Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Multimedia

Conversation on Race and the Church

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Race and ChurchOn September 21, Drew Hart and Ben Walter presented a conversation on race and the church at Germantown Historic Meetinghouse in Philadelphia, sponsored by the Franconia and Eastern District Conferences’ Peace & Justice Committee.  This conversation connected Anabaptist and Black Theologies and identified areas in which churches participate in both institutionalized racism as well as acts of micro aggression.

Part 1:

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Conversation on Race and the Church part 1.mp3[/podcast]

Part 2:

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Conversation on Race and the Church part 2.mp3[/podcast]

Worshiping our way into God's future

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James KrabillJames Krabill from Mennonite Mission Network stopped by our Pastors and CRM Leaders Breakfast on September 26 to guide our leaders in imagining an intercultural future, beginning with the way we worship.  You can pick up a copy of his book at the Conference Center and listen to the podcast below–he used these handouts.

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/James Krabill (low).mp3[/podcast]

Conversation about worshiping into God's future

James Krabill breakfast

Gathering with Elizabeth Soto Albrecht

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Elizabeth Soto AlbrechtElizabeth Soto Albrecht, the new moderator of Mennonite Church USA, recently completed a 3-week journey around the United States visiting Mennonite Church USA congregations.  Elizabeth joined pastors and Conference Related Ministry leaders on August 23 to share her learnings and challenges from that journey and hopes for the future of the church and to listen to stories and answer questions from Franconia and Eastern District leaders.

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Elizabeth Soto Albrecht.mp3[/podcast]

"Fingerprints of Fire … Footprints of Peace" with Noel Moules

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Noel MoulesNoel Moules from the Anabaptist Network in the UK presented at this morning’s Pastors’ and CRM Leaders’ Breakfast on his book Fingerprints of Fire … Footprints of Peace.  A number of years ago while Noel was meeting with leaders from Franconia Conference, he was encouraged to write this book, in which he describes some of the terms he coins for his particular brand of provocative Anabaptism and encourages Jesus-followers to live holistically in this exciting time of post-Christendom.

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Noel-Moules.mp3[/podcast]

No Greater Love–Peace and Justice for Vulnerable Veterans

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Pointman Soldiers Heart Ministries
James Abram & Ari Merretazon from Pointman Soldiers Heart Ministries share about caring for vulnerable veterans. Photo by Emily Ralph.

Minister Ari S. Merretazon and Deacon James Abram of Pointman Soldiers Heart Ministry describe their day-to-day work as “vulnerable veterans helping vulnerable veterans.” Today they shared from their personal experiences as veterans on a path of healing and from their engagement with many other vets they have met, befriended, and supported through experiences of isolation, pain, and injustice from systems where they expected to find help. Listen to the podcast and learn how you might become a participant in the well-being and just treatment of those in our neighborhoods who have been deeply wounded by war. Ari’s PowerPoint.

Ari’s story is featured in the book Bloods, Black Veterans of the Vietnam War: An Oral History and in the movie Dead Presidents.

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Pointman-Heart.mp3[/podcast]

Preventing Gun Violence

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Gun Violence Pastors BreakfastDrick Boyd, professor at Eastern University, and Fred Kauffman from Mennonite Central Committee (both from West Philadelphia congregation) shared stories of gun violence and redemption and encouraged leaders to engage their congregations around the topic of gun violence and gun control.  There are deeper issues in our culture, Boyd said, and getting rid of guns won’t remove those deeper issues, but “at least we’ll live long enough to address them.”

Kauffman and Boyd are available to come speak at your congregation on the topic of preventing gun violence; they also recommend the book America and Its Guns.

Intercessory Prayer about Gun Violence

Listen to the podcast:

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Gun-Violence.mp3[/podcast]

U.S. War-culture, Sacrifice and Salvation

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Kelly Denton-BorhaugFollowing the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Rev. Kelly Denton-Borhaug, Associate Professor and Chair of the Religion Department at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa., began to investigate the links between Christian understandings of sacrifice and U.S. militarism and war.

This morning, Denton-Borhaug spoke at the Pastors and CRM Leaders’ Breakfast about the topic of her book, U.S. War-culture, Sacrifice and Salvation.  A “war-culture,” said Denton-Borhaug, is the increasing interpenetration of the ethos and practices of war into ever-increasing facets of daily human life.  Drawing on information from economists, sociologists, and pop culture, Denton-Borhaug gave illustrations of how this war-culture has developed and overdeveloped, especially in the years since 9/11, and how the language of sacrifice fosters what can be considered a national “war religion.”

Peace advocates must talk about and study the reality of war-culture in the United States, Denton-Borhaug encouraged, to begin to diffuse the mystery that surrounds it.  This will be the topic of the upcoming Winter Peace Retreat, sponsored by the Franconia and Eastern District Conferences’ Peace & Justice Committee.

Listen to the podcast from this morning’s breakfast and view the PowerPoint presentation, which includes additional information and statistics beyond what Denton-Borhaug covered in her presentation.  Contact Kelly.

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/War-Culture-Kelly-Denton-Borhaug.mp3[/podcast]

God@Work: Conference Assembly 2012

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Did you miss this year’s Conference Assembly?  Do you want to share something that happened with a friend?  Listen to both business sessions and the evening worship, check out the photo gallery, or share this highlight video with your congregation!

[tab:Podcast]

Joint afternoon session with Eastern District:

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Assembly 2012-United Business Session.mp3[/podcast]

Franconia delegates session:

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Assembly 2012-Franconia Delegate Session.mp3[/podcast]

Evening worship:

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Assembly 2012-Evening Worship.mp3[/podcast]

[tab:Photo Gallery]

Thanks, Andrew Huth, for these beautiful photos!

View the gallery

[tab:Highlight Video]

Photos by Andrew Huth (andrewhuth.com), video by Ben Wideman, editing by Kristine McClain (rethinkcreativeservices.com), music from jewelbeat.com.