Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

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Finding Friendships

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By Randy Heacock 

Last Friday night I performed a wedding ceremony for a couple in Allentown, PA.  The very next day, I led a funeral service in Fairfax, VA.  The man who died had recently celebrated 58 years of marriage with his spouse.  I hope that the newly married couple will experience that many years (and more) of marriage. Although the thought of losing a spouse is hard, typically – but hopefully after decades of marriage – one of them will eventually find themselves saying goodbye to the other.    

In my premarital counseling, I encourage every couple to develop and maintain strong same-gender relationships throughout their lives.  I believe it is equally important for all of us to do this, but I think women often are better at it than men.    

Even those in the healthiest marriages need good friendships outside of their spouse. Photo by Nancy Heacock.

In Genesis, we read that it was not good for Adam to be alone. I believe this biblical witness from the start names our need for connection with other humans.  Our society is infatuated with romantic love and couples, yet both Jesus and Paul call us to a broader community to love and build relationships.  Whether married or not, I believe all of us need to develop significant, non-romantic relationships to love and be loved.  

The first time this came into focus for me was when a good friend lost his wife to cancer at the age of 48.  I saw how his deep friendships nurtured, supported, and gave him strength.  I wondered if we place too heavy of expectations on our marital relationships because we fail to develop and maintain other friendships. It is not surprising many marriages struggle when we place such an emphasis for a person to be “the one.”  

I have been blessed in my journey as I have developed male friendships.  Though I am introvert, I have discovered that I really enjoy hanging out with other men.  Whether I am playing basketball, disc golf, working together, or sitting around a table, I find these friendships energizing.   As my circle of male friends has enlarged, my life has been enriched.   

It has been equally rewarding as this circle of friends has reached far beyond my church/pastoral connections. I believe having friends outside the church has helped be more realistic regarding my expectations towards my faith community. I have learned much from my Catholic friends and from those who do not attend church at all.  There are often refreshingly honest conversations on a wide variety of topics.  Whether we are discussing parenting, job-related issues or sports, the variety of opinions is welcomed. While I do not often engage, many loud political debates also ensue, where I try to discern what makes it so emotionally charged for those arguing.  Through it all, what I appreciate is that all leave as friends and return for more in the weeks ahead.   

My wife claims that I am a “fake introvert”. Regardless, I will keep encouraging all to develop same-gender relationships within and beyond the church.  It takes time, investment, and even a willingness to be uncomfortable.  For me, it has been well worth the effort.  I believe it has enhanced me as a follower of Jesus which is good for my marriage and my church.     

Randy Heacock

Randy Heacock serves as a Leadership Minister for Mosaic Conference while continuing in his role as pastor of Doylestown Mennonite Church.

What Exactly Will We Do at Assembly?

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By Stephen Kriss

After the Assembly Scattered meeting in California, Pastor Grace Pam of Faith Chapel said, “I appreciate the way we are trying to worship, pray, and do our business work together.”

We are trying. 

In our first in-person Mosaic Assembly on November 5 at Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church, we will worship, listen, celebrate, remember, eat, pray, and embrace. And we will likely disagree.   

Mosaic is ultimately a set of relationships and commitments to God and each other. Gathering at tables together is not only practical, but it’s symbolic of our community identity.   

Sundanese Table Spread. Photo by Vina Kencana.

We will have tamales made by the women of Centro de Alabanza (Philadelphia), Longacre’s (Bally, PA) ice cream, funny cake from West Swamp congregation (Quakertown, PA), and a Sundanese lunch (Indonesian Light Church, Philadelphia).  Food will be one way that we do the important work of entering each other’s worlds. 

In our worship, we will sing, pray, anoint, and receive communion together. This is the rhythm of our life together as people in the way of Jesus.  We receive. We bless. We share. We listen. We proclaim. 

And we will do the holy work of the church, including the work that postures Mosaic for the next few years. 

We will affirm a new Conference Related Ministry, Amahoro International, and a new congregation, Iglesia Evangélica Menonita de Oración Adoración (Philadelphia, PA). 

We will affirm our new moderators. Angela Moyer Walter served as Assistant Moderator with Franconia and now Mosaic Conference and will move into the role of Moderator. Angela grew up at the former Rockhill congregation (Telford, PA) and graduated from Dock Mennonite Academy (Lansdale, PA). She is one of the pastors at Ripple Church in Allentown, PA.  She is bi-vocational, working also as a pediatric occupational therapist, and bilingual in English and Spanish. 

Roy Williams is on the Mosaic Board and serves as the Chair of the Intercultural Committee. The Mosaic Board has selected him as the next Assistant Moderator. Roy brings a depth of board experience and strong commitments to urban ministry.  He has been moderator of Mennonite Church USA and is vice chair of the Mennonite Education Agency board.  Roy will retire in December from his long-term pastoral role at College Hill Mennonite Church (Tampa, FL). 

The leadership duo of Angela and Roy will bring broad experience and strong commitments to our constituent community.   

We will discern a pathway forward. The Pathways document emerged from the recommendations of the Listening Task Force. The document calls for strategic work that is a natural next step in our Mosaic communal life. Yet this natural step comes at a difficult time in our relationship with Mennonite Church USA.  

The Pathways document has four key actions: 

  1. Continued prayer and fasting. 
  2. Commitments to walking patiently together. 
  3. Launching a strategic planning process to clarify our future. 
  4. Allowing congregations to suspend their membership in Mennonite Church USA if their conscience discerns this is necessary at this time. 

The Pathways document will be presented for consideration as a whole document—delegates will not be able to affirm only pieces of it. While the board could call for the process and commitments of steps 1-3, only delegates can approve the by-law change required for step 4. This is critical discernment work. Can we commit to prayerfully walking together so that we can move toward our future in a way that clarifies our relationships with each other and MC USA?

Some of us want to move quickly while others of us don’t want any change.

Some of us want to move quickly while others of us don’t want any change. This proposal provides opportunities to extend grace to one another amid our differences. There is a risk that we have polarized so much that this document will not pass, yet the Board believe this pathway offers us the opportunity to move together with clarity and wisdom. The delegates will decide if we affirm and extend that grace of conscience to each other. 

In the commotion and confusion of our changing times and new identity, we do this while being rooted in the steadfast love of God, bearing witness to Christ in whom we are centered, and anticipating the Spirit’s presence with us. 

Stephen Kriss

Stephen Kriss is the Executive Minister of Mosaic Conference.

Appreciating Our Ministers by Waiting

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By Noel Santiago

I want to appreciate, affirm, and acknowledge all Mosaic pastors and the hard work they do, giving of themselves to help guide us in the way of Jesus.  I also acknowledge the families of these leaders who give of themselves unselfishly in many ways.  

I was inspired by an article by Sarai Rice, How to Manage Expectations. “Your ministers may look OK, but they are not. All ministers, even those who thrive on challenges, are by now exhausted, anxious, and at least intermittently depressed,” wrote Rice. “Ministers need affirmation and affection right now.” 

Not every minister is experiencing this, but we certainly understand that ministers have had many challenges over the past two plus years. “Ministers have moved mountains -taking congregations from minimal technology to fully virtual in a matter of weeks, becoming experts on mask quality, air exchange, and disinfection … all while being pressured, disrespected or ignored by people who resist their efforts to keep themselves and their members safe,” Rice reflected.  

“Your ministers may look OK, but they are not. All ministers, even those who thrive on challenges, are by now exhausted, anxious, and at least intermittently depressed,” wrote Rice. “Ministers need affirmation and affection right now.” 

Can anyone identify?  

Pastors had to figure a lot out quickly and succeeded. But these unexpected realities, which required a lot of creative energy, were done in addition to normal responsibilities. This added stress was often unknown to many in the congregation. Every step forward added another measure of exhaustion, possibly accompanied by an underlying fear that we may not be able to keep up this pace and manage all the anxiety that is present. There was less time to slow down to just be with and trust God. 

Making decisions has also gotten harder. Data that churches have relied on to gauge fruitfulness (e.g., attendance) are no longer easily measurable. Budget decisions seem to take longer and feel riskier. Long-time members are suddenly ready to leave the church over disagreements that could have been worked at previously.  

What can be done?  

The Apostle Paul offers some instructions, “Live in peace with each other. 14 We encourage you, brothers and sisters, to instruct those who are not living right, cheer up those who are discouraged, help the weak, and be patient with everyone” (1 Thess. 5:13b-14, GW).  

One of the best gifts we can give pastors is to live at peace with one another. How much work would ministers have if everyone were at peace with each other, not just at church but at home, work, school, and daily life? 

How can we support our ministers?  Rice suggests us “to manage expectations—yours and one another’s.” 

Just for today …  

let’s realize we all are doing our best. 
let’s not curse each other—not our friends, ourselves, or even our cats. 
let’s let go of our disagreements and embrace compromise. 

Instead … 

Let’s say thank you. 
Let’s pray. 

Just for today, let’s wait.  

Let’s wait to complain.  
Let’s wait before we send an impatient email.  
Let’s wait in order to make space for breath and life and the movement of the Spirit.

–Sarai Rice 

Rice continues, “Let’s wait before expecting that we and our ministers always will work harder and go faster and be even more creative. Let’s slow down, find grace, and wait before expecting one more thing. There will be a better time.” 

Perhaps the best support we can give our minsters is to grow in our own walk with the Lord, to not wait for the Pastor to “feed us.”  

The ongoing fruitfulness of our congregations and ministries is connected to how we care for our ministers and their families. October is Pastors’ Appreciation month. Let’s give them the gift of living at peace with one another and continue all year long. 

Noel Santiago

Noel Santiago is the Leadership Minister for Missional Transformation for Mosaic Conference.

Shalom Fund Ends with Extreme Generosity

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By Eileen R. Kinch 

Full Map Graphic

In June 2022, the Mosaic Shalom Fund was closed. The Fund was a mutual aid effort that began early in the pandemic with an initial goal of $50,000 to meet the immediate needs of vulnerable communities in Mosaic Conference. During its two-year life, the Fund collected $217,945.  

Jaye Lindo, the first person to donate to the Shalom Fund, said, “I knew that the only way we would get through this COVID-19 pandemic is for us to do it together.” Some donations to the Fund were larger; others were small, but the Shalom Fund had a big impact. 

The Shalom Fund was created after Leadership Ministers listened carefully to the needs of Mosaic congregations. Over the course of two years, over 130 individuals, churches, and businesses contributed to the Shalom Fund; some did so multiple times. Congregations and ministries that received help from the Shalom Fund had to be members, Partners in Ministry, or Conference Related Ministries of Mosaic Conference. They requested funds through a simple application process. 

COVID-19 affected everyone in Mosaic Conference, but students faced special challenges since schools closed to in-person instruction. Not all students have an internet connection in their homes, and others had working parents who were unable to stay at home to help them. Crossroads Community Center in Philadelphia (PA) created special learning pods for 35 students to do their schooling online. A grant from the Shalom Fund helped to feed the students and to pay the staff. 

Ripple Church in Allentown (PA) saw immediate and increased needs for food in the community.  Soup kitchens had shut down in the spring of 2020, so Pastor Charlene Smalls provided meals from the parking lot of the local bus station. “The Shalom Fund was there,” said Smalls, “and we found out what is meant by all things work together for the good of those that love the Lord.” The Shalom Fund provided food, bottled water, masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer.  The Fund also paid for a canopy so that Ripple Church could more safely worship outside. 

Mark Wenger, Pastor of Franconia (PA) Mennonite Church, explained that donating to the Fund was an opportunity for him and his wife to “bless others in our Conference family of congregations and pastors.”  Mosaic pastors and leaders worked very hard during the pandemic. Many were involved in food distribution efforts, especially among immigrant congregations in South Philadelphia.  

The Shalom Fund also had a global reach. Herman Sagastume of Healthy Niños pointed out that the pandemic made life harder for rural communities in Honduras. Children were “attending … school on an empty stomach because the only food they ate was early in the afternoon in order to last the whole day,” he said. “It broke our hearts.” The Shalom Fund provided food for these children and their families. Shalom Fund donations traveled even farther to Peace Proclamation Ministries in India, and eventually to Mennonite World Conference in Indonesia. 

The Shalom Fund is a testimony to the love and unity of the body of Christ. Paul writes, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:26, NIV).  Mosaic Conference lived into this reality in both giving and receiving during the pandemic. May we deepen in Christ’s oneness now and in the future. 

Watch this short video to get a visual representation of Shalom Fund’s impact:

Eileen Kinch

Eileen Kinch is part of the Mosaic communication team and works with editing and writing. She holds a Master of Divinity degree, with an emphasis in the Ministry of Writing, from Earlham School of Religion.

Brings Your Stones to Assembly!

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by Emily Ralph Servant

In 2019, delegates voted to reconcile Eastern District Conference and Franconia Conference. To symbolize the new things we were expecting God to do among us, a representative from each congregation took home a stone to paint and return at our 2020 Assembly. We were planning to use the stones to build a cairn testifying to God’s work among us. Then, in March of 2020, the pandemic hit. For the following two years, we held our assembly virtually. Our stones collected dust in closets and weeds in garden patches.

Jessica Miller, associate pastor from Perkasie congregation, holds the stone that her congregation took home in the 2019 Conference Assembly. Photo by Cindy Angela.

This year, as we celebrate our first in-person Assembly as Mosaic Conference, we invite delegates to bring your stones along to Assembly on November 5. Much has changed in the last three years. Some of you might not know where your stone is—that’s ok! Some of you might not have energy or creativity to paint your stone—that’s ok! Write your congregation’s name with a sharpie, pick up a stone from beside the creek, bring a pebble, or come empty-handed to represent the losses that the last three years have held. We invite you to bring whatever you have as we believe together that God takes what we offer and creates something beyond what we could ask or imagine.

Emily Ralph Servant

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

The Steadfast Love of God in a Time of Change

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by Stephen Kriss

In June, I wrote a Mosaic response related to the outcomes of the Mennonite Church USA Special Delegate Session at Kansas City.  In a second article, I outlined essentially nothing had changed in our relationships together as Mosaic Conference.  Now we are preparing for our annual Assembly, six months after those denominational meetings, and the waters have not calmed for us as a community.  It has become a difficult time to lead and navigate together. Yet, the steadfast love of God is still present. 

In response to the Kansas City meetings, we planned a series of listening sessions in June. The sessions were well attended, but we needed a more focused and intentional effort to hear across the breadth and width of our conference.  The Mosaic Board approved a Listening Task Force made up of gifted and committed leaders.  I am grateful for their steady work.  They set out to listen to every community and ministry.  Though they didn’t accomplish that fully, some clear themes emerged which give a possible way forward together. 

Meanwhile, some congregations and leaders have become increasingly frustrated. And some days that includes me. I have had numerous people repeat to me, “You have a tough job,” or, “I wouldn’t want your job.”  I’m grateful for the recognition of the difficulty of the work.  However, I am committed to walking us through this time together.  We can do the difficult work, and we can do it while allowing the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control — Galatians 5:22-23) to be cultivated within each of us and our communities. 

We can do the difficult work, and we can do it while allowing the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control — Galatians 5:22-23) to be cultivated within each of us and our communities. 

The Task Force has done important work of taking time to listen and brought significant recommendations back to the Board. There is a sense of urgency within some of us.  We live in a time of quick responses.  We want to be responsive. At the same time, the transforming work of God often has a different sense of timeliness than we might often prefer. 

As staff, we have begun to work in several areas that are highlighted by the Task Force.  We are working on clarifying the information and needs to help us make good decisions.  We do not all have the information we need.  We will work to identify and define these issues in the next weeks and months.   

I have been in conversation with key partners, including Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite World Conference, Everence, Mennonite Mission Network, Mennonite educational institutions, other MC USA Conferences, and leaders of other US-based Anabaptist networks.  We want to be able to make informed decisions about our future together. 

As Mosaic, our diversity is a strength and a challenge.  We are being mutually transformed together as a community, yet at the same time we also struggle to fully understand how to listen and discern well in ways that will allow us to make decisions together.  What we learned from Kansas City is that we are not at our best with processes that lead to divided votes resulting in winners and losers rather than inclusive discernment. Voting by ballot is one of the least communal forms of decision-making.  I believe we can work at decision-making differently that is honest, patient, and maybe even joyful Spirit-work.

I believe we can work at decision-making differently that is honest, patient, and maybe even joyful Spirit-work.

We are sharing the recommendations to the Board by the Task Force in preparation for the upcoming Assembly scattered sessions where we will hear more from Task Force members and continue conversations together. It’s excellent work. And it’s incomplete work.  We still have work to do. 

Mosaic Conference was born from our commitment to reconciliation; it has grown through our commitments to becoming missional and intercultural.  We are now being tested in our formation and discipleship, how we make decisions about essential and tough issues together.   

Our Mosaic vision to embody the reconciling love of Jesus in our broken and beautiful world is still unfolding even within us. We will physically gather to embody this for the first time next month in the midst of turmoil. Jesus will be present with us. 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.  His mercies never come to an end.  They are new every morning.  (Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV)  

Stephen Kriss

Stephen Kriss is the Executive Minister of Mosaic Conference.

Listening Task Force Recommendations Presented to Board

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The Mosaic Listening Task Force culminated their work by presenting findings and recommendations to the Mosaic Board last week. The recommendations, which were received and affirmed, emerged out of weeks of listening, praying, and reflecting on feedback collected from Mosaic congregations and Conference related ministries.  

The nine recommendations, which can be described as prayerful, relational, transparent, and transformational, are intended to guide the Board as they lead us through this time and into Mosaic’s future.  In this way, the recommendations can be seen as an opportunity that has grown out of a complex challenge.  The nine actions ask us to fast and pray, discern, walk together, clarify, focus on what unites us, build relationships across differences, communicate with MCUSA, plan, and roll out. 

Mosaic Listening Task Force members will be present at upcoming Assembly scattered sessions, in which the Mosaic family can further reflect and discern together. The Task Force recommendations are linked here for all to review before our upcoming gatherings. 

Watch the video in English, Spanish and Indonesian:

What Does Fruit Look Like?

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By Conrad Martin

I was having a discussion the other day with my wife about how people will know we are followers of Christ.  Her answer was a good one. Do we exhibit the fruit of the Spirit of God living in us?  She must have been thinking of Matthew 7:20: “… by their fruit you will recognize them” (NIV).  Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruit: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance [patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

But I said, these are all intangibles. What does love actually look like… same for joy, peace, kindness, and all of the others?  If we look for goodness and faithfulness, what specifically will we find?  Can we point to something or someone and say, now there are examples of patience and gentleness?  How do we exhibit an intangible?

I wasn’t quite satisfied with the discussion and began to think about the fruit of the Spirit more deeply.  What if I converted the fruit into an adverb form? Could we identify the fruit more easily and tangibly?  What if we use these words instead: lovingly, joyfully, peacefully, patiently, kindly, virtuously, faithfully, gently, and disciplined. 

What if we use these fruit adverbs to inform the way we do our jobs, the way we relate to others, and pretty much the way we do anything? What if we live: 

  • more lovingly by caring for another person’s needs above our own, seeing the other person the way God sees them, and being more forgiving of others?
  • more joyfully by spreading our thanksgiving to God in infectious ways and lifting the spirits of others?
  • more peacefully by working to reduce conflict around us and in us, which leads to wholeness?
  • more patiently by showing a calmness when there is impatience and chaos all around us?
  • more kindly by guarding our negative words and instead lifting others up with words of encouragement?
  • more virtuously by working with the highest of integrity and moral standards?
  • more faithfully by honoring trust that others have in us by being true to our words and true to our beliefs in God?
  • more gently by showing a meekness and humility that casts aside callousness and pride?
  • more disciplined by working free from distractions, not giving into the whims of the moment or sudden impulses and fleeing the desires of the flesh as described in Galatians 5:16-21, the section preceding the fruit of the Spirit passage. 

Would people notice anything different about the way we live our lives and the way we relate to others that reflect the Spirit of God living in us?  “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water,” Jeremiah tells us, and points out that such a person “… never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV).  Will people see fruit that shows we have been transformed by the power of Christ and have a personal relationship with him, because we have put our trust and confidence in him?   

As I look back over my list of fruit adverbs, I am humbled at how difficult the list is and how much I need the Holy Spirit living within me.  Exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit is a daily challenge I face for my walk in the Spirit. 

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water,” Jeremiah tells us, and points out that such a person “… never fails to bear fruit”

Jeremiah 17:7-8, NIV

Conrad Martin

Conrad Martin is the Director of Finance for Mosaic Conference.