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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

  • Marta Castillo
  • Jaye Lindo
  • Danilo Sanchez
  • Hendy Matahelemual

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.

Been in the Struggle: Book Study

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.

Register Now

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

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

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)
Sanchez Named Leadership Minister for Intercultural Transformation

In his new role, Sanchez will support the work of the Intercultural Committee which began with the formation of Mosaic Conference in 2020. 

Haciendo Iglesia en Tiempos Difíciles (Doing Church in Difficult Times) 

Affirmation of the assembly to explore the possibilities of a Partner in Ministry relationship …

Here I am, Lord

“Josué has shown maturity, Christian spirituality, and intelligence serving on the local church board, and he will do well nationally with Iglesia Menonita Hispana.”

Creating Spaces

Imagine an intercultural space where language, nationality, and cultural differences are recognized and honored

Introducing the New Intercultural Committee

We have this intercultural priority: “As human beings made in the image of God, we acknowledge, own, and celebrate our cultural differences, allowing ourselves to be changed by the relationships we build across cultures while we work together for racial justice.”

What is Your Flag?

I believe the blood of Jesus is one “spiritual” flag that can unite us.

What Can We Do?

“If the virus didn’t kill them, hunger would kill them. It was important for the church to ask itself how to help and find ways to do it.”

A Village Boy was Chosen

It sounds like I should already be retired by now but God still gives me the grace to be part of His story.

COVID-19 News & Updates

Resources, information, articles and updates during the COVID-19 crisis.

Waiting for Heaven’s “Green Card”

… my identity is as a citizen of heaven, and every believer in every nation is a co-worker, without being limited by national and political identity.

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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