Conference News

Sheldon C. Good
sgood@mosaicmennonites.org

In December 2008 the National Bureau of Economic Research made it official: the United States entered a recession a year earlier, December 2007.

For the past year, individuals and corporations have felt the effects of the recession. But what about church-related organizations like Franconia Mennonite Conference?

Data from a 1968 to 2005 survey by Empty Tomb, a Christian service and research organization, indicated “that church member giving does not necessarily decline in a recession.”

“That may be because the church community is often regarded as the layer next to the family in terms of relationships, accountability and clearly urgent needs,” said Sylvia Ronsvalle, executive vice president of Empty Tomb, in a recent article for the Christian Century.

According to a more recent survey, The Barna Group said that as of November 2008 – before the recession was identified by government officials – one in five adults said they had decreased their giving to churches or other religious organizations. Perhaps the current recession has invited a new milieu.

In fiscal year ending January 31, 2009, Franconia Conference revenue, gains and support totaled $1,319,032, an increase over 2008. “Franconia Conference staff have been aware that funds are tight and have been good stewards of the conference’s resources,” said Conrad Martin, director of finance.

Franconia Conference completed a three-year transition that ended in 2008, which enabled labor costs to be reduced significantly in 2009. Karen Moyer, Franconia Conference board member and chair of the vision and financial plan team, said this allowed the conference to refrain from reductions in current staff hours or salaries.

“Along with the restructuring of executive positions and the recommendations of the vision and financial plan team, the newly-formed, three-tiered budget responds to the call for stronger financial accountability,” Moyer said.

“Appropriating funds this way depends heavily on individuals and congregations to support specific missional initiatives.”
Franconia Conference’s Vision and Financial Plan was affirmed by delegates at the annual assembly in 2007 and continues in implementation toward review in 2012.

Franconia Conference generated significant additional revenue in fiscal year 2008 from FMC Properties, an organization which includes a number of the conference’s property investments. FMC Properties provided the conference with $714,844 in rental and maintenance income, an increase of 10 percent from fiscal year 2007.

“One of the key God-given resources we have are the properties of Franconia Conference,” said Noel Santiago, conference executive minister. “Our vision and financial plan calls for us to maximize these properties in such a way that helps free up a greater percentage of contributed dollars towards our various ministries.”

Congregational contributions to the conference from fiscal year 2008 to 2009 decreased $1,206, a reduction of less than one percent. Other contributions increased $143,959 (61 percent), mostly a result of increases in estate gifts and Worm Project contributions. These contributions are separate from the general operating budget.

“Generous contributions from congregations, individuals and conference related ministries are helping us weather this time of significant financial downturn,” Santiago said. “Additionally, the focus of our Vision and Financial Plan team has helped us discern the activities, tasks and responsibilities that are to be undertaken, and as a result, costs have been kept down.”

Largely a result of the recession, total investments by the conference lost $260,918 in value, a decrease of 30 percent. This includes investment market losses of $117,043. Remaining decreases came from grant disbursements for local and global mission, conference support and capital expenditures.

A mostly silent overnight retreat, Becoming like Christ: Familiar blessings, blowing Spirit, is being offered from 6 pm Thursday evening, June 25 through 4 pm on Friday, June 26. Led by Dawn Nelson, pastor of Methacton Mennonite Church, and Barbara Shisler, the retreat will include short input sessions on three themes exploring gifts of Mennonite spirituality: “gelassenheit,” or letting go, the everyday sacred and encountering Jesus – the “I AM.” There will also be ample time for reflection, journal writing and walking in the woods.

The retreat will be held on the beautiful grounds of the Mariawald Renewal Center in Shillington, PA. Call 610-584-4080 or 215-256-9606 to register. The cost is $75 per person, which includes two meals and overnight lodging (bring your own breakfast). Come to be renewed and refreshed as you step away from the daily challenges of life. Registration will close on June 1.

The Anabaptist Learning Institute (ALI), a program of the Mennonite Schools Council (MSC), is designed to provide an intentional Christ-centered orientation and professional education program for teachers, pastors and other leaders. ALI seeks to unify the Anabaptist community under a common set of educational experiences that encourage dialog about faith and values.

Understanding the Roots of Community* is a three hour graduate course that explores the theology and history of the Anabaptist movement, inviting students to articulate the significance of this movement for themselves. Some guiding questions are:

Who are the Anabaptists?
Where do they come from?
What is the story?
What do Anabaptists believe?
How do I fit into or respond to this story?

This course will be offered June 15-19, 2009 at two locations:

Dr. Alan Kreider will teach this class on the campus of Christopher Dock Mennonite High School. Understanding the Roots of Community will meet Monday through Friday, 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 4-5 p.m. and Saturday, 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Paul Zehr, Brinton Rutherford, Sara Wenger Shenk, & John A. Lapp will teach this class on the campus of Lancaster Mennonite Schools. Understanding the Roots of Community will meet Monday through Friday, 8:00 – 4:30.

For more information and to register visit the Mennonite Education Agency website at www.mennoniteeducation.org or download the brochure here.

*Act 48 Credit for Pennsylvania teachers will be available for both courses.

On May 16th Kim and Reggie Harris, along with opening acts Chip Mergott and Annie Bauerline, will perform folk music at the Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse at Perkasie Mennonite Church, 4th & Chestnut Streets in Perkasie, PA. Doors open at 7 pm with performances at 7:30. Adults $9, Adults over 65 $7, Students 13 and up $4, 12 & under free. Tasty refreshments will be for sale. Check out our website at www.perkmenno.org for directions or more information, or call 215-723-2010.

Philadelphia natives Kim and Reggie Harris are two vibrant, superbly talented and engaging performers whose captivating stage presence has inspired audiences around the world for over 25 years. As singers, songwriters, storytellers, educators, historical interpreters and cultural advocates, they have used their remarkable voices and their unique talents to bring new insights to the entertainment and educational spectrum.

Kim and Reggie were both exposed to a wide range of composers and musical genres. Their training, nurtured in their individual homes and enhanced in their churches and schools, enriched their musical vocabulary. It was the start of what has evolved into the ” Bach to Rock” musical approach (with the strongest elements being Folk, Gospel and Jazz) that is so prevalent in their music.

Their strong material and complex harmonies, combined with their stunning voices and informed stage patter, has won them accolades and fans that has them in constant demand. They average over 275 performances each year!

They have proven themselves to be exceptional people who can entertain audiences of all ages and backgrounds. They continue to distinguish themselves as artists of integrity who show respect for their craft and their audiences by working to expand their skills and build on their knowledge base. Kim and Reggie continue to be sought after presenters on the subjects of the Underground Railroad, the Modern Civil Rights Movement and African American Music of Social Change.

For more information visit www.kimandreggie.com.

A portion of the proceeds from this concert will go to Pennridge FISH (Fellowship in Serving Humanity). A food pantry for local hunger. Patchwork Coffeehouse is a collection point for FISH where at any concert you can drop off non-perishable foods for the aid of your neighbors.

Upcoming shows:

October 17 – Gordon Bok

November 21 Charlie Zahm & Tad Marks + Unsafe At Any Speed

by Jewel Showalter, Lancaster Mennonite Conference

The stately old former-Presbyterian sanctuary on the corner of Edgmont and 23rd Street – now home to Way Thru Christ Community Fellowship – overflowed with more than 500 Mennonites on the evening of April 26.

They’d come from the 14 churches of the Philadelphia District of Lancaster Mennonite Conference (LMC), to ordain and install a new Bishop Team for the district: Al Motley, Way Thru Christ, Tuyen Nguyen, Philadelphia Vietnamese Mennonite, Leonard Dow, Oxford Circle Mennonite (a Franconia Conference Partner in Mission), and Tim Darling, Norma (N.J.) Mennonite.

“We’re so grateful they’ve been called and that they’ve responded,” said Freeman Miller, bishop of the Philadelphia District, in his opening remarks. “They will serve in this oversight role in the district in addition to continuing their pastoral responsibilities.”

Keith Weaver, moderator of LMC, spoke from Ephesians 2:11-22. “What does God want to do through our fellowship of 175 congregations scattered along the east coast?” he asked, noting that ordinations mark a significant moment in the life of a district and conference.

“Our largely Germanic bishop board now has a little color!” he said. “Together we must focus on the message of reconciliation to which God has called us. We need to feel a sense of urgency about the walls that must come down. How can we help our congregations get outside the walls of our churches to spend ourselves on behalf of the needy?”

As Miller led in the ordination charge, he invited the four men and their spouses to “celebrate, consecrate and commit” themselves to the new role of spiritual oversight in the district. “Your service shows that God has already blessed your ministries,” he said.

Miller plans to retire from his 15 year role as bishop on June 30.

As the new team “lives into” roles which give each man oversight of one quadrant of the old district, now divided up into Philadelphia North, Philadelphia Southwest, Chester, and South Jersey, they will take turns chairing the monthly district meetings and attending the bishop board. Weaver said the bishop board is already feeling enriched by the new racial and ethnic diversity from Philadelphia.

“Urban churches are dynamic and fluid,” Miller commented. “It seems we’re always starting or closing something. None of us have the time and expertise to shepherd all the diversity, but together there’s a depth of wealth and perspective.”

Weaver noted that although LMC has had an African-American bishop in another district, Motley and Dow are the first in the Philadelphia District. Nguyen is the first Asian-American bishop to be called to serve in LMC.

“When I first realized this, it felt weighty,” Nguyen said. “But now it doesn’t feel so hard. Sometimes we Vietnamese Mennonites are tempted to get impatient because other Mennonites move so slowly, [in church planting] but I tell my people, ‘Germanic peoples are like diesel engines. They start slow, but they go the long haul. We need to learn from them.’”

“There’s certainly a lot of synergy and learning going both ways,” Miller said. He noted that while many of the churches in the district had been started with assistance from Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM), it’s a brand new day. EMM is still available for consultation and assistance, but many of the Philadelphia Mennonite churches are initiating their own church plants.

“This is a highly significant moment in the life of these churches,” Miller said. “There’s a new sense of belonging and ownership. It’s long overdue. When I see the beauty in what has happened, I’m eagerly anticipating my retirement.”

Photo credit: Richard Showalter