Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Articles

When We Take Risks, We Do It Together

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Originally written by Jenny Castro, adapted by Marco Güete

Photo provided by Marco Güete.

In 1970, after a mutual friend introduced us in Cartagena, Colombia, we knew pretty quickly that we wanted to be married. Sandra was 19, and I, Marco, was 18 at the time. 

I grew up moving around a lot, attending a variety of Catholic schools in Colombia and rarely living with my parents. Through these experiences I developed confidence in my own abilities and a sense of independence.

Soon after we married, I traveled to the United States to find work and establish myself, while Sandra stayed in Colombia. After reuniting eight months later in the US, we enrolled in evening technical and language schools. Sandra learned English and I studied IBM computers. 

I was agnostic; we didn’t go to church.  I didn’t believe in anything that had to do with church or God. But one day a neighbor invited her pastor over to talk with us. We were confronted with the gospel. That same day, Sandra and I made a decision to be followers of Jesus Christ. Eventually we were invited to a small Mennonite church.

After a year of deliberation and discernment, we took a leap of faith, sold our business in New York, and moved our family to Goshen, IN, for me to attend Goshen College. After I graduated from college, we moved to Illinois, and I enrolled at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard to finish my master’s degree in theological studies. We were young and had energy.

For a number of years, we worked as church planters in Chicago. I was also the new director for the Hispanic Ministries Department of the General Conference Mennonite Church. It was through this work that an idea popped in my mind. The idea would become the Instituto Bíblico Anabautista (IBA, or Anabaptist Biblical Institute).

In 1988, I drafted a proposal, outlining the first lessons of an instructional manual.  At IBA’s 25th anniversary celebration, more than 1,000 people had finished the program and many were serving the church.

Sandra and I do almost everything together. Our projects have always been joint projects: ministry, business, travel, and many ventures. When we take risks, we do it together.

For 51 years, we have been taking risks together. In the ’90s, we returned to Colombia, where I served as director of the Latin-American Anabaptist Center (CLARA) and the Colombia Mennonite Bible Seminary.  My name was on the blacklist of the Colombian military, because of the conscientious objector position of the church.  

I have also served as Associate Conference Minister for Western District Conference and South Central Conference, Conference Minister for Southeast Mennonite Conference, and today I serve as a Leadership Minister for Mosaic Conference. 

A life of ministry hasn’t been easy. There have been times when work required that I travel substantially, leaving Sandra at home with our children. “The hardest period was the teenage years,” Sandra says and laughs. “My kids were good, but teenagers are teenagers. And everything always happened when Marco was away.”

We enjoy our lives in Sarasota, FL — the work, the community of faith, and one another. The other day, when we were walking at the mall, I whispered in Sandra’s ear, causing her to laugh. “A woman came up to us and said, ‘Watching you two makes me believe in love,’ shared Sandra. She was surprised to find out that we’ve been married over 48 years!

We never finish learning. As we change and grow over the years, we fix some things and realize there are other areas we need to work on.

Some Things Don’t Change

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With so many changes in the past year, I like to notice things that have not changed in the communities I serve in the Philadelphia area. When awful things happen, we see God at work through people who care and lend a helping hand.

With the help of Mosaic Conference’s Shalom Fund, Philadelphia Praise Center was able to distribute food to struggling families. Photo provided by Aldo Siahaan.

The pandemic caused many people to lose their jobs. With the help of Mosaic Conference’s Shalom Fund, Philadelphia Praise Center received an abundance of support for nearly four months. Every Saturday we were able to share produce, instant noodles, eggs, milk, canned food, rice and other resources to help struggling families.

Many people could not pay rent, so we invited members of the church to get involved in helping cover their needs. God moved the hearts of many to share financially with each other.

Sharing reliable information is crucial among immigrant communities where English is not the first language. Providing details about vitamins for building immunity, hotels the government provides for those who are COVID-positive, nearby COVID testing venues or affordable funeral homes became instances of sharing God’s love with members of our community.

Early in the pandemic, God gave me the wisdom to create a video of a conversation between Budi Saputra, an Indonesian medical doctor in Philadelphia, and me. This became multiple videos with accurate information from a reliable source about the state of the pandemic, early symptoms to look out for, and precautions to keep people healthy. The videos were shared by Indonesians living locally, as well as those who lived in other countries.

In uncertain times, prayer becomes the believer’s breath of life. Prior to the pandemic, our community held prayer meetings every Monday. These continued by Zoom. In early December, when my wife, 4-year-old son, and I tested positive for COVID, strength and healing were possible because people prayed for us. Every day they sent love and attention through texts, phone calls, Bible verses, and even funny videos to entertain us.

It brings me joy that we were able to assist Indonesians in Philadelphia and that larger organizations have blessed us with resources to do so. During difficult times when everything is changing, let’s focus on the things that have not changed, like the blessing of sharing.

Because of your generosity, the Shalom Fund has grown beyond our expectations this year. Together, we’ve raised nearly $185,000 toward our goal of $200,000, enabling Mosaic to respond to diverse needs for food and support, impacting hundreds of families through congregations and conference related ministries.

LEARN MORE

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in Anabaptist World on March 30, 2021 and is reprinted with permission. 

Life and Work of the New CRM Committee

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As a new committee of Mosaic Conference, the Conference Related Ministries (CRM) committee met for the first time in January 2021. The committee acknowledged the past roles of CRMs in Eastern District and Franconia Conferences and reflected on the continuing importance of these ministries in the life and work of Mosaic Conference. 

Mosaic Conference Board has charged the CRM committee with the work of providing Conference presence and support for the work, staff, and clients of our CRM ministries. As a committee, we want to walk beside CRMs, providing resources, visibility, and foundational belonging while enhancing our relationships.  

Members of the CRM committee are: Lindy Backues (Providence (Collegeville, PA) congregation), Brandon Bergey (Bethany (Bridgewater Corners, VT) congregation), Missy Camilleri (Deep Run East (Perkasie, PA) congregation), Juanita Nyce (Salford (Harleysville, PA) congregation), Chairperson Herman Sagastume (Perkiomenville (PA) congregation), and Margaret Zook (Mosaic staff). These members joyfully participate in the shared work of the CRMs.

Members of the CRM committee. Top row, from left to right: Lindy Backues, Brandon Bergey, Missy Camilleri; Bottom row, from left to right: Juanita Nyce, Herman Sagatsume, Margaret Zook.

There are 25 CRMs within Mosaic Conference that offer varied resources and ministries to their communities.  Each CRM ministers to a special need, educational opportunity, or unique resource for the people and community it touches. A few examples are: Bike and Sol (East Greenville, PA), where volunteers repair bicycles in their intergenerational space as they mentor, train, and relate to youth, Bethany Birches Camp (Plymouth, VT) which offers camping experiences where life-long faith and friends connect, and Dock Academy (Lansdale, PA) and Quakertown (PA) Christian School, where academic and spiritual guidance offer a foundation for lives of faith.   

There are also CRMs, such as Indian Creek Foundation (Souderton, PA) and Peaceful Living (Harleysville, PA) who support individuals and families with intellectual disabilities and autism, and Penn Foundation (Sellersville, PA), which provides behavioral health and addiction support.  All of these 25 varied ministries, united in Mosaic Conference, embody the reconciling love of Jesus in our broken and beautiful work.   

Please join the committee with your prayers for the continuing work of the CRMs as they flourish and transform our communities through mutual relationships with God and one another. 

Luminary Walk of Remembrance and Hope

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Event participants silently walk the path of Salford Mennonite’s cemetery, with tea light candles in hand.

Saturday, March 27, presented a beautiful evening for a luminary walk through Salford (Harleysville, PA) Church’s cemetery. The walk was the kickoff event for a week-long outdoor memorial on the church grounds to remember those who have died from COVID-19. 

The memorial, titled COVID Remembrance and Hope, invites members of the congregation and the broader public to reflect on losses due to the pandemic, both locally and around the globe. 

“This has been a year like no other, for all of us,” shared Pastor Beth Yoder.  “We have known loss, disruption, and upheaval, and we have seen more clearly some of the harsh realities that shape our nation and our world.” 

Each luminary represents the deaths of 1,000 people in the U.S. and the deaths of 5,018 people around the world due to COVID-19.

From Saturday, March 27, to Saturday, April 3, an interactive prayer wall is open to the public on the porch of the historic stone schoolhouse behind the church. The memorial coincides with Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter, in which the final days of Jesus and his death by crucifixion are remembered. 

Luminaries lit a path which ended at the historic Salford schoolhouse (built in 1883), where a space for prayer was available. Participants could reflect with art, light a candle, and write a prayer and hang it on the prayer wall. The prayer wall tags included names of people who died from COVID-19, as well as hopes for the future.

“We believe that houses of worship can play a role in facilitating a space for the community to grieve and recognize the deep pain of this time we are going through,” shared Yoder. “It is especially meaningful to provide this invitation to process our personal losses and those of others, during the week when we remember how our God suffered and is with those who are suffering.” 

A second Luminary Walk through the Salford cemetery will be held 7-9 p.m. on Holy Saturday, April 3. This is an outdoor event and mask wearing is requested.  Salford Mennonite Church is located at 480 Groffs Mill Rd., Harleysville, PA 19438. 

Love Wasn’t Meant to Die

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When people ask me how many children I have, I usually hide behind humor as I smile and say, “It depends on how you count them.” Do they mean how many biological children I have? Do they mean how many children in our blended family? Do I dare tell them about our baby boy in heaven? Somehow, that question never gets easier.

As a newly married couple, George and I desperately wanted to have a child together. After several painful years of infertility, we finally got the good news that we were expecting!

I launched into “nesting” mode. I read books on pregnancy, decorated the nursery and babbled to anyone who would listen about my dreams for this little life inside of me. And, our precious gift was due in December. Could anything be more perfect? We couldn’t wait.

It was an uneventful pregnancy. But, about two weeks before my due date, my doctor noticed something was wrong. That evening, December 9, 1993, our son was born and died due to a cord complication. We named him Stanley. He had blonde hair, blue eyes and crooked pinky fingers like his dad.

Our family was devastated. The next day was my baby shower. My mother had the awful task of calling everyone to tell them her grandson had died.

My recovery was emotionally difficult. It was Christmas, usually my favorite time of year. Surrounded by bucolic images of a young mother, Mary, cradling her newborn son, I was bitter that I didn’t have a baby to hold.

People’s reactions to our loss varied. Many were compassionate and thoughtful. One out-of-state friend arranged for our local supermarket to deliver prepared meals. My cousin offered to redecorate our Noah’s ark-themed nursery. A co-worker proactively told my work associates about our loss, so I would be spared the dreaded question, “What did you have?”

Unfortunately, some friends shied away from us or broke ties, because they didn’t know how to respond. In truth, we didn’t either.

During those first few months, my emotions ping-ponged from sadness to overwhelming grief to outright, screaming-in-the-car anger at God. How could God do this to us?! To our baby?! I was ashamed that I had these thoughts. I felt so alone. I felt that even God had abandoned me.

Several months later while still raging at God, I heard a song that reminded me that death was not part of God’s plan – and that God knew exactly how I felt. God understood what it was like to watch his son die. And because of that painful sacrifice, I could hold onto the promise of someday cradling my precious boy again. It was a profound “God moment” amid my grief.

I realized that God hadn’t abandoned me. But I had railed against him. Could there be a pathway back?

A faith-based book on pregnancy loss helped me put my fear in perspective. Like a toddler who, in anger, pounds their fists against their parent’s legs and says, “I hate you!” The parent understands that the child is hurting and loves them despite their emotional outburst. 

God understands. God is there. I rested then, as now, in the scriptures that tell us that nothing can separate us from God’s love

(Romans 8:38-39).

I encourage you to step beyond discomfort to reach out to those who have lost a child or grandchild – whether a miscarriage, an infant or a child lost through abortion. Walk with them in the moment. If the loss was a while ago, let them know you remember and care. Give them space to talk about their precious child. Remind them of God’s love. Love them.

Editor’s note:  This is an abbreviated version of Cami’s full story, which you can read here, which first appeared on October 15, 2020.

Stumbling Toward the Cross

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I have crosses in every room of my house.  I didn’t grow up with this tradition, but I remember the dramatic crucifix in the living room of my Catholic aunt and uncle.  It was uncomfortable to my Protestant eyes, a graphic symbol of Christ’s bloody execution, hung above the sofa where I first watched MTV videos in the 1980s.  Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, your familiar form of the cross marks your identity as Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox.  I was never particularly comfortable with the crucifix.

A former nuclear scientist, Parush Parushev, a Bulgarian, tells how a crucifix changed him.  While working in Soviet-occupied Eastern Europe, he traveled to Poland where he met a scientist who had a crucifix in his home.  Parushev said the symbol troubled him and somehow began his journey of openness to the story of Jesus’ life and death that eventually led to his own conversion.  He is now a Baptist seminary professor and theologian.

Image by Robert Allmann from Pixabay

I’m still a bit discomforted by the bloodied Jesus on a cross, even though I am fully aware that the cross and the tomb are empty.  The crucifix is a stark reminder of the horror of Christ’s death. 

There’s something worthwhile about paying attention to the suffering Christ and holding on, even just for a while, to Jesus’ painful, humiliating death that opens the path for our own redemption.  Author James Cone does important work on connecting the idea of the cross with the African American experience of lynching in the United States.  There is much that we can learn yet often try to avoid by looking away.

This year as we emerge, slowly and wobbly, from a pandemic and persevere through a socio-political situation fraught with crisis after crisis, we might need the reminder of Christ’s presence with us in suffering.  The Ghanian song, “In Your Sickness,” minds us that “in your sickness, your suffering, your trials and pain, he is with you all the time.  Persecution, temptations, and loneliness, he is with you all the time” (Hymnal: A Worship Book #585).  From our food distributions, to our open community centers, to our Zoom worship, and stressful work situations, God has indeed been with us. 

Over the next few days, as we remember the Last supper and footwashing, and journey toward the cross, let us hold onto the solemnity of Holy Saturday and lean in toward the surprise of resurrection. I want to be alert to things that might break open my mind toward a fresh understanding, even through familiar words and symbols.  I’m paying attention to God who is with us in the midst of all that is distraught while also anticipating the possibilities of resurrection, new life, and healing.  I wonder where we might be renewed this Holy Week.

I want to remember Christ present in struggle, when things are not yet fully transformed or illuminated.  I also want to trust that God is still working, even in my impatience and striving, and the Spirit can use even the most difficult realities to be turned toward new life. 

Long winters can mean bright springs.   Even when nights and days seem long, resurrection is still coming,  still waiting to surprise us and re-awaken our hearts, souls, and minds toward deepened faith, hope, and love.   

Our Continued Response

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Mosaic Conference continues to process and respond to the allegations of misconduct at Dock Academy in Lansdale, PA. For background, please read our initial response.

Dock Mennonite Academy is a valued part of Mosaic Conference as a place where faith has been shaped for generations within our community.  Our Conference offices are located on the Dock campus, and we value the connection with Dock as a Conference Related Ministry, in a mutual relationship of support and accountability.  We continue to be in regular communication with the Dock Academy administration and board to offer resources, counsel, and prayer.

Conference staff recognize the complexity of the last two weeks for so many in our community and extend our concern and prayers to Dock students, parents, alum, staff, and board members.  We have worked with Dock Academy and Penn Foundation to arrange for pastoral presence and trauma counselors on campus this week and have planned an equipping event for youth leaders on how to identify red flags and empower children and youth to speak up in situations of abuse or misconduct.  Additionally, we welcome anyone to join Mosaic’s weekly prayer gathering (Wednesdays at 12pm ET, via Zoom) to offer or receive prayer. 

The Conference intends to wait for the completion of both the criminal investigation and the civil rights/Title IX investigation of Dock Academy before pursuing any internal review processes and will continue to provide updates for the constituent community.  

In the meantime, Mosaic Conference has partnered with Dove’s Nest to provide resources for individuals, youth groups, and congregations on preventing and responding to situations of abuse or boundary-violation.

  1. The NOTICE handout (pg 16) from the Circle of Grace curriculum identifies key behaviors to look for when boundaries are violated. (Dove’s Nest)
  2. This short video on sexual abuse is from the perspective of a teen boy. It states that boys can be victims of abuse too and that “sexual abuse has nothing to do with sexual orientation.” (Amaze.org)
  3. These age-appropriate guides provide suggestions for talking to children about sexual abuse. (Committee for Children)
  4. Books are a helpful way to introduce the topic of body safety and abuse prevention, especially with younger kids.  This list of books from Dove’s Nest is a helpful resource.
  5. This tip sheet is for talking to children and teens about maintaining healthy boundaries. (Stop it Now)
  6. This article gives questions that parents can ask their children who might have had contact with offenders.  Open-ended questions might include:
    1. What kind of things would you do with him (or her)?
    2. Tell me more about that.
    3. Did he (or she) play with you like other teachers or do something different?
  7. Additional resources are posted on Mosaic Conference’s Church Safety page.  Individual congregations can also contact Dove’s Nest for policy reviews, Zoom or in-person trainings for adult volunteers, and general consultation.

The Kingdom of God, Politics, and Citizenship: Interview No. 2 with César García

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Publicado en: PROTESTANTE DIGITAL – Kairós y Cronos – El Reino de Dios, política y ciudadanía. Entrevista con César García (II)

Translated to English by Andres Castillo.

César García during a conference in Harrisburg in 2015. Photo by Mennonite World Conference.

We continue the conversation with César García, General Secretary of Mennonite World Conference, about his book What Is God’s Kingdom and What Does Citizenship Look Like? (Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 2021). MWC is not only formed by Mennonite churches, but also includes other Anabaptist communities.

Q: César, based on what you said in the first part of our conversation, would you say that the Gospel has economic dimensions?

A: The word “Mammon” comes from Aramaic, transliterated to Greek in the New Testament and only used four times by Jesus to mean wealth, money, or riches. By analyzing what Jesus says about Mammon in Matthew 6, we can come to understand how the economy of Mammon is different and even contrary to the Kingdom of God. “You cannot serve both God and Mammon.” Let’s start with a look at how Jesus talked about money. By creating this character, he warns us of the possibility that God competes with another master in our lives: material possessions. Possessions can enslave us, creating confusion about our purpose, source of happiness, and safety.

Q: What you’ve told me reminds me of anabaptist theologian Ronald Sider’s Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity. How do the teachings of Jesus about not giving in to Mammon come together for Mennonites and Anabaptists?

A: From an Anabaptist perspective, the uncontrollable desire to possess things drives us to sin, but the Spirit of God frees us to practice helping mutually. What I’ve described here as the economy of God requires a significant change in our paradigms. Getting to the point where we limit ourselves for the common good is a miracle, but that’s exactly what our world needs. Nations search desperately for alternatives to consumerism due to the harm it’s causing to our planet. Economists today propose strategies of political control if we want to survive as human beings. There is more consciousness of the need to restrict our insatiable way of life to recuperate the health of the planet. Curiously, Anabaptists have been teaching this for centuries, what we simply call “a way of life” due to spiritual discipline. That spiritual discipline teaches us, among other things, to: 

  • Choose things based on their function rather than the social status they might reward us with. 
  • Reject anything that causes addiction.
  • Enjoy things without owning them.
  • Avoid using credit as much as possible. 
  • Refuse things that are the product of the oppression of others. 
  • Appreciate and take care of God’s creation.
  • Practice generosity.

Q: Changing the subject a bit, what can Christians do to influence society?

A: As Christians know, the church is called to carry the message of reconciliation with God and among human beings. However, the way the message is told has not always been consistent with the results we are looking for. When we analyze the history of the church, we can identify various ways in which the church has responded to this responsibility, various forms in which the church has played a role understood as a people of reconciliation facing society.

The first focus can be called conversionist. It has to do with the belief that the only thing we have to do in order to transform society is put a few Christians in positions of power.

The second option, which can be called transformationalist, seeks to transform society by changing power structures with the implementation of Christian values. 

A third option, the separatist impulse, has to do with distancing oneself from society while rejecting any possibility of fundamental societal transformation.

I’d like to suggest here that, from an Anabaptist perspective, there is another possibility. This possibility seeks to encourage societal transformation through the promotion of healthy understandings of religious freedom from the margins of society.

Q: Would you please explain this other possibility?

A: In the Anabaptist tradition, the nature itself of the church requires the separation of church and state. Given that faith cannot be forced, religious freedom is necessary to guarantee the possibility that the faith springs up. The voluntary decision to follow Christ is evident through baptism, the point of entry to the church. That implies that the church is formed by believers that have decided to voluntarily form a new community—that of the Kingdom of God. This way of understanding the Christian faith and the church demands liberty to choose our own beliefs, values, and ethics. It also implies that there will be people who will choose to not follow Christ. The possibility of saying no to the faith and to Christian values must exist in order to assure that there is an alternative community to that of this world. 

Q: Religious freedom, therefore, is not a synonym of using the power of the state to “christianize” society. What is it?

A: Religious freedom avoids the temptation to depend on human governments to promote the faith, values, or ways of life of Christians. Seeking ways to obtain legal privileges for our own religious group that are higher than those of others is fundamentally incompatible with this perspective. Religious freedom implies the possibility to choose between different beliefs or none, between Christian ethics and others. The policies and values of the Kingdom of God must only be accepted voluntarily by a society through a process of genuine interaction that includes people of other religions as well as those without faith. Christian ethics must present themselves convincingly, with arguments so persuasive that communities of people of different beliefs implement them as a response to their own beliefs, not by force. Laws that reflect Christian values must be determined through dialogue, negotiation, and consensus among people who don’t share the same faith. 

From this comes the conclusion that one of the first ways in which the Christian community influences the society that surrounds it has to do with letting all voices be heard, even those that oppose it. Followers of Christ must stand up for the inclusion of people of other religions and people without faith in the establishment of rules for society. Governments govern for all, not only for Christians. God isn’t interested in coercing people into behaving in ways that aren’t the results of beliefs. Christian ethics—a life that reflects the transforming gift of the grace of God in a Christian disciple—is not for Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, or those without faith; but rather, for the followers of Christ. 

Q: Today in Latin America, there is a growing temptation to be imposing, to believe that it is necessary to make laws that punish those who don’t follow the rules they consider to be Christian. What do you think of this?

A: Influencing within our society in ways that don’t respect religious freedom, that don’t allow people to choose their own lifestyle, will side us with those who throw stones. It will make us oppressors instead of oppressed. It will make us act in a way that will paralyze others with fear.