Search Results for: congregational profile

Congregational Profile: Iglesia Menonita Encuentro de Renovación

October 8, 2020 by Conference Office

by Javier Márquez

Editor’s Note: Mosaic Mennonite Conference anticipates welcoming eight Florida congregations (that were formerly part of Southeast Mennonite Conference) at this fall’s conference assembly. This is a profile of one of these congregations.

What is the call that God has placed on Iglesia Menonita Encuentro de Renovación (Encounter for Renewal Mennonite Church) in Miami, Florida?

For Pastor José Andrés Mendoza, this question has three clear answers:

Taking care of the faith community
Helping immigrants
Providing hope and trust in God.

Congregational Christmas dinner
(Photo from official church facebook page)

The church community began in 1998 in Miami, Florida by Brother Gamaliel Fallas. Brother Marco Güete, now a Leadership Minister in Mosaic Conference, contributed to the formation of the church by sharing his inspiration of having a Mennonite community in Miami.

Iglesia Menonita Encuentro de Renovación is an intercultural Hispanic community, with members coming from many different countries, such as Colombia, Honduras, Argentina, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and the US.

The church is deeply and intensely committed to the social reality that surrounds them, expressing to others the love of God and their evangelical call to serve others. Members regularly visit prisons and hospitals to visit those imprisoned and sick. While there, they pray and share food and company with families, patients, and inmates.

A time of intercessory prayer in the midst of worship. (Photo by Javier Márquez)

The church, which meets every Sunday morning for worship, extends its service and contacts throughout the community directly by providing lodging and counseling to immigrants. The church has been organized in such a way that they can provide newly arrived immigrants with food and lodging for a period of two months.

The church also supplies food, school supplies, and grooming tools for immigrant children who are part of a support group called Casa Hogar. Providing hope in this context for immigrants who arrive, leaving behind their families and belongings for the promise of a better future, is an important task of the church.

Congregants during worship at Iglesia Menonita Encuentro de Reconciliación.
(Photo by Javier Márquez)

In addition to the constant help and closeness between the brothers and sisters of the church, they also care for the broader community of faith. Bible studies in members’ homes or community lunches, where the cost of lunch is often assumed by one or two church members, demonstrates an expression of love towards each other and the church.

The modest church building could give the mistaken impression of being a community with limited reach. The truth is that this body of believers has a passion and dedication for the call of the Lord Jesus Christ which leads them to continually carry out activities of service, love, and peace throughout the city of Miami.

Congregational Profile: Iglesia Seguidores de Cristo (Followers of Christ Church)

September 29, 2020 by Conference Office

by Javier Márquez

The church building of Iglesia Seguidores de Cristo in Sarasota, FL. Photo by Javier Marquez

At 4:00 am a light comes on in the building of the Seguidores de Cristo church in Sarasota, Florida. Every morning, leaders and other members of the congregation gather to pray. Their faith and passion to reach others motivates them to do this every morning, and is helped by the good weather in Florida.

Since the 1990s, Seguidores de Cristo (Followers of Christ) Mennonite Church has been an active group of Latin American immigrants from different countries, such as Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Each Sunday, congregants arrive for worship at this church with colonial architecture. They also participate in Bible studies regularly throughout the week. The church has now expanded its outreach and has opened new locations in Tampa, Bradenton, Gaimamy, and Sarasota.

The congregation prays together for a member in need. Photo by Javier Marquez

The church is a community made up mostly of immigrant families who come to Sarasota, FL, devoid of a host community. The brothers and sisters of the church are deeply committed to the discipleship and gospel of Jesus Christ. On any weekend, the church will meet to pray at dawn, perform youth services, fast, worship, go on evangelistic journeys, and accompany immigrant families when receiving bad news from their countries of birth.

On a recent day, the regular congregational schedule was halted. The community came together to accompany some Mexican brothers and sisters who had received very sad news from Mexico. Their sister died due to advanced cancer and was unable to be with her family in Florida because of immigration restrictions. Immediately, church members arrived at the church to gather with this family as they grieved this difficult news.

Sunday mornings, the congregation gathers for Bible Study, worship, preaching, Sunday School, and a final farewell. The Seguidores de Cristo Church is a strongly united congregation, with a marked vision of evangelism and discipleship. Together, they desire to accompany and welcome their neighbors, in the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Congregational Profile: Shalom Evangelical Mennonite Church

September 22, 2020 by Conference Office

by Javier Márquez

Members of Shalom Evangelical Mennonite Congregation pray together. Photo credit: Javier Márquez

Iglesia Evangélica Menonita Shalom (Shalom Evangelical Mennonite Church) began in 2019 and continues to grow and strengthen through prayer, evangelism, and service to others. Currently 20-25 adults and children gather regularly in the church building on Machado Street in Tampa, Florida.

The congregation began as a church plant on May 26, 2019. Pastor Secundino Casas and his wife, Jesenia Casas, were leaders of this “cell” in the house of a member of the congregation.

Now the congregation meets in the same building as College Hill Mennonite Church. The College Hill congregation has opened their doors so that this community of Spanish-speaking believers can carry out their faith activities. The two congregations share service opportunities, like a community food, clothes, and toy distribution every Wednesday, for those in need in Tampa.

Pastor Secundino Casas preaches on a Sunday morning. Photo credit: Javier Márquez

Pastors Secundino and Jesenia Casas, a married couple from Mexico, promote the church’s mission, “Share Jesus’ love for others, serve, and evangelize.” This vision is clearly reflected in the different actions they perform as a community of faith.

Church members actively work at discipleship and evangelization through community Bible studies and outreach. One day in the midst of an outreach campaign, a man, who did not speak Spanish, asked the members to pray for his life because he “could feel the presence of God in them and in what they are doing.”

Pastor Secundino (on truck) delivers food to the community. Photo credit: Javier Márquez

Despite having little time to attend church activities, many single working mothers living in Tampa have found a place of welcome at Shalom Evangelical Mennonite Church. This reality has motivated church leaders to organize help for these families, offering childcare at the church for women who work.

Shalom Evangelical Mennonite Church is a community committed to building peace. On their church sign, along with service times, is the verse, “Blessed are the peacemakers because they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Congregational Profile: Homestead Mennonite Church

September 15, 2020 by Conference Office

by Rick Lee, Pastor

Homestead (FL) Mennonite Church began in the 1950s by Mennonite Volunteer Service (MVS) workers who were in Homestead, FL working at Redlands Migrant Workers’ Camp. The church has expanded and contracted over the years. The building itself has been built and expanded three times during the life of the congregation. In 2000, the church burned down, by an unknown arsonist, but was rebuilt and expanded.

Presently, there are few ethnic Mennonites in the congregation. The majority of the congregation is senior citizens and young adults. There are a few teens and a few middle-aged families. The group is diverse ethnically, culturally, and economically. Our church worship is in English.

One goal of our church is to continue to grow and mature in our faith, in order to become more faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Most of the outreach is done through individual efforts and relationships. Members reach out to people in prison, single moms, undocumented immigrants, alcoholics, the poor, senior citizens, and children through tutoring and after school programs.

Over the years, the church has been connected and helped with many community events. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew devastated most of the entire city of Homestead, FL. However, the Homestead Mennonite Church building was fortunate to survive this disaster. Many citizens gathered at the church for help and consolation for many months following the hurricane.

More recently immigrants gather to hear from government officials, officers, and social workers about their rights as immigrants. The congregation values the opportunity to work with the community and its officials in an effort to help promote and keep peace with all people.

The church building is also offered to others for ministry use, including helping new congregations establish themselves, home schooling groups, senior citizens, mothers of preschoolers, and weight management groups. Seasonally a local community choir uses the church building to perform their holiday concerts. There have also been times that free health clinics were performed in the church building.

In the past decade, four or five churches have used our facility to try to start new churches. One Mennonite church has succeeded thus far. One of another denomination has folded. Two other congregations are still trying to establish themselves or save up money for their own building. Therefore, currently three congregations, including our own, share our facility.

Although there are many activities in the church building, the congregation is still working on finding ways to reach out to their neighborhood. Presently we try to connect through Facebook and also by encouraging our church members to love our neighbors as a source of witness.

Over the past several years, we offered Vacation Bible School. Some years we designed our own curriculum and other years we partnered with other churches of various denominations to provide a witness and activities for children during their summer break.

During a recent Advent season, an adult member of the congregation wrote reflective public readings on the themes of Advent. A youth of the congregation used pastel chalk to illustrate the theme on sidewalks and parking lots, while a reader’s group from the church presented the readings in public. Younger children also learned an increasingly complex choreography to the Advent hymn, “O Come Emmanuel,” each week.

Congregational Profiles

Congregational Profile: Providence Mennonite Church

July 21, 2020 by Conference Office

by Sue Conrad Howes, Mosaic Communication Associate

Providence Mennonite Church, located in Collegeville, PA, is one of the oldest Mennonite congregations in the country. It originated in 1815, although some claim that it started as early as 1740. Providence had the oldest meetinghouse among former Franconia Conference churches, approximately built in 1815. It was later razed and replaced with a new one in 1958, which is the current meetinghouse.

On a typical Sunday morning, Sunday School is first, and worship follows at 10:15am. The congregation sings a cappella hymns as an important part of worship. Currently, Lindy Backues is providing the sermons on a regular basis, and Garland Meyers preaches monthly. Though the average Sunday morning attendance is 15-20, all are welcome to join for worship. At least annually, the congregation joins with other Mennonite churches in the area (WellSpring, Methacton, Spring Mount, and Frederick congregations) for a joint worship service.

The congregation of Providence Mennonite Church, after a worship service in January 2020. Photo provided by Rodney Landes.

The congregation travels regularly to neighboring retirement homes, such as The Landing in Collegeville, providing a short meditation and music for the residents. Each October, the church holds a pancake breakfast as a way of connecting with the community. The funds raised from the breakfast are then donated to a mission project, such as the food bank in Collegeville. The congregation regularly supports the mission work of Charles and Felicia Jones in Peru.

The congregation is currently looking for a pastor and welcomes your prayers for the right leader for their church and that they might increase in attendance and membership as they continue to reach out to others.

Congregational Profile: Christ Fellowship

July 14, 2020 by Conference Office

We are an evolving Mennonite fellowship, located in Allentown, PA. We are dedicated to spreading truth and love throughout our city in Jesus’ name.

Christ Fellowship is located on West Chew Street in Allentown, PA.

Our church began when our Pastor, Sam Claudio Sr., was invited by First Mennonite Church of Allentown to join their staff to provide ministry to the surrounding community. As First Mennonite Church’s years of ministry came to an end, we continued in ministry and remained in the building.

Today, we are a group of approximately 30 people of Peruvian, Colombian, Honduran and Puerto Rican descent. While we are bilingual (Spanish/English), we hold our services in English. This helps us minister to those around us.

Our primary focus is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all those with whom we are in contact. We understand this to be a spoken, taught, lived, and serving message. Thus, all our ministries are understood to be an expression of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

Together with Bethany United Methodist Church, we provide food for persons who are homeless or in need of food through our food bank.

Our building facilities are used by Iglesia Evangelica Roca De Salvacion, a Spanish speaking congregation, and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), a group that provides support to those seeking to overcome addictions.

Members of Christ Fellowship (Allentown, PA) prepare for worship.

Currently we are undergoing some transition in our pastoral leadership but continue with the group of dedicated pastoral leaders that remain on the team.

Please pray with us that our witness and the preaching of the gospel will continue to flourish in the Allentown/Bethlehem region. We also invite you to pray that we would have the needed resources to upgrade our current facilities to make them accessibility compliant and that God would lead us to the persons he has prepared to step into the open pastoral roles.

Congregational Profile: Solidarity and Harmony Church

July 7, 2020 by Conference Office

by Sue Conrad Howes, Mosaic Communication Associate

Members and friends of Solidarity & Harmony Church, including Pastor Bernard Séjour (third from left) and the late Fred Kauffman (center), gather after worship. Photo credit: Bernard Séjour

Pastor Bernard Séjour grew up in Haiti. While he was studying at Hesston (KS) College, he and his family attended a Mennonite church in the South Central Conference. His family were the only people of color in the congregation. Despite the cultural differences, Séjour felt comfortable in this church. He reflects, “They didn’t necessarily call you “brother and sister” but I was treated as such.” As a result, Séjour felt the need to go back to the Haitian community to show them this new way of loving.

In 2009, he felt called by God to go Philadelphia and work with the Haitian community. Séjour did not necessarily intend to lead or plant a church, but merely to bring another perspective on how to do church. “When I visited Haitian churches in Philadelphia, I knew it would be difficult for me as an ‘outsider’ to make change where change needed to be.”

For Séjour to pass along what he had learned in Kansas from the Mennonites, he started a Bible Study in a friend’s basement. “I learned from the Mennonites, whenever there is a meeting, there is also eating. So whenever we gathered, we started eating together … to open minds, to create relationships, to study the Bible,” recalls Séjour. Soon the group began to ask, as they read the Bible, “If Jesus were Haitian, what would Jesus do?” And, Séjour, says, “We let the Bible speak.”

The group spent time getting to know each other, reading the Bible, and reaching out to others. Soon they moved from the small basement to another member’s larger living room. Eventually, the group outgrew any of their homes and decided to rent a gathering place.

As the Bible study began to grow, Séjour suggested the movement have a name: “Solidarity & Harmony.” The name was suggested, according to Séjour, because this is the mission of being church, and “this isn’t happening in the Haitian churches …. We need to help each other because we are community and family.”

Through a connection from Hesston, KS, Séjour met Fred Kauffman, who worked for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Kauffman was instrumental in helping Séjour and the church get connected to Eastern District Conference and feeling like a congregation. In fact, Kauffman became Séjour’s “right hand,” not only helping him with church life, but also preaching once a month and being a wonderful friend. Sadly, Kauffman died in December 2019, leaving a significant legacy that the church desires to pass along.

During a typical worship service at Solidarity & Harmony, many languages are used because “God speaks all languages.” Songs are sung in English, Creole, and French. The children’s sermon is given in English. If there are guests, the rest of the service, including the sermon, will continue in English and French. If everyone present is Haitian, then they proceed using Haitian Creole.

Currently the congregation size is between 30-40, but immigrant churches fluctuate greatly, depending on the political situation, the economy, and where the work is. When members move away to follow work or for other reasons, Séjour works hard to keep them connected through social media groups.

Pastor Séjour and the congregation have a deep desire to celebrate God’s love with all people. “We are a loving people,” he explains. “Get to know someone else before you judge. Haiti is known for poverty, but do not discriminate against us because we are Haitian. We would like your love, not your money.”

Join with others to pray for these specific requests from the Solidarity & Harmony congregation:

For better understanding of discrimination in our personal lives and in our world. Discrimination is not something God wants in the church. Pray for those who are discriminated against and for all those who discriminate.
For God to continue to be God to all people.

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