Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Articles

Working with Youth to Expand the Kingdom of God

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“I’ve always had a passion to work with youth in the church,” shares Michelle Ramírez, Youth Coordinator for churches in the Florida region for Mosaic Conference. “They are the next generation of leaders and I love to help them see that there is no better reward than to work for God by serving in your church.” 

Eight congregations in Florida joined Mosaic Conference during the November 2020 assembly. Ramírez recently began working in youth leadership cultivation with these congregations in this new, part-time role for the conference. 

Ramírez works with the conference’s youth formation team and oversees the Forming Youth Leaders program for the Florida congregations. This program focuses on reaching and mentoring the youth in these congregations to inspire and train them in how to be effective leaders in their congregations. “The program has just officially started so I am currently building a team of representatives in each congregation so that I can become better acquainted with the youth ministries already in place,” says Ramírez. 

The goal of the program that Ramírez oversees is to have youth active in leadership, in whatever ministry they choose to work in. “I’m most looking forward to working with youth from different congregations,” Ramírez reflects. “I love to hear each person’s unique story and work together to expand the Kingdom of God.”

Ramírez is a pastor’s kid and was raised in a church environment. As a youth she served in the translation ministry and the worship ministry. As a young adult, she became a leader of the youth in her congregation, a role in which she still serves. She is a member of Luz y Vida congregation in Orlando, FL which joined Mosaic Conference in November and where her father is the lead pastor.

Michelle Ramírez (back row, 2nd from left, with blue bandana) with youth from her church summer camp. (Photo provided by Michelle Ramírez)

“I know what it’s like to serve God because your parents make you, and what it’s like to serve God because you want to with your whole heart,” Ramírez shares about her childhood. She hopes to cultivate a sense of personal connection and motivation for the youth in owning and leading with their faith. “I hope to help them see that if we work for God with all our hearts, God is with us every step of the way, no matter how hard things may seem!”

Ramírez graduated with a degree in computer engineering with a specialization in cyber security. Her primary work is as a certified autism teacher in a private school for children on the autism spectrum. 

Ramírez loves to learn languages. She currently knows five languages well enough to communicate clearly (English, Spanish, Portuguese, sign language, and Japanese), and in several, she is fluent. She is in the process of adding a sixth language, as she is learning Korean. “I find different languages to be so interesting,” Ramírez shares. “I like that communication between humans isn’t limited to just one language or culture.” 

In her free time, Ramírez likes to read fiction books and play video games with her mother. “My mom doesn’t know how to play, but she likes to watch me play and tells me what to do or where to go, even if I already know,” Ramírez says with a laugh. 

Solidarity in Voting and Beyond

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Photo by Mary Sanchez

As our country prepared to vote this year, the Mosaic Intercultural Team encouraged many people in our conference to vote as an act of solidarity: solidarity with black and brown people who are fighting for their lives, solidarity with the incarcerated and undocumented who can’t vote, and solidarity with those who are poor and vulnerable. In this way, we bear witness to the reality that God is just, compassionate, loving, and cares for the vulnerable. (To read more, click here.)

This year more than ever, it felt like voting as solidarity was important. In recent years, white supremacy has been allowed to thrive and it has damaged the lives of many people I care about; it feels like every day a new group of people has been attacked or oppressed. As I went to the polls on November 4, I used my vote to bear witness to the God of justice and truth, the God of the defenseless, the God whose love has no borders, the God of freedom and restoration, and the God of who loves all humanity. 

As followers of Jesus, the work remains the same—to fight white supremacy, protect the oppressed and marginalized, and preach the gospel of Jesus. The Mosaic Intercultural Team plans to press forward with that work.

The days after the election I saw many memes and tweets with comments about the results. There was one that caught my attention. The original post said, “You know what I’m going to do the day after Election Day if my candidate loses? Go to work. Be happy. Live my life. Love others. If he wins? Same.” 

Someone in the Twitter-verse decided to correct it. It now read, “Remember that politics are personal to the marginalized and oppressed. Be grateful for the privilege that allows you to be relatively unaffected by policy decisions and show compassion and continued allyship to those who are in pain because of an outcome which may change their life.”

To me, this corrected statement captured the idea of voting as solidarity. To some people, whether their candidate wins or loses, it doesn’t change their day to day life. But for others, who is president directly impacts their well-being, safety, and rights. 

When the election results were announced, some of the country breathed a collective sigh of relief. For my black and brown friends, Muslim friends, LGBTQ friends, and immigrant friends, it felt like the nightmare was finally over. 

With the president-elect and vice-president-elect, it feels to some people like there is hope for things to change. Yet even with the new administration, we know that white supremacy still has a strong hold on this country. Many thought the country reached post-racial status when Obama was elected. Trump’s presidency proved that to be wrong. But it would be equally wrong to think that with Biden and Harris in the White House, white supremacy is defeated in this country. 

As followers of Jesus, the work remains the same—to fight white supremacy, protect the oppressed and marginalized, and preach the gospel of Jesus. The Mosaic Intercultural Team plans to press forward with that work. 

Post-election, solidarity might look like visiting those in prison or advocating for prison reform, supporting a sanctuary church or visiting the border, serving at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen, checking on your black friend or donating to black community organizer groups, or just educating yourself about white supremacy and the ways it impacts society (click here for resources). 

As a conference, when we focus on our priorities of being formational, missional, and intercultural, we will bear witness to a God who is just, compassionate, and cares for the poor and the vulnerable.

Conference Related Ministries (CRM) Profile: Material Resource Center (MRC)

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The Material Resource Center (MRC) of Harleysville (PA) works alongside Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to share God’s love and message of peace with people suffering from poverty, oppression, natural disasters, and war. This Material Resource Center is a Conference Related Ministry (CRM) of Mosaic Conference. 

MRC Volunteers from Dock Mennonite Academy lend a hand at January 2020 Great Winter Warm-up comforter making event. (Photo by Ruth Ann Kulp)

Founded in 2003, the MRC moved to Souderton, PA in 2010. The center is located just off Schoolhouse Road, between Harleysville and Souderton. A three-day MCC meat canning event takes place here in the spring each year. 

Darning Egg Gifts is also located in the MRC building. Items such as hand-loomed rugs, comforters, aprons, items for babies, pillows, and home decorating items are handmade or repurposed. All items, donated by the creative artisans, are perfect gifts for many occasions. Sales from Darning Egg Gifts support the work of MRC.

Volunteers of all ages, and many faith backgrounds, contribute to the goal of supporting MCC’s work in the following ways:

  • checking and packing kits 
  • cutting and sewing patches for comforters 
  • cutting and sewing kit bags
  • quilting by hand and machine
  • knotting comforters
  • cutting and packing discarded T-shirts for sale as rags
  • sorting and baling excess items from Care and Share Thrift Shoppes 
  • baling cardboard for recycling
  • weaving rugs from strips cut from jeans and corduroy pants 
  • making unique gift items for Darning Egg Gifts
  • assisting with office work

Because of COVID-19, the need for hygiene supplies and other materials that MRC sends worldwide have been in high demand. MRC volunteers have adapted to new ways of working at the center, with temperature checks, mask wearing, and social distancing. 

Cardboard baling during Warehouse Work Weekend at MRC. (Photo by Sharon Swartzentruber)

Donations of items for school kits, relief kits, and hygiene kits are appreciated (see our website for lists of kit contents) as well as fabrics for making drawstring bags and comforters. Cardboard and T-shirts can also be dropped off for recycling. Cardboard is baled in the warehouse and sold to a paper company. T-shirts that are 100% cotton are cut into pieces and sold as rags.

Monetary donations are also greatly appreciated and can be sent by check or given securely on the website.

Visit us at:
MCC Material Resource Center, 737 Hagey Center Dr., Unit C, Souderton, PA 18964, phone 267-203-8074; mcc-harleysville.org; facebook.com/mccmrc

A New Normal, With Thanks

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“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (I Thes. 5:18, ESV)

During this 2020 Thanksgiving week, the Apostle Paul challenges us to, “Give thanks in all circumstances!” I confess that I have not always had a very thankful spirit or attitude this year. In fact, with the pandemic, heightened political tensions, and disagreements within the church as to how we can gather safely, my focus has often been far from thanksgiving. Instead, it has been side-tracked to focus on self-preservation, complaining, and trying desperately to hold on to what I once knew as normal.  Balancing church and faith, and life in general, have felt far from normal this year.

In past years, my ability to give thanks in all circumstances seemed to be easier than it is now. Indeed, my Thanksgiving Day celebration was simple. It was a once-a-year acknowledgment of God’s blessings, blessings that I fully expected to receive from God for me and my family for our faithfulness. 

The day of celebration included family as well as special foods, like oyster filling and pumpkin pie, and always started with a time for everyone around the table to share what they were thankful for. It was beautiful, it was simple, and it was predictable. Playing out the script of the day gave me the feeling that I was blessed. And it felt normal. 

But Thanksgiving is not about me feeling blessed. It is about being thankful to God, in all circumstances. In reflection, the normalcy of my Thanksgiving has always been changing. 

My parents and my sister who were always integral parts of the table celebration have gone home to be with the Lord. My siblings now have their own times of celebration with their families. My children have grown up and are not always able to be present at our gathering. Even those who once contributed the oyster filling and the pumpkin pies are no longer able to be with us. The table and the people around it has always been changing, and that is ok. I have realized that my perfect, scripted Thanksgiving has actually never been normal.

Although it has taken me many years to see this clearly, this realization is even more of a reason to give thanks. I now see that the portrait of the perfect Thanksgiving Day that I have painted in my mind is really a work in progress; it is never finished. 

I also see now that God has always been present and working in my life (and in the world around me) in spite of circumstances and changes, and that is something to really be thankful for. Although family and traditions help make Thanksgiving enjoyable, the importance of understanding that we are nothing and have nothing without God is what is central. Whatever the circumstances, God is with us and should be the center of our thanks.

Due to COVID-19, my family will not be together for Thanksgiving this year.  I know that this is true for many people. We call it a “new normal,” but perhaps it is just normal, like each one of the years before this one. What is the same is that we are all called to give thanks to God. 

Perhaps with this attitude of thankfulness, we will also be able to see and appreciate that thanksgiving is not just a yearly occurrence, but an everyday experience. 

Photo provided by Mike Clemmer

25 Days of Advent Family Devotional

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This family faith formation activity divides the Christmas Narrative leading up to Jesus’ birth into 25 days. One card for every day in December leading up to Christmas, Jesus’ birthday! As Christmas day gets closer, the story of Jesus’ birth will also grow.

Available in 6 languages! Click on your language to download:

Instructions:

  • Cut out the verse cards and put them in an envelope. Keep them where your family will read them every day such as on the table to read before a meal. Consider lighting a candle or singing the same Christmas song before reading every day, and pray together after reading.
  • Begin on December 1st, read one new card each day. Be sure to reread the earlier date as well ending with the new card for that day. Doing so will grow the story over the weeks in anticipation of Christmas day. As the month goes on the verses become more and more familiar and family members may be able to recite the story from memory.
  • Use the cards year after year

Psychiatrist Vernon Kratz, MD, Retires After 47 Years of Service

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On July 31, 2020, senior psychiatrist Vernon Kratz, MD, 84, retired after 47 years of service at Penn Foundation, a Conference Related Ministry (CRM) of Mosaic Conference. Dr. Kratz is the only person in the organization’s 65-year history to hold the roles of Medical Director, CEO, and Board Member. He is a member of Ambler (PA) Mennonite Church.

Dr. Kratz is a man of strong faith, incredible integrity, great kindness, and immense optimism. One of his most special gifts is his ability to relate to others. Penn Foundation will always be in awe of the amazing man, doctor, and friend he is. He modeled for all of us how to serve with acceptance, compassion, integrity, and respect.

“I believe that part of the care for a patient is listening and taking time and trying to put the story together and just being there. Remember, sometimes you are the medicine a person needs.” ~ Dr. Vernon Kratz

Be Ye Kind One to Another

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Margaret Zook (second from the right), her siblings, and her mother. Photo provided by Margaret Zook.

From the front seat of the car, my mother would turn to face us.  The commotion from the children in the back seat was too loud for too long. Mother would smile and say, “Be Ye Kind One to Another.”  

From the backseat of our 50’s Chevy, my siblings and I would mutter loud enough for the grown-ups in the front seat to hear, “I’d be kind if (s)he is kind first!” The squabbling from the back seat fell several degrees softer, if only for a few miles. 

What did, “Be kind,” mean to us then? We knew that being kind often entailed sacrifice, putting others’ needs first, and recognizing that we’re all on this road trip together.          

The use of scripture to direct our lives was used frequently in our home. As children, we knew scripture meant what it said. These were timeless biblical teachings that directed our lives then.  And can be so today.   

What does “Be kind” mean today?     

Waiting in line at a roadside truck stop for that first cup of morning coffee seemed unbearable. My lack-of-caffeine headache had long ago set in and we still had miles to go.  Miraculously, a kind person turned, eyes smiling. Sensing my pain, she gestured, “Hey, you can go ahead of me.” With this simple act of kindness, the line at Starbucks, the road ahead, and perhaps life in general, became more bearable.   

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” -Dalai Lama

Maybe the future of humankind isn’t exclusively in the hands of politicians or leaders.  Maybe the future is, most of all, in our hands. We, who recognize ourselves as part of a much larger “us” on this path, all need each other.

“Kindness is the path of choice for the strongest, most courageous men and women.”  -Pope Francis 

How interesting to put kindness and courage together!  We don’t often pair these words, let alone ponder how they complement each other. Do we have the courage to be kind?  

Together, let’s choose kindness.  

God, please help us speak the language of Kindness to those both near and far. Remind us that kindness isn’t weak, but requires great courage. Being kind to others may be one of the strongest and bravest things we can do each day. Amen.

Conference Related Ministries (CRM) Profile: Community at Rockhill

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From Hospitality to Radical Mercy and Generosity

The Community at Rockhill offers carefree active living to adults 62 and older on a beautiful 44-acre campus in Sellersville, PA. 

The Community at Rockhill campus in Sellersville, PA.

Rockhill’s nonprofit mission of serving older adults dates back to our founding in 1935 when Katie Alderfer first extended hospitality to an elderly woman who had nowhere to live. While caring for their own five children, Katie and her husband Wilmer began welcoming a growing number of elderly persons, demonstrating a radical mercy and generosity that Rockhill strives to follow today. 

As a nonprofit continuing care community, the needs of our residents and their families are always our first priority. Our Benevolent Care Fund ensures our residents will continue to call Rockhill home if they outlive their resources through no fault of their own.

Our residents and team members come from many faith backgrounds, enriching the fabric of our community. We encourage all residents to live spirited, fulfilling lives. As a community rooted in Mennonite values, there is a sense of belonging, trust and security that produces a generosity of spirit and nurtures lives of meaningful growth. Building on our Mennonite background and principles, we commit ourselves to lead through service and are a vibrant community providing purpose, dignity and compassion for all residents.

Some resident volunteers (before COVID) pack meals for the local RamPack lunch project, serving local children in food insecure households.

A key way our community celebrates our servant’s heart is through our robust Volunteer Program. While our residents reach out to the greater community through a variety of programs and services, they also volunteer to serve each other and invite the public to join them as well. 

There are many ways to get involved with our community and care for residents including pet therapy, participating in intergenerational programs, chapel transportation, craft assistance, reading to residents or simply visiting with a smiling face. As many of our volunteer opportunities are with our most vulnerable residents in personal care or health care, COVID-19 has temporarily reduced our volunteer opportunities, however, we continue to welcome new inquiries to ensure we have a robust list of volunteers when our full program is available.

Celebrating our 85th anniversary in 2020, we currently offer gracious studio, one- and two-bedroom apartment living along with continuing care options, allowing all residents to enjoy their independent life with the security of future care if needed.

We are deeply gratified to accept your prayers for both the Community at Rockhill and the greater community. We ask that you:

  • Pray for the safety of both residents and staff. Pray that care for others will compel us to wear masks and observe social distancing.  
  • Pray for civil discourse and genuine compassion as we live in a contentious, divided time.