Articles

by Mike Clemmer, Conference Leadership Minister

Recently, I have been drawn towards a particular word in several scriptures. I have found the word to be helpful as I process the effects of the coronavirus on the church. As it pertains to our faith, it is a word that has been overlooked or taken for granted. But it is an important word for us to reflect on now. Consider.

“Consider” was often used by the Psalmists as a plea for God’s attention or focus on their human experience. They wanted God to know their plight: “Oh Lord, consider my affliction…” (Ps. 119) or simply asking God to “…consider me.”(Ps. 9) Perhaps this is our hope, that God would intervene in our lives and remember us in our times of distress. But what are the things that we ourselves should consider? 

Do we really consider God’s love for us through God’s handiwork of creation? In Luke 12, Jesus reminds us to “consider the ravens” and how God cares for them. In Matthew 6, we are told to “consider the lilies of the field in all their splendor.” Have we considered that God cares for us so much more than these? 

What about God’s miracle of our own human bodies? When we breathe, eat, think, choose, see, and hear – do we consider that we have been created by God to do these things?  Perhaps David was considering these things when he wrote, “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.” (Ps. 139:14, NASB) I wonder at times, does my soul know it well? Do I consider it?

As Christians, we are also called to consider others. I have been encouraged by the ways our conference churches are working at new possibilities of loving our neighbor. Churches are adapting to new forms of worship and are learning that community can be built virtually. Out of necessity, new gifts have been called out and practiced by persons in our churches. Creative ways of meeting physical and emotional needs of our communities have sprung forth. 

Consider for a moment the impact of finding ways to provide food for our communities and the consideration shown to our sisters and brothers through the Shalom fund giving. 

Perhaps the greatest consideration has been the way the church has been challenged to reassess its purpose and vision for ministry. This has not been easy. Idols of control and power have been exposed, pressure has been increased on church leadership, and political agendas have come into play. We need to look to God for direction and wisdom in how we move forward. Have we considered our great need for prayer during this time?

Despite the anxiousness of our times, I have been inspired that our conference churches have worked hard to keep dialogue open and positive. Ultimately, we have rallied together around the common theme of bearing with one another and loving others as Christ has loved us. We have been forced to engage in long overdue, but necessary conversations about the work of the church. Who are we and why do we exist? Do we exist for our own benefit or for others? What should worship look like for us moving forward? 

There are a lot of things to consider these days. Among them, God is still, and always will be, calling us to be communities of faith that care for one another. Most importantly, God’s church is alive and well. Consider that!

We are the newly named “Mosaic” and find ourselves immediately facing a challenge to this new picture of “us” together.  Can the pieces of the “mosaic” lament, repent, intercede, and act together in a way that reflects the whole body of Christ?

But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (1 Corinthians 12:24-26)

We must remember the radical Anabaptist history and origin that we claim as Mennonites. This legacy is grounded in a costly and visible resistance to both the State and Church of that day, who sought to maintain the rule of “law and order” through domination. Anabaptists were ready to resist to the point of death so that the law of love and the way of Jesus would be amplified and accessible to all people.

To those within our conference who identify as Black, African American, Afro-Latinx,  Caribbean American, of African descent or part of the African Diaspora. First, we want to emphatically affirm that your lives matter and that you are made in the image of the Divine. Your pain is our pain, we will mourn when you mourn and laugh when you laugh. You are not alone and we commit to stand by and with you—following your lead and taking responsibility for our part in dismantling the evil forces of racism, white supremacy, and anti-blackness that seek to harm and hurt you.

To those who are People of the Global Majority, with an identity other than Black. We also see your pain and struggle to not to be crushed by the systems of white supremacy. It is critical to find new ways not to segregate nor assimilate with the white dominant culture. Our goal is mutual transformation, but in order to get to that, the evil spirit that is at work must be identified. Siding with the dominant culture without awareness will not only make People of the Global Majority lose their identity but also part of the problem. Also—it is crucial to find ways to be in solidarity with Black people, sharing in the struggle, knowing that any beliefs that say that Black Lives don’t matter also applies to other minoritized groups. Because when Black lives matter, all lives will matter.

To those who are white within our conference. Choose to commit to your own work of repentance by educating yourselves about our shared, complex, and painful history of race in this nation, which has resulted in the inequities, injustice, and disparities of today.  Examine yourself in the light of Scripture and the Spirit of truth, written and spoken work of people of color, and the numerous resources that are available on the topics of equity and social justice. Have ears to ear and a heart to understand and move to lament and repentance for the ways whiteness and white supremacy have lived in our hearts and in our churches.  Act for racial justice.

Below is a list of resources we have compiled to support you in this critical time of resistance in our shared history as Anabaptists in the U.S. Please know that the Mosaic Intercultural Team is available for continued support and as a resource as well. 

Resources:

 

Recursos para hablar sobre Racismo

 

From Mennonite Church USA

• Mennonite Church USA statement on racial injustice by Mennonite Church Executive Board staff
• Prayers of Lament, compiled by MC USA
• We need to engage in more costly peacemaking by Glen Guyton, MC USA Executive Director

Articles

• Finding Steady Ground, 7 behaviors to cultivate spiritual and internal strength in these times.
• Stop Talking About Racial Reconciliation and Start Talking About White Supremacy by Erna Kim Hackett
• Racial Trauma is Real, a guide to developing self care practices to recover from racial trauma for People of Color/People of the Global Majority in the U.S. by Maryam M. Jernigan, Carlton E. Green, Leyla Pérez-Gualdrón, Marcia Liu, Kevin T. Henze,  Cynthia Chen, Kisha N. Bazelais, Anmol Satiani, Ethan H. Mereish, Janet E. Helms.
• White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
• 20+ Allyship Actions for Asians to Show Up for the Black Community Right Now
• ANTI-RACISM FOR ASIAN AMERICANS

Podcasts and Videos

Irresistible Podcast, a podcast with interviews, practices and resources for healing justice work.

White Women’s Toxic Tears – Lisa Sharon Harper conversation with Jen Hatmaker.

https://www.facebook.com/lisasharonharper.page/videos/252787745783037/

13th,  is a 2016 American documentary by director Ava DuVernay. The film explores the “intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States;” it is titled after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1865, which abolished slavery throughout the United States and ended involuntary servitude except as a punishment for conviction of a crime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfcq5pF8u8

Just Mercy– a movie about the work of Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative (free movie rent on YouTube)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7MxXxFu6fI

Additional list of Intercultural Resources from http://mosaicmennonites.org/intercultural/

 

by Steve Kriss, Executive Minister

“Blessed are those who mourn …
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after justice.”
—Jesus, Sermon on the Mount

“We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
—Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King

I was horrified watching the video of the arrest and killing of George Floyd from Minneapolis last week.

I mourn the loss of Mr. Floyd’s life. I lament that his death is part of the 400-year legacy of violence against Black people and African Americans in the United States. I cannot simply look away from the history or the current reality. I extend my sympathies to the family and community that knew and loved him.

Over the last week, I have reflected on the story of when Jesus turned over the tables at the temple. Jesus was also angry about injustices that denied the image of God imprinted on all people. I want to seek justice and move toward holy anger like Jesus. In today’s context, this means moving toward understanding the anger of others who carry the fear and consequences of generations of white supremacy and racial injustice. This means moving toward seeking racial justice that allows the full flourishing of all people and all places as God intends.

I acknowledge the pain, frustration and fear of my friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors who are Black and African American. My silence betrays my friendships, my commitments, and my understanding of God’s call in my own life and within my role as Executive Minister in our Conference. Silence becomes complicity in systemic violence against Black and Brown people. As a white male Christian, I want to continue to find ways to name and dismantle white supremacy in all the ways that it manifests both personally and corporately. I have to do my own work of addressing power, privilege, and responsibility. This means learning to share power, to openly share resources, and to actively resist narratives that seek to dehumanize or devalue the lives of Black and Brown people.

I feel particularly raw these days as my own city of Philadelphia has erupted in protest and disruption. I am currently writing while we are under curfew. I hear and feel the weighty concern and frustration of colleagues.

I am committed to our work together of intercultural transformation and racial justice. Part of that work means sharing the struggle of Black and African American members, neighbors, colleagues, family, and friends. This means bearing witness to anger, fear, and frustration. Mutual transformation can be long and uncomfortable work but it can also be hopeful and joy-filled. This means to be changed in relationships and through what I am learning about us as a mosaic of people with different backgrounds and experiences—Black, Brown, White, Asian, Latinx and even more specifically as African, Indonesian, Slavic, Colombian, Vietnamese, Mexican, Germanic, Indian, Jamaican, Haitian, and Chinese.

I am committed to continuing to lead us in ongoing repentance, mutual transformation, and dismantling the framework of white supremacy. I am committed to acting in ways that exhibit and proclaim that Black lives matter. We cannot embrace silent complicity while embracing our new Mosaic Conference identity. God is calling us into something new that means leaving some things behind, including our history as the Quiet in the Land.

One of our legacies as Mennonites in Philadelphia was to be part of the first public protest from white folks against slavery in this hemisphere. I want to lead in ways that help us recover the well of spiritual depth that empowered our Mennonite forebearers to speak out against injustice and inhumanity. Those of us who are white Mennonites have lost some of that spiritual fire and capacity in our relative comfort. Jesus did not hesitate to speak truth and to bear witness to both religious and civil authorities. Neither can we.

In our newness as Mosaic Conference, in the midst of social upheaval, in the midst of a pandemic, I still believe that the Spirit is upon us with power to be witnesses. These days, that witness includes underscoring the value of Black lives. It means crying not only for peace but also for justice. It means mourning together and seeking justice together knowing that Jesus promises we will both be comforted and satisfied.

The work lies ahead of us, within us, all around us.  And I know for sure that God is in it with us.

Eastern District & Franconia Conference has become Mosaic Mennonite Conference, a change that was announced during a conference-wide virtual worship service on Pentecost Sunday.

“As the reconciled Eastern District & Franconia Conference, we are excited about the future that God is calling us into,” conference moderator Ken Burkholder (Deep Run East congregation, Perkasie, PA) said in the announcement video on May 31. “We believe it is appropriate to mark this transition in our collective history with a new name.”

This new name, Mosaic Mennonite Conference, was affirmed by the conference board in February 2020 after a year-long process that included two rounds of focus groups over four months.  The Naming Task Force received suggestions of nearly fifty names; “Mosaic” was a clear favorite in the focus group testing, popular across the conference’s cultures and geographies, and translates well into the conference’s other five worshiping languages: 匯聚愛門諾區會 (Chinese), Konfwanz Menonit Mozayik (Haitian Creole), Mosaic Konferensi Mennonite (Indonesian), Conferencia Menonita Mosaico (Spanish), and Giáo hội Mennonite Đa chủng tộc (Vietnamese).

This creation of something new out of many parts was central to the choice of the new name.  “We’re different people—we’re allowed to experience Jesus in different ways,” reflected Danilo Sanchez, Conference Youth Formation Pastor.  “Each piece in this new mosaic that we’re forming has the ability to shine and be bright and to feel like they have value and worth.”

The name “Mosaic” also captures the “celebration of lots of things coming together in explosive and creative ways,” observed conference board member Yvonne Platts (Nueva Vida Norristown [PA] New Life congregation).  “I go back to an African proverb that we’ve been using lately that ‘I am because we are.’”

Mosaic Mennonite Conference was formed by the reconciliation of Eastern District Conference and Franconia Conference in 2019 and the transfer of congregations in California and Florida from Pacific Southwest and Southeast Conferences in 2017 and 2020.  The new conference is now one of the largest and most diverse in Mennonite Church USA.

Pentecost was chosen as the day for stepping into a new name and a new identity because it’s about transformation, Executive Minister Steve Kriss said in his Pentecost message.  “The times when names of people are changed in the biblical story represent a turn.  We are turning in the midst of a crisis,” he said, referring to the COVID-19 quarantine, the economic downturn, and the waves of #BlackLives Matter protests around the country.  “We did not plan this time.  This is God’s time for us to gain a new name.  To receive power.  To recognize our gifts.”

Part of the transformation the new conference was experiencing, Kriss acknowledged, was to move away from an identity of “The Quiet in the Land.” To be true to the conference’s missional, intercultural, and formational commitments, Mosaic Mennonites will be a people who speak boldly and express the justice of God. “It’s a vulnerable time,” he said.  But “the Spirit has given each of us unique gifts that are held together ‘for the common good’ [1 Corinthians 12:7, NIV].  We recognize that it is time, also, to raise our voice.”

The fire of the Spirit is “not only upon us, not only around us, but deeply inside of us, individually and together,” Kriss reflected.  “May our new name, on these most strange days of Pentecost, shape new possibilities: for us, for our neighbors, and for the whole world.”

Watch the video announcement or the Pentecost Worship service.  Learn more about Mosaic Mennonite Conference at MosaicMennonites.org.