Articles

What I’m Reading: Baseball, Dr. King, Missiology, and More

March 2, 2020 by Conference Office

by Jeff Wright, Leadership Minister

What passes for winter in southern California gives way to springtime by February. As I write, it is 81°F in my home in Riverside, California and 28°F in Souderton, PA. Pitchers and catchers have reported for spring training. Now is the perfect time to read a good book about baseball, Ballpark: Baseball in the American City. The author, Paul Goldberg, is a Pulitzer Prize–winning architecture critic, and he writes with a concise understatement about the intersections of the greatest sport ever created and the magic of urban architecture. Baseball is a game of pastures brought into the city. We Mennonites might have some missional concepts to learn from such an exercise.

For Black History Month, I re-read A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. This time around, I have been particularly moved by Dr. King’s early writings and speeches. In his 1958 essay, “An Experiment in Love,” Dr King shapes a powerful theological reminder that Christian social justice begins with Agape – the ideal of sacrificial love. “Agape,” writes King, “ is a willingness to go to any length to restore community.” May we have ears to hear such a profoundly simple and difficult word.

I’m always on the lookout for new voices in urban missiology. Sean Benesh is a Portland-based urban church planter and social entrepreneur whom I can’t get enough of. It might be easy for us Mennonites to dismiss Benesh as far too evangelical or hipster for us but this would be a big mistake. Benesh’s latest two books, The New Cartographers: Helping Social Entrepreneurship Develop a Map for Local Church Ministry + Church Planting in the New Frontier and Intrepid: Navigating the Intersection of Social Entrepreneurship + Church Planting, are full of practical ideas for launching new expressions of the church that are sustaining and sustainable. Benesh says with a utility of words what I’ve been wishing to say about ministry for the past thirty years.

Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery is a powerful book that my small group is reading… and feeling the weight of its truth. Authors Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah remind me, as a thirteenth-generation American immigrant from England, that the good news of the gospel often is first bad news for the way I’ve assumed the world works. This book has become a part of my penitential reflections during Lent.

Finally, I’m enjoying The Pietist Option: Hope for the Renewal of Christianity. Postmodern Mennonites are not always comfortable with “pietism.” We tend to equate it with ignoring the world as it is, and assuming the world that is to come is not a healed version of this world. Early pietism was not so stained by quietism. Indeed, Pietism had a profound impact on the Anabaptist movement in North America. Brethren in Christ Bishop Perry Engle said, “I like to think these bold and serious-minded believers [18th century Anabaptists in Pennsylvania] were ‘sweetened’ by their personal experience of a heartfelt and life-changing relationship with Christ.” As a lifelong Anabaptist, no one has yet accused me of being “sweetened” in the Lord. But as I grow older, it seems a compliment worth seeking.

Seeing God in the "Image of a Stranger"

February 27, 2020 by Conference Office

by Jim Conrad, Blooming Glen congregation

In Holy Envy, Barbara Brown Taylor quotes Jonathan Sacks, who said, “The supreme religious challenge is to see God’s image in one who is not in our image.”

The 11 US volunteers who worked in Honduras the last week of January with Healthy Ninos. (Photo courtesy of Jim Conrad)

While in Honduras in January with Healthy Niños Honduras, I was privileged to experience God’s image in many ways as our team of 11 volunteers served five remote villages during our one-week stay. Four members of our team — Linda and Vernon Martin from Salford congregation (Harleysville, PA) and Glenda Bergey and myself from Blooming Glen (PA) congregation—were from Eastern District & Franconia Conference.

Healthy Niños Honduras (HNH) began in 2017 as a continuation of the MAMA Project in Honduras. HNH is operated primarily by Honduran professionals who welcome teams of volunteers from the U.S. to aid the program in their mission of helping children and their families to fight malnutrition.

To achieve this mission, medical and dental teams (as well as construction crews) travel to remote villages to aid those who have no access to clean water or adequate healthcare. The villagers receive visits from these brigades of workers and volunteers about every six months. An HNH team member connects with the village leader ahead of the brigade’s visit to be assured of safety and assess the specific needs for the brigade to effectively prepare.

One of the many children who come to the Healthy Ninos clinic for healthcare. (Photo courtesy of Jim Conrad)

Some of the brigade pour concrete floors for a few village homes where only earthen floors had existed. Meanwhile, other brigade members distribute and demonstrate how water filtration units can be used by villagers to provide clean water. Medical and dental services are offered by the Honduran and U.S. medical team. Deworming medication and Vitamin A are given to everyone over two years of age.

Some volunteers check patients’ vision and provide reading glasses. Other team members distribute gifts to each family, generously donated by individuals and businesses from the US. All children are evaluated for nutritional well-being. For those children needing further nutritional attention, the child and mother travel to HNH’s home base. There the mother receives education regarding nutrition while the child receives treatment. During their stay, children receive schooling, appropriate for each child’s age.

One of the visitors to the clinic, with Jim Conrad. (Photo courtesy of Jim Conrad)

During my week, I was able to see the faces and hear the voices of the village residents as they demonstrated deep appreciation for the care they received from the volunteers. Wishing to be seen, listened to, and examined with care was important for recipients as well as the caregiver during these “holy moments.” As a retired physician, I witnessed the image of God in many unfamiliar faces. I will cherish these images, etched in my memory, for years to come.

Many teams from within our conference have made this journey of caring in the past and many more will in the years to come. If you are interested in joining a team, visit to www.healthyninos.org.

From Baseball Cards to Conference Budgets

February 27, 2020 by Conference Office

By Jennifer Svetlik, Salford congregation

When Conrad Martin was young, he loved collecting baseball cards. He was fascinated by the statistics recorded on the back of the cards. Conrad would keep ledgers of the stats from year to year, noting who had the most home runs or strikeouts and who won awards. His mother noticed this and suggested that he study accounting once he got to high school.

Conrad’s mother was right; accounting was where Conrad’s skills were perfectly utilized. Later, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, VA), and a Master’s degree in Economic Development from Eastern University (St. Davids, PA).

Now Conrad shares his gift for numbers with Eastern District & Franconia Conference, as the Director of Finance, a role he has had since 2001. He is responsible for the conference budget and assists church treasurers and congregational finance leaders. Conrad also has the role of Chief Operating Officer for FMC Properties (the property-holding company of the conference).

Conrad has worked for Mennonite organizations or Mennonite-owned businesses all his life. “It is my way of giving back to the church and serving with it,” says Conrad. “It keeps me connected with the work that God is doing through the church and his people.”

Conrad’s gifts in accounting and administration have taken him worldwide. In the late 1980s, he served as an accountant at a hospital in Shirati, Tanzania, with Eastern Mennonite Missions. In the early 1990s, Conrad served with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Bangladesh for over four years. Three of those years he administered a job creation program in Dhaka. He later returned to Tanzania for four years in the late 1990s as a project manager at a microcredit facility with Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA).

Conrad grew up in Greencastle, a small town in south-central Pennsylvania. “I come from a small, mostly white, mostly Christian community, so working in other countries with other cultures has given me a broader worldview,” says Conrad. “There are many things that other cultures, religions, and people can teach me.”

Conrad’s work internationally as well as within the conference has given him many cross-cultural opportunities. “The more I learn about different people, the more I come to know the fullness of God and his creation,” reflects Conrad. “Interacting with people who look or act differently than the way I was raised has helped me to also understand how similar we are.”

In the conference office, Conrad’s job allows him to do a wide variety of things in a day. He works with checks and deposits, payroll and insurance, property maintenance and rent receipts, month-end reports and yearly budgeting, government forms and investment management, and congregational tax-exemptions. “Any of these things can pop up on any given day,” shares Conrad, “so there is always something different to look forward to.”

From baseball cards to balancing million dollar conference budgets, Conrad has found ways to use his gifts to honor God. “It is rewarding to be able to use the gifts God has given me,” Conrad says. “It also gives me satisfaction when the auditors look at the conference books and give us a clean audit.”

Finding Inspiration Within the Church

February 20, 2020 by Conference Office

by Jennifer Svetlik, Salford congregation

“Too much time is spent in congregations desiring particular gifts or people to do certain tasks,” reflects Mike Clemmer, a Leadership Minister for Eastern District and Franconia Conference. “I truly believe that God has supplied each congregation with all the gifts they need, we just need to identify them.”

Mike has served with the conference for nearly five years and is the Leadership Minister for Franconia (Telford, PA) and Swamp (Quakertown, PA) congregations. He has also chaired the credentialing committee and served on the ministerial committee for six years.

“There was a point when I heard undertones of frustration with the conference among some people and decided it was time to get more involved in the work of the conference, to be part of the solution, rather than just focusing on the problems,” Mike says. “It was around that time that I was asked if I would be a Leadership Minister for Franconia Conference.”

As a Leadership Minister, Mike may take a phone call from a pastor or board chair who wants to bounce an idea off of him or seek another perspective. Recently with the Swamp congregation, Mike enjoyed being part of the planning process with the pastors as they organized a day retreat for their leadership team. Mike also welcomes being a part of pastoral search processes and appreciates getting to know more people within the congregation and seeing how God works through the groups coming together.

Mike is excited in his work when he sees the diversity of church members working together, from business people, to farmers, to stay-at-home parents, to professionals. “I’m a people-person,” says Mike. “I’m encouraged by the passion found in both lay leaders and pastors, and how they can all work together in a congregation, even if they don’t always agree on everything.”

Mike isn’t comfortable with just the inward workings of a church, however, and encourages churches to move beyond themselves. “I’m passionate about encouraging churches to look outward into the community and see where God is working,” comments Mike. “Churches want to be connected to the community, but often need guidance about how to plug in.”

Mike welcomes opportunities to meet with pastors and encourage them. “We can forget that pastors are people with feelings and personal lives,” Mike explains. “Sometimes my job is to remind the board or lay leaders that pastors also have struggles and need to take breaks.”

Mike grew up in the Souderton (PA) congregation and was a member there until he felt a call to seminary at age 42. For 21 years, prior to seminary, he worked for Moyer & Son. From 2005-19, Mike served as pastor of Towamencin Mennonite Church (Kulpsville, PA). “At the time I started working for the conference, there was no one else on staff that had been born and raised in the conference,” Mike says. “Sometimes people want to hear about where we’ve been in order to better understand where we are.”

Many in the Conference and community have been blessed by Mike’s flowers!

Mike recently moved to Strasburg, PA and is now the lead pastor at Maple Grove Mennonite Church (Atglen, PA). As grandparents, Mike and his wife April relish living closer to their three grandchildren to see them on a more regular basis.

When he isn’t working, Mike loves to run; he once ran in the Boston Marathon. He appreciates sports at all levels, even going to high school games when he doesn’t know any players. He also enjoys raising dahlia flowers.

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.”

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