Mosaic Mennonites
Missional - Intercultural - Formational
by Wendy Kwong
On April 21, 2024, Leadership Minister Jeff Wright, and I (Souderton [PA]), traveled to be a part of the installation service of Rev. Bernie Chung as San Francisco Chinese Mennonite Church (SFCMC) Interim Pastor and beyond.
by Charlene Smalls
In March of this year, I received an invitation to join Sandy Drescher-Lehman (Methacton [PA]) for a sermon preparation group, in which Mosaic pastors could come together to study from the Lectionary and prepare for upcoming sermons. During our most recent session, we reflected on how valuable this time has become for each of us. Today we would like to invite others to come alongside us and share in this experience. We have organically leaned into what it is to be Mosaic together, serving and sharing life as we study scripture and prepare for the work assigned to us.
In the group, we reflected that there are other pastors across the U.S. studying from the lectionary for their upcoming sermons too. I wonder if God is pleased with this nationwide oneness, even if our sermons and contexts are different. Participating in this group has lightened the sermon prep load for me. It is a gift to sit with your peers in ministry, wrestle with Scripture, and see the different sermons that take shape in the group.
Recently as we studied the scriptures together, we recognized that God has been working in us to deepen our study time and build relationships. God is allowing us to share about our varied contexts, which gives us a peek into the wholeness of the Kingdom God. The Fruit of the Spirit is showing up in this group.
You are invited to join us virtually on Tuesdays at 10:30 eastern time. Contact Beverly Benner-Miller at Beverly@plainsmennonitechurch.org for the link.
Charlene Smalls is co-pastor of Ripple in Allentown, PA.
Mosaic Mennonite Conference (Lansdale, PA) has received a $10,000 charitable distribution from the Schowalter Foundation to help fund the summer 2024 Ambassadors Youth Leadership Development Program.
The Ambassadors Youth Leadership Development Program provides summer ministry experience to gifted young adults (ages 18-24) impacting their local communities. This program builds on a 20-year commitment by Mosaic (previously Franconia) Conference to develop young adult leaders through ministry experience.
The program seeks to cultivate young adults’ commitment to Christian service and foster opportunities for Anabaptist witness and spiritual growth in their local communities and inspire young adults and develop their leadership skills.
Danilo Sanchez, Leadership Minister for Intercultural Transformation, directs this program. Sanchez himself participated in a Franconia Conference-led summer service program as a young adult.
“These young adult Ambassadors give back to their community, work on their leadership gifts, learn more about who they are, and work closely with their pastor,” Sanchez shares. “As a young adult, I greatly benefitted from leadership opportunities with the conference which led me to become the pastor I am today.”
For 10 weeks from June to August, the Ambassadors serve in their congregations’ Vacation Bible Schools and peace camps, at Conference-Related Ministry community centers, and more. They receive guidance from their pastor or another supervisor and mentor to discuss goals, receive support, and reflect on their experiences. The Ambassadors receive a stipend for their impactful work.
In addition to the service opportunities, there are monthly virtual cohort gatherings for participants to build relationships, pray, and develop leadership skills. At the end of the program, there is a 2.5 day in-person retreat, designed and led by Sanchez and Hendy Matahelemual, Associate Minister for Community Engagement, which this year will take place in Tampa, Florida for the first time.
In 2024, 10 young adults are participating in the Ambassadors program, hosted by their congregation or Conference-Related Ministry. Initially, there were plans to host just six Ambassadors, but due to high levels of interest from applicants and host congregations, and the possibility of additional funding, the program was able to grow.
“J.A. Schowalter wanted his legacy to continue on beyond his lifetime, supporting the missional work of Mennonite churches and organizations with similar faith and values,” said Schowalter Foundation President Diane Yoder. “We are pleased to support the efforts of Mosaic Mennonites through his vision and generosity.”
The Schowalter Foundation was established in 1954 from the estate of J. A. Schowalter, a Mennonite from Newton, Kansas. The Foundation supports initiatives that follow the Mennonite convictions of service and missions, peacemaking and social concerns, and other programs and projects carried out by Mennonite Church USA and the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, as well as Mennonite higher education institutions. To learn more about the life and legacy of J. A. Schowalter and The Schowalter Foundation’s mission and grants, visit schowalterfoundation.org.
by Noel Santiago
“A Dios sea la gloria” (To God be the Glory).
With these words of praise, Pastors Fernando Loyola and Lety Cortés of Centro de Alabanza (Philadelphia, PA) opened the 15th anniversary celebration service on Sunday, June 23, 2024.
The service began with intimate songs of worship. As the expressions of love for God flowed, the songs of exuberant joy burst forth like rivers of living waters. God’s people had gathered from near and far to celebrate 15 years of God’s faithfulness at, in, and through Centro de Alabanza.
Pastors Loyola and Cortés have been ministering in the congregation for 17 years, including a two-year start-up period.
As the celebration continued, we were invited to offer what God had placed in our hearts to give with a huge smile on our face, because God loves a cheerful giver.
The women’s group offered a celebration in dance as they moved and waved worship flags in sync with a song of praise. There was lots of singing and clapping.
Mosaic Conference Associate Executive Minister Marta Castillo offered words of congratulations, encouragement, and strength to continue the journey.
Pastor Tomás Hangar shared the message from 1 Corinthians 5:17-21, highlighting that God is a mission-sending God who seeks to be reconciled with all humanity; we are made new in Christ and reconciled to God. God invites us to participate in his mission of reconciliation as “Chalanes de Dios” (Chalanes is a Mexican expression for an employer’s “helper”).
The children’s group acted out a story of the Israelites under Moses leadership which called for trusting wholly in God. The youth group shared a video based on Psalm 78:4 reflecting on the church’s anniversary and learnings that each generation brings
A reminiscent video showed snippets from the congregation’s life together to give praise to God’s faithfulness over these 15 years! As with any good celebration a wonderful Mexican meal was enjoyed by all!
¡Felicidades, Centro de Alabanza! To God be the Glory!
Noel Santiago is the Leadership Minister for Missional Transformation for Mosaic Conference.
by Joe Landis
Approximately a month after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Anabaptist World published a story of how MCC had to leave the region and the building that MCC had used was now used for military purposes. The article had one sentence about a special needs school in Zaporizhzhia, which caught my attention.
On the cover of that March 4, 2022 issue was a picture of Dasha Bardus, an 11-year-old girl using arm crutches to walk. After some phone calls I learned the school had 167 students and was started 17 years ago by parents. Many students with special needs cannot attend public school in Ukraine although the government provides the school building and some teachers.
To me, this was a flashback to how Mosaic Conference, (then Franconia Mennonite Conference) got involved in providing services to individuals with special needs.
Because there was very little in the way of services for these children, it was mothers who stepped up and decided to do something. In the early 1960s, local parents, with Anna Gehman as chair, started the Wrens Nursery School in Lansdale, PA. In 1965, Gehman organized Hilltop Sunday school class at Salford Mennonite (Harleysville, PA) for 22 children with special needs, gathered from families in Lower Salford Township, allowing the parents to attend church since their children with special needs were not welcome there.
Gehman also organized a day program and convinced Franconia Conference to start and fund a sheltered workshop for people with disabilities to do light industrial work, which ran from 1968 until 1983, when it was absorbed by the Conference-Related Ministry Indian Creek Foundation (Souderton, PA). All these services laid the groundwork for Indian Creek Foundation to emerge in 1975.
Remembering the strenuous effort it takes to begin and maintain these programs in peacetime, I was struck by the fact that people in Zaporizhia are continuing to operate the Prometheus school in wartime, even as the Russian front is only 20 miles away. They hear bombs and artillery fire every night. I decided there must be some way we can offer support to these parents and their children: spiritually, morally, and hopefully financially.
On Sunday, February 2, 2024, after seeing the artwork created for Transfiguration Sunday by Salford’s Hilltop Sunday school class (the continuation of the class that started in 1965), I envisioned that this artwork could help build a relationship with fellow Anabaptists in Ukraine. I shared the idea with Salford’s Accessibility Ministry Team and Justice and Peace Team, and they both supported the concept.
As a result, we created greeting cards and posters with prints of the Hilltop Class’s artwork to sell and raise funds for the Prometheus School. This week after selling 880 greeting cards, nine posters and including donations, we mailed a check to Prometheus for $1,000.
“Being part of Hilltop Class means being accepted as you are, heard when you share, singing when you are off tune, and finding beauty in creativity,” shares Lisa Yoder, who led the creation of the art piece the Hilltop Class created. “The image is a mixed media collage created to depict Jesus’ appearance to the disciples before his resurrection. The artwork reminds me of how I find Christ in each member of Hilltop. My hope is the children of Prometheus will evoke the transfiguration of Christ through our support.”
The children participating in Salford’s summer peace camp also learned about the Prometheus School and sent video greetings and songs to the children in Ukraine.
“Being involved in the Hilltop class for nearly three decades, I was very moved to learn about the Prometheus school in Ukraine,” shares Janet Bartholomew, a leader of the Hilltop Class. “As our hearts ached for the Ukrainians when the war broke out, I remember several Sundays that the Hilltop class added our prayers for the people there. From a small class in Pennsylvania to another group with special needs and their caring parents, it really felt like the hand of God was directing each step!”
We invite other Mosaic Conference congregations to join this effort of relationship building with the parents and children with special needs in Ukraine, by selling greeting cards and posters. At least one other congregation in southeastern PA has joined our efforts, and we are looking for one person from each congregation to facilitate this.
If you are interested, please contact Joe Landis; jglandis@gmail.com for more information. Learn more and purchase cards and posters here.
Joe Landis is former CEO of Indian Creek Foundation and founder and former CEO of Peaceful Living, both Conference-Related Ministries. He is a member of Salford Mennonite (Harleysville, PA).
by Marco Güete
I have a friend who I admire for his routines and habits; I confess that I would like to imitate him. Every day he gets up and goes to bed at the same time. He says he sleeps eight hours without taking medications to help him sleep, he goes to the gym the same days each week, he eats his meals every day at the same times. Those are my friend’s good habits.
The truth is that as human beings we have a lot of good and bad habits. This conversation with my friend prompted me to research habits by reading books and listening to lectures on the subject. Now I understand more clearly Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT: “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”
We have the privilege of living in a volatile era, where everything is fleeting and transitory. Those of us who make up the church are not spared from the feelings of sudden and radical changes. What was is no longer, and what is, will not be. In our digital world, full of devices, new things emerge constantly and so quickly that it is difficult to adjust to the changes.
These challenges make it complex to improve our habits and routines. I say complex, but not impossible. How long does it take to form a new habit that makes us happy? James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits (p. 75) answers, “Habit formation is the process by which a behavior becomes progressively more automatic through repetition. The more you repeat an activity, the more the structure of your brain changes to become efficient at that activity…Repeating a habit leads to clear physical changes in the brain.”
“For everything there is a season…” The writer of Ecclesiastes anticipated what awaited us in this century without knowing it. When we attempt to do many things at the same time, we make mistakes and become stressed, and in turn that stress causes us innumerable physical and mental problems.
I invite you to acquire the good habit that this text advises you: Do one thing at a time, well, with passion and dedication. Let us remember that “There is an appointed time for everything.” Work which cannot be done on the day for mission or ministry must wait its turn, because we are simply humans who love God and ourselves.
Marco Güete is the Leadership Minister for Florida for Mosaic Conference.
The Ministerial Committee makes decisions on ministry credentials and policies that promote the support, health, and training of credentialed leaders and safe church practices for congregations. They meet quarterly to act on recommendations from the credentialing committee, review and revise current policies around credentialed leaders, and provide leadership in cases of misconduct.
Report from the June 5, 2024 Ministerial Committee Meeting:
45 Credentialed Leaders have completed their 2024 Credentialing Renewal Process
Giving and Receiving Counsel Policy – addition of next steps of accountability, reporting, and reinstatement in cases of probation or suspension.Revision of credentialing process to add questionnaire for leaders of congregations who are not part of MC USA and don’t have access to the MLI (Ministerial Leadership Information) form.
Definitions Related to Credentials:
Status Definitions
by Noel Santiago, Leadership Minister
“While it seems like a distant memory, it was just six months ago (Aug. 2023) that Boyertown (PA) Mennonite (BMC) began to make a final discernment as to whether we would simply continue to function as a small congregation with a part-time pastor, or if we would entertain the concept of merging with another congregation in the Boyertown area using the BMC church facility as the new entity’s ministry location,” shared the report of Walt Morton, merger process mediator and coach for Boyertown, on Jan. 29, 2024.
The congregation sensed God’s leading to merge with another local community congregation who also had a heart for ministering to the people of the Boyertown community. That congregation was 2/42 Community Church, a nondenominational church, whose pastor is Bryan Raught.
“On April 28, 2024, both Boyertown Mennonite Church and 2/42 Community Church Members voted unanimously to merge into 2/42 Community Church, effective May 1, 2024,” reads the letter Mosaic Mennonite Conference leaders received from Boyertown Mennonite Church Council Chair Doug Kern, writing on behalf of the congregation. “As a result of this merger, as of May 1, 2024, Boyertown Mennonite ceased to exist.”
The process of discernment was an almost two-year intentional interim process led by Walt Morton, Intentional Interim Minister from Ohio. The process was heavily oriented toward relationally healthy conversations among congregants, which provided ample opportunities, options, and possibilities for discerning the sense of the congregation. It’s safe to say that when this process began, no one envisioned where it would end up.
The letter ends with a desire from the Boyertown Mennonite Church members expressing a desire to maintain a relationship with Mosaic Conference. Although no one quite knows what that might look like, we remain open to the further leading of God’s Holy Spirit.
So, as Boyertown Mennonite Church transitions to 2/42 Community Church, and continues to carry on the work of God’s Kingdom in this new way, we offer this prayer of blessing for her leaders, people, and ministries:
Gracious and loving God, the builder and sustainer of the Church,
We give thanks for your Spirit and your people at Boyertown Mennonite and 2/42 Community Church.
We give thanks for the challenging work that the Boyertown Mennonite has engaged in these past several years, with transparency, vulnerability, difficult, and sometimes painful conversations, yet also with hope, possibilities, and a view toward a new horizon.
We ask that as Boyertown unites with 2/42 Community Church, your Spirit would bless this joining together as one. That all you have done historically in and through Boyertown Mennonite would be multiplied to that which you have done and are doing in and through 2/42 Community Church so that your kingdom rule and reign may be further established and expanded.
Thank you for the blessing that Boyertown Mennonite has been to Franconia and Mosaic Mennonite Conference over these many years. May all that continues to be said and done, bring you honor, glory, and praise we pray in Jesus name, Amen!