Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Articles

Spruce Lake Introduces New “Gap Year” Program

by

By Moraya Tellado

Renew is an opportunity for young adults to learn in a close-knit community. Photo by Bethany Brown.

Renew! That one word is filled with so much hope, life, and vibrance. It is part of the reason why Spruce Lake Christian Retreat Center and Camp, a Mosaic Conference Related Ministry (CRM), chose that word to be the name of its new gap year program.  

Many high school students graduate tired of school, unsure of what they want to do next, and not confident in their identity. Often students use college as a guide to figure out what they truly want to do and who they really are as persons. This can cost them, both financially and personally. Renew gives those students time and a structure to explore questions, such as: “Who has Christ created me to be?” and “What is my purpose in life?” 

Spruce Lake believes that taking time to answer these questions can propel young people to a future filled with drive, purpose, and passion. A year of discipleship can help students find their identity in Christ and seek out his plans for their lives. This experience has an invaluable impact on future success in college and/or the workforce.  

Learn more about yourself and God as part of Renew. Photo by Bethany Brown.

 

What does this look like practically? Students receive intentional one-on-one discipleship and coaching with experienced and mature staff. Renew participants also have the chance to earn 24 college credits outside of a traditional classroom, using hands-on experiences to teach important lessons. These credits, taken through Anchor Christian University, will be guaranteed to transfer to many Christian colleges and universities, including Lancaster Bible College, Cairn University, and others.  

Renew provides opportunities for Christian growth for young adults. Photo by Bethany Brown.

Being part of Renew means participants will get the chance to go on an international missions trip, partner with the local church, and receive paid ministry experience at Spruce Lake or at Pinebrook Retreat Center in East Stroudsburg, PA. Students will get the opportunity to fully refresh and renew before deciding to enter college or the workforce. 

Whether you work with graduating high schoolers in your ministry or know a high schooler personally, Renew might be just what they need to point them towards Christ’s direction for their lives. Costing $15,000 for a full year (with work study and non-credit pricing available), Renew is cheaper than a first year at most Christian colleges while providing participants with the chance to grow, find their passion, and be renewed.  

“So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

For more information on Renew or to apply, click here! 

Moraya Tellado

Moraya Tellado has been serving with Spruce Lake in many different capacities since 2015 and is currently the program manager for both SL Day Camp and the Renew Gap Year Program. She graduated from Liberty University in 2018 with a degree in education and enjoys using her degree in many unique and fun ways at Spruce Lake.

Finding My Seat at the Mennonite Table

by

by Kiron Mateti

I didn’t grow up Mennonite, or even Christian for that matter. My introduction to the Mennonites came from meeting a woman named Rachel at Penn State in 2006. I had just come to Christ months earlier, following the sudden passing of my older brother in a car accident. My mother, who had converted from being a devout Hindu to a “born again” Christian a decade prior, had a large influence on me, but I wanted my own faith. While reading Matthew’s gospel, I saw contradictions between what Jesus said and what I saw in the church. My take was that Christians were conservative, nationalistic, pro-gun, and cared more about internal piety than systemic social justice issues. 

Rachel was different. She had traveled internationally, cooked huge meals of rice and lentils, lived in community, played Dutch Blitz, and pronounced “Pakistan” correctly. As an Indian-American, that last point showed her desire to learn about other languages and cultures, instead of having an America-first mentality. The Mennonites impressed me by intentionally trying to live out the Sermon on the Mount. Rachel impressed me too, and I now share her name. 

At the time, we attended University Mennonite Church (UMC) in State College, PA, where I first learned to love four-part harmony hymns. Despite being internationally focused, I was one of the few non-white people at UMC, which is something I was used to, having grown up in the suburbs of southwest Ohio. 

Fast forward to January 2023, as part of Plains Mennonite Church (PA), Rachel and I attended the Laurelville Worship Retreat, where hymns from the new Voices Together (VT) hymnal were introduced. Walking into the room with 70 worship leaders singing perfectly pitched four-part harmony was an incredible experience. We learned of the great effort to include songs from Mennonites around the world, as well as attempts at inclusivity. 

Rachel and Kiron Mateti (far left) and others from Mosaic Conference at Laurelville worship retreat in January 2023. Photo provided by Kiron Mateti.

The guest speaker was Safwat Marzouk, an Egyptian-Presbyterian, and author of the book Intercultural Church. He introduced the idea of “hyphenated Christians,” which resonated with me. We are all hyphenated in some way, bringing our heritage, experience, and culture to the table. I am a Cleveland-Indian-American-Charismatic-Anabaptist Christian, whose faith journey is quite different from many Swiss-German Mennonites. Still, I was once again one of the only people of color, despite intercultural intentions. 

Just a few weeks later, I attended Mennonite Church USA’s Hope for the Future Conference (HFF) as a Mosaic Conference board member. 

Joe Manickam (left), Hesston College president, and Kiron (right), at MC USA’s Hope for the Future Conference in Atlanta, February 2023. Photo provided by Kiron Mateti.

I was no longer the only person of color. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) leaders from nearly every continent, ethnic background, and generation came together to connect, learn, and celebrate. We focused on radical hospitality (the antithesis of xenophobia), staying connected to the global story, and taking a stand against injustice wherever it’s found.  

Here I saw a Mennonite world that embraced diversity of culture by boldly clearing away the tables for dancing. Wearing my kurta pyjama, I learned how to salsa and then managed to sneak a Bollywood song in there, to give a little Indian flavor to things.  

I see examples of the kingdom in both of these seemingly different experiences — one more traditional and one that gives a glimpse into what the Mennonite church of tomorrow may look like. 

“We must progress from being multicultural, in which our differing cultures exist independently, to being intercultural, in which we immerse ourselves in cultures unlike our own.”

We must progress from being multicultural, in which our differing cultures exist independently, to being intercultural, in which we immerse ourselves in cultures unlike our own. Further, just as Jesus turned the kingdom upside down, those in power must ensure that everyone has a seat at the decision-making table. In this way, we can have mutual respect for one another and truly call ourselves the family of God. 

To read a longer version of this article, please go to https://www.mennoniteusa.org/menno-snapshots/finding-my-seat-at-the-mennonite-table/  Reprinted and edited with permission. 

Kiron Mateti

Kiron Mateti is a Mosaic Conference board member. He attends Plains Mennonite Church (Hatfield, PA) and lives in Telford, PA with his wife Rachel, and kids, Asha (10), Jaya (7), and Noah (3). He is a robotics engineer developing software for autonomous semi-trucks, and will talk for hours about robots if you will let him. He enjoys playing guitar, throwing frisbee, and building Legos with his kids.

A Mosaic of Resurrection Art

by

Enjoy these creative celebrations of the Resurrection! 

Photos by Marta and Julio Castillo.

We begin on Maundy Thursday and a traditional foot washing, as practiced at Nueva Vida (Norristown, PA).

  • Bethany, Photo by Gwen Groff
  • Doylestown, Photo by KrisAnne Swartley
  • Methacton, Photo by Eileen Kinch
  • Souderton, Photo by Berdine Leinbach.

This collage contains Lenten displays (featured in A Mosaic of Lenten Art) now transformed with new life on Resurrection Sunday!  Here we see the Potter Studio in bloom (Bethany, VT); the cross of suffering with colorful fruits of the Spirit attached (Doylestown, PA); the dried bones springing to life (Methacton, PA); and the dessert landscape awash with flowing water, light, and new life (Souderton, PA).

  • Ambler Mennonite (PA) concluded their Lenten Lego build with a creative portrayal of Peter and the other disciple wondering at the now-empty tomb. Any perceived resemblance to popular movie personalities is completely intended. Photo by Jacob Curtis.
  • Early morning worshippers at Blooming Glen Mennonite (PA) are rewarded with a beautiful sunrise as they celebrate the risen Savior on Easter morning!  Photo by Conrad Martin.
  • Nueva Vida’s (Norristown, PA) Holy Week display features poignant reminders of the journey to the cross, including a single red rose. Photo by Marta Castillo.
  • Worshippers at Redemption Church (Bristol, PA) gathering to worship on Easter morning were blessed with an especially artful sunrise along the Delaware River!  Photo by Gary Alloway.
  • Spring Mount Mennonite (PA) displays a fresh banner that beautifully captures the joy of the empty tomb. The colorful piece was designed and crafted by Gay Brunt Miller. Photo by Chris Nickels.
  • For the Lenten and Easter seasons, Salford Mennonite (PA) invited artist Mandy Martin to create a work inspired by the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit. The resulting four-panel acrylic captures the Spirit hovering over the dark, deep waters of creation, reminding worshipers that the Spirit hovers over us today, ready to breathe new life into chaos. Photo by Mandy Martin.

Do We Really Disagree?

by

by Conrad Martin

I hear a lot these days about how much we disagree. Can I disagree on how much we actually disagree? I’ve been wondering over the past few years why it is that we say we disagree when it seems that we are only talking past each other, even to the point that one could say we aren’t even speaking the same language? 

Photo by Afif Ramdhasuma on Unsplash

My Sunday School class recently studied the book Winsome Convictions, co-authored by Tim Muehlhoff and Richard Langer. The subtitle of the book is Disagreeing Without Dividing the Church. About two-thirds of the way through the book, a light came on in my mind as to why we seem to be talking past each other in our “disagreements.”  The authors state that what we have actually achieved is only misunderstanding, rather than real disagreement. How can we disagree when we don’t even understand what the other person is saying? The authors don’t suggest we need to agree on issues, but we do need to understand what the other person is saying. 

The authors’ recommendation is simple: Before we can claim to disagree with another, we should be able to first state the other person’s position or side. How many times have we heard, “Wait a minute, that isn’t really what I’m saying at all?” We must first be able to state the opinion or position of the other in a way that the person can nod and say, “Yep, you got it right, you really understand me.” Once we are speaking the same language, we can move on to deciding whether or not we truly disagree. This may require several attempts at stating the other’s position, but it helps to build mutual respect and trust that we are aiming for. 

Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash

Stating the other person’s position in a way they find agreeable doesn’t mean that you agree with their position; however, the authors of the book do say it needs to involve both facts and feelings. They ask whether we can reach a level of understanding that can not only state the facts of the issue, but also state how the other person’s beliefs make them feel and why those beliefs make them feel that way. Perhaps we need to get to the level of understanding that we can not only state what the person believes, but also state why it is so important to them. Personally, I’m a facts guy rather than a feelings guy, but I am interested in knowing why things matter to people. 

I don’t know if this really works or not, but I’d like to give it a try. Anyone want to test this out with me? I invite conversation and correspondence, and I will try my best to say your position back to you in a way that you can say, “Yes, you understand me.” At the very least we can aim for better understanding in our disagreements and perhaps find some areas of agreement along the way.   

Conrad Martin

Conrad Martin is the Director of Finance for Mosaic Conference.

Mosaic Conference Board appoints first California member, Lucy Hannanto Parsono

by

CONFERENCE BOARD UPDATES

At the March 20, 2023, hybrid board meeting (Lansdale office-based and Zoom-based) the Mosaic Conference board named Lucy Hannanto Parsono to an unexpired position. She will be filling the vacancy left by Kris Wint, pastor at Finland Mennonite Church.  Wint’s term ended when Finland congregation withdrew from Mosaic in the fall of 2022. 

Hannanto Parsono is an elder at International Worship Center in San Gabriel, CA. She and her husband, Alfred, live in Hacienda Heights, CA. They are the parents of a daughter and have three grandchildren who also live in southern California. Lucy was born on the island of Sumatra but grew up in Tangerang, on the island of Java near Jakarta in Indonesia. Lucy’s parents converted to Christianity from Buddhism, though she was raised in the church. She moved to California in the 1980s and now runs an import/export business dealing mostly with trade between the U.S. and Indonesia. 

In her discernment to join the Conference board, she felt encouraged by family and mentors who said, “This kind of work is your life.” Lucy loves to find opportunities to serve in the church and sees this as another way to serve and to learn within the Mosaic community. Lucy receives strong affirmation for her role from Leadership Ministers Aldo Siahaan and Jeff Wright and her brother, Buddy Hannanto, pastor at IWC. 

Pathway Forward Steering Team Update

by

by Marta Castillo 

April 10, 2023 

The Pathway Forward Steering Team is up and running with a task that seems large … even God-sized!  Our mission is to lead a two-year strategic planning process to set a pathway within our priorities and in alignment with our vision and mission, which will serve to guide us for the following 3-5 years in our work together as congregations, conference related ministries, board, and staff.  This work will also clarify our relationship with Mennonite Church USA, with each other, and with other Anabaptist communities.  

We, the Pathway Forward Steering Team, are humbled by the largeness of the scope of the task.  We are also hopeful that our desire to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and keep Jesus in the center of our work will be a part of God’s ongoing kingdom work in our conference.   

Our first step was to fully invite the Holy Spirit into this work. As stated in the Pathway Forward document, we “recognize the holy possibility present in living into our vision; we have committed to embodying the reconciling love of Jesus in our broken and beautiful world as a community celebrating and extending God’s grace, justice, and peace. We recognize that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we shape our relationships and work around missional, intercultural, and formational priorities with Jesus at the center of our faith.” 

We have met as a larger team, as well as in a smaller coordinating group every other week. We have also met with Grovider, our consultants, and will continue to meet with them once a month to sort out our roles and purposes and how we will collaborate as teams. 

Currently, our Pathway Forward Steering Team is seeking to frame questions for information gathering, name key Scriptures, and create an interactive and relational framework for respectful, joyful, and honest conversations around the hopes, dreams, and challenges that we have for each of these priorities:   

Missional 

As God’s people, we are sent to heal what has been broken in our relationships, neighborhoods, and the world by sharing and living out the Good News of Jesus. 

Intercultural 

As human beings made in the image of God, we acknowledge, own, and celebrate our cultural differences, allowing ourselves to be changed by the relationships we build across cultures, while we work together for racial justice. 

Formational 

As Anabaptist Christians, we are called both to know and to follow God in our lives. As we build relationships and share the Good News, we become more and more like Jesus. 

We invite you to send us forward-looking hopes, dreams, questions, Scriptures, and thoughts related to our Mosaic missional, intercultural, and formational priorities.  Email the team at pathwayprocesssteeringcommittee@mosaicmennonites.org.  

We invite you to fast and pray for us as we fast and pray for the team, the Pathway Forward, and Mosaic Mennonite Conference. 

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.

A Mosaic of Lenten Art

by

  • Ambler Mennonite (PA) is focusing on people who met Jesus on his journey to the cross while exploring the question, “What are we bringing to the cross?” Each Saturday, congregants gather to build the scenes creatively with Legos. Here we see Mary anointing Jesus’ feet, while Judas condemns this “waste” of resources (John 12:1-8). Photo Credit: Jacob Curtis 
  • Bethany Mennonite (Vermont) has created a simple potter’s studio at the front of the church to portray the theme, “We are the clay; you are the potter,” from Isaiah 64:8. Each week a potter shares specific concepts that fit the theme, such as centering, clay memory, and made from the earth. Photo Credit: Gwen Groff
  • During Lent, Doylestown (PA) congregation has been reflecting on “The Fruit of Suffering.” Congregants write their struggles or losses on slips of purple paper and then tuck them into dead grape vines wrapped around the large cross.  Photo Credit: KrisAnne Swartley
  • The work of Marie Riegle, an artist from Lancaster County, PA, is on display at Methacton Mennonite Church (PA) during Lent. Made from animal bones, Can These Dry Bones Live? is based on Ezekiel 37:2-3 and features a green plant emerging from the bones. Pastor Sandy Drescher-Lehman wrote a litany that the congregation read each week during Lent. Photo Credit: Eileen Kinch
  • With a theme of “Shaped by Jesus,” Souderton Mennonite’s (PA) altar display features a desert landscape that gradually transforms with more signs of life each week.  Here we see flowing water, green plants, and birds in their nests on week five during Lent. Photo Credit: Berdine Leinbach
  • Zion Mennonite Church (PA) has a special altar display featuring a cross, a crown, and candles for Lent. Photo credit: Beth Rauschenberger
  • Junior High students Greta and Anju from Plains Mennonite (PA) created interactive Lenten response art along with their leader, Rachel. Congregants were invited to add ideas for Fasting, Praying, and Giving in the margins. Photo Credit: Heather Gingrich
  • Dark clouds and rain hang over the sanctuary of Plains Mennonite (PA) during Lent to represent the storms of life. Junior High students Heather and Greta created the display as a reminder to look for glimpses of light, hope, peace, and comfort amid life’s storms.  Photo Credit: Heather Gingrich

The Kiss of Betrayal

by

By Noel Santiago

Mark 14:43-45:  And immediately, even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders.  The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss. Then you can take him away under guard.” As soon as they arrived, Judas walked up to Jesus. “Rabbi!” he exclaimed and gave him the kiss (NLT). 

Can you recall any hurtful moments in your life? Have any of those moments included a betrayal? Jesus can identify with you. 

Photo by Francesco Alberti on Unsplash

In this text we see a close friend, disciple, and follower of Jesus betraying him. Earlier that day they shared a meal together and Jesus broke bread with Judas. Now Judas goes out and implements the plan he had already put in place and would receive payment for, prior to breaking bread with Jesus. This was no accident! 

This plan for betrayal called for a special signal to be used to identify the one who is to be arrested. What is the signal? A kiss. Judas had earlier informed the soldiers and temple police, “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss. Then you can take him away under guard.”  

The kiss was not just a greeting of friendship, but a symbol of deep love, affection, obligation, covenant, and relationship. Giving this kind of kiss was a powerful symbol to everyone who saw it. Strangers would never greet each other with a kiss, for it was a greeting reserved only for the most special of relationships. 

It was this kiss, however, that was used as a signal to let the troops know they needed to move quickly to make their arrest. It would be the kiss that initiated the process leading to Jesus’ death. 

Betrayal is not first about what happens to us, it’s first about what’s in us! Betrayal causes hurt, pain, and anger.  Our first response tends to be centered around these feelings. This is not necessarily bad – it’s human.   

Photo by Stacey Franco on Unsplash

One reason for this is that we have expectations of ourselves and others. We somehow see these expectations as a sort of “contract” that has been made with life and others. When those expectations are not met or are even opposed, we suffer. What’s even more difficult is the realization that our imagination of God’s protection rarely includes the notion of suffering, pain, or anguish, let alone betrayal. It’s our response to these expectations that is the greater matter. 

The more love and hope we have invested in others, the deeper the pain of betrayal is.  If it happens at a personal level, we wonder if we will ever trust again. Our heart does “break.” It is at those crossroad moments when the breaking can forever close us down, or—sometimes just the opposite—it can open us up to an enlargement of heart and soul.  

Jesus chose this second path through which he overcame death and the grave and brought forth a renewed invitation to all humanity to be reconciled with God and others. It’s a daring journey that invites us to be healed and to help heal; to be renewed and to renew what is broken in our beautiful world. It’s in the very act of a deep betrayal by a loved one that God in Christ transforms what was meant for death into new life! 

What can be “good” about Good Friday? It’s when God’s life-giving purposes in Christ were set into motion. What good can come from the pain and hurt we experience from others? If we open ourselves to forgive and allow God to transform our pain and hurt into greater Christlikeness, then we too may experience the renewing life-giving resurrection power of Jesus in our lives.

Noel Santiago

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