Please note that the mailing address for the Newton office of Mennonite Church USA has changed to:
Mennonite Church USA
722 N Main St
Newton, KS 67114-1819
The post office box will be discontinued.
Conference News
Shared statements a major step as MCC reshapes its future
It was a historic moment when the delegate body at Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada’s annual meeting held here in November endorsed seven foundational statements to guide the work of MCC, the final of the 12 MCC entities to do so.
Arli Klassen, executive director of MCC binational (Canada and the U.S.), said the statements represent the first time these 12 entities have expressed a shared vision. “It is a sense of coming together in unity and affirmation of what God calls us to do. The statements bring new clarity that will inspire MCC’s work in the name of Christ. That is powerful, very powerful,” said Klassen.
The statements, also referred to as the “new wine,” were developed through a re-visioning and restructuring process called New Wine/New Wineskins: Reshaping MCC for the 21st Century. They articulate MCC’s identity, purpose, vision, priorities, approaches, values and convictions. The recommendations for the “new wineskins” – a new structure for MCC – are still in the development stages.
New Wine/New Wineskins was a listening and consultation process that involved more than 2,000 people from 50 countries participating in 60 meetings.
One of the core statements is MCC’s purpose – “MCC endeavors to share God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice.”
“This is the statement that people should memorize,” said Klassen. “This is what we believe God has called MCC to do in its history and in the future. Now we have found shared words to express it.”
Klassen points to two key elements of the purpose statement – that the motivation for MCC’s mission is to share God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ, and that MCC intentionally works both to meet basic needs and for peace and justice. She notes that for the first time the words “in the name of Christ,” which have expressed MCC’s Christian witness for decades, are incorporated in its foundational statements.
MCC priorities identified through the New Wine/New Wineskins process are justice and peace-building, disaster relief and sustainable community development. The new statements, explained Klassen, both reflect MCC’s historic commitment to relief, development and peace and clearly state that peace cannot be built without addressing injustice.
MCC does its work in partnership with churches and other partner agencies and builds bridges to connect people and ideas across cultural, political and economic divides. “We don’t do our work just by giving out financial grants – we work at building relationships,” Klassen said.
MCC’s identity as a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches is strengthened through including in the statements the “Shared Convictions” of global Anabaptists as adopted by the Mennonite World Conference General Council in March 2006.
This is the first time MCC has had a statement of faith, Klassen said, noting that it has always drawn theology from the churches to which it is accountable. Many churches, she said, expressed strong affirmation for MCC including these shared Christian faith convictions in its foundational statements.
The MCC statements were developed by an Inquiry Task Force of 34 people that was given the task of engaging, listening to and representing the various MCC constituencies through summits and regional meetings. The group synthesized what it heard and offered recommendations. The recommendations were endorsed by a group of 95 people, representing the 12 MCCs and the church denominations they are accountable to in June 2009. The next step in the process was endorsement by the 12 MCC boards, MCC Canada’s annual meeting being the last scheduled.
Klassen said the MCC system-wide endorsement of the “new wine” foundational statements is encouragement for the next step in the process – consensus on a revised structure. The “new wineskins” recommendations are expected to be endorsed in 2011 and fully implemented in 2012.
“There were points of despair or frustration in this re-visioning process, but there also was always a sense of commitment to listen to God through the voices of the faith community. I believe the Holy Spirit has been at work, leading MCC,” Klassen said.
The full MCC foundational statements are at newwineskins.mcc.org.
Christmas Open House at Mennonite Conference Center
Conference gathers for holy extravaganza
Franconia Conference Moderator Blaine Detwiler of Susquehanna, Pa, suggested that the annual Conference Assembly might be a “holy extravaganza.” And indeed it was, held at Souderton (Pa) Mennonite Church on November 13 and 14 around the theme of “Cultivating Healthy and Growing Leaders.” The extravaganza kicked off with a multiethnic worship team from across Conference congregations and singing that moved seamlessly amongst the Conference’s four worshiping languages—English, Indonesian, Spanish and Vietnamese, the assembly pulled together persons from global partners, denominational ministries, congregations and conference-related ministries for stories, worship, business, fellowship and workshops.
While business was limited at this year’s gathering, those gathered heard stories on how the Conference’s Vision and Financial Plan is incarnated. Those stories were designed to give insight into how the outcomes of healthy and growing disciples, leaders, congregations and connections are moving toward fulfillment of congregational vision. Conference Executive Minister Noel Santiago suggested that this year’s assembly offered insight into how God was moving “the tent stakes” of the Conference. Specifically, this was noted with the acceptance of the largely Indonesian speaking Atlanta Revival Center as a member congregation. This is the Conference’s first member congregation south of the Mason-Dixon line and likely the largest Mennonite Church USA congregation in Georgia.
Sara Lapp Kolb of Telford, Pa., a delegate from Plains Mennonite Church, suggested that there was something significant happening in how the gathering marked a new “being together.” Special guests at this year’s assembly featured gifted worship leader and musician James W. Crumbly, Jr. an instructor at the Patel Conservatory in Tampa, FL and Heidi Rolland Unruh of Hutchinson, KS, policy analyst and staff associate at Evangelicals for Social Action. Unruh spoke on the issues of cultivating healthy and growing leaders and congregations, focusing on a conversation in Ephesians 3. Rolland Unruh challenged the conference toward “multiplying, including, reconciling, participation in seeing God’s will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”
Newly credentialed pastors were recognized—including Connie Detwiler, associate pastor at Lakeview Mennonite Church (Susquehanna, Pa); Donna Merow, pastor at Ambler (Pa) Mennonite Church, Joe Hackman, youth pastor at Salford Mennonite Church (Harleysville, Pa) and Scott Franciscus, associate pastor at Covenant Community Fellowship in Lansdale, Pa. Special prayer was offered for Conrad Swartzentruber of Sellersville, Pa, who has been named principal at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School in Lansdale, Pa. Jim King from Telford, Pa, a member of Plains Mennonite Church was unanimously affirmed to serve a three-year term on the Conference Board. The Conference also marked several ordinations and a transfer of pastoral credentials, along with the deaths of four retired pastors—J. Lester Eshleman, Henry Kulp, Harold Miller, and Paul Yoder.
International guests from Haiti, Mexico and the United Kingdom were present, along with representatives from Mennonite Church USA agencies and institutions. Over 100 delegates participated in the weekend events, including representatives from most conference congregations and the majority of the Conference’s 23 related ministries. Ongoing worship and prayer were offered and prayer stations set up by the host congregation at Souderton provided points of reflection for the two-day event.
Click here to view photo highlights from Assembly09, photos by Andrew Huth
Cultivating Healthy and Growing LEADers
Damascus Road Anti-racism Training held in Norristown
The 11th annual Damascus Road Anti-racism Analysis Training for the greater Philadelphia region will be held at Partners for Families, February 26 – 28, 2010.
The training, derived from the Damascus Road Anti-Racism Process of Mennonite Central Committee US, is designed to equip participants with a biblical basis and an analytic framework for dismantling systemic racism in the church and church related organizations and ministries. This event will help participants lay the groundwork for the long-term work of dismantling racism in congregations, conferences and institutions by training teams, leaders, and supporters from those organizations.
The School for Leadership Formation is a co-sponsor of the event, which is recommended for all conference, congregational, Conference Related Ministry & Partner In Mission leaders; it is open to everyone interested in this work. Dismantling systemic racism is an integral part of Franconia Conference’s vision to be missional, intercultural, and transformational in every aspect of ministry.
For more information, in English and Spanish, on this training; including registration, directions, schedule and lodging; visit damascusroad.mosaicmennonites.org.
The Damascus Road Process (www.mcc.org/damascusroad) of Mennonite Central Committee US provides antiracism educating, organizing, and consulting through congregational and institutional antiracism teams throughout the United States. Additional training and spiritual retreats are available for new and current teams.
Other sponsors for this event include: Blooming Glen Mennonite Church’s Damascus Road Team, Eastern District Conference, Kingdom Builders Anabaptist Network, Mennonite Central Committee Philadelphia, Nueva Vida Norristown New Life’s Stand Together Ministry Team, Peace & Justice Committee of the Eastern District and Franconia Conferences, Philadelphia Urban Ministry Partnership (PUMP), White Anti-Racists Caucus East.
For additional information or for comments or questions please contact the event coordinator, Sharon Williams at 610-277-1729 or sharonw@cavtel.net.
Fall Gateway Course: Anabaptist Mission and Peace
This course explores redemption and reconciliation as the heart of Anabaptist-Mennonite response to God’s call to mission. Students will study the Biblical foundations of mission as the invitation to God’s shalom revealed in the mission of Jesus Christ and the formation of the church through the power of the Holy Spirit. The course probes the Anabaptist story of a people called into mission and peacemaking, as well as detractions from that calling. Special focus is on contemporary challenges and examples of mission and peace.
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Instructor: David W. Shenk
Dates: October 30-31 and December 11-12, 2009
Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Location: Conestoga Mennonite Church
2779 Main Street
Morgantown, Pa 19543
Cost: Graduate credit for two (2) semester hours- $734 , Non-credit cost- $195 (Textbooks and field trip transportation not included)
Church members, pastors, youth, Sunday School teachers and any who think learning is fun are encouraged to register.
For more information and to register click here.
The Corinthian Plan moves forward
The Corinthian Plan will become a reality January 1, 2010. The health care access plan of Mennonite Church USA reached its revised goal, and project director Keith Harder expects that nearly 70 percent of the denomination’s eligible, credentialed pastors will be on the new plan.
“I am especially grateful for the assistance that will be going to more than 50 congregations and their pastors who currently have no health care coverage,” Harder says. The 450-plus congregations expected to participate will generate more than $500,000 for the Fair Balance Fund which will provide assistance for these pastors. Some congregations have indicated their intention to contribute to this fund even if they will not be full participants in the plan.
Harder reports “a flood of enrollments and inquiries” the last two weeks of September as congregations anticipated the October 1 deadline.
To facilitate this interest, The Corinthian Plan Project Team has extended the enrollment deadline to November 15. This will give congregations just now learning about The Corinthian Plan or beginning to consider its possibilities more time to make informed decisions.
Applications for assistance also will continue to be received until November 15 or until the fund is exhausted.
While the original participation goal of 80 percent of all Mennonite Church USA congregations will not be met, The Corinthian Plan project team, including MMA staff and actuaries, agreed that there is sufficient participation to have a plan that will have a solid financial foundation.
“We believe that we have adequate participation to create a strong and viable plan,” Dave Gautsche, MMA representative on the project team, says. “Plus, it will meet the goal for access that the denomination set out to address.”
Harder reports that there are still more than 250 congregations that have yet to decide about The Corinthian Plan; 190 congregations have indicated they are unlikely to participate.
“There is great need for better access to health care among our pastors and a great desire in many congregations to respond to this need,” Harder says. “For many congregations The Corinthian Plan is seen as a means to practice mutual aid and work for greater justice. Paul’s vision in 2 Corinthians 8 of a fair balance between congregations has struck a positive chord.”
For more information about The Corinthian Plan, contact Keith Harder at 866-866-2872 (toll-free) or keithh@mennoniteusa.org.