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News

Vietnamese Gospel photos

January 21, 2008 by Conference Office

Filed Under: News

Mennonite Central Committee releases findings on immigration; forum to be held in Souderton By Tim Shenk

January 19, 2008 by Conference Office

AKRON, Pa. — In Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches across the United States, recent immigrants are helping their congregations reach out to other immigrants, according to a listening project conducted by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S.

Through the listening project, MCC staff members facilitated discussions about immigration in more than 30 Anabaptist congregations in 10 states and Washington, D.C. About a third of the congregations were made up primarily of people whose families immigrated within one generation. The listening included a number of Franconia Conference congregations.

A report from the listening project, “What the Church is Saying,” suggests that Anabaptist congregations with many recent immigrants are the most active in befriending immigrants and helping with needs
such as food and housing.

A featured congregation is New Hope Fellowship, a bilingual Franconia Conference partner congregation in Alexandria, Va. About half of the church’s 60-some attendees are Latino, and many are recent immigrants.

article1.jpgNew Hope Fellowship builds relationships with recent immigrants in a variety of ways, according to Kirk Hanger, the church’s pastor. Latino members often lead the way in inviting new immigrants to church. As a whole, church members use their community ties and knowledge to help immigrants. That can range from helping connect people with social services to providing occasional assistance for food or rent.

“We know how systems function here, and we can be a bridge for people,” Hanger says.

article-kirk.jpgIn one case, Hanger accompanied an immigrant couple to court after they were wrongly accused of shoplifting because they did not understand how to use an automatic checkout machine.

The pastor and couple prayed outside the courtroom, asking God to move in the situation. Then the pastor spoke to the prosecutor about the couple’s misunderstanding, and the prosecutor ultimately agreed to drop the charges.

“I believe God worked and changed his heart,” Hanger says.

According to the listening project report, Anabaptist churches largely oppose unjust treatment of immigrants. However, members of predominantly white congregations without recent immigrants express reluctance about providing support to undocumented immigrants.

Rebeca Jimenez Yoder, the listening project coordinator, says she believes that God calls churches to welcome strangers in their community, including undocumented immigrants.

“We do have undocumented immigrants in our churches,” Yoder says. “They are our brothers and sisters.”

article2.jpgYoder says that the purpose of the listening project was to encourage conversation about immigration. If the conversation leads to action, there are many ways for churches to support immigrants, from teaching
English to advocating for more humane immigration laws, she says.

The website includes a number of other immigration resources for churches, including “Loving Strangers as Ourselves,” a series of Biblical reflections on immigration, and “Welcoming the
Newcomer: Doing Advocacy with Immigrants.”

To hear more of the outcomes and converse with other Franconia Conference leaders about the findings, join an informal dinner catered by Philadelphia Praise Center at the Mennonite Conference Center in Souderton, Pa, on Wednesday, January 23 from 5:30-6:45.

Tim Shenk is a writer for Mennonite Central Committee.

 

Filed Under: News

Eastern Mennonite Seminary class to be held at Dock Woods

January 19, 2008 by Conference Office

leadership-stock.jpgAs part of Eastern Mennonite University’s continuing partnership with Franconia Mennonite Conference to equip leaders to empower others to embrace God’s mission, a seminary course will be held from January 29-May 6 at Dock Woods Community in Lansdale, Pa.

The three-credit graduate course, Conversations in Contemporary Anabaptist Theology and Ethics, is designed to engage both experienced and emerging leaders with 20th and 21st Century Anabaptist thought and practice. The course is recommended both for persons who have much experience with Mennonite leadership and persons who are exploring Anabaptist ideals and possibilities. The class can also be audited.

According to instructor, Franconia Conference Director of Communication and Leadership Cultivation Steve Kriss, “I am excited about the opportunity to explore both historic and contemporary perspectives, to examine some of the possibilities and the tensions that exist for us as Anabaptist seeking to live the way of Jesus in an interconnected age.” Eastern Mennonite Seminary has offered numerous classes in the Philadelphia region, but is seeking to establish a more regular presence in the region. According to Mark Wenger, Eastern Mennonite Seminary’s Lancaster Director of Pastoral Studies, a Master of Divinity program that would allow students to complete studies collaboratively with EMS and other seminaries in the region is under development.

For more information or to register
www.emu.edu/lancaster/seminary

Filed Under: News

Young Adults Christmas Gathering

December 15, 2007 by Conference Office

Filed Under: News

Franconia Conference offers support for Cuban ministries

December 10, 2007 by Conference Office

beatriz.jpgCuban pastor Beatriz Lopez arrived in the United States earlier this month on an invitation to visit with leaders from several church organizations, including Franconia Mennonite Conference. Beatriz is the President of the 55-year-old Pentecostal Holiness Church in Cuba, an organization of 30 churches, 16 missions, and a number of house churches throughout the island.

The Pentecostal Holiness Church of Cuba receives support through a partnership between Calvary Chapel Norristown (PA) and Franconia Conference, which has a historic relationship with Christian ministries in Cuba. The support received has provided leadership training through seminars and workshops for pastors and lay leaders in Cuba’s churches. The partnership has also helped repair and update facilities at the national camp of the Pentecostal Holiness Church where retreats for men, women, and children, an annual national convention, and a school for leadership training are held. The resources and people provided throughout the years have helped build and repair the camp’s church, bathhouse, guesthouse, and kitchen. Currently the partnership between Franconia Conference and Calvary Chapel of Norristown is helping the camp to construct a new worship space so that the current space can be converted into a dormitory.

Pastor Beatriz is the first woman serving as president of the Pentecostal Holiness Church in Cuba and has been serving in that role for six years. She is also a single mother of two sons in their 20’s. As a teenager Beatriz felt the calling to serve the Lord and began seminary at age 15. By age 19 she was an experienced evangelist and beginning her first pastorate. Beatriz noted that while pastoring and and working is tough, the ministry and business worlds in Cuba have long been accepting of and invitational towards women leading.

The president of Cuba’s National Council of Churches, where Beatriz is a member, is also a woman. The Pentecostal Holiness Church in Cuba has a good relationship with the state of Cuba and is active in the National Council of Churches.

After her visit with Franconia Conference, Beatriz visited congregations in Boston, Oklahoma, Alabama, and North Carolina before returning to Cuba. Adamino Ortiz, a member of Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life has initiated the relationship with Calvary Chapel and serves as liaison and coordinator in the Cuba partnerships with Franconia Conference.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: global

Philadelphia Praise Center Worship in Maryland

December 5, 2007 by Conference Office

Filed Under: News

Mennonite Central Committee responds to the damage left by Cyclone Sidr

November 30, 2007 by Conference Office

mcc_icon.jpgOn November 15, powerful winds swept in from the Bay of Bengal creating a surge of water that rolled up rivers and streams, deep into Bangladesh. Cyclone Sidr was the worst cyclone in more than a decade. Hundreds of thousands of people are homeless, left with nothing but what they could carry as they fled to the safety of shelters. Crops, schools, and roads were destroyed and livestock swept away. According the news reports, the cyclone claimed more than 3,400 lives. The United Nations estimates that more than 273,000 homes have been destroyed and 650,000 damaged in the country.

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) workers Larry Fisher, formerly of Churchville, VA, and Mokhles Rahman, of Bangladesh, visited the southern Bangladeshi districts of Bagerhat and Pirojpur from Nov. 19 to 21 to survey the damage. Larry writes, “We came away with the feeling that the need is indeed very great and that we should respond in a significant way.”

In response to the need for housing and food MCC, along with partners, has promised a response valued at $500,000 that will: provide food immediately for 10,000 families for one month by making local purchases of rice, lentils, oil and salt ($38 provides these items for a family of 5 for one month); and reconstruct up to 1,500 homes ($200 provides material to rebuild one bamboo/slat home). More families are likely to receive food as MCC Bangladesh establishes additional distribution channels.

For information on MCC’s relief efforts on Bangladesh and how you can help please visit www.mcc.org.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: global

Annual Youth Leadership Retreat

November 30, 2007 by Conference Office

retreat2.jpg Youth, sponsors, and pastors from 15 area congregations gathered recently for the annual Youth Leadership Retreat at Spruce Lake Retreat Center. Participants came from the Franconia, Eastern District, and Atlantic Coast conferences, as well as Christopher Dock High School. The theme of the weekend was “Leading with Heart, Soul, and Mind: Exploring the Practice of Discernment” and was led by Mennonite Mission Network Service Adventure leader Curt Weaver.

The retreat was planned by Curt; Marlene Frankenfield, Franconia Conference Youth Minister; Scott Benner, Eastern District Youth Minister; and a team of local youth pastors and sponsors. The planning committee found inspiration for the theme of dirscenment for the weekend from David F. White’s recent book, “Practicing Discernment With Youth: A Transformative Youth Ministry Approach,” realizing that with all the choices in life, discernment would be a great topic for the leadership weekend.

Curt noted that his challenge for the weekend was to emphasize “the art of discernment without laying out a specific way of discerning.” Using Matthew 22:37, Curt encouraged the youth to think about “what it means for [them] to be loving enough to discern.” One of his goals was to “uncover the Christian impulse to be loving and affirming of differing view points.”

retreat.jpgCurt opened the gathering with a call to create an intentional community for the time spent at Spruce Lake. He acknowledged that youth, with their curiosity and tough questions, have the ability to challenge adults to recommit to their faith. During the weekend, Curt used a spiritual type tool published by the Alban Institute entitled “Discover Your Spiritual Type.” It was followed by a case study that revolved around challenging leadership decisions in congregations. The case study involved discerning a request from Britney Spears to be baptized and become a member in one of the group’s congregations. This exercise helped youth better understand the messy side of leadership because of differences that exist in personal and spiritual lives, as well as in youth groups and churches. The youth were asked to think about what it means to lead a group of people with such diverse outlooks on life and faith.

Brittany Kiser, who is a member of Rockhill Mennonite Church and a student at Christopher Dock High School, really appreciated the spiritual type tool because it helped her “see that there is a place for everyone in the church.”

During the closing session, Curt encouraged everyone to practice Christian traditions and rituals that will shape future acts of “Christ-infused” love. Youth groups ended their time writing a blessing or image on each other hands as a way to remind each other to imitate Jesus with all their hearts, minds, souls and to love others as they love themselves.

Participants enjoyed different aspects of the weekend. Emma Nafziger, of Vincent Mennonite Church and a student at Christopher Dock High School, appreciated the time to reflect, worship, and “recover from a stressful week.” Kate Bender, of Rockhill Mennonite Church, is a student at Souderton High School and was concerned that it would be hard to relate to the youth from other schools but she was pleasantly surprised at how friendly and welcoming everyone was.

The weekend included worship led by Nate Stucky, who is currently a student at Princeton Theological Seminary. There were also workshops for youth and sponsors, with topics such as leading worship, choices after high school, discerning God’s will on the “long- haul journey,” recognizing that life is a puzzle and spirituality can be messy, and acknowledging that when it comes to intercultural leadership and communication there is “no right way to fry a chicken.”

retreat3.jpgEmma, Kate, and Brittany attended two workshops together. They said the workshops were relevant, more interesting than anticipated, and that they had been challenged to think differently about the issues addressed in each session.

The workshop for sponsors was on mentoring youth. Mike Ford, a youth pastor at Franconia Mennonite Church, facilitated a time of sharing mentoring ideas and resources. The sponsors’ forum on Saturday afternoon centered around paying attention to youth transitions, from junior high to high school to post-high school.

This was Marlene Frankenfield’s tenth Youth Leadership Retreat. She enjoys seeing the relationships between youth pastors and sponsors and student leaders strengthened during the gathering, which is a very important part of the retreat for her. She also appreciates the expertise youth sponsors and pastors bring from their different congregational experiences, which they share with each other. Overall, Marlene enjoys the “informal connection and networking around the edges.”

View the photo album

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Conference News

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