Mosaic Mennonites
Missional - Intercultural - Formational
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A few weeks ago, I accompanied the Mosaic Institute preaching and teaching class on a Sunday morning “lab” to hear a sermon at Philadelphia Praise Center (PPC). Jenna Villatoro, one of PPC’s youth pastors, was preaching on the theme, “Making Space for God and Others.”
Pastor Jenna acknowledged that when she was first given the theme, she was a little taken aback. In her Euro-American culture, she was more accustomed to thinking about making time for God than making space. But as she thought about it, she realized that during the pandemic (when so many people were confined to their own space), it was important for us to somehow signal to our minds and bodies that we were transitioning into God-space.
I resonated with her observations. As someone who is also from a Euro-American culture that highly prizes time, I could feel the dis-ease of considering “God-space.” It tapped into a deeply rooted suspicion of home altars and a tradition that considered church buildings to be “meetinghouses” instead of “temples” where God lives. It’s much more comfortable for me to think of making time for God than making space.
Yet I am growing increasingly aware of how my cultural “common sense” can interfere with my ability to see the bigger picture of who God is and how God is working in the world. As someone obsessed with time, can I reorient myself to think about the “spaces” that make up life?
Making space for others can be life-changing. It mattered for those who hosted us that we came to them. Our presence was an affirmation that they mattered and that they had something valuable to offer to others. They shared who they were and provided opportunities for us to do the same. We could have offered time from a distance, but instead they invited us to physically enter their space.
As Advent begins, we remember how Mary made space in her body so that God could enter our space. The Maker of the Universe became a guest in the world he had made.
Like Mary, we can make space for God to enter (and change) our lives. We can make space for others to enter (and change) our lives, and we can enter into others’ space (and be changed) as well. “Making time” can often be theoretical but “making space” can only be real and tangible.
Evangelical Latina theologian Loida Martell-Otero suggests that eternity is not about time, but about space. She says, “Eternity is where God is.” When Jesus came to earth, our space and God’s space collided and eternity began. Jesus then spent his whole life showing us how the Kingdom of God creates space “for those who have been told they have no place. There is a place at the table, a place at the inn, a place at the synagogue, a place at the banquet. Hay fiesta con Jesús [There is a feast/celebration with Jesus].”1
This Advent, may we make space for God and others in the busy time of the holiday season. May we watch for the collision of God-space and our space. May we be changed.
1Martell-Otero’s translation. Latina Evangélicas: A Theological Survey from the Margins (Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2013), 120 & 114.
a thank you note from Ripple Community Inc.
As 2020 has merged seamlessly into 2021, it’s almost difficult for us to remember what life was like at Ripple Community Inc (RCI) in Allentown, PA before COVID-19. There were fewer masks, more volunteers, and different ways of being together. Many things have changed – if not for good, at least for the foreseeable future.
It is no overstatement to say that the generous support of the Shalom Fund has gotten us through this extremely challenging time. When it first became clear that the pandemic was here and spreading fast, so many of the services and supports our community members rely on simply shut down. Very suddenly, there was a shortage of meals, restrooms, water, and overnight shelter. As an organization, we made the decision early on that we would continue to stay open – in close communication with our local health bureau – to meet the needs of our unsheltered friends and neighbors.
Your generosity has allowed us to make good on that promise, for 14 months and counting.
With support from the Shalom Fund, Mosaic staff, and our friends at Landis’ Supermarket, we served over 300 healthy meals every week at our community center and created a pop-up food pantry for our neighbors in need.
When it became clear that we needed to increase the size of our staff to continue to serve our community well, the Shalom Fund supported the creation of our Community Services Coordinator staff position. That position, in turn, helped us facilitate tele-health and tele-psychiatry appointments, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and other critical, and otherwise unavailable, services at our community center. More recently, the fund has allowed us to serve hot meals on Sunday evenings and provide snacks that help ensure our unsheltered friends don’t have to go without.
There are truly no words to express our gratitude for the many ways in which the Mosaic community has supported RCI over the past year. Because of you, there is always enough: enough good food, enough care, enough friendship and community. We lost count of the number of times we received a phone call from the Mosaic Conference that began with, “What do you need?” and ended with “We can do that.” What an extraordinary manifestation of the love of Jesus.
Because of your generosity, the Shalom Fund has grown beyond our expectations this year.
Together, we’ve raised nearly $185,000 toward our goal of $200,000, enabling Mosaic to respond to diverse needs for support, impacting hundreds of families through congregations and conference related ministries.
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For this year’s conference-wide virtual pentecost worship service, God’s Spirit Poured Out, we’re looking to add the many voices of Mosaic Conference, of all ages and languages, to a scripture reading of Acts 2:17-21.
Using your smartphone, a camera, or your computer, we invite you to film yourself reading any version of Acts 2:17-21 in your language.
You are invited to join one of the first classes of our new Mosaic Institute!
View the brochure here, or find more information and register now at MosaicMennonites.org/Institute.
This week all congregations in Mosaic Conference are praying for the Community at Rockhill, located in Sellersville, PA, a Conference Related Ministry (CRM).Pray for the safety of both residents and staff.
Souderton Mennonite Church invites you to their annual Thanksgiving Eve Worship Service being held on Wednesday, November 25 at 6:30 pm. This gathering will be held live, in-person and viewed virtually (click on the media tab at www.soudertonmennonite.org). At a time when it can feel hard to be thankful, it feels even more important to gather and pray, hear scripture, sing, and hear testimonies of God’s faithfulness. They ask that masks be worn while inside the church building.
Help Frederick Living celebrate their 125th anniversary year! They are currently looking for photos and archival materials from their long history to help commemorate this special occasion. They’re also seeking former staff, families, volunteers, board members, and friends of Frederick Living who would like to share their stories about their connection to the organization. Please contact Trina Johnson-Brady at 610-754-7878 Ext 353 or email tbrady@frederickliving.org.
Peaceful Living is seeking an Administrative Coordinator. The Administrative Coordinator fosters a joyful culture of belonging throughout the organization while providing administrative coordination and support.
