Melissa Landis
mlandis@mosaicmennonites.org
“What do you want to be when you grow up?†For generations, adults have asked children this familiar question and I never had a very good answer. For awhile, my quick response was “teacher†because at eight years old I liked to play “school†with my younger sister. But as I grew, I realized I really didn’t know.
In high school the idea of majoring in communication began to creep into my mind. Specifically I liked the idea of working at a non-profit organization that helped people. I decided to major in Organizational Communication because the blend of communication and business classes seemed like a way to facilitate my lingering desire to work in the non-profit realm. As I went through college I held out hope that my major would allow me to do something worthwhile with my vocation.
On my graduation day at Tabor College in Kansas the question of what I wanted to do when I grew up stared me in the face with ferocity. How was I going to use my gifts, my abilities, and my education in the real world? I made a decision to trust that even though I never had a lightening bolt moment of clarity, God would how me the next step. I believed that the promise of Philippians 1:6 was true for me: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesusâ€.
Recently I began looking at the possibility of working with Franconia Conference as Administrative Services Manager. The position brought together several of my interests and in supporting the staff I could support the conference’s mission of “equipping leaders to empower others to embrace God’s missionâ€. At just the right time a new step in my life was revealed, one that will challenge and stretch me. Most importantly, I know God will continue to work in my life, growing me into the person I was meant to be.
Melissa began her new role in January. She is married to Isaac Landis and attends Franconia Mennonite Church. A graduate of both Hesston and Tabor Colleges in Kansas, Melissa grew up in Nebraska.