Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Articles

Hybrid Church Plant Blooms in Pembroke Pines, FL 

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by Andrés Castillo

Many of us remember when the COVID-19 pandemic forced churches online. While most have returned to in-person worship, some congregations have found online church to be the new way to worship. Such is the case for a new church in Pembroke Pines, FL, Resplandece Mennonite Church, which will have an entirely virtual pastor. 

Josué Gonzalez of Encuentro de Renovación in Miami, FL dreamt of planting a church in Pembroke Pines, so much so that he offered up his house to host the new church. However, it wasn’t possible to find an Anabaptist pastor in Pembroke Pines, so Leadership Minister Marco Güete suggested starting a virtual and in-person church, using Gonzalez’s house as the base.  

The pastoral candidate they identified was Manuel García, a resident of Barranquilla, Colombia and a former student in the Seminario Bíblico Anabautista Hispana (SeBAH) who was then studying at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS). García had been forming a church body online prior to meeting Güete through AMBS. As new migration policies in Florida were causing people to leave their homes, and it occurred to García to invite them to form a church. “It was a natural process. We just started talking, accompanying people,” García says. “These people formed the church that became Resplandece, but now there is more intentionality.” 

Pastor Manuel García of Resplandece Mennonite Church, his sons Adrian and Esteban, and his wife, Vivi. Photo by Manuel Garcia.

Through Güete, García met Gonzalez, who had the space and desire to plant a new church in Pembroke Pines. “Josué [Gonzalez] video-called me and was very excited. He was showing me the house and where everything would happen,” García remembers. “So in that way, God united many intentions.” 

A team was created to represent Mosaic and support the newly-born Resplandece, including Marco Güete, Noel Santiago, Josué Gonzalez, and Naún Cerrato. This board has been meeting with García monthly, and will eventually be replaced by a church leadership board. For now, García works on Zoom, WhatsApp, Facebook Live, and other social media platforms. His first official day as their pastor was December 1, 2023. 

“This is a way that God is using to create new models of church,” Güete says. “The pandemic forced the change quickly and people resisted it. Now we are realizing there is another way to do church.”  

Noel Santiago, Mosaic’s Leadership Minister for Missional Transformation, says that the online aspect helps Mosaic in its global ministry. “These are ongoing steps that come from a long history of face-to-face relationships.” 

García describes his experience with Mosaic as a big house of refuge. “There is a sincerity and tenderness when people from Mosaic talk to you,” he says. “I already felt like a part of Mosaic.” García is currently studying with Mosaic Institute. 

The tech setup for Resplandece’s hybrid services at Josué Gonzales’ house. Photo by Josué Gonzales.

The first service for Resplandece took place on December 24, 2023. Their weekly activities include a Tuesday morning prayer time and Thursday family devotional time. They invite prayer for those leading the new church as well as those who will know Jesus through its ministry. 

Pastor Manuel García loves spending his free time with his sons Esteban (8) and Adrian (6), and his wife Viviana. He also enjoys fishing with his father.

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.

New Year Brings Numerous Staff Transitions

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by Jenn Svetlik

The recent months have unveiled a variety of staff transitions for Mosaic Conference. These changes seek to respond to needs that the Conference has identified as we continue to live more fully into our missional, intercultural, and formational priorities.  

Departures:

Randy Heacock ended his role as Leadership Minister in October 2023, a position he had served in since 2017. As the staff gathered for a Christmas party in December, Heacock was affirmed by the staff and prayed over by fellow staff member Noel Santiago.  

Sue Conrad Howes will end her role as Communication Team Lead and editor of Mosaic News at the end of January, a role she has filled since 2020.  She will continue in her role as a chaplain at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation.  

New Staff:  

Andrés Castillo who began working on the communication and intercultural teams in November 2023, began a one-year full-time position as Intercultural Communication Associate in January 2024. 

Stacey Mansfield began work with Mosaic in the summer of 2023, providing logistical and administrative support for the Annual Assembly. In December 2023, she began a role as Administrative and Hospitality Collaborator, supporting the work of credentialing leaders and Assembly planning.  

Jennifer Svetlik became a member of the Communication team in September 2023.  In January 2024, Svetlik is moving into an expanded role as Editor of Mosaic News. 

New Roles for Current Staff: 

Cindy Angela, who has served as Digital Communication Associate since September 2020, began as the Director of Communication in January 2024.  

“My vision for the Communication Team is to continue to provide clear and effective communication of Mosaic’s priorities, making sure to listen intentionally to the different voices and perspectives across the conference,” shares Angela. “We’re such a diverse conference, and I see this as a strength.” 

Emily Ralph Servant, who has served the Conference in a variety of roles since 2011, most recently as a Leadership Minister and the Dean of Mosaic Institute, began as the Leadership Minister for Strategic Priorities in January 2024.  

Rose Bender Cook will, in February 2024, become the Leadership Minister for Formation, a role she has served in an interim way since October 2023. Since 2021 she has helped to lead Mosaic Institute.  

“As a pastor, I am always thinking about formation for the congregation, but in this new role, I will be challenged to think more broadly about creating spaces where we can all be formed by the Word of God and the Spirit’s work in one another,” shares Bender Cook. “I anticipate getting to know congregations and seeing what God is already doing as well as learning what the needs are so we can respond accordingly.” 

Eileen Kinch, an editor and writer on the Communication team, will move to the Administrative team in February 2024. 

“The strength of Mosaic is committed people. In a time of fluidity and change, our staff is committed to accompanying our diverse communities with integrity and responsiveness” Executive Minister Steve Kriss says. “I’m grateful for both those who are finishing up their time as part of our staff and those who have said yes to increased or new responsibilities.”    

The staff of Mosaic Conference is comprised of 22 full-time and part-time persons.  

Conference staff accompany and support congregations, credentialed leaders, Conference Related Ministries and ministry partners, serving nearly 100 affiliated Mosaic communities and ministries in eight states along with partnerships in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Staff members work regularly in English, Spanish, and Indonesian languages.   

Jennifer Svetlik

Jennifer is Communication Associate/Editor for Mosaic. She was born near Houston, TX and spent a decade living in an intentional community in Washington DC, before moving to Lansdale, PA with her spouse, Sheldon Good. She is a graduate of the University of Texas and Washington Theological Seminary. She serves as Children’s Faith Formation Director at Salford Mennonite (Harleysville, PA). Jenn has two elementary-school-aged children and loves biking, camping, gardening, and vermicomposting with her family. 

Take Heart, It Is Almost the End of Advent Again

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by Stephen Kriss

It is Advent again. We call this time Advent because it reminds us of what comes from God for the creation of his kingdom on earth. We who are here have been led in a special way to keep what is coming on our hearts and to shape ourselves according to it. That which comes from God—that is what moves our hearts, not only in these days but at all times.

Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt

Waiting is part of the human experience. We live in the in-between space, where the reign of God is upon us and not yet, where there is grieving and rejoicing, when things are both lost and found. However, as we see in the Gospel of Mark (this year’s primary lectionary text), there are moments when things are suddenly upon us.  

The Christmas season brings out a level of tenderness in many of us, a time when gift-giving and remembering those less privileged than ourselves is part of the US cultural practice rooted in a Christendom story. It is also a season where we are sometimes the most overtaxed or aware of our lack. The seasonal time of longer nights and less sunlight can make us more acutely aware of all that is not right or well, including ourselves. 

…we practice waiting for light and for Christ’s inbreaking in the midst of long darkness.

As a Mosaic of Christ-followers, a diverse people of God following Christ’s way of peace, we practice waiting for light and for Christ’s inbreaking in the midst of long darkness. We practice pensive waiting more than we might embrace overflowing joy. We know that all is not well in a world where wars wage, injustice dominates, and Herodian leaders call for violence against innocents even now. 

My opening passage excerpt from German theologian Christoph Blumhardt is an invitation to engage with our heart and to respond to the things of our hearts. It reminds me of the Emmaus Road story in Luke 24, the disciples’ post-resurrection encounter with Jesus. The disciples’ hearts warmed while they talked together about all of the difficult things they had experienced, even though they did not recognize Jesus with them. That conversation was not a glossing over the struggle, but a willingness to listen, to validate, to accompany, and eventually, to eat together. There is something within us beyond our head, feet, and hands, deep in our body, that knows the holy from the inside out. 

There is something within us beyond our head, feet, and hands, deep in our body, that knows the holy from the inside out. 

While we wait for Christmas, what does it means to acknowledge all that is fraught, all that we are waiting for, all that is “not yet the reign of God” and yet, still gather and celebrate? We know that wars and rumors of wars rage, we know the personal failures, theological, and political disagreements among us, and we seek to listen and be heard. Even so, we still gather around the table, or a Christmas tree, around a fire or in worship, knowing we are participating in the inbreaking of God–knowing it in our hearts, and enacting it in our bodies, in our communities, and in our relationships. We celebrate this not just now, but always, because we are always waiting, and the reign of God is always breaking through. “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19, NRSV). 

Stephen Kriss

Stephen Kriss is the Executive Minister of Mosaic Conference.

Gwen Groff Concludes 24 Years of Ministry at Bethany

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by Eileen Kinch

On November 30, Pastor Gwen Groff concluded 24 years of ministry at Bethany Mennonite Church (Bridgewater Corners, VT). A few days later, she finished her final term on the Mosaic Conference Board. Groff served on the Board for nine years. 

Groff grew up in Lancaster County, PA. Initially, she worked with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in several roles. After she completed her Master of Divinity degree at Lancaster (PA) Theological Seminary, she sought work as a pastor.  Bethany Mennonite Church seemed like the best fit, so Groff and her family moved to Vermont. She began her pastoral role in 1999. 

Groff’s favorite thing about Bethany’s worship service is that after the sermon, the rest of the congregation shares their thoughts and responses. “It does feel like the other half the message,” she said. When people talk about their connections to the sermon, “it just feels very lively.” 

Bethany Mennonite Church began in 1952 as a church plant by Blooming Glen (PA) Mennonite Church. Today, Bethany, a rural congregation, has about 40 regular attenders. Some join by Zoom for health and distance reasons. 

As Groff considers her two and a half decades at Bethany, she feels very good about the labyrinth that is mown into the church’s large meadow. The church holds an outdoor summer communion service there. She likes that the labyrinth encourages contemplative practice. Groff is also grateful that her congregation passed a clear affirmation of welcome for LGBTQ folks in 2020. 

Groff joined the Franconia Conference Board in 2015. A significant event during her tenure was the reconciliation between Franconia Conference and the Eastern District Conference — and then the process of choosing a name for the new conference. She emphasized her gratitude for Mosaic’s commitment to intercultural priorities.  

“I think our challenge [as a conference] is what to do with our theological differences,” Groff reflected on her tenure as a Board member. As the Conference becomes more diverse “in terms of culture, race, geographical area,” she notices that uniformity is waning, but hopes that “unity is growing.” 

For the time being, Groff is doing some interim pastoral care work. She plans to continue her studies with Shalem Institute, where she is taking courses in prayer and spiritual formation. She does not have immediate plans for what she would like to do next but recognizes that the way is sometimes made by walking, similar to the winding paths of a labyrinth. 

Eileen Kinch

Eileen Kinch is a writer and editor for the Mosaic communication team. She holds a Master of Divinity degree, with an emphasis in the Ministry of Writing, from Earlham School of Religion. She and her husband, Joel Nofziger, who serves as director of the Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville, live near Tylersport, PA. They attend Methacton Mennonite Church. Eileen is also a member of Keystone Fellowship Friends Meeting in Lancaster County.

Mosaic Members Participate in Actions for Ceasefire 

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by Jennifer Svetlik

“We cannot effectively respond to the immense humanitarian needs if there is not an immediate ceasefire,” implored Seth Malone and Sarah Funkhouser, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Representatives for Jordan, Palestine, and Israel, in a statement to Salford Mennonite Church (Harleysville, PA), which is their sending congregation. “Israel has heavily restricted our capacity to deliver aid, which is leading to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.”  

“We lose hope when the US government continues to materially and diplomatically support this war. We ask for continued prayers for those affected, and we ask for your action in this moment. Do not let this government rest from your letters, calls, and protests,” they urged. “We cannot be complicit nor complacent in this moment – now is the time to act. We need this to stop now.”  

Over 100 Mennonites from Mosaic and beyond gather at Sen. Bob Casey’s office in Philadelphia. Photo provided by Mennonite Action.  

On Tuesday, Dec. 19, members of numerous Mosaic congregations responded to this plea by participating in Day of Mennonite Action for a Ceasefire, organized by the newly formed group Mennonite Action.  

Prayer and song, peaceful witness, and advocacy visits were held at the offices of PA Senator Bob Casey, PA Rep. Madeleine Dean, and PA Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, urging them to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and for a just peace in the region. Over 140 Mennonites participated in these three actions, including members from Mosaic congregations Ambler, Indonesian Light, Methacton, Perkasie, Philadelphia Praise Center, Plains, Souderton, Salford, and Zion, among others.  

“As Mennonites, our faith calls us to be peacemakers, and we extend our prayers to all those affected by this conflict, asking for an end to the violence and a renewed commitment to dialogue and understanding,” shared Hendy Matahelemual, Pastor of Indonesian Light Church, during the prayer service at Sen. Casey’s office in Philadelphia.  

“May our vigil not only serve as a plea for a ceasefire but also as a collective affirmation of our shared responsibility to promote a world where the pursuit of peace is at the forefront of our actions and prayers,” Matahelemual implored. 

During the visit to Rep. Dean’s office in Glenside, PA, the group arrived at the door singing, “We will follow Jesus.” Staffers did not allow the group to enter, so they squeezed together on the sidewalk, praying and singing and recording their message for Rep. Dean. 

Around 30 participants from Mosaic Conference gather for a prayer service outside of the Glenside, PA office of Rep. Madeleine Dean. Around 150 people who were committed to praying for the day of action signed their names on a paper chain which was visible at the Montgomery and Bucks County advocacy events. Photo by Joe Landis.  

“Although we did not get to meet with either representative … I am grateful that we were able to speak with district staff at each office,” shared Tori Jones Long, lead organizer for two of the events and a member of Salford. “It was meaningful to be able to share about our core values, our 70-year history of peacemaking in Palestine, and our deep conviction to live in alignment with the peaceable way of Jesus. My prayer is that we will continue to bravely and publicly advocate for peace.” 

Participants from Mosaic Conference pray, sing, and share testimony inside the Langhorne, PA office of Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. Photo by Joe Landis. 

Michelle Curtis, Co-Pastor of Ambler, reflected, “What stood out most to me was that we were all there because Jesus calls us to be peacemakers. We were there because Jesus goes out of his way to look out for those who are suffering and forgotten. That means the people of Gaza, who are being bombed and starved by Israeli troops. It means the Israelis who were killed or taken hostage by Hamas on October 7. It means Muslims and Jews around the world who are living in fear because of what’s happening in Palestine and Israel. Jesus cares about all these people. And he asks us to care too.” 

Around 41 advocacy events took place across the US and Canada with Mennonite Action on December 19, involving the prayer and witness of 1700 Mennonites and interfaith allies, making it the largest coordinated Christian day of action for ceasefire since Oct. 7, according to Mennonite Action.

Jennifer Svetlik

Jennifer is Communication Associate/Editor for Mosaic. She was born near Houston, TX and spent a decade living in an intentional community in Washington DC, before moving to Lansdale, PA with her spouse, Sheldon Good. She is a graduate of the University of Texas and Washington Theological Seminary. She serves as Children’s Faith Formation Director at Salford Mennonite (Harleysville, PA). Jenn has two elementary-school-aged children and loves biking, camping, gardening, and vermicomposting with her family. 

A Prayer Journey 

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by Emily Ralph Servant

When I was a child, I believed in miracles.  Prayer could move mountains; we prayed fervently and often.  By the time I was a teenager, I had a list of people and circumstances for whom I prayed every morning, early, before the rest of my family woke up. My (literal) prayer closet heard many petitions for healed bodies, restored marriages, world peace. 

By the time I was in my twenties, I found my prayer life had grown stale. After many years of interceding for people and situations without seeing healing, restoration, or peace, I found prayer to be painful. I couldn’t push requests out of my mouth when my heart didn’t truly believe that the answer would be “yes.” 

In seminary, I was introduced to contemplative prayer. It took a while for me to learn how to still my racing thoughts and simply sit in God’s presence, but eventually I began to experience God’s powerful and healing love flowing through me as I came to God without wishes or demands. It was enough to be with God and know that I was loved. 

This practice of contemplative prayer was tested in my early thirties, as I struggled with depression and anxiety, healing from past trauma. Stilling an anxious mind was challenging; experiencing God’s presence felt impossible when my body and heart startled and ached.  I found myself longing to believe that I could ask God for peace, restoration, and joy, and God would make it happen. 

But there was no magic wand. 

Still, time and again God met me, holding me close in the quiet and the pain. And as the peace, restoration, and joy slowly filtered back, I wrestled to make sense of a lifetime of conflicting experiences of prayer. I visited other congregations in Mosaic Conference and heard stories of times when the church prayed for healing and the cancer disappeared.  Yet someone I love still endures chronic pain after decades of intercession. I remembered times when funds miraculously showed up to pay a pressing bill. And I also remembered when I begged God to intervene with justice and mercy and still my child was taken from me. 

I have found that, anymore, I don’t often have words to give to God. When someone I know is hurting, I rarely ask God for anything more than “Please!” Most often, I simply hold them in the compassionate, redeeming presence of God, trusting in the one who said to a sick man, “I do want to!” (Luke 5:13, CEB) 

“There are different spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; and there are different ministries and the same Lord; and there are different activities but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.”

1 Corinthians 12:3-7, CEB

In this stage of my prayer journey, I find myself grateful for those in my life who have energy and faith to intercede for others. Rather than feeling condemned by them, I see them as Aaron and Hur, who held up Moses’ arms when he was getting tired (Exodus 17). I Corinthians 12 says that the church is a body made of many parts, each with its own gift. Maybe others have the gift to pray for healing and transformation, and I can receive that gift with gratitude. 

And perhaps I bring my own gift to the church. I am noticing that, as I stop filling my time with God with words, I have more space to listen. God speaks—in the stillness, in Scripture, in life circumstances, through other people, even in unexpected places in my neighborhood. When I listen for God and then change in response to what I hear, I am transformed. The world around me is transformed. Prayer changes things. 

Emily Ralph Servant

Emily Ralph Servant is a Leadership Minister for Mosaic Mennonite Conference. Emily has served in pastoral roles at Swamp and Indonesian Light congregations and graduated from Eastern Mennonite Seminary.

Passion for Helping Others in Word and Deed 

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JENN SVETLIK STAFF PROFILE

by Mosaic Communication Staff

“I deeply appreciate Mosaic’s missional, intercultural, and formational priorities,” shares Jenn Svetlik, editor/writer for Mosaic Conference. “I feel humbled and privileged to be able to hear so many stories from diverse people from various cultures and perspectives and help share them widely within our Conference.” 

Since 2020, Jenn has occasionally written articles for Mosaic News. She joined the Mosaic communication team on a short-term basis in September 2023. She recently was invited to stay on in a continuing role. In early 2024, her part-time role will include editing, writing, and overseeing the production of the weekly e-newsletter Mosaic News.  

Jenn Svetlik and her youngest child kayak at Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia.

“This fall, I got to know the Conference much more deeply through writing and editing articles and coming to Assembly for the first time. I have been awed by how passionate the staff is about being faithful to God’s call for us as a Conference,” Jenn shares. “So, when I was asked if I would like to continue and expand my work with Mosaic, I didn’t hesitate to say yes!”  

Jenn is a cradle Catholic who grew up in the suburbs of Houston, TX. Her growth into a personal faith commitment coincided with her youth group’s study of Catholic social teaching. As part of that formation, the group spent time at the Houston Catholic Worker, a house of hospitality for newcomers arriving from Central America. Those transformative years led her to continue to work in houses of hospitality in Austin, TX during college and develop her capacity to speak Spanish.  

Three generations of Svetliks make vánočka, Czech Christmas bread, in Texas.

Jenn first encountered Mennonites and Mennonite theology through connections within the Catholic peace movement and at Sojourners, in Washington DC, where she was a fellow in the organizing and advocacy department after graduating college. During that time, she met Sheldon Good, who eventually became her spouse.  

Her first decade of post-college professional experience was spent working in faith-based nonprofit organizations in Washington DC, including several years with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, accompanying volunteers in Nicaragua, Tanzania, Micronesia and the US.  

After leaving DC, Jenn, Sheldon, and their oldest child served briefly with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Iraq, before settling in Lansdale, PA.  

Jenn has an MA in Theology from Washington Theological Union and is passionate about faith formation opportunities. She has the opportunity to put that passion into practice as Children’s Ministry Director at Salford (Harleysville, PA), where she is a member.  

Jenn also works supporting fundraising and communications for Roots of Justice, an antiracism training organization. She is also a teaching assistant for the online education program of the Center for Action and Contemplation.  

In all these roles she is excited about the intersection of formation and communication and how communication can support deeper faith formation work.  

Beyond her many paid jobs and caring for her two elementary-school aged children, Jenn enjoys being active and spending time outdoors, such as swimming, biking, kayaking, yoga, and gardening.  “Having my hands in the soil, supporting plants in their growth, making compost, and harvesting and sharing fresh food are all central spiritual practices for me,” Jenn shares.  

Jenn Svetlik (far right) with her spouse, Sheldon Good (far left), and children during a family vacation to Montreal, summer 2023. 

She also really enjoys camping with her family, especially at Hickory Run State Park in the Poconos. “Growing up my family did lots of camping road trips to National Parks across the country. Between those memorable trips and travel as an adult, I have had the opportunity to visit 46 of the 50 states.” 

Differences That Unify, Not Divide

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by Mary Nitzsche

When I was in the ordination process, I was serving as a Leadership Minister for Ohio Conference of Mennonite Church USA. Since I was not pastoring a congregation, the pastors I accompanied were asked to evaluate my readiness for ordination. One pastor, whom I will call Sam, struggled with whether he could support my ordination given his theological interpretation of scripture. Sam took this matter so seriously that he re-read the scriptures about the role of women in leadership, discussed his perspective with trusted colleagues, and prayed about this decision. In his prayerful discernment, he came to his prior conclusion that women should not be ordained.  

Sam communicated his position in a lengthy written document sent certified mail to me and multiple conference leaders. The letter ended with his conviction that he would not stand in the way of the conference decision. There were no threats to leave the conference or denomination if there was support for my ordination. There were no threats he would no longer accept my leadership role in accompanying him in ministry.

Mary Nitzsche (left) was ordained as Regional Pastor of Ohio Conference at Oak Grove Mennonite Church in Smithville, OH on November 16, 1997. Photo provided by Mary Nitzsche.

 

My ordination was supported by the other pastors, conference leadership, and the Ministerial Committee of Ohio Conference and Central District Conference. With his congregational responsibilities, Sam was not able to attend my ordination on November 16, 1997, 26 years ago. 

Because I was unsure of how my ordination would impact our relationship, it took six months after my ordination to have the courage to call Sam. I asked if I could visit his congregation and get to know them. The first thing out of Sam’s mouth was, “Would you be willing to preach?”  

I was shocked and I hesitated to respond. How could he invite me to preach in his congregation while not endorsing the ordination of women, I wondered. Without needing to understand his reasoning, I accepted the invitation with humility and tears of joy. I had experienced God’s grace like never before.  

From this gracious brother, I learned the importance and priority of relationship over belief. I learned the importance of prayerful discernment on matters of belief with an openness to new interpretations. I learned that two people can take scripture seriously, study it carefully, follow Jesus faithfully, and interpret the same scripture differently. I learned that when there is disagreement, there can be mutual respect rather than judgment, and a willingness to remain in fellowship rather than separate. While I understand there are times when separation may be best for a relationship or faith community, I do not believe this should be the norm.  

Before his impending death on the cross, Jesus’ prayed three times for his current and future disciples, “that they will all be one–as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21 NLT). Jesus’ disciples had different personalities and different understandings of Jesus and his mission, and as such, the oneness to which Jesus was calling them did not mean sameness. 

Jesus’ invitation was to remain in relationship even when perspectives are different. In a polarized world in Jesus’ time and now, oneness is a sign of faithfully following the teaching and practices of Jesus. I learned this 26 years ago from my gracious brother in Christ, and I hope my life has demonstrated Jesus’ prayer over these many years of ministry.  

Mary Nitzsche

Mary Nitzsche is a Leadership Minister for Mosaic Conference. She and her husband, Wayne, are Midwest natives. They have two adult daughters, Alison and Megan, son-in-laws, Michael and David, and two grandchildren.