In Matthew 17 Jesus tells the disciples that with faith the size of a mustard seed they could move mountains. But at Philadelphia Praise Center/Centro de Alabanza de Filadelfia, something else is being moved by faith: adults are going to school. And I, as site administrator, get to witness the miraculous results.
Anabaptist
AMP conference focuses on multiculturalism and identity
On the weekend of June 29 – July 1, 45 people from around the country gathered at Oxford Circle Mennonite Church in Philadelphia for the Anabaptist Missional Project (AMP) conference. Attendees experienced a time of worship, discussion, and fellowship centered on the growing and expanding diversity among Anabaptists in America, specifically within MCUSA. Throughout the weekend, attendees discussed the difficulty of embracing other cultures while maintaining an Anabaptist identity.
The conference, titled “The Spirit’s Work in Mission: Prophesying about Many Peoples,” focused on a vision of the Kingdom of God in the book of Revelation, which explains that every nation, tribe, and tongue will come together to worship the one true Lord and King, Jesus Christ.
Reflections for the future Church
The Anabaptist movement has re-emerged in Post-Christendom Europe and it may give American Mennonites insight into our future.
Last month, I participated in a cross-cultural class through Eastern Mennonite Seminary that took us to Bristol, Birmingham, and London, England. There my classmates and I saw glimpses of hope from the UK Anabaptist movement, where people are asking basic questions about the purpose of church and joining God’s mission of restoration in their context.
Does Mennonite Matter?
Does it matter being Mennonite? According to Dale Schrag, “It depends.”
Dale, who is campus pastor and director of church relations at Bethel College, spoke to this question at a seminar for youth and adults at Salford Mennonite Church on April 11. He elaborated by saying that it depends on what we mean by being Mennonite.
Community Home Services: Caring in the name of Jesus
by Mary J. Tidey, Souderton, mtidey@communityhomeservices.org Community Home Services is now beginning its 17th year of providing home care to those in need in this community. Founded on Anabaptist principles, […]
Sounding the Gospel of our common Christ: Lutherans and Mennonites move toward right relationships
by Dr. John Ruth, Salford Mennonite Church, and Bishop Claire Burkat, Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The history of Lutherans and Mennonites has not always […]
On flattening the Mennonite world: a view from Singapore
by Steve Kriss
New York Times writer Thomas Friedman suggested in the World is Flat that flourishing businesses would need to be both global and local in the emerging interconnected age. It’s a comment that I’ve taken pretty seriously as a pastoral leader trying to imagine how local congregations might flourish and thrive in this time as well. In my work over the past five years in Franconia Conference, it’s been easy to see lively connections that link our largely Pennsylvania-based congregations to far flung places like Jakarta, Mexico City, London and the Mekong Delta.
An Open Pastoral Letter to Anabaptist Churches
An Open Pastoral Letter to Anabaptist Churches from Mennonite Central Committee U.S. In response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, many members of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ congregations […]
New book discusses the 'bare essentials' of a radical faith
by John Longhurst What does a naked Anabaptist look like? That’s what Stuart Murray wanted to know. “Anabaptism has been around for almost 500 years, and for much of that […]