By John Stoltzfus, conference youth minister
“When you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” John 21:18
This may not be the first verse that comes to mind when considering the Easter season we just celebrated. Yet, this speaks to my current experience with my father who has two debilitating terminal illnesses. As I sat with him this past Easter Sunday I couldn’t help but think that this may be our last Easter together. He delivered many inspiring Easter sermons while pastor for over forty years at Conestoga Mennonite Church in Morgantown, PA. Now he is limited mostly to nods of his head and a few slurred words.
He communicates in a different way now–through a posture of grace and vulnerability. As his movements become more restricted, more intensive care is needed. Now the most basic and intimate tasks–to shave, to dress, to bathe–require help from others. He accepts this all with a quiet grace I can only hope to possess when my time comes.
My father and I did not always agree on matters of theology and church. At the same time, I learned much from him and received from him a deep love for the church. Recently, he pointed to an article in the Mennonite World Review telling the story of Lancaster Mennonite Conference cutting ties with MCUSA and simply said, “We’ll never agree on everything.” I know he has seen a fair share of church fights and splits in his lifetime. I wonder if a perspective and knowledge of our own ending can help us hold more lightly and with more grace the tensions of our current time. Might we be more willing to extend a hand of mercy and freedom knowing that we cannot control and hold tightly for all time?
I see some of the same dynamics in my work with youth and my role as a parent. Parenting is a journey of learning to give and let go. Passing on the faith and work of the church to the next generation is also a journey of giving and letting go. We trust that the same Spirit that is at work in our lives will continue to live and move in our children and the next generation of the gathered body of Christ. Our attempts to control what happens today are often an expression of fear that does not trust the ongoing move of the Spirit. Love does not demand its own way. Christ gave all in his journey to the cross and trusted the future into God’s hands. Christ chose to love freely to the end.
In the end and in our end, this Christ-like love is what remains and points most profoundly to the resurrection. A month ago my extended family gathered with my parents for a time of sharing memories of the past and making plans for letting go and the coming death. It was a love feast of laughter and tears. As we got ready to go, my father, who was engaged in the conversation but not able to say much the whole time, quickly got up and stood at the door to give each a loving hug as we left. I thought of Jesus’ most repeated words to his disciples following the resurrection, “Peace be with you.”
pportunity to reflect on the theme “Sistering for Life.” The term “sistering” refers to a practice in carpentry in which structural repairs are made by attaching new wood beams to weak (sagging, cracked or twisted) joists to make the original stronger. All of us are strong at times and can help those who are weak; all of us find it difficult to make it on our own at times and need others to support us. Sistering is a gift that we embody as God’s women who are following Jesus throughout our lives.
A children’s story, “Four Feet, Two Sandals”, was read to illustrate how something as simple as sharing a pair of sandals at a refugee camp can build sisterhood. Leticia Cortes, pastor at Centro de Alabanza, led us in activities that required teamwork and seeing how we felt in each other’s shoes. A sandal was given to each participant to decorate and to write a message on; these were then exchanged with another woman, with whom a prayer and blessing were shared.
I felt great joy in spending time with the women who gathered on March 12th. Not knowing Spanish, I had the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be in the minority for once, but also to listen to a beautifully expressive language. Hearing the stories of women often moved me to tears and to laughter, and I marveled at the deep, and often exuberant faith that has emerged in spite of, or perhaps because of, difficult circumstances in their lives. Each year, this event challenges my faith journey and stretches my world-view. The Holy Spirit is alive and well and very evident as we meet. It is a privilege to take part in creating a holy space for this gathering to happen and to take part in it.
This is what I had the privilege of attending and sharing in, the RIMI’s leaders conference. Connecting and hearing the stories of God’s moving and transformation was powerful! Those marginalized because of addictions, abuses, crime, pain, trauma, but also those who lived religiously empty lives, living good but unsatisfied lives, living without purpose or meaning, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof; then discovering through the Gospel message being shared with them that they can draw near to God through the good news of the transforming work of Jesus Christ.
Recently, three of our Franconia Conference members took part in 
For Doylestown Mennonite Church, which has recently become a co-sponsor for a Muslim refugee family from Afghanistan, the decision to reach out was simply an act of love, says KrisAnne Swartley, Minister for the Missional Journey. “This is just a way for us to live out faithfulness to Jesus.”
The Franconia Conference board affirmed Kris Wint as a new member at their January meeting following his nomination by several conference delegates. He is currently lead pastor at Finland Mennonite Church in Pennsburg, PA where he has been attending since 2001 and a member since 2003.
Kris was raised with a blend of Methodist and Baptist perspectives, yet found himself drawn to Anabaptism when introduced to it by his then girlfriend, now wife, Ginger as a senior in high school. After living a lifestyle of what Kris calls “practical atheism,” believing in God but acting as if God didn’t exist, Kris reports being transformed by God’s love in an Anabaptist context.
After high school, He went on to obtain a degree in Business Management with a focus in Human Resources from Pennsylvania State University and began working as a training manager for Haines & Kibblehouse. Kris stated during this time God led him to Seminary and so he began course work at Biblical Theological Seminary.
Kris is a husband, father and pastor seeking to lead people to Jesus. His wife Ginger has strong family ties to Franconia Conference and they enjoy being near family as they are raising their four children: Chloe, age 7, Logan, age 6, Paige, age 3, and Jace, age 1.