Articles

Surprised and Faithful to God’s Call

February 11, 2020 by Conference Office

by Jennifer Svetlik, Salford Congregation

Mary Nitzsche was surprised when she was called in 2017 to become Associate Executive Minister with Franconia Conference. She had been an associate pastor at Blooming Glen (PA) congregation for nine years and she expected she would stay there until retirement.

“After reflecting, praying, and listening for God’s call, an inner call began to emerge, coinciding with an external call, where I was affirmed for my work in the conference,” Mary reflects. “I had enjoyed congregational ministry. But my conference role feels like a culminating experience. My journey has not been traditional.”

This wasn’t the first time Mary was surprised by her vocational call; in fact, it has been a theme throughout her life. Near the end of seminary, Mary was preparing to seek a position as a pastoral counselor when Ohio Conference invited Mary to consider serving as a regional pastor. “I didn’t have the training or experience for this role,” Mary shares. “Mark Weidner, the Conference Minister, encouraged me, and he served as an advocate and mentor. I stepped out in faith believing that God would provide, without a guarantee that this calling would be well-suited for an extended period.”

Although she continued providing some counseling, she began feeling more of a call and love for conference work and realized she was using her counseling skills in unexpected ways. She continued in conference ministry for twelve years, before Blooming Glen surprised her with a call to serve as associate pastor.

As Associate Executive Minister, Mary gives oversight of the credentialing process and represents the conference at congregational and conference events. She also gives oversight to the conference’s leadership ministers, plans equipping events around conference priorities. and helps plan events for conference-wide ministries.

The most rewarding aspect of Mary’s job is the relationships with staff and pastors. She also enjoys interviewing credentialing candidates and hearing their call stories. She loves meeting with different groups such as female pastors, chaplains, and retired pastors.

Mary appreciates her opportunities to join different conference congregations for worship services. “I am in awe of the diversity of congregations in the conference. They are each trying to be true to their context and identifying God’s mission for them,” Mary explains. “To be a strong conference we need to celebrate and honor that diversity, and respect one another in the different kinds of calls we have.”

Mary grew up in the midwest and has been a part of many different kinds of congregations and conferences. “I appreciate whatever place or congregation I am in, and live in the ‘very now,’” reflects Mary.

Mary’s parents, who both served the church in a variety of roles, were an inspiration and model for Mary. They shaped her love for serving the church through their positive outlook, a willingness to serve, and openness to try new roles they didn’t feel prepared to take on.

Mary’s husband, Wayne, is one of the pastors at Perkasie (PA) congregation. They have two adult daughters and one grandchild. In her free time, Mary enjoys hiking, reading, knitting, and sewing. She also enjoys the creativity that comes with the process of cooking and baking. “I find cooking very relaxing at the end of the day, because it is something that has a beginning and an end. With ministry you don’t always see the results right away like you do in the kitchen.”

A Reflection on “Shalom in the Streets”

February 6, 2020 by Conference Office

by Ken Burkholder, Conference Moderator (Deep Run East)

“Shalom in the Streets: Recapturing God’s Vision in Ordinary Places” was the theme for the annual School for Leadership Training (SLT) at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, January 13-15, 2020. I attend SLT every year (I think this is my 17th year), primarily to connect with former seminary colleagues, faculty, and other church leaders across the denomination. For me, these connections are so attractive that if the theme and speakers are good, it’s a bonus!

This year’s theme was meaningful, inspirational, and relevant to church ministry. As the planning committee noted, “The key to thriving in ministry resides not in new answers to large-scale challenges but by truly embracing the very people found in the places where we live and work.” The theme verse was Jeremiah 29:7 – Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

These final words challenged me to think in a new way. I reflected on how, when the people and community where I minister flourish, I also usually flourish personally, and our congregational life flourishes too. While this could potentially feel overwhelming, one of the keynote speakers reminded us, “Making the world better for one person… makes the world better.”

One particular highlight for me at SLT was hearing Shannan Martin’s key-note presentation. Shannan shared her personal journey about her family (including husband and four children) sensing God’s call to move from the comfortable suburbs into downtown Goshen, Indiana. I was inspired by her stories of how they have intentionally embraced their community by building authentic relationships with many of their neighbors. In fact, one of Shannan’s family’s rules is that they’re not allowed to invite anyone to their church until they’ve first hosted that person/family in their home.

Another significant highlight for me was the 20th anniversary celebration dinner and program for Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at EMS. CPE was one of the most valuable and formative experiences for me during seminary. Several areas of focus in CPE, such as insights toward greater self-awareness in how I function as a person and leader, family-of-origin work, family systems theory, and field experience of serving in hospital and retirement community ministry (including several crisis situations) provided me with invaluable preparation for pastoral ministry and ongoing personal growth. It was a joy being part of the celebration to honor Kenton Derstine, as he is now retiring. Kenton is originally from Franconia Conference, having attended Souderton Mennonite as a child and youth, and has served as the CPE supervisor at EMS for the past twenty years.

Opening Up to God’s Gifts

February 3, 2020 by Conference Office

by Jennifer Svetlik, Salford congregation

“The most rewarding aspect of my job,” says Leadership Minister Aldo Siahaan, “is being with the churches in their joys and their challenges and learning their stories. It is energizing to be able to support them in those challenges.”

Aldo has worked as a Leadership Minister for about five years and currently accompanies Vietnamese Gospel (Allentown), Bethany Elevation (Queens, NY), and Indonesian Light (Philadelphia). “Each of these three churches are small, and they are each unique, but they are all very open, welcoming, and have a passion to bring more souls to Christ,” says Aldo. He connects regularly with their pastors and helps troubleshoot issues.

Recently, one congregation wanted to hold a significant event but was not sure where to host it. Also was able to connect them with a Mennonite camp in their area to host the event at a low cost and he also helped them secure funds to cover event costs. “I am grateful to be a bridge between these churches and the Conference in order to provide ideas and resources,” Aldo shares.

For 15 years, Aldo has served as pastor of Philadelphia Praise Center (PPC), a multi-ethnic congregation in South Philly that joined the conference in 2007. The church is made up primarily of recent immigrants, and so issues around immigration are of utmost importance.

Aldo knows first-hand how it feels to be an immigrant. In 1998, Aldo and his brother immigrated from their home in Jakarta, Indonesia to the US after riots against Christians in his home city left him feeling that it was no longer safe to live there. God opened doors for them to connect with the Indonesian Christian community in New York, and then Aldo became involved with a church planting effort in Philadelphia. After six years, he and some friends felt moved to create a new church community, which became PPC.

Understandably, Aldo has a lot of empathy for the other immigrants he accompanies. “As a Christian in Indonesia, I was the minority. As immigrants here, we are also the minority. God is still teaching me that regardless of someone’s condition as a minority, we are able to help others and make a difference,” Aldo shares.

As its leader, Aldo and PPC are always thinking of new ways of serving the community and sharing Christ in the city of Philadelphia. This work has included connecting with immigration-related organizations such as “Know Your Rights” and sharing information about possible ICE raids in the community.

“Being a pastor was never my dream,” Aldo shares. Before coming to the United States, he worked as a radio announcer in Jakarta. When he arrived in Philadelphia, he worked for Pan Asian Radio and as a paralegal for an immigration law firm. But his friends continued to insist that he was the leader of their new church. “We knew that we needed to form this church,” Aldo remembers, “but the question still remained about who would lead it. God used the people around me to call me to become a pastor. I didn’t know I had this calling, but God used other people to tell me. And God has slowly opened up my gifts as a pastor.”

In his free time, Aldo loves to watch comedians and political commentators Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah. “It refreshes me to be able to laugh and hear their commentary on current events,” Aldo says. He also enjoys spending time with his wife, Viviani, and playing with their young son, Eden.

An Update from the December Ministerial Committee Meeting

January 23, 2020 by Conference Office

by Mary Nitzsche, Associate Executive Minister

The Conference Ministerial Committee met in December to finish up some agenda as 2019 drew to a close. In preparation for the combined Ministerial Committee of the new, reconciled Conference, Beth Rauschenberger (Zion congregation) joined the committee after serving many years on the Eastern District Conference Ministerial Committee. We also look forward to Janet Panning’s first meeting in March 2020, as the newly-affirmed Ministerial Committee Chair.

The Ministerial Committee processed the following credentials:

Daniel Tran was approved for a license toward ordination and continues to serve as pastor of Vietnamese Gospel (Allentown, PA).
Charlene Smalls was approved for a license toward ordination and continues to serve on the pastoral team of Ripple (Allentown, PA).
Buddy Hannanto was approved for ordination and continues to serve as pastor of International Worship Church (San Gabriel, CA).
Stephen Zacheus was approved for ordination and continues to serve as associate pastor at JKIA (Sierra Madre, CA).
John Stoltzfus (formerly of Plains congregation, Hatfield, PA) has requested a transfer of his credentials to Virginia Mennonite Conference; this transfer was acknowledged.

The Ministerial Committee also approved revisions to the Record Retention Policy for Credential Files and the Position Statement on Confidential Communication Policy and approved the Sample Congregational Misconduct Policy for Lay Leaders and Congregants. An equipping event is scheduled for February 20 to introduce the sample misconduct policy and discuss how congregations can utilize it if needed.

Members of the Ministerial Committee said farewell to Ken Burkholder (Deep Run East), Mike Clemmer (formerly of Towamencin), and Jim Williams (Nueva Vida Norristown New Life) and thanked them for their years of service and contribution to this committee.

Conflict resolution: We are all beloved by God

January 9, 2020 by Conference Office

(originally printed by MennoniteUSA.org)

By Scott Roth

Scott Roth is a credentialed leader in Franconia Mennonite Conference that is exploring and creating cultural masterpieces through Urban Expression North America and Young Life. Some of his current projects are the reconciliation of Eastern District and Franconia Mennonite Conferences, directing Bike & Sol, a community non-profit bicycle shop, and establishing and growing the ministries of Young Life in the Upper Perkiomen School District. Roth frequently speaks and writes for organizations and publications on youth formation, community development and incarnational ministry.

This post is a reflection from the Conference Ministers’ Gathering, in Banff, Alberta, Canada, December 4-7, 2019.

I am a sinner. I attend a church full of sinners, and Jesus died for my sins. This is a common way of viewing our identity with Christ. I often have been taught and heard these phrases. Yet, I do not hear the fact that we are, first and foremost, beloved. Beloved by our Creator, in whose image we are made. The one who lived and showed us a way to live that is epic compared to our own human condition. The one who died and rose from the grave to create a bridge for us through grace to be with him forever! Why? Because our Creator loves us.

This was the narrative from our time in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Conference ministers from Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) and Mennonite Church Canada retreated to the Canadian Rockies to reflect and engage with Betty Pries, CEO of Credence & Co., Kitchener, Ontario, and Sue Park-Hur, MC USA’s denomination minister for Transformative Peacemaking. They led sessions on dealing with conflict in a variety of ways and scenarios, showing how we can realize our own story and the story of others as they intertwine in conflict. I cannot do the teachings justice by trying to summarize every nuance, but I want to reflect on us, as a denomination, and on what it means to be a people that is beloved.

Conflict resolution starts at the core of recognizing that each person is beloved by God. At our essence, we are children of God – individually and wonderfully made. As we see this, it is our basis for handing any conflicts that arise between us. We start with that foundation and build from there with an attitude of curiosity.

Think of a time in your life when you were at odds with someone. Was it your first instinct to understand and know where the other person was coming from? Or was it to try to defend and debate your side of the story? In other words, are we ok with trying to understand the other person with whom we are in conflict? Do we take the time to really dig deep with them and plunge the depths of their “why” regarding the conflict? It is through this curiosity of understanding that we can begin to build a bridge that leads to a restored relationship.

Many times, this is easier than healing “systems.” Systems get created over time and are reflective of those who have power and authority of the system. I am sure that if you take time, you can name many broken systems. Apply the same principle that those put in authority and power of these systems are beloved by God. In my heart of hearts, I don’t want to hear that about certain systems! I mean, come on, Jesus, can’t you just smite them off the earth, so we don’t have to deal with them?

As I continue to reflect on the Conference Ministers’ Gathering, I think of Jonah. Jonah had this attitude about Nineveh, the capital seat of the Assyrian Empire and a city that took three days to cross. This was a system. Jonah wanted God to smite the whole city. He was so entrenched in his thinking that he was willing to be thrown into the sea to avoid God’s plan. Wow, that is stubborn!

Even dealing in a system situation, we see that having a beloved attitude would have changed what Jonah was looking to do. His approach would have been different, because his heart would have viewed the people of Nineveh differently.

We need to be a people who know we are beloved and seek to show others they are beloved. Over the years, I have watched many people leave faith communities without ever really recognizing that all involved are beloved. Can we start doing this more? Can we see the other person sitting across the table as beloved – no matter what they may think or do? Can we plunge into the depths of their lives with curiosity to know them?

I leave you with this quote from Betty Pries:

“It is not magic that we are talking about here. It is not that we are lost one day and Christ-like the next. Or scoundrels today and saints tomorrow. But slowly, with each day that we awaken to Christ within us, and with each day that we open ourselves to the realization that we are deeply beloved of God, we are transformed into the likeness of the Christ. Slowly but surely, we become what we receive. We become transformed in our personhood. And, as we eat the bread and drink the cup, we find ourselves more able to join Jesus in pouring ourselves out for our loved ones, for our neighbor, for the world and for our enemies. We become the Body of Christ.”

Identity in Christ

December 3, 2019 by Conference Office

by Tim Weaver

Who am I? How do I define myself? As we gathered around tables at the November 2019 Faith & Life gathering, Maria Hosler Byler invited us to think about ourselves and who we are. Are we defined by our roles? Are we defined by our family connections? Are we defined by how others define us? She asked questions and invited us to place ourselves on a continuum – and to see how others placed themselves on the same continuum. Are we eastern PA native or immigrant; introvert or extrovert; male or female; clear-cut and organized or messy and open-ended; in conflict are we direct or non-confrontational; a rule follower or rule challenger?

We spent some time identifying the different roles that we each carry with us: father, husband, friend, aging white male, pastor, educated, privileged, USA citizen, political party, etc. After we identified some of the many roles, we positioned ourselves according to our identity we feel most comfortable discussing; our identity we feel least comfortable discussing; my identity where I feel the most joy; my identity where I have experienced the most pain; my identity that provides me the most privilege; that I am most proud of; that I have to defend the most.

Then we read Colossians 2:6-12 from several different translations. With all the identities we named: pastor, friend, husband, father, aging white male, activist, etc. – where and how does Christ fit? How does Christ interact with our identities? Is Christ simply one of many identities we carry around with us daily? Paul reminds us that in our baptism we have buried the old and become new. We have had an encounter with God’s love that shapes our identity. We reflected on how that is at the core of who we are ‘In Christ’. It also births within us a new vision of a world made whole, where all are important, and where peace reigns. Our identity ‘In Christ’ is meant to be lived out through all the various roles we have. ‘In Christ’ is not a theological debate discussed in abstract terms about certain roles in our lives. Rather, it is Christ permeating each of our identities. Growth, maturity, and depth occur as we acknowledge our identities which are most difficult to allow Christ to permeate.

The Old Has Passed Away

November 20, 2019 by Conference Office

by Emily Ralph Servant, Director of Communication

Way back in 2012, Franconia Conference’s communication was all over the place.

Our website was set up to automatically send out a new article anytime it was posted (sometimes it notified people when a small change to the website was made!) and we sent a separate email for every announcement, event reminder, or broader-church blurb. This meant that, some weeks, our subscriber list was receiving an email every day and, some weeks, none at all.

We knew it was time to try something different.

Enter “Intersectings” (it was a play on words from our quarterly paper newsletter, “Intersections”), a weekly digest for connecting congregations, pastors, and delegates across the conference. Intersectings’ original tagline was “where our stories meet,” and we included news articles, blogs, social media posts, announcements, and event information—everything together in one place. We hoped that the predictability of this new publication would make it easier for our pastors and delegates to stay up-to-date on what was happening without getting lost in an avalanche of emails.

The going was rocky at first—it was hard work to find enough content to fill the newsletter each week and we sometimes got complaints from people that they weren’t being kept informed of what was happening. But as our communication team got used to the rhythms of the newsletter and as members of the conference consistently began opening and reading it, we found that our communication improved. It was working.

It’s now almost eight years later, and we’ve decided that, once again, it’s time for a change.

This issue is our last Intersectings. Early in 2020, we’ll roll out something new that reflects the values and needs of our New Conference.

Earlier this year, we began sharing “Bridges,” an email newsletter to keep members of both Franconia and Eastern District Conferences up-to-date on what was happening during the reconciliation process and to help us get to know each another better. Beginning next week, Bridges will continue weekly through the rest of this year and into the next. For the time being, watch Bridges for event information, announcements, congregational profiles, and other important information related to the reconciliation process.

Then, once our New Conference has launched, be on the lookout for our new email newsletter. This newsletter will automatically be distributed to anyone who has subscribed to either Intersectings or Bridges (although you can always unsubscribe if you’re not a credentialed leader or delegate!). This new newsletter will include the best of both of our email newsletters—news articles, blogs, announcements and event notifications, and getting-to-know-you articles and profiles—as well as new content that reflects our changing times and contexts.

As we prepare for this change, we’ll be laying low for a couple of months, focusing on all the work that goes into building something new—a new website, a new paper newsletter, a new email newsletter, a new social media presence. We’d appreciate your feedback and suggestions: What have you liked about our communication in the past that you’d like to see continue? What new elements would you like to see includeed? What changes do you think would make our communication more effective? E-mail me at eralphservant@mosaicmennonites.org.

We work hard to bring you interesting and informative content that will help you stay connected to others in our Conference and to the work of our Conference staff, board, and committees. But we know the secret to good communication lies with you—all this work is for nothing if you don’t read it.

So thanks for reading Intersectings all these years. The old has passed away, but—behold! Something new is coming.

Let’s Worship Together!

November 20, 2019 by Conference Office

by Marta Castillo, Leadership Minister of Intercultural Formation

All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. Psalm 86:9

Friday Night worship – Conference Assembly 2019. Photo by Javier Marquez

At our annual assembly we worshipped the Lord in song in several different languages and styles. I wonder if anyone whispered to the person beside them like someone whispered behind me many years ago, “Why do we have to sing in these different languages? Why can’t we just sing in English?” I wonder if those at the assembly worship felt comfortable and engaged in the worship songs. Were they able to enter into the intercultural space of worshipping God in ways and styles and languages that were not their own? Did it fill them with joy to worship the Lord and bring glory to God’s name with other nations that God has made, even if it was different than what they were used to?

In an intercultural community, all are transformed because everyone learns from one another and grows together. In intercultural worship, we learn to choose to continue to worship God in the styles and languages of others. For me, what began as a discipline and continues to be a choice is now also a joy as I have incorporated intercultural worship as part of who I am with the help of the Holy Spirit. John 4:23 – Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

Several weeks ago, I attended a service at Nations Worship Center where we sang songs that had repeating lines. I appreciated the repetition while singing in a language in which I am not fluent. The repetition helped me to better understand the song and enter deeply into the spirit of worship. However, I must admit that I have not always appreciated songs with a lot of repetition. What I have learned to do is to go with the repetition rather than fight it. I can worship God in song as I repeat the same phrase over and over and meditate on the truth, just like I can pray or meditate on a phrase of Scripture.

Lynne Rush (West Swamp congregation) leads a hymn at Conference Assembly 2019. Photo by Javier Marquez

Last weekend I attended a women’s retreat where we had a hymn sing. We sang hymn after hymn in a group of talented and passionate singers. It was beautiful. I was struck by the multitude of beautiful thoughts and word pictures that hymns contain and express in worship to God. But I had to choose to engage my mind and process the thoughts in worship to God as I sang complex music. I enjoyed the repetition of the choruses.

Matthew Westerholm, on the Desiring God website, suggests that often “our discomfort also comes from where we live, if you live in the Western world. Western culture treasures the novelty of words. It might feel like singing many words per minute is a worldwide Christian preference. But it’s not. It’s a Western oddity. If you were to listen to indigenous music from almost anywhere else in the world, you might describe it as “rhythmic, danceable, and repetitive. It may feel strange to discover that our personal preferences are a cultural anomaly. It is humbling to discover that we have something to learn from others, but not surprising. And it is the sort of humbling that, if we are willing to accept it, will bless us greatly in worship.”

Let us worship the Lord in unity, seeking to honor the worship of the nations as our own!

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