Mosaic Mennonites

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When COVID-19 Comes to Salford

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by Ashley Miller, Salford congregation

Ashley and Chris Miller (who attend Salford Mennonite Church in Harleyesville, PA) have been going through their own personal experience of COVID-19. Ashley began experiencing symptoms on March 15 and tested positive for the disease. Ashley has courageously and generously written about her experience.  

March 29, 2020

Chris & Ashley Miller and family

I am stepping outside of my comfort zone as I am not one to share on such public platforms. There is fear and mystery that surround COVID-19, and I’d like to share my family’s experience.

Two weeks ago, I started to feel sick with what I thought were flu-like symptoms. I felt tired, achy, low grade fever, chills, and an unrelenting headache. I lost my sense of smell. Within a few days I developed a cough and tightness in my chest which resulted in difficulty breathing. I also experienced a strange sensation that I can only describe as breathing shattered glass in my lungs. It was a very intense pain. I have asthma so some of the symptoms felt familiar to me. As the week went on, I realized my symptoms were getting worse instead of improving. After talking with my doctor, it was agreed that I’d be tested for the Flu, RSV, and COVID-19. I received negative results for the Flu and RSV. After waiting seven days, my test results for COVID-19 were POSITIVE. To my knowledge, I did not encounter anyone who had been exposed or who tested positive, so my case is one that is considered “community spread.”

At the onset of my symptoms, I began my isolation period. Despite our best efforts, both my husband Chris and daughter Ava developed symptoms. Their cases are considered presumed positive. Chris’ symptoms were similar to mine but fortunately milder. Ava began presenting with cold-like symptoms and some mild respiratory symptoms. Both are now doing well!

Throughout this experience, I was reminded to rely on my faith and to trust my intuition. As someone who can be anxious, fighting a sickness like this while isolating yourself from your family, doctors, and the world was/is incredibly hard on one’s mental health. I quickly became aware that I needed to utilize the strategies I often discuss with my clients. I turned off the news, limited my social media, and stopped researching “coronavirus.” I changed my mindset from one of fear to one of strength by focusing on healing. I listened to my body and allowed myself to be still, to rest, to heal.

When I initially received the COVID-19 test results, I was hoping for a sense of peace. I wasn’t prepared for the feelings of shame, guilt, and sadness that flooded me with hearing I tested positive. There is no “right’ way to feel; none of us have dealt with a pandemic before, but just as this pandemic has a beginning, there will be an end.

As we focus on our physical health, may we not lose sight of our mental wellness. My hope is that we allow ourselves to hold space for all of our feelings including those of grief, sadness, and fear that we may experience. Continue to find creative ways to connect with the people in your life. Please don’t be afraid to reach out for help.

I offer our story as a sign of hope. I continue to feel stronger each day and must remind myself to be patient as I move towards total healing. I continue to have symptoms which means that we will continue to follow the quarantine protocol but I look forward to moving out of my isolation room and giving my husband and kids a big hug and kiss.

Whether We Live or Die, We are the Lord’s

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by Gwen Groff, Bethany congregation

Gwen Groff

Lent begins with the reminder, “…to dust you shall return.” In this season we hear Jesus tell his followers, “I’m turning toward Jerusalem. I’m going to die there. Come with me.” It is a counter-cultural invitation. If much anxiety is rooted in our fear of death, we have to stop avoiding death. We are in the right season for this.

In the last sermon that I preached with a physically-present congregation, I quoted Julian of Norwich, using the familiar words in our hymnal. “All will be well, and all will be well, all manner of things will be well.”

At that time, I had no notion of the journey we were embarking on. I did not know we would not gather the following Sunday. I did not know COVID-19 had already arrived in our small, spaciously populated state.

Julian of Norwich

“All will be well” is not a glib platitude. Julian, born in 1342, lived through three rounds of the Black Plague, the Peasants’ Revolt, and part of the Hundred Years’ War. Before she heard God’s revelation that “all will be well,” she had been so severely ill that she was administered last rites. To say “all will be well” was not an optimistic claim that we will not experience suffering. It was a promise that in our suffering we are held within God’s being.

Since that Sunday, Paul’s assurance in Romans 14:8 has been repeating internally, as I walk, cook, and sit in silence: “Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” That also is not a glib promise. It does not deny death or the pain of death. But it affirms that just as God holds us now as we live fully and love life, God holds us as we face death, as we move through death, and as we discover what follows after death.

Those words from Scripture first came alive for me when a friend described her midwest community’s response to the Palm Sunday tornadoes of 1965. She was a child in Indiana when 137 people died and 1200 people were injured on that one Sunday. She experienced, up close, the reality that people you love die, people grieve hard, and relationships with those people and with God continue.

I marveled at her attitude in the acceptance of death. She is a person in love with the world, life, and people. But she has a real sense that death is not the end, and that “Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”

I have at times thoughtlessly associated the acceptance of death with despair or purposelessness.  A neighbor said to me last week, “If COVID-19 would have happened the year after my husband died, I’d have been out there trying to catch it. But not now. I love life again. I want to live.”

Acceptance of the reality of death is not a death wish. And loving life doesn’t create a fear of death. We may fear death most when we sense we haven’t lived fully.

Another neighbor in the “high risk” category summed this up: “I want to live to be a hundred. But if I die now, boy—we’ve had a good run.”

I take Paul’s words in Romans to mean our life with God somehow continues through death and beyond. Can I hold that hope if my parents (in their 90s), quarantined in a nursing home, fall ill? Can I remember that promise if I am short of breath? And can I maintain that perspective if civilized society starts to disintegrate? How can we, as the body of Christ, behave as if we know that whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s?

Arts Contest to Help Give Hope

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By Maria Hart, Garden Chapel (Dover, NJ)

In times of darkness and crisis, Garden Chapel (Dover, NJ) desires to help and give to those in need.  The COVID-19 pandemic has left members of Garden Chapel feeling immobile, questioning their ability to fill needs because this situation is so new and unique.

One area of concern is the challenges children and youth face amidst this crisis.  It is a significant adjustment for them. Educational practices have changed. Daily news reports talk about healthy people nearby who are becoming very ill, even dying.  It has become the new norm, sadly. The pandemic is emotionally, mentally, and spiritually challenging for many young people.

Members of Garden Chapel have a special passion for the arts, as the arts serve as an outlet to express human emotions and our faith.

While so many are focused on the pandemic, Garden Chapel wants to redirect attention and resources to the arts with our “Delivering Hope Arts Contest.”  As most everyone is needing to stay at home these days, now is a good time to use the gift of music, fine arts, video, and literature to spread hope. Adults, too, are invited to participate, as many have lost jobs and are home, faced with great uncertainty and possible despair.

As news reports continually report on the growing rise of COVID-19, the body of Christ is called to spread an even larger dose of hope. This invitation to share the gifts of music and art is one way we can do that.

See the flyer for all the details (English & Spanish) and a registration form.

Prepared by God for Missional Work

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By Jennifer Svetlik, Salford congregation

“I love questions,” shares Noel Santiago, Leadership Minister for Missional Transformation. In his work accompanying pastors and church leaders, Noel seeks to ask the kind of questions that invite exploration. “This can be challenging,” he continues, “because we each have our agenda. Through questions I invite church leaders to view things from another angle, pause, and potentially take a different approach to what they are already doing.”

Noel currently works with about ten congregations as a leadership minister, and he is the staff point person for missional transformation, one of the conference’s three priorities. At the center of Noel’s work is raising questions with pastors such as: “Who is our neighbor? Who is God working with in our communities? How can we participate in that work?”

The most rewarding part of Noel’s work is “when people have some kind of encounter with God—feeling strengthened, encouraged, a sense of a load being lightened, or seeing from another perspective.” Noel also finds ordinations and installations of pastors to be very meaningful. “Holiness means to be set apart, and these are sacred moments where someone is being set apart,” he reflects.

This year, Noel has formed a missional priority team, which will be a more structured yet flexible way for church leaders to engage this conference priority. Additionally, Noel spends time teaching, preparing sermons, and preparing for events. Recently he was a part of three retreats with congregations. Praying for and with pastors, leaders, and groups is a large part of Noel’s work. “It’s not in my job description, but it’s a personal value I bring to my work,” reflects Noel. “I keep prayer front and center in all that I do.”

In 2019, Noel had a sabbatical from his conference role, and he focused on the larger framework of Jesus’ mission. “Jesus’ mission is about the world, and at its center is God’s image bearers, that is, humans,” shares Noel. “People don’t usually see themselves that way. So how do we encourage people to see themselves as in God’s image?”

Noel and his family moved to southeastern Pennsylvania from Indiana in 1996 to work for Franconia Conference.  He previously served as executive minister of the conference. He has been in his current role for about six years.

Noel was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in New Holland, PA. As a child, he went back to the island frequently and grew up speaking Spanish and English. He calls himself a “Puerto Rican Dutchman” who grew up with rice and beans and shoofly pie. “It’s one big case of indigestion,” he jokes, pointing to the fact that he grew up in between two cultures, learning to navigate being formed by both of them.

“As a kid I wondered, ‘Why is my family so weird?’ but later I realized that God has been preparing me for missional, intercultural ways of being.” Growing up, his home congregation was more conservative. But on Sunday evenings his family had a more Pentecostal worship experience in Lancaster. He refers to these intersections as “Mennocostal” (Mennonite-Pentecostal) or Anamatic (Anabaptist-Charismatic) and reflects that there is an opportunity to learn from how these streams are coming together and integrating.

In his free time, being with family is Noel’s priority. He enjoys going for walks, being in the park, and having BBQs with his family. He and his wife, Juanita, have four young adult children.

Walking Alongside with Passion

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by Jennifer Svetlik, Salford congregation

“The most rewarding part of my job is helping pastors and leaders navigate the broken, complicated, exhausting, infuriating times and reminding them of the beautiful, glorious, exhilarating, holy nature of the work we’ve been called to,” says Josh Meyer, Leadership Minister. “That’s a difficult and never-ending process, but it’s also incredibly fulfilling.”

Josh and family: wife Kim, daughters Selah and Eve, son Paxton

Josh sees his role primarily in terms of accompaniment rather than authority. He walks alongside church leaders to encourage, listen, prompt, and pay attention to the movement of the Spirit. “That’s where I’m passionate; that’s what drew me to this role,” Josh reflects.

In addition to serving as a Leadership Minister, Josh is a pastor at Franconia congregation (Telford, PA), an adjunct professor at Eastern University, a husband, and father of three young children.

About a year ago, Josh accepted the invitation to serve as a Leadership Minister but did so with hesitancy, because he wasn’t sure he had the bandwidth to take on another responsibility. But he gave the invitation serious consideration. “After discernment, I began feeling peace and excitement about the possibility of serving as a Leadership Minister,” says Josh.

Josh is energized by helping congregations connect with younger people and those without a faith background. “Our call is to be fishers of people, not merely keepers of the aquarium. In other words, our focus shouldn’t just be on those who are already here,” Josh describes. “Many churches care for their own pretty well, but unconsciously base the bulk of their decisions on who they’re trying to keep rather than who they’re trying to reach.”

Josh’s passions are evident in his desire to push congregations beyond their comfort zones. “Becoming places where young people and unchurched people can feel at home and grow in Jesus is an important, challenging, urgent concern for our faith communities,” explains Josh. “It requires change and sacrifice and letting go. But it’s worthwhile.”

Josh grew up in Souderton, PA. Although he was not raised Mennonite, he was influenced by the vibrant Mennonite community in the area. “Having roots in the area where I now serve has been beneficial, helping me understand some of the cultural nuances of this place. As our conference continues to grow, however, I recognize that my experiences in this particular place are not the norm for an increasing number of our churches,” shares Josh.

Preaching at Franconia Mennonite Church

Josh brings ecumenical experiences and perspectives to his work as a Mennonite pastor and leader. He was born and dedicated at a Baptist church, spent his formative teenage years in a Lutheran congregation, attended a charismatic Vineyard fellowship in college, and pastored his first five years in a United Methodist context.

“This diverse background formed in me an appreciation for various expressions of faith and a deeply ecumenical understanding of the Body of Christ,” shares Josh. “There is beauty in our diversity, and what unites us and makes us one isn’t that we’re identical, but that we share a common commitment to Christ.” He was drawn to an Anabaptist expression of faith because of the emphasis on the centrality of Jesus, the commitment to peace, discipleship, community, and the understanding of mission.

For their 10-year wedding anniversary in October, Josh and his wife, Kim,  are planning a trip to the Grand Canyon, including a rim-to-rim single day hike of the canyon. Josh’s love of travel has taken him around the world, including five continents;  by his 50th birthday, Josh hopes to have visited all seven.

One Step Toward Making our Children Safer

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by Kate Hedrick, Souderton congregation

Some conversations are hard to start, especially within the church. #MeToo and #ChurchToo have brought the topic of sexual abuse to our social awareness, perhaps like never before.  We have a growing awareness that sexual abuse is something we need to talk about, so that victims can be heard, so that policies can change, and so that we can prevent, as much as is possible, further incidents of sexual abuse.  But sometimes, it’s hard to know where to start the conversation.

Last fall, Souderton Mennonite Church had the opportunity to host Carolyn Byers Ruch, founder of the Rise and Shine Movement, an organization which equips parents and communities to prevent childhood sexual abuse. She is a wonderful resource for churches and communities who want to be educated and who want to have conversations surrounding sexual abuse.

Carolyn’s message is one of empowerment and encouragement. As a mother myself, I learned that more often than not, victims of sexual abuse know their abuser.  It is a friend or family member. This reality struck fear into my heart. How could I protect my daughter from people I trust? But as I continued to listen, I went from feeling like sexual abuse was a threat I was powerless to protect against, to knowing I had some concrete steps to prevent sexual abuse. 

While much of her presentation is directed at parents, Carolyn is very clear that prevention is a community effort.  “When we increase the communication, we decrease the risk of childhood sexual abuse,” said Carolyn. A community that openly discusses sexual abuse is one that is more intimidating to abusers, making abuse less likely to happen.  Moreover, when every person in a child’s life is educated in the same principles, they can reinforce what is being taught at home. In a church setting, consider the number of people coming into contact with a child: greeters at the door, nursery volunteers, well-meaning adults who approach them during the coffee time, etc.  We all interact and play a part.

Carolyn’s presentation is honest, sensitive, and ultimately uplifting.  She helps to shed light on a dark topic, creating hope for prevention and making space for healing to begin.  

If your church or community would like to find out more or schedule a presentation, you can find further information on Carolyn’s website: https://riseandshinemovement.org/

 

Alternative Worship Approaches During Social-Distancing

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by Sue Conrad Howes, West Swamp congregation

Salford streams an abbreviated worship service. Photo by Steve Kriss

At the heart of congregational life is gathering for worship. In light of government warnings about the need for social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, many Eastern District & Franconia Conference congregations had to decide whether they should gather together on Sunday, cancel worship, or find alternative avenues to lead congregants.

For many, this meant finding ways to use technology to enhance their community worship. Facebook Live was a popular platform for many congregations. Salford congregation (Harleysville, PA) live streamed an abbreviated version of their worship service.  One goal was to keep things as “normal” as possible; “The person who led the Children’s Time came in and read the story from the usual Children’s Time bench,” said Pastor Beth Yoder.

Pastor Jessica Miller (Perkasie) holds “Virtual Church” from her dining room using Facebook Live.

Meanwhile, Perkasie (PA) congregation had a casual, 30-minute service on Facebook Live. “We read Psalm 23 together, lit candles, and recited our peace lamp litany, had a scripture reading, and sermon,” reported Jessica Miller, associate pastor. She shared that the sermon response invited people to get a drink of water in their homes, an opportunity that would not have been realistic in the church pews.

One advantage to using Facebook Live as a platform was that participants had the opportunity to join the worship service live, watch it later on Facebook, or watch the service later via a video link posted on the church website, which gave those who do not have a Facebook account an opportunity to view the video link.

Many pastors noted that the services were shorter than a typical Sunday. Josh Meyer of Franconia congregation (Telford, PA) commented, “The service was simple and brief: a welcome, a pastoral prayer, some announcements, Scripture, a meditation, and a closing … 38 minutes.”

Ambler’s Zoom gathering. Photo credit: Andrew Huth

Not every church could live stream their worship experience, so alternative options were given. Methacton (Norristown, PA) sent out a group email that included a virtual worship service.   Rocky Ridge (Quakertown, PA) put together a “virtual worship service” and a blog post for interaction.  Ambler (PA) congregation used online conferencing. “Zoom worked well, with 40-plus persons participating, including two former congregants now in other states,” said interim pastor Dorcas Lehman. “It felt different, lively, meditative, and well-appreciated.”

A big surprise was the consistent report that participation was higher than expected. Deep Run East reported that about four times as many people watched the Facebook Live worship service than attend a typical Sunday morning in-person worship. “I was surprised by the breadth of people who joined the worship experience,” commented Pastor Ken Burkholder, “including people from numerous states, mission workers in Honduras, and others who would not typically worship in person at Deep Run East.” Likewise, Salford reported that by noon, their service had received over 1000 views.

Many pastors and congregants noted that each platform seemed to offer a valued sense of community to each other, especially during this time of social distancing and unknown. Methacton’s pastor Sandy Drescher-Lehman, reflected, “We often talk about wanting to be a ’church without walls’ and this time we really did it!”

Even though the response far exceeded the expectations, there were still problems. Franconia’s worship crew arrived at church to find their internet was down.  Plains congregation (Hatfield, PA) planned to post a worship service video on their website by 10:30 am but discovered it took hours for the video to finish processing and uploading.

Another challenge was the obvious strangeness of leading a service in an empty auditorium or knowing how or where to make eye contact. Meyer commented, “So much of what happens during corporate worship is exactly that: corporate.  Without a gathered body, a number of our regular worship practices needed to be adjusted.”

Despite the challenges, last minute implementations, and new approaches to worship, most every church reported very positive experiences from congregants.  “Many expressed that being able to ‘gather’ in this way helped social solidarity, in a time when we are practicing social distancing,” said Lehman.

Alpha and Omega Moments

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by Steve Kriss, Executive Conference Minister

“Y’all weren’t waiting 300 years for just any African American woman; you were waiting for Charlene.” These were the words of a family member of Charlene Smalls at the celebration of her licensing, the first credentialing in our reconciled Conference on February 23, 2020 at Ripple in Allentown, PA.

Photo credit: Steve Kriss

Charlene is the first African American woman to be recognized with a pastoral credential in the history of either of our conferences. The first woman, Ann Allbach, was credentialed in 1911 through Eastern District by the First Mennonite Church of Philadelphia. The first African American pastor, James Lark, was called for ministry at Rocky Ridge congregation in Quakertown, PA, in 1945 in Franconia Conference.  In Allentown, while the sun shone through the stained glass in the twilight of the last Sunday of Black History Month, Pastor Charlene moved forward the embodiment of pastoral ministry at this intersection of identities.

Charlene had neglected to tell her friends and families of this historic moment for us as Mennonites.  She’s only the second Mennonite woman of color to be credentialed in either of the former two conferences or the reconciled Eastern District & Franconia Conference. (The first was Leticia Cortes, three years ago at Centro de Alabanza de Filadelfia (Philadelphia, PA).) For those of us who pay attention to the history and trajectory of our conference, the moment seemed historic and monumental. For Ripple and Charlene’s family and friends, this was a recognition of who Charlene is and has been. The larger church beyond simply needed to catch up to the Spirit’s work and Charlene’s faithful incarnation of leadership and service to Christ.

Prayer for Charlene at her ordination. Photo credit: Steve Kriss

Charlene joined the leadership of Ripple as an intern several years ago while completing her studies.  After her internship, she became a part of the leadership. As the congregation’s founding pastors relocated, Charlene became a critical stabilizing leader in a time of transition, joining the other pastors at Ripple. Charlene served in the role without credentials as she explored what it would mean to become a Mennonite minister after serving in leadership in a nearby majority African American Baptist congregation.

Leadership Minister Jeff Wright, Buddy Hannanto and Buddy’s wife Susy Widjaja. Photo credit: Buddy Hannanto

While Charlene was the first person to be credentialed in our reconciled Conference, the last person to be credentialed in Franconia Conference was through the ordination of Buddy Hannanto at International Worship Church (San Gabriel, CA).  After 20 years of bureaucratic slowness within MCUSA, Buddy was finally recognized as a leader through ordination. For his congregation and those who know Buddy, this was a long time coming and a commitment he had already been living.

Buddy Hannanto is surrounded in prayer at his ordination. Photo provided by Buddy Hannanto

For Franconia Conference, the sun set in California on our credentialing with an Indonesian pastor who had begun a congregation at our now farthest west outpost.  The sun shone in a new Conference a month later in the east with Charlene’s credentialing as our reconciled community began. The symbols weren’t lost on me, bearing witness and participating in both worship and recognitions.

These are omega and alpha moments; a reminder that the Spirit is still working in continuity and change. It’s also a challenge of recognizing our future work to continue to open the door to new pastoral leaders even when our systems are slower to recognize the work of the Spirit already at hand.