Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Articles

What is Your Flag?

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by Hendy Matahelemual, Indonesian Light congregation (Philadelphia, PA)

(Editor’s note: August 17 is Independence Day in Indonesia. This past Monday was the 75th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.)

An Indonesian flag waves on a house in South Philly on August 17, Indonesian Independence Day.

My nationality is Indonesian, so the flag of my country is “Bendera Merah Putih.”  It is a simple red and white flag with two equal horizontal bands. It was introduced and hoisted publicly, 75 years ago during the proclamation of Indonesian independence on August 17, 1945, in Jakarta, Indonesia.

When I was in high school, I was a member of the flag-raising squad. August 17 was the most important day for us. On that day, the squad had one job to do: raise the flag as a part of the ceremony to celebrate Indonesian Independence Day. 

At that time, I was not Mennonite. My parents didn’t teach me Anabaptism values, such as separation of church and state and non-violence. After my introduction to Anabaptism, everything related to Independence Day found new meaning. The way I view the flag also found new meaning.

National flags are patriotic symbols, often associated with the military because of their original use. But as a follower of Christ, our identity as a Child of God is beyond any flag or governmental institution. 

We don’t need to take pride in our own national identity. We don’t need to make our country great (again). We don’t need to pledge our allegiance to the flag. We are God’s people, a holy nation.  

We do need to work together, instead of competing, by working across state and political boundaries. 

Perhaps the only competition that I enjoy between nationalities is the FIFA (soccer) World Cup.  I remember watching the World Cup with my dad and uncles when I was a little boy. Our family never missed it.  The first thing that I noticed as a boy when watching the World Cup was all the colorful flags of the teams. My favorite teams will always be the Netherlands and Argentina. I remember their flags very well.

In the book of Exodus, we find that flags are mentioned. At that time, Moses built an altar to God. He named the altar, “The Lord is my banner” (Exodus 17:15, NIV). I keep wondering what God’s banner looks like. I don’t know, but I will argue that it is not “Bendera merah putih,” nor the Stars and Stripes, Union Jack, or even the flag of Zion. 

I believe God’s flag should unite us as followers of Christ and not divide us. God’s flag needs to represent our victory against principalities and rulers of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil. 

I believe the blood of Jesus is one “spiritual” flag that can unite us. It is not made from a piece of fabric, but it will give us victory from sin and death. It can reach people from a liberal, capitalist, and communist country, crossing continents and geographical boundaries, regardless of nationalities. If we carry this flag as part of our faith, as followers of Christ, we will be effective witnesses who transform life while also being transformed by God.

MennoHealth Cast Podcast

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(used with permission)

MennoHealth Cast seeks to highlight the personal stories of nurses, doctors, health researchers, dentists, chaplains, social workers, advanced practitioners and others involved in various fields related to the care of human beings. MennoHealth Cast is hosted by Joann Hunsberger, a pediatric anesthesiologist specializing in intraoperative anesthesia and post-operative pain management in children. The first series, “Mennos in Medicine,” consists of conversational interviews with Anabaptist folks working in various health fields. 

Episode 12: Mennos in Medicine: Joy Sawatzky

In this episode, pastor Joy Sawatzky describes her passion for exploring the stories of her congregants at the senior living community of Souderton Mennonite Homes, which is part of Living Branches. Joy describes her winding path from being a bedside nurse to finding her passion as a pastor who dwells in the stories of those in her church, helping them to find meaning during the last chapters of their lives. This podcast was recorded prior to the COVID pandemic.

LISTEN HERE: https://mennohealthcast.fireside.fm/12

The MennoHealth Cast podcast is a production of The Mennonite, Inc., and Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship.

What I am Reading … a Colorful Collection

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by Jeff Wright, Conference Leadership Minister

A confession is in order at the beginning of this article.  I am irredeemably old school.  While I own e-readers (“Love and Saint Augustine”, by Hannah Arendt is on my Kindle app right now) and listen to podcasts (I’m working through the final season of West Wing Weekly) and music (try the Hillbilly Thomists on Spotify),  I’m still old school.  There is something good about holding print, paper, and binding in your hands and engaging in the physical art of reading.  

In the midst of multiple crises, there does not always seem time enough to read.  I sometimes find my glasses still on, and a book cradled to my chest when I am awakened at 3:00 am. Books are a sign of joy, in my humble opinion.  Even books with hard messages can offer hope when the print, paper, and binding are a physical reminder of the power of the word.

In the past few months, some of the books that have been challenging me are books with the word “color” in the title.

The first of these, “The Color of Compromise,” by Jemar Tisby (2019, Zondervan Reflective), is a steely-eyed critique of the white church in America. The complicity of how the white church in America is fostering and giving life to systemic racism is explained.

A second book of color, “The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap,” by Mehrsa Baradaran (2017, Belknap Press), is a detailed examination into the ways in which credit, the lubrication of capitalism, has been denied to African Americans as a matter of repeated public policy choices at the federal level from the emancipation of slaves until today.  

A third book, “The Color of Law,” by Richard Rothstein (2017, Liveright), examines the ways zoning laws were created to form segregated, gerrymandered communities. My colleagues on the City of Riverside (CA) Human Relations Commission (on which I serve as a commissioner) are reading this book together to assess how our own twenty-seven local neighborhoods are victims of such segregationist policies. 

It would be (and has been) easy to become completely despondent after reading those books.  But two additional books have given me hope.  

First, “Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity,” by David W. Swanson (2020, InterVarsity Press), offers the fruits borne of years laboring to truly be a leader of an authentically multicultural church.  

A second book is “True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary.” Published by Fortress Press in 2007, Brian K Blount is the General Editor of this good-sized desk volume.  I’m not generally a fan of one-volume New Testament commentaries. I think too much gets cut out to make it useful.  But I make an exception with this book. 

The beautifully written essays are coupled with scholarly depth. The relevant sidebars on the text’s application to the African American condition today make this a book you just have to add to your library.  

One word of caution:  Do not take this particular commentary to bed to read.  It is big enough to hurt when you drop it on your face as you fall asleep.

Conference Related Ministries (CRM) Profile: Delaware Valley MEDA

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by Lucy Brubaker, DelVal MEDA chair

The mission of Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) is to provide business solutions to poverty. This international organization began 65 years ago. Today MEDA has projects in 69 countries throughout the world.

MEDA aspires to eradicate poverty by 2030. By providing loans and expertise and by involving local partners in the projects, MEDA clients are able to experience success and independence. To learn more about this work, go to www.meda.org/about/about-meda.

There are local chapters (hubs) in the US and Canada that work to connect and engage local people with MEDA’s mission. The local chapters strive to inspire members within their community to incorporate their faith values into their daily work. The Delaware Valley MEDA hub (formally the Clayton Kratz Fellowship) has a board of ten members and meets 4-5 times a year.

From October to May, our local hub hosts a monthly Third Thursday breakfast at the Franconia Café in Souderton, PA, from 6:30-7:30am. Each meeting features a guest speaker who shares a “Faith in the Marketplace” story. All are welcome to attend.

Ruth Leaman, MEDA Development Officer, speaks at a Third Thursday breakfast.

Our group also offers MEDA scholarships to young people attending college with a declared major under the umbrella of traditional business/management disciplines and who fulfill the criteria.

Each year, we plan one or two fundraising events to raise money for MEDA projects. Our special event, “An Evening to Remember Clayton Kratz and Benefit Ukraine,” originally scheduled for October 19, 2020, is rescheduled for the spring of 2021. This event will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the disappearance of Clayton Kratz in 1920 while on a relief mission with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to Russia.

In November, the bi-national MEDA convention will be held virtually this year. We encourage attendance at the convention to learn more about MEDA’s work and to be inspired by engaging speakers and seminar leaders. To learn more about the MEDA convention, go to www.meda.org/meda-convention.

This week, the local Delaware Valley MEDA hub is participating in a MEDA Move-a-thon to raise money for MEDA projects. There was a virtual kickoff on August 14 and the closing is on August 22.  An anonymous donor will match up to $5,000 in donations.

We invite you to join us in prayer for:

  • our clients who are experiencing setbacks in their businesses because of COVID-19, natural disasters, and government resistance to their work.
  • MEDA president, Dorothy Nyambi, and her staff, as they make important decisions regarding MEDA’s work.
  • our local Delaware Valley MEDA hub as we strive to increase awareness of MEDA’s mission and vision (That all people may unleash their God-given potential to earn a livelihood, provide for families and enrich communities).
 

Stay Home, Eat Well

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by Sue Conrad Howes, Mosaic Communication Associate

Jim King displays his pickled beef tongue, one of the many dishes he and others at Plains Mennonite (Lansdale, PA) have been preparing to pass the time during the pandemic. Photo credit: Joan Nathan

Jim King of Plains congregation (Lansdale, PA) wondered what he could do to pass the time during COVID-19. He began looking in his pantry. Suddenly, he had an idea that he wanted to share with his congregation. Each week, he would take an ingredient from his pantry or freezer that had been in there too long. King would make something with it and send pictures of it via email. “I am going to ask you to respond with what occasions, memories, or emotions come to mind when you think of eating this food,” explained King, in his first email.

King’s first dish was mince pie, made from meat in his freezer marked, “Deer, 2017.” 

In his email, King shared not only pie photos, but also memories. “It was my Grandmother Longacre who made the mince pies. I only remember having them at Christmas when about 40 of us showed up at the farm.”  

He closed the email, asking, “What does mince pie take you back to BC [Before Coronavirus]? Stay Home, Eat well.”

Soon other church members began to share their memories of mince pies and other family recipes, bringing laughter and reflective thought to somewhat lonely days during the pandemic. 

The next week, King’s recipe was pickled tongue. 

“Gratitude and thankfulness seem to be in short supply these days,” wrote King in his email. “Meanwhile, we just might be spending more time communicating back and forth on the phone, across the yard, or on Zoom.” 

Working on her cooking skills during COVID-19, 9-year-old Anju of Plains congregation (Lansdale, PA) prepares beef stroganoff and shares her experience with others in her church.

“This week’s cooking project might be a good reminder to evaluate the quality of our conversation,” explained King.  “Proverbs 12:18 reminds us, ‘Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.’”

King’s storytelling is as flavorful as his dishes, as his back stories always whet our appetite for more. 

The beef tongue was obtained from his brother’s cattle farm. “When I show up there, I am invited to take the beef parts that don’t sell easily, such as the tongue, heart and tail,” shared King. 

Although King’s love for pickled tongue may not be shared by everyone, he offered special delivery to anyone wanting a taste. “For the rest of you who have an aversion to pickled tongue or have memories of how you ate it BC [Before Coronavirus],” encouraged King, “please let me know.” 

While King is glad to have some extra room now in his freezer, his purpose is less about food and more to do with community. Numerous email responses share memories, stories, and new recipes. 

Rachel Mateti shared a recipe for baked oatmeal, attempting to use pantry staples to prolong grocery trips.  As her family ate baked oatmeal together one morning, Mateti reflected on the change of pace with a pandemic. “An added bonus was sitting down at the table with the family as they woke up and sharing the morning and thanking God for these good moments,” she wrote.

The community is not just for adults. Anju, a 9-year old, joined in the conversation. “I really like cooking and baking because some of the stuff that I make, I wouldn’t try if I hadn’t cooked or baked it myself,” she shared. Enjoying the conversations, she added, “I like to bake strawberry shortcake and raspberry lemonade bars. What did you like to cook when you were 8 or 9?”

King knows not everyone likes interacting via email. Since the real purpose of the weekly COVID-19 cooking email is to build community, King says, “If the computer annoys you, just give me a call.”

Sharing Joy through Overlapping Passions

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by Jennifer Svetlik, Salford congregation

Sue Conrad Howes and her husband, Michael Howes, live in Quakertown, PA and attend West Swamp Mennonite Church, where Michael is pastor. (photo credit: James L. Conrad)

“I love that my job is to gather articles that others have written about the amazing things going on in the conference, and then to be the conduit to share those things with a broader group of people,” says Sue Conrad Howes, editor for Mosaic Mennonite Conference. “This work has allowed me to get to know the conference at a much deeper level.” 

Sue joined the conference staff in January 2020. Her part-time role primarily involves editing, writing, and overseeing the production of the weekly e-newsletter, Mosaic News. (Though the newsletter is automatically sent to pastors, credentialed leaders, and conference delegates, anyone can sign up here to receive it.)  

Ideas for newsletter and blog articles often originate with conference staff. Sue also reviews bulletins and newsletters from conference congregations and Conference Related Ministries. Through reading these, she learns of events and stories to feature.

Sue grew up in Franconia Conference as part of the Blooming Glen (PA) congregation, but left eastern Pennsylvania for college. After 30 years, she has recently returned to her home area. Her husband, Michael, serves as pastor of West Swamp congregation (Quakertown, PA), where Sue is a member. Although Sue’s primary vocation is a trauma chaplain in two area hospitals, she feels grateful to reconnect with and serve the conference in her role. 

Sue appreciates that her job is flexible and that she can work when she is not at the hospital, or when she gets the inspiration to write. Her role has evolved over time because as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the need for clear communication across the conference has increased.  

An aspect of her role that Sue has particularly enjoyed has been coordinating the translation of the new conference website, as well as polity documents, and other information into five languages (Chinese, Haitian Creole, Indonesian, Spanish, and Vietnamese).

“I greatly appreciate the investment that the conference has made to ensure that documents are available in the many languages spoken in our conference,” Sue says. “And I have enjoyed getting to know people from different cultures who care deeply about the church and are also passionate about ensuring accurate translation,” Sue shares. 

Sue is an ordained pastor in Mennonite Church USA and was a pastor for a number of years in Lancaster County (PA).  Prior to this, she was a professor of communication at Goshen (IN) College. “I’ve had two tracks in my professional life: communication and church. When these two passions overlap, as they do in my current role, it makes me very happy,” Sue says. 

Sue Conrad Howes performs her stand-up comedy routine at a comedy club in Lancaster, PA.  (photo credit: Michael A. Howes)

Another passion in Sue’s life is finding joy and making people laugh. “Laughter is a huge part of my life, because of who I am, but also because my work as a trauma chaplain is intense,” she reflects. “I enjoy watching comedians and figuring out what makes them funny. I also have done some stand up comedy myself. It’s not your everyday hobby.”

Sue enjoys organizing things, whether it is a closet or an event. “I enjoy making things pleasant, joyful, and fun,” she adds. 

She loves interacting with her nieces and nephews, who are a big part of her life. She also enjoys playing and watching sports, especially tennis. One of her life goals is to be a contestant on the game show, Wheel of Fortune, which she grew up watching with her mom and grandma. Don’t be surprised if someday you see her spinning the wheel and sharing her joy with the TV audience.

Conference Related Ministries (CRM) Profile: Care & Share Thrift Shoppes

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In the mid 1970’s, several women and men in their thirties got thinking, “How can we take the Sunday morning message of serving others and put that call into action during the week?” After some brainstorming, Care & Share Thrift Shoppes in Souderton, PA was born. 

Care and Share Thrift Shoppes in Souderton, PA donated over $1 million dollars to the work of Mennonite Central Committee in 2019.

From its very beginning, Care & Share has been in the Souderton (PA) Center on Route 113. Currently, there are 5 shoppes – Furniture, Clothing, Books, Variety, and the Outlet. Care & Share also has an online presence on eBay. We are grateful for the quality and volume of donations we receive from our generous donors. These donations have made us well known for selling “high quality” products. 

The dollars spent at Care & Share impact thousands of lives. In 2019, over 200,000 transactions took place at our registers. Further, we were the first independent, non-profit thrift store in the US or Canada to give over one million dollars to charity in one calendar year (2019).  Since 1975, over 19 million dollars have been given to Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) as a result of purchases at our shoppes. 

Care & Share is not only about raising money for MCC. It stands as a place where community is built. We hear from customers and volunteers – Care & Share is “church” for them. 

Volunteers at Care & Share Thrift Shoppes in Souderton, PA gladly display some of the variety of items for sale.

This non-profit business is run by 52 paid employees who bring an enthusiasm for empowering our volunteers who are the heart of Care & Share. It is the volunteer’s gift of time and talent that creates our success. 

We welcome a wide range of volunteers – ages 8 to over 100 years old. Some join us through the more “traditional” route as they are looking for “something to do” in retirement. Volunteers also join us through a group, such as a youth, work, school, family, or service group. We host those who need to serve hours for court ordered community service. Other individuals are volunteering, with staff support, from 40+ organizations who work with folks with disabilities. They may come for one reason, but they stay because they found a home in the community. 

The Care & Share community is greatly impacted by the pandemic. During the three months that we were closed, we did our very best to stay connected to our “community.” We shared inspiring phone calls, increased the distribution of our e-newsletter, and created a live cooking show on Facebook. Our community greatly missed us, almost as much as we missed them! 

A group of summer volunteers at the Care & Share, which helps support Mennonite Central Committee.

By mid-June, we re-opened two shoppes, with modified hours, run by our paid staff. We are following the state guidelines with masks/face shields, social distancing, and increases in cleaning. These steps have added significant costs to our operation. 

Fortunately, by July, we had enough volunteers to open another shoppe. Only 30% of our 1,000+ volunteer base has returned to serving. We will need many more helping hands, on a regular basis, to reopen all of our shoppes. We do not want our volunteers to return until they are comfortable to do so. We will be patient! 

Please pray for the pandemic to end. Our customers, volunteers, and employees are struggling under the increased anxiety and isolation it is causing. Please pray that Care & Share can continue to be a light in our community. Please refer us as a place to volunteer. We can accommodate larger groups even with social distancing in place.

Please consider making a financial donation to MCC. The loss of donations from thrift shops and relief sales is causing MCC to rely on individual donors more than ever. Care & Share is grateful for your support.

Fall Conference Assembly Goes Virtual

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by Emily Ralph Servant, Director of Communication

Members of Mosaic Conference will gather virtually for Conference Assembly this year.  Celebrating the theme “On Earth As It Is In Heaven,” assembly will be held on November 7-8, 2020, on a combination of platforms including YouTube, Facebook, and Zoom.

“Over the last months, we have learned the significance of physical distancing and spiritual solidarity,” reflected Conference executive minister Steve Kriss.  “We will still have important discernment and celebration work to do together in our first assembly as Mosaic Conference this fall. We’ll look forward to conversation about priorities for our reconciled conference as well as welcoming new congregations from Florida into membership.”

The move to an online assembly wasn’t taken lightly, but the decision became increasingly clear as the assembly planning committee worked through logistics like childcare, shared meals, and the space needed for table groups to safely converse.  In light of social distancing guidelines, the number of delegates, and the geographic breadth of conference communities, in-person gathering just didn’t seem feasible during this time, said assembly coordinator Brooke Martin.

“While we do acknowledge the loss of not being able to gather in person, we are confident that, for the time being, meeting virtually will provide the best community experience and conversation,” observed Martin.  “For the Saturday business sessions, meeting on Zoom will allow everyone to interact with their table groups and engage with the Mosaic community more fully.”

In order to adapt to the online format, Saturday’s business session will be shortened, running from 11am – 2pm Eastern/ 8am – 11pm Pacific, with a lunch/brunch break at 12noon/9am.  The Friday evening worship time will be moved to Sunday morning at 11am Eastern/ 8am Pacific so that the entire conference can participate, either in individual homes or as congregational gatherings, depending on current stay-at-home orders.

“Our Pentecost time together online was well-attended and meaningful,” said Kriss.  “I expect that our assembly worship will also be a time of inspiration and reflection while connecting us across geographies and distances in this critical time, as we look forward to seeing God’s dream for the world come true ‘on earth as it is in heaven.’”

This year’s theme will focus on the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Members of the conference community are invited to participate in the worship service by sending in a video of individuals or families saying the Lord’s Prayer in the language or translation of their choice (more information here).

Worship will also include singing, prayer, scripture reading, a children’s time, and a message by César García, the general secretary of Mennonite World Conference.

Although worshiping together online brings disadvantages, it also offers a gift, suggested Hendy Matahelemual, pastor of Indonesian Light Church and co-leader of the assembly worship planning team. “When we meet online, we bring something that is personal for us to the meeting; we bring our home with us,” he said.  “Even though we will be far apart physically, we will be close at heart.”