Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

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Reading Through Mark Together

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Throughout 2021, Ambler (PA) Mennonite Church has been on a journey with Jesus. Over the last 10 months, we’ve read and preached through the entire Gospel of Mark together. To celebrate our completion, we decided to read the whole story aloud, from Mark 1:1, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” to chapter 16, “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

Not only is reading like this fun, it’s also how the early church would have heard the Gospel of Mark. It was written to be read aloud in a society with about 10% literacy. We experienced listening like the very first Christians, hearing the story of Jesus read all at once.

Nine of us gathered on a Saturday evening in the sanctuary. We had sandwiches for dinner because Mark is full of literary sandwiches. In Mark, one story is like the bread. Then it gets interrupted with another story: the metaphorical peanut butter. And then Mark goes back to finish the first story: bread slice #2.

Pastor Jacob Curtis lights a candle for each chapter read in the gospel of Mark at Ambler (PA) Mennonite Church. Photo by Randy Martin.

After our (non-literary) sandwiches were assembled, we sat around a large table and distributed Bibles, paper, and colored pencils for drawing and doodling. And then we took turns reading, chapter by chapter. We lit a candle for each chapter we read, though some of the flames went out before the women found the tomb empty in chapter 16. In less than two hours we’d read the whole book aloud.

Congregants from Ambler (PA) Mennonite Church gather to read and listen to the gospel of Mark, in one sitting. Photo by Randy Martin.

When it was over, we shared what we’d heard. We were struck by how quickly the reading went—our familiarity with the stories made the two hours feel very short. We noticed how Jesus wants to heal people and does so, over and over again. We noticed how often the disciples misunderstood Jesus, how thick they seem in Mark.

People say that preaching through the lectionary is a good discipline because you can’t cherry-pick Scriptures you like to preach. I found that preaching straight through the Gospel of Mark was an even better discipline. We agreed not to skip anything—which meant we committed to wrestling with the parts of the Gospel that are most challenging and uncomfortable.

As a preacher, I kept thinking “How did I end up with all the hard stories?” But then I listened to the sermons my co-pastor and husband, Jacob Curtis, preached, and I realized he got stuck with a pile of hard texts too. Jesus’s teaching and living and dying and rising just weren’t as nice and easy as we’d like them to be.

What struck me most as we read through the entire Gospel in one evening was how humbled I am by identifying with Jesus’s 12 disciples. Jesus’s best students and closest friends misunderstand him from beginning to end. They’re constantly shooing children away and fighting with each other for the best seat and pulling Jesus aside for private explanations. Even when Jesus is about to die and begs them to stay awake and pray with him, they just can’t do it.

Though I think I know Jesus so well, I was humbled to realize that, in story after story, I found Jesus’s words and actions unsettling and confusing—just like his first disciples.

Reflections on Time and Space

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A few weeks ago, I accompanied the Mosaic Institute preaching and teaching class on a Sunday morning “lab” to hear a sermon at Philadelphia Praise Center (PPC). Jenna Villatoro, one of PPC’s youth pastors, was preaching on the theme, “Making Space for God and Others.”

Pastor Jenna acknowledged that when she was first given the theme, she was a little taken aback. In her Euro-American culture, she was more accustomed to thinking about making time for God than making space. But as she thought about it, she realized that during the pandemic (when so many people were confined to their own space), it was important for us to somehow signal to our minds and bodies that we were transitioning into God-space.

The Sunday lab session from the first Preaching & Teaching mini-course with Mosaic Institute.

I resonated with her observations. As someone who is also from a Euro-American culture that highly prizes time, I could feel the dis-ease of considering “God-space.” It tapped into a deeply rooted suspicion of home altars and a tradition that considered church buildings to be “meetinghouses” instead of “temples” where God lives. It’s much more comfortable for me to think of making time for God than making space.

Photo provided by Philadelphia Praise Center.

Yet I am growing increasingly aware of how my cultural “common sense” can interfere with my ability to see the bigger picture of who God is and how God is working in the world. As someone obsessed with time, can I reorient myself to think about the “spaces” that make up life?

Entering into someone else’s space can be life-changing. It mattered that our class went to Philadelphia and attended a worship service that felt familiar in some respects and different in others. We heard new ideas and were challenged to become like Jesus in fresh ways. Our timetable didn’t matter as much as our presence did.

Making space for others can be life-changing. It mattered for those who hosted us that we came to them. Our presence was an affirmation that they mattered and that they had something valuable to offer to others. They shared who they were and provided opportunities for us to do the same. We could have offered time from a distance, but instead they invited us to physically enter their space.

As Advent begins, we remember how Mary made space in her body so that God could enter our space. The Maker of the Universe became a guest in the world he had made.

Like Mary, we can make space for God to enter (and change) our lives. We can make space for others to enter (and change) our lives, and we can enter into others’ space (and be changed) as well. “Making time” can often be theoretical but “making space” can only be real and tangible.

“Making time” can often be theoretical but “making space” can only be real and tangible.

Evangelical Latina theologian Loida Martell-Otero suggests that eternity is not about time, but about space. She says, “Eternity is where God is.” When Jesus came to earth, our space and God’s space collided and eternity began. Jesus then spent his whole life showing us how the Kingdom of God creates space “for those who have been told they have no place. There is a place at the table, a place at the inn, a place at the synagogue, a place at the banquet. Hay fiesta con Jesús [There is a feast/celebration with Jesus].”1

This Advent, may we make space for God and others in the busy time of the holiday season. May we watch for the collision of God-space and our space. May we be changed.

1Martell-Otero’s translation. Latina Evangélicas: A Theological Survey from the Margins (Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2013), 120 & 114.

Sharing and Dreaming

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Editor’s Note: Nations & Generations Gatherings are a component of our annual Assembly gathering. These gatherings, are held for the leaders of the Global Majority (the leaders of color) in Mosaic Conference. Three gatherings, November 15 (English), November 18 (Indonesian), and November 20 (Spanish), were held via zoom this year.

I was grateful to lead the Nations and Generations group in Spanish on November 20. It felt like a gathering of family. In the same way that not enough people know the history of Black Mennonites, not enough people know the history of Latino Mennonites connected to our Conference.  

One of the things I love about these types of gatherings is that it’s a chance to share our stories and see how we are connected by faith and faithful people. We are a people shaped by story, the biblical faith story, but also the story of our culture and people. I was fascinated to learn about new connections and people.  

We spent time most of our time reflecting on the scripture and theme from Assembly, Romans 12:1-8 and mutual transformation. We noted ways that we all need each other and are all being transformed into the image of Christ.  

We concluded our time with sharing our hopes and dreams for Mosaic Conference. There were some great practical things that we as Mosaic can be working on, but two dreams stood out to me.  

First was the desire to have more Latinas on Mosaic staff. There is a large group of Latinas in South Philly and the growing mission in Tijuana, Mexico. They desire support, resources, and representation in leadership. The situation was compared to the story in Acts 6 and the words, “Pay attention to the unattended” were declared.  

The second dream was that these gatherings would one day no longer be needed. We dream of the day that Mosaic Conference would be so united as the body of Christ that we would only see “we” and “us.”  

We dream of the day that Mosaic Conference would be so united as the body of Christ that we would only see “we” and “us.”

As all of Mosaic Conference works to be mutually transformed, may it be so. 

Gathering at the Table

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Editor’s Note: Nations & Generations Gatherings are a component of our annual Assembly gathering. These gatherings, are held for the leaders of the Global Majority (the leaders of color) in Mosaic Conference. Three gatherings, November 15 (English), November 18 (Indonesian), and November 20 (Spanish), were held via zoom this year.

I am a firm believer in God’s intentionality. On November 15, I had the pleasure of gathering with a small, diverse group of people from our Mosaic Conference for a gathering entitled, Nations and Generations. Not clear with our purpose at first, I quickly realized this was transformational work in progress.

It is my belief, that by divine appointment, those who were there for this session are those that were meant to be there. There was some pain at the table and a clear need for healing. Healing from seeing and experiencing racial injustice in sacred spaces. There was sorrow and regret at the table. Sorrow and regret that was birthed out of guilt by association. Bitterness had a seat at the table. Bitterness that had grown out of years of past hurt.

There were those who wanted to forget and those who wanted to remember. Those who felt like insiders and those who felt like outsiders. There were those who had a deep desire for transparency, trust, and truth.

But most importantly, Hope was at the table. Hope … that one day we would sit at a unified table where power, resources, and decision-making are evenly distributed. Where there is no them and us. Just one nation under God for generations to come.

The Generations that make up Mosaic Conference, with all its broken pieces, need to be at the table. For the ones who want to forget, let the elders help them remember. Remember the good for its value and the bad so it is not repeated.

Needs that were identified by this Nations & Generations Gathering:

  • Shoulder tapping to gather the nations and Generations together.
  • A realization of a different language, but a unified heart.
  • Sharing of power, resources, decision-making.
  • Realization that there is a History of Black Mennonites.
  • Recognition of all the history being built within the Conference.
  • Be the change that we are talking about.
  • We must engage in honest conversations that lead to forgiveness, not sweeping it under the rug.
  • We want to learn to live the example of Jesus who invites all to the table. Meeting them where they are in their language. Jesus knew he could not reconcile with people if He looked down on them, was condescending, or patronizing. Instead, Jesus desired to know them in their context.
  • We must look at our Conference in its entirety. Those who have been around a long time, both white people and people of color, have thoughts of a truly mosaic conference. Those who have paved the way in the Mennonite faith, we need you at the table. You have valuable wisdom and knowledge to share. You bring history. All of the nuances bring life.

A Canaan or an Egypt?

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Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in Anabaptist World and is used with permission by the author.

Someone asked me: How do you explain intercultural work to people who see immigrants as a threat and are afraid their jobs and resources are being taken from them?

I answer with questions. Who owns the resources in the first place? Aren’t immigrants supposed to have an equal opportunity to work and cultivate the land?

Who owns the resources in the first place? Aren’t immigrants supposed to have an equal opportunity to work and cultivate the land?

When my two boys fight over a toy, I tell them sharing is caring. Why do we have to fight, when there is enough for everybody? Isn’t God our provider?

The US attracts so many immigrants because of opportunities for employment, land ownership, religious freedom, and adventure. Another reason immigrants are here is because the U.S. was in their home countries. From regime change to economic impact, the results have not been as beautiful as US Americans might think.

I believe in mutual transformation and intercultural exchange, but the idea of the U.S. policing the world while selling the American dream can easily dominate and become a nightmare for those who are marginalized.

When I planned to come to the U.S., it took years to make it happen. I needed to build enough wealth, property, and business ties in my country for the U.S. government to approve my visa. It’s harder for foreigners to come to the U.S. than for U.S. citizens to go to other countries.

As an Indonesian, I saw the U.S. as the world’s economic and military power, the land of the free and the home of the brave. I did not understand that this power was not a sign of God’s favor but a tool of domination, intimidation and manipulation. With this power comes a curse and not a blessing.

I remember feeling intimidated and inferior as I prepared for my visa interview at the US Embassy in Jakarta. But my struggle was nothing compared to the hardships experienced by families separated at the U.S.-Mexican border or those who have died trying to cross the desert into the United States.

US-Mexico Border from the United States side. Photo by Hendy Matahelemual.

Why is the most powerful country in the world so afraid of outsiders and foreigners? I’m not sure, but maybe with power comes the fear of losing power.

Xenophobia — dislike or prejudice against people from other countries — is nothing new. Around 1400 B.C., in Egypt, the Israelites faced the same problem. Long after the era of Joseph, the Israelites had grown in numbers, and the Egyptians felt threatened. Pharaoh commanded that all newborn sons of the enslaved Hebrews should be killed. One baby boy managed to escape the atrocity, and the rest is history. God’s chosen people gained their freedom.

When I see U.S. power and superiority, I see the U.S. less as a Canaan, a land of promise, and more like an Egypt. I think the idea of one nation under God needs to be revisited and redefined. This god that the U.S. is under — is it the God of Scripture? Or another? Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for [you] will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Matthew 6:24).

As an immigrant, I see hope in the church. When I came to the U.S., God brought me to a community of believers who practiced true love. This love was not just sentimentality but action — sharing possessions and resources to meet people’s needs. The sharing ranged from financial support to giving me keys to a house where I could stay during my seminary years.

I’m grateful that the God I love and serve doesn’t shut the gates of the kingdom but invites us all to come and share. Let us help all who are oppressed and marginalized, so we can bring blessings to the land.

Advent Resource for Families

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Mosaic Conference is again offering this FREE Advent resource for families. If you desire Advent and simplicity, here is a family practice that is centered on Jesus’ birth story.

“My family has participated in this practice for the past two years, and it has become a Christ-centering tradition for us in our home,” shared Brooke Martin, Mosaic Youth and Community Formation Pastor, shared. “We light a candle, marking the days until Christmas, and read the verse cards which build each day, pointing to and celebrating Jesus’ birth narrative. It is simple.”

Please feel free to share the link with your congregation or community.

Dinnertime family devotions include burning the daily Advent candle and reading part of the Christmas Story. Photo by Brooke Martin. 

Mosaic Annual Assembly Wrap-Up

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It was “Mutual Transformation,” not COVID-19, at the forefront when Mosaic Conference met for its Assembly on November 6, 2021. While in-person gatherings were originally planned, COVID-related upsurges led to a completely virtual event. Up to 175 logins were recorded during the annual delegate session.

From the beginning, the theme of transformation and the opportunities brought about by the Conference’s growing diversity were center stage. In the first hour, Moderator Ken Burkholder and Assistant Moderator Angela Moyer Walter, led the delegates in reflections on the theme’s text, Romans 12:2-10. Burkholder reminded the delegates that transformation only occurs when Jesus is at the center of who we are as a church.

Following, two congregations, Peña de Horeb (Philadelphia, PA), a predominantly Latino congregation, and Faith Chapel (Los Angeles, CA), a predominantly West African immigrant congregation, were welcomed into Conference membership. Peña de Horeb is a relatively new congregation, while Faith Chapel is an established congregation that realigned its membership within MC USA.

Joining Mosaic’s Church Related Ministries (CRM) is the Midian Leadership Project, of Charleston, WV. The Midian Project is an outreach ministry that develops leaders from the local youth community. Each ministry was showcased in a video log story that included interviews and site visits. Delegates then gave a 99% vote of affirmation for these new members of Mosaic Conference.

Thirteen newly credentialed leaders were introduced and welcomed with words of affirmation from Leadership Ministers.

Credentialed leadership was also celebrated. Thirteen newly credentialed leaders were introduced and welcomed with words of affirmation from Leadership Ministers. The Conference also noted those who were retiring from their years of meaningful service and paid tribute to those ministers who have passed away during past year.

In the second hour, delegates were invited to reflect on the Conference priorities of being missional, formational, and intercultural. A brief missional video told the story of Mosaic Pastor Virgo Handojo, of Jemaat Kristen Indonesian Anugerah (JKIA), of Sierra Madre, CA. In the past year, Pastor Virgo mobilized several Mosaic congregations and invited Mosaic Conference to assist Indonesians on the Island of Java and Sulawesi to access COVID-19 vaccines and other pandemic-related assistance. Raising almost $40,000 through the fundraising efforts in communities and matching grants from the conference’s missional operation fund, over 8,000 individuals received vaccinations and other material assistance.

A story of formational work in the Conference was told by a group of Mosaic Conference Latino youth who participated in a Civil Rights tour of the southern USA through Mennonite Mission Network. In learning the stories of a previous generation’s struggle, these Mosaic youth were encouraged and strengthened to engage in their own efforts to work for equality and justice in the world they are inheriting.

Blooming Glen (PA) Mennonite Church, a predominantly white congregation, shared an intercultural story. In response to recent civic and racial unrest, the congregation engaged in a process of study and reflection, utilizing MC USA curriculum and conversations with members from Oxford Circle Mennonite Church, an intercultural congregation in Philadelphia, PA.

Following these stories, delegates were assigned to small groups and invited to reflect on what they heard and experienced in their congregations. Of significant note from delegate feedback was the observation that Mosaic Conference is being mutually transformed by Jesus in our missional, formational, and intercultural competency.

“Mosaic Conference is being mutually transformed by Jesus in our missional, formational, and intercultural competency”

As Indonesian pastors lead missional efforts of global healing and hope, Latino youth explore what it means to be formed by a gospel that undoes the perniciousness of racism, and a white congregation listens and learns from faith communities of color, Mosaic is becoming a transformed body of Christ.

The next Mosaic Assembly will be Saturday, November 5, 2022. We plan, God willing, to meet face-to-face.

Dr. Joe Manickam, Hesston College president and preacher for Mosaic Assembly worship, talks with Mary Nitzsche, Associate Executive Minister, prior to Assembly worship on Saturday, Nov. 6.
Worship teams in Los Angeles, CA, and Franconia, PA led Mosaic Assembly worship music in a variety of languages and styles. From left to right, Stephanie Natallia (Philadelphia Praise), Danilo Sanchez (Ripple), and KrisAnne Swartley (Doylestown congregation) were part of the worship team in PA. 

Annoyances, Frustrations, & Inconveniences

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How do you respond when your plans change unexpectedly causing annoyance and inconvenience? I recently had one of these minor annoyances traveling home from California. My travel plans had to be adjusted after my first flight was delayed.  

As I began processing how this minor annoyance would affect me, I thought about all the negative impacts. How would I spend five hours in an airport waiting for my flight to Philadelphia? Would I be able to get comfortable and sleep on my five-hour, overnight flight? Would I be able to stay awake and get my work done while sleep deprived once home? How will this disruption affect my sleep cycle over the next several days?  

Then I began thinking about others impacted by flight delays and cancellations. Airline staff are overworked and stressed due to staff shortages, added work demands, and a growing number of aggressive passengers. Travelers whose work schedules, vacation, or special event cannot be rescheduled or require additional expenses also are stressed. I understand the increasing impatience and irritability dealing with the annoyance and inconvenience of travel disruptions. 

My thoughts shifted to people dealing with other disruptive and life-altering circumstances: the death of a spouse, family member, or close friend; news of a terminal illness, debilitating condition, medical treatment with major side effects; job loss or transition; house eviction, devastating natural disaster, or resettlement in a new country. What I was experiencing was so minimal in comparison to many dealing with loss, grief, and trauma.  

How would I respond to this minor annoyance and inconvenience? I could not change my circumstances, but I could control my response.  

Three things that helped me were naming and processing my feelings, expressing gratitude for the good that emerged, and accepting what I could not change. I processed my feelings and frustrations by writing this article and talking with family members. I prayed and took a walk. In other annoying situations, I processed my feelings by listening to peaceful music, reciting a scripture, or repeating a calming phrase.  

Reminding myself of what I am grateful for keeps my mind focused on the good that emerges rather than my frustration or resentment. I was fortunate for the option to schedule a different flight, helpful and courteous airline staff, patient and respectful passengers, financial resources to travel, good health and being vaccinated, and supportive family praying for me. 

I could not change my situation, but I could accept my circumstances even with the challenges. Reaching out for assistance from others helped me know I was not alone. My husband helped me look for other flight options and decide which option was best. Several family members sent supportive and encouraging text messages as I waited in airports. I prayed for patience and strength. Having support from family and the Holy Spirit helped me accept my circumstances and gave me peace and hope to persevere.  

I am reminded of these three practices in dealing with life’s annoyances when looking to the Psalms. Psalm 77 begins with a complaint for life’s circumstances. “I am so troubled I cannot speak … Has God forgotten to be gracious?” (Ps. 77: 4, 9, NRSV) This complaint is followed by an expression of gratitude. “I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord … I will meditate on all your work” (Ps. 77:11-12). Gratitude leads to acceptance, bringing peace and hope for restoration. “With your strong arm you redeemed your people” (Ps. 77:15). 

Using these three helpful practices to deal with life’s minor annoyances, encourages me to make choices that offer peace and hope.