Articles

Building Connections in Florida

February 20, 2020 by Conference Office

by Mary Nitzsche, Associate Executive Minister, Marta Castillo, Leadership Minister of Intercultural Formation, and Javier Marquez, Intercultural Communication Associate through the International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP)

Spending a long January weekend enjoying 85-degree temperatures was only one benefit conference team members Marta Castillo, Mary Nitzsche, and Javier Marquez experienced during their recent visit to Florida.

Mary & Marta with Florida pastors and family (Photo: Javier Marquez)

The primary purpose of the trip was to learn to know the pastors of eight congregations (formerly all members of Southeast Conference) who are in the process of joining our new conference. Marta, Mary, and Javier joined nine pastors and their Leadership Minister, Marco Güete, at their quarterly cluster meeting in Sarasota, FL. The day was filled with worship, personal and congregational sharing, prayer, fellowship, tasty and abundant Colombian food, laughter, and a review of the transfer of credential process.

The team was warmly welcomed by the Florida pastors, some who are just beginning ministry and many who have been in ministry for over twenty years. Most of these pastors served in other professions as they began ministry or planted new churches. While their countries of origin varied (Colombia, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Mexico), a unifying spirit of faith, mission, and deep respect permeated their interactions.

During the meetings, pastors shared the pain of their former conference breaking apart and choosing to leave Mennonite Church USA. Desiring to remain in the denomination, the group carefully explored which conference they wished to join. After much prayer and discernment, the pastors felt God leading them to join our new conference. Their discernment process was guided by assessing which conference best aligned with their beliefs and values. Many of the pastors also had prior connections with Steve Kriss, Executive Conference Minister, and other conference leaders, which led to a strong sense of trust as well.

On Sunday, our team was also warmly received in local congregations for worship. Mary preached at College Hill Mennonite Church in the morning while Marta preached at Iglesia Evangelica Menonita Shalom in the afternoon. Both congregations are located in Tampa, FL. After the services, we were hosted by church members for a flavorful meal representing their countries of origin.

Monday morning, several Credentials Committee members joined Marta and Mary via Zoom, for a conversation with four of the pastors. Most of the pastors will be transferring their ministry credentials to our conference. When asked about hopes for their interactions with the conference, they expressed a desire to build more connections, foster collegial relationships of mutual respect, give and receive mutual aid, and offer ideas for the growth of God’s kingdom. These congregations have much to share about connecting to the local community, particularly in urban ministry.

Prayer with the Florida cluster. (Photo: Javier Marquez)

Reflecting on their experiences, Marta and Mary are convinced these pastors and congregations will bless our new conference. The Spanish-speaking churches and leaders will bring support and new energy to our existing Spanish-speaking churches and leaders. They also bring church-planting experience and enthusiasm. Geography will continue to be a challenge in keeping connected; Marco Guete will serve as Leadership Minister to the Florida congregations, essential for keeping connections strong despite the geographic distance.

While Mary and Marta returned home, Javier stayed on in Florida to collect stories and pictures of pastors and congregations. Look for pastor and congregational profiles in our newsletter this year to continue learning to know how the kingdom of God is growing and flourishing in Florida.

A New Conference Looks Ahead

February 13, 2020 by Sue Conrad Howes

by Sue Conrad Howes, West Swamp congregation

“What excites and gives me hope is the endless possibilities,” says conference board member Yvonne Platts, Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life congregation. “We don’t know what to really expect, which makes us more open to the leading of the Spirit to guide us in the future.”

Platts and the other members of the new Eastern District and Franconia Conference board are looking forward with anticipation as, effective February 1, 2020, Eastern District Conference and Franconia Conference began to operate as one, reconciled conference.

Last week, the board approved a budget of just over $1M. Although this combined total seems like a significant amount, one advantage of forming a joint conference is the gained efficiencies of a shared budget, which will stretch these dollars even further. The staff of both conferences have merged (with Eastern District’s former interim conference minister Scott Roth remaining as a Leadership Minister), while current Leadership Ministers are expanding their responsibilities to include more congregations, and new administrative, communication, and community engagement staff are coming on board in the coming months.

Other changes are on the way as well: there will be a new name sometime this year and, likely, new Conference offices by year’s end. The conference website is experiencing an ongoing facelift (MennoniteConferenceX.org) and new paper- and e-newsletters are in development.

The new conference is beginning to act and operate as one community, putting behind over 173 years of division and conflict.

“The most challenging part of the process is recognizing that it will take time,” reflects executive minister, Steve Kriss. “We won’t have everything done tomorrow or next week. The process of reconciling and taking two historic communities back into one organizational system will not be seamless.”

Assistant Moderator Angela Moyer, Ripple congregation (Allentown, PA), acknowledges that this will take ongoing work. “Can we stay engaged in the process of reconciliation or will we just split over the issues of the current day like we did in the 1800s, especially given our current cultural and secular polarities?” she asks.

“A significant challenge we face is to not allow the differences among us to overshadow the essentials that we hold in common,” says Moderator Ken Burkholder, Deep Run East congregation (Perkasie, PA); “mainly our shared Anabaptist faith in Jesus and our mutual commitment to God’s mission in this world.”

Growing pains are inevitable, acknowledges board member Jim Musselman, Zion congregation (Souderton, PA). He hopes, however, that we will continue to listen. “Reconciliation requires a lot of listening. Listening builds trust and community, which leads to renewal.”

Despite the hard work, conference leaders are amazed at the positive energy coming from so many people. “This has been emotional for both of our conferences,” says Kriss. “There have been tears, but I’ve seen more tears of joy than grief.”

New congregations in several states continue to express interest in joining the Eastern District and Franconia community. By the end of 2020, the new Conference will likely be 20% larger than it is currently. “This is a significant expansion in a year,” says Kriss. “We will need to cultivate a sense of togetherness in the midst of this exciting growth.”

Sue Conrad Howes is working as part of the communication team for Eastern District & Franconia Conference during this time of transition. Sue grew up attending Blooming Glen (PA) congregation. She is an ordained pastor in Mennonite Church USA and currently works as a hospital trauma chaplain. Sue recently moved from Lancaster to Quakertown, PA with her husband, Michael, who serves as pastor at West Swamp congregation, where they are both members.

What I’m Reading: Seeing the Unseen

February 11, 2020 by Conference Office

by Noel Santiago

I’ve been reading and studying The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural World View of the Bible by Dr. Michael Heiser. I have found Dr. Heiser’s work immensely helpful in providing a framework for understanding the supernatural worldview of the Bible.

Beginning with the idea of a divine council, as noted in Psalms 82:1 where God takes “his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment…,” and unpacking what he calls the “Deuteronomy 32 world view” (especially verses 8-9), Heiser brings forth this framework.

The basic idea is that God has a “divine council” comprised of children of God that help administer the work of God. This motif carries through the Old Testament and into the New Testament. After the ministry of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit, humanity—as God’s image bearers—are invited back to a seat at his council.

Much of this framework resonates with my faith upbringing. From the time I can remember, I’ve always had a sense of a spirit realm that was active: one for God’s glory and purpose and the other for the purpose of darkness and corruption. Our church community would pray, preach, and share with and for people’s salvation to see them come to Christ. We would also pray for the sick and demon-possessed and regularly see persons healed and delivered. Regularly we would take food to a family in need, collect offerings for those who were lacking, serve and practice hospitality. All of these things were part of how we understood and practiced faith.

When I began studying and working in a different culture and context, I had to learn that others practice their faith differently. While I have valued and integrated much of these other expressions and learnings, I often noticed that the realm of the supernatural was underrepresented. It’s not necessarily that others didn’t believe it, but perhaps they focused on it less. Others acknowledged this sphere when it was discussed, but did very little to engage with it. I didn’t always know what to make of this.

When I discovered this book that highlights the ancient Hebrew and near-eastern worldview, I found myself identifying deeply with it. For me, this topic accounts for an unseen realm that is at work in interactive ways with the seen realm. We might not always be aware of this interaction but it is more present than we might imagine.

The challenge, of course, is not only seeking to know and/or understand this unseen realm and its interaction with what we see, touch, and engage; we also need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, “that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2b).

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.”

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