Mosaic Mennonites
Missional - Intercultural - Formational
Franconia Conference is excited to share the news that Urbane and Janet Byler of Whitehall Mennonite Church were honored this year by Everence with their Journey Award. An Everence Journey Award honors people who live out the faithful stewardship of their God-given gifts.
by Charles A. Ness
The email read, “There is a young man from our church who would like to live in the United States for several months to sharpen his English. He is also a good piano player and willing to assist in ministry. His father is an elder in our church. Would Perk be interested in hosting him?” The email was from Bob Stevenson who is credentialed through Franconia Conference, and is pastor of the Monte Maria Church in Mexico City with whom Perkiomenville Mennonite Church has had a long relationship.
We were excited about the possibility of having a young adult from the Monte Maria church be part of our worship ministry and so, after discussion with the elder team, we gave an enthusiastic “Yes!”
There were various logistics that needed to be worked out, such as housing and finances, but we were confident that they could be addressed. Initially, a local business offered full-time employment, but because the young man did not have a work visa, we had to look for other means of support.
Tony Reyes arrived from Mexico City at the end of May in 2015 and we quickly learned to appreciate his musical talents and passion for the Lord. He plays keyboard and writes music for several groups in Mexico, so we planned a fundraising concert. Tony enlisted the help of his friends, the Linker Sanchez family (who are church planters in Maryland from Monte Maria Church). We had a great night of Spanish and English praise and worship with a combined worship team made up of Tony, plus members of Perkiomenville and the Sanchez family. The funds raised helped support Tony during his stay in the United States.
Our LEAD Minister, Noel Santiago, also suggested applying for a Franconia Conference Mission Operational Grant, and we are thankful it was approved. The partnership of the conference in this way was a very important contribution to Tony’s support.
Tony lived with Charlie Ness, pastor at Perkiomenville, and his wife Janet while searching for long-term housing arrangements. Tony’s housing need was met when Pastor Scott Roth of Perkiomenville Mennonite Church began a discipleship house in Pennsburg and had a room available. Scott was able to benefit from Tony’s assistance with the discipleship house known as The Gathering Place, a ministry to youth in the Perkiomenville area.
From June to November, Tony lived in Pennsburg assisting the community-based ministry there and playing regularly on the Perkiomenville worship team. His presence brought a spiritual and cultural diversity that was a blessing.
This unique, enriching ministry was made possible because of the global relationship we have with the church in Mexico. For years, members of Perkiomenville have gone to the Monte Maria Church for teaching and construction-related ministry opportunities. This was the first time someone from Monte Maria came here for an extended time of ministry. It is a great example of the value of cross-cultural partnering in mission relationships. These relationships are encouraging to all who are involved.
In reflecting on his experience Tony wrote the following: My name is Tony Reyes. There are no words to describe how thankful I am with the Lord, with Pastor Charlie Ness, with his beautiful church, and with all of you at the Franconia Conference. You all have given me a lot of support and you have been a blessing in my life.
There are many things that I would like to share with you about the wonderful experience that the Lord gave me with all of these amazing people in the Perkiomenville Church, but I will share them with you in the next few sentences.
First of all, I did not know what to expect when I first arrived to Perkiomenville, but I was trusting the Lord and the purpose for which He was sending me to that unknown place. He took me little by little, and showed me many things as the time went by. From the time I integrated to the worship team and played the piano, to time I spent working with Pastor Scott Roth in the different activities in the church and in the community of Perkiomenville, and to the time I spent remodeling the house I was staying at, I could only see God’s love and grace pour out in life. I learned many things from my brothers and sisters, and from Pastor Charlie and all the people I met, who allowed me to become a part of their life. I keep everyone in my heart and prayers, and I hope in the Lord I will see you soon.
May the Lord bless you in every area of your life.
Kind regards,
Tony Reyes
Additional partner-in-mission relationships are possible with the Monte Maria Church. Contact Pastor Charlie Ness at charlie@perkmc.com for more information.
by John Stoltzfus
There are many challenges that face our youth ministers and workers, yet we have a vision to overcome these challenges. A few stories I have heard from some Mennonite churches in our conference include:
From what I see, most Mennonite churches in the conference are not experiencing sustained or significant growth among the number of youth and young adults in their congregations. Of course there are always exceptions but the majority of conversations I have with youth workers include talking about the challenges of learning to work with smaller youth groups.
This is not just a youth problem. This is an adult, multi-generational challenge contributing to the decline of church attendance and affiliation. Articles and research studies abound in pointing to the reasons why this may be so.
Asking the why question can be a good and necessary exercise. However, I want to focus on the opportunities. Is there a compelling vision for the future of youth ministry in this changing context? The following reflections are a collection of ideas from area Mennonite youth pastors.
Acting Smaller
We need to act our size. We can’t pretend to act like the churches we used to be or like the mega church down the road. The smaller youth group can be a good place to grow disciples, deepen learning and widen our sense of mission. The sentiment of “we can’t do this because we are a small-sized group” turns to “we get to do things differently because we are a smaller size”. Think intimate, spontaneous, moveable, accessible, and other adjectives.
A youth group of 10 persons and fewer cannot act the same as a youth group of 50. It impacts budget, staffing, curriculum, programming and much more. While a small church may not offer all the bells and whistles of a larger church, it may offer more individualized care and discipleship. A church may be less tempted to hire a “rock star” youth pastor to relate to their youth and instead work to build up a congregation-wide culture of intergenerational relationship and discipleship making. I am not advocating for the devaluing of youth pastors and those who specialize in youth ministry; however, youth pastors at their best enable and empower other adults in the congregation to relate to and disciple youth.
Research indicates that the most common factor for youth who stick with faith and church into adulthood is that they had at least 5 significant relationships with adults as a youth. Might the future of youth ministry be less programmatic and become more embedded into the fabric of the overall mission and life of the church?
Going Deeper
When I taught the Sunday school class at a previous church, I used to despair when the majority of the group would not show up on any given Sunday. But then I started to see an opportunity. With a smaller group I was able to adapt the lesson to the specific interests and concerns of each youth. I began to make the kids count rather than count the kids. I was better able to connect individually with the youth and be more practical in application rather than creating studies and lessons that needed to connect with everyone in a larger group. Might the future of youth ministry more like the relationship between Jesus, the rabbi, and his small band of disciples?
Thinking Wider
What if we were to consider our youth as not just those who show up on a Sunday morning with their parents, but also the youth who live in the communities surrounding our church? Consider what is happening with Project Haven in East Greenville operating out of the former Peace Mennonite Church building. A robotics club, bicycle recycling shop, weekend hangout spot are just some of the initiates that are engaging youth in the community and local schools. Might the future of youth ministry be more entrepreneurial, happening out in the community and making young people agents of ministry, not just objects of it?
Thinking wider might also include more collaboration with other community organizations and other churches. Mennonite youth groups in the area are already doing this — from doing winter retreats together to fundraising together to go to conventions. These relationships have the possibility of moving us across lines of culture, race, economic status and theology. Might the future of youth ministry be less about keeping youth in our church and more about helping them engage and build the kingdom of God in the wider world?
While we face many challenges in keeping youth engaged in the church and reaching out to draw in more youth, if we act smaller, go deeper and think wider, we might see that change.
John Stoltzfus is the Conference Youth Minister for Franconia Mennonite Conference and Eastern District Conference.
by Aldo Siahaan
Every Thursday, I attend a Bible study among pastors and leaders of the Anabaptist Network in Philadelphia, commonly called Kingdom Builders Network. In November, 25 to 30 leaders discussed the scripture from Hebrew 11:32 – 12:3; it talks about faith. One of the questions in the discussion that morning was “who are your faith heroes?” I heard someone say “my mom and my grandma are my faith heroes”; “one of the leaders in my church – he was a quiet person but had a strong faith, regardless of all the struggles he was facing”; “Mother Teresa – I worked with her for a couple of months and I saw her faith “. Someone from the group asked “How about you Aldo? Who are your faith heroes?”
My journey of Christianity started with my parents. My parents were the ones who introduced Jesus into my life; not only that, they really put
their faith in Jesus. As a family, we would have our regular prayer meetings; my dad had his personal time with God in his room, where my mom always had her time with God at our dinner table. Sometimes I would see my mom’s prayer list that she would put in her Bible. Many times, when our family had difficult situations and struggled, my parents always used their “powerful weapon”: prayer. So, to answer the question, I can say that my parents are my faith heroes.
On the way back home from the Bible Study, God reminded me of another person that I have learned so much about faith from. He’s name is Stefanus and he is incarcerated. During the eight years he has been in prison, if we talk over the phone or meet in the prison, he has a positive attitude most of the time. Not only that, but he has given testimony to me and his cell mates on how God has worked in many situations in his life, especially during his imprisonment. Every day is a busy day for Stefanus. He works taking care of those who are incarcerated and disabled, he does school work for his International Business major from Ohio University, he helps with the church service every Wednesday and Sunday, and helps others with their problems; many young and old cell mates like to share their problems th Stefanus, they feel comfortable with him and trust him. He is also an artist, and keeps busy with the more-than-20 drawing orders he has from others who are incarcerated. Stefanus has shared many stories that encourage my faith. I can say Stefanus Santoso is my faith hero. I will continue to pray for him so that he can be released soon, and if God has another plan, I believe He will strengthen Stefanus for another 12 years.
Our faith heroes come into our lives in many different ways and from many different places. Who are your faith heroes? And are you living out your faith that you may be someone’s faith hero too?
Aldo Siahaan is pastor of Philadelphia Praise Center, and on staff at Franconia Conference as a LEADership Minister.
by Barbie Fischer
On November 13th and 14th over 300 people from Franconia and Eastern District Conferences joined together for the fall joint assembly at Penn View Christian School in Souderton, PA. The two conference enjoy joint worship together on Friday evening and Saturday morning followed by separate business meetings. It is a time to see God’s work among both conferences. This year was a time of celebration, deep discernment, and a call to be the kingdom of God. Throughout the weekend there were reminders that God is building each person to be a part of the body of Christ and as the body of Christ to build God’s kingdom here on earth.
The diversity within Franconia Conference was evident in Friday night worship including a children’s choir of 38 kids from across conference congregations and a choir of Karen people from Whitehall Mennonite Church who have settled in Allentown after being displaced from their homes in Burma/Myanmar due to ongoing conflict.
Ministry moments were offered by Andrew Huth, a youth leader at Ambler Mennonite, Jessica Hedrick, Children’s Pastor at Souderton Mennonite, and Scott Roth, Associate Pastor at Perkiomenville Mennonite.
Andrew shared of his experiences as a documentary photographer in Palestine and asked the assembly, “What does it take for us to care about our neighbors?”
Jessica Hedrick, spoke from her experience as part of the millennial generation often noted for their absence in the church. Hedrick said millennials are looking for the good news, for the church to show they care about the world again. She said, “Sometimes I think it would be so much easier to walk away, but I stay. I stay because I believe God can redeem anything, even the church, and because I have this crazy dream that the Church can be a beacon of light in the dark world again… As the church it is our job to be concerned about our neighbor, our friend and our enemy. It is our job to be concerned about the world.” She reminded the assembly that “we are a family and we need each other. It is time for us to stop spending so much time arguing over who is in and who is out and just get out there and be the hands and feet of Jesus. It is time for us to stop whining and start shining.”
Scott Roth, Associate Pastor at Perkiomenville Mennonite shared about dreaming with God and shared of the work God is doing in Perkiomenville, through Project Haven. He reminded all that “God is moving when you follow.”
On Saturday morning in the joint worship time, Mim Book and Jim Lapp, current interim pastors at Zion Mennonite Church, offered a moment of silence to stand in solidarity and pray for the people of the world brought to a high level of fear in response to the acts of violence in Paris the night before. As delegates prepared to enter their business sessions, Mim and Jim reminded them that, “We are built to build across language and cultural divides that too often separate rather than unit us. We are built to build a new kind of temple and dwelling place of God and may we be reminded this is happening as we go to our jobs, go to the classrooms, the banks and businesses where we are employed. Yes it is happening, yet there is so much more to build. Structures of love and forgiveness that serve needs greater than any buildings we might erect with bricks and mortar.”
Celebration of God’s work among his people continued on Saturday morning as Franconia Conference recognized six newly licensed ministers and seven ordinations that have taken place in the last year. This included recognition of the youngest person credentialed by Franconia Conference, Jessica Hedirck, Children’s Pastor at Souderton Mennonite, the first woman of color credentialed by the conference, Leticia Cortes of Centro de Alabanza de Filadelfia, and the first ordination of a millennial, Josh Meyer, Associate Pastor at Franconia Mennonite Church.
In the Franconia Conference business session, Steve Kriss, Director of Leadership Cultivation and Congregational Resourcing announced that after a year of formal exploration with Centro de Alabanza de Filadelfia and Indonesian Light Church, both located in South Philadelphia, the congregations still wished to join Franconia Conference. Steve said to the delegates, “What I want to note is that ; new leaders, new congregation, thanks be to God. What I want to note today is that both of these congregations walk to us through Aldo’s work… the actions that we do today have consequences; sometimes those consequences are good, amazing, beautiful, and unexpected.”
Aldo Siahaan, Franconia Conference LEADership Minister and pastor at Philadelphia Praise Center, shared that “in Acts 2, ‘they follow a daily devotion of worship in the temple with meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful. As they praise God, people liked what they saw and everyday their numbers grew as God added to their numbers those who were saved.’ Celebration, meal, worship, and joyful, that’s every time you go to Centro de Alabanza and Indonesian Light Church, meal, worship, celebration, and joyful. Glory to God we have these two new members of Franconia Conference.” Both congregations moved to join the conference through relationships with Philadelphia Praise Center.
The conference also celebrated with Nations Worship Center as they received a check from Mennonite Men for the purchase of a new building. Don Yoder of Mennonite Men presented the congregation with a check and shared about how God is growing that congregation.
The assembly was able to hear how God is moving and building through a conference missional operations grant (MOG) received by Salem Mennonite Church in Quakertown. Pastor Bruce Eglinton-Woods shared how God had been working through the church in Quakertown to rebuild a skate park and provide a positive environment for the youth of the community, which has led to the bureau requesting help with maintaining a cemetery. The MOG allowed the church to assist with the groundskeeping of the cemetery which has now led to the bureau requesting assistance from the church in the building and development of a youth center. MOG’s are an ongoing resource fund available for congregational initiatives in Franconia Conference.
The first urban mission of Franconia Conference, Nueva Vida Norristown New Life Mennonite Church, will celebrate its centennial, and a new book is out regarding the history of this mission and its continued growth. John Ruth shared the history with the delegates and photographs of how the diversity and congregation have grown over the years. The book A Mennonite Church in Norristown by Beverly Benner Miller can be purchased at the Mennonite Heritage Center; check their website (www.mhep.org) for more information or visit their shop at 565 Yoder Road, Harleysville, PA.
In the midst of the celebration, the Franconia delegates spent time conferring around three Church Together Statements. The conference leadership had requested the congregations put forward statements that:
Nine Statements were received by the Church Together Statements Committee. Some were combined together to form new statements. In the end, five statements remained. Two statements dealing with resolutions passed at the MCUSA convention in Kansas City were approved by the board for implementation. The statement, Israel/Palestine, calls for the formation of a task force to continue education within the conference on the conflict in the middle east. The second, Addressing Abuse Within our Midst, calls for the formation of a task force to implement training, education, and support groups around addressing abuse.
The remaining three statements were presented to the delegates for discernment. The co-chairs of the Church Together Statements Committees, Angela Moyer, Pastor at Ripple, and Joe Hackman, Lead Pastor at Salford, presented each of the statements and clearly identified the meaning of a yes and no vote. Joe stated, “This delegate body, according to our by-laws is the decision making body of the conference. The staff, board, and congregation need direction from this delegate body in order to move forward. This is most commonly done through voting… Voting yes or no might sound divisive, but the larger purpose of voting on these statements is to give the board, staff, and congregation immediate understanding of the priorities and desires of the congregations in our conference.”
All three statements were affirmed by the delegate body. One was a vision statement, the other dealing with human sexuality, and the third dealt with a call to reestablish the Faith and Life Commission for pastors to come together to discern biblical and theological questions.
The Going to the Margins Statement was affirmed by 87% of the delegates present (10% not affirming, and 3% abstaining). Noted by the delegates who affirmed and those who did not was the lack of the mention of LGBTQ people and women in the list of those marginalized. With the affirmation of the Going to the Margins statement, the conference board and staff will take this statement into consideration as they begin strategic planning in the coming year.
The Grace and Truth Statement, while affirmed by 73% (18% not affirming, and 9% abstaining), many delegates noted that they agreed with the statement except for the items within the statement holding that credentialed leaders may not perform same-sex covenanted ceremonies, the conference may not credential those in same-sex covenant relationships, and calling on congregations to not hire persons living in same-sex relationships to serve in pastoral leadership were points of contention. With the affirmation of the Grace and Truth statement, the delegates have affirmed the conference’s existing position on human sexuality at this time.
The Faith and Life Statement calling for the reestablishment of the Faith and Life Commission was affirmed by 71% of the delegates present (22% not affirming, and 7% abstaining). The comments from the delegates included needing clarity on what it means to “offer pastoral care to LGBTQ individuals and their families…”
At the end of the day, delegates were given an opportunity to speak about the process. One delegate stated, “I was prepared for a little more lively discussion and maybe some contentiousness today but it felt very calm and we had really good discussion around our tables. I give credit to the worship time and the songs that you had us sing throughout the day.”
Pastor Michael Meneses, of Wellspring Church of Skippack, stated that he and his table group felt the process was, “delightful, hopeful, and significant. It felt meaningful to be here in real conversation. This is getting deeper.” He spoke of how being able to dialogue without expectation allowed for truly meaningful conversation.
Mark Michalovic, a delegate from West Philadelphia congregation, said, “the one word I used to describe our conversation, the word that came to me was ‘welcome’. Because when I first spoke I was nervous and apprehensive because I was about to say things and I didn’t know how well they would be received and I had a good feeling that a lot of people might strongly disagree with me. At our table we did have a lot of disagreements, but everybody made each other feel welcome and we all listened to each other respectfully and all feel like we can keep discussing things even when we disagree.”
The day closed with remarks from conference Executive Minister, Ertell M. Whigham, who acknowledged the conference staff and their behind-the-scenes work. He added, “This meeting for me has been one in which Jesus through his spirit has promised to be present where two or more are gathered and he has been faithful to that.”
John Goshow, conference Moderator, acknowledged that he felt guilt for worrying about today’s meeting. He said of the delegates’ interaction with one another that it was “demonstrating the finest way of church that I have experienced in a long time.”
The day concluded with Nancy Kauffman, MCUSA Denominational Minister, offering her observations and a blessing for the delegates. In her observations she noted that “you have celebrated what God is doing among you. Thinking about where God is at work and not allowing that to be buried under your disagreements.”
It is clear that the building of God’s people is not finished. Yet, the delegates of Franconia Conference have indicated that within their diversity and differences they will continue to work to be built by God to build God’s Kingdom.
All conference assembly materials can be accessed on the Franconia Conference website. For podcasts, click here and pictures, click here.
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.
Over 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!
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 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.
In 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.