Conference News

Since the Fall of 2004 Palmer Theological Seminary, has been offering courses with an emphasis in Urban Anabaptism. Recognizing that it was the only regional seminary available to Mennonite pastors seeking a hands-on urban ministry focus, Palmer drafted an agreement with Eastern Mennonite Seminary to work together to provide a “more cohesive, authentic education in their tradition” to Mennonite seminarians attending Palmer.

Courses have engaged such topics as the socio-political genesis of the Anabaptist movement to Anabaptist theology in the urban context. This Fall two Ubran Anabaptist Emphasis courses are being offered. “The Bible, Pacifism and Just War” will be taught by Dr. Ron Sider and “Leadership, Learning, and Nonviolence: How can we build toward peace in and increasingly connected and violent world?” will be taught by Franconia Conference staff member, Stephen Kriss.

According to Dr. Sider, Palmer currently has a number of students who are Mennonite or who share an Anabaptist perspective. “Palmer wants to serve those students and also offer all its students the opportunity to better understand the Anabaptist perspective (which at several crucial points is shared by Baptists).” notes Sider. “I am personally happy to have Palmer offering Anabaptist courses because I am both the longest-serving faculty member at Palmer and also an Anabaptist.”

“The urban Anabaptist focus at Palmer is unique, bringing Anabaptist theologies to bear both in practice and theory with the diversity of students in Philadelphia. It’s an opportunity to explore the Good News from a Radical Reformation perspective in a context where students are deepening their abilities and perspectives on cultivating a sense of shalom within and beyond their communities,” says Steve Kriss, who began teaching at Palmer this semester.

For more information on Palmer Theological Seminary and the Urban Anabaptist Emphasis courses visit www.palmerseminary.edu

This fall has brought a handful of transitions to the staff at Franconia Conference.

In mid-August Karen Burkholder and Lora Steiner resigned from their roles with the conference. Karen, who was a receptionist for the conference, began a position in Christopher Dock Mennonite High School’s Development office. Lora, formerly a Communication Associate for the conference, is an MDiv student at Drew University and is now participating in her pastoral internship at James Street Mennonite Church in Lancaster, Pa.

While the end of summer brought goodbyes for conference staff the beginning of the school year brought two interns on staff. Joe Hackman, an MDiv student with Eastern Mennonite Seminary, has joined Franconia Conference staff as an associate for leadership cultivation and Nate Stucky, an MDiv student at Princeton Theological Seminary, has joined Franconia Conference staff as an intern in youth ministry.

Joe will focus primarily on young adults and providing pastoral care to college students. He’ll be working with Franconia students at Mennonite schools, as well as Messiah, Temple, Philadelphia Biblical University and Eastern University, with a particular emphasis on students who, for whatever reason, aren’t well-connected with the congregations in which they were raised. Joe will also be recruiting students for the Ministry Inquiry Program and other conference/congregational-based opportunities.

Joe says he hopes to create more space for conversations with college students-conversations about the conference itself as well as issues related to the broader Mennonite church. Students sometimes have these spaces at school, says Joe, but he’s looking for a way to “foster conversation with students within the conference.”

Joe, who has been working for the past three years as a history teacher at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, returned to full-time seminary studies this fall through Eastern Mennonite Seminary’s Lancaster program. He’ll be taking classes in Lancaster as well as at Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, Pa. and is hoping to better connect the conference with Mennonite and Anabaptist-minded students at Biblical.

Joe is also working as a pastoral intern in the Salford congregation, where he and his wife Angela are members. Joe plans on pastoring when he finishes his studies, but isn’t sure where. He says the decision to move back the area where he was raised was intentional, and he’s interested in seeing how the suburban context and dynamics of wealth and poverty affect how Christianity is lived out. “I’m pretty fascinated with suburban spirituality . . . I’m interested in how to express Christianity and Anabaptism in a suburban context.”

“I am excited about working with Joe, in continuing to cultivate his questions, his creativity and his gifts while he brings a sense of continued catalytic care to young adults and college students from Franconia Conference,” says Steve Kriss, director of communication and leadership cultivation. Joe joins the leadership cultivation and communication team for his time with the conference.

Nate will work alongside Conference Youth Minister Marlene Frankenfield participating in campus pastor responsibilities such as chapel planning and conference responsibilities like the fall youth leadership retreat.

When Nate began to plan for his internship requirements for his studies he said, “I sought out Marlene as someone to work with because of my previous experience with her, and my interest in campus and conference level youth ministry. I have great admiration for Marlene, and I owe a great deal of my own sense of call to Merv Stoltzfus, who is also a conference youth pastor (Atlantic Coast Conference). I love the challenge of working with teenagers, and I find great joy in relating to other youth workers. I hope to give and receive a great deal as I partner with Franconia Conference and Christopher Dock.”

Marlene was ready to offer Nate ample experiences in both of her roles. “I hope to connect Nate with as much hands on experience as possible,” she says. “In my Franconia Confernece and Dock combination role I hope to connect him with a variety of ministry experiences. Resourcing and soul care for youth pastors and volunteer youth leaders. Working with student leaders planning chapel, leading worship and mentoring. Learning about Mennonite Church USA youth ministry and the ways Franconia Conference connects. Nate has already helped with planning the leadership retreat for November and we are looking forward to Nate being the keynote speaker at retreat. I hope to connect him with some congregations to meet youth leaders and lead a youth bible study.”

“I am looking forward to learning from Nate,” continues Marlene, “he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in youth ministry to this internship. I hope to learn more about what he is learning at Princeton Seminary and from our informal conversations around what he notices about campus life and Conference youth ministry. I am incredibly blessed and looking forward to this year working with Nate.”

Nate and his wife of nine years, Janel, have two children, Joshua and Jenna. Nate is a native of Kansas and a graduate of Bethel College. Before his studies at Princeton, Nate served as a youth pastor with an Atlantic Coast Mennonite Conference congregation in Maryland for six years and farmed in Kansas for two.

On Saturday, October 11 Whitehall Mennonite Church will sponsor “A Day Away for Spiritual Retreat” at the Mary Immaculate Center on Cherryville Road in Northampton, Pa.

This day-long retreat, led by Tom and Carolyn Albright, will teach a creative response to celebrating the harvests in our lives based on the teachings of Jesus in John 7:1-19 and the Jewish celebration of Succoth, highlighted in Exodus 23:16, “Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the first fruits of the crops you sow in your life.”

Beginning at 8:30 am and ending at 3:00 pm, the retreat will include a time to reflect in silence, fellowship with a small group, relax, evaluate and rejoice in the blessings of life. The cost for the retreat is $20. While drinks will be provided, participants are asked to bring a bagged lunch and wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes. Registration deadline is October 1, please register by contacting Tom Albright at 612-767-6052 or 610-462-1075.

for more info on the School of Leadership Formation click here

This fall, Doylestown (Pa) Mennonite Church will be hosting an evening series of fellowship, prayer, worship, and teaching centered around the book of Revelation.

The Revelation of John is one of the most mystifying books of the Bible. Filled with bizarre imagery and frightening visions, it has terrorized and confused Christians for thousands of years. But it is also one of the most hopeful books of the Bible, and its vision of Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain, as the master of all history can help us make sense of this chaotic life as we learn to view it through God’s eyes.

Theology student Rob Arner, a recent graduate of Eastern Mennonite Seminary and current Doctoral student at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, will offer the chance to get inside the world of John’s Revelation, to understand what it meant for its first readers, and explore what it can mean for us today. Arner and his wife are part of the Doylestown congregation.

Join the discussion and worship at 7:15 pm each Wednesday during September and October, at Doylestown Mennonite Church and gain some perspective on the New Testament’s most puzzling book.

Thursdays, September 11 & 25
and October 9 & 23, 2008
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Mennonite Conference Center (map)
771 Route 113
Souderton, PA 18964

Churches everywhere are learning, sometimes the hard way, that child safety planning is an important part of providing high-quality ministry to children and young people. It is often a challenge, however, to know where to start when creating a child safety plan. The process is certainly time-consuming and can seem overwhelming, especially if a church’s leadership senses it might be difficult to make the changes within their congregation. Child Safety 101 is intended to help address those issues and help congregations create a comprehensive child safety plan in just a few weeks. With the support of instructor, Julie Prey-Harbaugh, and their classmates, participants will thoroughly understand the issues at stake and come away ready to implement a solid child safety plan in their congregations.

Registration Fee: $200 per team*

*Please note: Due to the practical nature of this resourcing event we ask that congrega-
tions send their entire Child Safety team/committee; no church should register less than two people.

Julie Prey-Harbaugh (One Childhood Consulting) is a licensed minister of Franconia Mennonite Conference and their recommended trainer in child protection and child abuse recovery. She is a member of West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship and serves as an on-call chaplain at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In 2004, Julie received her MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she focused on theological and pastoral responses to survivors of abuse. Julie has extensive experience working with children and survivors of abuse in the Philadelphia area—as a social worker, support group facilitator, youth sponsor and activist. Recently, she led trainings in child protection at Eastern University, Princeton Theological Seminary, the Youth Specialties National Youth Workers Convention and the Mennonite USA Churchwide Convention.