Mosaic Mennonites

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What Do I Know About Trauma?

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by Mary Nitzsche, Associate Executive Minister

I had planned to participate in a Learning Tour with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in May. The trip to the Borderlands of Arizona and Mexico was cancelled in March due to COVID-19. About then, I learned of a class, “Trauma Resiliency and Healing During a Time of Pandemic,” offered through the Summer Peacebuilding Institute of Eastern Mennonite University. I felt a strong nudge to register for the course. 

My intrigue with trauma healing began during another MCC learning tour to Israel/Palestine in 2015. Hearing stories of trauma and oppression from Israeli Jews and Palestinian Christians and Muslims was very disturbing. I left the country wondering how one group of people who experienced terror and persecution could later terrorize and oppress another group of people? I concluded that insufficient healing of the trauma had something to do with it. This piqued my desire to learn more. 

Mary Nitzsche stands at the wall that separates Israel and Palestine.

Ironically, the opportunity to learn more about trauma healing came while living with the major disruption of a pandemic. Having an easily accessible online course prompted me to register and join 36 other interested pastors, therapists, community organizers, and students from around the world.

While needing to adapt to a new way of living and working during the past four months, I have not experienced the trauma that many others have, such as: personally contracting COVID-19 or having a family member or friend sick with the virus, having a loved one die alone, not having access to good healthcare, losing a job, income, or business and not having financial resources to provide for my family. 

Little did I know when I signed up for the class that another major disruption would occur – the racial violence and unrest due to the murder of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in Minneapolis. 

On her MCC learning tour to Israel and Palestine, Mary Nitzsche listened to a Muslim woman and Jewish man share about their common experiences of the trauma of losing a loved one to violence.  

The pandemic and George Floyd’s murder exposed so many systemic inequities: access to healthcare, housing, education, job opportunities, finances and police protection. Racial bias and inequality of black, brown, and Native Americans in all of our systems have been ignored or inadequately addressed for far too long. People of color live with trauma on a daily basis that cannot be healed without reforming our abusive systems.

What have my experiences with COVID-19, increasing awareness of racial injustice, and learnings on trauma healing taught me?  Trauma disrupts a person or group’s sense of identity and self-worth, assurance of safety and provisions of basic needs, and trusting, supportive relationships. 

As a privileged, white, middle-class woman who, compared to so many, has had a minimal amount of trauma in my lifetime, I humbly offer my reflections of actions which facilitate healing in traumatized individuals and groups:

Trauma healing takes courage, perseverance, and support. 

  • Tending to basic needs (safety, food, housing, education) restores dignity and value.
  • Staying connected with others reminds us we are not alone.
  • Being humble and willing to learn and grow normalizes our experience and helps us grow in understanding and empathy for self and others.
  • Listening to and telling our stories validates our experiences and helps us integrate the trauma into our entire life.
  • Lamenting and grieving losses is an act of courage and release.
  • Adapting to a new reality empowers us to discover resources we did not know we had.
  • Being grateful helps us experience joy in the midst of suffering.
  • Caring for self gives us perseverance and strength to endure.

Courageously doing the work of trauma healing for ourselves and others requires all of us to do our part so that we do not transmit our unhealed pain and suffering on to others.

On Becoming Mosaic After 100 Days of Quarantine

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by Stephen Kriss, Executive Minister

We recently passed the 100th day of quarantine restrictions where I live.  By tomorrow, almost all of Pennsylvania will be in the “green phase” of reopening, lifting many of our restrictions.   It is the new normal for the foreseeable future.  For those of us in southeastern Pennsylvania, this 100 day-plus quarantine has been a refining experience.

On Pentecost, about three-quarters of the way through the quarantine, our conference took on a new name: Mosaic.  Simultaneously, unrest emerged in urban areas across our country in response to the death of George Floyd. We were under curfew in Philadelphia where I live for a week.  We have taken on a new name in an interesting time.

In the midst of this, many of our congregations have been meeting primarily online in various formats.  Pastors and congregations have learned much about editing, producing, and proclaiming thorough Facebook, Zoom, and YouTube.  Our conference raised over $135,000 through a mutual aid fund that continues to support diverse actions of response. 

We’ve been creative.  We’ve been generous.  We’ve stayed still.  We’ve missed handshakes and hugs.  We’ve missed singing together.

Pastor Beny Krisbianto (Nations Worship Center), right, assisted by John Hyer (center) and Chris Bencsik (left), prepared 21 boxes of zucchini for distribution in Philadelphia through the conference Shalom Fund initiatives. Photo credit: Chris Bencsik

We’ve also been disturbed.  

The social fabric of our country has frayed further during this quarantine time.  Our political divisions have become more evident, even as we’ve remained physically distanced.  Our racial divides have surfaced with ferocity.  Social media, which has served to connect us during this time, also divides us further.  Technology helps to record incidents of violence that some of us have found hard to process.

We are re-emerging into a new time.  I hope that we will not rush back too readily to what was before.  We have the opportunity to continue to change and live into our new name which emphasizes the value of each piece, each person, each community, created in the image of God. We are living into our new name.  We are still becoming Mosaic.  We are still becoming.

Congregations and leaders continue to respond to disruptions in the economy.  Some of us are emerging with energy to get back into doing things: haircuts, going to the gym, shopping, dining out.  Others of us are entering more hesitantly.  We will each take these steps differently.  And there is grace enough for each of us.

Board member Yvonne Platts (NVNNL congregation) joined Steve Kriss on Facebook Live to discuss possibilities and responses in a time of frustration, protest, and unrest. (Click to see the video)

We are in a context where our consciousness has been raised about the value of human connection.  Embraces and greetings raise our awareness.  Our smiles sometimes are hidden behind face coverings.  There are going to be continuing challenges in front of us.  We are going to have opportunities to continue to become whom we have heard the Spirit name us to be as Mosaic communities.

We will continue in these days ahead to find ways to speak grace and truth, to extend generosity, to listen, learn, and change as we hear the experiences of Black and Brown people in our conference and communities.  God’s work is still unfolding.  

A new thing is becoming in front of and within us.  I pray we will continue to be aware of it, empowered by the Spirit to be part of God’s making us and all things new.

Why We Are Still Here

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by Danilo Sanchez and Sherri Brokopp Binder

(A version of this article originally appeared in The Mennonite.)

When the COVID-19 crisis hit, many organizations and social service agencies in our area of Allentown, PA made the decision to close their doors. That was understandable. 

But closing was not an option for Ripple Community, Inc., a conference-related ministry. We needed to maintain contact with families in our community-supported housing program, since many of their supportive services were closed and their lives could quickly spiral out of control. We also needed a stable presence at our day center, which primarily serves people experiencing homelessness. Stay-at-home orders are meaningless for people who don’t have homes. 

We are still here, doing what we have always done, but things look different. Everyone who enters our day center has their temperature taken, is asked some medical questions, and gets doused with hand sanitizer. We do our best to maintain safe physical distancing. Our staff members wear gloves and masks. Being open during the pandemic is how we make sure our friends know they are not forgotten or abandoned.

Even under normal circumstances, our unsheltered friends and neighbors live precarious lives. COVID-19 has shone a bright, public light on cracks in the system through which we have watched our friends fall for years.

One day, Rafael came into our community center as he does most days. He appeared more tired than usual, but his temperature was normal, and he didn’t have any obvious respiratory symptoms. 

Rafael found a chair at an empty table and enjoyed his meal. He usually moves between his table and the coffee station, but today he rested. Later, we noticed he had fallen asleep in his chair. Occasionally, his body jolted from a deep cough. We took his temperature again, and it read 99.5.

Following our COVID-19 protocols, we moved Rafael into a separate room and called the hospital hotline. The nurse on the phone asked Rafael a series of questions. She counseled him to come to the hospital and get tested. We arranged for a medical taxi to transport Rafael. Then we sat with him and waited for the taxi. He didn’t appear to be afraid, but he had a lonely look on his face.

Who was caring about Rafael? We didn’t want him to feel alone. If nothing else, at least he has us. Before Rafael got into the taxi, we made sure his cell phone was fully charged. 

We called him two hours later. Rafael answered, but his voice was strained. He sounded stressed but resigned. He had been tested and told it would be two to three days before he received the results. The hospital staff instructed him to go home and self-isolate until they got the results.

“That’s a little hard to do when you’re homeless, you know?” Rafael said. We asked him to come by the community center the next day. He spent the next three days wandering the streets with a cough and a fever.

Rafael’s story is tragic, infuriating, and quite common these days. We know we can’t fix every problem or meet every need in our community. But we are determined to continue to be a stable, consistent presence. This has always mattered in our community, but it seems particularly important now. Our staff of five has been working harder than ever, with less help than normal, and we are exhausted. Yet we wouldn’t have survived without the support from our local community and churches and conference. Communities will take time to build, but if we all work together, we will be resilient.  

Jesus and Coffee

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by Marta Castillo, Conference Leadership Minister

A friend of mine gave me a mug with “Jesus & Coffee” inscribed on it.  I didn’t really like it at first because it felt irreverent.  I mean, I love coffee, but it couldn’t and shouldn’t be compared with Jesus.  

In the recent months of the stay at home reality of COVID-19, my “Jesus & Coffee” mug has come to represent a deep need in my spirit to slow down, seek the Kingdom, and spend time in God’s presence. 

When I had small children, I learned to eat really fast so that I could be done before they were done. I also learned to pray breath prayers (Lord, please help me; Give me patience; Let me sleep) because I had no time to sit and be still. That season of my life is long gone, but I am still learning how to eat more slowly and enjoy my food. I am also still learning to pray more slowly and deeply, and enjoy my time with God.

I technically work three jobs and manage a household, so life is full and crazy. But there are slow days. Whether my work day is busy or not, I still struggle with sitting still and spending time with God.  I get distracted by small tasks, social media, and reading.  

The scripture passage that has been on my heart these days is Isaiah 30:15, “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it’” (NIV). 

When I do sit with God, and listen, pray, and reflect, God’s Spirit moves and disciples me.  I am re-aligned to the plans and purposes of the Kingdom of God.  I am strengthened and encouraged in God’s peace and love.  It is the repentance, the turning towards and waiting on God, and the rest  that saves me from my anxious thoughts, distractions, and fear.  It is the stilling of my body, soul, and spirit and the confession of faith and trust in God that gives me direction and strength.  

So why would I have none of it?  Why would I drag my feet on the way towards the Shepherd who provides?  Why would I resist the green pastures and still waters?  Why wouldn’t I jump out of the boat with abandon and swim toward Jesus like Peter and rush to have breakfast with my Lord on the beach?  

Even as I resist, the word of God promises, “The Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” (Isaiah 30:18, NIV) 

I extend to you the invitation that God’s Spirit through Jesus has extended to me for ongoing salvation and strength: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20, NIV)  

Therefore, I will choose to sit on my front porch and enjoy my coffee with the blowing wind, the warmth, and the shelter of the trees.  I will choose to quiet myself, to turn towards God in repentance and wait for my salvation and strength.

All Things Considered

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by Mike Clemmer, Conference Leadership Minister

Recently, I have been drawn towards a particular word in several scriptures. I have found the word to be helpful as I process the effects of the coronavirus on the church. As it pertains to our faith, it is a word that has been overlooked or taken for granted. But it is an important word for us to reflect on now. Consider.

“Consider” was often used by the Psalmists as a plea for God’s attention or focus on their human experience. They wanted God to know their plight: “Oh Lord, consider my affliction…” (Ps. 119) or simply asking God to “…consider me.”(Ps. 9) Perhaps this is our hope, that God would intervene in our lives and remember us in our times of distress. But what are the things that we ourselves should consider? 

Do we really consider God’s love for us through God’s handiwork of creation? In Luke 12, Jesus reminds us to “consider the ravens” and how God cares for them. In Matthew 6, we are told to “consider the lilies of the field in all their splendor.” Have we considered that God cares for us so much more than these? 

What about God’s miracle of our own human bodies? When we breathe, eat, think, choose, see, and hear – do we consider that we have been created by God to do these things?  Perhaps David was considering these things when he wrote, “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.” (Ps. 139:14, NASB) I wonder at times, does my soul know it well? Do I consider it?

As Christians, we are also called to consider others. I have been encouraged by the ways our conference churches are working at new possibilities of loving our neighbor. Churches are adapting to new forms of worship and are learning that community can be built virtually. Out of necessity, new gifts have been called out and practiced by persons in our churches. Creative ways of meeting physical and emotional needs of our communities have sprung forth. 

Consider for a moment the impact of finding ways to provide food for our communities and the consideration shown to our sisters and brothers through the Shalom fund giving. 

Perhaps the greatest consideration has been the way the church has been challenged to reassess its purpose and vision for ministry. This has not been easy. Idols of control and power have been exposed, pressure has been increased on church leadership, and political agendas have come into play. We need to look to God for direction and wisdom in how we move forward. Have we considered our great need for prayer during this time?

Despite the anxiousness of our times, I have been inspired that our conference churches have worked hard to keep dialogue open and positive. Ultimately, we have rallied together around the common theme of bearing with one another and loving others as Christ has loved us. We have been forced to engage in long overdue, but necessary conversations about the work of the church. Who are we and why do we exist? Do we exist for our own benefit or for others? What should worship look like for us moving forward? 

There are a lot of things to consider these days. Among them, God is still, and always will be, calling us to be communities of faith that care for one another. Most importantly, God’s church is alive and well. Consider that!

How Shall We Gather?

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by Sue Conrad Howes, West Swamp congregation

Lynne Rush (center), music director at West Swamp Mennonite (Quakertown, PA), leads music during the June 14 drive-in service in the church’s parking lot. Pastor Michael Howes (left) and sound tech Tim Scheetz (right) stand with masks on, at least six feet away. 

In March 2020, many churches were struggling with the need to close their doors for Sunday worship due to COVID-19. Now, three months later, some churches are struggling again: When and how do we begin to gather for corporate worship while still caring for the physical health of our congregation?  Churches throughout the conference are trying a variety of approaches. 

Some, typically smaller, congregations have begun worshiping in their church buildings while taking precautions. Wellspring Church of Skippack (PA) is gathering in person, but with written instructions to participants encouraging physical distancing and other guidelines. Offering is collected in plates at the exits, bulletin announcements are sent via email so there are no handouts, and hand sanitizer and masks are available to all. Persons who use the restrooms are asked to wipe down the surfaces after each use.  

Mennonite Bible Fellowship (Morris, PA), has been meeting together since May 17. Congregants sit in every other pew, wear masks, and don’t shake hands. Pastor John Brodnicki commented that the “most inconvenient part of this arrangement is singing. It’s difficult to sing with a mask on.” They continue to monitor the number of COVID-19 cases in the area (their county has had relatively few). “If COVID cases were to spike, we may reconsider meeting together until the spike subsides,” Brodnicki added. 

Since June 7, Franconia (Telford, PA) congregation has been gathering in its parking lot for worship. Using an outdoor sound system,  FM transmitter, and a large LED screen to display the worship leader, musicians, and preacher (who are inside the church sanctuary), congregants sit in socially-distanced lawn chairs or in their cars.  “The outdoor service,” according to Pastor Mark Wenger, “has been a great experience.  This is the first step of gathering in person.” 

Franconia has also utilized the rental of the LED screen to show family-friendly movies on the weekend, including many movie attendees who were not from the congregation. As a result, the church plans to continue offering movies periodically in the future as an opportunity for outreach. 

Congregants attend drive-in church at West Swamp (Quakertown, PA) via their vehicles. The worship service was available on car stereos via an FM transmitter. 

Pastor Beny Krisbianto shared how his congregation, Nations Worship (Philadelphia, PA), held worship in the park on June 14. When 40 people showed up for worship, church leaders decided to divide the group into two, as area restrictions limited gatherings to 25 people. Congregants wore masks and practiced social distancing while older members were encouraged to stay at home and participate virtually. 

Some congregations are holding two services to limit the numbers in attendance. Perkiomenville (PA) congregation set up chairs in the worship space for appropriate distancing. They implemented a limit of 80 people per service and masks are expected for all who attend. 

Meanwhile, Methacton congregation (Norristown, PA) has decided to wait until their county goes “green” before even considering meeting in person in any form. According to Pastor Sandy Drescher-Lehman, “We don’t have a plan yet for how to re-open since so much changes all the time.” Meanwhile, Methacton’s worship services are emailed to the congregation on Saturday afternoons, inviting people to worship on their own time. For Methacton, the question now is, “How much do we need to gather?” says Drescher-Lehman. “We’re still the church,” she reflects. “Sunday mornings are a great celebration that everyone will be happy to have again when the time is right, but I don’t think anyone is drying up spiritually.”

Jesus Love and Sourdough

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by Dawn Moore, Souderton congregation

Dawn Moore, Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church board chair, with a loaf of imperfect, but tasty, sourdough bread and a blob of bubbly starter.
Photo provided by Dawn Moore

There’s been a shortage of yeast across the USA during this pandemic. Like some people hoarded toilet paper, bakers bought up this key ingredient. Without yeast on hand, I called my friend, Tyler Kratz, to ask for a bit of his sourdough starter.  Tyler gladly handed over the blob, but was quite cryptic about what I should do.  “Feed it” in a few hours, he said, and then asked if I owned a kitchen scale. Huh?

The naturally-occuring yeast in sourdough starter eats ordinary flour like nobody’s business, yielding exponential growth that demands immediate baking.  It’s as ravenous as it is limitless.  Tyler gave me that first blob eight weeks ago. I have yet to master the art of sourdough baking, but have done well enough.  I’ve also given away bits of starter, with the same cryptic questions: Do you have a kitchen scale? Do you understand how to feed this blob?

Life as a whole felt quite cryptic when Montgomery County, PA abruptly went under stay-at-home orders on March 13. We at Souderton Mennonite Church had no idea what was ahead. Two things seemed certain: the crisis was just beginning and needs in our community could grow exponentially. Our response must be effective and sustainable for the long haul. We needed to learn how to “feed” our community of needs with little preparation or expertise.

A brainstorming group was formed under the direction of Pastor Jenifer Eriksen-Morales. Any idea for extending “Jesus Love” was fair game.  Immediately, some purchased and delivered food to families in need. We also donated funds and assisted in packing food for families with our friends at Emmanuel Lutheran and Zion Mennonite.  Meanwhile a thoughtful church member organized online tutoring to help frazzled parents who were now educating children at home. 

A “Little Free Pantry” was born under our carport, allowing neighbors to anonymously “give what you can and take what you need.” This place of Jesus Love is used daily, often hourly, as neighbors tangibly care for one another.  One recipient recently shared, “I prayed on my way here that I would find baby supplies. I’m so glad they are stocked as I didn’t know what I would do. Thank you!”  

The Little Free Pantry is a self-sustaining initiative located under the carport at Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church. Photo credit: Dawn Moore

As I learned how to care for and share my sourdough starter, our congregation also shared their ingredients of love, compassion, desire, and care with our broader community. We have been amazed at the way our starters have multiplied, creating more than we ever imagined. 

We also saw a need in caring for frontline workers, such as the ER doctor who has lived in a hotel to protect his family from COVID-19,  the hospice nurse who lovingly accompanies patients in their final holy moments without beloved family members, or the high school student who delivers food trays to residents in a local care facility, offering a kind word to these isolated seniors. How might we show appreciation for their sacrifices? The idea we settled on, Pay-it-Forward Frontline, has the added advantage of supporting our local economy. 

A loaf of finished sourdough bread from the novice baker. Photo credit: Dawn moore

Pay-It-Forward Frontline invites you to donate funds in any amount to local restaurants to be used as “thank you meals” for frontline workers. SMC has seeded four Souderton/Telford area establishments, with the hope that others will join locally and in other communities. 

I’ve learned to keep my sourdough in the fridge for longer stretches, bringing it to life only when time allows.  What would happen if we allowed the sourdough of Jesus Love to grow unhindered, sharing it lavishly, and growing it exponentially in our communities and beyond?

Click here to read more about the Pay it Forward frontline campaign.

A Village Boy was Chosen

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by Pastor Joshua Daichor So, San Francisco (CA) Chinese Mennonite Church

I am very thankful to have the opportunity to write my call to ministry story again after 55 years.  It sounds like I should already be retired by now but God still gives me the grace to be part of His story.  I also appreciate the Conference giving me this chance to share.  It was 1965 when I was first asked to write my call to ministry story as part of my entry application to study at The Hong Kong Alliance Bible Seminary.  How can I not be thankful?

I was born in a remote village in Mainland China and was raised in an idol worshiping family.  As the Bible said, “God knits me together in my mother’s womb and I am chosen!”  God had a plan for me!

Our family moved to Hong Kong when I was around 11 years old.  We lived very close to a church and with my curiosity, I stopped in and attended their Sunday school class with my neighbors’ kids for the first time.  From that time on, I became a regular Sunday school attender.  Listening to the Bible stories was always the highlight of each Sunday.  But most of all, receiving awards from the teachers was powerfully motivating to me. 

I accepted Jesus during Sunday school one week and gradually joined a small group.  With my diligent and optimistic character, I was selected to be on the staff of the small group and also serve as a Sunday school teacher.  I was amazed to find blessings and joy from serving the Lord in those roles. Besides attending the small group and Sunday school, I also attended the worship service regularly. The senior pastor, the minister, Sunday school teachers, and brothers and sisters were very proud of me and set me as a role model to other worshippers.  I was also blessed with ample opportunities to serve the Lord at church.

As I remember, I was asked to be the moderator of the Sunday worship when I was only a middle schooler.  I accepted that offer without hesitation.  I strongly believed that serving the Lord is what is pleasing to the Lord and a blessing! I was also in charge of a Sunday evening outreach.

My youth group leader encouraged me to pursue seminary after high school in my last year of middle school.  Even though I was quiet at that time, the Holy Spirit already began to mold me.  Our senior pastor couldn’t be at church regularly and our minister left to further his studies in the US. This left no one in charge of the church.  In my heart, I sensed the urge from the Holy Spirit.  

One day at a school worship service, the preacher invited the audience to accept Jesus’s invitation by using Isaiah 6:8, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?”  I replied, “Here am I, send me!”  After I finished my high school in 1966, I attended Hong Kong Alliance Bible Seminary and graduated in 1970.  This year marks 50 years since I first graduated. 

God called me from Hong Kong to Los Angeles in 1975 and a year later to San Francisco. There I completed a BA in Sociology, an M.Div (Sociology major) at Golden Gate Baptist Seminary, and finished a D. Min (Cross Cultural Study major) at San Francisco Theological Seminary, with God’s grace. I will continue to serve the Chinese in the San Francisco area with my wife (Anita) and daughter (Sharon).  Praise the Lord!