Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Articles

Meeting Neighbors Near and Far

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by Kiron Mateti, Franconia Board Member (Plains congregation)

As a relatively new board member with below average Spanish skills, I was surprised, but honored, when Franconia’s Executive Minister Steve Kriss asked me to join him and a Pennsylvania contingent to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Anabaptist churches in Mexico City.

A portion of our Pennsylvania contingent: Mary & Danilo Sanchez, Steve Kriss, and Kiron Mateti (not pictured: David Yoder and Cathy Godshall).

I boarded the plane with the stress of work still looming over me, and the mixed feelings that come with leaving a pregnant wife and two girls at home in PA while going on an exciting trip to Mexico.  With strong encouragement from my lovely and thoughtful wife, however, we agreed that this trip would be an opportunity to meet the real people of Mexico, to put faces to the impersonal news stories I often hear, and to allow God to recalibrate my ideas of who His people are in the world.

Our gracious host Oscar drove Steve, Danilo & Mary Sanchez (Ripple congregation), and me around Mexico City in Carlos Martinez Garcia’s Toyota Avanza.  I had previously met Carlos, moderator of the Conferencia de Iglesias Evangélicas Anabautistas Menonitas de México (CIEAMM) at the “Renewing Nations & Generations” gathering before 2018 Fall Assembly.  I enjoyed getting to know Carlos more and meeting Oscar for the first time, and greatly appreciated their hospitality.

Oscar’s heart reminded me of my Uncle Ravi in India.  One day, as we were driving to someone’s house for lunch, I mentioned how fresh the fruit in the road-side stand looked.  After we arrived and greeted everyone, we didn’t notice Oscar slip out.  Then, suddenly, Oscar had come back with fresh papaya, and proceeded to cut it and personally serve me a bowl with Tajin and fresh squeezed lime.  Que bien!

My mom’s native tongue is an Indian language called Telugu.  It is one of my life’s regrets that I can’t speak Telugu. In my defense, some of my hesitation to even try stems from instances of uncontrollable laughter when attempting to speak Telugu with my mom.  I guess I have an American accent.

But with Spanish I determined it would be different.  Spanish was not new to me—I had taken four years in high school.  But that was almost two decades ago!  I decided that I would speak what little Spanish I knew, and I would welcome the laughter.

But the laughter never came.

Instead my new amigos y hermanos appreciated my feeble Spanish, and I was amazed and thankful for how many people were willing to teach me along the way. And also, thank God for Google Translate!

The celebration services at El Buen Pastor, Luz y Verdad, and Cristiana de Paz congregations were a wonderful glimpse into a thriving Anabaptist church presence in Mexico City.  I was thankful to worship with my fellow believers, my neighbors from afar, and thankful to build relationships with the churches there.

Members from Iglesia Menonita Ebenezer at the Fourth of July “You Are Welcome” event.

Back home, at our 2nd annual “You are Welcome” Fourth of July picnic, Plains Mennonite Church and the Evangelical Center for Revival joined with Iglesia Menonita Ebenezer to enjoy music, food, and games in the sun at Plains Park.  Following my trip to Mexico, I found newfound courage that day to interact with fellow believers across the language and cultural divide. God used this trip to teach me that I don’t need to travel far to meet my neighbors—I can build relationships with my neighbors right here at home.

Food – Heritage, Sustenance, Culture, Celebration, Community

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by Sarah Heffner, Mennonite Heritage Center

 Food is a daily and essential part of our lives. It touches on creation, celebration, and community.  Food is also a concern as extreme weather cycles and global strife impact the production of food and people’s access to adequate food. Global issues affect local food production and food consumption. Locally, 10 – 11% of Montgomery County residents experience some form of food insecurity.  

A new exhibit, Food: Our Global Kitchen will be on display from July 6, 2019 through January 4, 2020 at the Mennonite Heritage Center. The Opening Reception for the exhibit is scheduled for Sunday, July 28 from 2-4 pm. The exhibit features large-format, colorful exhibit panels created by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).  Exhibit themes about the global food supply include Food Waste, Scarcity & Abundance, Crop Diversity, Trade & Transportation and the Future of Growing.

The accompanying exhibit, Food Heritage of Eastern Pennsylvania, depicts our regional food heritage. Raising crops and preparing and preserving food was, and still is, a keen reminder that we are dependent on the Lord for the harvest each year. Events like our Apple Butter Frolic are great fun, with the sampling of traditional foods and farming demonstrations, but events like that don’t always connect us to the realities or labor of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century farm families or what the loss of prime farm land to development has meant in the mid-twentieth century. The regional food heritage exhibit connects some of those dots.

The local food story will begin with that of the 17th-century Lenape people and continue with the stories of the 18th-century European immigrants and 19th-century farm families who raised and prepared most of their own food. Beginning in the mid-20th-century, the region experienced rapid growth and development, and, today, a minority of area Mennonites are involved in agriculture. There is, however, a resurgence of interest in locally grown food, seasonal cuisine, and environmental and social justice issues surrounding food production and distribution.

Programming accompanying the Food: Our Global Kitchen exhibit: 

  • Friday, September 20, 5 p.m. Traditional Foods Potluck, in partnership with Indian Valley Public Library. Bring a dish from ethnic cookbooks featured at the library. Preregistration required.
  • Sunday, October 27, 7 pm. Community Harvest Home service in the Nyce Barn. Speaker Nate Stucky, Director of the Farminary Project, Princeton Theological Seminary. Open to the public.
  • Friday, November 8, 5 p.m. “Mennonite Community Cookbook” Potluck celebrates this classic Pennsylvania German Mennonite cookbook. Bring a dish/recipe from the cookbook. Preregistration required.
  • Sunday, November 17, 2:00 pm: This Very Ground, This Crooked Affair—Historian and storyteller John Ruth will present his work on finding language and understanding around the transfer of the land between the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers from native peoples to our Mennonite ancestors. Open to the public.

Thank you to the following congregations for their financial support for the exhibit: Blooming Glen Mennonite Church, Franconia Mennonite Church, Plains Mennonite Church, and Zion Mennonite Church, and to our business sponsors; Alderfer’s Poultry Farm, Godshall’s Quality Meats, and Bauman’s Fruit Butters.

There is Always Hope in God

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by Wendy Wong, Souderton congregation 

Sue Park-Hur, denominational minister for leadership development, introduces the cross of reconciliation during Wednesday worship. Photo courtesy of MC USA.

This was my first experience attending Mennonite Convention.  3000 attendees were among us.  I attended all the worship services and I was very impressed by the energy the worship leaders had and the amazing resonance from the attendees.  I loved the inspirational songs and the fact that the leaders were ethnically diverse.  The emerging intergenerational worship created an atmosphere of joy & unity.  The unique stories from each speaker touched the audience’s heart.  Pastor Sue Park-Hur talked about how they reached out to North Koreans, a country that many might consider to be like Nineveh back in Jonah’s time.

I loved the teaching from Tom Yoder Neufeld.  He said, “Church is a mess;” we responded, “Thanks be to God!” He taught that “unity doesn’t mean harmony.”  He showed a picture of a drawing of Jesus who gathers our diversity (physical and mental) into His womb to create new human beings.  Churches should have vision, be open, pray for each other, show hospitality, and be transformed.  Forbearance means long-suffering and forgiveness and always watching the horizon like the father of the prodigal son.  There is always hope in God.

Wendy’s table group. Photo courtesy of Wendy Wong.

It is an excellent idea to have youth delegates and I am absolutely confident of what they can do for the kingdom of God.  Nowadays youth are a lot smarter than my generation. In my opinion, a youth board member and a youth in the pastoral search team may not be a bad idea. 

I totally agree on the resolution against the abuse of child migrants on the border.  Churches should be loving our neighbor through lobbying for family unification and policy change, sending members to witness the conditions of migrants and sending immigration detention kits, and even sending concern letters to the Southern Baptists so they can raise the concern to the president of the United States.

Wendy joins in the conga line during delegate worship. Photo courtesy of MC USA.

At my table, I heard that delegates were still very bothered by issues like LGBTQ and women in leadership roles, and some were not sure they will come next time.  I like the delegates from my table, however, and it felt like a family reunion.  We had Russian, German, Swiss, and Chinese Mennonites at our table. We prayed for each other and shared each other’s burden in just a few days of knowing each other.

Without coming to this convention, I would never have known how much we can be the light of the world for Jesus as an individual church or conference because we are a part of MC USA.  Sue Park-Hur challenged us to go wherever the Spirit leads us with the Spirit’s peace.  Leonard Dow challenged us to receive the Spirit and follow His guidance to overcome the challenges in our life.  Glen Guyton challenged us to humbly serve the body of Christ and to go, disarmed, to witness to the world.

Transformative Experiences at MC USA Convention 2019

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by Justin Burkholder, South Philly summer intern

Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) held their biennial convention July 2-6 in Kansas City, Missouri. Three thousand energetic youth, children, and adults assembled for a week of learning, worship, serving, fellowship, and fun. The convention aims to build the vision and mission of MC USA as the church together embarks on God’s mission in the world.

Adult delegates met to discern the vision of the church together and for times of equipping.  Youth groups shared worship time with the adults and attended seminars during delegate sessions. Servant projects were also available each day for those who chose to join the efforts in the local community. The worship band was led by Seth Crissman (Walking Roots Band) and included various instruments, which created magnificent harmonies.

Youth worship in front of the stage at #MennoCon19. Photo courtesy of Mennonite Church USA.

Chuck Tirtasaputra was a youth attendee from Philadelphia Praise Center and found the worship especially meaningful. “There is something about a group of people singing together to worship God that moves me,” he reflected.  Youth crowded in front of the stage each worship session to gain the full experience of worshiping side by side with believers from all over the country. Mike Spinelli, pastor of Perkiomenville (PA) congregation, appreciated the passion of his church’s youth group: “The worship was a breath of fresh air as the youth enthusiastically moved to the front of the stage and full-on sang and jumped to the rhythms of grace.”

Beny Krisbianto (Nations Worship Center, Philadelphia, PA) in table discussions during #MennoCon19 delegate sessions. Photo by MC USA.

Worship also included a speaker each session who captivated the audience with an appealing story or message of God’s moving in their life. Speakers Dustin Galyon, Hesston College basketball coach, and Meghan Good, teaching pastor at Trinity Mennonite Church (Glendale, Arizona), were inspiring to Kyle Rodgers, youth pastor of Franconia (PA) congregation. Galyon emphasized that fear hates community, while Good highlighted that the breath of God is required to sustain our lives, in contrast to our own breath or the breath of others.

Delegate sessions were introduced on Wednesday morning with the formation of table groups. Tom Yoder Neufeld, professor emeritus at Conrad Grebel University, led three sessions from Ephesians titled Gathered as One on the unity of the Spirit. There was time for table discussions and eventually question and answer following each teaching session.

Justin Burkholder and Graciella Odelia become Franconia Conference’s first voting youth delegates. They were attending #MennoCon19 through the Step Up program. Photo by Emily Ralph Servant.

In the afternoon delegate sessions, table discussions centered around the Journey Forward, a conversation continued from convention in 2017. One discussion prompt read, “Identify one part of our shared peace witness we should work on together for the next biennium.” A variety of perspectives were discussed, including shared belief that our church must care for the migrants at the Mexico-United States border who are experiencing inhumane treatment. This focus was reflected in the passage of a resolution that condemned “the treatment of immigrants families and children at the border, as well as around the nation, [as] a horrific violation of the Image of God and God-given human rights.”

Another resolution that passed was the opportunity for congregations, churchwide agencies, and conferences to send additional voting youth delegates (age 16-21) to future conventions.

The next convention will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the summer of 2021. As attendees reflect on lessons to share and ways to integrate what we experienced with our congregations and communities, the divisiveness in relationships remains an area for which the church yearns for God’s healing. Franconia Conference board member Yvonne Platts of Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life echoed this thought as a significant take away from convention. She voiced that our churches and relationships are broken due to decisions and splits.  Tom Yoder Neufeld called this “checking the horizons” and still seeing the hope that is there. May we, as one body, look upon the horizons and see Jesus calling us closer to him despite our shortcomings.

Read further reflections on #MennoCon19 from Justin Burkholder and Wendy Wong (Souderton congregation):

Names Matter

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by Josh Meyer, Conference Naming Committee

My wife and I have two daughters. 

Our oldest is named Selah Ann.  The word selah is found as a notation in many of the Psalms.  It means something like “pause and consider.”  It was a cue for ancient worship leaders to slow down and invite the worshiping community to reflect on what they’d just heard before moving on to the rest of the psalm.  We love the idea that every time we say our daughter’s first name, we’re “pausing and considering” the goodness of God. 

Josh and family

Our youngest daughter is named Evie Joy.  Eve literally means “living” and joy comes from the same root word as grace.  Some scholars define joy as “grace acknowledged.”  Therefore, her name – Eve Joy – means “living acknowledgment of God’s grace.”  She’s been that for us, and her name reflects as much. 

The point?  Names matter.  Names have significance.  Names reveal identity and purpose and values.   

As Franconia Conference and Eastern District Conference move toward reconciliation and becoming a united conference once again, a question on many people’s minds is what the name of this new conference will be.  It’s not an insignificant question.  In one sense, what we do and who we are and how we live together is what matters most.  A name is simply what we call ourselves; God’s work among and through us is the highest priority.  Whatever we’re called, it’s our commitment to following Jesus, bearing witness to God’s peace, and experiencing transformation together that’s of primary importance. 

And yet, names matter.  Names have significance.  Names reveal identity and purpose and values. 

Josh Meyer gives an update from the Reconciliation Team at Spring Assembly 2019.

Therefore, the Structure and Identity Task Force has appointed a separate Naming Committee whose sole responsibility is to give attention to this important question.  The team is comprised of individuals from both conferences, and, for the past few months, we’ve been meeting and brainstorming and praying and listening and hoping.  It’s energizing, daunting, important work.    

The process is full of creativity and possibility.  We’re considering not only a name but potentially a logo as well.  We’ve discussed whether a descriptive tagline would be helpful.  We’ve considered input from other organizations that have changed names after a merger.  We’re talking with professional consultants.  We’ve discussed the possibility of using focus groups over the next few months.   And – here’s where we’d love for you to jump in – we’re actively seeking input and suggestions. 

As members of the new conference, you have a stake in this.  We want to hear from you.  If you have ideas for the Naming Committee, please send them in.  Whether it’s a specific name, a general concept (“maybe something around the theme of _____”), or a word of counsel, we are open to and intentionally asking for your thoughts.  You may send any ideas to Edie Landis and me (we’re both members of the Structure and Identity Task Force as well as helping to give leadership to the Naming Committee), and we’ll pass them on to the rest of the group.           

We’re excited about this process of discernment and discovery.  And we’re trusting with joyful expectancy that something will emerge that reflects our shared identity, purpose, and values.  Please join us in praying to that end.

Oh, and my daughters Selah and Eve?  They’re eagerly anticipating the addition of Baby #3 joining the Meyer family later this year.  They’re already letting us know their ideas for what the new baby should be called.  Evidentially, names matter—for conferences and to big sisters!

Naming Committee: Sara Kolb, Jaynie McCloskey, Aldo Siahaan, Merlin Hartman, Steve Kriss, Jim Musselman, Edie Landis (rodandedie1@verizon.net), & Josh Meyer (jmeyer@franconiamennonite.org).

Representing Jesus in West Virginia

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(leer en español)

by Andres Castillo

Micah Kratz and Nicole Gourley prepare a wall for siding at the home near Jenkinjones, WV. (Photo by Adriana Santiago, posted on MCC SWAP Facebook page)

It took three days to dig the ditch that would divert water away from Gary, West Virginia homeowner Lucretia Ford’s house, but it was worth every second. “It wasn’t fun even though we tried to make it fun,” Bally (PA) congregation’s Jim Longacre admits. “In the same way, serving God sometimes isn’t fun and can be hard work, but in the end is very rewarding.”

The reward for the hard work comes in the form of relationships with those the SWAP volunteers come to help. Congregations haven’t been just serving Appalachian people through SWAP (Sharing With Appalachian People), but mutually sharing gifts with them.

An organization of the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), SWAP has endeavored to make houses safer, warmer, and drier for the Appalachian community in the United States for over 30 years. In the summer of 2018, groups from Bally and Blooming Glen (PA) congregations both served at SWAP’s West Virginia location. There, they experienced the one-week service program that emphasizes relationships as much as fixing houses.

The homeowner in Gary, WV poses with volunteers from Blooming Glen who are working on her home repairs. (Photo by Mike Ford, posted on MCC SWAP Facebook page)

For a long time, the West Virginia SWAP ministry typically rented and did not own permanent property. Following SWAP’s move from Elkhorn to Kimball, however, Houston United Methodist Church offered them the opportunity to purchase their own facility. After experiencing this ministry firsthand, both Bally and Blooming Glen stepped in to help. “When we learned of the opportunity extended to SWAP to purchase this residence, it struck us that maybe we could assist them with it,” Bally’s youth leader Mike Gehman says. Since then, members of both congregations, especially youth, have raised funds so that SWAP can purchase the house.

Mike Gehman and Zoe Longacre prepare soffet for installation. (Courtesy of MCC SWAP Facebook page)

In addition to housing volunteers, the facility will provide more flexibility for SWAP and send a positive message to the community. “By putting this anchor down, it says that we intend to be here with roots that can’t be uprooted,” SWAP’s location coordinator Lee Martin states. The people of Appalachia are important to SWAP, he adds. Every time SWAP and the community members share meals and stories, they touch each others’ lives. They strive to “blow judgmental thoughts [of Appalachian residents] out of the water,” share about Jesus, and build strong relationships with the members of the community.

During one of Bally’s work days, one of their youth, Zack, went missing for some time. He wasn’t escaping the work but was inside talking to Ford. By the end of the day, she had “basically labeled him her adopted grandson,” says Longacre.

Volunteers from Bally gather around homeowner Lucretia Ford as she tells stories after dinner at the SWAP house. (MCC SWAP Facebook page)

“If you have the opportunity to sit down and talk with a homeowner, that isn’t taking you away from your work. That is your work,” says Martin. “The work acts as a venue to build relationships.” This philosophy is one reason the two congregations were moved to work together to help SWAP purchase their new facility.

MCC’s mission to spread “relief, development, and peace in the name of Christ,” as described by Martin, lives on through ministries like SWAP and those who support them. “As odd as it sounds,” he says, “representing Jesus is our job.”

Openness to Change

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by Justin Burkholder, summer intern with South Philly’s Indonesian congregations

Justin (middle row, 2nd from left) with his new friends in South Philly

In the blink of an eye, camp has reached its endpoint.

Philadelphia Praise Center ran its annual summer Peace Camp during the month of June. I was responsible for part of its leadership by organizing the kids from the community and congregation, planning trips for the group, and managing the volunteers who dedicated their summer to the children. Our team served up to sixty energetic kids over the duration of four weeks. We had a blast doing so, but it did not come without expected difficulties.

Peace Camp activities

This was a stretching month for me.  I have been learning to be more flexible with the way I approach ideas and time. Through leading camp, there were days when weather, sickness, traffic, loud children, or other forces resulted in a shift of plans. I have always been the type of person to set a routine, attempt to execute it, and then repeat. I’ve learned this month that life can’t always be lived like this because God moves in ways we can’t predict; we can’t always control or change things with our own hands.

Processing everything that happened this summer has been difficult because of the speed at which everything has been moving.  When it seems like I am not hearing from God, I attempt to slow down and retreat to the avenues where I have experienced His presence in the past. Recently this has come in the form of worship music, quiet time, new relationships with believers in Philadelphia, and other hobbies I enjoy.  I’m looking forward to fellowship at the Mennonite Church USA Convention this week in Kansas City.

My time in Philadelphia is flying by, but the experiences are valuable and have pointed me to Christ. I don’t love learning to be more flexible, yet it is a characteristic that has shaped how I journey with God. For that I am grateful.

God Saw Potential in Me

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(leer en español)

By Adriana Celis – originally published in Spanish by The Mennonite (LINK)

“Yippee, yippee… We go on the train, we go on the train, to the heavenly homeland… Come inside little children, it is a very special train… It is the gospel train… Come on kids, we invite you to get on our train…” – Children´s song by Miguel Bonilla that marked the life of Pastor Leticia Cortes. (Leticia is originally from the Federal District, Mexico.) 

From a young age, Leticia had to endure moments of many difficulties, of many challenges at family and economic levels. Those were hard times, very difficult in her household, because of the constant abuse of domestic violence. Her father had an erroneous concept of what it meant to be a man and a father of a family; he would subject her mother and siblings to constant beatings – they were victims of domestic violence.    

Time followed its course and as the days became months and the months years, she became a pretty young girl with many dreams and desires to fulfill – even if these dreams looked a little distant. She was victim of sexual abuse at 14 years of age, and everything seemed to vanish: her life, her goals, and her ideals. She considered herself a young flower that was beginning to live – it was quite difficult to endure this tough situation. She asked herself:  Does God have a purpose? Could God intervene?

Everything already seemed lost by the time she was 18 years old. Being a mother of three little children and having no one, she could not see a different path than the one marked by sadness, loneliness and romantic breakups. One night, she attended a Pentecostal church where they shared the love of a Savior who had the power to forgive, clean and restore her – the Savior called Jesus, the Son of God.

Days after her personal encounter with Jesus Christ, near to her house, a group of missionaries arrived who were under the leadership of Thomas Hanger, a kind and loving missionary of the Mennonite church who saw in her the potential to serve, and how sharing her life testimony could be of great help to other families, especially women going through the same situation of domestic violence that she had gone through. In this way, Leticia found herself immediately going to biblical foundation and missionary training.

At present, God has given her a husband who loves and respects her. Although they have gone through difficult processes, they have also seen how the faithful hand of the Lord has strengthened and helped them.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 … “But God chose the foolish things of the world…, God chose the lowly things of this world …, to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” Her heavenly Father had a big plan for her life and the life of her husband and children. God is a good father who is tender, slow to anger and of great mercy who knows our condition as humans, as dust that will return to dust, who sees in our lives potential even though others find it hard to see.  

Currently Pastor Leticia Cortes works hand in hand with her husband Fernando Loyola Centro de Alabanza in Philadelphia, leading and pastoring the church, and taking biblical and theological courses at the Hispanic Anabaptist Biblical Seminary (SeBAH). Pastor Leticia also offers advice to people like her, who have gone through situations of domestic violence helping them to move on, showing them that it is possible to get out of those situations and giving words of encouragement to love and value themselves; and above all, telling them to get on, as the children´s song says, to the gospel train that gives new life.