Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Conference News

Mosaic Conference Receives $10,000 for Ambassadors Program

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Mosaic Mennonite Conference (Lansdale, PA) has received a $10,000 charitable distribution from the Schowalter Foundation to help fund the summer 2024 Ambassadors Youth Leadership Development Program.  

The Ambassadors Youth Leadership Development Program provides summer ministry experience to gifted young adults (ages 18-24) impacting their local communities. This program builds on a 20-year commitment by Mosaic (previously Franconia) Conference to develop young adult leaders through ministry experience.  

The program seeks to cultivate young adults’ commitment to Christian service and foster opportunities for Anabaptist witness and spiritual growth in their local communities and inspire young adults and develop their leadership skills. 

Danilo Sanchez, Leadership Minister for Intercultural Transformation, directs this program. Sanchez himself participated in a Franconia Conference-led summer service program as a young adult.

“These young adult Ambassadors give back to their community, work on their leadership gifts, learn more about who they are, and work closely with their pastor,” Sanchez shares. “As a young adult, I greatly benefitted from leadership opportunities with the conference which led me to become the pastor I am today.” 

For 10 weeks from June to August, the Ambassadors serve in their congregations’ Vacation Bible Schools and peace camps, at Conference-Related Ministry community centers, and more. They receive guidance from their pastor or another supervisor and mentor to discuss goals, receive support, and reflect on their experiences. The Ambassadors receive a stipend for their impactful work.  

In addition to the service opportunities, there are monthly virtual cohort gatherings for participants to build relationships, pray, and develop leadership skills. At the end of the program, there is a 2.5 day in-person retreat, designed and led by Sanchez and Hendy Matahelemual, Associate Minister for Community Engagement, which this year will take place in Tampa, Florida for the first time.

In 2024, 10 young adults are participating in the Ambassadors program, hosted by their congregation or Conference-Related Ministry. Initially, there were plans to host just six Ambassadors, but due to high levels of interest from applicants and host congregations, and the possibility of additional funding, the program was able to grow.  

“J.A. Schowalter wanted his legacy to continue on beyond his lifetime, supporting the missional work of Mennonite churches and organizations with similar faith and values,” said Schowalter Foundation President Diane Yoder. “We are pleased to support the efforts of Mosaic Mennonites through his vision and generosity.” 

The Schowalter Foundation was established in 1954 from the estate of J. A. Schowalter, a Mennonite from Newton, Kansas. The Foundation supports initiatives that follow the Mennonite convictions of service and missions, peacemaking and social concerns, and other programs and projects carried out by Mennonite Church USA and the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, as well as Mennonite higher education institutions. To learn more about the life and legacy of J. A. Schowalter and The Schowalter Foundation’s mission and grants, visit schowalterfoundation.org. 

Conference Board Affirms Anchor Statements for the Strategic Plan  

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Mosaic board members gathered at Bethany Birches Camp for a retreat. 

On May 17-19 the Mosaic Conference Board met at Bethany Birches Camp (Plymouth, VT) for an offsite, in-person retreat. The Conference Board, which meets 6 times a year, supervises the business of the conference, including conference committees, and ensures that the conference is maintaining alignment with its vision and following the lead of the Spirit into areas of growth and change.  

The group gathered for worship, prayer, relationship building, and an equipping session on discernment and decision making, led by Mosaic Leadership Ministers Rose Bender Cook and Noel Santiago. The board also affirmed the Anchor Statements from the Pathway Team Strategic Plan.  

The anchor statements form the framework for the strategic plan, which is currently being developed by the Pathway Steering Team with support from the consultant organization Grovider. The anchor statements cover five areas: reconciliation, leadership development, relationship building, clarity/identity, and communication and articulates how Mosaic will work toward those five areas. Each anchor statement has corresponding objectives and activities in the strategic plan that are currently under development. (download the Anchor Statements here in English, Spanish or Bahasa Indonesia) 

“I affirm the hard work, which is not fast work, of the Pathway Steering Team to attend to all of the details of creating the strategic plan,” shares Conference Moderator Angela Moyer Walter. “They have been discerning tangible steps for us to live into our vision, to embody the reconciling love of Jesus in our broken and beautiful world.”   

During the board meeting, members of the board echoed this sense of affirmation of the frequent meeting, listening, discernment, and planning that the Pathways Steering Team has done. They affirmed the process so far and invoked God’s continued blessing on the work.   

“The Pathways team has gone through the forming, norming, and storming stages, and I think we are entering the performing stage,” reflects Kiron Mateti (Plains [Hatfield, PA]), board member and member of the Pathway Steering Team. “Getting concrete steps on paper is encouraging. All these strategic words are a little new to me, but they are just tools to communicate the concrete ways Mosaic can live out our Mission and Vision, keeping our Missional, Formational, and Intercultural Priorities in mind.”  

Mateti continued, “The session with Rose and Noel could not have come at a better time. I am quick to enter “decision-making” mode and weigh the data and steps in a logical way but entering into “discernment” is a practice and a habit. As Noel put it, ‘discernment is what God reveals and decision-making is what we do with that.’”  

The Pathway Steering Team will provide the Board with the Anchor Statements (done), strategic plan, and affiliation recommendation (in progress). Graphic by Kiron Mateti. 

The full strategic plan, and a recommendation around the question of affiliation with Mennonite Church USA, will be brought by the Pathway Steering Team to the board meeting on August 19. By the end of August, the board will set the agenda for the November Assembly.  

“Now is the time for praying for the Pathways Steering Team. These commitments are the crux of moving forward together as Mosaic, and they give me hope,” Moyer Walter reflected.  

We encourage you to reach out to your Lead Ministers, or the Pathway Team members, with your questions and feedback.   

Mosaic Mennonite Conference Receives $21,000 Grant for Vital Worship Initiative

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Participants of the Anabaptist Worship Network 2023 songwriting retreat, which included four people from Mosaic Conference. Photo by Darryl Neustaedter Barg.

Mosaic Mennonite Conference (Lansdale, PA) has received a $21,000 grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship to discern the theological distinctiveness and ethnocultural diversity of the church’s music. The project will provide tools to effectively evaluate CCLI Top 100 contemporary worship music from an Anabaptist theological perspective and provide suggestions to broaden the Top 100 list to better represent the diversity of the church.  

The project, entitled “Anabaptist CCLI Top 100 and Beyond,” is organized in partnership with the Anabaptist Worship Network and is part of a cluster of similar projects which have been called together by the Centre for Congregational Song. The project will be led by Rev. Dr. Emily Ralph Servant (Leadership Minister for Strategic Priorities for Mosaic Conference); Rev. Dr. Sarah Kathleen Johnson (Assistant Professor of Liturgical and Pastoral Theology at Saint Paul University); and Anneli Loepp Thiessen (PhD Candidate in Interdisciplinary Music Research at the University of Ottawa).  

“We aspire to create a theological framework for evaluating some of the most widely sung worship songs from an Anabaptist perspective. We aim to work together across Anabaptist traditions, with representatives from the Mennonite Brethren, Mennonite Church Canada, Mennonite Church USA, Church of the Brethren, and Evangelical-Anabaptists, on the team,” shared Sarah Kathleen Johnson, who is representing the project on the Together in Worship leadership team.

From right: Emily Ralph Servant (Mosaic Leadership Minister), Stephen Zacheus (Jemaat Kristen Indonesia Anugerah; Sierra Madre, CA), and George Makinto (LA Faith Chapel) travel to the Anabaptist Worship Network 2023 songwriting retreat. Photo by George Makinto. 

“We are attuned to the reality that definitions of Anabaptist theology will be distinct depending on the community, and that differences abound across distinctions of racial/ethnic identity, rural vs. urban location, average age of congregation, and more. Our intention is to identify shared pillars of Anabaptism and explore how song lyrics may align with or disrupt these values,” added Anneli Loepp Thiessen, Co-Director, Canada, of the Anabaptist Worship Network. 

The team will go through the CCLI Top 100 and identify whether songs resonate in an Anabaptist context, reflected with a color coding. The bulk of this work will be completed at an in-person gathering in the fall of 2024.  

“Recognizing that the CCLI Top 100 represents songs limited in origin to predominantly white Evangelical communities in the U.S. – and further is dominated by men – we aspire to create a list of contemporary worship songs that better represent the breadth of the church,” Loepp Thiessen further explains.  “This list will intentionally highlight songs in languages beyond English, gender diverse songwriters, songs by people of color, and songs that represent immigrant and refugee communities, and songs with expansive language for God.” 

“We are privileged to extend our intercultural worship capacity through the grant from Calvin,” shares Steve Kriss, Executive Minister for Mosaic Conference. “This builds on continued partnership and gifted contributors to enrich the spiritual life of Anabaptist communities within and beyond Mosaic Conference. We are grateful for Calvin’s leadership, trust and generosity.” 

This program is made possible through a Vital Worship Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Grand Rapids, Michigan, with funds provided by the Lilly Endowment.  

Three Possible Pathways for Our Future as Mosaic 

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by Stephen Kriss

In November 2022, our Mosaic delegate body met for the first time in person. And we had our first shared crisis of identity. Mennonite Church USA’s (MC USA) Kansas City summer 2022 special delegate session, which included repealing the denomination’s membership guidelines and passing a Repentance and Transformation resolution, created ripples of emotion for many persons across Mosaic.  

In response, at our first annual face-to-face, Mosaic delegates affirmed the Pathway Forward which includes strategic planning (needed at this point in our story together), an option for congregations to remove themselves from MC USA, and a promised discernment about our relationship with MC USA as a Conference community. This was a lot for the first annual face-to-face session.  

This is a lot for a new community to bear in its beginning. However, we are both deeply rooted and freshly new. By the grace and lovingkindness (chesed) of God, we have continued to flourish with surprising growth and provision in this two-year period. Our board has led with steadiness and our member congregations have engaged in mutuality and the agreed-upon work of our core missional, formational and intercultural priorities as we seek to embody the reconciling love of Jesus in our broken and beautiful world. 

In these two years, the Pathway Steering Team, which represents the diversity of gifts and perspectives of our Conference, has diligently worked on strategic planning and is moving closer to discernment on a recommended path for our Mosaic affiliations.  

In the meantime, Mosaic staff and board have made sure the work of the Conference continues. For me, as Executive Minister, this has meant understanding our relationship and responsibilities with MC USA and the implications of remaining within the denomination or finding alternative paths. 

Last month, I shared with the Pathway Steering Team three possible pathways I can identify for our future as Mosaic:  

A Pathway of Autonomy

As someone of Slavic descent, I recognize that autonomy can present new possibilities and challenges. Franconia Conference has been an autonomous conference in the past. Our community has capacity, in human and financial resources, to operate autonomously. We would still be Mennonites. We would find new ways to relate to other Anabaptists. We would seek membership in Mennonite World Conference. I have explored possible affiliations outside of MCUSA, and from my perspective, none would fit who we are or give us the support and space we need to live into our vision and mission.   

A Pathway of Continued Commitment

When Mosaic formed, we assumed continued membership in MC USA. We have deep connections broadly across the church and our continued engagement would offer our strength, diversity, and perspective to the largest Mennonite group in the U.S. Our membership in MC USA gives access to resources that are important in our credentialing process and in supporting some of our most vulnerable and newest communities with grants for ministry, educational opportunities, and financial backing for the purchase of new meetinghouses. Continued membership would maintain those programmatic connections and relationships across the country. The challenge for some of us is that this affiliation has become a liability rather than a strength that enables us to live more fully into our vision and mission. 

A Pathway of Collaboration or Partnership

At the last MC USA gathering, Mennonite Health Services and Everence altered their relationships with MC USA. We have had some initial conversations with leaders in MCUSA on what a different relationship might look like, in which we could collaborate on some areas of shared interest while holding our own polity and membership guidelines as Mosaic. This would require something new for MC USA (timely, given that we just discussed reinventing the church at our annual Constituency Leadership Council [CLC] gathering). This would also require something of us in Mosaic. Is it possible that Mosaic is a better MC USA partner rather than full member? Would this allow us to live into our vision and mission more fully? 

I have committed to a sense of holy indifference as the Executive Minister of Mosaic. I can see strengths and vulnerabilities in each of these paths. And it’s possible that the Pathway Steering Team will offer an alternative recommendation.  

What I do expect is that a year from now, Mosaic will be a different community in some way. This may be difficult, and it may also be invigorating. So far, the Spirit has continued to show up. I am committed to us living into our vision and mission of embodying the reconciling love of Christ even in difficult circumstances together. We won’t get it right all the time, but I want to keep us focused on living into who we have felt God has called us to be, both broken and beautiful. 

The Pathway Steering Team will likely have the strategic plan ready for board review at the May meeting at Bethany Birches Camp in Vermont. We hope there will be a recommendation for the board regarding affiliation at the August meeting. Conference delegates will have an opportunity to discuss this in our Assembly preparation gatherings, as we prepare for further discernment at the November 2, 2024, annual Assembly at Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church. 

As the pathway emerges, may we have the courage to do what is right and good, may we extend God’s great chesed to all, and may we walk humbly as individuals and as a Mosaic community. 

Stephen Kriss

Stephen Kriss is the Executive Minister of Mosaic Conference.

Neffsville Affiliates with Mosaic Conference

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by Jennifer Svetlik

On January 7, 2024, Neffsville Mennonite (Lancaster, PA) marked its transition from being a member of Atlantic Coast Conference to affiliating with Mosaic Conference. 

Joanne Dietzel, Executive Minister of Atlantic Coast Conference, and Steve Kriss, Executive Minister of Mosaic, were both present for worship at Neffsville to mark and pray for this transition.  

Neffsville has asked Mosaic to hold the credentials of Neffsville’s pastors, Lead Pastor Hunter Hess and Associate Pastor of Youth Ministries Eszter Bjorkman, in this relationship of affiliation. Neffsville will join other Partners in Mission of Mosaic, which includes Mosaic funded-church plants, congregations, and networks both domestically and globally. Partners in Ministry are organizations or congregations that are not members of Mosaic Conference but share our values and a vision for Anabaptist witness in their communities. 

Kriss encouraged the Neffsville congregation, “I want to invite you to build relationships strongly, to step into these spaces and ask good questions.” He described Mosaic as, “A relational conference, and we also have strategy.”  

“We look forward to this relationship together, and to deepening relationships,” Kriss continued. In fact, there are several prior relationships that already exist among the Neffsville pastors and Mosaic congregations, as well as Mosaic leaders and staff with the Neffsville congregation.  

Pastor Hunter Hess welcomes the opportunity to build these relationships further. “We see Mosaic as recognizing the movement of the Holy Spirit in the global church and the Conference’s desire to learn from and lean into that movement. Evidence of that leaning is the focus on multicultural churches,” Hess said. “Neffsville may not be there yet, but we also desire to find the wind of the Spirit and hitch a ride.” 

Neffsville has approximately 400 members, with a thriving group of members over the age of 90. Neffsville is the first congregation from Lancaster to partner with Mosaic.  

“The alignment of Neffsville Mennonite into a relationship with Mosaic is an expression of hope that congregations within Mennonite Church USA can participate in strong and vigorous partnerships in fulfilling God’s mission,” shares Jeff Wright, Leadership Minister for Neffsville. “It is also an opportunity for Mosaic Conference to learn from our sisters and brothers in Lancaster County. I look forward to walking with Pastor Hunter, the staff, and the elders of Neffsville as we find fresh ways to engage in fruitful mission.” 

Reflecting on the decision, Kriss added, “The leadership team of Neffsville has been diligent, careful, and open-handed in their discernment of affiliation with Mosaic. They have shown openness to receiving the gifts of what it means to be Mosaic, to engaging with Mosaic’s priorities, and asking good questions.”  

Jennifer Svetlik

Jennifer is Communication Associate/Editor for Mosaic. She was born near Houston, TX and spent a decade living in an intentional community in Washington DC, before moving to Lansdale, PA with her spouse, Sheldon Good. She is a graduate of the University of Texas and Washington Theological Seminary. She serves as Children’s Faith Formation Director at Salford Mennonite (Harleysville, PA). Jenn has two elementary-school-aged children and loves biking, camping, gardening, and vermicomposting with her family. 

New Year Brings Numerous Staff Transitions

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by Jenn Svetlik

The recent months have unveiled a variety of staff transitions for Mosaic Conference. These changes seek to respond to needs that the Conference has identified as we continue to live more fully into our missional, intercultural, and formational priorities.  

Departures:

Randy Heacock ended his role as Leadership Minister in October 2023, a position he had served in since 2017. As the staff gathered for a Christmas party in December, Heacock was affirmed by the staff and prayed over by fellow staff member Noel Santiago.  

Sue Conrad Howes will end her role as Communication Team Lead and editor of Mosaic News at the end of January, a role she has filled since 2020.  She will continue in her role as a chaplain at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation.  

New Staff:  

Andrés Castillo who began working on the communication and intercultural teams in November 2023, began a one-year full-time position as Intercultural Communication Associate in January 2024. 

Stacey Mansfield began work with Mosaic in the summer of 2023, providing logistical and administrative support for the Annual Assembly. In December 2023, she began a role as Administrative and Hospitality Collaborator, supporting the work of credentialing leaders and Assembly planning.  

Jennifer Svetlik became a member of the Communication team in September 2023.  In January 2024, Svetlik is moving into an expanded role as Editor of Mosaic News. 

New Roles for Current Staff: 

Cindy Angela, who has served as Digital Communication Associate since September 2020, began as the Director of Communication in January 2024.  

“My vision for the Communication Team is to continue to provide clear and effective communication of Mosaic’s priorities, making sure to listen intentionally to the different voices and perspectives across the conference,” shares Angela. “We’re such a diverse conference, and I see this as a strength.” 

Emily Ralph Servant, who has served the Conference in a variety of roles since 2011, most recently as a Leadership Minister and the Dean of Mosaic Institute, began as the Leadership Minister for Strategic Priorities in January 2024.  

Rose Bender Cook will, in February 2024, become the Leadership Minister for Formation, a role she has served in an interim way since October 2023. Since 2021 she has helped to lead Mosaic Institute.  

“As a pastor, I am always thinking about formation for the congregation, but in this new role, I will be challenged to think more broadly about creating spaces where we can all be formed by the Word of God and the Spirit’s work in one another,” shares Bender Cook. “I anticipate getting to know congregations and seeing what God is already doing as well as learning what the needs are so we can respond accordingly.” 

Eileen Kinch, an editor and writer on the Communication team, will move to the Administrative team in February 2024. 

“The strength of Mosaic is committed people. In a time of fluidity and change, our staff is committed to accompanying our diverse communities with integrity and responsiveness” Executive Minister Steve Kriss says. “I’m grateful for both those who are finishing up their time as part of our staff and those who have said yes to increased or new responsibilities.”    

The staff of Mosaic Conference is comprised of 22 full-time and part-time persons.  

Conference staff accompany and support congregations, credentialed leaders, Conference Related Ministries and ministry partners, serving nearly 100 affiliated Mosaic communities and ministries in eight states along with partnerships in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Staff members work regularly in English, Spanish, and Indonesian languages.   

Jennifer Svetlik

Jennifer is Communication Associate/Editor for Mosaic. She was born near Houston, TX and spent a decade living in an intentional community in Washington DC, before moving to Lansdale, PA with her spouse, Sheldon Good. She is a graduate of the University of Texas and Washington Theological Seminary. She serves as Children’s Faith Formation Director at Salford Mennonite (Harleysville, PA). Jenn has two elementary-school-aged children and loves biking, camping, gardening, and vermicomposting with her family. 

Assembly 2023: Gathering to Worship God’s Faithful Truth

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by Jennifer Svetlik

Around 250 people gathered for worship during Mosaic’s Assembly on November 4, centered on the theme of emet, God’s faithful truth. Songs and scriptures were proclaimed in the languages of Mosaic congregations, prayers were offered, and newly credentialed leaders were anointed and offered anointing to all present who wished to receive it.  

There was a time of remembering the seven credentialed leaders that had died over the past year, one who had retired, as well as a congregation that had closed, and three congregations who had left Mosaic.  

As representatives from Line Lexington (PA) and Towamencin (Kulpsville, PA) congregations came forward for prayer, Mosaic representatives laid hands on them, and Executive Minister Steve Kriss offered a prayer. 

“We have the privilege today to do something that Mennonites have not often done well… These communities are still our neighbors, our siblings,” said Kriss. “We pray for the three congregations who have left Mosaic to flourish…and may we overextend our greetings of peace, embrace of love, and shared joy.”   

In her sermon, Hyacinth Stevens, Executive Director of Mennonite Central Committee East Coast, offered guidance for the rest of the day, “Let us not prioritize schedules over the practice of presence.”  

Morning and afternoon delegate sessions followed worship. Read more about the delegate sessions here.

Jennifer Svetlik

Jennifer is a member of the communication team, helping with editing, writing, and content creation. She was born near Houston, TX and spent a decade living in an intentional community in Washington DC, before moving to Lansdale, PA with her spouse, Sheldon Good. She is a graduate of the University of Texas and Washington Theological Seminary. She serves as Children’s Faith Formation Director at Salford Mennonite (Harleysville, PA). Jenn has two elementary-school-aged children and loves biking, camping, gardening, and vermicomposting with her family.

MC USA Delegate Report

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Approximately 300 delegates from throughout Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) gathered July 7-8, 2023, at the Kansas City (MO) Convention Center to discern together some aspects of the denomination’s future. Many of the attendees had participated in MennoCon ’23, held prior to the delegate assembly.  

Each session of the delegate assembly began with worship music and a Bible study by Rev. Dr. Sarah Bixler. The Bible studies looked at different scenes from the Upper Room before Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion and after his resurrection. 

After the first Bible study, the assembly was convened by MC USA Moderator Linda Dibble. An agenda and rules were adopted and minutes from the 2022 Delegate Assembly were summarized and approved. Then Sue Park-Hur, MC USA Director of Ethnic Engagement, led the delegates in a game of Mennonite bingo to get to know one another. After a break, Glen Guyton, MC USA Executive Director, gave a State of the Church message. After this, there was an introduction to the Agency Governance & Operational Alignment Resolutions being put forward by the Executive Board. 

After lunch and a further time of singing and Bible study, delegates heard a report from the Mennonite Education Association and received and voted to affirm a slate of new members for various denominational boards and committees. Delegates then heard a report from Mennonite Mission Network and a testimony from the pastor of Koinonia Indian Mennonite Church (Clinton, OK) about how they are implementing their Peace and Justice Grant. After a break, Everence and Mennonite Health Services Association (MHS) gave reports about their work. 

Banners line the hallways of the convention center in Kansas City for MennoCon 23. Photo by Marta Castillo.

The delegates then voted on whether or not to modify the denomination by-laws to change the occurrence of delegate assemblies from every two years to every three years. To pass, the resolution needed to receive a two-thirds majority vote for adoption. The resolution failed by a very narrow margin. Many of those who spoke against the resolution cited a concern that youth would not be gathering as frequently and a general desire to meet more rather than less frequently.  

Resolution two, to amend the bylaws to clarify the role of program entities, passed by an overwhelming majority. Before adjourning for day one, delegates began to provide feedback and counsel about resolution three, to change Everence and MHS from agencies to program entities. 

Saturday morning began with singing and the final Bible study segment. Michael Danner, MC USA Associate Executive Director, gave an update on the development of new procedures to prevent and deal with incidents of abuse of various kinds in congregations. This was followed by a report from MennoMedia.  

After a break, delegates moved on to floor discussion and voting on resolution three, to change the status of Everence and MHS from agencies to program entities. This resolution passed with an overwhelmingly positive vote.  

After this, Ivanna Johnson from Boulder (CO) Mennonite Church spoke about how her congregation is using a peace and justice grant to partner with a nearby elementary school to provide resources and support for impoverished students. The MC USA Anti-racism team then gave its report and there was a report from the Corinthian Plan. 

The Transforming Wall at MennoCon 23. Photo by Danilo Sanchez.

To close out the delegate assembly, Jon Carlson, pastor of Forest Hills Mennonite Church (Leola, PA) was installed as the new Moderator of MC USA. Carlson spoke about his desire to focus on three Mennonite values in the next biennium: peace, especially living at peace with one another despite deep differences; simplicity, especially in how we organize our work together; and family, emphasizing the ongoing transfer of leadership to younger generations.