Mosaic Mennonites

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MCC to implement budget cuts

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Amid the global economic crisis, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is reducing its budget in the coming year while continuing to focus its resources on helping people in poverty around the world.

The budget for MCC’s international program, which carries out relief, development and peacemaking work in more than 50 countries, will be reduced by about $2 million and administrative expenditures also are being cut, according to Arli Klassen, MCC’s executive director.

“As we make difficult decisions, our highest concern is for the hundreds of thousands of people around the world whose lives are touched by MCC’s work,” she said.

These cuts for MCC represent a 10-percent reduction. MCC U.S. and the regional MCC offices in the U.S. are facing a 9-percent reduction. MCC Canada and provincial MCC offices are also facing budget cuts. However, it is not yet clear what the size of the budget cuts in Canada will be. The financial year for the MCCs in Canada ends on Aug. 31.

“Our hope, still, is that the generosity of donors will enable the MCCs in Canada to meet their financial commitments to the people we serve,” said Don Peters, executive director of MCC Canada.

While more people are giving money to support MCC’s work than in previous years, the average contribution decreased in 2008, and the economic turmoil has affected MCC in other ways. In particular, the value of contributions from Canada was reduced because of a sharp drop in the value of the Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar. Nearly half of MCC’s funding for international program comes from Canadian contributions in Canadian dollars. MCC’s financial reserves were also reduced by losses in financial markets.

Klassen asks for prayer for the work of MCC and renewed giving to support MCC’s mission.

“Thank you for your commitment to walking alongside people who face poverty and conflict, whether we have big resources or smaller resources,” Klassen said. “Our commitment to sharing God’s love does not change.”

Teaching a practical skill in Chile's summer sun

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During a recent visit Pastor Alfredo Navea of the Tabernacle of Christ Church in Viña del Mar, Chile learned of the canning process many EuroAmerican Franconia Conference congregation members use to preserve harvests of seasonal garden fruits and vegetables. Navea was visiting Pastor Charles Ness, Perkiomenville, and his wife, Janet, at the time and told them, “You must come to Chile and teach us how to do this so we can preserve the fruit we have in the summer for use in the winter.”

In mid-February this year Charles and Janet, Merv and Lois Zook, also from the Perkiomenville congregation, and John Kulp and his family, Franconia congregation, will do just that. The group will spend seven days in Viña del Mar teaching members of Tabernacle of Christ how to can and preserve the abundance of summer fruits during what is late summer in the southern hemisphere. This project will help the members of Tabernacle of Christ and other Chileans meet their winter food needs, especially in the mountain areas of Chile where food shortages are common in winter months.

“We believe that this is a unique way to use a process that many of us learned from our parents and take for granted to bless others in need,” notes Pastor Charles Ness. “This cross cultural exchange is another expression of being Partners in Mission.”

Tabernacle of Christ congregation and a network of churches in the Viña del Mar area are Franconia Conference Partners in Mission and have a thriving relationship with the Perkiomenville, Boyertown and Whitehall congregations.

In order to fund this initiative the team is hoping to raise support from across Franconia Conference communities. Donations will provide canning supplies, jars, lids and help cover the costs of airfare for the team.

If you would like to make a donation toward this initiative please send a check to Perkiomenville Mennonite Church marked “Chile Canning Project” at the following address:

Perkiomenville Mennonite Church
PO Box 59
Perkiomenville PA 18074

For more information contact Charles Ness at 215-234-4011 or perkmc@verizon.net

Donated funds beyond what is needed for the canning project will go toward the $50,000 needed to finish Tabernacle of Christ Church’s building construction.

Update: MCC prepares to ship blankets and other relief supplies to the Gaza Strip

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Tim Shenk, Mennonite Central Committee

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is preparing to ship blankets and other relief supplies to the Gaza Strip despite Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid to the war-torn region.

Israel is preventing most humanitarian aid from entering Gaza in the aftermath of a 23-day war against Palestinian militants, according to Daryl Byler, an MCC regional representative for Jordan, Iran, Iraq and Palestine.

MCC is joining other relief organizations in calling for Israel to lift restrictions on aid to Gaza, where basic supplies are scarce and about 4,000 homes were destroyed by Israeli bombardments. More than 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Byler is optimistic that MCC’s shipment of 3,910 blankets and 1,260 relief kits will be allowed into Gaza when it arrives in a month.

“I think we’re not far away from the doors being opened a little more,” Byler said. “But I know that there’s a fairly high level of frustration today because we are indeed almost a week into the cease-fire and it’s still quite difficult to get things in.”

The war exacerbated the economic hardships facing the 1.5 million people of the Gaza Strip. Israel has blockaded the densely populated territory, allowing few supplies in or out, since the Palestinian group Hamas took control in June 2007.

During the war, MCC provided $45,000 U.S. to help three Palestinian organizations distribute basic supplies to people in need in the Gaza Strip. MCC workers in Jerusalem maintained regular phone contact with staff members of MCC partner organizations in the Gaza Strip, Byler said.

“As much as the money that MCC sent, those phone calls were really valued,” Byler said. “Often the reports were, ‘The building next to our office was just shelled,’ or ‘My neighbor’s house was just destroyed,’ or ‘One of my relatives was killed in the shelling last night.'”

Including shipments, the monetary value of MCC’s aid to the Gaza Strip in 2008 and 2009 is about $345,000 U.S.

Byler, who lives in Amman, Jordan, fasted for 17 days during the war as a spiritual discipline and a protest against the violence. While he fasted, Byler wrote letters appealing for peace to Prime Minister Olmert of Israel, President Bush and then-President-elect Obama and posted some of them on his blog. Dozens of people in North America and elsewhere contacted Byler to say that they too were fasting for peace, including the leader of an Israeli organization, Rabbis for Human Rights.

Byler also wrote an open letter to the Christian church in which he called for Christians to take responsibility for contributing to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. He described both how anti-Semitism has historically led Christians to victimize Jews and how a theology of Christian Zionism has led Christians to be uncritically supportive of the Israeli government.

“It was very difficult in these last three weeks for either Israeli officials or Hamas officials to in any way acknowledge their own responsibility for the ways that they have contributed to the conflict,” Byler said. “To find our way through this, somebody’s going to have to stand up and start taking responsibility for the contributions we’ve made to it.”

WPMF congregant publishes memoir of father's legacy

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In February DreamSeeker Books will release a memoir of a father’s life, legacy and death, entitled Long After I’m Gone, by Deborah Good of West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship. A recent Cascadia Publishing House news release described the book as follows:

    In this unique and compelling memoir, the voice of a well-loved father intertwines with that of his twenty-four-year-old daughter, as he fights the ravages of a cancer that eventually takes his life.

    Deborah Good was living in Philadelphia,when her life was hit suddenly with terrible news. Her father’s CT scans showed multiple spots of cancer. Deborah moved back in with her parents, Betty and Nelson Good, in Washington, D.C., and as Nelson approached death, spent hours sitting with him while he reflected back on the interlocking pieces of his unconventional job life. Nelson was neither a saint nor a celebrity and, by many measures, was a rather ordinary person, yet he lived with a humble integrity and a commitment to others that touched many.

    From his spot on a padded green recliner, Nelson told the stories of seven projects, communities, and organizations he had cared about: a neighborhood community center, an experiential education program for college students (Washington Community Scholars Center of Eastern Mennonite University), an alternative day school for foster children, a retreat center, a house church, a historic building restoration and a unique house renovation.

    After Deborah listened, took notes, and tape-recorded their conversations, she added her own reflections. The resulting memoir is a unique intertwining of a father’s history-telling with a daughter’s personal journey of remembrance, loss and grief.

Deborah Good is a writer, editor and, currently, a student and research assistant at Temple University, where she is pursuing a Master of Social Work. Her short essays and poetry have appeared in What Mennonites Are Thinking 2002 (Good Books), Crossroads, The Other Side and Dreamseeker Magazine.

For more information about the book click here.

Executive Leadership hires consultant for churchwide operations and alignment

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By Marathana Prothro, Mennonite Church USA

Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership announces the appointment of LaVern Yutzy of Lititz, Pa., as a consultant on churchwide operations and alignment. Yutzy began in the role Jan. 8.

Yutzy will be responsible to help the denomination to live within its means, eliminate duplication and achieve its goals. He will be called to identify ways of integrating churchwide priorities into the programs and practices of the entire churchwide system as well as propose ways for simplifying the system.

“We are hopeful that LaVern’s work in this role will work to set the stage for further transformation of identity, purpose and organization for Mennonite Church USA,” said executive director Jim Schrag.

The hiring is connected to a February 2008 Executive Board statement that declared “our vision and call to engage in God’s purposes in the world is not adequately supported by our present relationships, behaviors and organization.” Later in 2008, the Executive Board outlined several approaches it would take to strengthen the churchwide system. Some of those areas already have been implemented while a proposed plan for one board of directors for the entire denomination has been deferred.

A June 2008 plan called for the hiring of a chief operations officer who would be responsible for working across the system to improve its effectiveness. Initially, board members and Executive Leadership staff envisioned this to be a full-time, long-term staff person.

However, in light of impending transitions for key leadership roles — namely executive director Jim Schrag and associate executive director Ron Byler — staff felt it would be best to hire a consultant who would be responsible for ensuring forward movement as well as lay a foundation for new leaders to work from once those transitions are completed. The consultant assignment will be part time and last between 10 and 12 months until a new executive director is in place for the denomination and can make decisions about long-term staffing needs.

Executive directors and board chairs of churchwide agencies (Mennonite Education Agency, Mennonite Mission Network, Mennonite Publishing Network and MMA) are supportive of this direction.

“LaVern’s leadership experience in complex organizations and organizational dynamics will serve the church well. He brings a demonstrated capacity to listen to many voices and synthesize the key themes,” said Mennonite Publishing Network board chair Phil Bontrager. “His willingness to share his gifts will serve the church well as we seek to better align priorities and focus our efforts across the multiple dimensions of Mennonite Church USA.”

“I am thankful that someone with LaVern’s experience, knowledge and wisdom has accepted this call. His love, commitment and passion for the church are gifts that we will all benefit from,” said Carlos Romero, executive director for Mennonite Education Agency. “I am looking forward to this opportunity to work with LaVern, finding ways in which we can better serve Mennonite Church USA.”

As current board chair for MMA, Yutzy is quite familiar with the process and the need for a serious examination of Mennonite Church USA’s systems and structures. His memo of agreement outlines specific guidelines for addressing any conflicts of interest that may arise while working in the consultant role.

Yutzy served as CEO of Philhaven, a faith-based provider of behavioral health services in south central Pennsylvania that is a part of Mennonite Health Services Alliance, from 1991 to 2008. He started working with the organization 13 years earlier as a clinical social worker and spent time in other roles before taking on the chief position. He has experience directing strategic planning processes, providing leadership training and consulting with area conferences, non-profit organizations and boards of directors. In other consultant work, Yutzy has offered board development, executive coaching, and governance and structure revisions.

Yutzy has a master of science in health administration degree from the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., and a master of social work degree from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va., in 1970 and an associate of arts degree from Hesston (Kan.) College in 1968.

Update: MCC increases aid, advocacy for Gaza

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by Gladys Terichow

In the midst of air strikes, ground battles and a rising death toll, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) partner organizations in Gaza are distributing food, water and blankets to Gazans who have lost their homes.

On Jan. 6, MCC approved an emergency response package that brings the monetary value of MCC’s humanitarian responses in Gaza in 2008 and early 2009 to almost $345,000.

The latest emergency response includes shipping a large container of blankets and relief kits to Gaza and providing $30,000 for local purchase of food and other urgently needed supplies. While MCC’s partner organizations in Gaza cannot currently receive funds because banks are closed due to the war, they are purchasing food, water and blankets on credit and distributing them to families whose homes have been destroyed.

In addition to humanitarian assistance, MCC is calling for prayers for peace and advocating for the governments of Canada and the U.S. to work for an end to the fighting.

In a letter to the Canadian government, MCC Canada writes: “MCC believes that peace and security for all people in the region can only be gained through peaceful means. It cannot come from rocket attacks. It cannot come from bombing and air strikes. A lasting peace can only be achieved as all parties, including Hamas, engage in political negotiations to address the issues that divide them.”

A letter from MCC U.S. to the U.S. government states: “Fundamentally, a resolution to this conflict must address root causes. The use of military force only adds to the grievances that Palestinians and Israelis feel. It does nothing to address the root causes that lead the peoples of the region to feel insecure.”

Both letters urge their respective governments to insist that all parties allow humanitarian aid to reach the most vulnerable people in Gaza.

Before Israel’s military operations began on Dec. 27, 2008, humanitarian conditions were already desperate in Gaza due to an 18-month economic blockade, according to Rick Janzen, a director of MCC’s programs in the Middle East and Europe.

In February 2008, MCC sent a container of blankets, relief kits, school kits and health kits to Gaza and provided $25,000 to purchase food in Gaza. In December, MCC approved an additional $25,000 to provide food and other supplies.

Janzen said that MCC partner organizations now report that Gazans live in fear as the death toll and number of injuries continues to rise. Among the dead and wounded are close family members of staff members of MCC partner organizations. According to the United Nations, more than 25 percent of the Palestinian dead are civilians.

The United Nations reports that there is now an almost total blackout in many parts of Gaza. About 70 percent of the population has no running water due to electricity cuts and the lack of fuel to run back-up generators. Thousands of homes have been damaged, and it has become increasingly difficult for families to stay in them given the cold weather.

Currently, MCC does not have workers placed in Gaza, but MCC workers based in Jerusalem visit Gaza several times a year and maintain close communications by e-mail and telephone. Travel restrictions and frequent power outages have made communications more difficult this past year, said Janzen.

Donations to MCC’s response in Gaza can be made online at mcc.org, by telephone (in Canada at 1-888-622-6337; in the U.S. at 1-888-563-4676) or by sending a check to your nearest MCC office. Donations should be designated “Palestine Emergency Assistance.”

MCC is encouraging Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches to write letters to their representatives in government and urge them to use their influence to end the violence in Gaza and Israel. MCC’s Website, mcc.org, provides more information on ways to respond to the Gaza crisis.

Commissioned by Mennonite Church USA (MC USA), MCC has also produced resources for congregations, including an bulletin and website announcement and a prayer for peace, written by MCC workers in the region. Click here to download a PDF of these resources.

In addition MC USA has released the following list of resources to learn more about the current situation in Gaza and how to advocate for peace:

    • Cindy and Daryl Byler, MCC representatives for Palestine, Jordan, Iraq and Iran, have recently posted an open letter to Israeli, Palestinian and U.S. leaders.
    • Christian Peacemaker Teams in at-Tuwani, West Bank, have released the following reflection on happenings in the West Bank since the conflict in Gaza began: “Resistance will not be tolerated”–from Gaza to At-Tuwani, January 8, 2009.
    • Write a letter to President Bush, asking him…
      …To press for an immediate ceasefire by both parties,
      …To ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the people who need it,
      …To urge that root causes to the conflict be dealt with by face to face negotiations involving all parties.
  • Sign the Ecumenical Christian Letter to President-elect Obama produced by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). “As current headlines about Gaza show us, peace in the Holy Land must be a priority for all who abhor violence and love peace,” states Marty Shupack, a New Hope Fellowship; a Franconia Conference PIM; and CMEP Board member. “This ecumenical letter from a wide range of U.S. Christian leaders lets President-elect Obama know the breadth of church support that exists for an immediate, bold and sustained focus by the Obama Administration on achieving a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians.” MCC Washington Office Director Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach, a member of Franconia Conference PIM congregation Peace Fellowship Church, is also a member of CMEP’s board of Directors.

Mennonite Church USA announces Executive Director search committee

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By Marathana Prothro, Mennonite Church USA

The Mennonite Church USA Executive Board has named its search committee to find a replacement for executive director Jim Schrag. In October 2008, Schrag announced his plans for retirement in November 2009.

Moderator-elect Ed Diller of Cincinnati, Ohio, will chair the nine-person committee, which plans to start work immediately. Committee members include Glen Guyton of Yorktown, Va.; Charlotte Hardt of Mount Vernon, Wash.; Sue Miller of Middlebury, Ind.; Juanita Nuñez of Ocoee, Fla.; Patty Shelly of Newton, Kan.; David Sutter of South Bend, Ind.; J. Richard Thomas of Lancaster, Pa.; and Keith Weaver of Reinholds, Pa. Moderator Sharon Waltner of Parker, S.D., will be an ex officio committee member and join the group as necessary.

All committee members are actively engaged with Mennonite Church USA and are committed to its mission and vision, Diller said. The committee includes Executive Board members as well as others from across Mennonite Church USA. The board intentionally sought a breadth of knowledge and expertise to bring valuable perspectives to the table. Of the nine committee members: five are pastors; three are business people; two are academics; three are strongly connected to area conferences; and two are Racial/Ethnic people.

“Our committee believes the new executive director must be able to lead and strengthen the ministry and witness of our church as we strive to be the church God wants us to become,” Diller said. “I anticipate this process will take on a sense of patient urgency as we are highly committed to finding the right person for the job, but also want to avoid a gap in leadership.”

Staff and board members expect the process to take between six and eight months to complete. The committee will begin its work immediately and will meet or otherwise communicate frequently until a new executive director is named, Diller said.

The Executive Board’s executive committee currently is developing guidelines and parameters to assist the search committee in its work. One of the first tasks in the process will be for the Executive Board and the search committee to develop an appropriate executive director job description. Diller said this will be done with broad consultation from across Mennonite Church USA, including input from Executive Leadership, agencies and conferences.

“It’s already become evident that we’re looking for a person who will be a spiritual and missional leader for the denomination and someone with enthusiasm and drive who can build relationships and trust — both between individuals and within our churchwide system,” Diller said.

As updated information on the search process is available to be made public, it will be shared with churchwide staff, area conferences and Mennonite news outlets.

Christopher Dock principal named to Mennonite Education Agency

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The Board of Trustees of Christopher Dock Mennonite High School (Dock) today announced that Principal Elaine A. Moyer has accepted the position of Associate Director of Mennonite Education Agency, the oversight organization for education in Mennonite Church USA, and will be concluding her service to Dock at the end of the school year.

“Elaine has faithfully served Dock for the last 26 years—the past 20 in the role of principal,” said J. Philip Bergstresser, chair of the Dock Board of Trustees. “Throughout her tenure, Elaine led the school through significant growth, while strengthening our mission and boldly opening doors to Christ-centered education in our area.”

Moyer is Dock’s fifth chief administrator, and the first woman to fill the role of principal. Her participatory leadership style affirms people in their gifts and abilities. Under her leadership, Dock has built a strong leadership team that will serve the students and community well for years to come.

“Elaine has cultivated a vibrant community of faculty, students, parents and administrators who are committed to excellence in learning, from an Anabaptist/Mennonite perspective,” said Martin Wiens, Dock’s assistant principal.

Over the past 26 years Elaine played a key role in growing and enhancing Dock’s mission, while also championing Anabaptist education and ideals in our region, and around the country. She collaborated with Penn View Christian School and Quakertown Christian Schools to align K-12 curriculum and create the GPS 2012: Boldly Opening Doors to Christ-Centered Mennonite Education strategic plan. Elaine also played a key role in creating the Mennonite edition of Validating the Vision, an accreditation tool used by the Middle States Association, and serves on the Executive Committee of Mennonite Schools Council, a national body dedicated to advancing Anabaptist education.

At Dock, Elaine worked with faculty to enhance the learning experience, introducing such programs as Building Community, which provides students with opportunities to build healthy relationships within the school community and exposes them to service opportunities in the broader community and the world. She also successfully led multimillion-dollar campaigns to build the Longacre Center, which includes a theater, gym and fitness center; the stadium and field house; art building; maintenance building; caretaker’s house; and most recently the Rosenberger Academic Center which includes state-of-the-art science, computer and family and consumer science labs, a library and a guidance suite.

“I have been blessed by the experiences and relationships that Dock has afforded me,” said Moyer. “My love for and commitment to Mennonite education was supported and allowed to flourish. After this school year, I will leave Dock in excellent hands, and will pray for God’s continued blessing on Dock’s mission of developing ‘the God-given abilities of our students, in preparation for responsible stewardship of life as members of God’s people in a global society.’”

The Board has established a Transition Committee that will develop and oversee a leadership transition plan and recruit the next principal for Dock.

“Elaine has built an outstanding team that will ensure continuity of our mission and help to take us to new heights in the future,” continued Bergstresser. “We are grateful to Elaine for her service, and look forward to working with her in her new role with Mennonite Education Agency.”

For more information about the upcoming transition click here to download a letter from J. Philip Bergstresser.