Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

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Ambler Co-pastor Receives Awards

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Photo credit: Peter Ringenberg

Jacob Elias Curtis participated in the August 22 commencement and commissioning service of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), Elkhart, IN. He graduated from AMBS in May 2020 with a Master of Divinity with a major in Pastoral Ministry. 

Curtis — who names his home communities as Dublin, Ireland; Denver, Colorado; and Goshen/Elkhart, Indiana — also was selected to receive this year’s Award for Excellence in New Testament Exegesis from the seminary’s Bible Department and this year’s Heart of the Community Award. 

In May, Curtis and his wife, Michelle Curtis (MDiv 2018), became co-pastors of Ambler (PA) Mennonite Church, a congregation of Mosaic Mennonite Conference.

Conference Related Ministries (CRM) Profile: Peace Proclamation Ministries

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Supporting the Church in India
by Kendra & Jim Rittenhouse

Peace Proclamation Ministries (PPMI) began in 2011 by Paulus and Sumatha Thalathoti with the blessing of their Plains (Lansdale, PA) congregation. PPMI works primarily with churches in south east India. Christian churches are dotted throughout the countryside, with members who were converted to Christianity one or two generations ago but left alone as islands in a sea of other religions.

The Thalathotis have spent the last nine years in countless late night phone calls and multiple trips to India in order to build a network of support for these isolated churches. The network is sectioned by regions into smaller networks. Pastors who wish to join PPMI are thoroughly vetted with a minimum of one year of discernment for each. Not all pastors are accepted, as some join to seek monetary gain. 

Pastors’ wives in Kammam, India receive spiritual nourishment and education through PPMI. Photo credit: Kendra Rittenhouse

PPMI has grown from eight to 70 churches. In 2012 the Thalathotis began the first annual pastors’ conference, a 3-day retreat for spiritual enrichment with a Jesus-centered, Anabaptist view. Mennonite pastors, teachers, and lay persons have traveled from Pennsylvania to India for this purpose. Along with biblical enrichment and year-long counsel and support, congregations may also receive monetary assistance when medical needs or church repairs arise. 

Many of the people who attend PPMI congregations live in the poor, rural communities of India. They do not have food reserves or access to food on a regular basis. With the economic effect of COVID-19, these communities in India have been severely affected due to the lack of day labor jobs and cash reserves. 

Recently, PPMI doubled the normal monthly support to our pastors so that they could purchase food for their respective communities and families. Because of established networks for communication and finances, this happened efficiently.

A local homeless man receives food sent for relief from a PPMI pastor in Guntur, India. Photo provided by PPMI

Even though PPMI is typically not in the food distribution business, we used our network to make a difference by reducing the pain caused by the effects of a virus. Sometimes God calls us to action beyond our own comfort zones. Since May this year, it’s been meaningful to be able to provide the next meal for many who live so far away.  

One thing we don’t question is the inner strength and faith in God of the PPMI pastors and spouses. They have seen miracles when there was no hope. When all seems lost, they do not give up. They use everything they have and pray more. They love God deeply. They love others daily. May God continue to give them strength and hope.

Plan B

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by Conrad Martin, Director of Finance 

So how has your Plan A for the year 2020 turned out?  We probably all had great plans for 2020 in January, ruined by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Last month, I heard a sermon on Acts 27, where Paul is on his way to Rome via ship when they encountered bad weather.  Paul warned the ship’s crew that they would be better off waiting for better traveling weather.  The crew ignored Paul and set sail anyway, right into a hurricane.  Paul was forced to implement a Plan B which eventually saved the lives of 276 crew and passengers. 

I started to think about other Plan B’s in the Bible.  There are many biblical stories of people who needed to follow Plan B. Sometimes they rejected Plan A, while other times they were forced to choose Plan B by someone else or by mere circumstances. Regardless, these stories show us how God still uses alternatives to further God’s work.

Here are a few examples: 

  • David was not originally supposed to be the king over Israel, but King Saul chose to reject God.  God brought Plan B, David, a man after God’s own heart.  
  • Jonah’s travels to Ninevah could have gone a lot smoother, had he followed God’s Plan A. God used Plan B to get Jonah to Ninevah, but it wasn’t easy.  (It did perhaps make for a more interesting story, however, as many Plan B’s are.)

I reflected back on my own life and the many Plan B’s that got me to where I am today.   Coming out of high school, I had a Plan A for my life: marriage, children, career.  God had a different plan, one that worked better being single.  I spent more than a decade in ministries in Tanzania and Bangladesh with God’s Plan B.  

One of my assignments with Mennonite Economic Development Associates in Tanzania was to replicate their model of micro-financing across the country.  One week into my assignment, a major fraud was discovered in a field office.  I spent the next four years on Plan B, working to resurrect that project.  

When I first came to work for the Conference, I was told that they had originally planned to hire someone else.  When that plan fell through, my resume just happened to be sitting on the desk of the conference executive at the time.  I became Plan B, and God is still using me in that role.

We learn in Genesis that humankind initially lived in the Garden of Eden. I can only assume that it was meant to be forever.  But that plan didn’t turn out well, as humankind chose another way.  In response to human rebellion and sin, God embarked on a mission to rescue creation that culminated in Jesus. 

How has God used you in the Plan B’s of your life?

A Joint Sunday School Experiment

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by Jordan Luther, Zion (Souderton, PA) congregation

If your congregation is like mine, then you are familiar with the revolving door of Sunday school attendance most summers. This summer, however, the situation was different. With most of our congregation still worshiping from home, we needed to rethink how we do Sunday school—especially for our children.

Pastor Jordan Luther waits for virtual Sunday school to start.

Our youth group has been meeting virtually for youth group and Sunday school throughout the pandemic. One day I floated the idea about meeting as a joint Sunday school class of all ages, K-12. I was clear from the beginning that I could not teach this class alone. I needed help. 

When I asked the youth group if they would be willing to help, I was amazed with their response. Not only did they agree to help, but they agreed to be co-leaders and share responsibilities with me!

The following week at youth group we built our five-week summer Sunday school curriculum from the ground up. The youth were really helpful during the planning process, sharing what they believe is most important for Sunday school from a kid’s perspective. I learned two lessons that I hope never to forget from these sessions.

The first lesson the youth taught me is that stories are important. Stories are easier to remember than Bible memory verses. (Sorry Psalms and Romans … maybe another unit!) The youth shared with me about which Bible stories are relatable and memorable to them. 

We took notes on our favorite Bible stories and made a plan. Thankfully, all of the stories the youth chose were featured in Shine On: A Story Bible curriculum which made reading and sharing the story much easier for our younger classmates.

Second, the youth taught me that Sunday school should be a fun experience. “Don’t be boring,” was one youth’s advice to me. “Adults like to talk; kids need action.” This comment made it crystal clear that playing games is important to our faith development too. 

A different youth suggested that we should create original prompts in Quiplash 2 and Drawful 2, two online games that we play regularly together, as a way to have fun while going deeper into the Bible story. The youth and I created the prompts ahead of time after reading the Bible story together. Our prompts were meant to inspire everyone’s imagination and give us permission to wonder about some of the missing details of the story. Think Jewish midrash meets Family Feud. That was our Sunday school environment.

Our joint Sunday school sessions had their hiccups too. Sibling rivalries are just as apparent on screen as they are in-person. Poor wifi connections meant the occasional robot voice and frozen screen. 

Even with these hiccups in mind, I am still grateful for this joint Sunday school experiment. It was a great opportunity for our younger kids to reconnect, our youth to lead and participate in the planning process, and for me to consider fresh approaches to family ministry.

Conference Related Ministries (CRM) Profile: Bethany Birches Camp

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Donated Land Becomes Camp with a Mission
by Bethany Birches Camp Staff

Distanced fireside worship during a pandemic. Photo Credit: Capjoy Photography

Bethany Birches Camp began in 1965 when Lloyd and Alice Moyer gifted land in Plymouth, Vermont to be used as a summer camp for young people. The Moyers had noticed that many area summer camps were very expensive. They wanted a place for children from modest families to have options for constructive summer activities. Nevin Bender, the pastor of nearby Bethany Mennonite Church at that time, became the first camp director, and served, with the help of his wife Lourene, until 1980. 

Bethany Birches had modest beginnings with volunteer staff, tents as the only lodging, and days filled with old fashioned camping fun. Since then the camp has grown both in sophistication, programming, staffing, and facilities while still maintaining its rustic roots and core values.  Today we run summer and winter camps, rent the facilities, and seek financial and volunteer support so we are able to provide our programs affordably.

The core mission of Bethany Birches Camp is to help young people develop their relationship with God by providing them with a Christ-centered camping experience in a natural and nurturing environment. The leadership team assembles summer and winter staff teams who are committed to this mission. 

Cooling off in the mud pit during Messy Monday at Bethany Birches Camp.PC: Capjoy Photography

Each year over 400 children, ages 6-17, attend Bethany Birches Camp and many attend for multiple weeks. True to its original mission of accessibility, about half of the campers can attend because they receive financial assistance. Most campers do not attend church. Only 17% report active engagement in a church, and only 16% feel their faith is strong and supported at home. 

With careful guidance, training, and supervision, we craft programs within our core values of community, fun, nature, and God. We build relationships, care for each other, and live together in family-sized camping groups. Campers and counselors live together in the woods on the Bethany Birches property in the Green Mountains of Vermont during both summer and winter.  

We at Bethany Birches Camp are thrilled to be salt and light as we live in the Way of Jesus among those who may have never read the Bible, heard the gospel, or encountered Jesus.  We have seen growth, transformation, and new life among our campers.

Campers enjoy climbing the pavilion chimney. PC: Capjoy Photography

Bethany Birches Camp is the result of much support and effort from Vermont and Pennsylvania church communities. As Laurene Bender said, “We say ‘with God all things are possible.’ However, it takes people willing to do the sweat work and who have the vision.” 

Each year volunteer groups come for a week to help maintain and improve the property. Mowing, woodcutting, office, and accounting work has been consistently done with the help of volunteers. Help is always needed during the summer and winter in the kitchen as well. Campers are sponsored through the Kids to Camp fund and counselors receive support that the camp matches.  

Anyone interested in investing their time and resources in the lives of children should email camp@bethanybirches.org or call 802-672-5220.  

Please consider joining us for our annual benefit auction (virtually) November 6-8, 2020.  Visit www.bethanybirches.org/benefit-auction/ for more info and to get signed up for emails. 

Prayer request:

  • Help Bethany Birches Camp to utilize the experience they gained from running summer camp during this pandemic. Help them move forward to benefit and love their community this fall and winter.
  • Lord, make yourself visible to the summer campers who shared the difficulties they are experiencing being stuck at home.  Give them hope. 
  • Give strength, creativity, and peace to parents who are struggling to tend to their responsibilities while their children are learning from home.

Dancing Together with God

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by Ken Burkholder, Conference moderator

As an Anglo Mennonite, who grew up in Lancaster County, PA, dancing was not a big part of my upbringing.  In junior high, my parents did not allow me to attend dances at my public school.  In high school, I went to a few dances. I bopped around to songs from Huey Lewis and Survivor, with an occasional slow dance to a Lionel Richie ballad.  In recent years, it’s been fun to have a few more opportunities to attempt dancing at wedding celebrations of family and friends. 

The Mosaic Conference Board gathered on August 17-18 to work, while socially-distanced, on vision and mission statements for delegate consideration at this fall’s conference assembly. 

On August 17-18, the Mosaic Mennonite Conference Board met at Pinebrook Retreat Center, a Spruce Lake facility, in East Stroudsburg, PA for a two-day retreat. Our meeting times were outdoors, with masks, and physically-distanced from each other. Pinebrook Retreat Center did a great job in making it possible to have a safe, in-person retreat during a pandemic.  

During our retreat, “dance” came up several times in our conversations, as a metaphor for us stepping into God’s desired future for the conference.  Hopefully, our forebears, who forbade dancing, weren’t turning over in their graves!  

It was noted that each and every person, congregation, and conference constituency group is needed “on the dance floor,” actively participating in the mission God’s collectively calling us to.  Furthermore, it’s vital that we all remain “in step” with Christ, our leader, while also being flexible to the various “rhythms” among us.  We may need to learn some “new moves,” as we seek to live out our deeply-rooted Anabaptist Christian values in fresh, creative ways in this ever-changing culture. No doubt, there will surely be challenges along the way that test our commitment to remain “dance partners” with one another.

Calenthia Dowdy (left), retreat facilitator, listens as conference moderator, Ken Burkholder (right), speaks at the conference board retreat last week at Pinebrook.

I was delighted that we had all twelve conference board members participate in the retreat, along with Steve Kriss and Mary Nitzsche, conference staff. (Gwen Groff, pastor of Bethany (VT) congregation and at-large conference board member, joined us by Zoom from Vermont due to a travel ban).  I am grateful for the guidance of our excellent facilitator, Calenthia Dowdy.  I thank God for the array of gifts and personalities among our board, the rich wisdom, the spirit of collaboration, and the desire to follow Christ’s leading.

Despite meeting outside and with masks on, we still had many opportunities for meaningful conversation, dreaming, and prayer at Pinebrook Retreat.  This resulted in us crafting a vision and mission statement, which you’ll be hearing more about this fall.  

The Board retreat was a meaningful time of team-building and looking to the future, as we anticipate Mosaic Mennonite Conference living into the vision and mission God’s calling us to.  I am infused with energy to actively engage in the “dance” of God’s movement among us.  I hope you’ll join us, as we learn to dance together with God.

Shalom Fund Shatters Initial Goal

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by Sue Conrad Howes, Communication Associate

 In April, Mosaic Conference leaders recognized the financial toll that COVID-19 would take on many people in the conference and beyond. The Shalom Fund was quickly organized as an effort to raise funds to share with our most vulnerable communities. 

The initial goal of the Shalom fund was $100,000. To date, the Shalom Fund has raised $151,080.07, smashing past the original goal.  Of the funds raised, $100,000 has been distributed to a wide variety of people and organizations throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, California, and Florida, as well as Honduras, Mexico, and India. Four Conference Related Ministries and 17 congregations have received funds. Some funds assisted ministry expenses while other funds were distributed to assist congregations in their outreach to persons in need.

Beny Krisbianto, pastor of Nations Worship (Philadelphia, PA), noticed needs early on in South Philly. He rallied his congregation and, by early April, their congregation was distributing grocery bags containing basic supplies to their neighbors. They distributed about 40 bags each week.

Food is collected and distributed by members of Nations Worship (Philadelphia, PA) for their neighbors during COVID-19. Shalom Fund donations enabled the congregation to expand its weekly distribution from 40 households to 100. Photo credit: Beny Krisbianto

Eventually, Mosaic Conference offered to financially supplement the work of Nations Worship. Krisbianto was easily able to find more households in need in their neighborhood and, using Shalom Funds, the grocery bag project expanded. Soon, Nations Worship was distributing 100 grocery bags one or two times per week.  

Many of the recipients were not familiar with the congregation at first, but the church saw their needs and helped.  As a result, “Some of them ended up joining our virtual worship or coming to our church services,” reported Krisbianto. “We are able to connect and build good relationships with new people in a way that we could express the love of Jesus during this time.”

When the Shalom Fund was first introduced in April, donors responded immediately. “When the reality hit of what stay-at-home orders meant, I desperately wanted to help,” shared Dawn Moore, Souderton (PA) congregation. “I have the utmost trust in Mosaic to shepherd resources carefully to areas with the greatest need.”

Jaye Lindo, church planter for Mosaic conference in Bowie, MD, was the first donor to the conference’s Shalom Fund, which has now raised over $150,000 to help those in need due to the pandemic.

Jaye Lindo, a church planter with Mosaic Conference in Bowie, MD, did not hesitate to give when she learned of the Shalom Fund. “As a leader, Mosaic Conference had blessed me with love when I needed it the most,” reported Lindo. “When the opportunity was presented to give, I had to be one of the first.”

The donation to the Shalom Fund from Lindo and her congregation, 7 Ways Home Fellowship, was an opportunity to be a part of the conference work. “It was a heartfelt blessing for us to be able to say to our entire Mosaic Community, who may not know much about our little home fellowship, that we are here, and we care.”

The needs for food, hand sanitizer, gloves, utilities, assistance with rent, and pastoral and member support continue in our communities, so the funds will continue to be used as needed most.

“I’m really grateful for the ways that the Shalom Fund has given opportunities to share across our conference,” said Steve Kriss, Executive Minister. “I’ve been overwhelmed by people’s generosity to each other and to their communities. People have gone above and beyond.”

While the success of the Shalom Fund has surpassed all expectations, Lindo offers a further challenge. “Could we do more and are the needs being met?” Lindo said when she heard that the fund had far surpassed its initial goal. “My heart does not want anyone to lack. So I say, can we make it $250,000? God is still speaking. Are we listening and obeying?”

Witnessing to God’s Image

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by Noel Santiago, Leadership Minister

Volunteers from Iglesia Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life Church (NVNNL) assist community folks who have expired, lost, or stolen IDs and need assistance in navigating the governmental systems to gain access to a new ID.

Today’s world provides us many opportunities to witness. From sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to serving, giving, and being present, the Holy Spirit empowers us.

Iglesia Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life Church (NVNNL) sees itself as a witness through the work of their Photo ID clinic. NVNNL received a conference Missional Operation Grant to empower their work. Here is their report of the work: 

1. What went well?

Our photo ID clinic in February was hugely successful. Fourteen volunteers assisted 58 persons who were seeking assistance to renew expired photo IDs, replace lost/stolen photo IDs, and obtain birth certificates and Social Security cards necessary to apply for photo IDs. People were grateful and relieved to finally resolve the challenges of their identity documents. 

The clinics are a wonderful opportunity to share God’s love and bounty with folks who are struggling in poverty and the harsh realities of illnesses and homelessness. Our church continues to be an example of “true evangelical faith” as we engage with our community. 

2. What new opportunities did you discover?

The COVID-19 shutdown affected our plans for a clinic in May because state offices were closed and we could not host a large group of people. We continued to serve a few people on a case-by-case basis.

Members of Iglesia Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life Church provided assistance to 58 community members seeking assistance at their Photo ID Clinic in February. 

Meanwhile, conversations earlier in the year with the director of the Hospitality Center (a day shelter for persons experiencing homelessness in Norristown and a ministry of the Norristown Ministerium) began to bear fruit. This summer, we formed a new partnership with the Hospitality Center to host our next two clinics outdoors in a way that battles both poverty and the coronavirus. We do not want to miss the blessing of sharing with our neighbors in need.

3. Share a story that inspired you. 

One man was so thrilled to finally be able to get an updated photo ID. He had fallen on some hard times and spent some time in prison. He is trained as a restaurant cook and had a job waiting for him if he could just get his ID. When NVNNL hosts fellowship meals again, he wants to come and cook for us. 

Most of us have no idea of the difficulties faced by not having a plastic card with our picture and personal information on it. Having a state-issued photo ID unlocks so many doors. It is a tremendous relief for those who cannot afford the fees or figure out how to navigate the system. 

Many of our clients recognize this as a gift from God and our church. We often encourage people to explore their relationship with God, and invitations to engage with our congregation are always given.

Jesus was once asked if the people should pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus asked for a coin and was given a denarius. He then asked whose image was on it? They responded, “Caesar’s.” Jesus then stated, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (Mark 12:15-17, NIV)

The next question that could have been asked is, “What belongs to God?” A further question would be, “Whose image is on you?”

As NVNNL works at providing “a plastic card with their picture and personal information on it,” we are all called to remember that it is the image and likeness of God that is imprinted on each human and therefore worthy of dignity and respect.

May we continue to bear witness to this truth so that our communities and world will know and experience the good news of God’s love in Jesus.