Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

News

Christopher Dock announces transition process and search team

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With the resignation of Elaine Moyer as principal at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School (Lansdale, PA), the school’s Board of Trustees has implemented a transition process.

  • The board’s executive committee has been named as the Transition Committee: Phil Bergstresser, LeeAnn Bergey, Henry Longacre, and Ruth Yoder.
  • The Board reaffirmed and agreed on several foundational beliefs to guide their decisions during the transition. Dock will retain an unapologetic Anabaptist/Mennonite identity considered essential to retain Dock’s vision. Dock is committed to continued collaborative work with Penn View and Quakertown Christian Schools and on the GPS 2012 initiative.
  • A Search Committee was named to to find a new principal and prepare a transition timetable. Members include: Joy Sutter, chair; Hunter Hess, Sharon Fransen, Jim Lapp, and Henry Longacre. Their intent is to employ a replacement by the beginning of the new school year.

The Search Committee also released the following employment advertisement. More information relating to the search process can be found online at dockhs.org by clicking on “DockSearch.” The Committee invites prayers and suggestion of possible candidates from leaders and members in the Franconia Conference community.

ADVERTISEMENT for Principal at Dock

Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, a leading secondary school in southeastern PA with 400 students and 40 faculty members seeks an outstanding educational leader rooted in the Anabaptist faith to serve as principal for the school beginning in July 2009. The successful candidate will embody a strong sense of community/team building, demonstrate well-developed leadership and administrative skills, display excellent interpersonal and communication skills, be an educator with a passion for leadership in a secondary school, and be an active member of a congregation affiliated with an Anabaptist church. Master’s degree and educational leadership experience required. Interested applicants should submit letter of intent and curriculum vitae to: Joy Sutter, chair of search committee, 2671 Crabapple Circle, Perkasie, PA 18944, or email to DockSearch@gmail.com. Further information for potential candidates can be found at www.dockhs.org.

Conference partners to present leadership forum

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“Leadership is the art of inspiring others to want to work toward a shared vision” was the framing quote for the day long leadership forum, entitled Finding Our Way Together: Leadership in Challenging Times, held at Frederick Mennonite Community on February 12th. The day long forum was the result of a partnership between Eastern District Conference, Frederick Mennonite Community and Franconia Conference’s School for Leadership Formation.

More than 60 pastoral, lay and professional leaders, representing 17 different congregations and para-church organizations from across Southeastern Pennsylvania attended the forum led by Mennonite Health Services (MHS) Alliance’s Rick Stiffney.

Bringing participants current context to the forefront, Stiffney, who serves as the Presidnet/CEO of MHS Alliance, began the day by showing the group a montage of current national and local headlines. Participants then spent the day working together in their organizational teams through three interactive modules on leading, planning and building a strong team. The modules focused on the nature of the call to serve, exploring how leaders, whether pastor or CEO, can create effective partnerships with boards to carry forward long-range planning in their particular context.

Erin Price, Zion Mennonite Church, appreciated Stiffney’s practical apporach, “I found the training refreshing and energizing. It was great to take time out of the normal day to day business of a board and discuss where we want to go and how we can work better together. Rick’s simple and basic teachings gave us applicable things we could take with us as a board and put into practice. I’m not only inspired me to be a better leader, but also to mentor and encourage other leaders.”

Karen Moyer, Rocky Ridge Mennonite Church, also noted the significance of taking time off from the business side of board meetings, “The self-assessment for leadership practices and then the opportunity for individual reflection and discussion within our team was most valuable for us. As leaders, we too often meet for ‘business’ without reflection or feedback on how our leadership is perceived or received.”

“What was most valuable to our team was being given the time to process, dream and plan together in a way that is not normally possible,” noted Brent Camilleri, Associate Pastor of Deep Run East Mennonite Church. “I think that each of us felt challenged to reevaluate our leadership approach and to look at how we lead our congregation with a new sense of focus and purpose.”

Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse features DayBreak

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On February 21, one of Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse’s favorite bands returns to sing and play the night away as we look forward to spring. DayBreak and opening act Glass Roses will perform folk music at the Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse in the Perkasie Mennonite Church hall at 4th & Chestnut Streets in Perkasie, PA. Experience the warmth and energy of DayBreak on a winter’s night.

Doors open at 7 pm with performances at 7:30. Adults $9, Adults over 65 $7, Students 13 and up $4, 12 & under free. Refreshments will also be available for purchase.

The musicians of DayBreak have been harmonizing together in and around the Lehigh and Bucks Counties of Pennsylvania since 1990. The group includes Cliff Cole playing the hammered dulcimer, guitar, and percussion; Anna Lisa Yoder on the violin, mandolin and bouzouki; Rob Yoder on concertina, guitar, bodhrán, harp and mountain dulcimer. DayBreak also incorporates the musical skills of their children: Emily Cole on voice and pennywhistle, Trudy Yoder on cello, Lydia Yoder on violin and bodhrán, and Seth Yoder on hammered dulcimer and keyboard. Everyone lends their voices to a growing repertoire of winsome and compelling songs. DayBreak has performed in various settings including The Bethlehem Musikfest, Longwood Gardens, Godfrey Daniels Coffeehouse, The Allentown Mayfair, Foy Hall at Moravian College, Celtic Classic, Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse, Kutztown Pennsylvania German Festival and at various clubs and churches. Along with their three recordings, DayBreak is featured in the soundtrack for Expressions of Common Hands, a documentary on Pennsylvania German folk arts. Visit www.daybreakfolk.com for more information.

Opening act Glass Roses features daughter/father duo Emily Rose and Cliff Cole in combination with friend Rob Fedorczyk. This team combines hammered dulcimer, voice, tin whistle, slide and electric guitar, bass guitar, and percussion in genres from folk to folk rock. All three are experienced musicians and composers.

Check out our website at www.perkmenno.org for directions or more information, or call 215-723-2010.

Upcoming Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse shows:

  • March 21 – Wayfarers and Company + Steve Begley
  • April 16 – Ken Kolodner + Boys of County Bucks
  • May 16 – Kim & Reggie Harris
  • October 17 – Gordon Bok
  • November 21 – Charlie Zahm & Tad Marks + Unsafe At Any Speed