Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Conference News

Updates for MC USA Special Delegate Assembly

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Mosaic Conference has named the following delegates to the Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA) Special Session of the Delegate Assembly in Kansas City, MO, May 27-30, 2022:

Mosaic Board representatives: 

  • Cory Longacre, Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church 
  • Janet Panning, Plains (Hatfield, PA) Mennonite Church 
  • Herman Sagastume, Perkiomenville (PA) Mennonite Church 
(from left to right) Cory Longacre, Janet Panning, Herman Sagastume

Mosaic Staff representatives: 

  • Marta Castillo, Associate Executive Minister, Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life
  • Michele Ramirez, Youth and Community Formation Coordinator for Florida, Iglesia Menonita Luz y Vida (Orlando, FL)
  • Aldo Siahaan, Leadership Minister, Philadelphia (PA) Praise Center 
(from left to right) Marta Castillo, Michele Ramirez, Aldo Siahaan

Mosaic Committee representatives: 

  • Michael Howes, West Swamp (Quakertown, PA) Mennonite Church 
  • Emmanuel Mwaipopo, Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life 
(from left to right) Emmanuel Mwaipopo, Michael Howes

All Mosaic congregations are strongly encouraged to select their delegate(s) for the Special Assembly and to register. Contact your Leadership Minister with questions about financial assistance to attend this Assembly. If your congregation’s membership is less than 100, apply for scholarship assistance through Mennonite Church USA. 

Mosaic Conference will hold two delegate equipping sessions with MCUSA moderator elect, Jon Carlson, Pastor of Forest Hills (Leola, PA) Mennonite Church. These sessions are for all congregational and conference delegates planning to attend the Kansas City Special Assembly. 

  • Tuesday, April 26, 7pm: Souderton/Lansdale PA area (specific location TBA) 
  • Tuesday, May 3, 7pm ET/4pm PT: via Zoom (with Spanish interpretation available) 

Preparing for MC USA’s Special Delegate Session

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On May 27-30, 2022, Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA) will hold a Special Session of the Delegate Assembly in Kansas City, MO. Each Mosaic congregation is eligible to send delegates to this important meeting in the life of our community and witness together.   

Mennonite Church USA is providing background resources and hosting a series of educational webinars (see below) to prepare delegates and their conferences / congregations for the Special Session of the Delegate Assembly in May.

Mosaic Conference will also be offering preparation work to help resources delegates and pastors in the months ahead.  The resources are intended to help prepare delegates for the upcoming discernment and voting that is planned for this special session.   

Upcoming January webinars:

Monday, Jan. 24, 2022 07:00 PM (EST): The development of resolutions, especially church statements, must seek to follow our ecclesiology. We believe the church exists at the congregational, area conference and national conference levels. While each person is responsible for developing and maintaining a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, our understandings of the revelation of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are refined and tested by the community of believers on the three levels of our church. This seminar will explore the current role resolutions play in MC USA and hope we might shape the resolution process in the future. 

Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 07:00 PM (EST): Join MC USA’s Iris de Leon Hartshorn (facilitator) and panelists Jamie Pitts of AMBS, Pastor Isaac Villegas of Chapel Hill (North Carolina) Mennonite Fellowship and Shana Peachey Boshart of Mennonite Education Agency for an engaging discussion on biblical discernment. In this one-hour webinar, the panel will address three key topics:

  • Biblical and historical understanding of discernment
  • Congregational experiences with discernment
  • Best practices for discernment 

All webinars will be recorded and available on the MC USA delegate resource page. Please visit the delegate resource page for the full schedule and additional information.

Conference Board Update: September 2021

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The Mosaic Conference Board met September 20, 2021 to prepare for the annual Assembly and to review a process for conversation with Dock Mennonite Academy in response to allegations of misconduct in March 2021. The Conference board meets bimonthly. Most meetings are a hybrid combination of virtual and in-person attendance, so that members can attend across the Conference’s wide geography.

Process with Dock Academy

The Board reviewed a process prepared by the Ministerial Committee and the Conference Related Ministries (CRM) Committee for further conversation with the leadership of Dock Mennonite Academy. The Board affirmed the proposed process to move forward, rooted in the Conference’s agreement with CRMs (of Community and Accountability) and the Giving and Receiving Counsel document for credentialed leaders.

Conference leaders will be meeting with leaders from Dock Academy in October to review the process. More information will be available in the coming weeks as this process continues.

New member congregations and ministries

In preparation for Assembly, the Board affirmed Iglesia Menonita Pena de Horeb (Philadelphia, PA) and Faith Chapel (Los Angeles, CA) as new member congregations and The Midian Project (Charleston, WV) as a new Conference Related Ministry (CRM). These memberships will be officially affirmed and blessed in the annual delegate session in November. Information to introduce these congregations and ministries to the Conference will soon be available through the Mosaic Newsletter and website.

Annual Assembly pivot to online

The Board approved a change from in-person to virtual Assembly participation with localized watch parties due to the current COVID conditions, our geographic spread, and our diverse constituency. The delegate sessions will be held on Zoom from 1-3pm Eastern/10am-12pm Pacific on Saturday, November 6. The annual worship will be broadcast from a central location with watch parties for delegates across the Conference community at 7pm Eastern/4pm Pacific. More information regarding opportunities to gather as small groups for Conference worship will be coming in the next few weeks.

Update on Process with Dock Academy

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Last month, Mosaic Conference committed to developing an internal review process in response to allegations of misconduct at Dock Mennonite Academy (Lansdale, PA). In the last weeks, our Conference Related Ministry Committee and the Ministerial and Credentials Committees have developed a process that will include conversations between some of their members and members of the Dock Board, as well as the Dock Superintendent, to discuss concerns, affirmations, and future recommendations.  

A draft of this process will go to the Conference Board for approval at their next meeting. Next steps will be communicated by September 30.  We have continued to consult with Dove’s Nest to work toward a survivor-centered process.  We hope to not only provide insight into what has or has not been done in the past but also to initiate changes for our conference that foster healthy relationships, mutual accountability, and safe spaces for the vulnerable among us.  

Mosaic Conference takes allegations of abuse or misconduct seriously (resources for Safe Churches).  If you have information about an instance of child abuse in your ministry context, please report it by calling the child abuse hotline for your state:

CA: list of phone numbers by county

FL: 1-800-962-2873

MD: list of phone numbers by county

NJ: 1-877-652-2873

NY: 1-800-342-3720

PA: 1-800-932-0313

VT: 1-800-649-5285

Pressing On – Congregational Profile: Mennonite Bible Fellowship

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by Julia Heck, Mennonite Bible Fellowship

Morris Mennonite Bible Fellowship is a small congregation, located in Tioga County, PA.  It is in a valley, nestled between five gorgeous mountains.  Planted in 1953, this congregation was a mission outreach of Franconia Mennonite Conference.  Some of the original workers were Sam Landis, Clayton Godschall, Bob Felton, and Willard Bergey.  Bob Felton was the first pastor.  Later, Arthur Kolb was called to serve here.  Then, in 1969, Paul and Faith Benner were called to move to the Morris area.  So, they left Finland Mennonite Church with three small children and moved to Wellsboro.  Paul became pastor in 1970, and they have been faithful to this congregation and community ever since.  Since 2008, John Brodnicki, Paul’s son-in-law, has taken the place as senior pastor, with Paul filling in as needed.

The community in Morris consists mainly of life-long residential families.  In many cases, several generations have called Morris “home”.  To fit into the community, a person needs to commit to long-term presence here.  The saying goes that either you have to be born into it or bury someone here before you become a local.

The Benner family has lived in the area for around 50 years.  This has allowed us to live life as a part of the community.  We owned and ran the local general store for 13 of those years, allowing us to share common ground with many from the community.  Paul worked as a carpenter/contractor, while pastoring.  Others from the congregation have taken up occupations or started businesses in the area, so people can get to know them.  Rose and Nelson Yoder ran the Witt-Yoder Personal Care Home for several years.  John Brodnicki works in forestry, while pastoring.  Others have worked in garages, counseling, retail, medical and mental health, ski lodges, printing, restaurants, running people to healthcare visits, and cleaning and providing care in homes.

We have several people from the community who come to the church for special events.  When asked, they claim Mennonite Bible Fellowship as their church, even when they don’t attend Sunday services.  We are often asked to perform funerals and weddings for people in the community.  We are a small group, so we often work alongside other local congregations to provide holiday services and VBS.  This builds the Christian community around us and we all appreciate the feeling of inclusion.

Thursdays are special.  Several women from the congregation meet with community women to knot comforters and fellowship over the noon meal.  Sometimes they go on outings together, which promotes feelings of ownership and belonging.  Walking beside these women, through illness, death, abusive situations and times of joy, allows us to bond very closely with them.

Other ministries include prison ministry, visitation, senior banquets and working with local fire/ambulance fund-raisers to name a few.  Recently we participated in the local Trunk or Treat and Easter egg hunt.  Those of us who are employed minister through friendship ministry at work.

The needs are great in Tioga County.  Drugs and depression, both monetarily and emotionally, bind many souls.  Family division is devastating the vast majority.  Most churches are teetering to survive.  The “old faithfuls” come as much as they can, but many suffer illness.  Young families stop by, but when there are no other children there, they move on.

Many children have grown up at MBF and have spread out for various reasons.  Employment that sustains a young family is tough to find in the area.  The Christian community is suffering, so the hopes of finding a Christian spouse are low.  But God has called a few of us to return and carry on the work of the mission.

Despite all of this, we press on.  We want to remain faithful for those who do reach out for companionship, support, and prayer.  We feel that being present and available is our best witness.

If you feel called to a new adventure in ministry, please come by and check us out.  The people are warm and eager to greet anyone who stops by.  At Sunday services we offer worship, sharing and prayer time, sermons, monthly life stories, Sunday school and monthly fellowship meals.  Wednesdays, we have evening prayer gatherings.  Thursday the women’s group meets.  Support is offered any time needs arise.

Please pray for our congregation, and if you can, stop in for a visit.

Prayer requests:

  • that they would see and respond to the opportunities God provides to connect with and serve people in the community in ways that bring glory to God and draw people to Jesus
  • that they would be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit each day.

For more information, contact Pastor John Brodnicki at 570-353-2407 or Pastor Paul Benner at 570-353-7866.

 

Letting Go Ethically

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The Care and Share Shoppes in the Souderton Shopping Center are a part of the Mennonite Central Committee Thrift Shop Network.

If Marie Kondo has inspired you to tidy up this spring, consider these tips from Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), which runs a network of thrift shops across the United States and Canada, including the Care and Share Thrift Shoppes, a Franconia Conference Related Ministry.

  1. Do your research. Ask your local thrift shop what items they accept before donating them. Some thrift shops don’t have the resources to accept furniture or electronics. Others may have an “upcycling corner” where they’ll accept items that are broken or missing pieces (like a puzzle or board game).
  2. Clean your items before donating. Many thrift shops, especially those who depend on volunteers, don’t have the resources to clean or repair items. When your items are clean, they have a greater chance of being sold and avoiding the dumpster.
  3. Don’t donate broken items or old TVs. Unless a thrift shop tells you differently, assume they don’t have the resources to repair broken appliances or electronics—and it could cost them more money to responsibly dispose of them. Instead, look for recycling programs through your city, energy provider or local box stores.
  4. Be thoughtful. Would you give the item you want to donate to a friend or family member? If not, perhaps you need to think about a different way to reuse or recycle it.
  5. Buy second-hand items as much as possible. While thrift shops are grateful for your donations, repeatedly buying and donating new clothes (“fast fashion”) does more harm than good. Thrift shops are often overwhelmed by donations of women’s clothing but are more likely to need men’s and children’s clothing.
  6. Consider volunteering. MCC’s thrift shops are more likely to have the time and skills needed to ethically dispose of and recycle unsellable items if they have a strong volunteer base.

Volunteers receive donations at the Care and Shoppes.

MCC’s network of thrift stops are all working to handle donations responsibly, with concerted efforts to reduce waste and care for the environment. Most of the proceeds from the shops go to MCC’s “Most-Needed Fund,” which supports humanitarian efforts in local communities and around the globe, including relief and development, peacemaking, education, prison ministry and immigration advocacy. To see what’s happening at your local thrift shop, visit https://thrift.mcc.org/.

The Care and Share Shoppes are open for business, as well as for donating, Monday through Saturday — learn more at careandshareshoppes.org.  They also have a variety of volunteer opportunities.  Contact Suzanne Kratz (skratz@careandshareshoppes.org), Volunteer Manager, to learn more about becoming a part of the team!

Riding for a Better Future

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by Mike Ford, Blooming Glen congregation, with Rabbi Nathan Martin

In May 2019, a unique group of bicycle riders will ride from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. on behalf of Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light (PA IPL), a statewide organization dedicated to helping faith communities bring a moral voice to climate change.

There will be a mix of Quaker, Mennonite, Jewish, and nonreligious participants, riding together to promote an awareness of climate change issues and environmental stewardship. In D.C., we’ll join with a group of riders from State College and spend a day on Capitol Hill, meeting with congressional delegations to share our concerns about the need to keep environmental sustainability as a central value in their legislative work.

Mike (3rd from L.), John (4th from L.) and Ben (far R.) and their host family in Newark, DE during the 2018 ride.

Having done the ride in 2018 alongside Mennonite pastors John Stoltzfus and Ben Wideman, I found it a wonderfully educational experience. Each day along the way we met with faith communities to hear their stories of how they were working to make their communities and cities more sustainable. A Presbyterian congregation in Maryland was eager to share how they became certified as an “earth care” congregation by the Presbyterian Church USA movement; a synagogue in Baltimore shared how they are becoming a neighborhood organizing hub for community activities and urban renewal, including environmental advocacy.

Fixing a flat

I love discovering things and making new friends while on a bicycle. Riding mile after mile alongside two Jewish rabbis, we learned about each other’s faith traditions, finding many common traits such as valuing peace and justice. We were hosted by church/synagogue folks along the route and enjoyed delicious food and gracious hospitality. We met pockets of passionate environmental stewardship folks along the way, all motivated to care for the earth by different faith traditions.

It was also stimulating to meet with legislative representatives and advocate for policy to help care for the earth as the future home for my children and grandchildren. I look forward to our May 2019 adventure/advocacy trip and encourage you to follow along through the PA IPL website.

Mail donations in support of the 2019 Bike Ride to: PA Interfaith Power & Light, 210 W. Hamilton Ave. #295, State College, PA 16801.

A Clear and Gentle Voice

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by Gwen Groff, conference board member

Jim King recently finished his third three-year term as a Franconia Conference board member. 

King brought skills from his background in business and from service on other boards.  John Goshow, Franconia Conference’s moderator and board chair, describes King’s voice as clear and valuable in stressful times. “Jim did not hesitate to express his opinion,” Goshow said. “He was gentle in the way he expressed his perspective. In challenging times, he has a very steady demeanor. He is optimistic. He brought wisdom, experience and maturity to our board work. When the tension between the board and constituency exploded in 2010, Jim played a large role in finding ways for the board and constituency to move together in more healthy ways.”

Making ice cream in Plains Park

According to Goshow, King’s impact on the board has been lasting. “Jim’s footprint is really big. When he joined, the meetings were scheduled to begin at 1 pm; they didn’t really get rolling until 2, and they often lasted until 6. Jim found them to be fairly unstructured, without clear agenda, but lasting half a day. Jim was instrumental in making board meetings more organized.”

King first agreed to serve on the board in order to better understand the conference-congregation relationship. “I had come to Plains congregation from Germantown,” he said. “I knew there were issues between Germantown and Franconia Conference. I had felt critical of the conference because of the breakdown of the relationship between the congregation and the conference, and I believed it was unfair of me to be critical if I didn’t know how the conference functioned in that situation. So I agreed to be on the board.”

Visiting old friends at the plastics warehouse

King believes that cultivating face-to-face relationships is very important. During his time on the board, he visited a variety of different congregations, worshiping with them, talking with their leaders, and being present in person. “Relationships are an asset,” King said. “It’s important to be available for conversations.” 

One of his ongoing concerns is how the conference can stay connected with congregations that are new to the conference and that must relate across great geographical distances. “We struggle to ‘maintain right fellowship’ with those who are just a hundred miles apart. How can we stay connected to people across the country? Distance is hard. How do we build those connections going forward?”

Another issue that King continues to care about is nurturing relationships with the youth. He would like to see more attention to connecting the youth of different congregations. “Some congregations don’t have the resources to hire a youth pastor,” King said. “I’d love to see the conference help organize service projects for youth from various congregations to work together on peace and justice issues. It’s a good way for youth to form connections in the church and build networks that can be useful in future careers. I know I would never be working in a business in recycled plastics if I had not spent two years in voluntary service in New York City.”

King believes that the relationship between the conference and congregations is in a good place. “We have engaged and committed staff and effective Lead ministers,” he said. “I feel this is the best relationship I’ve seen in the past nine years.” He anticipates an adjustment as he steps back from a central role, knowing that he’ll hear about what’s happening through delegate reports and publications, but won’t know the background and context of the issues. “I trust the process,” he said. “But I will miss having a role in shaping the process.”

MDS project in Nebraska with his wife, Joan

Now that he has “termed out” of the FMC board, King plans to order a couple more hives to increase his bee colony.  He also hopes to do more volunteer work trips with Mennonite Disaster Service and Mennonite Central Committee’s Sharing With Appalachian People. “This is the stuff I enjoy,” he said.