Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Articles

Facing the Dark, Welcoming the Light

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By Brooke Martin

It’s mid-January now. Winter darkness has settled in. Most Christmas decorations are put away along with the ambiance they offer. Christmas outdoor decorations are a rare sight. We have made it past the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Depending on the person, this information ranges from obvious and unmissable to something inconsequential and possibly un-noted.  I find myself noticing the darkness more in January when the joy of the Christmas lights fades and the darkness is more evident. 

In my home, we have white lights that stay up year-round, a strand around the kitchen, and a strand on a wall in our living room. In part this is a practical choice, for the times we come home after dark, welcoming the light to aid us in reaching the light switch without tripping over strewn toys on the floor. 

Warm white lights can offer a cozy welcome and calm respite after whatever the day has brought. As evening calm settles into our house, I can be intentional about unwinding. Sometimes the warm light helps me center in yoga, inviting me to tune-in and listen anew to the Triune God around me. Other evenings I snuggle in with a warm drink intuitively embracing the complement of light and darkness, the cold of winter with the warmth of heat and a blanket. 

Light in the darkness can also be a symbol used to remind my children of the Holy Spirit’s presence watching over them. A lava lamp and small lamp are switched on when my children climb in bed. When their thoughts are scary, or a shadow in the closet tricks their eyes, they come to find my husband and me.   

We have a few practices to engage during these times. Putting the power back in my kids’ control, we flip the image, helping them imagine their fear appearing in a silly or less threatening way. What happens when the scary thing wears a rainbow tutu … how about if it has a clown nose or rides a unicycle? We also equip our children by reminding them that God is with them, we are here, and they are safe. A hug goes a long way.  

We have a prayer that we have taught our children. It is not perfect, it does not mean their room is as bright as daylight. It can be picked apart, but it does name their bravery and remind them that Jesus, our hope, is light. 

“Jesus is with me 
And Jesus is the Light, 
And where there is light, 
There can be NO DARKNESS. 
Help me be brave.” 

As evening comes today or clouds cover the sky, may we also be able find the lights, and may God use them to center and comfort us and to spark hope and bravery. 

Brooke Martin

Brooke Martin is the Youth and Community Formation Pastor for Mosaic Conference. Brooke lives in Telford with her husband, Nathaniel, and their two children.

Mosaic Conference Children’s Author Finds Niche

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by Lucy Brubaker 

BOOK REVIEW

The Abissi family (from L-R: Mark, Maria, Gia and Frank). Many of Maria’s books are based on her family.
Photo from MariaAbissi.com

Maria T. Abissi began writing stories when her children were born and is now the author of over twenty books for children ages 8-12. Her characters, settings, and themes come from her family, friends, and real-life experiences. A unique aspect of many of her books is telling the story through the lens of a person with a disability. This creates understanding and empathy for her characters.  

Abissi, an active member of Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church, has a heart for sharing God’s love with young people. By weaving together stories of children with disabilities with an understanding of who God is, her writings demonstrate how God cares for all of us. Characters’ attitudes change when they learn to know someone else’s story. The stories teach us to have empathy for others. 

The Cousins series is a set of five books about interactions between cousins who solve problems together and learn to care for each other. Gabriella is one of the characters.  She has a genetic condition called 22q deletion syndrome. (Abissi’s daughter, Gia, also has 22q.) The reader experiences the struggle, chaos, and cousin drama from Gabriella’s perspective. Through it all, Gabriella learns that God is with her through difficult times. 

Samson, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, is the main character in the four-book series, Seasons with Samson. Samson’s adventures in each book take him through beautiful seasonal landscapes. Abissi creatively weaves text and photos collected from her friends and family into a story told from Samson’s point of view. Each book concludes with an inspiring verse. 

Book Cover from MariaAbissi.com

Abissi’s years as a teacher come through in Are You Afraid of Thunder? She starts with the misunderstandings about what causes thunder and then gives the scientific explanation along with helpful illustrations. Her encouragement to the reader is to be curious, listen, and observe.  

In the two-book series Cosmo’s Moon, Abissi incorporates information about the night sky into the story of Cosmo, a middle school student who loves studying the moon, but is challenged by a class bully.  

Abissi’s classroom experience is also evident in the book Going for Green. Mrs. O’Teri helps her students change from avoiding their classmate with a disability to understanding why he interrupts and doesn’t follow the class rules. She explains that not all disabilities are visible. She encourages them to find Michael doing something right and provides a list of “tricks” to help them all be ready to learn. 

During the pandemic, Abissi wrote a daily devotional called Who is God? It gave comfort to her daughter at a time when she and many others were feeling anxious and overwhelmed. This 31-day collection of scripture, photos, thoughts, and prayers reminds us of God’s loving presence and sweet comfort. 

We all know that life can be complicated, and in Abissi’s book, Not Just a Vase, we are reminded that many layers and details of a story are often hidden from view. In a time when we are very quick to make judgments, this story is a good reminder to all of us to be still, to listen, and to love others. 

Abissi’s books are easy reads for preteens. They can also be read aloud to younger children, and they provide opportunities for real life discussions. The books make an excellent addition to church libraries. Abissi’s books are available at her shop on Amazon.

Lucy Brubaker

Lucy Brubaker lives in Telford, PA, with her husband Ed and attends Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church. They have a daughter and son-in-law in Portland, OR. She enjoys gardening, biking, traveling, and writing. 

A Call to Prayer

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By Mike Clemmer 

Years ago, as I began my first pastorate, my wife gifted me with a beautiful hand-crafted kneeling bench. She knew how important it would be for my ministry to daily spend time with the Lord in prayer and “bow down, kneel before the Lord, and acknowledge that He is God” (Psalm 95:6). 

Time with the Lord and before the Lord is paramount in hearing from God and in worshipping the Lord. Through prayer and the scriptures, we learn more of God’s heart. We also invite the Holy Spirit to speak and guide our thoughts and actions. It is a daily practice that is too important to avoid or dismiss.  

I keep the prayer bench in my church office and find myself on the kneeling rail often. Yet unfortunately, I also find myself walking past it way too often as well. Perhaps my pride tells me that I already know what’s best or maybe I simply feel like I do not have the time to pray. In any case, my time of kneeling before the Lord is often hijacked by my own selfish thoughts and interests.  

As I begin 2023, the reminder of my need to pray and prioritize time before the Lord is more timely than ever. With busy schedules and the pressures of ever-changing cultural norms, discernment surrounding matters of faith and the church has become a very difficult task. We long for a clear word from the Lord on all matters of faith and practice, yet we often walk right past our prayer benches. Instead, we look for clear direction through what feels best or what makes the most sense to us. I find myself even speaking for God on some of these things without ever spending the time on my prayer rail listening to God’s voice. 

Mosaic Conference is also in the midst of a discernment process. Conference delegates recently passed the Pathways Document which lays out a plan forward in discerning our relationship with each other, with Mennonite Church USA (MC USA), as well as other matters of practice in the church.  

In the Pathways document, the first bullet point is a reminder for all of us to kneel before the Lord and pray. It states: 

We believe that we are called by God in this time:  To share in the practice of continued prayer and fasting so that we may discern, yield, and listen to the Spirit among us.  

This is a simple call to prayer and fasting. It is an invitation for all of us to spend time in God’s presence and to listen to and yield to what the Spirit tells us. How will we respond to this call to prayer? Will we be able to kneel on our prayer benches each day, study God’s word, and allow the Spirit to speak to us, or will we simply walk by and believe that we already know what God wants for us?  

My prayer is that we can all humbly prioritize prayer and the spiritual disciplines in our journey towards discernment and that God’s voice will clearly be heard as we bow before God’s throne each day in 2023.  

Mike Clemmer

Mike Clemmer is a Conference Leadership Minister and serves as the pastor of Maple Grove Mennonite Church (Lancaster Conference).

Burkholder Finishes and Reflects on Moderator Role

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By Eileen Kinch

On December 31, 2022, Ken Burkholder concluded his three-year term as Mosaic Conference moderator. In this role, Burkholder gave leadership to the Executive Board, the Executive Committee, and the Conference Assembly.

Prior to being moderator, Burkholder served on the former Franconia Conference Board. “Ken has steadily and graciously led us through our reconciliation process and through a global pandemic, in the midst of complicated denominational relationships,” said Steve Kriss, Executive Minister of Mosaic Conference.  

COVID-19 has defined Burkholder’s time as moderator. His term began in January of 2020, and the lockdown came in March. The Mosaic Executive Board quickly switched from in-person meetings to meetings over Zoom.  Two of the three Conference Assemblies that Burkholder led also took place virtually. “Leadership is about planning and setting a clear vision,” Burkholder pointed out, “but it also requires flexibility to adjust to unexpected situations, such as a pandemic.” 

Mosaic continues to experience the wide-ranging effects of COVID-19. Burkholder observed that current tensions in Mosaic Conference are not new; the same tensions were already present in the former Franconia Conference. Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) actions and COVID-19, however, accelerated these tensions. The polarized, divided atmosphere “raised the temperature and level of anxiety,” and the lack of face-to-face communication made the tensions harder for people to handle. “We need to be talking together, taking communion, and praying together,” Burkholder said. Mosaic needs to heal from the disruption of fellowship. 

We need to be talking together, taking communion, and praying together

KEN BURKHOLDER

Yet there were joys and accomplishments for Burkholder amid the challenges. The Shalom Fund, a mutual aid effort during the pandemic that raised $217,945, was a “terrific testimony to the community … [and to] God’s faithfulness.” The Board was also able to meet in person, but outside, at Spruce Lake Retreat in July 2020 to form Mosaic’s mission and vision statement, as well as to affirm that Mosaic was to be missional, formational, and intercultural. Burkholder was glad that the Board affirmed these biblical and Anabaptist values. 

Ken leads with a tangible love for God and the Church…

ANGELA MOYER WALTER

“Ken leads with a tangible love for God and the Church,” said Angela Moyer Walter, Mosaic’s incoming moderator. “He listens well, laughs readily, and understands the complexities of church leadership. During difficult times, he is humble, honest, and open to the leading of the Spirit.” 

Although Mosaic faces challenges, Burkholder remains hopeful in what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will do. He hopes that Mosaic Conference will focus on where it is united, which is in its vision to embody the reconciling love of Jesus in a beautiful and broken world. He looks forward to focusing primarily on his pastoral team role at Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church.  

Mosaic Conference extends it sincerest thanks to Ken Burkholder for his work and trusts that God will be working through him in his future endeavors. 

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.

Jesus’ Prayer for the Disciples (and for Us)

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FAITH AND LIFE GATHERING REPORT

By Jessica Miller

Less than a week after our Mosaic Annual Assembly, credentialed leaders came together in November for the final Faith and Life gatherings of 2022. At these meetings, we spent time reflecting on Jesus’ prayer for his followers in John 17 and praying for our Conference and one another. It seemed appropriate, after the first in-person assembly of Mosaic Conference and a time of difficult conversations and discernment, to spend time praying and dwelling on what it was that Jesus prayed for his disciples and for all who would follow him.  

As we read through John 17 together, we were struck by the tone of deep care and compassion that Jesus expresses for his followers. Jesus’ deep love for them overflows as he prays passionately for their spiritual and physical well-being, the way we might pray for a dear friend or family member. He knows that following his death and resurrection, the disciples will face many challenges and difficulties. He knows that they will be threatened physically by corrupt empires and spiritually by forces of hatred and division (v. 14), and he wants them to be able not just to survive, but to thrive despite all they will face.  

Jesus must have known that his followers would face these same challenges for generations to come, because he prays for all who would eventually follow him (v. 20), including us. We marveled at the fact that the deep love and care Jesus expressed for the disciples in his last days extends to us as well. We too are friends of Jesus, and he prayed passionately for our well-being and the well-being of our Conference.  

With a prayer for unity of purpose (vss.11 & 21), Jesus prays that we would have the joy of Jesus made complete in us (v. 13) and that we would know just how much God loves us (v.23).  Jesus prays:  

“… that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them.”  – John 17:22b, 23, 26 (NLT) 

According to Jesus, it is the love of God in us that unifies us and shows the world who he is.  

As we closed our time of reflection, we shared what we believe this text is inviting us to in Mosaic Conference and prayed for our future together. Jesus’ prayer for unity through God’s love invites us to commit to building relationships amid our diversity.  

We prayed that in the midst of the glorious, messy, and hard work of being church together,  

  • we would be able to find the joy that Christ has for us. 
  • we would bear witness to the truth of God’s love by how well we love each other. 
  • we would trust that all of us are friends of Jesus so that we might love one another. 
  • our love for one another would bring glory to God, so that the world might know that we are followers of Jesus.  

As we enter a new year and a new phase of life together in our Conference, may it be so. May we in Mosaic, empowered by the Holy Spirit, become together, a true embodiment of Jesus’ joy and God’s love. 

Jessica Miller

Jessica Miller is the Associate Pastor of Perkasie (PA) Mennonite Church. She and her husband, Patrick, enjoy traveling, reading, yoga, cooking, and anything related to Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.

The Gift You Don’t Expect

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By Michelle Ramirez 

Besides commemorating the birth of Christ, the holiday season is about giving and receiving gifts. But what if a gift you joyfully receive comes with something you weren’t expecting at all?  

I recently received a gift of a puppy from someone who knew I really wanted one.  You can imagine the joy I felt in receiving this gift. I have always loved dogs and wanted a dog my whole life. Unfortunately, because my family moved around a lot, I was never able to have one. One of our church members recently had a dog who gave birth to a litter of nine puppies. He knew how much I always wanted a dog, so he gifted me a puppy, to my surprise.  

In the days leading up to my puppy’s homecoming, I prepared myself as best I could, knowing puppies are not easy to care for. I read all the information I could find and bought whatever I thought would be necessary, but I still felt unprepared. I received the gift I always wanted, but I didn’t expect all the responsibility that came along with it.

I realized how very similar this is to how we respond in our walk with Christ. We pray fervently for something but find it hard to accept the trials that can come with asking for something. The Lord, in His infinite mercy, may grant us the gift we want, but He also grants us the tools we need to receive it. 

Atlas, Michelle’s new puppy, as he prepares for homecoming. Photo provided by Michelle Ramirez.

Often, we forget that in the asking, we also receive gifts we weren’t expecting. Those extra gifts could be, like me with my puppy, extra responsibilities, momentary struggles, or even our characters being tried by fire. Even though God gives us these unexpected gifts, what is great is that He knows He gave it to us with a purpose (see Jeremiah 29:11). His plans are always to prosper us and not harm us. The gifts we weren’t expecting become the tools we need to actually grow.  

So this holiday season, while we receive gifts from loved ones, let’s remember we are constantly receiving gifts from our heavenly father as well. Those gifts might come with added things we weren’t expecting, but it will always be for our good!

Michelle Ramirez

Michelle Ramirez is the Youth and Community Formation Coordinator for Florida for Mosaic Conference.

On Fasting…

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by Jeff Wright

The call to fast ought not to be a throwaway line.  

In almost five decades of deciding and trying to follow Jesus daily in life, I have seen the call to fasting used as a spiritual punchline far too often.  Christians have a tendency to call one another to fast when they really, really want us to pray, or they really, really think I need to lose weight.  Fasting often gets treated like the spiritual equivalent of hot fudge sauce on our vanilla ice cream intercessions … if we fast (or at least throw around the language of fasting), then our prayers must really, really be sincere, and we must really, really be spiritual. 

Yeah, I don’t think so. 

Fasting, if we are open to the spiritual habit, ought to be fun.  After all, fasting at its best is about laying aside things that want to capture us – the 24-hour cable news, the screens we carry around with us, that second piece of pie.  Fasting is about saying “no” so that we are able to say “yes” to increased time spent in the company of Jesus.  Fasting opens the door joyfully to enable us to pray boldly and learn to forgive extravagantly. Fasting creates a pathway toward Christlikeness. 

We’re into Pathways right now in Mosaic Conference.  Our pathway begins with prayer and fasting and leads to discernment, which invites us to being formational, missional, and intercultural as churches.  Then (and only then) the pathway will guide us to ask the pertinent question of whether or not membership in Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) helps or hinders us on the path forward.   

My hunch is that MC USA membership is truly not a central issue in our walk with Christ.  Finding the pathways to Jesus that bypass the over-stimulated world we’ve created and help us bond together as a church full of missionary disciples seems way more important than the current denominational feud. Fasting is a pathway to put aside the anxieties of our stuff, and listen thoughtfully to the Jesus who loves us, accepts us, and forgives us, even before we’ve thought to ask for it. 

Maybe, if we begin the Mosaic Pathways Process with true fasting and honest prayer, where we end up in our discernment, and whose brand name we cherish, won’t really matter … because we will have rediscovered Jesus, our ever-present Savior, teacher, Lord, and friend.  

Jeff Wright

Jeff Wright is a Mosaic Leadership Minister for California and the Intentional Interim Lead Pastor at Blooming Glen (PA) Mennonite Church.  He is not an expert on fasting (lock up your pies!), but at this stage of his life and ministry, he is willing to give up a weekly slice of blueberry pie, his favorite, if it would help him discover new pathways to get to know Jesus better.

Perk Up in Prayer

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by Paula Marolewski

If you google, “why prayer meetings are dying,” you will find plenty of reasons: lack of variety, lack of leadership, lack of participation, lack of enthusiasm, and more. Prayer meetings can become “same old, same old” and die the death of attrition. Yet prayer is our personal and corporate connection to our sovereign God. Prayer meetings should be a wellspring of life within each local church. 

Perk Up in Prayer, the weekly prayer meeting at Perkiomenville (PA) Mennonite Church, is full of energy and excitement. Several factors have contributed to the vibrance of this prayer meeting. Perhaps other congregations will find some of these practices helpful in their own prayer meetings. 

Kingdom Focus 

Perk Up in Prayer springs from and aligns with the kingdom-focused vision, mission, and goals of the prayer ministry at Perk.  Perkiomen Mennonite desires to be a congregation  

where vibrant prayer drives the kingdom of God forward in our lives, our church, our community, and our world.  The prayer ministry’s mission is to provide opportunities for teaching and mentoring in prayer to help people know God better and love God more.    

Perk Up in Prayer allows people to be involved regularly in at least one opportunity for corporate prayer and helps them to learn to be comfortable with praying together.  It also expands people’s concepts of prayer to embrace a kingdom mindset. 

Varied Approach 

Each Perk Up in Prayer meeting is unique because we vary the topical focus, the methods of prayer, and the specific components for each evening. The combinations offer an infinite number of possibilities for prayer meetings. 

In general, we have found that the energy and engagement level of the meeting is best maintained by structuring the evening in 10–15 minute blocks of time. For example, we might start with 10 minutes of worship, and then spend 15 minutes sharing and praying about the needs of the church.  We may turn to sharing about an attribute of God for 15 minutes and then move to 10 minutes of silent reflection and prayer about that attribute. We conclude with 10 minutes of corporate prayer focused on that attribute. 

Diverse Leadership and Spiritual Sensitivity 

Having a team of people who are willing to lead meetings provides both diversity and sustainability to Perk Up in Prayer.  

A principle for leaders to always keep in mind is to go with the flow of the Spirit. Leaders plan and prepare as good stewards, but they should remain sensitive to the leading of the Spirit. Leaders need to be willing to make changes on the fly to respond to the need and insight of the moment.  

For example, if a person comes with deep pain, it is important to take time then and there to pray for that person. Or, if a group discussion reveals that a certain burden is on everyone’s heart, scrap the plan for the evening and pray for that burden.  Being sensitive to the movement of the Spirit is essential to any prayer meeting. 

How are prayer meetings helpful? 

One Perk Up in Prayer participant finds the prayer meetings corporately enriching. “As we gather weekly for prayer time, we’re learning more about humbling ourselves before God and each other, praying with expectation, seeking the face of God, and repenting of sin,” says Dennis Detweiler.  Others are grateful for increased personal and spiritual strength.  

For Sarah McCarthy, the meetings are “refreshing and help me get through the week with a thankful heart.”  We encourage churches to find creative ways to enliven and deepen their prayer life. 

Paula Marolewski

Paula Marolewski leads the prayer ministry at Perkiomenville (PA) Mennonite Church. She writes faith-centered blogs, Bible studies, and fiction, all of which are available at www.prismaticjoy.com.