Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Articles

When Nothing Has Changed, But Everything Seems Different

by

Since the Mennonite Church USA Special Delegate Assembly in Kansas City in late May, Mosaic Conference has hosted Listening Sessions for Mosaic Assembly delegates to share with and listen to one another. Nearly 100 delegates participated in the listening sessions that occurred in person and online. (There is one final listening session yet this week with Indonesian speaking leaders and pastors from across our Conference.)  The decisions made at the MC USA Assembly have created some uncertainty in our Conference as we consider our relatedness to one another, our experiences, our understanding of the biblical texts and of our Christian faith. 

A clear request emerged from the Listening Sessions for clarification of Mosaic Conference’s position regarding the narrowly passed A Resolution for Repentance and Transformation at the Kansas City Special Delegate Assembly. (Delegates voted 267-212 in favor of the resolution.)  

We are now living into the reality of feelings about and responses to the vote. I am committed personally to living into this openly, non-anxiously, and with as much clarity as I can offer as Executive Minister.

In reality, nothing has changed for Mosaic Conference.  Denominational resolutions are non-binding for area conferences. A denominational resolution sets the trajectory for MC USA policy about how denominational staff time is spent and how denominational resources may be distributed; however, it does not override any conference policy, posture, or position. All of our Conference formation documents continue to stand and guide us, including our Church Together Statements of Going to the Margins, Faith and Life, and Grace and Truth.   Our formation document that binds our reconciled Conference together is rooted in Harold S. Bender’s The Anabaptist Vision and Palmer Becker’s Anabaptist Essentials (here is a helpful summary of Becker’s work) continues to stand.  We continue to abide by the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective. We also recognize our global connections through Mennonite World Conference’s Shared Convictions. Our specific Conference vision and mission statement remain the same.

So while nothing in our Conference has changed, for some of us, our relationship with Mennonite Church USA has been called into question.  For some, A Resolution for Repentance and Transformation represents a significant departure from the 2,000-year history and practice of Christian tradition. There are calls within our Conference for immediate distancing from the denomination.  Some congregations and leaders feel the relationship is untenable. Others desire more time to listen, reflect, and discern. 

I believe in the work of the Spirit that drew Mosaic Conference together. The possibility of our shared witness is far greater than we have yet lived into. We have strong local histories and global connections. We are a network of committed leaders, ministries, and congregations. I believe in us, and I am committed to our navigating this turbulence together. 

We need to be patient and allow time for all of us within Mosaic Conference to be able to understand and discern. Our missional, formational, and intercultural commitments as a Conference mean that our discernment work together must include space to hear diversity of perspective and experience and take account of our cultural and linguistic differences.  We also have strong relationships with the global church, which is also asking about our future posture as Mosaic Conference in relation to Mennonite Church USA. 

Although nothing has changed, it can feel like everything has changed.  We are in a time of uncertainty. But we are also participating in a movement of communities that are in God’s care, part of God’s long story of redemption and reconciliation.  While the way ahead is not clear to me, God’s faithfulness is clear. God is with us, individually and communally.  Our denomination, Conference, communities, ministries, history, present, and future all belong to God. 

I invite each of us, as communities and individuals, to rest in what we know and in the things that have not changed that remain clear for us as a Conference community. Let us then lean into trusting each other and the work of the Spirit as we discern our path forward, holding onto the things that we know endure: faith, hope and love (I Corinthians 13:13). 

Clergy Housing Allowance & Inflation: Can You Change it Mid-year?

by

With rising inflation, all of us have experienced prices rising on most everything over the past few months, including housing expenses (rent, mortgage rates, utilities, furniture, etc.) Credentialed leaders are afforded a clergy housing allowance through the federal government which allows them to exclude housing expenses from their gross income.  These allowances are set annually by your congregation or governing board.  With the current financial climate, you may be asking, can I change my Housing Allowance to reflect the current increases in my housing costs?   

The answer is yes, with the following rules: 

  1. Changes may be made to a Clergy Housing Allowance for the remainder of 2022.  You cannot change the Housing Allowance for any period already past, but you can change it for the rest of the year. 
  2. The same authority (e.g. Church board) that set the Housing Allowance at the beginning of the year needs to be the same authority that changes it. 
  3. The change needs to be duly recorded in the minutes of that authority’s meeting when the change was approved. 

Some churches establish a maximum amount that their credentialed leaders may utilize as a Housing Allowance for a given year.  If the credentialed person decides to increase the amount of their housing allowance for the remainder of the year (and it is less than the approved maximum amount), the person may change it without further approval. 

For more information regarding a Clergy Housing Allowance, please see this article, “Did you Know?” on the Mosaic website. For further questions, we encourage you to contact an accountant familiar with the IRS’s Clergy Housing Allowance.  

Increase in IRS Mileage Rate

Due to recent gas prices, the IRS recently announced an increase to the business mileage rate, beginning July 1, 2022.  As of July 1, the mileage rate for business travel will be 62.5 cents per mile, up 4 cents from the rate effective at the start of the year.  For more details, please see the IRS website.  

 

Coming to the World’s Table

by

In less than two weeks, I will be flying home to Indonesia. Although I have been living in the US for ten years, I have not been back to Indonesia in over four years. This trip home will be an extra special one, since I will be attending the Mennonite World Conference (MWC) Assembly in Salatiga, Indonesia from July 5 to 10. 

Last month, I attended a luncheon, hosted by Mosaic Conference, in South Philadelphia where César García, MWC General Secretary, shared about the history and diversity of World Conference. At the end of the event, García gifted the Conference a mosaic artwork of the Last Supper, signifying the diversity at Jesus’ table. 

Gift by Cesar Garcia of a Mosaic of the Last Supper. Photo by Cindy Angela.

As I prepare for my sojourn home, I found myself reflecting on this beautiful artwork, what it means for me to attend the MWC Assembly, and what it means for me to be a part of the global Anabaptist family. Here are some of my reflections: 

Coming as I am 

In the artwork, people are pictured wearing robes in different colors and forms. Jesus doesn’t ask us to change our clothes or to shed our robes to look alike. From our background, history, and cultures, we all have something to bring to the table. I have something to bring to the table when I come as I am.  

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Revelation 22:17, ESV

Coming with an Open Mind 

A mosaic is made by broken pieces of material that were put together to form a beautiful new picture. When I see myself as just one broken piece of material, it’s hard to see God’s big picture for my life and for this world. The only way for me to see God’s plan is by opening my mind and letting the mosaic take shape as God wills. 

But now, O Lord, you are our Father; 
    we are the clay, and you are our potter; 
    we are all the work of your hand

Isaiah 64:8, ESV

Jesus at the Center 

Lastly, the artwork reminds me to put Jesus at the center of the conversation. May Jesus be in the center of the worship, workshops, and conversations that I participate in while in Indonesia. May Jesus be in the center of new relationships that will be formed.  

I pray that the Spirit of reconciliation, peace, and unity will be present and continue to grow among us as more opportunities arise and come together at the world’s table. May Jesus continue to be in the center of it all.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

John 15:4, ESV

I am excited with this opportunity to hear, learn, and connect with the global Anabaptist community. I will be documenting my experience for Mosaic Conference, and I can’t wait to share it with you all. 

Yet This I Call To Mind

by

We read in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (ASV).  The text continues by explaining that positive events are paralleled with negative ones to reflect reality. The author reflects on human mortality, and states that because we are creatures of time and occasion, we must live in harmony with the ebb and flow of life. 

No matter how we frame something, there are times we simply must acknowledge that life hurts. While acknowledging this, we also recognize that Jesus knows us more intimately and personally than anyone else.  

In God’s love and mercy, we are also given the Book of Lamentations in the Bible. We may not turn to it daily, but it offers us companionship in the human struggle 

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”

(Ecclesiastes 3:1 ASV)

To lament is to bring our experiences of disappointment, pain, hurt, anger, and dismay to God—to acknowledge that things are not as they ought to be. Lamentation can be a powerful and meaningful form of worship because it places our love for God above even the worst circumstances in our lives.  

“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him”

(Job 13:15a, KJV)

We see this in the story of Job, when he said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15a, KJV). Job stood fast, turning his suffering into worship. He took everything he feared, total disaster, loss of everything, and false accusations, and still praised the Lord. 

Declarations like Job’s don’t change the realities of what has happened in our lives. However, they help us to keep looking to God above our circumstances and situations. We still may feel pain and hurt, but we do not need to let this pain form, shape, and guide our lives. Instead, through the Holy Spirit, we will let Jesus continue to shape and guide our lives until … Christ is formed in you! (Gal. 4:19). We will continue to receive the love, grace and truth of God and the comfort and strength of the Holy Spirit. 

Lamentation does not deny the existence of pain or hurt. It calls us to worship God even in midst of it! It recognizes that God stands in the moment with us. Therefore, we are truly not alone. 

We also recognize that in this process, we may find ourselves at different places of healing on this path. That is okay. Each of us will process our realities in different ways and at different paces. So, might we extend grace and understanding to each other? 

I invite you to an exercise. On a sheet of paper create two columns, one column entitled, “Though” and the other, “Yet.” In the “Though” column, write things that have brought sadness or hurt to you in regard to your current situation. In the “Yet” column, write memories of God’s faithfulness in the past, that you can draw on now, to move forward. 

For example: Though – “I feel deeply hurt because….” Yet – “I will cast all my anxieties on him for I know he cares for me.” 

Present yourself and this list before the Lord. Listen for what God wants you to know as you remain open to His presence moving forward. Receive that which He offers you.  

May your faith remain strong, even if it has been shaken. May you not lose hope, for it is like a bridge that connects our present to our future.  May you, being rooted and grounded in love, know the love of God that surpasses all understanding and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

Disarmingly Effective 

by

Book Review of: Disarmed: The Radical Life and Legacy of Michael “MJ” Sharp 

© 2022 Menno Media

The first words of the tribute to Michael “MJ” Sharp are disarming, “There is no way to peace along the way of safety. For peace must be dared, it is itself the great venture and can never be safe. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer.” The brutal death, likely assassination, of MJ Sharp at age 34 while working for the United Nations Group of Experts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), urging rebels to lay down their weapons, is also disarming, in many ways.  

In the book, Disarmed: The Radical Life and Legacy of Michael “MJ” Sharp, Marshall King gets to the heart of the disarming mission that cost Sharp and his colleague, Zaida Catalán, their lives on March 12, 2017. At the outset, King wrote, “I never felt that I would be the one to unravel this international murder mystery, and I did not attempt it in this book.”  Instead, King wants to help the reader understand why Sharp felt called to be in, “the country that remains one of the world’s poorest and most dangerous places to live.”  

The reader is taken on a journey through Sharp’s life: raised in a Mennonite home in Indiana with Mennonite pacifist values and ethics grounded in the Sermon on the Mount. Sharp attended Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) and was a good student and athlete. However, sprinkled in this traditional Mennonite upbringing was a flare for flashy cars and over-the-top pranks, an attraction for cards and gambling, and a restlessness with the safe and traditional. A professor and advisor at EMU said that Sharp, “thrived on risks.”  

King guides us as Sharp comes of age with friends and girlfriends, travels and adventures, times of exuberance and depression, always following a thread of peacemaking – daring, disarming peacemaking. Sharp did peacemaking stints in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel/Palestine. Eventually, Sharp accepts the invitation of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) representatives, Suzanne and Tim Lind, to teach nonviolent ways of peacemaking.

This invitation leads Sharp to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where he will serve, learn, and die. King provides a bit of Congolese history and his own pessimistic understanding of the DRC and situation in which Sharp operated, with layers of violence, corruption, and distrust among groups. In contrast, King presents Sharp’s optimistic approach to engaging combatants, government officials, rebel leaders, with his working belief, “You can always listen.”  

Sharp’s approach included: arriving on a motorcycle, not in a motorcade; speaking French along with self-taught Swahili, not just English; respecting each person with whom he talks – listening to them; speaking up and speaking out when he saw injustice and unjust treatment. Sharp proved to be disarmingly effective. King follows Sharp’s successes in the DRC that will lead him deeper into conversations and investigations, eventually deeper into the bush for his final walk.  

MJ’s family and friends also have their part the book. An account of John and Michele Sharp, MJ’s parents, seeking answers about MJ and Zaida from officials as high up as UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is poignant. Others recalled how they marveled at MJ’s combination of wit and intellect, humor, and humility.

At the end, King cannot help himself as he probes the “What happened?” question, including a chapter with information gathered and disinformation circulated about Sharp’s last mission. Who can meet this young man – so concerned with justice and just treatment of others – and not want to “seek justice” for his and Zaida’s deaths?                  

King invites full engagement with Sharp who ended up in one of the world’s challenging places to make peace. King also invites us to consider our place in the world of peacemaking and to find our place to be peacemakers today.

Marshall V. King, author, will be preaching at Salford Mennonite Church (Harleysville, PA) on Sunday, June 19, at 9:30am.  

Join Marshall V. King, author, at a book signing and presentation on Sunday, June 19, from 2-3:30pm at Mennonite Heritage Center.   

Sanchez Named Leadership Minister for Intercultural Transformation

by

Mosaic Conference has named Danilo Sanchez to a new position as Leadership Minister for Intercultural Transformation effective May 1, 2022.  Sanchez had been part of Mosaic’s Youth Formation team over the last several years and also worked with intercultural initiatives.  In his new role, Sanchez will support the work of the Intercultural Committee which began with the formation of Mosaic Conference in 2020. 

Sanchez grew up as an active participant at Boyertown (PA) Mennonite Church. As an adult, he has worked with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and has served on the pastoral teams of Whitehall (PA) Mennonite Church and Ripple (Allentown, PA) congregation.  Sanchez will continue his work with Ripple Community Inc (a Mosaic Conference-Related Ministry) and Ripple congregation.  Sanchez’s experiences with diverse congregations combined with his deeply rooted commitment to Anabaptism and the various Mosiac communities are an exciting combination of passion and knowledge.  

“Danilo brings a depth to our Conference work and broad relational connections,” said Stephen Kriss, Mosaic Conference Executive Minister.  “His Spanish language skills help to strengthen bridges to our growing Spanish language communities.  I’m grateful he was willing to step into this new role.” 

Marta Castillo previously held this position and began a transition from the role when she began as Associate Executive Minister in February of this year.  Sanchez will continue to serve as part of the Youth Formation Team and in his role as the Mosaic Conference representative to the board of Mennonite Central Committee East Coast.  He also will serve as one of the Conference representatives to the Mennonite Church USA Constituency Leadership Council.  Sanchez lives in Allentown, PA with his wife, Mary, and two daughters and will continue his work based in Allentown. 

A Pilgrimage to Biblical Greece

by

In March, I co-led a group from my church, Franconia (PA) Mennonite Church, on a learning tour to Greece.  It was an incredibly meaningful experience, traveling with sisters and brothers in Christ on a spiritual pilgrimage to one of the world’s richest regions of biblical history.   

Why did we go? 

From the outset, the goals for this trip were to (1) increase learning, (2) deepen discipleship, and (3) strengthen relationships.  We were privileged to travel with Dr. Derek Cooper as our guide.  Dr. Cooper is an expert in biblical history and the lands of the Bible.  He provided remarkable insight and helped our group “put the text in context” in truly profound ways.   

The group from Franconia (PA) Mennonite in Thessaloniki, Greece. Photo provided by Josh Meyer.

However, more than simply learning new and interesting information, we were also committed to this being a formational experience as well.  It wasn’t just about information; it was about encounter – encountering God deeply.  Through times of corporate worship, individual and group devotions, and regular opportunities for reflection, we were blessed with a deep spiritual experience.   

The 25 group members bonded relationally in ways that were life-giving and just plain fun.  There is a connection that’s established between those who travel together, particularly cross-culturally.  I’m grateful for the strengthened relationships that this trip produced. 

What did we do? 

We spent the first part of our journey in and around Athens: visiting the Acropolis, the ancient Agora, the Parthenon, the Herodian Theater, Mars Hill, Aristotle’s Lyceum, and Corinth, among other sites.  We then made our way north for the second half of the trip, visiting Delphi, the incredible cliff-side monasteries of Meteora, Berea, Thessaloniki, and Philippi.   

In addition to this formal itinerary, we also created space for unplanned activities: rooftop worship sessions, taking a speedboat to Aegina Island, renting four-wheelers, swimming in the Aegean Sea, running in the Olympic stadium, hiking Mount Parnassus, eating amazing Greek food, and enjoying gelato most every night. 

You can find a summary (with photos & brief commentary) of each day of the trip through the links at the bottom of this post. 

Josh Meyer in Corinth, Greece, on the exact spot where the Apostle Paul stood (Acts 18). Photo provided by Josh Meyer.

How did it impact me? 

There’s an ancient story about a rabbi with a young son who loved spending time in nature.  The boy spent hours upon hours playing in the woods and being in creation.  Finally, the rabbi asked his son why he insisted on spending so much time outside.  The boy said, “That’s where I connect with God.  I connect with God most deeply when I’m out there.”   

The rabbi replied, “Well son, you don’t need to go out there to connect with God.  God is the same out there as God is at home and in school and in the synagogue.  You don’t need to go somewhere else to experience God; you can experience God anywhere, everywhere.  God’s not different out there.” 

“Yes,” the boy replied, “…but I am.  I’m different when I’m out there.  Something changes within me that opens me up and allows me to experience God in different and deeper ways when I’m in that physical space.” 

For me, that captures why an experience like traveling to Biblical Greece was so meaningful and led to such deep discipleship.  Being “out there” – in the actual physical spaces where the Apostle Paul lived, worked, served, and proclaimed the Good News of Jesus – helped open me up to connecting with God in different and deeper ways.  For that, I am humbled and grateful.

Is there a better backdrop for a theological discussion? (Aegina Saronic Island, Greece) Photo provided by Josh Meyer.

Κύριε Ιησού Χριστέ, Υιέ του Θεού, ελέησόν με τον αμαρτωλό.

A summary of each day of our trip with photos: 
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10

Rooftop worship one evening in Greece. Photo provided by Josh Meyer.

Is Pentecost Still Relevant Today?

by

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus, descended on the followers who gathered together — in one accord — in Jerusalem.

That day, they were transformed from a body of believers to the first church of Jesus Christ. People visiting Jerusalem from all over the world could hear the invitation of the gospel in their own language. It was an invitation to come, as well as an invitation to go share the good news.

A new narrative of the power of Jesus was written that day. Jesus keeps his promises! The promise of the Holy Spirit had been fulfilled. Language barriers had been broken, and now, all people could share in the gospel. The gift of truth had been loosed into the atmosphere to teach us, empower us, bind us in relationship, equip us for the work of reconciliation, convict us of injustice, guide us into all truth, and help us to live a life more like Jesus.

So if you were to ask me if the power of the Holy Spirit is still relevant and at work in our lives today, I would say, “yes,” in spite of ourselves. God is still renewing our minds, convicting our hearts and leading us to repentance. Yes, the Holy Spirit still draws us to God for the work of the kingdom, even when the work seems too hard. God still guides us into all truth, so that our hearts hear and understand the need of all people to be one, as intended. The Holy Spirit enables us to consider the hopes, dreams and conditions of others, even when popular culture dictates that we don’t.

Each Sunday at our church, we light a Christ candle to remind us that Jesus is the light of the world and that God is still among us. That light stood in unison with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, giving power to the powerless and hope to the hopeless. That power is still at work in us today, guiding us to a timeless God, to do a timeless work. Peace and blessings to all who labor for the glory of God.

Don’t Miss Mosaic’s Pentecost Worship Service!

Wednesday, June 15, 2022
7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT

Learn More

This article was reprinted from Mennonite Church USA with permission. To view the original article, please click here.