Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Congregational Profiles

Congregational Profile: Finland Mennonite Church

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by Andrés Castillo, communication intern

For Finland congregation in Pennsburg, PA, a growing emphasis on “nurturing faith at home” and developing relationships among generations has become a hallmark of their lives together.

In January 2019, Finland collaborated with Spruce Lake Retreat to host the CrossGen conference at Spruce Lake, which included attendees from various Mennonite churches such as Rocky Ridge and Perkiomenville and a couple families who attended Spruce Lake’s family weeks in the past. CrossGen used the space to hold a Q&A panel and other activities that allowed different generations to mingle. The main stage speaker, Sean McDowell, a published apologist and professor at Biola University, shared messages and engaged youth, and many left the conference feeling that allowed them to connect across generations.

The turnout was great, but the lessons Finland learned from the experience were even greater. People were open to mixing intergenerationally, and some even looked forward to it. Through CrossGen, Finland was able to see not only where people stood in their ideas and theology, but that those ideas and theologies are not generation-specific. Another lesson they felt was worth repeating: when communicating faith in Christ, Christians should be humble, loving the person(s) and not merely getting their own arguments across.

Youth Band Leads Worship at CrossGen 2019. (Photo courtesy of Colin Ingram)

Finland sees value in uniting generations, and have made it a common theme in their ministries. They hope to make CrossGen an annual event, but the congregation’s “Gen2Gen nights” have been going strong since before the conference, launching in September 2017.  During these once-a-month church gatherings on Wednesday nights, congregants take time to worship and often participate in humanitarian relief activities, such as preparing supply bags for Ripple in Allentown or Rise Against Hunger. The point of these events is to strengthen family and generational bonds.

Finland also wants its members to nurture faith at home. “We believe God’s intent is not for us to just go to church,” Finland ministry assistant Colin Ingram states. “Deuteronomy 6:5-7 applies to a lot of what we are trying to do here, as it commands us to not only obey, but love God at home and on the go, as well as teach his ways through the generations.”  This happens by equipping parents to pass on the faith to their children, intergenerational and family-oriented programs, and a “prayer partner” program in which youths are assigned a mentor when they reach 6th grade to pray, check in, and walk with them in their faith through high school.

Two congregants serve together at a Gen2Gen night; the congregation is helping prepare a building for a community activities program. (Photo courtesy of Colin Ingram)

Finland has also been holding Finland Faith Week, a week-long version of Vacation Bible School (VBS) held on weeknights for families, couples, and singles, that involves parents as much as it does children and youth. Ingram describes the program as “a combination of VBS, an overall movement of intergenerationality, and the idea of encouraging parents in practicing faith at home.” Finland Faith Week is not just “a day thing for children,” but a time for children and parents to strengthen their faith together, in the context of the whole faith family gathering to grow in Christ.

 Through these different activities, Finland had been reinforcing the idea of not just attending church on Sunday. Their hope to keep CrossGen going year round seems to be realized, and they will be hosting the CrossGen conference again on January 10-12, 2020 at Spruce Lake, featuring Forge America national director Ryan Hairston as the speaker.  As they move forward, they will keep experimenting with and learning about intergenerationality and ways that families can practice loving God at home.

Please pray for Finland …

  • that God would continue to open doors for the gospel to be preached with clarity as we gather and as we go (Colossians 4:2-4)
  • that we would know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 4: 14-19)

Congregational Profile: Wellspring Church of Skippack

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by Marta Castillo, interim pastor

Wellspring Church of Skippack is a congregation with deep Mennonite roots but an openness to people of all backgrounds who wish to follow Christ.

The youngest member of Wellspring, Kaylee Hockman (14 years old) went to visit with the oldest member, Florence Garges (93 years old), and Mae Reinford, who has attended the church for 77 years. In their walk down memory lane, Florence and Mae told us about a horse shed that was eventually enclosed into a building that held Sunday School and Vacation Bible School rooms. Florence remembers teaching Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and the nursery class with her sister, Evelyn, and enjoying the Winter Bible Study. She remembers their Sunday School class going on a Saturday afternoon visit to her teacher’s house where they played games and got treats. Although she still thinks of the church by its old name (Upper Skippack Mennonite Church) and now lives in the Souderton Mennonite Homes, she says, “It was the only church we ever went to. I always liked it. I didn’t know any different. It was home.”

Mae Reinford, who is still very active at Wellspring, remembers the “Golden Years” of Vacation Bible School that was held for 175-200 community children. Her Uncle Jake Landis was a school bus driver who would invite the children for the event, and for a time, the church was allowed to use the public school’s buses to transport the children to Bible School. Mae’s parents, Wilmer and Margaret Reinford were heavily involved in organizing and running the Bible School. At least one of the current members at the church attended Bible School at the church as a child. Mae has watched many things change over the years and yet she continues to rejoice in the work that God is doing in and through us.

Today, Wellspring is a small, vibrant congregation with a church culture of “Come as you are and as you like. We enjoy dressing down AND dressing up.” Our average attendance is 25-30. It is easy to GET IN AND GET INVOLVED. We have a lot of potential for ministry in areas such as worship, children, and Bible study groups.

The congregation begins to gather on a Sunday morning around 9 a.m. with the worship team meeting to pray and practice. The prayer room is open for prayer and intercession from 9:30-10 am. Our worship service starts at 10 am and is a combination of prayer, preaching, sharing, and singing.  The worship style includes a rich mix of contemporary praise songs and hymns. We know that styles are different, musical tastes vary, and worship is BOTH personal and corporate. The Sunday morning worship service is informal with several meaningful opportunities for the congregation to share prayer requests, Scripture, and sermon response. We enjoy a children’s story every Sunday that is led by different members of the congregation.

We value our relationship in a group of five small churches in our area: Methacton, Providence, Spring Mount, and Frederick. Our pastors meet monthly and we worship together in several services and picnics each year.

Due to our proximity to the Phoenix (formerly Graterford) Prison, our congregation and its leaders have often been involved in different levels of prison ministry. We are currently involved in providing maps, clothing, and information for people who are seeking to visit the prison. Pastor Michael Meneses, who served as pastor here from 2001-2018, was instrumental in developing restorative justice workshops in the prison. Currently, there are four ten-week sessions based on “Restorative Justice” by Howard Zehr that run throughout the year. They are led by a group of leaders, including Jake Lentz from Wellspring and Bobbi Smisko from Methacton.

Wellspring Church of Skippack is experiencing the unending source of the grace and love of God in surprising and wonderful ways. We are being built up every day on the foundation that is Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit inspires us and guides us to be who God is calling us to be. It is a gem of a congregation!

Prayer Requests:
* continue to pray for us during this year of transition following the death of our beloved pastor, Mike Meneses, as we seek God’s healing, direction, and vision
* pray for the guidance of God’s Spirit in our pastoral search process and that we can be a witness of God’s salvation and love in our prayer ministry, prison (restorative justice) ministry, and where we live, work, and play

 

Congregational Profile: Rocky Ridge Mennonite Church

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by Franco Salvatori, Rocky Ridge congregation

“It was the literal fulfillment of scripture that caused me to join Rocky Ridge Mission. As I saw these faithful Christians coming eight or more miles from their homes and gathering up in their cars Italians, Poles, Dutch, American Negroes, and Germans, to take them to the house of the Lord, I was made to feel that here is a group of Christians who are really making their religion practical.”1 

James & Rowena Lark. Photo: GAMEO

That was Rowena Lark’s description of Rocky Ridge congregation at its inception in the early 1930s.  Rowena’s husband James would later become the first African American minister ordained by the Mennonite Church in 1944. 

As a Mission Outreach, the pioneering families of the church not only drove 8 miles to invest in the “Paletown” community that had grown up around the Rockhill quarry a few miles south of Quakertown, PA, but they relocated their families there to begin the church, a school (Quakertown Christian School), and a number of businesses.  They wanted to make a difference in the lives of the people who were living in the area between Paletown and Three Mile Roads, Old Bethlehem and Doylestown (SR.313) pikes.  And the difference was noticed, as heard in Rowena Lark’s words.

Consistent with its origin, the church continues to represent a unique diversity in its body.   Current members and attenders include people who have immigrated from North & South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and China.  The church has also recently begun to share building space with the Evangelical Blessing Church, consisting of people from Central and Southern African countries. 

Bishop Antonio Alfredo Barros (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Angola), Pastor Franco Salvatori, & Tarun Guardia (Bible Translator and Indian Missionary).

Rocky Ridge maintains a strong missionary “sending” ethos.  Early workers from the Rocky Ridge mission went on to later serve in other mission ministries in Minnesota, Vermont, Montana, Chicago, and Canada.  Currently, the church supports missionaries in Pakistan, India, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, all who had formational faith experiences at Rocky Ridge.  Joel Nsongo, Executive Director of Congolese Community Development Network (CCDN), says, “This community has been instrumental in so many seasons of my own life.  From their investment in me as a young man with the IVEP program, through raising my own family and later, the foundation of CCDN, Rocky Ridge has helped shape the work and vision God has given for my life and family.”     

Currently, the church describes itself as “a community of people, bonded by faith in Jesus Christ, committed to being Shaped by God’s Word, to Sharing life as God’s Family, and to Sacrificing for God’s Mission.”  That’s modern language for the same impulse that started the church in the late 1920s.  As we look towards the future, Rocky Ridge is prayerfully committed to re-imagining what it means to live out the same intercultural, gospel-centered move toward the community that has always been at the center of its reason for being. 

Prayer Requests:
* that they would courageously follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in their lives and organizationally
* that they would creatively engage their neighbors with the Good News of Jesus
* that they would consistently surrender their will, aspirations, and desires to will of the Father

Congregational Profile: Covenant Community Fellowship

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by Steve Wilburn, Covenant congregation

In 1984, a core group formed from the Franconia congregation to begin planning for a new church plant in the Lansdale/Montgomeryville area.  In December 1986, the doors of Covenant Community Fellowship were opened for their first worship service at North Penn Senior Center on Main Street in Lansdale.  Three years later, with the assistance of other Franconia Conference churches, and under the leadership of Pastor Earl Anders, Covenant acquired the Beth-Israel Synagogue building just outside of Lansdale.  The congregation still meets there today, led by Pastor Jay Moyer.

Like most churches, we seek to worship God well, care for our neighbors, and reach out to our community.  Our services are informal and include a mix of contemporary worship and traditional hymns, as well as practical teaching based on God’s Word.  We regularly pray for and minister to the needs of our congregation and our neighbors.  And we find ways to engage with our community through events like our free Spaghetti Dinner, which we host twice a year.

Spaghetti Dinner

Recently, though, we’ve begun leaning into one of the areas in which God has blessed our congregation: our age diversity.

We are a multigenerational congregation with people of all ages worshiping and fellowshipping together each week.  We have a number of young families and have recently had the joy of welcoming several new babies into our church community.  We also have older couples and individuals who have been attending Covenant for many years.

In the past year, we have become more intentional about not just being multigenerational in our attendance, but also in our engagement with one another.  Older and younger church members regularly meet to learn and grow from each other.  Our regular women’s and men’s gatherings are designed to be open to people in all different stages of life so we can learn and grow together.

Women’s Retreat

We recently started a mentoring program to pair up our youth with adults in the congregation that can help guide them in faith and discipleship.

This past spring, we hosted monthly family nights where we invited several of the more mature members of our congregation to share their wisdom on practical life topics including finances, parenting, and marriage. This sharing led to wonderful times of discussions between age groups that were fun, encouraging, and challenging for everyone that attended.

The support and care across generations has proven especially important as we’ve had congregation members face health issues, financial hardship, and loss over the past year.  In each circumstance, God has not only shown his grace and provision, but he has brought a deeper unity and interdependence to our congregation as we have had older and younger members cross generational barriers to minister to and support one another.

More and more we are discovering how God has created Covenant to be a place of worship for people in all stages of life. We like to tell people that we at Covenant are not a bunch of perfect people, we are broken people that worship a perfect God.  Our desire is to share the love and truth of that perfect God to everyone we can, from every generation.

Prayer Requests: 

  • Pray for our Lead Pastor, Jay Moyer, as he finishes his sabbatical in the coming weeks.
  • Pray for our Summer Do initiative as we seek to reach our neighbors through prayer, invitation, and service.
  • Pray for the parents of several new babies born in our congregation over the past six months.

 

Congregational Profile: Boyertown Mennonite Church

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by Nelson Shenk, Boyertown congregation

Boyertown (PA) Mennonite Church began in 1780 as an extension of nearby Bally Mennonite Church to accommodate folks who lived in the Boyertown (Colebrookdale) area. For many years they shared ministerial leadership and even alternated meeting houses. As of 1847, we have been operating as our own entity completely separate from Bally but still a sister congregation in Franconia Mennonite Conference.

The Boyertown community is a mainly blue-collar town although it is also a bedroom community for the King of Prussia area as more people move westward along the Route 422 corridor. Our membership is drawn mostly from the Boyertown, Gilbertsville, and Pottstown area, although we do extend well beyond that with some of our members.

Outdoor Worship

Our mission statement is “to be a Christian community of healing and growth.” We work at that by ministering to folks who have come to us with some significant issues in their lives such as divorce, blended families, drug and alcohol abuse, and incarceration. We attempt to be “family” to each other through consistent nurture and support.

We plan regular “Family Days” events that appeal to a wide range of ages so that we interact on many different levels. Other strong means of connections are found in senior fellowship, men’s and women’s Bible studies, small groups, monthly prayer meetings, men’s and women’s retreats and an active group of quilters. As a small congregation we believe that healing and growth happens best in these contexts where we get to know each other in-depth.

Knotting Blitz

We tend to be very informal in our structure and our interactions. We have drawn in folks of all stripes and backgrounds, including those on disability, ex-offenders, farmers, educated professionals, truck drivers, factory workers, child care workers, mechanics, teachers, and many retired folks. In our diversity what everyone has in common is a love of Jesus and a desire to share that love with a wide variety of folks. We also strive to encourage a world-view through missions support and monthly giving projects.

Men’s Retreat

Our local congregational ministry is filled with joys and sorrows. We have seen both great successes in healing and growth while experiencing devastating losses. We realize that God has called us to be present with one another in ministry as we leave the results up to him.

One amazing story from the past two years centers on a woman and her daughter who were undocumented citizens from Mexico. She had married a man from our church and they had two children together when she and her daughter decided to take the necessary steps to get their green cards. When the mother returned to Mexico for the final step in the process she did not receive her green card and had to stay in Mexico for over a year. With much prayer and petitioning, however, she eventually got her green card and is now back home with her family and they are moving on in praise of what God and our congregation did for them.

Church Bazaar

One struggle we face on a regular basis is finding enough folks to carry on the tasks of ministry. So often the same people are called on to lead us, and that can result in burn out, so please keep us in prayer. We call on God to send us workers because the need is great.

Boyertown Mennonite Church asks for your prayers, that God would continue to raise up younger folks to take the places of older leaders in the church who have passed away.

 

Congregational Profile: Alpha Mennonite Church

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by Brenda Havens and Alice Henthorn of the Alpha congregation

The building at the corner of East Boulevard and North Street in Alpha, NJ sits in beauty and dignity–tall, with steeple pointed to the Creator. Built many years ago as a Hungarian Presbyterian church, the house of God looks relatively small in area. Peeking inside, a newcomer would see that the sanctuary seats about 90 folks, and might be about one-third full on a typical Sunday morning.

Henry and Ida Swartley, originally of Eastern PA and then living in Warren County, NJ, planted Alpha Mennonite Church after they were asked by Franconia leaders to start a mission in this area. A crew of interested people refurbished the old building and opened doors for the first service in November, 1975. Through the next decade, the congregation grew, peaking at about 125 attendees in ’85.

In the case of Alpha Mennonite Church, small does not mean weak, or in decline, or inactive. This church hosts a community of people who come together in joy and committed love, and then work to share that love with neighbors. New attendees, visitors and neighbors consistently point to the outreach and hospitality of our congregation as strong factors in building their first impressions.

In our community, many families need help with food, as well as hygiene items. We contribute to this effort, as well as regular Sunday donations to the worldwide Worm Project (meds to eliminate abdominal parasites) and The Water Project (for village wells that produce clean water)—in response to guest speakers who work in these areas.

We participate in Interfaith Hospitality Network–helping to provide meals and shelter to homeless families. And, each spring, we meet neighbors by participating in a town-wide yard sale as we provide water, snacks and facilities to shoppers.

And we frequently respond to individual calls for material help.

One very strong program met with much enthusiasm is a Wednesday-night Bible study. For the past two years, one of our members has led the group in some serious and thoughtful history while going through the Pentateuch, the prophets and wisdom lit. Adults in Sunday School address a variety of topics through discussion, journaling, poetry and study. Our Sunday School kids sing, dance, pray and create awesome artifacts.

These kids, led by a long-time member and dance instructor, spend some of their Sunday time rehearsing dynamic, kinetic expressions of the Christian story for special programs through the year, and teens help with choreography.

These kids, led by a long-time member and dance instructor, spend some of their Sunday time rehearsing dynamic, kinetic expressions of the Christian story for special programs through the year, and teens help with choreography.

Young people and adults take turns leading some very creative children’s times during worship. We’ve had giraffe days, candle-holder making, and the march of the animals, all recently, among other fun endeavors.

Church dinners, parties, and celebrations abound at Alpha Church. Folks gather for a love feast and games around every Valentines Day. We celebrate Sunday School starting, Sunday School ending, graduations, babies, college kids leaving, Maundy Thursday, Seder, Easter breakfast, and any other reason we find to get together.

March of the Animals (Photo by Brenda Havens)

We need a pastor–for guidance, spiritual direction, and generally overseeing congregational matters.

We have dearly loved all our pastors, and we anticipate a solid working and loving relationship with a new one. In the 18 months since our last minister left, we have taken up the challenge of keeping this family of God ticking and connecting. We thank God for giving us the strength, love and community to keep the flock moving, and we see this as a testament to our readiness to continue until and after that long-awaited shepherd comes to us.

Prayer Requests:

We await, with hope and faith, the sending of a new pastor, who would serve us on a part-time basis. 

We want to find effective ways to connect with and reach out to the neighbors in our community.

 

Congregational Profile: Nueva Vida Norristown New Life

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(leer en español)

by Andrés Castillo

A car pulled up to a fellow worship team member and me while we were talking on the steps of Nueva Vida Norristown New Life (NVNNL).

“Excuse me, sir—are you still giving computer lessons at the internet café?” the woman shouted.

As our internet café is not often frequented these days, I was shocked that it was still something anyone cared about. I then realized this represented what NVNNL means to the people of Norristown, PA: a place of unity, peace, warmth, familiarity, and sanctuary not valued for how many people it helps, but how it helps those in need.

Nueva Vida Norristown New Life was formed by three churches—one Latino, one African-American, and one African-American and Anglo—combining in 1990. Ever since, the congregation has tried to minister to the community it represents. Interculturalism and integration have become part of NVNNL’s way of life, including bilingual services and a team of pastors that represent different ethnic groups. Surprisingly, this is still considered innovative or even extraordinary by many.

The city of Norristown is racially and economically diverse and can be a zone of conflict and unrest. Our congregation operates as a place of peace and a leader in unity for the town in these times of separation.  Recently, we were named a Zone of Peace by Interfaith Philadelphia’s Zones of Peace initiative, where Franconia Conference executive minister Steve Kriss and leadership minister of intercultural formation Marta Castillo serve on the religious leaders council. Zones of Peace are organizations that “seek unique ways to address the challenges most palpable in their neighborhoods.” NVNNL has actively faced these challenges—hatred, fear, discrimination, poverty—since its birth.

Along with a photo-ID clinic, NVNNL has founded and maintained the Hospitality Center, housing ministry for assisted living, an internet café, and the Precious Life Learning Center (day care and preschool). Members of the congregation are known to help each other and other members of the community with matters such as translation and transportation as well.

Things such as state IDs, internet access, and computers are taken for granted by many; the desperation the woman in the car showed reminds me that they are a luxury to some. Lacking necessities makes fear and suffering the norm for many. NVNNL’s congregation understands this, and our ministries focus on this fact of life. In addition to that, racial reconciliation efforts are present within our church to spread peace to those who seek it.

The representation at NVNNL is great, but we believe that the inclusion we practice is not “special;” it is simply a demonstration of the teachings of Jesus. Minister of Worship Sharon Williams states that this unity should be practiced “especially in the church, because valuing people more than personal beliefs comes from the gospel. When you allow yourself to do that, it makes life much more rich.” Associate pastor Ertell Whigham adds: “This is just our way of life. The true ‘award’ is the obedience that honors God.”

Although some congregations look to NVNNL for guidance when it comes to bringing different cultures together, we still have a long way to go. Nonetheless, we try our best to offer some peace to those in our community. We do what little we can, and trust that our ministries will grow as we continue in them. We pray that more and more people from all backgrounds join our congregation and that we can touch new lives each day.

The church asks for your prayers that they would increase the number of strong relationships in their community and more people in need would find them, for members of their congregation with health issues, and for further fellowship and unity within their congregation.

Congregational Profile: Roaring Spring Mennonite Church

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by Scott Roth, Eastern District Conference Minister

Roaring Spring Mennonite Church is nestled in the small, rural Pennsylvania town of Roaring Spring.  The congregation had its first meeting house in 1898, when they bought their current building from the Methodists.  In 1912, the congregation made a move from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Conference to Eastern District Conference.  In 2002, Elsie Gonsman became the pastor of the church.

The town of Roaring Spring, over the years, has become economically dominated by the local paper mill.  Over the years, the church has had a variety of ministries that focused on the local residents and surrounding farms of Roaring Spring.  Currently the congregation is highly active in their community.  They engage in hosting a weekly bereavement group, Bible studies in the local retirement communities, and work with other organizations where there are needs.

The average age of the congregation is 70+ and they do not stop being family together.  Elsie, now 82, continues to preach and teach and lead the congregation into ministry.  The congregation continues to find ways to be the church away from the meetinghouse and have an active role with other congregations in the area. 

A couple distinguishing notes about worship on a Sunday morning at Roaring Spring: as they sing hymns, a reader tells the story of the hymn to be sung and explains why it was written and a bit about the author.  Then the congregation sings to the music of the player organ; since they do not have an organist, they invested in a player organ that has hundreds of hymns pre-programmed into it!

In the past years, the congregation had sold its parsonage to help finance some improvements to the meeting house.  As Roaring Spring congregation continues to navigate its future, one question they are asking is whether they should sell their meetinghouse and create a foundation fund to assist others in the community of Roaring Spring.  Roaring Spring Mennonite Church continues to navigate what it means to be a family of God in the town where they meet.  As their future is still to be determined, the congregation is faithful to the mission of Christ. 

The church asks for your prayers as they are trusting God for their future after recent, unexpected expenses have put a strain on their finances.