessed the commissioning and ordaining of friends that I have come to know personally.

samantha lioi ord 3Being at Samantha’s ordination service was especially humbling – to be able to see so many faithful and committed friends come by her side as a community to encourage, support and bless her. It was visibly evident that community and relationships were at the center as Samantha was being ordained. God has made us for relationship and it always excites me when I see relationships at the forefront of mission. The beauty there is that the body of Christ was reflected in so many ways throughout the ordination service – each person coming and offering words of encouragement and reminders of what to carry with her into the good work that lies ahead, each were uniquely personal and richly diverse. The singing, the message and prayers were all weaved into a beautiful and meaningful time of worshipping God. The children’s time led by Angela Moyer, a pastor at Ripple, was another element that was particularly memorable from my perspective. The beautiful sight of children sitting around Samantha, laying their hands on her as they prayed. Formation takes place at every stage of life; encouraging participation of our children in these essential elements of our faith, is an important step towards keeping them engaged.

Samantha’s interest in stories of people young and old, near and far, especially stories of people who have been unjustly hurt, her interest in understanding the bigger picture of how injustice has entangled many in hopeless situations and her willingness to give them voice and be an advocate for them is a powerful testimony of God’s ongoing healing and restoration work through her. Living more simply and having more time for relationships is something I have learned from her. Samantha became a part of us (the Whitehall Mennonite Church community) in a very short time and I am very hopeful for the future, having experienced the fresh energy which she brings as a part of this new generation of leadership.

Every Ordination is Miraculous

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By Steve Kriss, Director of Leadership Cultivation & Congregational Resourcing

oil lamp 9-24-15
To order a Dancing Flame Oil Lamp handcrafted by June Keener Wink please call 413-258-4243 or e-mail junewink@gmail.com.

The year 2015 has been a year of ordinations in Franconia Conference.   We’ve been celebrating and marking commitments and calling nearly every six weeks . . . Mike Ford at Blooming Glen, Joe Hackman at Salford, Donna Merow at Ambler, Angela Moyer at Ripple, Kris Wint at Finland, Josh Meyer at Franconia, Samantha Lioi at Whitehall and Ubaldo Rodriguez at New Hope Fellowship in Baltimore for mission work in the Philippines.

Ordination is an ancient process of setting apart leaders for public ministry in the way of Jesus.  Within Franconia Conference, we follow a set of procedures that seek to honor both the individual and the community while respecting the work of the Spirit within both settings.  There is coursework for completion, interviews, paperwork that intends to keep our communities both safe and accountable, mental wellness assessments, varieties of continuing education and varying levels of mentoring.   Some of our pastors breeze through the process at a steady and assured pace in the two year minimum waiting and working period of licensing.   Others take much longer to plumb the depths of call both personally and communally and to wrestle it out.   Personal disclosure, it took me six years of working, waiting and wondering in Allegheny Conference before I could wrap my head around the commitments and calling that ordination entails.

We take this process seriously yet the days of ordination have a more celebratory tone. There are few times in our lives when we make commitments that will shape our life like ordination.  In front of a gathered congregation at the request and affirmation of a particular Christian community, we make commitments to serve, lead, pray, study, turn from evil and live into the role of Christian leadership as long as God sustains.

Many of us wrestle with the meaning of ordination.   I’ve found this human and historic process of calling, recognizing, working and wrestling and receiving becomes quite holy.   Somewhere in the wrestling and symbols, the questions and the mundane of the paperwork, the Spirit unfailingly shows up.

In this flurry of ordinations in the midst of a turbulent time, I am confident that the Spirit is still at work with us, trying to bring life.   Each person who says yes to the invitation of God and the community strengthens the possibilities of future “yes” responses into the next generation.   This round of ordinations represents our first millennial generation ordained ministers, our first Italian American woman, our first ordination for mission work in the Philippines.  We’ve called at some of our most historic congregations and our newest.  The churches are rural, suburban and urban.  We’re recognizing the sons and daughters of historic Franconia Conference families, as well as persons who were drawn to Mennonite congregations by conviction, relationships and call.  We’ve held events in Episcopal and Lutheran facilities and even at a Lancaster Conference church in Baltimore.  (Interesting side note, a Lancaster Conference African congregation recently used the Towamencin meetinghouse for an ordination worship).

It’s definitely a different time.   The ordination process isn’t what it used to be.  There’s no somber ceremony with Bibles or hymnals and a slip of paper as in Mennonite history.   But the holy moments remain, those wonderful spaces where community and Spirit commingle to cultivate surprising invitations toward ordination and wonderfully amazing continued responses of “yes I am willing.”   Every time we ordain, it’s a sign that the church will go on.   And in these days of turbulence and questions both in the church and in the culture around us, every yes somehow feels miraculous.   And I’m grateful to get to witness it as the Good News still breaks upon us. . . this year about every six weeks.