Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

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Conference Response to Allegations of Misconduct at Dock Academy

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Mosaic Conference leadership has been informed of an allegation of inappropriate conduct by Martin Wiens, high school principal of Dock Mennonite Academy in Lansdale, PA.  Wiens has been placed on administrative leave and Dock has contracted with D. Stafford & Associates to conduct an administrative investigation.

As Conference leadership, we have been in conversation with both Dock Academy and the Mennonite Education Agency to discuss how we can provide support and accountability to Dock as they engage with this process.  Martin Wiens is not a credentialed leader in Mosaic Conference.  We will be exploring next steps in the coming weeks as more information becomes available. Additionally, the Conference is working with Dove’s Nest to provide resources for individuals, youth groups, and congregations.

Mosaic Conference remains mindful of the intersecting relationships within our Conference congregations, Conference Related Ministries, pastors, and communities.

Some alumni from Dock Academy may be questioning their own experiences or feeling confused about how they should be responding.  For those who are sharing your stories and concerns, we care about your pain and we believe you.

Family and friends of current students may be worried about their own children.  For those who are angry, uncertain, or fearful, we care about your pain and we hear you.

We care deeply about Dock’s students, staff, and board, many of whom are members of Conference congregations, and the extended Dock community.  We care about your pain and we see you.   We are working carefully with member congregations of those directly involved to ensure they are receiving care. We invite you to join us in prayer for everyone whom this case affects.

Mennonite Central Committee has a helpful resource on talking with children about their experiences of abuse, found here.  If you need to process your thoughts and feelings, we encourage you to talk with your youth leader, pastor, or Conference leadership minister.  Additionally, trained professionals are available for virtual counseling at Penn Foundation, a Mosaic Conference Related Ministry.

Mosaic Conference takes allegations of abuse or misconduct seriously.  If you feel you’ve experienced misconduct or inappropriate behavior at Dock or witnessed it firsthand, contact the Montgomery County District Attorney Detective’s Bureau to make a report (Detective Kate Kelly: 610-278-3582 or kkelly3@montcopa.org).  For more information about Mosaic Conference’s Child Protection policies, please contact Associate Executive Minister Mary Nitzsche.

If you have any information to share about whether school policies and/or federal educational or civil rights laws have been violated, you can contact Stafford & Associates at investigations@dstaffordandassociates.com.  Please provide your name, email address, telephone number, and the reason for your communication; investigators will follow up with you.

If you have information about an instance of child abuse in another ministry context, please report it by calling the child abuse hotline for your state:

Read Dock Mennonite Academy’s statements: March 24, March 25.

Calling All Leaders!

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“We are looking for a new pastor.” These are words I have heard too often in the past several years. During a pastoral transition, there is often heightened anxiety because change is on the horizon. This is a great time for churches to look inwardly for ways they can become a place that is best suited for a new pastor. 

Yet most of the emphasis in the interim is usually placed on who the new pastor will be. Search committees are formed, opinions are expressed regarding desired pastoral qualities, and pastoral fit is discerned. Ultimately, congregations create a pastoral mold that defines what the perfect pastor will look like. Sometimes I wonder if Jesus would be a viable candidate for the open position. 

It is important that the candidate has certain abilities and attributes. But if we exclude persons from our searches who do not have all the gifts on our checklist – highly educated, challenging preacher (just not too challenging), and administratively efficient – we could miss out on the most important gift necessary for a church to thrive in our culture today: leadership.

Leaders do not fit any one mold. They have many gifts, just not usually the same as pastoral gifts. In fact, true leaders often find pastoral positions unattractive because they do not thrive in places that have fixed boundaries of expectations. 

Leaders may have a gift of prophecy rather than preaching excellence. They may lack the pastoral educational requirements but may bring a wealth of workplace knowledge and experience. They may have a clear vision of outreach that may push against the congregation’s long-standing means of evangelism. In fact, many characteristics of a leader are outside of our pastoral expectations.  Consequently, leaders are quickly dismissed from our pastoral search. 

Photo by Mike Clemmer

But I believe that leaders are exactly what our churches today need. Leaders usually have relational skills, adaptability, and a sense of humility that can only come from being called by God. Leaders also work at change organically by influencing and encouraging people to move towards God’s agenda and purposes. They see where God is already at work and lead people to those places. These attributes cannot be defined by a set list of pastoral characteristics but are vital to the health of the church. Unfortunately, people who have great pastoral gifting often do not have leadership gifting. 

Valuing leadership gifting over pastoral gifting will probably cause the walls of many of our churches to quake a bit and make for a bumpy ride for a while. However, a good leader navigates the bumps in the road by adapting to the environment and modeling the vision, thus encouraging the congregation to come alongside and be partners in God’s mission. 

You may be asking, “Where are these leaders to be found?” Good news! They are already in our midst. They are found in businesses, classrooms, medical services, and farms – just look around. They are already in our churches, waiting to be tapped on the shoulder. They may not even be aware of it yet – they need to be called out. God is raising up leaders – let’s call them out!

How Will You Measure ‘Success’ as a Pastor?

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How will you measure “success” as a pastor? This question was posed to me by Jim Lapp in my pastoral credentialing interview sixteen years ago.  It was a poignant, thought-provoking question – one that I’ve continued to reflect on numerous times since then.

In reading James Lapp’s recent memoir, Remember Who You Are: Reflections on Identity, Leadership, and Faith, this question, again, bubbled to the surface for me.  Lapp’s story gives testimony to several ingredients of “success” in life, as well as pastoral ministry, including:

Remember Who You Are: Reflections on Identity, Leadership, and Faith
  • Taking “Long-View” of Christian Faith – Lapp looks back in reflecting on the numerous influences that have helped to shape his Christian faith, and sense of call to pastoral ministry – including his family-of-origin, church community, schools, and life experiences.  Lapp also looks forward in expressing his hope that faith in Christ continues to shape and guide future generations.
  • Wisdom – The depth of Lapp’s wisdom and insight is evident throughout the book in the way he offers keen reflections on marriage, pastoral ministry and identity, leadership, conflict, change, grief, etc.  I particularly appreciated his chapter, “Saving the Mennonite Church” – wise words for us, today!

  • Humility – While Lapp has held various significant roles in the Mennonite Church, he describes these leadership positions in a spirit of humility.   I also appreciate his humility in his willingness to honestly admit mistakes and name regrets.  He devotes three chapters under the title, “Faux Pas.”  Lapp’s humility is evident, as well, in how he highlights ways that his faith has grown and evolved over the years.  In the chapter, “Theological Trajectories,” he helpfully articulates eight themes where he’s experienced movement in his faith perspectives. 
  • Humor – While this would not be the first word I’d use to describe Lapp, the book gives witness to his sense of humor, and “playful spirit.”  From childhood pranks (e.g. rubbing alcohol in a water pistol with matches), to disguising as an FBI officer in a phone call with his father, to “overlaps,” to his “flattop rebellion” .. there are lots of entertaining stories in this book!
  • Gratitude – There is an authentic spirit of gratitude to God for the gift of life and all that life offers throughout the book.  In fact, many of the chapters end with prayers highlighting the words, “Thanks be to God for…”
  • Passion for Justice – Lapp articulates this passion in a number of areas, generously giving credit to ways that his family members have helped to fuel these passions in him.
  • Well-Rounded Life – I learned of the vast-array of interests Lapp has, including: cooking and baking, traveling (e.g. a fascinating trip around the world), walking faithfully and briskly every day, biking, singing, and paragliding with his granddaughter when Lapp turned 70!  
  • Love God/Love Others – Undergirding the broad sweep of this book is Lapp’s deep love for God, his family, friends, the church, and God’s creation.  I found the chapters, “A Tribute to Nancy,” and “Falling in Love Again!” to be particularly heartfelt and moving.

I am grateful to Jim Lapp for sharing the gift of these engaging, humorous, honest, and insightful reflections – giving testimony, in a spirit of grace and humility, to what “success” truly looks like in pastoral ministry and life!

Editor’s Note: To purchase a copy of Lapp’s memoir, Remember Who You Are, send a check (payable to Jim Lapp) for $18 ($15 plus $3 for mailing) with your mailing address to Jim Lapp, 1001 East Oregon Road, Lititz, PA 17543. Orders or questions can be directed to Mim Book at miriamfbook@gmail.com. 

Conference Related Ministries (CRM) Profile: Crossroads Community Center

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Children and youth enjoy lunch and socialization at Crossroads Community Center in Philadelphia. Photo provided by Crossroads Community Center.

Since 1965, Crossroads Community Center has been a light to the Fairhill Community of North Philadelphia, PA. In 2020, the Center was nominated as a “Zone of Peace” by the Religious Leaders Council of Greater Philadelphia.   

The Fairhill neighborhood, with a poverty rate of over 61% and child poverty rate of 75%, is one of the poorest areas in the city of Philadelphia. This neighborhood also has the 4th highest crime rate in Philadelphia.  Few churches remain in the region, jobs are scarce, drugs abundant, and school dropouts frequent.   

Pastor Juan Marrero, Executive Director of Crossroads Community Center, and his wife, Sandra, a social worker, grew up and live in Fairhill.  With their calling and love, Crossroads Community Center keeps its lights on.   

At the heart of Crossroads’ ministries are children and youth. For four generations, Crossroads has provided a safe place for recreation, socializing, and Bible teaching.  Like many families in 2020, Crossroads’ youth have experienced virtual learning throughout the year. For most families in the Fairhill neighborhood, many of whom are Latino and immigrants with English as a second language, virtual learning is one more level of complication for the children and youth.

With virtual learning, Crossroads serves as a “Learning Pod” for students during the school day. Photo provided by Crossroads Community Center.

In response to virtual learning needs, Crossroads has provided a Learning Pod in the center of the neighborhood. The Learning Pod is a safe, well-organized, and well-managed environment for students, providing a setting for an enhanced learning experience.  Offering two meals a day along with nutritious snacks, The Pod provides the community youth with an environment for learning, Christian mentorship, and possibilities for a full future. “Crossroads kids” have found a home. Specific programs such as The Pod require financial support and donations are welcome.

Crossroads’ continues their mission to evangelize, disciple, and demonstrate the gospel in word and deed, with the help of a generous and involved larger community.  A vision for a focus on a youth summer program is also on our agenda. The Center also celebrates volunteers who offer their gifts of time and skills to assist in our ministry. 

The Center invites Mosaic Conference youth groups to visit and experience what God is doing in the Fairhill community.   

Saying “Yes”

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Where did my call to ministry begin? Was it when I invited Jesus into my heart in secret at the age of four? Was it when my parents read me missionary biographies, and I proclaimed that I too wanted to be a missionary? Or when I decided to be baptized at 12? Was it when I asked my grandfather to teach me Greek at age 15? Or during my five months in Chile with Eastern Mennonite Missions’s YES program and learned that overseas missions is not my calling yet I can participate in God’s mission anywhere?

I’m not sure when the call began, but I remember the moments when I began to say “yes” to God’s call to pastoring. 

Michelle Curtis, co-pastor of Ambler (PA) Mennonite Church. Photo provided by Michelle Curtis.

I said “yes” the summer I finally realized my childhood dream of becoming a camp counselor at Spruce Lake Wilderness Camp. I had just finished my first year at Messiah College, majoring in Bible. I loved planning Bible studies for each age group. I delighted in engaging my campers’ questions and sharing what I had learned. When I wrote to my pastor, Sandy Drescher-Lehman, to tell her all about it, she responded, “You’re doing ministry!” I was not convinced. But I kept pondering her words. Maybe, just maybe, my love for teaching the Bible had something to do with ministry. 

I said “yes” two summers later in an internship at Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church. I did not want to be a pastor. But I did want to go to seminary, so following  Pastor Sandy around for ten hours a week didn’t seem like a bad idea. 

Pastor Sandy sent me to the Friendship Sunday School class, a self-described group of women ages 70+. They embraced me as an earnest 21 year-old, and gave me the honor of teaching them. I soon realized that teaching meant I got to ask all the questions and then soak in their wisdom – wisdom that came from decades of reading the Bible as their beloved friend. Their “yes” to me helped me keep saying “yes” to becoming a teacher of the Bible.

I said “yes” when I went to Anabaptist Biblical Mennonite Seminary (AMBS), dreaming of future Ph.D. work and teaching. But I discovered I was far more interested in taking “electives” like Foundations of Worship and Preaching. I agonized over whether to switch M.Div. concentrations from an academic track to a pastoral one. 

Michelle Curtis with her husband, Jacob. Photo provided by Michelle Curtis.

I remember the day Jewel Gingerich Longenecker, Dean of Lifelong Learning at AMBS, told me that my deep, theological mind was not only acceptable for a pastor but a gift to the church. I would not have to stop thinking and reading and dabbling in the academic world to be a pastor! In that light, pastoring began to seem possible.

I said “yes” on a Tuesday in March when the first crocuses had just bloomed. After a full day of leading worship in chapel and then communion in class, something was shifting inside me. As I walked home, the sun shone on my face and joy bubbled up inside. I heard the Holy Spirit whispering in me, “I am a pastor. I am a pastor!” Eventually I heard the specific call to pastoring. Finally, I accepted, “Yes, I am a pastor.” Then I breathed, “Thank you.” And, “Help!” 

Those “yeses” paved the way for many more yeses that have led me to the joy of co-pastoring with my husband, Jacob, at Ambler (PA) Mennonite Church, where we continue to say, “Thank you Holy Spirit for leading us here!” And, “Help us serve you faithfully!”

Recruit. Equip. Deploy. Support. (Repeat)

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Years and years ago, when I was in seminary, my mission professor said, “If everything is mission, then nothing is mission.” Mission, according to the late South African missiologist, David Bosch, is “crossing frontiers in the form of a servant.”  As Leadership Minister in California, I am often asked, how can the Conference be more missional?

My answer, to be honest, may be difficult to accept.  Mosaic Conference is not particularly missional.  The congregations of the Mosaic Conference are not overly missional.  It falls to disciples – followers of Jesus Christ – to be fully missional.  

Disciples are not just folks who have aced the church membership class.  Disciples are people who have found a grateful heart because of the God who has redeemed them in Christ and who live with both a stubborn loyalty to Christian community and an unfettered love for their neighbors.  They worship God with exuberance and lead with big hearts and sometimes big mouths. They challenge one another to do justice in the world through the power of the Holy Spirit.  

So how can Mosaic Conference engage in missional behavior?

First, recruit.  The primary missional environment of any church group is to be a talent scout for leaders, now and for the future.  Engage with people in our churches to see if they have a craving for the Reign of God. As a Leadership Minister, I am called to encourage – a “Barnabas” – credentialed servants of my assigned churches, but I am also on the lookout for women and men with an appetite for disciple making.  

Second, equip. Providing learning environments for disciple making is central to the life of a conference.  Formal settings, such as schools, and informal settings, like mentoring, are important dimensions to this equipping process.   Setting up internships that explore the possibility of call and taking risks on persons from the margins, who might otherwise not hear God’s call on their life, is critical.  

Once upon a time, a smart-aleck teenage son of an alcoholic, less than a year into his walk with Jesus, was given an opportunity to serve in the small, urban church where he first met Christ.  At first, he did not do what was assigned to him very well, but this small congregation championed his spiritual growth, and provided resources at every turn.  Forty-six years later, my life has been a terrific privilege of walking with God and serving the church.  

Third, deploy.  This is a possibly controversial step, but it is also incredibly important.  Disciple-making does not just fall from the sky.  We must invite people to enter spaces where they can thrive.  In the post-COVID, post-Christendom church that is emerging, women will be critical carriers of the gospel and important disciple makers.  They don’t need to fight the battles of my generation:  should a woman “lead?”  They need to be deployed into environments where their gifts, skills, and calling to make disciples flourish.  Yes, that means the Conference might become more directive.  Is that such a bad thing?

Fourth, support.  Support is not just financial, but also includes undergirding disciple makers with spiritual habits and practices that incarnate courage to make disciples.  Support is the encouragement that says, “Yes. You should!  Yes. You can!  Yes.  You will!”  

One important caveat:  support is not protecting from failure.  To allow people to experience the powerful pedagogy of failing…and trying again…is one of the best ways to support people.

Recruit. Equip. Deploy. Support.  This is how Mosaic Conference acts in missional ways in the environment of this new season.

In a Time of Violence Toward Asian Americans: Our Shared Commitments

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Over half of the world’s population is Asian.  Four of the five largest countries (in population) are in Asia: China, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan. (The US is 3rd largest, far behind the over one billion people in both China and India.)  In the US, only about 5% of our population, just under 20 million people, identify as Asian American.

Asia is diverse and spans from Israel to Vietnam, Sri Lanka to Siberia. It is the space of the fertile crescent, the context for much of the Biblical story, and a place of ancient kingdoms and empires. These days it’s the land of rising economies, religious pilgrimages, and sometimes a rub of conflict with the West.  Fareed Zakaria says that “Asia” is a western word for otherness. 

Our hemisphere lies between Asia and Europe, likely settled by Asian migrants who crossed to Alaska thousands of years before European explorers bumped into an unknown land mass.  In reality, our settlement in North America is far closer to Asia than Europe.  Yet our immigration policies have been largely unjust toward Asians compared to Europeans. Ongoing biases show up in how we view the cultural, religious, and social practices of Asian persons even when they are our neighbors and friends.

Over the last year, an alarming uptick in anti-Asian violence has emerged across the United States.  Tonight as I’m writing, eight people, most of Asian descent, have been shot and killed  in Georgia by a lone white gunman.   As my colleague, Hendy Matahelemual, wrote recently, these biases and this violence is not new, but there is an emerging new awareness.

In Mosaic Conference, we have almost a dozen member congregations with a majority or sizable Asian populations.   We produce materials in three Asian languages: Cantonese, Indonesian, and Vietnamese.  Asian communities and leaders are increasingly a significant part of our Mosaic identity.  

Asian communities bring vital ideas about evangelism, community, discipleship, and global connection, challenging and expanding our ideas of neighbor and family.  I’ve been privileged to work closely with the committed pastors and leaders from the Asian communities in our Conference on both coasts. I personally am part of a majority Asian congregation at Philadelphia Praise Center.  My life has been enriched by our work and relationships together.   

As Executive Minister of our Conference, I want to underscore our shared commitment to the Asian persons and communities in our Conference.  We will continue to do our own work to uncover anti-Asian biases in our personal and communal perspectives.  We deplore violence toward Asian Americans in our communities.  We weep with those who have experienced violence, and we commit to listen to the difficulties of ongoing bias and aggression, both big and small, against Asian Americans.  

As a Conference, we continue to search for ways to honor our uniqueness as part of the Mosaic of God. We are a plurality of Black, white, Latino, Asian, and Indigenous.  As part of Mosaic, we are individually unique yet part of a whole that God is transforming beautifully together.   

Our journey together is initiated through the Spirit at Pentecost.  Our commitment is to embody the Good News in our broken and beautiful world.  

In these times, we see the brokenness of the bias against Asian neighbors and friends.  And we celebrate the beauty of each unique Asian identity in language, culture, and personhood.  And in each Asian person, we recognize the imprint of our Creator who has so extended love to us that we might be called the children of God.   

Conference Related Ministries (CRM) Profile: Liberty Ministries

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A Liberty Ministries resident attends school thanks to a scholarship fund. Photo provided by Liberty Ministries.

Liberty Ministries was established in 1980 to serve the inmate populations of Montgomery County (PA) Correctional Facility and the State Correctional Institution at Graterford, PA. Since then, Liberty Ministries has positively impacted thousands of inmates and former inmates with the teaching of God’s Word, spiritual, physical, and emotional support, and the life-changing power of Christ. 

Today, we maintain two dormitory style residences for those recently released from prison – Liberty House for men and Ann’s House for women. While enrolled in a twelve-month educational and discipleship program, residents have a full schedule of weekly activities. Our program focuses on assisting these men and women in their vocational, spiritual, emotional, and character development. In addition, there are specific goals that each resident must accomplish in order to graduate from the program that are geared towards teaching them necessary life skills. 

Volunteers pack Christmas and “Lydia” Bags for inmates.  Photo provided by Liberty Ministries.

Liberty Ministries has a number of prison and community outreach programs as well. Over 160 volunteers visit incarcerated men and women on a monthly basis: teaching, training, mentoring, and preparing them for life outside of prison. Some of our programs include: Christmas stockings for those incarcerated, summer camp sponsorships for children of those incarcerated or recently released, baby bags for new mothers that have recently been released from prison and Lydia Bags that include personal hygiene items along with the Gospel for incarcerated women. 

Liberty Ministries also operates six thrift stores in PA which offer excellent values to our customers, while providing financial support for the ministry. We have stores in Collegeville, Feasterville, Montgomeryville, Quakertown and two in Pottstown.

A new enclosed greenhouse, built during the shut-down, will allow Liberty House residents to grow produce. Photo provided by Liberty Ministries.

How To Get Involved

Volunteer. We have plenty of volunteer opportunities with our ministry as well as our Thrift stores. Opportunities at our thrift stores include group service projects, donation drives, and consistent individual volunteer work. 

  • Interested in volunteering in the prisons or with one of our community outreach programs? Contact Patty Fleming, pattyf@libertyministries.us
  • Interested in volunteering at one of our thrift stores? Contact Jordan Wirth, jordanw@libertyministries.us 

Donate. Your financial support is crucial to the success of Liberty Ministries. You can donate online through our website or by mail (565 Main St., Schwenksville, PA 19473).

Shop. Every purchase at our thrift stores goes directly to support our ministry. 

Pray. We appreciate your prayers for our residents to experience life transformation, our outreach in the community and prisons, and the success of our thrift stores.

Prayer Requests

  • That we would be able to send volunteers into the prisons and adapt to new methods of communication and outreach in the meantime during the pandemic.
  • Our residents would stay encouraged and focused on the pursuit of their professional, personal, and spiritual goals 
  • Restored and renewed relationships between our residents and the people they hope will forgive them for their past actions and behaviors 
  • A successful launch of our new residential home in Pennsburg, PA 
  • The success of a new mail-in salvation course for those currently incarcerated since we are unable to hold in-person Bible studies during COVID-19