Mosaic Mennonites

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Let’s Just Save Some

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by Emily Ralph Servant, Leadership Minister

My toddlers copy everything I do.  If I splash water on my daughter’s head, pick flowers, or spit food onto my plate, so do they.

They don’t know that I’m trying to get sand out of their hair, removing dead blooms, or spitting out spoiled food.  They just do what Mommy does!  And they should—it’s an important part of child development.

Even as adults we continue taking our cues from the people around us, some of us more than others. The threshold model of collective behavior suggests that people with high thresholds will change their behavior if they see a lot of other people doing something, even if they think it’s wrong, while people with low thresholds will do what they want, regardless of what others are doing.

The Apostle Paul seems to encourage Jesus-followers to be low-threshold people: don’t give in to the peer pressure of the world but stand strong and let your mind and behavior be shaped by God’s way of living (Romans 12:2).  Do the right thing, no matter what anyone else is doing.

At the same time, in 1 Corinthians Paul also seems to encourage Jesus-followers to be a force of change in society by using peer pressure itself.  Knowing that many people will look to see what everyone else is doing, Paul reminded the early Church to be a good example for those around them: yes, you are free, Paul declares, but use your freedom wisely (9:10); don’t just think about yourself but think about others (10:24).

Since I know my toddlers are watching, sometimes I need to modify my behavior.  I shouldn’t drag a chair into the kitchen to get things off the top shelf while they’re in the room.  I shouldn’t climb over the deck railing to pick something off the ground.  I have every right to do those things and I don’t modify my behavior because I’m smarter or better than them.  I do it because I know I influence them, and I love them too much to risk their safety for my rights.

We face a similar situation in our contexts today.  Yes, we have a right to worship together in our buildings.  We have a right to not wear masks, to give hugs, to have Bible studies or pool parties.  But maybe someone else isn’t as ready to meet their Maker as we are.  Maybe someone else isn’t as mindful of keeping a safe distance or doesn’t have as strong an immune system.

Maybe someone else is more likely to do something if they see everyone else doing it, even if it wouldn’t be safe for them.  Maybe they’d feel silly if they were the only one not going, the only one not wearing a mask, the only one who seems to be afraid, the only one who seems to be less confident in the Spirit’s protection.

We indeed have rights, Paul acknowledges, but not everything is beneficial or constructive (1 Corinthians 10:23).  Don’t let anything you do “hinder the gospel” (9:12).  You don’t have to win everyone, he says; Paul was willing to give up his rights if it might even save some (9:22).

Paul summed it up simply: “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble—whether outside or inside of the church. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved” (1 Corinthians 10:32-33, NIV adapted).

Conference Offices Update

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Next month construction is set to begin on new offices for Mosaic Mennonite Conference. The new space will be located on the high school campus of Dock Academy, in the Longacre Center, close to Detweiler Road. The new six-office suite will include a conference center and a larger classroom space with up-to-date technology.

The new offices will be bright, professional space designed for collaboration and the changing work environment.  Remaining on Dock’s campus continues to strengthen the relationship between Mennonite education and the Conference while also providing easy access to major regional transportation networks.  While many staff are working disbursed and from home, especially during the pandemic, the need for a hub for office staff, materials, and gathering remains critical.

Meanwhile, Dock Academy will begin classroom renovations in the space where the Conference offices are currently located in Dock Academy’s Rosenberger Center.  During this transition time, offices will temporarily relocate beginning July 30 until at least December 1 to 115 East Broad Street in Hatfield.  Reduced numbers of staff will work from this location with most staff continuing from other locations until the new offices are completed later this year.

Mail will be forwarded from the 1000 Forty Foot Road, Lansdale address to the Hatfield location during this time. Phone numbers will remain the same. Church mailboxes will not be available at this location.  Temporary open office hours are yet to be determined.

What Can We Do?

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How the Shalom Fund Offered Help in Mexico

By Javier Márquez, Conference Communication Intern

There is a crisis happening in Mexico, due to COVID-19. Pastor Oscar Dominguez shared about the situation many people are facing today in Mexico and the work being done by Anabaptist churches to respond to the famine and economic insecurity that families are experiencing.  

A delighted woman in Mexico receives a food bag during COVID-19. Food was provided by Mennonite Churches in Mexico, Mosaic Mennonite Conference Shalom Funds, and Mennonite Central Committee.

In Mexico, the public data regarding the pandemic is being underreported. Data from private, non-profit institutions are showing much higher numbers than data from the Mexican government. Knowing this, the brothers and sisters of the Conference of Evangelical Anabaptist Mennonite Churches of Mexico (CIEAMM) began to take measures of mutual collaboration with the aim of surviving the imminent period of scarcity that was approaching like a wave on their coast.  

Pastor Oscar said, in addition to a time of challenges, it was a moment that allowed them to discover the talents of different people in the churches that are oriented to mutual care and service.  

The first weeks of the pandemic were a period of transition for the churches in Mexico when each one needed to adapt to new technologies, utilize others’ resources, and face their limitations. 

“If the virus didn’t kill them, hunger would kill them. It was important for the church to ask itself how to help and find ways to do it.” – Pastor Oscar Domínguez

Each church started looking for ways to help out by giving baskets of donated food, contacting food banks, and sharing leftover food with other families. In Pastor Oscar´s church, they coordinated monitoring situations among the members of the congregation to determine needs, as some lost jobs, others had more mouths to feed, and some were single parents.  

  “The important thing was to share with love, to take care of each other, but also to share
with those who have the least.  People who are not even part of our churches but are part
of the community need help. We listen –without   any type of religious proselytizing. It
has always been a matter of genuine generosity, an explicit action of love.” – Pastor Oscar
Dominguez.

Members of Mennonite Churches in Mexico give and receive food during the pandemic. Mosaic Mennonite Conference Shalom Funds were used to support this work.

Pastor Oscar highlights that everything has been maintained, thanks to the generosity of church members and donations. Two of these donations, of great worth, were the donation of the Shalom Fund from Mosaic Mennonite Conference and the donation of food pantries by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Pastor Oscar told the story of Sister Adela, a senior citizen in a wheelchair, who upon receiving a food pantry, sent him a photo of herself with her grandchildren as a thank you.   

“The eyes of those children when they received the bag full of food … how they looked at and contemplated every little thing in the basket… they said to the grandmother, “We are rich,’”  reported Pastor Oscar, as he himself makes an effort not to cry. 

Pastor Oscar also shared about a blind man for whom Sister Eloida, an elderly woman and widow, prepared a box of food with what little she had in her pantry. She asked the blind man to go collect the food, but on the way his cane broke. Faced with this new challenge, another act of generosity was awakened by the members of the church; they bought him a new cane. 

The Wounds of Racism

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by Danilo Sanchez, Conference Youth Formation Pastor

The reality of systemic racism has become evident with recent stories of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd. The week after protests and riots demanding justice erupted across the country, we noticed increased anxiety among our community members at Ripple Community Inc (RCI). Some did not understand why African Americans were so upset. Others happily shared about attending protests and what they witnessed. Some began to share stories of family members who were killed by the police or their fears of law enforcement. Ripple Church (Allentown, PA) and RCI began to respond to the collective anxiety bubbling to the surface. Immediately, we offered a safe place for people to process their emotions.  

Yvonne Platts (far right) leads a Community Listening Circle on the topic of racism at Ripple Community Center. Photo provided by Danilo Sanchez.

A recent conversation with Trent stood out for me. Trent came into the Community Center proudly wearing a shirt with nine historical Black figures. He was quizzing staff to see who knew the most. I knew seven of the nine. Trent was pleasantly surprised. 

Then I decided to ask Trent a vulnerable question, “Hey man, how are you doing?” 

There was a bit of silence and then a sigh from Trent, “You know what? Not great. I keep thinking to myself, that could have been me.” 

That hit me hard. I knew he was right. I did not have any comforting words for Trent. I just sat there gazing into his eyes. I let the truth of his words seep into my bones. 

I’ve had experiences with racism, but I’ve never been worried that the color of my skin could get me killed while out running or that police would enter my house without a warrant and start shooting. I do not want that to be Trent’s, or anyone’s, story. 

Ripple Church and RCI took more action toward racial justice by hosting two events at RCI’s Community Building Center. The first event was with police officers as a way to build trust and ask them how they were addressing racial bias, police accountability, and excessive use of force. 

The second event was a Listening Circle with Yvonne Platts from Norristown, PA. It allowed the community to listen to one another and for people of color to speak about their experiences with racism. 

I was glad Trent was there for the Listening Circle. It would give him an opportunity to share and use his voice.  As ground rules were explained, Trent fidgeted in his seat. He leaned over to Platts and said, “You know what, this isn’t for me. I can’t do this.” He got up and exited the circle. 

I followed Trent to see what was going on. He confessed this was just too much for him. The pain of racism is real, and he was not ready to share his story. In my desire to empower Black voices, I overlooked Trent’s safety and emotional readiness to share, perhaps doing more harm than good. The rest of the Listening Circle was sacred, honest, and challenging. We plan to host another circle to educate the white members in our community about systemic racism.

I fight against white supremacy and racial injustice because God’s love demands it and they have caused deep wounds that need healing. Those wounds will not heal for the oppressed or the oppressor if we deny the reality of systemic racism in this country. There is much work to be done towards racial justice: repentance, prayer, listening, truth-telling, relinquishing power, learning, teaching. Find your part and join in the Spirit’s work.

Saving the Best Years for Last

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by Steve McCloskey, Pastor of Taftsville (VT) Chapel Mennonite Fellowship

My friend, Aoum, was an international student from Thailand. One night I asked him, “What is the one thing that shocked you the most about American culture?”  He said, “The way that you treat your elderly.”

Photo used with permission from Living Branches.

I can’t remember precisely what he said after this, but Aoum did not feel that we show the same dignity, honor, and respect to those who are aging as they do in other parts of the world. 

In Vermont we have a significant elderly population. In 2018 it was reported that the median age of Vermont is five years above that of the United States. Many people come to the town of Woodstock to enjoy their retirement years. In my own church, most of my congregation is older than me. 

As a millennial living in community with many people who are decades older than me, I recognize that I have at least two opportunities: 

1) to learn from older generations about how to make the most of our final years on Earth, and 

2) to honor those who have gone before me in ways that defy the norm that my friend Aoum found in US culture.

If we look to the Bible for inspiration, I am impressed with the biblical figures Abraham and Sarah. Their story pushes back against low-expectations of the elderly. The message from God to Abraham and Sarah is, effectively: “your later years will be your greater years.”

The book of Genesis introduces us to this couple when Abram is 75 years old.  God calls Abram to leave his homeland and gives him a promise:

“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3, NIV)

Specific promises are made to Abram and Sarai about their descendants yet they experience decades of infertility. 

Photo used with permission from Living Branches.

Over two decades pass and they still have not birthed a child together, but when Abraham is 99 years-old, God reiterates the promise, “I will surely return in due season and Sarah will have a son” (Genesis 18:10).

Sarah eavesdrops on God’s conversation with Abraham from within a tent, and laughs to herself, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?” 

Sarah laughs at this notion–because, even without American cultural bias–this pushes against the grain of human expectations. Biologically, a body can have children during a certain window of time and after that, it’s inconceivable (a retro-actively intended pun).

Abraham and Sarah lived in a time and place in which your offspring and your ability to reproduce was the only viable way to preserve your legacy. It was through children that you would be remembered.

In the story of Abraham and Sarah, I see an invitation: whatever age you are, whatever stage of life you are in, you are invited to open yourself up to the possibility that God still has plans for you. Whether you are single, married, divorced, or wherever you are in life, I see in this story an invitation to renewal. Yes, even in your later years, like Sarah, you can find pleasure! 

You are not infertile to God’s purposes. In the words of C.S. Lewis: “You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream.”

Hospitality & COVID-19

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by Charles Ness & Lauren Ness, Perkiomenville (PA) congregation

While COVID-19 restrictions are challenging and severely limit worship services and fellowship, they also provide interesting opportunities.  How does one use their gift of hospitality to serve others while practicing social distancing?  

Perkiomenville (PA) Mennonite Church struggled with this dilemma.  The church hosts a monthly luncheon for older adults called “JOY” (Just Older Youth).  A home-cooked meal is served, followed by a program of music, a speaker, and fellowship. It is attended by members of the church and the surrounding community.

The April JOY gathering was cancelled due to COVID-19.  Janet Ness thoroughly enjoys making the food and knows that the members of JOY look forward to the meal.  Therefore, she decided to make the meal and deliver it to the church members who typically attend JOY events.  With the assistance of Tonya Ayars, Dawn Noel, and Pastor Mike Spinelli, over 50 meals were made and delivered.  The meals were received with much joy and appreciation.  

In May, meals were again prepared.  This time people wanted to come by the church building and pick it up.  There was much rejoicing as they came by in their cars and were given their meals.

Older members of Perkiomenville Mennonite Church drive up to receive their JOY meal in May & June. Photo provided by Charlie Ness

In June, Janet wanted to also include meals for those regular JOY attenders who were not church members.  As a result, 57 people came by the church to get their meals.  

This act of kindness during a time of restricted mobility blessed both the recipients as well as those making the meals.  Because of restrictions, most older adults were not going out and could not go to restaurants to eat.  This homemade meal was a welcome treat.  As they came through the car line, there were many expressions of gratitude and many said they were very happy to see others again.  

Another creative opportunity for sharing during the pandemic occurred cross culturally, with our sisters in Christ in Mexico. The Perkiomenville congregation supports the ministry of Bob and Bonnie Stevenson, pastors of the Promised Land Church in Monte Maria, Mexico. One of their mission churches is located in the village of Jilotzingo, about 4 hours northeast of Mexico City.  The farmers of that area grow coffee and many kinds of fruit. 

In May, Bonnie Stevenson contacted Charlie Ness. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the Mexican farmers in Jilotzingo were having difficulty selling their blueberry crop.  Bonnie asked if we might be able to make a video to teach the Mexican women ways to preserve the blueberries, such as blueberry jam. 

(R-L) Kaitlin Freed, Rita Hoover, and Janet Ness prepare blueberry jam for their YouTube video. Photo provided by Charlie Ness

Rita Hoover, Janet Ness, and Kaitlin Freed created a video, offering instruction on how to make blueberry jam and how to can blueberries using a hot water bath.  This was uploaded to a YouTube channel for the women in Mexico to access. 

The women in Mexico responded with excitement and gratitude, for not only the instruction, but for the evidence of God’s care and provision. The result was a cross-cultural ministry experience between women teaching other women how to make jam and provide for their families. The jams were then sold in the city, providing income for the women and their families.

Today There is a Completely New Generation of Women

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by Marco Güete, Leadership Minister

Several years ago, a young married couple hosted me in their home. I admired that the husband was the homemaker, caring for their young son and other things. He was a professional with a degree in computer science. Yet, in agreement with his wife, they made the decision that he would quit his job to dedicate himself to the home and childcare. His wife was a social worker and was the one who financially supported the household. 

When my oldest daughter, Zandra, married, she and her husband, Philip, planned to have a baby. In their planning, they discussed who would be the primary caregiver for the baby. Both had earned college degrees and wanted to pursue their respective careers. They did not assume that Zandra would take care of the child; it had to be decided by mutual agreement.

Today we see a new generation of active and autonomous women, facing very different realities and challenges, depending on their culture. This is a rapidly changing environment. We are used to noticing a greater presence of professionals of the women in the fields of medicine, education, politics, church and others.

But sadly, despite all these changes, many women still face distressing and discriminatory situations, in some countries, societies, governments, and even churches. Although we want to deny it, in some parts we have not yet fully evolved. The Christian community’s duty is to resolutely “listen to women,” to discover the will of God from her ministry and call.

Zoom Church: A Youth Perspective

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By Kate Hockman, Deep Run East (Perkasie, PA) congregation

I am a teenager, but technology has never been my strong suit. Sure, I’m able to use simple programs like Google, YouTube, and Word. But when the quarantine began and almost everything moved into an online setting, I was not overly confident in my abilities. 

That’s why I was skeptical when our church announced that we would transition to Sunday morning worship online. Soon after, our youth group began meeting virtually as well. Initially, I worried about silly things like my internet connection, delays, and glitches in the system. However, as time went on, I realized that meeting with my church and youth group online was one thing keeping me sane during my time of isolation. 

Deep Run East youth group meets online for the very first time (Photo credit: Brent Camilleri)

No one was expecting how drastically COVID-19 would change our lives a few months ago, and I doubt that many were prepared to adapt to the changes it presented. I have to commend our pastors and church for making online services run so smoothly during this troubling time. 

My church (Deep Run East) used Facebook Live to meet as a congregation to worship on Sundays, so our church still met at 9:00am. While I missed meeting in person on Sundays, waking up a bit later and watching church in my pajamas with my family had its perks as well. I chose to look on the bright side and make the best of the situation we were in. 

Participating in church on the TV was certainly different, but many things still stayed the same. We still sang all the same songs, we heard the same pastors preach, and we were still together through the live comments section. It was fun to watch what others would say during each church service, and I definitely enjoyed using and watching the comment section each week. It was nice to be able to interact with others during a church service. 

Although I enjoyed virtual church on Sunday mornings, I still found myself counting down the days until Wednesday came and we could meet for Youth Group on Zoom. I can’t thank my youth pastor enough for setting up these zoom meetings, since being able to video chat with my friends and youth sponsors was the highlight of my week. 

Often, we would discuss a lesson or devotional then afterwards play some sort of game, like Jackbox TV. These zoom sessions helped me forget about the world around me and my online school work for a while. 

So while technology is not my strong suit and can be very frustrating, I was truly blessed to have it during my time of quarantining. Who knew we would thank God for Zoom a few months ago? Meeting online as a church and youth group was bizarre, but I still enjoyed every service. I felt just as close to God while isolating as I did in person.