Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Articles

My Narrative of Inadequacy, Flipped Upside Down

by

by Gary Alloway

Growing up, I was a kid who was a good at everything but never excelled at any one thing. I was a committed athlete, but never a star. I was a good student, but there were always a few students above me. I had friends, but others were more charismatic. Since I never had my own “thing,” I always saw this as a weakness in myself.  

When I was 16, God got a hold of my life, and I chose to follow Jesus. At age 18, in a moment of doubt and desperation, I heard God speak the words, “Serve me.” I consider those two moments to be my points of calling. I gave my life to serving God and helping broken people find Jesus.

And yet, for much of my young adulthood, I wandered. I wandered intellectually, trying to find how my beliefs held together. I wandered theologically, exploring everything from evangelicalism to Orthodoxy. I wandered between non-profit ministry and pursuing an academic career, and somewhere in the midst of this, I got a business degree.

At age 24, I was in seminary and not sure what I was doing with my life. I still felt like I was good at a little bit of everything but was not excelling at any one thing.  

One day, God turned this narrative on its head. I was talking with an old friend, and a light came on. Jesus took the narrative of inadequacy and said to me, “You are exactly who I need you to be.”  

Suddenly, I looked again at pastoral ministry and realized that this is a job that requires being good at a little bit of everything rather than being good at one particular thing, especially in the local church. What other job requires public speaking, counseling, budgeting, and knowing the basics of building repair? What other job changes so drastically from day to day … I may be planning a liturgy at one moment and planning a community meal in the next. What other job provides new challenges in every season, often ones that I could never foresee?  

I attended an academic seminary. I remember a professor, who had served the church for many years, say, “If you really want to use your brain, go into pastoral ministry, not academics.” He was right. For someone whose brain likes to wander in a million directions, pastoral ministry never runs out of things to think about. For someone who gets bored easily, pastoral ministry provides something new in every season. For someone who is good at a little bit of everything, but fails to have a specialty, pastoral ministry is a perfect fit.  

I often get exhausted by the ever-changing, never-settled state of the local church. But if church work ever gets boring, then I will probably be ready to move on. So, today I celebrate the local church, with all its chaos and challenges, and am thankful God made me just as I am. 

Gary Alloway

Gary Alloway is a pastor and church planter of Redemption Church of Bristol (PA), which is a Mosaic Partner in Ministry and was founded in 2009.  Gary serves with his wife, Susan, and his children, Augie (9) and Rosey (7), who deeply love pretzel dogs from the Bristol Amish Market.  Gary has a passion for Philadelphia sports, crossword puzzles, and for seeing broken people connect to the amazing love of God. 

As We Wait

by

By Cindy Angela

In life, we are often asked to wait. We wait through long, year-long processes as well as doctor’s appointments; we wait for small things like food take-out and large milestones, like buying our first house. There are times when we need to wait, and waiting is not easy.

At least it’s never easy for me.

We’re so used to having everything in an instant, especially in this day and age of technological advancements. Photos that used to take weeks to develop, now appear on our phone instantly and can be shared with hundreds of others with a touch of a button. In the age of social media, we’re constantly overstimulated with ideas, information, pictures, and it all screams “NOW! NOW! NOW!” and it makes waiting even more difficult.

Time keeps passing as I keep waiting. Maybe you’re in the same position as me, waiting for an answer, decision, resolution, or closure.

As part of my new year’s resolution, I took a break from social media. During this time, I was able to reflect upon a waiting period that God has put upon my life. I realized some of the benefits of waiting, and it made my relationship with God even stronger.

1. Waiting forces us to slow down

I am a fast-paced person by nature. So when God told me to “wait,” in a way, God is telling me to slow down. When I was a kid, my mom would tell me all the time, “Eat slowly so you don’t choke.” By slowing down, I can be gentler on my physical, emotional, and spiritual self.

2. Waiting makes us pay attention to (and even appreciate) the little details

Last year, my husband and I took a 9-hour road trip to Charlotte, NC. While I could have taken a plane, saving me hours of travel time, I didn’t mind the extra hours spent on the road. I got to enjoy the scenery, visit new places, and had many great conversations. The extra added time can make us pay attention to and appreciate the little details.

3. Waiting helps us get a better understanding of God’s eventual answer

While I believe that God will always provide an answer for us, I learned that God’s answer can range from “yes” to “no” to “wait” (or “wait some more”). The waiting period has helped shape my understanding of God’s eventual answer. I look back at those waiting periods and understand why God told me to wait and to trust in His timing. Waiting helped me to trust God more and to develop a stronger relationship with Him.

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31, NLT

As I wait, I’m praying and trusting God, that He will be with me in every step of the way. And as we wait, we might as well enjoy the ride.

Cindy Angela

Cindy Angela is the Digital Communication Associate for Mosaic Conference. She attends Philadelphia (PA) Praise Center, and she lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Andy.

Art Goes Where Words Cannot

by

By Bonnie Stevenson

Photo by Bonnie Stevenson.

Human trafficking, prison ministry, mental health challenges, and difficult family relationships fill our world. We live in an overstimulated society, and mental illness often goes untreated. As churches and as church leaders, we may not always know how to respond.

But art goes where words cannot. Art therapy helps to express our thoughts and feelings, even when ideas are difficult or impossible to put into words. Being raised in the church by a single mom with five half-brothers and sisters, the need to express myself was ever so real. But when my words didn’t come, Jesus and art stepped into my life, and the healing process began.  

Art therapy is about the process and not the picture content. When I met Gabriel, he was an awesome five-year-old who loved playing with hot wheels and painting with his fingers. He came into my office at church because his mother was very upset that he had strangled his new puppy. She had no idea the rage inside of Gabriel until it surfaced in a time of sensory motor art and listening to soft worship music about Jesus.

I have learned, and am still learning, that art as therapy is only a tool. Creating an atmosphere with songs of adoración (worship), reading the Bible, and using all the colors of the rainbow bring the true healing. 

Photo by Bonnie Stevenson.

I believe God has so many colors in the beautiful rainbow because they express his promises to us as a heavenly father.  

Be thou our vision, oh Lord! We shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace! 

Bonnie Stevenson

Bonnie Stevenson is married to Bob, and they have two adult children. Bob and Bonnie pastor Monte Maria Tierra Prometida Church in Atizapan, Mexico, a Partner in Ministry with Mosaic Mennonite Conference. Bonnie recently completed a certificate in art therapy with the College for Education and Clinical Art Therapy. 

Prayer for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

by

by Jill Duffield

This prayer was originally published here in January 2020.

God of all tribes and nations, today we remember and give thanks for your servant, Martin Luther King Jr. His words moved a nation toward justice and equity. His witness called forth the best of us, casting a vision of unity and reconciliation that we have yet to achieve.

We know that remembering the saints is not enough, and so we ask for the wisdom and strength to emulate their bravery, their tenacity and their willingness to stop at nothing to speak truth to power.

As we see the rise of hatred and white supremacy, the explosion of division and bigotry, we boldly ask for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Do again, Lord God, what you did at Pentecost, upend our expectations, break through our tribal loyalties, knit us together as one humanity, give us the ability to speak in each other’s languages, until all of us dream your dreams, see your visions, speak your words and not only understand each other, but long to be with one another.

On this day that is not simply a day on the calendar, but a day on which we serve and work, pray and hope, struggle and strive to bend the arc of history closer to justice, abide with us, inspire us, shape us into the people your prophets call us to be: united, beloved and a beautiful reflection of your glory. Amen.

The Entrepreneurial Impulse of the Spirit

by

By Stephen Kriss

This week I attended the funeral of David G Landis at Blooming Glen (PA) Mennonite Church. David helped steer a small neighborhood market in Telford, PA to become a family-owned regional chain, committed to essentially operating the business on the Golden Rule.  The meetinghouse was packed. We celebrated David’s entrepreneurial spirit and his capacity to do good business while remaining committed and engaged with the church, all while shaping his own family with those same commitments.  Dave and his wife, Carolyn, welcomed me as a Western Pennsylvania interloper, to feel appreciated, challenged, and loved in the community of Mennonites of Southeastern Pennsylvania. 

A few pews in front of me was Cory Longacre, our Conference treasurer. Cory’s dad, Henry Longacre, died last summer.  I also attended his funeral at Swamp Mennonite Church in Quakertown, PA.  Henry had served on our Conference properties committee till his death.  Henry’s life was also deeply shaped by the church and his own entrepreneurial capacities.  Henry, too, included me in ways I never expected with respect, care, and challenge.  I’m grateful for his questions, guidance, and family legacy. 

In the 1980s, both men helped shape a critical part of our Conference with the idea of purchasing commercial property in Souderton, PA that could help sustain and extend our ministry.  Along with Wayne Clemens (Perkasie congregation), Henry Rosenberger (Plains congregation), and Bryan Hunsberger (Souderton congregation), these men dreamed of a time and place when we might need the capacity of secondary incomes to extend what historian John Ruth has called “the right fellowship.” 

As a result of their foresight, that commercial property now helps match every donor dollar that Mosaic Conference receives.  It also helps support our Missional Operational Grants that support new initiatives.  And, it provides space for the thriving ministry of Care and Share Shoppes, a Conference Related Ministry that generates nearly a million dollars annually to the work of Mennonite Central Committee.  It’s also the home to a branch of Ten Thousand Villages and to medical practices. 

We have been blessed by businesspersons who combined their deep love for the church with their risk-taking and financial skills to help sustain our ministries long term. Their collaboration and charisma mean that we are a different kind of Anabaptist community. I am committed to honoring their legacy through our work and ministry. The Gospel means treating our neighbors well no matter who they are nor how close they live to us. I see this entrepreneurial spirit thrive in both our traditional and emerging communities of Mosaic.  

As we look at 2023, we would be irresponsible to not admit the challenges ahead of us, but we also need to acknowledge our faith in Jesus and the legacy of pastors and leaders who have gone before us. We are called to be both faithful and entrepreneurial, pastoral and apostolic.  

I begin this year anew committed to our work, building on our faithful foundations and the capacities of our marketplace and ministry worlds.  We know that Jesus is Lord of it all.  Though it is challenging, it is also essential to carry this faith into the future together, from our newest church plants that stretch from Tijuana, Mexico to Baltimore, our past missional endeavors that have taken root in Vermont and North Jersey, our newest Mosaic communities in Florida, and our communities with 300-year-old cloud of witness cemeteries like West Swamp and Towamencin.  The steadiness and entrepreneurial impulse of the Spirit will not only sustain us but take us to places we haven’t even yet imagined.  

May the new year be full of possibility and hope.  May we work with faith and steadfast love.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

Stephen Kriss

Stephen Kriss is the Executive Minister of Mosaic Conference.

Facing the Dark, Welcoming the Light

by

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

by

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

by

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).