I didn’t have a label for it, but I was on my way to becoming an Anabaptist.
Ben Walter
Perspective from a Veteran and a Mennonite Pastor
by Ben Walter, co-pastor at Ripple The national anthem protests in the NFL this week have brought everyone to the table with opinions, praises, threats, and outrage. As a US […]
Seeking peace in their cities, urban leaders gather in Philadelphia
by Rachel Sommer for Mennonite Central Committee East Coast and Mennonite Church USA In a letter to Jerusalem’s exiled leaders, the prophet Jeremiah called on them to work for the […]
Reflections on the Conversation on Race and the Church
On September 21, Drew Hart and Ben Walter presented a conversation on race and the church at Germantown Historic Meetinghouse in Philadelphia, sponsored by the Franconia and Eastern District Conferences’ Peace & Justice Committee. (Listen to the podcast here.) The following are reflections on this conversation from two men in very different walks of life: Mikah, a biracial young adult who is working with students in north Philadelphia, and Firman, a white pastor of over twenty-five years, ministering in a prosperous, rural setting.
Conversation on Race and the Church
On September 21, Drew Hart and Ben Walter presented a conversation on race and the church at Germantown Historic Meetinghouse in Philadelphia, sponsored by the Franconia and Eastern District Conferences’ Peace & Justice Committee. This conversation connected Anabaptist and Black Theologies and identified areas in which churches participate in both institutionalized racism as well as acts of micro aggressions. Listen to the podcast.
Salford youth extend hospitality in Allentown
Salford Mennonite Church is a place with many resources and talents – yet we as a church are often are at a loss at how to use these resources in the world. Every once in a while, an opportunity takes shape that touches us in a meaningful way.
During the month of February, Salford’s members collected over 50 grocery bags filled with non-perishable food items, as has been a tradition for many years. The second part of this tradition is that Salford’s youth have delivered the groceries to a community where this can be of use. Our youth leaders reached out to Steve Kriss at Franconia Conference, who suggested that it might be helpful to get in touch with the Ripple Allentown community.
Conference pastors recognized for leading and serving
Tom Albright, lead pastor of Ripple, an emerging Anabaptist missional faith community in Center City Allentown was recognized by the Lehigh County Council of Churches with the Ecumenical Service Award for 2012.
As part of WPVI ABC-TV’s celebration of Asian American Heritage month in Philadelphia, Aldo Siahaan, lead pastor of Philadelphia Praise Center, was honored for his commitment to the Indonesian immigrant community