Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

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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.

Assembly Scattered 2012: How do we discern together?

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On October 16, Executive Minister Ertell Whigham and LEADership Minister Jenifer Eriksen Morales led a training for conference delegates.  Delegates discussed methods for corporate discernment in their congregations, how to prepare themselves and their congregations for Conference Assembly, and the role and responsibilities of conference delegates.

Another training will be held on October 27, 9-11am, at Dock Woods Community (Fischer Auditorium) in Lansdale, Pa.  We hope you will be able to join us in person as we interact with one another around topics of discernment.  If you have a scheduling conflict, however, the video from the October 16th training is now available.

CA Scattered handout

A Franconia Conference Summer

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We asked for stories from summer activities from around the Conference and got this jewel from Kim Moyer, Blooming Glen congregation:

The theme for our Summer Bible School was “Be Bold! God is with You!” The children learned through songs, dramas, stories, crafts, and games, that God is with them, even when they are scared. 

One mother told me a story about her 5 year old son who has always been afraid to go into the basement of their home by himself.  The week after SBS, he asked his mom to go with him to the basement so that he could get his blanket.  His mom couldn’t go with him at the moment, so he decided he would try to go by himself.  When he returned to his mom with his blanket, he told her, “I was able to go down in the basement because I kept telling myself, God is always with us, God is always with us.”

A piece of SBS that caused a lot of excitement among the children was an offering project competition between the girls and the boys.  The children were raising money for a Mennonite Mission Network project, which sends children in South Africa to Bethany Bible School, a camp that teaches the children about Jesus.  It costs $20 to send one child to the camp, and the boys and girls at SBS were competing against each other to send the most children to camp.  If the boys won, then the Children’s Ministry Director (me) would get a pie in her face, and if the girl’s won, then the Lead Pastor would get the pie in his face. 

The children took this competition seriously and were bringing in their piggy banks, doing extra chores to raise money, and asking grandparents to write out checks.  By the end of the week, the 70 children at SBS collectively raised $1,162.53, sending 58 children to Bethany Bible School!  Although the boys won, and I got a pie in the face, it was decided that the real winners were the 58 children that would now be able to attend the Bible Camp.

Thanks, Kim, and everyone else who shared their photos and stories this summer!  And if you haven’t already read them, check out these stories about Peace Camps, Bethany’s anniversary celebration, a special service at Plains, Salford’s listening project, Kingdom Builders construction in Philly, Germantown Historic Trust’s painting project … and this is just some of what has been happening in our Conference this summer.

Enjoy these fun photos that were taken at camps, picnics, outdoor services, Bible Schools, and more.  If you’d like to add photos from your congregation’s summer to this gallery, send them to Emily with captions and photo credits.

View the photo album

Welcoming ex-offenders: Pastors Breakfast with Liberty Ministries

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Jonathan Lewis and Charlie Ness
Charlie Ness, pastor of Perkiomenville congregation, and Jonathan Lewis, director of the residential program at Liberty Ministries, share about their experiences with post-prison ministry.

Liberty Ministries exists to serve offenders in prison and ex-offenders in the community by showing God’s love, providing practical assistance, and supporting Biblical standards of justice.  At Wednesday morning’s breakfast, Bob Thompson, executive director, Jonathan Lewis, director of the residential program, and Charlie Ness, pastor of Perkiomenville congregation and one of the ministry’s founders, shared from their experiences of walking with ex-offenders who are moving beyond their past in the healing community of the church.

Listen to the podcast

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Liberty Pastors Breakfast (July 18).mp3[/podcast]

Watch the video

Forum #2: Who are we now?

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Forum with Eastern District
Mike Derstine, Plains, and Edie Landis, Zion, participate in table conversations at the second Forum between Eastern District and Franconia Conferences.

On May 24, leaders from Eastern District Conference and Franconia Conference met together to continue conversations about partnering in the future.  Eastern District conference minister Warren Tyson and Franconia Executive Minister Ertell Whigham shared ways that the two conferences are already working together as well as suggestions of future possibilities.

After table conversations, the gathered leaders reflected back to the larger group some of their affirmations, concerns, or questions.

Listen to the whole Forum:

[podcast]http://mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Forum 2 (May 2012).mp3[/podcast]

Watch the video:

Business as Mission

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Business as Mission Breakfast
Steve Hackman from One Village Coffee and Dale and Bethsaba Nafziger from Top of the World Coffee in Nepal shared at the June 14 pastors breakfast about their vision for business as mission.

Steve Hackman from One Village Coffee and Dale and Bethsaba Nafziger, missionaries in Nepal and proprietors of Top of the World Coffee, spoke at the June 14th Pastors and Conference Related Ministry Leaders Breakfast at the Conference Center in Harleysville.

All three have a passion for using business to reach others for Christ and to bring development to impoverished communities.  Read about the Nafziger’s work in Nepal here or listen to Steve’s presentation in our podcast–at the end, you’ll also hear a little about a new coffee ministry beginning in Quakertown, Pa.

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Business as Mission (Steve Hackman).mp3[/podcast]

Spring Training 2012

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Franconia Conference credentialed leaders from up and down the east coast met on Saturday, April 21, at Towamencin Mennonite Church for the first annual Spring Training, a time of equipping planned by the conference as part of a commitment to continuing education.

The day focused on interculturalism and included times of worship, table conversation, resourcing, and, of course, food!

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Morning Session #1 (1:02:37)

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Spring Training Session 1 (low).mp3[/podcast]

Morning Session #2 (43:29)

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Spring Training Session 2 (low).mp3[/podcast]

Afternoon Session #3 (57:37)

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Spring Training Session 3 (low).mp3[/podcast]

[tab:Photo Gallery]

View the photo gallery

[tab:Video]

Does Mennonite Matter?

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By John Stoltzfus, Franconia Conference Youth Minister

Dale Schrag at Salford. Photo by Ben Wideman.

Does it matter being Mennonite? According to Dale Schrag, “It depends.”

Dale, who is campus pastor and director of church relations at Bethel College, spoke to this question at a seminar for youth and adults at Salford Mennonite Church on April 11.  He elaborated by saying that it depends on what we mean by being Mennonite.

Schrag quoted Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches who said, “Mennonite is a beautiful adjective but an idolatrous noun.” We need to understand being Mennonite as an adjective description of Christian. In addition, in the Mennonite tradition it is essential to understand the Anabaptist theological distinctiveness of our tradition.

He named four central markers of Anabaptist theology from Harold S Bender’s Anabaptist Vision of 1944:

  • A distinctive reading of the Bible that is centered in Christ
  • A distinctive approach to discipleship, following the teachings of Jesus
  • A distinctive understanding of community
  • A distinctive commitment to nonresistance in the reconciling love of God

Dale concluded by emphasizing that being Mennonite matters because of what we have to offer to a world that needs Jesus.  Our particular understanding of the gospel of shalom (peace) and of how Jesus calls us to live is a gift to offer to our broken world.

Some questions to consider as we continue to unpack the question identified in this seminar.

  • How can we engage our children and youth in talking about what it means and why it matters to be a Mennonite Christian in today’s world?
  • How does this distinctiveness make a difference in how we practice our faith?
  • What difference does it make in how we read the Bible, live as community, relate to our neighbors, and engage in mission in our world?
  • How does being Mennonite help us to be faithful in following in the way of Christ?
  • What testimony do we have to share?
  • How can we hold these convictions with an open hand in a way that is inviting and winsome and good news to our neighbors and to a hurting and broken world?

Watch the full presentation: