Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

News

Conference Board schedules meetings for constituency

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March 10, 2010

As part of the ongoing communication with the conference constituency, the Franconia Conference Board announces the following meetings:

  • Meeting for Conference Related Ministry Leaders
    Tuesday, March 16
    9 – 11 a.m. at the Mennonite Conference Center
  • Meeting for Franconia Conference Delegates
    Tuesday, March 16
    7 – 9 p.m. at Franconia Mennonite Church fellowship hall
  • Open Meeting – for anyone interested or anyone who wasn’t able to attend the earlier meetings
    Tuesday, March 23
    7 – 9 p.m. at Nueva Vida Norristown New Life auditorium

To read the initial board communication from March 4, 2010, please click here. We invite your ongoing prayers as we gather and continue conversations.

Conference Board communication to constituency

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Franconia Conference Board
March 3, 2010

The Conference Board is deeply saddened with the confusion that has been created in parts of the Franconia Conference Community and beyond. We take responsibility for not communicating quickly enough and with clarity.

  • The news has gone out that Franconia Conference Board has made a decision to dismiss all the staff.
  • The reality is that the staff has been informed that in the coming year the direction the Board is calling for requires a mid-course correction, to come into a greater alignment of fulfilling our mission to Equip Leaders to Empower Others to Embrace God’s Mission.
  • A smaller Conference staff to include LEADership Ministers, will continue, but will be narrowly focused on equipping congregations to becoming missional.
  • We lament the deep pain and suffering that this decision has caused staff and others by not including the staff directly in the decision-making process.
  • We will work towards a healthy ending process and seek to build upon the hard work and creativity by which the staff has carried out their work to date.

The Conference Board will be facilitating public meetings to engage in further dialogue regarding all that has transpired. The following times and dates have been set as follows:

  • Monday, March 8, 2010 from 7-9 pm at Towamencin Mennonite Church for all Credentialed Leaders of Franconia Mennonite Conference;
  • A second meeting will happen on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 from 9-11 am at the Mennonite Conference Center.

Special Event: Celebrate Women Joining Together

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The day will include a morning and afternoon session of worship through music, prayer and sharing of the Word by Bonnie Stevenson, missionary in Mexico, serving at Monte Maria Tierra Prometida, Mexico City. The theme of the morning session will be “Laying Down the Burden” and the theme for the afternoon will be “Picking Up Joy”.

Lunch will be provided, as well as opportunities for fellowship and pampering such as head, neck and shoulder massage, light stretching and prayer stations. Child care will not be provided.

Click on the image above to download a PDF of the event flyer.

To register for this event by mail, download the registration form here.

To register online click here.

Kanagy encourages local leaders to think missionally

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from Biblical Seminary

Over 70 pastors, educators, and leaders from Franconia Conference recently explored the past, present, and future of Mennonite churches with author Conrad Kanagy. Dr. Kanagy, author of Road Signs for the Journey: A Profile of Mennonite Church USA, writes and speaks about the changing realities facing churches in the 21st century.

A thoughtful and compelling speaker, Dr. Kanagy believes churches should become more outwardly focused (missional) in order to better share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Road Signs for the Journey, his latest book, is based on a seven-page questionnaire sent to 3,000 members of Mennonite congregations across the United States in 2006. Inspired by the message of Jeremiah 31:21, Dr. Kanagy recognizes the importance of road signs and guideposts in helping God’s people stay on track.

The luncheon event featuring Dr. Kanagy was sponsored by the Catalyst for Missional Leadership (C4ML), the ministry arm of Biblical Seminary, and held on the seminary’s Hatfield, PA campus. Biblical Seminary, a nondenominational graduate school located outside Philadelphia, offers master’s degrees, the Doctor of Ministry degree, and certificates. Dr. Kanagy teaches in the school’s Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program.

“Conrad brings to our DMin faculty the perspective of a practicing sociologist, informed by his deep commitment to missional Christianity. His Mennonite background enriches the evangelical theological diversity which also characterizes our program,” states Mick Noel, executive director of C4ML and head of Biblical’s DMin program. C4ML creates learning opportunities for pastors, churches, and Christian leaders through its workshops, seminars, and community classes. It also helps churches and pastors develop missionally-directed congregations.

Conrad L. Kanagy is a professor of sociology at Elizabethtown College and an ordained minister in Mennonite Church USA. He is also a consultant to congregations and mid-level judicatories and has been involved in the Partnership for Missional Church since 2005. He holds graduate degrees in rural sociology from Penn State University and co-authored, with Donald B. Kraybill, Riddles of Human Society.

Michael King named EMS Vice President and Seminary Dean

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by Laura Lehman Amstutz

Michael A. King, a long-time writer, editor, publisher and pastor from Telford, Pa., has been named the new vice president and dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Harrisonburg, Va.

Dr. King will begin his new role July 1, 2010. He succeeds Ervin R. Stutzman, who held the position nine years. Dr. Stutzman has begun serving as the new executive secretary of Mennonite Church USA. Dr. Sara Wenger Shenk is interim dean.

The vice president and seminary dean provides leadership and oversight for all seminary programs and faculty.

“Michael’s years of pastoral experience, academic preparation and passion for preparing church leaders will serve us well in his new role,” said Loren Swartzendruber, EMU president. “We anticipate his contributions to EMS as dean and to the entire university as he joins the leadership team.”

“Michael King comes to us from a distinguished career as a pastor, scholar and publisher,” said Fred Kniss, EMU provost. “He is a serious scholar with a pastoral orientation and will provide a clear Anabaptist voice in conversation with diverse Mennonite and Methodist constituencies and other audiences. Michael is committed to the mission of our university and especially to the seminary’s key role in training the next generation of church leaders,” Dr. Kniss added.

King is the owner, editor and publisher of Cascadia Publishing House, an Anabaptist-Mennonite publisher supporting examination of faith, history and contemporary life from an Anabaptist perspective. Cascadia publishes theological and scholarly volumes under the Cascadia label and popular books through the DreamSeeker Books imprint.

He has been a pastor at Germantown Mennonite Church in Philadelphia, Pa.; Salford Mennonite Church, Harleysville, Pa.; Zion Mennonite Church, Souderton Pa., and most recently Spring Mount Mennonite Church, Schwenksville, Pa. He has been an adjunct professor at EMS Lancaster and Messiah-Temple in Philadelphia.

Books he has authored include “Trackless Wastes and Stars to Steer By: Christian Identity in a Homeless age” and “Preaching about Life in a Threatening World.” He has also edited multiple volumes including “Anabaptist Preaching: A Conversation between Pulpit, Pew and Bible.”

“Church, culture, and seminary education all seem to be undergoing tremendous ferment and transition,” King said. “This places seminaries in the center of much of the important action in our day. I look forward to journeying with seminary students, staff and faculty as together we seek to discern how the Holy Spirit is speaking in the thick of it all.”

He received a BA degree in Bible and philosophy from EMU in 1976, an MDiv degree from Palmer Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and a PhD in rhetoric and communications from Temple University.

King is married to Joan Kenersen King, owner of Joan Kenerson King Consulting and Counseling, through which she provides public behavioral health consulting services. She is also a family therapist. They have three daughters – Kristina, EMU 2003, Katelyn, EMU 2006, and Rachael, an EMU senior.

Eastern Mennonite Seminary, a graduate program of theological studies on the EMU campus seeks to educate leaders to serve and lead in ministry in a global context.

MCC’s relief kits, comforters, meat and more en route to Haiti

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by Linda Espenshade, MCC New Coordinator

Mennonite Central Committee continues to ship relief supplies to Haiti despite obstacles that slow delivery.

The Port-au-Prince port is still only operating at about 10 percent of the capacity it had before the earthquake, said Darrin Yoder, Material Resources manager. Alternate ports are available, but delivery is hindered because of distance or because the ports are not equipped with cranes to facilitate easy unloading.

Airlifts are prohibitively expensive, said Daryl Yoder-Bontrager, area director for Latin America and the Caribbean, so they are used sparingly. When MCC did use an airlift to bring 70,000 pounds (31,751 kilos) of canned meat into Port-au-Prince on Jan. 24, the shipment had to be rerouted to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, reportedly because of airport traffic.

The meat, which is canned by MCC volunteers, was transferred to trucks that were escorted to Haiti by United Nations (U.N.) personnel. Once the trucks reached the U.N. World Food Program warehouse in Port-au-Prince on Friday, Jan. 29, more delays were encountered as trucks from many organizations waited, sometimes for days, to unload supplies.

The MCC Haiti staff was able to start collecting the meat on Wednesday, Feb. 3. From the shipment, Assemblée de la Grace, a Mennonite church on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, distributed more than 1,000 cans of meat to church and community members, many of whose houses were destroyed in the earthquake.

Five other MCC partner organizations distributed portions of the shipment. TIMKATEC, Timoun Kap Teke Chans, one of MCC’s partners, is conducting a feeding program for 500 children, some of whom were homeless prior to the earthquake and others who are newly homeless.

Meanwhile, two more shipments of meat, each about 35,000 pounds (15,875 kilos) are scheduled to arrive at the port of St. Marc, Haiti, on Feb. 18 or 19. Trucks will transport the shipments three hours south to Port-au-Prince.

Relief kits, heavy comforters and other supplies also are on the way and will continue, according to Yoder. Already sent are two shipments that contain 2,688 relief kits, 4,591 comforters, various medical supplies, 250 tarps and 192 boxes of water bottles, flashlights and deodorant. Their estimated arrival dates are Feb. 20 and Feb. 28.

MCC also expects to supply about 9,000 tarps before the rainy season begins in April.

Previously, MCC sent 1,000 water filters and about $53,000 in cash to MCC Haiti and its partners to be used in the first days of relief efforts. The Mennonite churches in the Dominican Republic also donated and delivered food and supplies.

Twenty medical boxes, designed to supply 800 adults and children for two to three months, currently are being distributed in Haiti. Yoder said the Haiti Response Coalition, a new MCC partner in Port-au-Prince, was grateful for the supplies that “were exactly what was needed for the mobile clinics currently serving several camps of internally displaced people.” In addition, at least 5,000 first aid kits, purchased by MCC, will be distributed to families.

As of Feb. 12, 2010, contributors have given an estimated $8.3 million, the majority of which will be used for rebuilding once the initial crisis has passed. An MCC assessment team is scheduled to convene in Haiti on Feb. 22 to evaluate the situation and make recommendations for ongoing work.

MCC Haiti alumna to lead disaster recovery efforts

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by Linda Espenshade, MCC News Coordinator

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Haiti alumna Dr. Susanne Bradley Brown – a pediatrician and healthcare legislation analyst from Albuquerque, N.M. – will lead MCC’s long-term disaster response to the Haiti earthquake.

As MCC’s new Haiti disaster coordinator, Brown will be responsible for strategic planning and implementation of MCC Haiti’s disaster response plan. During her three-year term, she and MCC partners, workers, local staff, churches and others will work with Haitians who are rebuilding their lives.

“There are lots of opinions to be heard, inside and outside of Haiti, as we work at the wisest and best response to the earthquake,” said Daryl Yoder-Bontrager, area director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “Sue will be able to help pull those opinions together and lead the MCC Haiti team as it continues to formulate and carry out a strong MCC recovery program.”

As a doctor, Brown has worked in Haiti with MCC, starting in 1974-1978 as director of Hospital Grand Riviere du Nord. In 1986-1988 she was a physician at Hospital Mombin Crochu. The experience has given her “a familiarity with the rhythm of the culture,” she said.

Throughout her career as a physician and university professor, Brown has worked with health care organizations that represent people who are homeless, Native American women, children of incarcerated parents and people with mental illness.

Brown, who is a member of Albuquerque Mennonite Church, is currently employed as a healthcare and social services policy analyst for the New Mexico Senate. In this position, she also is working to protect the needs of people whose voices are not always heard.

Brown was interested in leading MCC’s disaster response in Haiti because she wanted to be part of a team that could develop a creative response to the crisis, as well as the ongoing chronic problems Haiti faces. Although healthcare, nutrition and potable water are issues, she’s keenly aware that the disaster response also could include small business development, healing of emotional trauma, construction projects or a range of other ideas.

“I look forward to figuring out how MCC’s partners, the Haitian government and nongovernmental organizations can work together,” Brown said.

Brown will join MCC’s assessment team in Haiti, beginning Feb. 22, as the team assesses the situation and makes recommendations about MCC’s mid-term and long-term disaster response plan. Her assignment will begin in early April.

Eastern Mennonite Seminary offers cross-cultural seminar in United Kingdom

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Eastern Mennonite Seminary at Lancaster (PA) is offering its first ever cross-cultural experience to the United Kingdom.

“Struggle and Hope in Post-Christendom,” led by Stephen Kriss and Stuart Murray Williams, will explore Christian presence and witness in Bristol and London, England.

Kriss is director of communication and leadership cultivation with Franconia Mennonite Conference in eastern Pennsylvania and an adjunct instructor for EMS Lancaster, and Williams is a trainer and consultant with the Anabaptist Network in the United Kingdom.

“Post-Christendom is a new understanding of the place of the church and Christian life in a world of multiple faiths, multiple perspectives and spirituality that is not tied to a particular religion,” said Kriss.

“We want to give people a glimpse into both the possibilities and awkwardness that exist in post-Christendom context,” he continued. “What I have learned from my connections in the United Kingdom is that there is the real possibility for Anabaptism to thrive as church is decentralized.

“I hope that by listening to the stories of leaders in the United Kingdom the class would gain a sense of the possibilities in our present and future.”

Orientation for the course will begin May 1 at EMU Lancaster. The group will travel in the United Kingdom May 16-24. The group will reassemble June 25-26 to reflect on their experience and to discuss how to apply what they’ve learned to congregations in the United States.

Students may earn three hours of graduate credit. Travel, lodging and fees cost $2,750; credit tuition is $1,100 and non-credit tuition is $495. Priority will be given to students taking the course for credit. The deadline for registration is Mar. 15, 2010.

For more information, visit www.emu.edu/lancaster/seminary/cross-cultural or contact Mark Wenger, director of pastoral studies, at (717) 397-5190 or wengermr@emu.edu.