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The Power of Handwriting

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By Sue Conrad Howes 

You could count on it like the rising of the sun. From the week I left for college in 1988 to her death in 2008, my grandmother wrote me a weekly letter.  It was one of the most reliable things in my ever-changing life.  Based on rough calculations, Grandma wrote me well over 1000 letters on her lacy stationery with her fancy penmanship.  

My relationship with my grandma had always been strong, even before the letter writing, but it grew stronger as a result of the letters. Ignoring the advent of email during this time, I also hand wrote letters to Grandma. I was, perhaps, not quite as dedicated as she was, but we had a wonderful correspondence that crossed generations, theological differences, and geographical distances. I became a better person because of these letters, learning from her wisdom, but also knowing how to express my changing self to someone who had always been so present in my life.  

A letter from Grandma under a letter from Sue in 2006. Photo provided by Sue Conrad Howes.

Like others, I am a fan of quick texts, even email … but I still love the old-fashioned approach to relationships through the hand-written word of a card, letter, or note. Recently I spent the week with my 16-year-old niece while her parents were away. One day, I tucked a small card in her lunch bag. At lunch, she snapped a photo of the card and sent me a text, thanking me for it. I later learned that she shared that same photo on her Instagram account. What was it about the card that made a teenager want to share it with her world?   

The photo of the note in Sue’s niece’s lunch. Photo provided by Sue Conrad Howes.

We know that a portion of the New Testament is formed of letters (called “epistles”), written from one person to another.  These letters have become our holy Scriptures. We have been able to use them as our guide, despite the fact that they were letters written over 2000 years ago. Did Paul have any idea his letters would have such staying power?  What is it about the epistles that makes us want to share them with the world? 

I wonder how many drafts Paul took to write his letters. Did he wish for white-out or an eraser, or did he take the time to think through his words before putting them on parchment? What does it mean when we take the time to think clearly about our words to another person, and then hand write them on paper? I always take more time when I write a card or letter, usually re-reading it before mailing it, than any text or even email that I write. Imagine if we all took a little bit more time in our communication: hand-written, spoken, or typed. Would it make it to someone’s Instagram account? 

If you’re looking to experience the epistles as they were originally heard or written, join Mosaic Institute’s “Formed by Scripture” class this spring.  You’ll dig more deeply into the stories behind the Bible, explore the experiences that shape how we interpret Scripture, and practice interacting with the Bible in ways that can change us—like writing out one of its books by hand! 

Sue Conrad Howes

Sue Conrad Howes is part of the communication team for Mosaic Mennonite Conference. She is an ordained pastor in MC USA and is a chaplain at St.Luke’s Penn Foundation. She and her husband live in Quakertown, PA and are members at West Swamp Mennonite Church.

A Call to Prayer

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By Mike Clemmer 

Years ago, as I began my first pastorate, my wife gifted me with a beautiful hand-crafted kneeling bench. She knew how important it would be for my ministry to daily spend time with the Lord in prayer and “bow down, kneel before the Lord, and acknowledge that He is God” (Psalm 95:6). 

Time with the Lord and before the Lord is paramount in hearing from God and in worshipping the Lord. Through prayer and the scriptures, we learn more of God’s heart. We also invite the Holy Spirit to speak and guide our thoughts and actions. It is a daily practice that is too important to avoid or dismiss.  

I keep the prayer bench in my church office and find myself on the kneeling rail often. Yet unfortunately, I also find myself walking past it way too often as well. Perhaps my pride tells me that I already know what’s best or maybe I simply feel like I do not have the time to pray. In any case, my time of kneeling before the Lord is often hijacked by my own selfish thoughts and interests.  

As I begin 2023, the reminder of my need to pray and prioritize time before the Lord is more timely than ever. With busy schedules and the pressures of ever-changing cultural norms, discernment surrounding matters of faith and the church has become a very difficult task. We long for a clear word from the Lord on all matters of faith and practice, yet we often walk right past our prayer benches. Instead, we look for clear direction through what feels best or what makes the most sense to us. I find myself even speaking for God on some of these things without ever spending the time on my prayer rail listening to God’s voice. 

Mosaic Conference is also in the midst of a discernment process. Conference delegates recently passed the Pathways Document which lays out a plan forward in discerning our relationship with each other, with Mennonite Church USA (MC USA), as well as other matters of practice in the church.  

In the Pathways document, the first bullet point is a reminder for all of us to kneel before the Lord and pray. It states: 

We believe that we are called by God in this time:  To share in the practice of continued prayer and fasting so that we may discern, yield, and listen to the Spirit among us.  

This is a simple call to prayer and fasting. It is an invitation for all of us to spend time in God’s presence and to listen to and yield to what the Spirit tells us. How will we respond to this call to prayer? Will we be able to kneel on our prayer benches each day, study God’s word, and allow the Spirit to speak to us, or will we simply walk by and believe that we already know what God wants for us?  

My prayer is that we can all humbly prioritize prayer and the spiritual disciplines in our journey towards discernment and that God’s voice will clearly be heard as we bow before God’s throne each day in 2023.  

Mike Clemmer

Mike Clemmer is a Conference Leadership Minister and serves as the pastor of Maple Grove Mennonite Church (Lancaster Conference).

The Gift You Don’t Expect

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By Michelle Ramirez 

Besides commemorating the birth of Christ, the holiday season is about giving and receiving gifts. But what if a gift you joyfully receive comes with something you weren’t expecting at all?  

I recently received a gift of a puppy from someone who knew I really wanted one.  You can imagine the joy I felt in receiving this gift. I have always loved dogs and wanted a dog my whole life. Unfortunately, because my family moved around a lot, I was never able to have one. One of our church members recently had a dog who gave birth to a litter of nine puppies. He knew how much I always wanted a dog, so he gifted me a puppy, to my surprise.  

In the days leading up to my puppy’s homecoming, I prepared myself as best I could, knowing puppies are not easy to care for. I read all the information I could find and bought whatever I thought would be necessary, but I still felt unprepared. I received the gift I always wanted, but I didn’t expect all the responsibility that came along with it.

I realized how very similar this is to how we respond in our walk with Christ. We pray fervently for something but find it hard to accept the trials that can come with asking for something. The Lord, in His infinite mercy, may grant us the gift we want, but He also grants us the tools we need to receive it. 

Atlas, Michelle’s new puppy, as he prepares for homecoming. Photo provided by Michelle Ramirez.

Often, we forget that in the asking, we also receive gifts we weren’t expecting. Those extra gifts could be, like me with my puppy, extra responsibilities, momentary struggles, or even our characters being tried by fire. Even though God gives us these unexpected gifts, what is great is that He knows He gave it to us with a purpose (see Jeremiah 29:11). His plans are always to prosper us and not harm us. The gifts we weren’t expecting become the tools we need to actually grow.  

So this holiday season, while we receive gifts from loved ones, let’s remember we are constantly receiving gifts from our heavenly father as well. Those gifts might come with added things we weren’t expecting, but it will always be for our good!

Michelle Ramirez

Michelle Ramirez is the Youth and Community Formation Coordinator for Florida for Mosaic Conference.

On Fasting…

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by Jeff Wright

The call to fast ought not to be a throwaway line.  

In almost five decades of deciding and trying to follow Jesus daily in life, I have seen the call to fasting used as a spiritual punchline far too often.  Christians have a tendency to call one another to fast when they really, really want us to pray, or they really, really think I need to lose weight.  Fasting often gets treated like the spiritual equivalent of hot fudge sauce on our vanilla ice cream intercessions … if we fast (or at least throw around the language of fasting), then our prayers must really, really be sincere, and we must really, really be spiritual. 

Yeah, I don’t think so. 

Fasting, if we are open to the spiritual habit, ought to be fun.  After all, fasting at its best is about laying aside things that want to capture us – the 24-hour cable news, the screens we carry around with us, that second piece of pie.  Fasting is about saying “no” so that we are able to say “yes” to increased time spent in the company of Jesus.  Fasting opens the door joyfully to enable us to pray boldly and learn to forgive extravagantly. Fasting creates a pathway toward Christlikeness. 

We’re into Pathways right now in Mosaic Conference.  Our pathway begins with prayer and fasting and leads to discernment, which invites us to being formational, missional, and intercultural as churches.  Then (and only then) the pathway will guide us to ask the pertinent question of whether or not membership in Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) helps or hinders us on the path forward.   

My hunch is that MC USA membership is truly not a central issue in our walk with Christ.  Finding the pathways to Jesus that bypass the over-stimulated world we’ve created and help us bond together as a church full of missionary disciples seems way more important than the current denominational feud. Fasting is a pathway to put aside the anxieties of our stuff, and listen thoughtfully to the Jesus who loves us, accepts us, and forgives us, even before we’ve thought to ask for it. 

Maybe, if we begin the Mosaic Pathways Process with true fasting and honest prayer, where we end up in our discernment, and whose brand name we cherish, won’t really matter … because we will have rediscovered Jesus, our ever-present Savior, teacher, Lord, and friend.  

Jeff Wright

Jeff Wright is a Mosaic Leadership Minister for California and the Intentional Interim Lead Pastor at Blooming Glen (PA) Mennonite Church.  He is not an expert on fasting (lock up your pies!), but at this stage of his life and ministry, he is willing to give up a weekly slice of blueberry pie, his favorite, if it would help him discover new pathways to get to know Jesus better.

Yet Even Now

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By Noel Santiago 

As Mosaic Conference, we have affirmed what has become known as the Pathway Document. The first action step listed in this document states: “We believe that we are called by God in this time: To share in the practice of continued prayer and fasting so that we may discern, yield, and listen to the Spirit among us.” 

In John 11, two sisters are concerned about their brother Lazarus. He’s not doing well and could die. They send word to their close, personal friend Jesus, asking him to come. Their hope is that he would heal him, and all would be well. 

As we know, Lazarus dies, and the sisters are in deep mourning and distress. All seems lost. What do they make of this close friend who could have done something about it but didn’t? 

Jesus finally arrives. He is informed of how things could have been different had he arrived sooner, but it’s too late. Lazarus has been dead now four days.  

However, in John 11:22, even though her brother is dead, Martha knows something: “Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You” (HCSB). 

 Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.

John 11:22 (HCSB)

Three little words make a huge difference: “Yet even now.” 

As Mosaic Conference, we have affirmed the Pathway Document which calls us to prayer and fasting. Might these three little words, “yet even now,” still hold possibilities for us? 

  • Yet even now, though we are unsure of what the future holds. 
  • Yet even now, when we wonder how things will work out? 
  • Yet even now, when we ask what the relationship will be between Mosaic and Mennonite Church USA? 
  • Yet even now, when we wonder will Mosaic thrive, survive, or struggle? 

Yet even now … what is it that Jesus knows? 

The beauty we find in the midst of a painful situation is that Jesus was getting ready to show a new side of himself no one had seen before, the side of being the resurrection and the life. 

Could “yet even now” lead to newness of life, to renewed energy, commitment, and lasting life? As we pray, fast, and yield to Holy Spirit, may we experience God’s renewing life!

The beauty we find in the midst of a painful situation is that Jesus was getting ready to show a new side of himself no one had seen before, the side of being the resurrection and the life. 

Noel Santiago

Noel Santiago is the Leadership Minister for Missional Transformation for Mosaic Conference.

Journeying with God

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By Eileen R. Kinch

In early October, my husband and I moved to Telford, PA from Ephrata, Lancaster County, PA.  We had an embarrassment of help – more than we needed – to load and unload the moving truck. Most of the furniture is now where we want it, and we have unpacked many boxes. We are now figuring out how to find the things we need in our new community, such as groceries, car repair, and healthcare. Adjusting to a new place is hard work, and it takes emotional and physical energy. 

Moving is also disorienting. I have lived most of my life in Lancaster County. I grew up in the southern end of Lancaster County, twelve miles from the Maryland border. I know the routes and the roads. In our new area, I don’t know where I am going most of the time. I am only starting to recognize where I am, and the other day, I considered it a victory when I found a post office.  

In Genesis 12, God tells Abraham, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (12:1, JPS). I wonder how that felt for Abraham. Did he think, I am just fine where I am, thank you very much. I have everything I need. Why do I need to go somewhere else? Did he feel sad to leave his family and his home area? Did Abraham have a difficult time on his journey? Did he find it exhausting? 

Moving and journeying also characterized the Israelite experience, especially after the escape from the Egyptians across the Red Sea. The Israelites moved from place to place and carried the tabernacle with them. When they reached the Promised Land, had planted crops, and were offering the first fruits of harvest, God commanded that the Israelites recite their history, beginning with these words: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous” (Deuteronomy 26:5, NIV). Even after they settled, the Israelites were supposed to remember their ancestor Jacob’s experience of wandering. 

Did he think, I am just fine where I am, thank you very much. I have everything I need. Why do I need to go somewhere else?

The book of Hebrews mentions wandering as part of the journey of faith, naming Abraham, Moses, and many others: “All of them died in faith, not having obtained the things promised, but having seen and hailed them from afar, and they acknowledged themselves to be foreigners and sojourners on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13, translation by David Bentley Hart). 

Sometimes God calls us to do something that requires a change of location. Often this means leaving the comfort of home. Sometimes the purpose of moving is clear to us, but other times, it is not. As we pack, unpack, and try to make our way in a new place, we may wonder if the moving and disorientation are worth the immediate (or ongoing) trouble. Yet the writer of Hebrews points out that the big picture is important, even if we don’t recognize what it is. Faith, after all, is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of unseen realities” (Hebrews 11:1). 

I am grateful for the experiences of wanderers in the Bible. I am sure Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (and Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah and Rachel) asked some of the same questions I do and experienced similar feelings. Even if I feel a bit lost right now, I can still find a home in this faith story.

Eileen Kinch

Eileen Kinch is part of the Mosaic communication team and works with editing and writing. She holds a Master of Divinity degree, with an emphasis in the Ministry of Writing, from Earlham School of Religion.

Courageous & Faithful Women 

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By Mary Nitzsche 

In the last year, I have been reading or listening to stories of women who served the Mennonite church and its institutions as pastors, educators, administrators, or theologians. Some of these women are living and continue to serve the church in their retirement; some face declining health and its limitations. Others have died. I am grateful, blessed, and inspired by these faithful, vibrant, and gifted followers of Jesus.  

I began to gather stories of women leaders, lay and credentialed, from the former Franconia and Eastern District Conferences who paved the way for women exercising the full range of ministry gifts in the church. Their stories need to be shared publicly as a witness of the Spirit’s movement. I read two books about women leaders that have provided additional inspiration: She Has Done a Good Thing: Mennonite Women Leaders Tell Their Stories, edited by Mary Swartley and Rhoda Keener (Herald Press, 1999) and Quiet Shouts: Stories of Lancaster Conference Women Leaders, edited by Louise Stoltzfus (Herald Press, 1999).  

©Herald Press, 1999

In my listening and reading, I discovered the women had some similar qualities. They were faithful followers of Jesus, and they had a love for the church and a desire to serve. They were responsive to the Spirit’s nudging. The women also had male leaders who recognized their gifts and encouraged and supported them.  

As young women growing up in the church, they did not have a theology allowing women to be in primary leadership roles in congregations, conferences, denominations, or in institutions of the church, nor were they aspiring to assume any of these roles. Most of the women did not have female role models serving in these leadership roles. In college, they majored in education or nursing, which were considered acceptable professions for women. 

In their journeys, the women began to feel unsettled in their current roles. They sensed a desire and call to serve the church in a role that had not been assumed by women. The nudging came from within and was often accompanied by encouragement and support from a male colleague. Most of the women experienced resistance in their ministry. People walked out of the room when they preached. They were silenced or not taken seriously when they spoke in a meeting. They were shamed or told they were not being obedient to scripture. Their attempts to offer pastoral care were rejected.  

Changes in belief and understanding of scriptural teaching on women’s leadership roles in the church did not happen quickly. Disagreement in belief and practice continues in our congregations, conferences, and institutions. The 1995 Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, Article 15, states clearly the position of Mennonite Church USA and Mosaic Conference: The church calls, trains, and appoints gifted men and women to a variety of leadership ministries on its behalf. These may include such offices as pastor, deacon, and elders as well as evangelists, missionaries, teachers, conference ministers, and overseers. Even though this is the conference’s position, Mosaic allows congregations to discern the role of women in leadership in their context. 

I am so grateful for women who courageously accepted roles they did not feel prepared for. I am also glad these women persevered when they faced resistance or animosity when accepting a leadership role, even as the church was disagreeing, arguing, and dividing. It is evident in all these stories that the Spirit was moving within the women who were doing a new thing. The Spirit was also moving in people in the church who responded to the transforming power of the Spirit through these courageous women.

Mary Nitzsche

Mary Nitzsche is a Leadership Minister for Mosaic Conference. She and her husband, Wayne, are Midwest natives. They have two adult daughters, Alison and Megan, son-in-laws, Michael and David, and one delightful grandson, William.

Appreciating Our Ministers by Waiting

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By Noel Santiago

I want to appreciate, affirm, and acknowledge all Mosaic pastors and the hard work they do, giving of themselves to help guide us in the way of Jesus.  I also acknowledge the families of these leaders who give of themselves unselfishly in many ways.  

I was inspired by an article by Sarai Rice, How to Manage Expectations. “Your ministers may look OK, but they are not. All ministers, even those who thrive on challenges, are by now exhausted, anxious, and at least intermittently depressed,” wrote Rice. “Ministers need affirmation and affection right now.” 

Not every minister is experiencing this, but we certainly understand that ministers have had many challenges over the past two plus years. “Ministers have moved mountains -taking congregations from minimal technology to fully virtual in a matter of weeks, becoming experts on mask quality, air exchange, and disinfection … all while being pressured, disrespected or ignored by people who resist their efforts to keep themselves and their members safe,” Rice reflected.  

“Your ministers may look OK, but they are not. All ministers, even those who thrive on challenges, are by now exhausted, anxious, and at least intermittently depressed,” wrote Rice. “Ministers need affirmation and affection right now.” 

Can anyone identify?  

Pastors had to figure a lot out quickly and succeeded. But these unexpected realities, which required a lot of creative energy, were done in addition to normal responsibilities. This added stress was often unknown to many in the congregation. Every step forward added another measure of exhaustion, possibly accompanied by an underlying fear that we may not be able to keep up this pace and manage all the anxiety that is present. There was less time to slow down to just be with and trust God. 

Making decisions has also gotten harder. Data that churches have relied on to gauge fruitfulness (e.g., attendance) are no longer easily measurable. Budget decisions seem to take longer and feel riskier. Long-time members are suddenly ready to leave the church over disagreements that could have been worked at previously.  

What can be done?  

The Apostle Paul offers some instructions, “Live in peace with each other. 14 We encourage you, brothers and sisters, to instruct those who are not living right, cheer up those who are discouraged, help the weak, and be patient with everyone” (1 Thess. 5:13b-14, GW).  

One of the best gifts we can give pastors is to live at peace with one another. How much work would ministers have if everyone were at peace with each other, not just at church but at home, work, school, and daily life? 

How can we support our ministers?  Rice suggests us “to manage expectations—yours and one another’s.” 

Just for today …  

let’s realize we all are doing our best. 
let’s not curse each other—not our friends, ourselves, or even our cats. 
let’s let go of our disagreements and embrace compromise. 

Instead … 

Let’s say thank you. 
Let’s pray. 

Just for today, let’s wait.  

Let’s wait to complain.  
Let’s wait before we send an impatient email.  
Let’s wait in order to make space for breath and life and the movement of the Spirit.

–Sarai Rice 

Rice continues, “Let’s wait before expecting that we and our ministers always will work harder and go faster and be even more creative. Let’s slow down, find grace, and wait before expecting one more thing. There will be a better time.” 

Perhaps the best support we can give our minsters is to grow in our own walk with the Lord, to not wait for the Pastor to “feed us.”  

The ongoing fruitfulness of our congregations and ministries is connected to how we care for our ministers and their families. October is Pastors’ Appreciation month. Let’s give them the gift of living at peace with one another and continue all year long. 

Noel Santiago

Noel Santiago is the Leadership Minister for Missional Transformation for Mosaic Conference.