Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

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Profile: Mennonite Central Committee

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Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches, shares God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice. MCC envisions worldwide communities in right relationship with God, one another, and creation.

Staff and volunteers of Heart2Heart in southern Florida sort MCC humanitarian aid supplies for distribution to older adults.
(Heart2Heart photo/Stefany Gallo)

Our work is built on the foundational support of the church. Over the decades and still today, MCC gathers people across differences to work together to share God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ. Some have been MCC volunteers internationally, some have been active in MCC relief sales, some have volunteered at MCC Material Resources Centers and MCC Thrift shops, some have made financial gifts to MCC’s work.

As we read in 1 Corinthians 12:4, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.” That variety of gifts in the church has been blessing communities around the world in the name of Christ through MCC’s ministries for more than 100 years. And those gifts have life breathed into them by God’s Spirit—the one Spirit which binds all of God’s children together.

Whether in Miami or India, the desire of God’s heart is that all may experience the abundant life which Jesus claimed as his reason for coming—so that all of God’s children may live lives of dignity in thriving communities.

MCC’s partner Institute of Social Action and Research Activities (ISARA) installed a spring water harvest system in communities in Odisha state in 2014. (ISARA photo/Jajati Pandit)

Thank you for following God’s call on your life to bless a hurting world in partnership with MCC. Thank you for being part of MCC’s century-old story and part of the MCC family.

Prayer Requests

  • Pray for MCC representatives Derrick and Rebekah Good Charles and local church partners in Honduras and Nicaragua who continue to offer support after two devastating hurricanes in November 2020.
  • Give thanks for MCC supporters who have demonstrated amazing creativity, tenacity, and passion in finding ways to continue to bless the world in partnership with MCC. 
  • Pray for God’s wisdom as MCC discerns the most appropriate ways forward in MCC spaces where people gather during the time of COVID-19, including Material Resources Centers, Thrift shops and relief sales.
  • Give thanks for MCC’s Peace Clubs, started by Issa Ebombolo in 2006. The model has expanded to curriculum implemented in churches, schools, prisons and refugee camps on three continents.
  • Please pray for MCC peacebuilding work in the U.S., Canada, and internationally, which includes facilitating interfaith dialogue and relationship-building across cultural, racial, and ethnic divides.

Healthy Niños of Honduras Shares Food and Mattresses with Victims of Storms of Dread ETA and IOTA

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This article is translated to English by Andrés Castillo. Original article appears in Mosaic News En Español: Healthy Niños de Honduras Comparte su Comida y Colchones a Afectados Por Las Tormentas de Espanto ETA y IOTA por Javier Marquez

A few months ago I spoke with Herman Sagastume of the project Healthy Niños (“Healthy Children”). Along with getting to know about Healthy Niños, we discussed the Shalom Fund created by Mosaic Conference to deal with money shortages in communities in Honduras with which it works, in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Photo from the official Healthy Niños Facebook Page

A Small Sprout of Light

This time I spoke with him to ask about a similar topic: the situation of these communities after Honduras received two hurricanes, ETA and IOTA, in November. The outlook is not always uplifting; but in the gloom, it has always been possible to see a small sprout of light. 

Storm of Dread

Chaos is inexplicable. First it was ETA, which, coming from the south, reached Honduras with less fury than when it passed through neighboring countries. Either way, it produced losses and grave complications like floods and minor landslides. After the never-ending rain, during the days where people had time to readjust and repair the damages, IOTA arrived as a storm of dread. It painted the landscapes with images of plains where there used to be houses, lakes where there used to be fields of crops, lines of people seeking refuge, roofs of houses floating like canoes, paths crossed by fallen tree trunks, and trees crushed by the weight of the rain or destroyed by the strong winds.

With IOTA, it is estimated that the injury count surpasses 2 million

The northern part of Honduras was the most affected, and what makes this situation worse is that the country depends on the productivity of this area for between some 60-65% of its economy. A few months ago, we narrated the difficulties which, in these countries, took the form of a sanitary crisis during the pandemic due to their shortcomings in the health system and of the distribution of money. In the same way today, complications for this hurricane arise due to the unstable infrastructure that the country possesses. 

Herman explained all of this for the knowledge of all the churches of Mosaic Conference. He has lived many years in the state of Virginia, is Honduran, and his work with Healthy Niños is objectively focused on his country of origin. He tells us that he has never before seen so much destruction in Honduras, including when hurricane Mitch passed through the country in 1998. With IOTA, it is estimated that the number of affected persons surpasses 2 million. 

The poor are the most affected

In Arepo, an area where Healthy Niños does its work with basic education and malnutrition, given that people who live there are too poor and have seen themselves forced to construct their houses in places with high risk, the danger reaches critical levels for the project.

Who Will Be A Witness: Igniting Activism for God’s Justice, Love and Deliverance

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Two exciting new events are coming from the Mosaic Intercultural Team!

Mosaic Conference Webinar Interview with author, Dr. Drew Hart

Thursday January 28th at 3 PM EST / 12 PM PST

Dr. Drew Hart’s newest book project is entitled Who Will Be a Witness?: Igniting Activism for God’s Justice, Love, and Deliverance and was published September 1, 2020.

Who Will Be a Witness? offers a vision for communities of faith to organize for deliverance and justice in their neighborhoods, states, and nation as an essential part of living out the call of Jesus.  How can Mosaic Conference churches and leaders act and answer the call?

Join us as we talk with Dr. Drew Hart about this important topic and find ways each of us can live out the call of Jesus. 

Dr. Hart was the recipient of bcmPEACE’s 2017 Peacemaker Award and was honored locally with the 2019 W.E.B. Du Bois Award in recognition of his commitment and work for justice locally and nationally. He was chosen as Elizabethtown College’s 2019 Peace Fellow. Dr. Hart and his family live in Harrisburg, PA and attend Harrisburg First Church of the Brethren.

Book Study Groups (via Zoom) for Mosaic Pastors & Leaders

Develop a vision for your community of faith to live as witnesses and agents of God’s deliverance and justice as an essential part of living out the call of Jesus.

Pastors and leaders are invited to register and join the conference intercultural team (Hendy, Marta, Danilo, and Jaye) for a book study group.  Groups will read and discuss the book, Who Will be a Witness?, by Dr. Drew Hart, over five monthly sessions using the study guide by Terrance Hawkins.  

Two options, both staring Thursday, February 18: 

  • 3rd Thursday evening of the month, 7 pm EST/4 pm PST 
  • 3rd Thursday morning of the month, 11 am EST/8 am PST

Gems and Birds and Good News

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Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.  Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches”

Matthew 13:31-32, NIV

The ancient rabbis used to say that Scripture is like a gem with 70 faces – every time you turn it, the light refracts differently, and you see something you’d missed before. Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed has always been a personal favorite, a challenging and inspiring story about how we think about size and power in God’s Kingdom.  Recently, however, God’s Light has revealed a new element to the story that I’d missed until now.  

For years when I read this story, I always understood the last line about birds perching in the branches of the mustard tree to be another indication of size: a seed that started so small eventually grows to the point that even a bird can perch in its branches.  

It turns out there’s something more going on here.  At the time, there was a common saying among the Hebrew people: “When God rules the world, it will be like eagles perching in the branches of cedar trees.” That’s how people thought about the reign of God: the biggest, most powerful trees imaginable with the most powerful and majestic of all birds, eagles.  

Photo by nanka-photo at depositphotos.com

When Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God, though, he challenges that perception.  He takes a well-known image and offers an alternative picture: the Kingdom of God isn’t like huge cedars with eagles; it’s like a mustard plant with birds.    

And the word he uses for “birds” is a very specific word.   It’s the Greek word peteinon, which doesn’t just mean “birds” – it means “wild birds.”  These are not the mighty eagles that dwell in huge trees.  There’s a different word for that.  Instead, the word Jesus uses describes the wild, often dirty, detestable birds that people tried to get rid of.  These are the kinds of birds that ate animal carcasses and that farmers erected scarecrows to keep away.  They were unwanted, undesirable animals.  

And yet when Jesus describes the Kingdom of God, he says that even the unwanted and undesirable will find a home … 

… even those animals, and those people, who don’t feel worthy – they’ll have a place in the Kingdom of God.  

… even those people who have been told all the many reasons why they don’t measure up – they’ll have a place in the Kingdom of God.  

… even those people who have been through experiences that make them feel broken and beat up and like damaged goods – they’ll have a place in the Kingdom of God.         

In other words, Jesus makes clear that God’s Kingdom, God’s mercy, God’s grace is for everyone, including and especially for those on the margins, those on the outside, those who wonder whether their lives really matter.  

If you’re reading this post and find yourself wondering whether God could really love someone like you, forgive someone like you, and welcome someone like you – the answer is a resounding YES!  The Kingdom of God is for everyone, no exceptions.  No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, no matter what you’ve been through, the Good News at the heart of our faith is that God’s welcome is for all people.  

May our churches be places where this Good News is both known and proclaimed.      

Conference Related Ministries (CRM) Profile: Quakertown Christian School

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Quakertown (PA) Christian School (QCS) was established in 1951 to provide students in grades K-12 with a quality academic education integrated with a Christian view of God and the world. The ongoing mission of QCS is to equip students to be leaders through an exceptional education within a culture emphasizing Christ-like love, peacemaking, and service. 

Quakertown Christian School serves students in grades K-12. Photo provided by Quakertown Christian School.

We believe each child is created in the image of God, gifted with unique talents and abilities; we offer them a safe place to explore those gifts. By helping them understand their value in Jesus Christ, we encourage them to use their gifts and abilities to uniquely further God’s Kingdom work, both here and around the world. 

QCS is dually-accredited by Mennonite Education Agency and AdvanceEd. These accreditations demonstrate our commitment to quality education, our communication, and our QCS community.

Besides the very important work of educating our students to be prepared for their futures, we also recognize that some of these students, and their families, may not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We realize that we are a school, but also a mission field, where the gospel is taught and modeled on a daily basis. We are excited to see God moving and doing wonderful things through our staff and faculty as they interact with the students and their families each day! 

Children at Quakertown Christian School, a CRM. Photo provided by Quakertown Christian School.

Because it is our intention that any family who values Christian education should not be excluded from our school due to financial limitations, we have been able to provide 70% of our families with over $400,000 in need-based tuition for the 2020-21 school year. These monies come from our Tuition Assistance Program, which receives funding from generous individual donors, businesses, families, and our own fundraising efforts. We welcome anyone who feels led to contribute to this fund to contact our office at (215) 536-6970.

Prayer requests for Quakertown Christian School:

Needs:

  • The continued health & safety of our students, families, staff, & faculty
  • The upcoming science fair and the virtual component that will be implemented
  • Our Board of Directors and Leadership Team as they make decisions regarding the 21-22 school year

Praises:

  • Our teachers and staff were able to add COVID protocols into an already busy work schedule
  • The new families God has led to join us this year

Chaos or Community: Living the Way of Christ’s Peace

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The title of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s last book is Chaos or Community: Where do we go from here?  In it King proposes a movement that incorporates both Republicans and Democrats in a nonviolent movement toward beloved community.  In this movement, King sought to advance a way toward mutuality, dignity, and fairness. Though written over 50 years ago, the book addresses issues we are still confronting today.  “The failure to pursue justice is not only a moral deficit.  Without it social tensions will grow and the turbulence in the streets will persist. . . “

In a week where our nation stands on guard prepared for possible violence in the streets, we stand as witnesses to the peace of Christ and King’s beloved community. We have lived through violent times as a conference community before. We have even been tempted to take sides with political parties, with the forces swirling around us.  Yet, over the long haul, our commitment remains unwavering to naming Christ as Lord. In following Jesus, we commit to the path of nonviolence that Dr. King directed toward change in our country.

This Martin Luther King Day, we recognize the lingering effects of white supremacy in our culture and lack of justice that cause Black and Brown people pain, trauma, and fear. As a white person, I acknowledge the ways that I and other white people have perpetuated racism that denies the image of God in all people. We acknowledge, lament, repent, and move toward right-relatedness.  

As Executive Minister, I recognize the pain, fear, and longing for justice among Black and Brown members of our conference. If one part of the body suffers, every part suffers with it (I Cor. 12:26). One of the most important things I have learned as a white dude in the past year is to believe what people of color in our conference are saying about their experiences and observations.  I have too often found myself quickly explaining or questioning, rather than simply listening.  

This listening posture requires me to settle myself profoundly in my identity as a child of God and to let go of defending my political, racial, and personal predispositions.  I’m not perfect at it, but it’s a spiritual commitment. I’m grateful for colleagues in our conference who continue to trust me to lead, accompany, and listen alongside in both struggle and celebration. This shared commitment to listen will strengthen our community.

As part of our ongoing intercultural transformation work, the Mosaic intercultural team will host a conversation with Rev. Dr. Drew Hart on his most recent book Who will be a Witness? on Thursday, January 28 at 3pm EST/12pm PST.  Many Mosaic credentialed leaders received this book as a gift from MennoMedia this fall.  The intercultural team will then lead a series of book study conversations around Dr. Hart’s book in the next month.  Read more here.

In receiving God’s new name for us as Mosaic, I believe we seek to embrace the differences across our conference. These differences pulled together in the Spirit’s wisdom create a powerful and beautiful witness. We become a glimpse of the beloved community that the world so desperately needs in our mutuality, love, and persistence in living out the way of Christ’s peace.

On this Martin Luther King Day, I invite us to remember our commitments to the way of Christ’s peace. In the days ahead, let us not give into the fears and frustrations that may surround us.  Christ is Lord. The dream of justice is still coming as surely as the morning even after a long night.  

Also remember our conference-wide prayer time this week. You can join by zoom at 12pm EST/ 9am PST with leaders from Pennsylvania, California and the Metro DC area. Zoom Link

This holy justice is right-relatedness that engages others with dignity, respect, kindness and the fruits of the Spirit.  In a time when our country feels fraught with struggle, I want to underscore clearly that our tradition, as in the way of Dr. King, sees no path of violence that will bring about God’s reign.  Instead, violence in word and deed, betrays the cause of Christ.  The beloved community is the sign of God’s reign with us now.  And in community together, all of us can have what we need and God’s grace will be evident with great power (Acts 4:32-33).

Band of 5 Boys Make Mischief, Speak using Signs, Run and Hide from Ana, and Study on Computers

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This article is translated to English by Andrés Castillo. Original article appears in Mosaic News En Español: Banda de Cinco Niños Hacen Travesuras, Hablan por Señas, Corren a Escondidas de Ana y Estudian en Computadores por Javier Marquez

Photo from Official Centro de Alabanza Facebook Page

These days they lift their faces between their screens and notebooks to look at themselves, laugh together in mischief, play with words without using their voices, instead signaling with their hands; and sometimes the bravest will even get up from his chair, run, and return immediately to place without Ana noticing. They are a small band of 5 boys: Abdiel, Andrés, Eric, Marc, and Jexson. Once in a while, just two or three join together at 440 Snyder Ave, but be it five, seven, or more, all must arrive at 8:30 AM with breakfast eaten.

Ana picking up cookie crumbs

The boys all arrive in the same way: backpacks on, lunch and snacks packed, and with the energy and attitude sufficient for a long day of study. Earlier than the boys, to scan the floor for things like cookie crumbs and adjust the seats and tables, arrives Ana Cortés. Our Mexican friend Ana, at first impression, may not be much of a conversationalist, but is always sure to be present where she can offer services or help.

There is Usually More than One Child Studying on the Computer in Every Household

A few months ago, the church Centro de Alabanza of Philadelphia opened its doors to receive children from the community during the school day in its facilities. In the present, due to COVID-19, school buildings have closed down, but classes continue online. This decision and the possibility of connecting every child to his or her class—usually more than one student in each household—come with many implications, such as the difficult adaptation of the children to their new learning environment, the strength to be in front of a computer for seven to eight hours, and the ability of the parents to provide tutoring for their children.

Children Alone for a Few Hours
Photo from Official Centro de Alabanza Facebook Page

Among the families who make up Centro de Alabanza, the majority being immigrants, it is common that both parents of the children work. Thus, accompanying their children while they study from home isn’t an easy task. Many of them have had to adjust their schedules, while others have had to spend extra money on childcare—complicated when one takes into account the economic circumstances for immigrants during this pandemic. Many must simply leave their children alone for a few hours until they return from work.

Tutor to Accompany Children and Make Sure they Study

This has been the fundamental motivation for Centro de Alabanza to think about providing this service. Indonesian pastor Aldo Siahaan (Philadelphia Praise Center) shared the idea with pastors Fernando Loyola and Letty Cortés (Centro de Alabanza) about learning assistance that was already offered at Philadelphia Praise Center. They saw an opportunity to bless and assist more than one family in the church, and communicated this to their daughter, Ana Cortés. She accepted to become a part of the idea, offering her time as a tutor for children who attended the church.

Photo from Official Centro de Alabanza Facebook Page
“Malo si sí, malo si no” (Bad if Yes, Bad if No)

Ever since, the boys regularly arrive at 8:30 AM, carrying their backpacks with their lunches packed. At 3:45 PM, they leave with their homework done and games to finish for the next day. Ana helps them read and write when needed, and she admits that it hasn’t been so simple. “I’ve had to work on my patience,” she says. This is well understood, as many times the children seem to have, as a personal anthem, the rock song by Aterciopelados/Bolero Falaz, which shouts that in the adult world, “malo si sí, malo si no” (bad if yes, bad if no).

Baby Mouse at the Bottom of a Trash Can

“One time,” Ana tells me, “the youngest boy went to the kitchen to peel and orange, and I heard a scream. When I turned to look, he was running, terrified.” Ana went to investigate what had happened, and it turned out that there was a baby mouse at the bottom of the trash can. The boy wanted the mouse to be stepped on, hit with a broom, smashed with a brick, or even thrown in a washing machine. Ana was not so cruel, and resolved to simply take it out of the church. When the boy found out Ana’s plan, he began to sob frenetically. “Teacher, don’t take it out because it’ll die from the cold!” It was winter, and the boy cried all afternoon at the thought of the mouse freezing outside. Since then, against Ana’s instructions, the children have been leaving food under their desks for mice who might seek shelter from the snow, and something to eat.

A Message for All Seasons: Finding Grace and Joy

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The sunrise comes earlier each day in the new year and the morning sky is lit with brilliant colors.  The wise men have followed the light and found the Christ Child.  

But, here at home, the news continues to be frightening, the numbers continue to climb, the lines are long, and the anger and the violence dim the light.  It may feel at times as though, being masked, “We come to the Garden Alone,”  seeking community when we are told to keep our distance from each other. It is difficult to find joy these days.       

At a recent December clergy workshop by DaySpring Counseling, a service of Penn Foundation, Rev. Sue Conrad Howes, Director of Pastoral Services at Penn Foundation and a member of Mosaic Conference, spoke of finding joy and grace. She reminds us that finding joy is a cultivated journey and not necessarily the same as happiness.  

I invite you to watch Chaplain Sue’s practical message, entitled, “Finding Joy this Masked Season.” She engages us with her humor, practical suggestions, and stories of making space for joy, giving, and sharing self-grace. The message resonates for 2021.  May it do so for you as you lead from and with God’s joy and grace.    

Video provided by Penn Foundation

Our Conference Related Ministries (CRMs), in their varied ways, continue to provide basic life-supporting necessities, healing, hope, and places of security and safety. In a recent email to the Penn Foundation staff, from Penn Foundation’s President and CEO, Wayne Magrauer, Magruaer wrote,“ We have faced challenging times before and emerged to brighter days strengthened by the experience. Please continue to have faith and heart, knowing that your work has never been more appreciated or important.”  

Please continue to pray for the leaders and staff of our Conference Related Ministries, the hands and feet of our Conference beyond our churches, into the homes and hearts of our communities.