Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

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Looking to the Future of Conference Related Ministries

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by Margaret Zook, Living Branches, with Emily Ralph Servant

The Conference Related Ministries (CRMs) Task Force has been charged with proposing a plan for new and improved ways of relating to organizations associated with both Eastern District and Franconia Conferences after the two conferences form a new Conference next year.

Both conferences recognize the wealth of services provided by CRMs and the growth and potential of these ministries.    Now, moving toward reconciliation between these two historic Conferences, there is a recognition that now is time to talk about the future.   CRM leadership were invited to participate in three listening sessions, in which they talked with the task force committee and recommended revisions to what had been proposed by the Structure and Identity Task Force.

Anne Kaufman-Weaver leads a conversation on cultural humility at this summer’s Conference Related Ministries resourcing event. Photo by Emily Ralph Servant.

These gatherings provided space to discuss questions like: How has the relationship with the Conferences helped in nurturing established organizations and empowering new ministries in the past?  How can the relationship between Conference Related Ministries and the broader Conference be mutually beneficial?  What are ways to enhance communication, support leaders in the CRMs, and improve relationships between CRMs and the Conference structure?    

What may prove to be most important moving forward is communication.   There are some CRMs who have been ministering for 100 years and others that are just birthing; renewed communication between CRMs, the Conference, congregations, and the community is desired and needed for the future.   Support can better happen if lines of communication are open and encouraged.

The final proposal, which will be shared in Assembly Scattered gatherings in October, will include a new CRM committee with board representation.  This will allow CRM leadership new avenues for building connections within the conference structure and among conference congregations as well as creating a new space for CRMs to speak into our conference’s life together.

Representatives of diverse Conference Related Ministries share stories of where they see the Spirit working in the many cultures of their ministry contexts. Photo by Emily Ralph Servant.

Each CRM has a unique ministry, each has a community, each has responded to a need and has founders or a board of directors who believe in its mission, and each has developed a unique set of skills, professions, and responses.  Many CRMs offer resourcing, workshops, and services to the wider church community on topics such as aging, memory loss, music, mental health issues, welcoming those with disabilities, and parenting.  Others provide opportunities to serve our communities at home and internationally, spreading the Good News through medicine, dental care, humanitarian aid, peace and justice advocacy, evangelism, microloans, and disaster recovery.  Still others offer space for children (and adults) to meet God in classrooms, around campfires, and in stories from the past.

For the new Conference, this is a valued resource.   These organizations and leaders represent a rich variety of missions to share with the broader community, which provide unique opportunities for our Conference to engage in new and creative ways.    We as Anabaptists have been charged to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.”   Our CRMs have brought these words to life.  May it continue to be so.   

 

Holy Leisure

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by Luke Hertzler, MIP at Whitehall and Ripple congregations

My Ministry Inquiry experience this summer at RIPPLE and Whitehall congregations helped me think differently about keeping Sabbath. Growing up I was not really taught about Sabbath. I knew the basics: You go to church on Sunday. You hang out with family. You eat meals together. As I got older, and especially in college, Sundays became the perfect day for homework since Friday and Saturday were full of activities. Then when Monday came around, I was confused about why I was so tired at the beginning of the week.

When I first began my internship, the pastors were planning out my schedule with me, and one of the first things they had me put on my calendar (on repeat) was “Monday=Sabbath.” After that meeting, I remember thinking how it was one of the first times in my life that I had truly devoted one day to ultimate rest.

“God gave the Israelites the law and Sabbath to change their Egyptian mindset of productivity,” Pastor Rose Bender told me. I’m a doer, so dedicating a day to take a break from running around crazily turned out to be a beautiful experience. I’ve soaked in slow mornings that start off with a good breakfast and scripture. I’ve fallen back in love with prayer. I’ve practiced introspection of my personal state, questions, and possible callings. I’ve experienced many little observations that remind me of the Holy Spirit’s presence. I’ve meditated in nature, putting things into God’s hands and being excited for what’s ahead.

Some Whitehall youth and I enjoyed the view of the valley from our evening hike. (Photo courtesy of Ser Luther)

Even though this contemplative nature of Sabbath was the most meaningful, I also found that I enjoyed a Sabbath that included fun activities and the deepening of relationships. For example, one day I went to Hershey Park with a friend I hadn’t seen in over a year. Another day, I went for a hike with some Whitehall youth to see a view of the valley. The other week, I drove to Beltzville State Park to swim in the lake, run some trails, and rollerblade in the parking lot. Throughout the whole summer, I thoroughly enjoyed discovering the many different forms of Sabbath, intertwining personal reflection, social interaction, and play.

The rooftop was always my favorite place to read in solitude or gaze at the evening sky. (Photo courtesy of author)

Sabbath has also provided me with energy for engaging in ministry with others. I am an introvert by nature, but I also love people, so Sabbath was the perfect amount of time in solitude to prepare me for my day-to-day encounters in the community. My thoughts were clearer, my actions were more purposeful, and that enabled me to be my best self throughout the rest of the week. 

This summer, I believe I have only scratched the surface of what Richard Foster, in his book Prayer, calls “holy leisure.” “It is a sense of balance in life: activity and rest, work and play, sunshine and rain. It means the ability to carry on the activities of the day filled with the cosmic patience of God.” Holy leisure means living life reflexively, where my heart, mind, and actions are on the same page. As I continue on in life, that balance is what I desire for my week, and whatever ministry experiences come my way, I’m excited to continue exploring the life-giving spaciousness that is Sabbath.

The Folly of “I Don’t Need You”

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by Josh Meyer, Leadership Minister

Josh Meyer (right), Pastor of Discipling and Preaching at Franconia Mennonite Church, leads a baptism service.

I am a denominational mutt.  I was born and dedicated at a Baptist church.  I spent my formative teenage years in a Lutheran congregation.  In college I attended a charismatic Vineyard fellowship.  I’ve worshiped at an evangelical megachurch.  I spent my first 5 years of ministry in a mainline United Methodist context.  And for the past 7 years I’ve found my home in a Mennonite church family.

One of the benefits of this diverse ecclesial background is that it formed in me an appreciation for various expressions of faith and a deeply ecumenical understanding of the Body of Christ.  We’re not all the same, and that’s okay.  Paul writes about the value of this kind of diversity in 1 Corinthians 12.  Though we are made up of many parts, we are one body. 

I’ve commonly understood this illustration as applying to the local church congregation.  God has gifted each of us in unique ways; we don’t all have the same gift, but we all have something to contribute to the Body of Christ.  A person’s gift could be music or serving or administration.  It may be related to budgeting and finance, or working with children, or teaching the Bible.  There are many different kinds of gifts, and no one gift is more important than any other. 

While this is certainly one faithful, helpful way of understanding Paul’s image, I’ve been challenged recently to think about the metaphor in terms of the larger global Church.  “Many parts” can refer to individuals, but can also refer to congregations and denominations.  And “one Body” can refer to a local church, but it can also refer to the global, worldwide Church.

Therefore, just like the eye can’t say to the ear, “I don’t need you,” and just like someone who’s gifted in music can’t say to someone who’s gifted in administration, “I don’t need you,” in the same way:

  • Protestants can’t say to Catholics, “We don’t need you.”
  • Anabaptists can’t say to Lutherans, “We don’t need you.”
  • Charismatic believers can’t say to Reformed believers, “We don’t need you.”
  • Conservative Mennonites can’t say to liberal Mennonites, “We don’t need you.”
  • Progressives can’t say to traditionalists, “We don’t need you.”

We’re all part of the same Body: the body of Christ.  There is a beauty in our diversity, and what unites us and makes us one isn’t that we’re identical, but that we all share a common commitment to Christ.  This isn’t to suggest our distinctive Anabaptist beliefs don’t have value – there’s incredible value in our particular expression of faith, and there are many things we can humbly offer as gifts to the larger Church.  It is important to emphasize, however, that our highest calling is not being Mennonite.  Our highest calling and great privilege is being followers of Jesus. 

We don’t have a monopoly on the Way of Jesus.  There are good, faithful, honest, brilliant, Bible-believing, God-honoring, Jesus-loving, Spirit-filled people in other parts of the Body as well, in other churches, other conferences, other denominations.  And we need them.  We need them to be faithful to who God’s called them to be, and we need to be faithful to who God’s called us to be, recognizing that while we may not look the same, we’re still part of the same Body.

My hope and prayer for Franconia Conference is that we would see other churches – both those within our conference and those beyond it – not as our competition but as our partners.  We’re not all the same and we don’t all agree on everything, but we’re called to love and bless and pray for and work with our sisters and brothers in Christ who are committed to the missional, intercultural, and transformational work of God in our collective midst.   

A version of this article appeared in the July 2019 issue of The Mennonite.

WITNESS: Conference Assembly 2019

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Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us throw off any extra baggage that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, ignoring its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.  Think about the one who endured such opposition so that you won’t be discouraged, and you won’t give up. (Hebrews 12:1-3, NLT & CEB)

As Eastern District and Franconia Conferences approach this historic moment of reconciliation, we remember that we are part of a storyline of faith that has stretched out for thousands of years before us and will continue for years to come.  Even as we witness to what God is doing in our congregations right now, we acknowledge the witness of brothers and sisters who have gone before, preparing the way, and who are cheering us on as we, too, run the race and prepare to cheer on future generations.  We know none of this is possible without the witness of Jesus, who showed us how to run with patience, endurance, and passion.  Jesus makes our reconciliation possible.  As we run this race together, we will witness to Jesus in our families, our neighborhoods, and our world!

Important dates to know:

Conference Assembly Scattered Gatherings

When:

  • October 1, 7pm: Nations Worship Center (Philadelphia)
  • October 3, 7pm: Salem Mennonite Church (Quakertown, PA)
  • October 8, 7pm on ZOOM
  • October 10, 9am: Salford Mennonite Church (Harleysville, PA)
  • October 21 or 22: Los Angeles area

What: Conference Assembly Scattered are gatherings designed to prepare delegates for Assembly by presenting the Structure and Identity Task Force’s final recommendations and providing space for questions and discussion.  All delegates are encouraged to attend one of these events, as it will be the last place for significant conversation around the proposal before the vote in November.

How to Prepare:  During the last week of September, the proposal will be available on the EDC-FMC website; please download this proposal and review it prior to the Scattered gathering that you attend.  Come prepared with questions, an open heart, and any feedback you’d like to share.

Registration:  CLOSED

Conference Assembly

When: November 1-2, 2019 (7:00 – 9:00 pm Friday, & 9:00 am-4:00 pm Saturday) at Souderton Mennonite Church

What: This year at Conference Assembly, we will worship, pray, and share stories about where we see God working in our congregations and communities.  Eastern District and Franconia Conferences will have separate business sessions as well as corporate sessions to review the final proposal from the Structure and Identity Task Force in preparation for a vote on reconciliation.

How to Prepare: Attend a Conference Assembly Scattered gathering to hear about the proposal and share the proposal with the leadership of your congregation and any others who should know what’s going on.  Spend some time remembering stories of people who have been meaningful in your life of faith and in the life of your congregation and conference over the course of its existence.  Read your docket materials when they become available, pray for wisdom, and come ready to participate in conversation and discernment together! 

Registration: Opens in September.  Childcare will be provided for infant through 12 years old, and registration is required.

A Catalyst for Transformation

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By Jennifer Svetlik, Salford congregation

Chantelle Todman Moore loves it when individuals or congregations are getting curious and imaginative about what the church can look like.  She sees this work as integral to discipleship, “when people begin to think really deeply about their own identities like they’ve never had to before; this is the first step to transformation.” 

Chantelle Todman Moore is the Intercutural Leadership Coach for Franconia Conference. Over the past year and a half of her time on staff, Chantelle’s work has focused on organizing spaces and conversations for pastoral and lay leaders in the conference who are part of the “global majority,”* though not part of the majority culture of Franconia Conference. 

These conversations are opportunities to pray together, fellowship, share dreams, and express laments. A primary example is the annual Nations and Generations gathering that Chantelle is helping to organize this fall. The gathering is a time of prayer, worship, visioning, and connecting a diverse group of ministers. This year’s gathering will take place on November 1 just before Conference Assembly.

Chantelle is one of the staff leaders of the conference’s Intercultural Team, which seeks to identify what the needs and skills are in the conference for intercultural capacity, and how the conference can more effectively invest in global majority leaders. 

The work that excites Chantelle most is coaching congregations seeking to grow in intercultural capacity and become anti-racist.  Recently, the elders from Plains congregation asked the Intercultural Team to help them think through their next steps in their ongoing movement toward intercultural competency.  “I enjoy working with congregations that are ‘doing the work’ and when I can help them be a catalyst for deepening those efforts,” Chantelle shared. 

Chantelle grew up in south Florida in an Assemblies of God church and received an undergraduate degree in International Community Development and an MBA in International Economic Development. It was in graduate school at Eastern University that she encountered Anabaptism through books by Eloise Meneses as well as the work of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). She began attending Oxford Circle Mennonite with Sam, whom she later married. Chantelle was drawn to the centrality of social justice as a sign of faithfulness within Anabaptism. 

Chantelle quickly began to take leadership roles in Mennonite institutions: working as the Philadelphia Program Coordinator for MCC, serving on the board of Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM) and getting involved with the Women in Leadership steering committee of MC USA to co-plan  the Women Doing Theology conferences, helping to organize the Future Church Summit at MCUSA Convention 2017, and speaking at the Hope for the Future conferences. 

Entering into the wider Mennonite Church after her experience in the intercultural reality of Anabaptism in Philadelphia was a bit of cultural whiplash, Chantelle reflected.  This is what makes her work so important.  “Jesus modeled crossing the bounds of what the world labeled as ‘other’ and we should be doing the same. Those who encountered Jesus in the scriptures were transformed but Jesus was also transformed as he crossed boundaries,” she continued. “So yes, it’s about justice and doing what’s right but, most of all, it’s about following Jesus and allowing our whole being and worldview to be transformed.” 

In addition to her work with Franconia Conference, Chantelle is the co-founder of Unlock Ngenuity, a consulting, coaching and therapy business. 

Chantelle and Sam have three daughters. When she’s not coaching and supporting individuals and communities in developing intercultural understanding, she loves to grow food through gardening and dabbling in aquaponics. 

*The term global majority seeks to recognize that the vast majority of the people in the world consider themselves non-white. 

 

Bridge Fatigue

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by Chantelle Todman Moore, Intercultural Leadership Coach

(left to right) Hendy Matahelemual, Marta Castillo, and Chantelle Todman Moore, Franconia Conference’s core intercultural team.

The three people in this photo look happy and hot and we are both.

We are also tired, myself in particular.  After I arrived late to our meeting and plopped myself into my chair with a big sigh, I was immediately encouraged to get a coffee by my dear colleagues.  As our conference’s core intercultural team, we are both energized by the work and exhausted by the work.  This mix of energy and exhaustion is part of what it means to be a bridge person or to be doing intercultural bridge work.

What is a bridge person or bridge work, you ask?  Let me unpack this further. First, it would be helpful to define the term “intercultural.” I like the definition given by the Spring Institute:

Intercultural describes communities in which there is a deep understanding and respect for all cultures. Intercultural communication focuses on the mutual exchange of ideas and cultural norms and the development of deep relationships. In an intercultural society, no one is left unchanged because everyone learns from one another and grows together.

There’s another helpful description of intercultural on the conference website. The thing I want to underscore is that to be intercultural is to be grounded in mutual transformation and, if you have ever experienced transformation, you know that it includes work and disruption.

Part of deepening your intercultural work is beginning to function as a bridge between two or more cultural realities or groups. One of my mentors, Dr. Calenthia Dowdy, so wisely told me that one of the challenges of being a bridge person is being walked on by both sides. I would also add that, much like an actual bridge, a bridge person carries and holds a lot of tensions within intercultural work and settings. We are often the ones in the room who first notice the ways we are talking past or at each other, the need for a cultural or linguistic translator, and the creative insight and energies needed to co-create new ways of being together.

Being a bridge person comes with its frustrations and joys; it is at times exhilarating and, when it all comes together, it is a beautiful mosaic. Other times it is disorienting, the challenge of staying firmly grounded in your own sense of identity while being open to and creating spaces for mutual transformation across cultures. My encouragement and reminder for myself and anyone embarking on intercultural work is to tend to your fatigue; don’t try to keep pushing yourself when you are clearly at your limits. 

Here are some signs that you might be experiencing “bridge fatigue” and some ideas on how to restore yourself:

  • Sign: Increase in frustration and irritability and a decrease of enjoying intercultural spaces/work. Restore: Spend time with an intercultural colleague/friend who can encourage and commiserate with you; reconnect to an aspect of your own culture that you value and enjoy; rest—take a break from the work so that you can return with energy.
  • Sign: Increase in apathy or lethargy about the need for and your role as a bridge work/people. Restore: Listen to a podcast or music or read a book or article that celebrates the multi-hued tapestry of humanity and inspires your values for diversity, inclusion, and an intercultural society. REST. Engage something that brings you pleasure just by its existence. 
  • Sign: Increased disconnect between your spirituality and your intellect. This type of spirit and mind/body duality encourages us to see our intercultural work as merely an intellectual exercise instead of as a holistic transformative process. It also cuts off our ability to ground our intercultural work in ways that nourish and replenish us.  Restore: Create a rhythm that ensures time to connect your faith and spiritual life to the interpersonal and systemic intercultural work; take time for practices that ground you in your faith, whether that be prayer, working in your garden, cooking, creating art, or reading a sacred text. 

How to Pray for our New Churches

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by Jeff Wright, Leadership Minister

“I desire, then, that in every place [we] should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument…” – 1 Timothy 2.8 (NRSV)

Franconia Conference is amid a lot of transition.  New congregations from across the US are aligning with the traditional core of Franconia congregations in Eastern Pennsylvania.  A merger with Eastern District is in process.  Churches from California and perhaps even Florida are joining the conference or at least exploring relationships.  Ties with international partners are expanding.  These are wonderful days to be a part of this historic body of believers.

Of course, the challenge is always one of communication across the human barriers of language, culture, and geography. Those from the center of conference life in Eastern Pennsylvania might wonder, “What can I do to encourage this growing movement?” It might sound trite, but I believe our prayers are the most powerful and effective offering we can make on behalf of the new expressions of Church that God is aligning with us in Franconia Conference. 

So, how ought we to pray for these new and emerging Franconia Conference congregations?

Wayne Nitzsche (right) prays for Jessica Miller at her installation service, November 2016

First, pray in the simple language of the Lord’s prayer that the Kingdom of God will come to Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Sarasota, Tampa, San Francisco, Mexico City, and elsewhere, just like it does in Souderton and Harleysville and Heaven.  In every place, God is at work.  Knowing that a dedicated band of Jesus-followers are simply praying, “Thy Kingdom Come…” is an amazing encouragement. 

Second, as you pray, remember that many of our new Franconia congregations have experienced significant trauma in recent years.  For example, the church in California came to Franconia out of a painful process.  Furthermore, they live with a constant anxiety regarding immigration status—even though most of our California members hold legal standing in the US.  Other new congregations aligning with Franconia have also experienced trauma of various kinds.  Praying for healing and increased empathy are gifts of hope for our new congregations.

Third, when you pray, be open to the changes God is putting in front of you.  Restoring the 175-year rift between churches in Eastern Pennsylvania will be transformation for Franconia Mennonite Conference.  A new name for this God-movement is coming.  As a conference of churches, we speak many languages.  While, in my experience, Franconia has done an outstanding job in learning to be intercultural and multi-linguistic, we still have room for growth.  New congregations from across the country and around the world will change the way we do church in our local congregation—and that is a blessing!  May we receive it as such.

Finally, pray for our pastors.  A small team of three friends, who encourage me in my work as a Leadership Minister (and pray for me in my role!), join with me in praying each day for a different Franconia Conference pastor that I am privileged to walk with in ministry.  We pray for their health and well-being.  We pray for their marriages and their families.  We pray for them to be resilient and tough.  We pray for them to be tender and broken.  It is the singular honor of my work to offer regular and sustained intercession for the pastors I serve with in Franconia Conference.  Your intercessions on behalf of the pastors and the staff of Franconia Conference are a treasured gift.

Perhaps in our postmodern, busy, overscheduled, hyperactive world, prayer has become a relic of a season past and gone from us.  I hope not!  May we, as an old/new conference of churches from New England, to Florida, to California, and beyond, be linked together by the simple, powerful proposition of praying for one another.

Standing in the Gap at the Border and at Home

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by Emily Ralph Servant, Director of Communication

For the last month, Philadelphia Praise Center pastor Aldo Siahaan has been reminding his congregation of their rights during each Sunday morning worship service.

In expectation of, and response to, a recent wave of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, immigrants in Philadelphia and other US cities—both documented and not—are living in fear.  “I’ve been like them,” reflects Siahaan, who migrated to the United States in 1998 after riots in Indonesia: “I know what they feel like, living like this.”

Questions and concern around immigration have become increasingly important for members of Franconia Conference, which has seen a increase in immigrant congregations over the past decade.  Currently, close to fifteen percent of the conference are first-generation immigrants, many coming from Indonesia, Mexico, Tanzania, Myanmar, Hong Kong, and India.

Some of Franconia’s Latin brothers and sisters originally entered the US by way of the southern border.  Recent news reports have highlighted tragic conditions in detention camps there, where some families are separated, and others are turned away before they can even apply for asylum.  Many Franconia congregations have been asking what they can do to help.

A Direct Response

MCC is collecting Immigrant Detainee Care Kits with supplies that will provide immigrants who are being released from detainment centers along the US’ southern border with basic hygiene supplies. Photo provided by MCC Central States.

“Having been to the border several years ago to see key Mennonite partners there, I recognize that there are some basic practical needs that people require after they’ve been released from detention,” reflects Franconia’s executive minister Steve Kriss.  Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is meeting some of these needs by making and distributing Immigrant Detainee Care Kits.  “The kit response feels hands-on and important as the kind of thing Mennonites do to directly respond to human needs,” observes Kriss.

In order to provide additional kits, Franconia’s board has allocated a $5000 grant to match contributions from Franconia and Eastern District congregations to the MCC East Coast’s Material Resource Center (MRC) in Harleysville, PA.   The MRC will make the care kits to send for distribution in Texas and New Mexico through MCC Central States.  The grant will also match gifts given by Franconia congregations to MCC West Coast for transporting kits distributed in California and Arizona.  The deadline for matching is August 31.

Already at Work

Even as Franconia and Eastern District congregations raise financial support around the border crisis, we remember that the struggle continues closer to home. “We ARE immigrant communities,” Kriss acknowledges.  “We are communities that are responding on a regular basis to the challenges of receiving people who are seeking safety and asylum in places across the country.”  Many pastors in our congregations are regularly responding to crises of migration, he observes.  In these cases, these are not programs of the church; they are pastoral responses to real needs in our communities.

The border fence between Tijuana and California adjoins a city neighborhood and is covered in lively artwork and graffiti. Photo by Steve Kriss.

When a large migrant caravan began making its way through Mexico in 2018, the Conferencia de Iglesias Evangélicas Anabautistas Menonitas de México (CIEAMM), a Franconia Partner in Ministry, decided to open their arms and hearts to the “temporary refugees” in Mexico by providing aid.  “We take seriously the teaching of Jesus, who invites us to the [kind of] love and solidarity that feeds the hungry, dresses the naked, gives water to the thirsty, protects the helpless, takes care of the sick, and visits the incarcerated,” described moderator Carlos Martínez García at Mennonite World Conference’s Renewal 2019 event in Costa Rica.  “We did a work of compassion, putting ourselves in the place of needy migrants, and acting to bring some accompaniment and comfort.” (Read his full remarks.)

Fernando Loyola and Letty Cortes pastor Centro de Alabanza de Filadelfia, a congregation of Latinx immigrants, and have seen a recent wave of immigrants from Guatemala arriving in their neighborhood.  Their congregation provides food, clothing, funds, and help navigating the new American culture.  They refer families to immigration lawyers and to Juntos, a community-led immigrant non-profit that fights for human rights in South Philly.

Philadelphia Praise Center has been renovating its building to become a sanctuary church, where immigrants fearing deportation can live safely during ICE raids.  Siahaan has walked with many individuals and families who need help navigating the complex legal channels involved in applying for visas or green cards.  Just this last week, he was called to help someone from the community who was picked up in an ICE raid.

Unfortunately, once someone has been detained by ICE, there isn’t much that can be done, he explains—within a couple of weeks, they’ll be deported.  The need is greater before that happens; what immigrants need most, he suggests, is for their Franconia brothers and sisters to be their voice: “Call or write to your congressperson and say, ‘Hey, you need to do something about this situation, these immigration raids!’”

Advocacy to Prevent Tragedy

Advocacy work includes contacting representatives on both state and national levels.  Steve Wilburn, teaching pastor at Covenant Community congregation in Lansdale, PA, has been involved with International Justice Mission (IJM) since he traveled to Cambodia and Vietnam in seminary and saw IJM’s work in battling human trafficking.  Currently, he’s partnering with IJM to advocate for the “Central American Women and Children Protection Act of 2019,” which is legislation that commits US funds, in partnership with the governments of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, to help them restore their justice systems in order to protect women and children from abuse.  Several Franconia Conference leaders have signed a letter in support of this legislation.

Most US government efforts in those countries have been focused on drugs and gang violence, Wilburn explains, but that doesn’t help protect children and women: “Those are some of the reasons that people are leaving and trying to escape violence there, becoming refugees,” he says.  Most would rather stay home if home were a safe place for them and their children.

Real People, Real Suffering

Siahaan recently went on an MCC borderlands tour to meet migrants and see the situation for himself.  On his trip, he met a young mother with two children who were waiting to apply for asylum.  They had fled Colombia after her husband had been shot by a gang.

It was eye-opening for Siahaan.  He had read books and heard stories but meeting real people on the border face-to-face affirmed for him that the work the South Philly congregations were doing mattered.  It encouraged him to keep going.

Beny Krisbianto, pastor of Nations Worship Center in Philadelphia, is a member of the conference executive board.  The decision to allocate the funds for the matching grant was easy for him when he considered the children who are daily affected by both the “border crisis” and the local ICE raids.  It’s not a political issue, he emphasizes, but a call to care for real children who had no control over the decision to come in the first place.  “These are real people, who are already here, who are suffering and may die,” he says.  “These kits will help.”

His congregation supports conference advocacy for migrants at the southern border because they, too, are daily experiencing the fear and uncertainty of the country’s broken immigration system.  It’s not just a story you see on CNN or ABC News, he reminds the conference community; for immigrants in South Philadelphia, “It’s our everyday life.”

Ways to Help

  • Pray for migrants on the southern border, for immigrants living in our communities, and for those who are working alongside them for health, healing, and wholeness. Pray for just immigration laws, merciful immigration practices, and a path to citizenship that will keep families together.
  • To receive a matching grant for the making and/or transporting of Immigrant Detainee Care Kits, send checks labeled “Immigrant Detainee Care Kits” directly to the MCC Material Resource Center of Harleysville, 737 Hagey Center Drive, Unit C, Souderton, PA 18964 OR directly to West Coast MCC Office, 1010 G Street, Reedley, CA 93654. For West Coast donations only: email Conrad Martin (ccmartin@mosaicmennonites.org) at the conference office with the date and amount of the gift.  Deadline for matching funds is August 31.
  • Read the Churchwide Statement on the Abuse of Child Migrants passed at Mennonite Church USA convention in Kansas City (July 2019) and Carlos Martínez García’s full reflection on CIEAMM’s ministry caring for some of the migrants traveling through Mexico.
  • Advocate with your legislators to support asylum seekers and the American Dream and Promise Act and to restrict ICE raids.
  • Sign a faith leaders’ letter of support for the “Central American Women and Children Protection Act of 2019” or become an IJM volunteer by contacting Steve Wilburn at swilburn@ijmvolunteers.org. Register for a 2-day advocacy summit in Washington D.C. in October.
  • A significant focus of MCC East Coast’s domestic work is related to immigration advocacy: in Miami, through the New York Mennonite Immigration Program, and in direct services to those who have been trying to find a legal pathway to stay in the US. Find out more.  West Coast MCC is in the process of offering “Know Your Rights” trainings for Franconia’s West Coast congregations.