Conference News

Conference Finance Update (December 2011)

January 29, 2012 by Emily Ralph Servant

Dance Team — Nueva Vida Norristown New Life received a grant for creative youth ministry which was partly used to develop a sacred dance team that helped to lead worship at Conference Assembly 2011 at Penn View Christian School in November. Photo by Stacy Salvatori

The 2011-12 fiscal year is almost over. Congregational giving continues to be behind expectations so far this year, by $34,000. Expenses have come back to expectations, running $2,850 below budget at this point in the year. We are currently in the time of year (December and January) when congregations usually make up for giving shortfalls, so we are praying for this to continue. 26% of congregational giving usually comes in these last two months.

A sampling of the various activities of the conference during the months of October & November:

$1,200 in Missional Operations Grants (MOG) was disbursed for youth ministry to Nueva Vida Norristown New Life.
The annual Conference Assembly meetings occupied of lot of staff time these past two months. Developing worship themes, partnering with Eastern District, contacting the guest speakers, translating into four languages, organizing the Prayer Room, coordinating video recordings, and so on, took a lot of energy; for both the assembly scattered meetings and the main meetings at Penn View Christian School.
Sandy Landes continues to lead a weekly prayer gathering at the conference center, but also led a day of prayer and fasting and a teaching on prayer.
Conference leaders attended the Constituency Leadership Council in October, a meeting of the “elders of the denomination”, who spent this time reflecting on the convention in Pittsburgh and church-wide communication.

Other tidbits:

The conference relies on contributions from congregations for approx. 60% of its operating budget. 27% of the revenue comes from conference-owned property subsidies, and 4% from conference related ministries. The other 9% comes from a variety of sources.

Stepping Stones Finds New Home

January 24, 2012 by Emily Ralph Servant

Plains Mennonite Church opened up its doors to Stepping Stones Nursery School
By Tony Di Domizio, Montgomeryville-Lansdale Patch

Stepping Stones Nursery School has found a new home at Plains Mennonite Church in Hatfield Township.

The daycare, which cares for 55 children, re-opened for business on Thursday, Jan. 12. “By Monday, they were signing papers and moving in,” said Plains Mennonite Church Pastor Dawn Ranck.

Ranck said the agreement is temporary, for now.

“Then, we’ll see and they’ll see,” Ranck said. “They need time to figure out the next steps.”

Ranck approached Stepping Stones and Grace Lutheran Church about using space at their church for daycare services.

“We thought right away that we could house daycare or drama (Laymen Playmen). We talked to different people in the church, and four of us went to the church council chair. We knew there was support,” Ranck said. “We went over to the church and said, ‘If you need us, we’re available.’”

Stepping Stones director Lori Bezanis said many surrounding churches offered their help. “I was doing the best I could to stay as close as I could to where we were,” Bezanis said. “It seemed like the best location.”

Bezanis said Ken Crest Services was located at Plains Mennonite for many years, and she knew they had moved from that location. “I knew it had been set up at one time for preschool,” Bezanis said. “The fire marshal and code people went and checked it out and gave me the thumbs up.”

Bezanis said it was awesome for Ranck and the church to approach Stepping Stones and offer their space temporarily. “I can’t thank them enough for making us feel so welcome and so at home,” Bezanis said. “They bent over backwards to accommodate us.”

Bezanis said Stepping Stones was poised to relocate next door to Bethany Bible Fellowship. However, the code inspector did not approve it.

“They called us on Friday a week ago and said, ‘Can we check you out?’” Ranck said.

Ranck said the Plains Mennonite Sunday school teachers were willing to give up control of the space.

“We still use the space on Sunday, but (Stepping Stones teachers) are decorating the rooms since they are there the most,” Ranck said. “Teachers share space on the bulletin board.”

Stepping Stones runs Monday to Friday, Bezanis said. “On Friday evening, we have to clean up a bit more and put things away a bit more than during the week,” Ranck said. “They and we are both committed to making it work.”

The relocation of Stepping Stones has also brought some new, young life into the church. “My office is down that hallway,” Ranck said. “It’s really fun having kids in that hallway and hearing noises in a hall that is normally quiet.”

Other churches have stepped forward to help out Grace Lutheran Church and Stepping Stones Nursery School. Lansdale United Methodist Church has opened its doors to the Laymen Playmen. Christ United Methodist Church’s education and missions departments donated a very large amount of money for the daycare to buy supplies from U.S. Toy in Montgomeryville.

Local Girl Scout troops also volunteered time to raising money for Grace Lutheran Church.

“And we are still getting donations, which is awesome,” Bezanis said.

She said parents really like the new location. “I’ve heard only positive remarks from parents. They are very pleased,” Bezanis said.

She added that the daycare wants to get into a permanent location down the road, but she can’t say when that’s going to be. There’s talk of adding modular classrooms at the Grace Lutheran Church site.

“In the meantime, we are at Plains and liking it. We are getting adjusted and getting settled. The kids are very happy,” Bezanis said. “(Plains Mennonite Church) has been more than accommodating and we are more than grateful for helping us out.”

Even local businesses have donated time to make the youth at Stepping Stones happy. Giggle Magic and Magic Marcy, of Harleysville, did a show for the students on Monday. On Wednesday, All About Paint will be painting the children’s faces. Jumpin Jack’s Indoor Inflatable Playland, in Hatfield, opened its doors for the children recently as well.

What’s even more positive is, in the wake of the New Year’s Eve fire, membership at Stepping Stones has not been affected.

Ranck said there was no hesitation in helping Stepping Stones and Grace Lutheran Church. “We are one piece of the puzzle, but not the whole puzzle,” Ranck said. “It’s the community coming together.”

She said the church had space and Stepping Stones had a need. “It’s not a question of ‘Do we do this?’; it was ‘How do we make this happen?’” she said.

Plans move ahead to improve Souderton playground

January 24, 2012 by Emily Ralph Servant

By Emily Morris, emorris@montgomerynews.com
Reprinted from the Souderton Independent

Gerry Clemmer, pastor of Souderton Mennonite Church, Jen Ruggiero, and Tara Cupitt stand inside the gazebo at the playground at Chestnut Street and Wile Avenue in Souderton. They are working to revitalize the park through fundraising events in the Souderton community. Souderton Independent photo - SUSAN KEEN

Plans to improve the public playground at Chestnut Street and Wile Avenue in Souderton are moving along, with a group of volunteers working on the project hoping to tag on to some of the momentum of the borough’s 125th anniversary.

“We’re partnering together and inviting the community to join us in this project,” said Gerry Clemmer, pastor of Souderton Mennonite Church.

Clemmer and fellow volunteers Tara Cupitt and Jennifer Ruggiero, both neighbors of the playground, are working under the name Chestnut Street Playground Community CARES to bring new, safer equipment to replace the aging existing features at the park. In addition, they’ll be refurbishing the gazebo that sits in the park.

The small corner playground, which has been there as long as anyone at the church can remember, Clemmer said, has not been updated in years, housing largely old steel equipment. Clemmer said the church donated one newer piece of equipment in 1999, which still exists and would remain as part of the plan. That was the last time the park was updated.

One of the primary goals is to create a safe and accessible playground for the numerous children who live in the neighborhoods surrounding the playground.

“The neighborhood is filled with school age kids,” Cupitt said.

To meet the safety goal, one of the key elements will be handicapped accessible equipment, including swings. There will also be a music station, which is an interactive piece of playground equipment that is appealing to all children, but also particularly good for children with autism and Asperger’s, Ruggiero said.

“Our goal is to encompass all children that might have some kind of disability,” Ruggiero said.

In addition, the playground will be designed to appeal to a wide age range, rather than just smaller children as the equipment does now. The goal is to get a larger playground structure that will appeal to those aged 7 to 12, and several other pieces to meet the age ranges below that. The playground is also visited regularly by children from the nearby Head Start program and other nearby nursery and preschool programs.

Cupitt, whose sons are 12 and 14, said her sons often go to the park to play football or baseball in the field below, and that field will remain for those purposes.

The group is currently working with the borough’s engineering firm, Boucher & James, to analyze the park property and create a master plan that can then be used to work on fundraising for the new equipment. Plans for the new park may include improvement of grading so that it is more accessible for both children or parents who may be in wheelchairs or handicapped in other ways.

Fundraising will be a key part of the project in the coming months, Ruggiero said. The goal is to raise a minimum of $65,000, though the group has plans that could incorporate more elements if more funding is raised. The group will be reaching out to larger companies in the area, along with smaller businesses, which may be able to support the project in other ways. For example, Ruggiero said, Action Karate recently donated the profits from the sale of gis — the outfits its students wear for karate — to the playground project.

The group is looking for large structure sponsors at $20,000 or more, smaller structure sponsors of $10,000 or more, $5,000 for a handicapped accessible swingset, $1,000 for the merry-go-round and spring rider, $500 for picnic tables and benches and $250 for trees and landscaping. Sponsorships over $500 will have their names placed on a recognition board in the park. Ruggiero said several businesses have already expressed interest in helping, including Moyer Indoor Outdoor, which has said it will help to maintain the trees and landscaping in the playground. Plans for the playground will preserve the existing trees.

For individual fundraising, the group hopes to have a number of events that may include a pancake breakfast and basket Bingo, and it will be hosting a block party in conjunction with the June 23 parade that will be part of the Souderton 125th celebration this summer.

The group hopes to begin fundraising in earnest after receiving a final plan for the park to show potential donors. The borough has said it will pull out some of the older pieces of equipment beginning in the spring, Ruggiero said, and the new equipment could be purchased piece by piece as money is raised. The goal is for the project to be completed by early fall.

“What we’re really wanting to do with this is to build a sense of community,” Ruggiero said.

Donations to the playground can be made Attention: Chestnut Street Playground to Souderton Mennonite Church, 105 W. Chestnut St., Souderton PA 18964 or Souderton Borough, 31 W. Summit, St., Souderton PA 18964. Checks and donations should note that they are to be earmarked for the playground project.

To learn more about the playground project or get involved, contact Pastor Gerry Clemmer, Tara Cupitt, or Jennifer Ruggiero.

Christmas light, shining into the new year

January 24, 2012 by Emily Ralph Servant

by Emily Ralph, eralphservant@mosaicmennonites.org

Ubaldo Rodriguez, pastor of New Hope, Baltimore, stood in the Walmart parking lot on Christmas afternoon, at a loss. Even in the midday light, there was a hovering shadow. What were they going to do?

Weeks earlier, he and his congregation had received a call from a family in Pennsylvania who wanted to join them on Christmas to serve the homeless in their community. The family was going to bring all the food—what a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas!

So Rodriguez invited fifty people to share the love of God—and Christmas dinner—with them. The dinner was set for 2pm on Christmas afternoon at Wilkens Avenue Mennonite Church.

Just past noon on Christmas Day, however, they made a shocking discovery—the food from Pennsylvania had spoiled on the trip. How were they going to feed their guests? They went to the supermarket, to Walmart—everything was closed. It was Christmas, after all.

Franconia Live Nativity — Franconia shares a live nativity with the community.

Now, as they stood in the parking lot at Walmart, trying to figure out some way to redeem this Christmas, they received a phone call. A member of Wilkens Avenue who owned a restaurant had come to the dinner—with enough food to feed fifty people.

In that moment, Rodriguez and his congregation experienced a real Christmas miracle. There was a light shining in the darkness.

And it was a light that could not be quenched. All throughout Franconia Conference this Christmas, congregations stood alongside Christ as light in the darkness.

2011 Souderton Christmas Parade — MIddle School students from Penn View walk in the Souderton Christmas Parade

Franconia (Pa) congregation kept watch in a live nativity during the week leading up to Christmas, providing soup, hot dogs, cookies, and hot chocolate for their visitors. Middle school students from Penn View Christian School (Souderton, Pa) took their live nativity on the road, walking in the Souderton Christmas Parade.

Plains (Hatfield, Pa) has a yearly tradition of caroling at the Montgomeryville Mall, an event that always draws crowds and participation from bystanders who can’t help but join in the breathtaking harmonies. This year, they also hosted a gift exchange for Manna on Main Street, a Lansdale (Pa) soup kitchen, providing gifts for almost 450 children.

Christmas gift exchange at Plains — Plains partnered with Manna on Main Street to distribute gifts to local children.

Upstate at Whitehall, the light was particularly bright on Christmas Eve, when the Christ candle in the Advent wreath was finally lit after a long season of waiting. The woman who carried the candle up the aisle battles mental illness. She lit the Christ candle and proclaimed, “Arise, shine, for your light has come!” The congregation stood and responded, “The light shines in the darkness . . . and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Christmas Eve is only the beginning—the Christ has arrived and continues to walk with his people through times of darkness and difficulty. This is why Whitehall also celebrated Ebenezer Sunday the week after New Year’s.

The congregation brought in a big stone like the one the prophet Samuel erected while Israel was battling the Philistines (1 Samuel 7). Members of the congregation wrote on the stone, listing the good and hard times that God has led them through. The stone will sit as a memorial of God’s faithfulness, first inside the sanctuary and then later in the church garden—an Ebenezer, their “stone of help,” for “Thus far has God helped us” (vs 12).

Whitehall-Ebenezer — A stone of help from Whitehall's Ebenezer Sunday

The light of Christmas shines into the new year—through darkness, uncertainty, and fear.

And the darkness has not overcome it.

“We praise the Lord for his continued love for people [and] his provision,” said Rodriguez, reflecting on his Christmas miracle. But he acknowledged that the love, provision, and light are not just for us to enjoy, but to extend to all people. “I hope we continue to share in practical ways with others the gift given to us all,” he said, “the gift of love, hope, and joy from our Lord Jesus Christ.”

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Has your congregation had a meaningful service or event? Are you planning something special? Send stories and photos to Emily or let us know what is coming up!

Unexpected mutual aid helps save church building

January 16, 2012 by Emily Ralph Servant

By Sheldon C. Good Mennonite Weekly Review

norristown-church — Nueva Vida Norristown New Life Church was on the brink of foreclosure of its 104-year-old meetinghouse in the summer of 2011. — Photo provided

When Nueva Vida Norristown (Pa.) New Life Church acquired a 9,000-square-foot office building adjacent its meetinghouse in November 2007, a local realtor projected it would only take six months to fill it with tenants. Then the Great Recession hit.

“Little did we know that a week after we closed on the building the economy — local, national and global — would tank,” said church member Jim Williams.

The six-month plan didn’t work. The building had one tenant, an attorney’s office, that relocated in 2010. ASSETS Montco, a small business training program, moved in as planned in 2008, but was hit by economic hard times and closed in 2010.

By last summer the congregation was on the brink of foreclosure of its 104-year-old meetinghouse, listed as collateral for the new building’s mortgage. The church property is less than 10 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

The past four years have tested the 100-member congregation’s faith that God will provide for a situation they discerned as God’s leading. Thanks in part to a mutual aid effort by Franconia Mennonite Conference churches, the Norristown congregation has extra time to firm up its financial footing.

From the beginning, the building purchase has been part of a larger congregational vision.

In 2007 Nueva Vida Norristown New Life launched “Enlarging Our Place in God’s World,” a $2 million capital campaign. The campaign seeks finances for the office building and meetinghouse renovations to create a base for intercultural ministries of racial justice and reconciliation, economic access and opportunity for disadvantaged people, and income generation to support the ministries.

Working with a church consultant and other professionals, the congregation developed a long-term strategy. It includes renting the office space to pay off the building’s mortgage and then to fill it with community-oriented ministries.

“People will go into an office building, but they might never go into a church,” Williams said. “If you can expose people to the gospel, there’s a chance they will begin to connect with the congregation.”

More than 30 potential tenants have looked at the building.

“Their reasons for not signing vary; most people cannot pay the going rate,” he said. “Market values for rent space have come down over the past few years, and the church is willing to take less than the going rate.”

Norristown Office Building — The 9,000-square-foot office building adjacent Nueva Vida Norristown (Pa.) New Life Church. — Photo provided

Without rental income, the church could only cover the interest on the office building’s mortgage.

“We have never missed a payment, even though we’re paying three points higher than today’s interest market,” Williams said.

Several pastors and leaders in Franconia Mennonite Conference, of which the congregation is a member, learned of the plight. Conference moderator John Goshow met with leaders from seven sister congregations to propose a mutual aid effort.

In September, they initiated a conference-wide appeal for $95,000 to satisfy the mortgage’s needs for a year. To date, 14 churches, businesses and individuals have committed $64,300.

Goshow said the situation shows how conferences and congregations can work together.

“A pastor told me recently that when a church is in trouble, we have to reach out and help,” he said. “And Nueva Vida Norristown New Life is a model church that is really making a difference in their local community.”

Williams said he never expected the conference to initiate a mutual aid appeal.

“It’s a display of true community,” he said. “They saw we were in trouble and said, ‘we want to help.’ We attribute it all to the movement of God.”

Even when they were almost foreclosed on, Williams said, the congregation still had faith God would provide. Through this journey, their faith has been strengthened.

“We still believe we’re doing God’s will in this,” he said. “We can fill a huge void in the Norristown area. We are prayerful and hopeful that we’ll be able to meet our obligations and move God’s vision forward.”

If the church can find tenants for all three floors, Williams projects good cash flow.

“We continue to receive inquiries, which is a good indicator that businesses are looking to grow again,” he said.

Reprinted by permission of Mennonite Weekly Review.

UN Art Ambassador to visit Ripple Allentown

January 2, 2012 by Emily Ralph Servant

On Sunday, January 8, 2012, at 4 PM, Ibiyinka Alao, UN Art Ambassador from Nigeria, will be the guest speaker at Ripple. Ripple meets at Christ Fellowship Church, 12th & Chew Sts., Allentown. Ibiyinka Olufemi Alao is an artist who recently represented his country — Nigeria — and became the first place winner of the prestigious United Nations International Art Competition amongst 61 countries. His entry “Girls and a Greener Environment” chronicles the life of a girl-child from infancy to adulthood and the values she acquires along the paths of life.

In between exhibitions, Ibiyinka finds himself giving open lectures at universities and schools, and setting up workshops in community centers across the country. As Nigeria’s Art Ambassador, Ibiyinka is available for speaking engagements, participation in seminars, panel discussions, workshops and exhibitions. www.ibiyinka.com

Ibiyinka’s presentation at Ripple will be followed by an interactive painting workshop, then dinner in the fellowship hall of the church. Everyone is invited to attend this inspirational, active presentation. For more information, visit www.ripple-allentown.com

County approves dev. rights sale for Indian Creek Farm

December 16, 2011 by Emily Ralph Servant

Montgomery County (Pa.) commissioners approved an agreement for the sale of development rights for Franconia Conference’s Indian Creek Farm last week, pending the results of a land survey. The sale is based on an amount of $14,024.54 per acre on the preserved land. The Conference expects to receive approximately $500,000 in total.

The farm, located off Indian Creek Road in Lower Salford Township, Montgomery County is home to Living Hope Farm. The farm operates based on a model of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), which is a “method of farming that emphasizes safe, locally grown food, supports a local economy, and allows persons to participate in deepening their connection to the land and to each other,” according to Living Hope’s website. Living Hope Farm is a 501 c-3 non profit led by Jill Landes of Blooming Glen congregation.

The sale of development rights means that the owners of the farm give up their rights to sell the land for development—it will forever remain a working farm no matter who owns it. The worth of the land is determined by a rating system that considers factors such as the access of the land to the road, soil quality, and suitability for building homes. The county did an appraisal of the farm in August which evaluated the current value of the farm and the value of the farm if it were to be sold for a housing development. The price given is based on a formula that includes subtracting the first number from the second.

The sale of development rights is a result of the recommendations included in Franconia Conference’s Vision and Financial Plan from 2007, which called for the proceeds of the sale to be used to pay off the mortgage of the Souderton (Pa.) Shopping Center on Route 113, a property the Conference has owned since 2001. The recommendations also included a call for the farm to be used for ministry, leading to the establishment of Living Hope Farm in 2010.

Franconia Conference young adults serve with MMN

December 12, 2011 by Emily Ralph Servant

Snyder serves with Service Adventure

ELKHART, Ind. (Mennonite Mission Network) – Carl Snyder, of Danboro, Pa., began a one-year service term with the Service Adventure program in August 2011. Snyder is living in community with other young adults in a unit house in Anchorage, Alaska.

A 2010 graduate of Central Bucks East High School (Buckingham, Pa.), Snyder is the son of Karen and Phil Snyder and a member of Doylestown (Pa.) Mennonite Church.

Swartz serves in Radical Journey assignment

Kate Swartz, of Spring City, Pa., began a one-year service term with the Radical Journey program in August 2011. Swartz is serving with a team in China.

A 2011 graduate of Christopher Dock Mennonite High School (Lansdale, Pa.), Swartz is the daughter of Rachel and Timothy Swartz and is a member of Salford Mennonite Church in Harleysville, Pa.

Clemmer serves in MVS assignment

Aaron Clemmer of Harleysville, Pa., began a one-year term of Mennonite Voluntary Service August 2011 in San Francisco, Calif., as a volunteer and support coordinator with Mission Graduates.

A 2011 graduate of Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, Va.), Clemmer is the son of April and Michael Clemmer and is a member of Towamencin Mennonite Church in Kulpsville, Pa.

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Through Service Adventure, young adults, ages 17-20, live in a household community, with a leader, for 10 months in cities and towns across the United States. Since 1989, Service Adventure participants have served in medical clinics, tutored children, worked with senior citizens, repaired old housing, and helped meet additional needs across North America. They’ve visited new cities; experienced different people, foods and cultures; climbed mountains and camped in deserts; attended concerts, lectures and college events.

Rooted in the Spirit of Jesus, MVS invites adults, age 20 and older, to join together in Christian ministry for one- or two-year terms in various locations in the United States. MVS gives young adults the opportunity to live out their faith and discern God’s call for them by assisting congregations in service ministry to their communities.

In the same Spirit, Radical Journey invites adults, ages 18 through 30, to join together in Christian ministry for one-year terms in various locations around the world. Through Radical Journey, young adults engage in an experience of cross-cultural learning, service and formation as followers of Jesus Christ.

Mennonite Mission Network is the mission agency of Mennonite Church USA and exists to lead, mobilize, and equip the church to participate in holistic witness to Jesus Christ in a broken world. Mission Network envisions every congregation and all parts of the world being fully engaged in mission.

More information about Service Adventure & MVS.

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