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Missional - Intercultural - Formational

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Intercultural

“Christians are strangers and aliens within all cultures. Yet the church itself is God’s nation, encompassing people who have come from every tribe and nation. Indeed, its mission is to reconcile differing groups, creating one new humanity and providing a preview of that day when all the nations shall stream to the mountain of the Lord and be at peace.”

-excerpt from Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, Article 10

Intercultural Team

  • Danilo Sanchez, Lead
  • Jennifer Svetlik

Mosaic Mennonite Conference is committed to being a church that goes beyond surface-level diversity toward true racial justice for all people. While our world’s economic and governmental systems present differences among us as threats to be eradicated, we aim to develop multicultural communities of faith that show our broken world a new way of living.

We do not do this by pretending all people are exactly the same.  We acknowledge, own, and celebrate our cultural differences, allowing ourselves to be changed by the relationships we build across cultures.

  • What is “Intercultural”?
  • Intercultural Events
  • Intercultural Resources
  • Stories

In 2012, the board of our Conference committed to developing intercultural relationships among communities of faith. Our conference has defined intercultural as

“…living out the mission of God across the cultural, racial, economic, ethnic, and national boundaries that tend to divide and stereotype people, toward the goal of being one reconciled people who are transformed by our relationships as we experience now the vision of Revelation 7:9-12.”

This certainly means we purposely bring people of different cultures and ethnicities alongside one another. We, however, are committed to something deeper than that. We strive for more than just a distant appreciation of one another, or other cultures accommodating to the dominant white culture. An “intercultural” commitment means we nurture “a deep understanding and respect for all cultures.” This means deep relationships, even if this means uncomfortable conversations, where “no one is left unchanged because everyone learns from one another and grows together” (Spring Institute).

What steps are we taking to begin to live out our intercultural commitment?

We are assessing current relationships and communities that have potential to move in an intercultural direction. We are committed to building strong relationships among ministries and congregations generally, strengthening our bonds and our ability to change. We are striving to make sure any cross-cultural relationship-building happens with mutual respect rather than one culture dominant over the other. We have developed an Intercultural Team with two dedicated staff that will help incorporate the conference board rep into the Intercultural team. This work is not easy, nor should it be. With God’s help, we can strive for a more just future for all of us.

2024 Intercultural Lunch in the City

Join the intercultural and missional teams for an intentional city experience of food, walking, and missional conversation.

We will gather at Centro de Alabanza at 11:30AM for brief instruction, followed by a period of walking and eating. A conversation of reflection will follow at 2PM.

ADDRESS:
440 SNYDER AVE, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19148

Carpooling may be available depending on availability. Each attendee is responsible for the purchase of their own food from a surrounding restaurant of their choice.

Register HERE

Been in the Struggle: Webinar with Book Authors

Book Description (from MennoMedia):

The work of dismantling racism doesn’t happen overnight.

Been in the Struggle nurtures, challenges, and fosters the work and witness of dismantling racism for the long haul. Filled with wisdom and insight from nearly three decades of partnering across racial lines in this work, authors Regina Shands Stoltzfus and Tobin Miller Shearer offer a powerful mix of practical direction and poignant reflection to empower and sustain those working to dismantle racism, regardless of their stage on the journey.

The event has now passed. Watch the webinar recording here:

Books

  • Intercultural Church – A Biblical Vision for an Age of Migration by Safwat Marsouk
  • Intercultural Ministry – Hope for a Changing World  Edited by Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Jann Aldredge-Clanton
  • Dancing with God by Karen Baker-Fletcher
  • Cultural Intelligence by David Livermore
  • White Fragility. Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo
  • Anxious to Talk About It – Helping White Christians Talk Faithfully about Racism by Carolyn Heisel
  • Practice Showing Up: A Practice Guide for White People Working for Racial Justice by Jardana Peacock
  • Been in the Struggle by Regina Shands Stoltzfus and Tobin Miller Shearer

Articles

  • White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
  • What is Internalized Racism? by Donna K. Bivens
  • Stop Talking About Racial Reconciliation and Start Talking About White Supremacy by Erna Kim Hackett
  • White Privilege, Fragility and Vulnerability by Liliana Delman
  • White Supremacy Culture by Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun
  • Good Intentions Are Not Enough: A Decolonizing Intercultural Education by Paul C. Gorski

Videos 

  • Intercultural Competence and Faith Formation
  • “Where are you REALLY from?” Decoded
  • Doctrine of Discovery – in the name of Christ
  • Ertell Whigham’s Sermon at Renewing Nations and Generations 2022

Podcasts

  • The Element of Inclusion hosted by Dr. Jonathon Ashong-Lamptey

Websites

  • Race Forward
  • Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery: a movement of Anabaptist People of Faith
  • Anti-Racism Resources for Mennonite Churches by MCUSA

Trainings

  • Loss of Turtle Island – Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery, Indigineous Vision Center,  Mennonite Central Committee Central States
  • Intercultural Development Inventory

Books

  • Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by Brandon J O’Brien and E. Richards
  • Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White by Frank H Wu 
  • The Color of Success: Asian Americans and the Origins of the Model Minority by Ellen D. Wu

Video

  • A Call for Solidarity  
  • German Catholic Church struggles to fight racism | DW News
  • Asian American documentary on PBS  Watch | Asian Americans  
  • Race in America Beyond Black and White | Frank Wu | Talks at Google 

Podcast

  • ‎The Reclaim Podcast on Apple Podcasts 

Websites / Articles

  • Anti-Asian Violence Resources Carrd 
  • Asian American Christian Collaborative (AACC)
Articles

Intercultural Workshop Nourishes Intercultural Exchange and Community

The event provided a valuable opportunity for Americans, Haitians, and Indonesians to engage in meaningful dialogue and mutual learning …
Read More
Articles

Where is God Hiding in South Philadelphia?

All of us agreed that the Holy Spirit was active in our small simple interactions and observations …
Read More
Articles

What Color Am I? 

While counterintuitive, meeting as a White caucus for reflection shows respect for our brothers and sisters of color …
Read More
Articles

Mosaic Conference Launches a White Caucus 

A White Caucus provides a place where White people hold one another accountable … and frees people of color from …
Read More

Click here for more intercultural stories.

This post is also available in: 繁體中文 (Traditional Chinese) Việt Nam (Vietnamese) Español (Spanish) Indonesia (Indonesian) Kreol ayisyen (Creole)

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