Mosaic Mennonites

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What I’ve Been Reading to Stir the Imagination

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by Jeff Wright

Every so often, it is good to step back and ask, “What am I reading?” How do we stir the imagination and prime the pump for what’s next in our lives and ministry? Here’s my current reading list: 

Copyright ©2024 InterVarsity Press

Emilio Alvarez, Pentecost: A Day of Power for All People (IVP, The Fullness of Time Series: 2023). The Fullness of Time Series is a series of slim volumes designed to introduce evangelicals to the traditional church calendar. Previous works on Advent, Epiphany, and Lent are each excellent in creating an intersection between evangelical missional passion and “high-church” liturgical worship. This small book on Pentecost reminds us that Pentecost isn’t just for Pentecostals. 

© 2024 Hachette Book Group

Tim Brown, with Erik Kratz, The Tao of the Backup Catcher: Playing Baseball for the Love of the Game (Twelve | Hatchette Book Group: 2023). This book represents a lot of intersections for me. I’ve been the backup catcher (also known as, “the 25th guy”). I played baseball not because I was good at it, but because I love the game. I’ve always admired the career of Erik Kratz from afar (and now that I live much of the year in Upper Bucks County, fanboy Jeff would like to meet up some time…). 

As pastors, most of us will labor without preaching to large congregations, or appearing on TV, or writing a book. We labor for the love of Christ and His church. Kratz’s story has many pearls of wisdom for those who serve in the work of the Lord. 

© 2024 Menno Media

Michelle Hershberger, Why Did Jesus Die? And What Difference Does It Make? (Herald Press, The Jesus Way Series: 2019). Another strong volume within an important and readable series of slim books. Hershberger does a fantastic job unpacking the meaning of atonement. The elders at Blooming Glen (PA) just read this book, and held a series of lively discussions about Christology. I’ve always believed that we can have vigorous and productive discussions in the church with the right resources. Hershberger has given the church a small theological gem to process a big (maybe the biggest) question in our faith. 

© 2024 Menno Media

Stuart Murray, The New Anabaptists: Practices for Emerging Community (Herald Press: 2024). This book is the long-awaited sequel to Stuart’s earlier book, “The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith.” (Herald Press: 2010). In this volume, Stuart and a band of UK collaborators clothe the Anabaptist movement with a set of spiritual habits and practices that unify the people of God around love for Jesus, serving our neighbors, and making peace. Perhaps if all of us who call ourselves Anabaptist or Mennonite put on this suit of Jesus-centered service and peacemaking habits, we might not have as much to divide over. 

These four books will inspire some, irritate many, encourage most, and entertain readers of all manner of attention spans. This spring, take a break from all the gardening and lawncare, pour a glass of iced tea, and open one of these books…you’ll be glad you did. 

Jeff Wright

Jeff Wright is a Mosaic Conference Leadership Minister. He is also a member of the Missional Priority Team and the official old curmudgeon of the conference staff. When not reading, or cheering for his beloved Los Angeles Dodgers, he is serving as interim pastor at Blooming Glen (PA). He has dreams of batting 9th and playing backup catcher for the Mosaic Conference baseball team. 

What is a Mennonite? Sharing our Roots with Conference-Related Ministries

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by Margaret Zook

I was recently tickled to discover that the question, “what is a Mennonite?” can be answered in a two-minute Youtube video.  

But to understand the practical theology which motivates and shapes today’s Conference-Related Ministries (CRMs) and their work of service requires much more.      

CRM St. Luke’s Penn Foundation (SLPF) cabinet members and President Wayne Mugrauer gathered on a recent Monday morning to enter more deeply into the history of Anabaptist Mennonites.     

CRM SLPF cabinet gathers in the MHEP Meetinghouse. Photo by Margaret Zook.
President Wayne Mugrauer & Pastor Sue Conrad Howes share Q&A time at the “What is a Mennonite?” session. Photo by Margaret Zook.

Since 1955, Penn Foundation has been connected to the Anabaptist community as a CRM, reflecting the faith of their founders and the biblical values that influence the organization. In July 2021, Penn Foundation joined St. Luke’s University Health Network, an institution with Catholic roots, creating a fully integrated health network based on shared values. 

To understand the origins of the Anabaptist faith, there is no better place to enter the story than the exhibits and voices of the Mennonite Heritage Center (Harleysville, PA), another CRM. With stories, humor, and depth, Joel Horst Nofziger, Director of the Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania (MHEP), led the group through an interactive tour. 

MHEP’s Director Joel Horst Nofziger, right, and the Mennonite history displays capture attention of SLPF cabinet members. Photo by Margaret Zook.

With curiosity and interest, the group lingered with questions of clarification exploring the connections and uniqueness of Catholic and Anabaptist values.    

It was a rich morning of connections and relationships. I offer thanks to the organizations who invested time and resources to connect faith, beliefs, and works of service.     

Margaret Zook

Margaret Zook is the Director of Collaborative Ministries for Mosaic Conference. She and husband, Wib, are members of Salford Mennonite Church and live in Harleysville, PA.

Submitting to God and One Another as the Pathways Steering Team

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by Marta Castillo

Every group or process I have been a part of has required submission and humility. Before I became a pastor, I thought that pastors and leaders had control in their church and organization, and they were able to get things to go their way. When I became a pastor, especially a pastor on a team with two other pastors, male, one African American and one Latino, in a congregation that was intercultural, I realized that I only got “my” way about 10% of the time. There was a lot of submission to God and to the members of the congregation where I served. It was freeing, humbling, and occasionally annoying. 

As the Pathways Steering Team, our diverse group from all over the conference has worked together over the last year and a half on strategic planning and preparing a recommendation about affiliation with Mennonite Church USA. There have been countless opportunities for us to learn to submit to God and to each other. The reality is that none of us are in control or can get our own way. All of us are seeking to honor God by being submitting to the leading of the Holy Spirit and to the others in our group and the conference. Reverent submission is honored by God. 

Statue at Eastern Mennonite Seminary (Harrisonburg, VA) titled “Love Essence” by Esther K. Augsburger. Photo by Marta Castillo. 

We seek to follow the way of Jesus in Philippians 2 which asks, “Does belonging to Christ help you in any way? Does his love comfort you at all? Do you share anything in common because of the Holy Spirit? Has Christ ever been gentle and loving toward you? If any of these things has happened to you, then agree with one another. Have the same love. Be one in spirit and in the way you think and act. By doing this you will make my joy complete. Don’t do anything to get ahead. Don’t do it because you are proud. Instead, be humble.  Value other more than yourselves. None of you should look out just for your own good. Each of you should also look out for the good of others. As you deal with one another, you should think and act as Jesus did.”  (Philippians 2:1-5, NIRV) 

The posture of submission to God results in humility towards God and one another. For the Pathways Team, it has created fertile ground for unique ideas, unexpected twists and turns, curiosity, and attention to the parts of the body that seem weaker, less represented with opportunities to honor their voice (c.f. I Corinthians 12:12-26). Time and again we are seeing the fruit of submission to another God and the “other,” not in forming the perfect strategic plan, but in honoring God and one another. The way of the Lamb of submission to God leads to honoring God and being honored by God (c.f. Revelation 5:9-12). 

Copyright ©2024 InterVarsity Press

I am currently reading Humility Illuminated by Dennis Edwards (which I highly recommend). In Chapter 3, he writes about how “indispensable humility is for establishing and maintain Christian community…humility is how love blossoms.” (p.12) 

In every meeting, in decision making, in conflict, and transition, we must strive for submission to God, considering others better than ourselves, remaining silent so that others may speak, waiting on God, and believing the intercultural value of mutual transformation open the door to God’s way being revealed and to obedience. We submit to one another to honor each other, and we are changed by the experience. We die to self and end up producing fruit of righteousness.   

The Pathways Steering Team was set up to be representative of the conference. I have heard it said that if we can work together, hear one another, and together present a plan and recommendation to the rest of the conference, then there is hope that the whole of Mosaic can do the same. Walking humbly with God and with each other will be essential for the pathway forward. 

Marta Castillo

Marta Castillo is the Associate Executive Minister for Mosaic Conference. Marta lives in Norristown, PA, with her husband, Julio, and has three sons, Christian, Andres and Daniel and one granddaughter, Isabel.

Journey (to the West)

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by Hendy Matahelemual

Every person from Indonesia is familiar with the 16th century novel from the Ming Dynasty in China, Journey to the West, which features four main characters: Monk Tong, Sun Go Kong, Tie Pat Kai, and Sam Cheng. (Translated into English by Arthur Waley in 1942 as Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China). 

The novel tells the journey of the four characters on a mission to retrieve the holy scriptures in the West, enduring 14 cold summers and facing 81 disturbances from demons and monsters before reaching their destination and bringing the scriptures back to China. 

Many do not know that this story was inspired by the real journey of a Chinese monk named Xuanzang who, from 629-645 AD, went to India and successfully returned to China bringing back 657 texts of holy scriptures. Although he managed to translate only 75 of the 657 texts into Mandarin, what he did translate was very significant. 

From the vantage point of this story, I want to reflect on my journey to the West, in a different context. As one of the staff serving the Indonesian Mosaic churches in southern California, traveling from Philadelphia to Los Angeles is something I often do. Each journey holds different meanings and impressions. 

Southern California, especially Los Angeles, is where most of the Indonesian diaspora in the U.S. reside, perhaps because the weather is like that in Indonesia. 

There are three Indonesian Mosaic congregations in greater Los Angeles: Imanuel International Fellowship (Colton, CA) JKI Anugerah (Pasadena, CA) and International Worship Church in (San Gabriel, CA) and a ministry partner, Ark of Christ (Anaheim, CA) who is considering membership with Mosaic. 

The desert climate of southern California appeals to me. Apart from palm trees, deserts, and mountains, visiting Mosaic communities in California also makes every journey for work feel like visiting one’s own family. 

In addition to building relationships, every visit brings a new understanding of ministry that enriches our collective understanding. There is much to learn together because mutual transformation is one of the goals of living in community. 

As a conference with a long history of Swiss-German cultural background, and a process of assimilation into Western European-American culture, the new presence of Hispanic, African, and Eastern cultures, each with their own etiquette, can pose challenges. 

However, our shared commitment of faith in Jesus, life in the community, and efforts for peace make our journey more beautiful. 

I am reminded of the quote, “If you want to walk fast, walk alone, but if you want to walk far, walk together.” And also of the story of two of Jesus’ disciples on their way to Emmaus. As they covered seven miles walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, Jesus approached them and walked with them. 

They did not realize that Jesus was with them until the moment they ate together, and Jesus took the bread, blessed it, then broke it and gave it to them. (Luke 24:13-35) 

This verse reminds me of two things. First, that sometimes we are too focused on our goals that we forget to enjoy the journey and miss the presence of God in every process of our lives. 

Second, how eating together is an important part of building relationships. Even when we eat together, divine revelation can occur. This happened to the two disciples of Jesus. 

Going from one place to another in Los Angeles takes a long time. However, in my journey, I was introduced to a hymn from South Africa, “Hamba nathi” which means “Let’s walk together with Me”. 

At this opportunity, allow me to share the song: 

Come, walk with us, the journey is long. 
Share our burden, and join in the song. 
Come, uplift us, and bring us new life. 
Give us peace when the journey is done. 
The journey, the journey, the journey is long. 

In our spiritual journey, let us walk together with our brothers and sisters in faith and enjoy every process with the Lord. Because He never once leaves us or forsakes us. May the Lord bless us. 

Hendy Matahelemual

Hendy Matahelemual is the Associate Minister for Community Engagement for Mosaic Conference. Hendy Matahelemual was born and grew up in the city of Bandung, Indonesia. Hendy lives in Philadelphia with his wife Marina and their three boys, Judah, Levi and Asher.

Digging Through the Roof

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By Laura Leatherman Alderfer, Salford (Harleysville, PA) and Methacton (Norristown, PA) congregations

This article was originally published by Anabaptist World and is reprinted with permission.  

Illustration by Kate Cosgrove from The Peace Table. © Shine curriculum, published by MennoMedia and Brethren Press. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

The story of the man lowered through the roof to see Jesus is often told in the context of Jesus’ miraculous healings. 

We may not have thought of it as a story about inclusion, disability and accessibility. But as we look more closely at Mark 2:1-12, there is much to learn about ourselves, how Jesus views people with disabilities, and true accessibility and inclusion.

A house with no door

Imagine you’ve been invited to a party. You show up to the house, make your way to the spot where the front door should be and find — nothing. There is a place for a doorway. There is even a doormat that says, “Welcome, friends.” 

You knock on the window, but no one hears. You look for another entrance, but no one notices you are outside. 

Have we considered the people among us who feel invited but invisible? Are we aware of those looking for the front door? 

The paralyzed man and his friends created an opening to get inside the building where, for him, there was no door. How can we do the same (preferably without digging literal holes through the roof)? 

Three perspectives from Mark 2 offer a starting point. 

The first perspective is that of the man who was lowered through the roof. 

The text doesn’t say why he felt the need to be near Jesus. We often assume he and his friends wanted Jesus to cure his paralysis and make him walk again. But the passage doesn’t say that. 

Consider this man’s faith, the boldness, the vulnerability, as he allowed himself to be let down on a mat through a hole in the roof, presumably to the floor — and then looked up to see the face of Jesus. 

What does Jesus say to him? 

First, “Son.” Jesus affirms that this man is a child of God, an important part of the family. He belongs. That is the man’s identity, and Jesus names it. 

Second, “Your sins are forgiven.” Jesus does not immediately focus on what’s “wrong” with the man’s body. He simply sees a precious person who needs connection to God and removes the barrier of sin that separates him. It is only after certain religious people in the room question Jesus’ authority to forgive sins that he cures the man’s paralysis. 

We must not look at inclusion and accessibility as rooted in a problem with the physical bodies or brains of people with disabilities. We must see one another the way God sees us: as whole and in need of belonging, forgiveness and community. 

The second perspective is that of the paralyzed man’s friends who recognized the importance of bringing their friend to Jesus. 

According to Mark, these friends “dug through” the roof to make an opening. You can almost feel their gritty determination and sweaty effort, united in their resolve to get their friend inside. 

If you are a caregiver or friend to someone with a disability, you probably identify with these friends. You see your precious friend as fully loved and fully worthy. You feel the heartbreak of your friend’s loneliness, the frustration at the barriers and the feelings of being unseen. You might feel those things, too. 

Remember the caregivers in your midst. These people are already near to the precious children of God who must be included in all places and spaces. 

The final perspective is that of a person who isn’t mentioned: the one who owned the house. 

What about this person, who was just trying to provide a place for ­Jesus to teach and preach? He was left to deal with a hole in the roof and debris on the floor. Was he upset? 

Or did this encounter with Jesus, and with spiritual and physical healing, somehow change the homeowner? Perhaps the cost of roof repair was a small price to pay for experiencing God working a healing miracle through Jesus in his living room. 

Everyone can do something to ensure accessibility and inclusion. Yes, there is a place for planning and raising funds to make our homes and houses of worship more disability friendly. But God also may call us to open the roof in unconventional ways to let all God’s children inside. 

Questions for reflection 

Ask yourself the following questions to develop your awareness of those who are looking for the door but cannot find it: 

  • Are we willing to assume the financial costs of accessibility? 
  • Are we willing to do the relational work of learning how to connect with others who are different and open to the transformation that comes with it? 
  • Are we willing to examine our ideas about health, ability and what makes another person valuable? 
  • Are we open to breaking barriers so that every person — every body — can be welcomed in to experience healing and restoration through the power of Jesus? 

Yes, there are challenges and costs. There is destruction of inaccessible structures and old ways of thinking. 

But there is also much joy and beauty. 

And there is much love, belonging and healing when we draw near to Jesus. 

Let’s dig some holes to welcome all his friends inside. 

Laura Leatherman Alderfer

Laura Leatherman Alderfer of Telford, Pa., leads the Accessibility Ministry Team at Salford Mennonite Church, Harleysville, Pa. This article was adapted from a sermon preached at Plains Mennonite Church, Hatfield, Pa.

Partnerships Share Hope in Honduras: Healthy Niños Honduras, Deep Run East, and Honduran Leaders

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by Barbara Rice

Deep Run Mennonite East (Perkasie, PA) has been blessed to send 43 teams to Honduras since 2001, most under the leadership of Mosaic Conference-Related Ministry, Healthy Niños Honduras (HNH) (formerly MAMA Project).   

In January 2024, our team from Deep Run East arrived at the beautiful mission house in San Franscisco de Yoja, about 90 minutes from the airport in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. We were greeted by the first set of partners, the amazing HNH staff. They had been preparing for us with rooms ready, food purchased, and coordination with rural communities to receive our medical brigade and select families to receive new cement floors in their homes. Without the HNH staff and volunteers (about 24 people) ranging from the key directors, nurses, doctors, dentists, translators, and of course, the cooks, our service would not be effective or successful. These partners are dedicated Christians who desire to improve life for their fellow Hondurans. They care for our team and allow us to partner with the rural communities.  

The delegation from Deep Run East prays with the HNH staff before traveling to a local community. Photo by Barbara Rice.  

When our vans arrive at the rural community, usually a 90-minute ride on rough mountain roads with breathtaking views, we meet the second set of partners, the community leaders.  The HNH staff work with them to organize our visit. The leader is usually a pastor, teacher, or someone respected in the community. They have selected where we set up the clinic (most often a school building) and which families are in most need of a cement floor. They organize those who have arrived to visit the clinic with a numbering system. They assist the HNH staff with registering people and taking pictures for the medical record system. Often local people help with weighing and measuring during the medical clinics, because they know the families and can help them navigate through the stations in the clinics. These are people who care about their communities and without them our service would not be as effective or successful.   

Children of the community welcome the volunteers excitedly, anticipating that there may be toys shared! Photo by Barbara Rice. 
After a successful day with community leaders, the HNH staff and the delegation from Deep Run East celebrate. Photo by Barbara Rice. 
One of the community leaders’ tasks is selecting who will receive the water filtration systems. Photo by Barbara Rice. 

We have experienced much joy in serving with HNH and have come to love the Honduran people for their hospitality and desire to work together to bring healing and hope to the most vulnerable in their country. With these partnerships we can show God’s love. 

And thank you to one more set of partners—all of those who pray for our teams. 

Would you like to be a partner? As we visit communities, we find that over 50% of the children with have some level of malnourished children. The most severe cases are invited to the Nutritional Rehabilitation Center where children can be brought to health and mothers can learn more about nutrition and childcare. We are happy that more families are willing to come to the nutrition center, but as a result, HNH is experiencing a gap in funding. If you want to help, please visit the Healthy Niños website.  

Barbara Rice

Barb Rice lives in Quakertown PA. She is a member of Deep Run East (Perkasie, PA) and serves on the Healthy Niños Board. She has organized many Deep Run East teams to Honduras.

Mental Health Sunday at Zion Mennonite

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by Mike Ford, Maureen Gingerich, and Jessica Fenchel

“We all have dips in our life trajectory, we all have low times emotionally. And in these times, it’s good to get help, it’s important to be there for each other,” visiting speaker Jessica Fenchel shared during the sermon time at Zion (Souderton, PA) during a recent worship service and intergenerational Sunday school on mental health. We read Galatians 6:2 and Matthew 25:35-36 to remind us that we need to be a community of healing for each other, and that mental health is just as important as physical health. 

Fenchel, Senior Vice President at Access Services, was joined by Maureen Gingerich, Vice President of Integrated Health Services at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation, to speak with the Zion congregation on this topic, and provide space for questions and answers during Sunday school.  

Sharing about the scope of the problem, Fenchel cited, “As many as 70% of high school students in Montgomery County report prolonged experiences of depression and anxiety.” 

Emphasizing the negative effects of loneliness and isolation on our health, Gingerich pointed out that the “lack of social connection can be as impactful as smoking 15 cigarettes per day, according to research shared in the Surgeon General’s 2023 Advisory on the Health Effects of Social Connection & Community”. 

Yet there is good news: we heal in community. Faith and spirituality are a significant part of healing and growth for most people, and we, as followers of Jesus, can be part of that community of healing. We can create spaces of vulnerability where people can share safely.  We can be good listeners. We can cultivate congregational cultures where people feel welcomed, validated, and accepted. We can provide resources for professional help. We can build and maintain caring relationships now so that when times of crisis come, we can step into the gap to support others. 

Fenchel reminded us that “We sometimes refer to vulnerability as brave, but it shouldn’t have to feel so brave to be honest about how we’re really doing.” Our congregations can have a role in creating a feeling of safety about sharing honestly.  

Gingrich emphasized the importance of community, saying, “Community helps us build and maintain healing connections that sustain us through life’s challenges and joys.”

The COVID-19 pandemic and digital media have affected the way we interact with each other, making it easier not to interact face-to-face. Yet personal, face-to-face interaction is the way God has wired us to best relate to and care for each other. Time together in community, and wise use of technology to enhance our relationships, and professional help for those facing trauma, death, depression, and isolation are all beneficial supports that offer the potential for healing and holistic wellness.  

For those seeking to connect with a professional counselor or therapist, talk to a pastor or consider these resources:  

Mike Ford

Mike Ford loves Jesus and people, and has combined those two loves for the last 40 years through work on a college campus, Program Director at two Christian camps, hospital chaplaincy, and serving as a Youth Pastor and Preaching Pastor at several Mennonite congregations. Mike oversees Zion’s Jr/Sr High youth ministry and helps with its outreach activities. 

Maureen Gingerich

Maureen Gingerich, MPH, MSW, LCSW, has 15 years of experience in the behavioral health field, the majority of which have been with St. Luke’s Penn Foundation. She currently serves as Vice President of Integrated Health Services, overseeing the areas of quality, licensing/accreditation, navigation, Administrative Case Management, and HealthConnections.

Jessica Fenchel

Jessica Fenchel is Vice President of Behavioral Health and Chief Operating Officer at Access Services. She has been at Access Services for over 10 years, during which she was key in the startup of innovative initiatives across multiple service spaces including crisis, forensics, schools, and homelessness.

Giving Hope and Uniting People in West Palm Beach

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by Andrés Castillo

In February I spent a day brushing up on my Russian at the home of Pavel and Marina, leaders of the Shores of Hope community in West Palm Beach, Florida. Shores of Hope is a ministry that accompanies and ministers to Ukrainian and Russian refugees in the area, as well as other Russian speakers who grew up in the USSR.  

I watched as Tajik friends cooked an aromatic feast of plov (pilaf) and okroshka soup. Homemade Pad Thai joined the spread later. I joined Pavel in a surprise duet—him on balalaika, me on guitar—of Russian folk songs. Monolingual English speakers, second-generation Russian-Americans, first-generation Russian immigrants and Tajiks sat around the living room and shared what was on our hearts and minds and learned about each other’s lives. 

Shores of Hope community members from Tajikistan serve homemade Plov (rice pilaf). Photo by Pavel Gailans.

It was international yet intimate. 

Shores of Hope’s partnership with Mosaic was clear after the first Support Group meeting with Mosaic staff members. At the meeting, Pavel told Shores of Hope’s story: 

“Giving hope and uniting people is our motto,” Pavel says. “We began to meet a lot of people from Ukraine and Russia who were seeking refuge in the U.S. We felt heartbroken about the situation. 

Shores of Hope community members gather in Marina and Pavel’s living room to share what is on their hearts and minds. Photo by Marina Gailans.

We became part of a small Slavic bible study. We asked them if they would be interested in helping spread the Gospel here in Florida and we organized a Christmas concert. 

People in Ukraine are fleeing war, and they need someone that will just love them. The Christmas concert made us realize that God wants us to do this. 

We were in awe of seeing different doors open. We were able to meet many families and welcome them into our home, just to have dinner or talk. Many immigrant families are interested in coming to our home for events.” 

Pavel also shared other aspects of Shores of Hope’s mission: 

“One of our hopes is not just to raise funds for refugee families, but also start a business club to help them learn about the U.S. economic system and what they want to do. 

We also want to address issues related to the war. We are against this war, and we have intentional, challenging conversations in our home with Ukrainians and Russians alike. 

We embrace those who are connected somehow to the Russian language or have an interest in our culture. Meetings and events are held in Russian, and you will find that there is a strong connection between those who grew up in the Soviet Union.” 

Marina and Pavel are currently awaiting work authorization, which will help them financially and make certain processes more efficient. They will continue to host gatherings in their home and minister to the Shores of Hope community.

Drane Reynolds from Homestead Mennonite Church prays for the meal in English while Pavel interprets into Russian. Photo by Andrés Castillo.

“I have very little free time, but I feel blessed to live here in the U.S. and have certain freedoms,” shares Pavel. “We never dreamed that we would know you [Mosaic]. We are grateful that you and MCUSA want to be a part of our lives and believe in what we do. It’s divine encouragement for us.” 

Marina and Pavel have been married nearly 25 years and have two children, Pavel (11) and Anastasia (9). Marina enjoys managing Airbnb properties, but for most of her life she has been involved in ministry and enjoys that even more. Pavel studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He recently took up a chaplaincy role at a hospice facility and an interim pastorship at Homestead (FL).  

Andrés Castillo

Andrés Castillo is the Intercultural Communication Associate for the Conference. Andrés lives in Philadelphia, PA, and currently attends Methacton Mennonite Church. He loves trying new food, learning languages, playing music, and exploring new places.