Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

coronavirus

Hospitality & COVID-19

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by Charles Ness & Lauren Ness, Perkiomenville (PA) congregation

While COVID-19 restrictions are challenging and severely limit worship services and fellowship, they also provide interesting opportunities.  How does one use their gift of hospitality to serve others while practicing social distancing?  

Perkiomenville (PA) Mennonite Church struggled with this dilemma.  The church hosts a monthly luncheon for older adults called “JOY” (Just Older Youth).  A home-cooked meal is served, followed by a program of music, a speaker, and fellowship. It is attended by members of the church and the surrounding community.

The April JOY gathering was cancelled due to COVID-19.  Janet Ness thoroughly enjoys making the food and knows that the members of JOY look forward to the meal.  Therefore, she decided to make the meal and deliver it to the church members who typically attend JOY events.  With the assistance of Tonya Ayars, Dawn Noel, and Pastor Mike Spinelli, over 50 meals were made and delivered.  The meals were received with much joy and appreciation.  

In May, meals were again prepared.  This time people wanted to come by the church building and pick it up.  There was much rejoicing as they came by in their cars and were given their meals.

Older members of Perkiomenville Mennonite Church drive up to receive their JOY meal in May & June. Photo provided by Charlie Ness

In June, Janet wanted to also include meals for those regular JOY attenders who were not church members.  As a result, 57 people came by the church to get their meals.  

This act of kindness during a time of restricted mobility blessed both the recipients as well as those making the meals.  Because of restrictions, most older adults were not going out and could not go to restaurants to eat.  This homemade meal was a welcome treat.  As they came through the car line, there were many expressions of gratitude and many said they were very happy to see others again.  

Another creative opportunity for sharing during the pandemic occurred cross culturally, with our sisters in Christ in Mexico. The Perkiomenville congregation supports the ministry of Bob and Bonnie Stevenson, pastors of the Promised Land Church in Monte Maria, Mexico. One of their mission churches is located in the village of Jilotzingo, about 4 hours northeast of Mexico City.  The farmers of that area grow coffee and many kinds of fruit. 

In May, Bonnie Stevenson contacted Charlie Ness. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the Mexican farmers in Jilotzingo were having difficulty selling their blueberry crop.  Bonnie asked if we might be able to make a video to teach the Mexican women ways to preserve the blueberries, such as blueberry jam. 

(R-L) Kaitlin Freed, Rita Hoover, and Janet Ness prepare blueberry jam for their YouTube video. Photo provided by Charlie Ness

Rita Hoover, Janet Ness, and Kaitlin Freed created a video, offering instruction on how to make blueberry jam and how to can blueberries using a hot water bath.  This was uploaded to a YouTube channel for the women in Mexico to access. 

The women in Mexico responded with excitement and gratitude, for not only the instruction, but for the evidence of God’s care and provision. The result was a cross-cultural ministry experience between women teaching other women how to make jam and provide for their families. The jams were then sold in the city, providing income for the women and their families.

What Do I Know About Trauma?

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by Mary Nitzsche, Associate Executive Minister

I had planned to participate in a Learning Tour with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in May. The trip to the Borderlands of Arizona and Mexico was cancelled in March due to COVID-19. About then, I learned of a class, “Trauma Resiliency and Healing During a Time of Pandemic,” offered through the Summer Peacebuilding Institute of Eastern Mennonite University. I felt a strong nudge to register for the course. 

My intrigue with trauma healing began during another MCC learning tour to Israel/Palestine in 2015. Hearing stories of trauma and oppression from Israeli Jews and Palestinian Christians and Muslims was very disturbing. I left the country wondering how one group of people who experienced terror and persecution could later terrorize and oppress another group of people? I concluded that insufficient healing of the trauma had something to do with it. This piqued my desire to learn more. 

Mary Nitzsche stands at the wall that separates Israel and Palestine.

Ironically, the opportunity to learn more about trauma healing came while living with the major disruption of a pandemic. Having an easily accessible online course prompted me to register and join 36 other interested pastors, therapists, community organizers, and students from around the world.

While needing to adapt to a new way of living and working during the past four months, I have not experienced the trauma that many others have, such as: personally contracting COVID-19 or having a family member or friend sick with the virus, having a loved one die alone, not having access to good healthcare, losing a job, income, or business and not having financial resources to provide for my family. 

Little did I know when I signed up for the class that another major disruption would occur – the racial violence and unrest due to the murder of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in Minneapolis. 

On her MCC learning tour to Israel and Palestine, Mary Nitzsche listened to a Muslim woman and Jewish man share about their common experiences of the trauma of losing a loved one to violence.  

The pandemic and George Floyd’s murder exposed so many systemic inequities: access to healthcare, housing, education, job opportunities, finances and police protection. Racial bias and inequality of black, brown, and Native Americans in all of our systems have been ignored or inadequately addressed for far too long. People of color live with trauma on a daily basis that cannot be healed without reforming our abusive systems.

What have my experiences with COVID-19, increasing awareness of racial injustice, and learnings on trauma healing taught me?  Trauma disrupts a person or group’s sense of identity and self-worth, assurance of safety and provisions of basic needs, and trusting, supportive relationships. 

As a privileged, white, middle-class woman who, compared to so many, has had a minimal amount of trauma in my lifetime, I humbly offer my reflections of actions which facilitate healing in traumatized individuals and groups:

Trauma healing takes courage, perseverance, and support. 

  • Tending to basic needs (safety, food, housing, education) restores dignity and value.
  • Staying connected with others reminds us we are not alone.
  • Being humble and willing to learn and grow normalizes our experience and helps us grow in understanding and empathy for self and others.
  • Listening to and telling our stories validates our experiences and helps us integrate the trauma into our entire life.
  • Lamenting and grieving losses is an act of courage and release.
  • Adapting to a new reality empowers us to discover resources we did not know we had.
  • Being grateful helps us experience joy in the midst of suffering.
  • Caring for self gives us perseverance and strength to endure.

Courageously doing the work of trauma healing for ourselves and others requires all of us to do our part so that we do not transmit our unhealed pain and suffering on to others.

On Becoming Mosaic After 100 Days of Quarantine

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by Stephen Kriss, Executive Minister

We recently passed the 100th day of quarantine restrictions where I live.  By tomorrow, almost all of Pennsylvania will be in the “green phase” of reopening, lifting many of our restrictions.   It is the new normal for the foreseeable future.  For those of us in southeastern Pennsylvania, this 100 day-plus quarantine has been a refining experience.

On Pentecost, about three-quarters of the way through the quarantine, our conference took on a new name: Mosaic.  Simultaneously, unrest emerged in urban areas across our country in response to the death of George Floyd. We were under curfew in Philadelphia where I live for a week.  We have taken on a new name in an interesting time.

In the midst of this, many of our congregations have been meeting primarily online in various formats.  Pastors and congregations have learned much about editing, producing, and proclaiming thorough Facebook, Zoom, and YouTube.  Our conference raised over $135,000 through a mutual aid fund that continues to support diverse actions of response. 

We’ve been creative.  We’ve been generous.  We’ve stayed still.  We’ve missed handshakes and hugs.  We’ve missed singing together.

Pastor Beny Krisbianto (Nations Worship Center), right, assisted by John Hyer (center) and Chris Bencsik (left), prepared 21 boxes of zucchini for distribution in Philadelphia through the conference Shalom Fund initiatives. Photo credit: Chris Bencsik

We’ve also been disturbed.  

The social fabric of our country has frayed further during this quarantine time.  Our political divisions have become more evident, even as we’ve remained physically distanced.  Our racial divides have surfaced with ferocity.  Social media, which has served to connect us during this time, also divides us further.  Technology helps to record incidents of violence that some of us have found hard to process.

We are re-emerging into a new time.  I hope that we will not rush back too readily to what was before.  We have the opportunity to continue to change and live into our new name which emphasizes the value of each piece, each person, each community, created in the image of God. We are living into our new name.  We are still becoming Mosaic.  We are still becoming.

Congregations and leaders continue to respond to disruptions in the economy.  Some of us are emerging with energy to get back into doing things: haircuts, going to the gym, shopping, dining out.  Others of us are entering more hesitantly.  We will each take these steps differently.  And there is grace enough for each of us.

Board member Yvonne Platts (NVNNL congregation) joined Steve Kriss on Facebook Live to discuss possibilities and responses in a time of frustration, protest, and unrest. (Click to see the video)

We are in a context where our consciousness has been raised about the value of human connection.  Embraces and greetings raise our awareness.  Our smiles sometimes are hidden behind face coverings.  There are going to be continuing challenges in front of us.  We are going to have opportunities to continue to become whom we have heard the Spirit name us to be as Mosaic communities.

We will continue in these days ahead to find ways to speak grace and truth, to extend generosity, to listen, learn, and change as we hear the experiences of Black and Brown people in our conference and communities.  God’s work is still unfolding.  

A new thing is becoming in front of and within us.  I pray we will continue to be aware of it, empowered by the Spirit to be part of God’s making us and all things new.

Why We Are Still Here

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by Danilo Sanchez and Sherri Brokopp Binder

(A version of this article originally appeared in The Mennonite.)

When the COVID-19 crisis hit, many organizations and social service agencies in our area of Allentown, PA made the decision to close their doors. That was understandable. 

But closing was not an option for Ripple Community, Inc., a conference-related ministry. We needed to maintain contact with families in our community-supported housing program, since many of their supportive services were closed and their lives could quickly spiral out of control. We also needed a stable presence at our day center, which primarily serves people experiencing homelessness. Stay-at-home orders are meaningless for people who don’t have homes. 

We are still here, doing what we have always done, but things look different. Everyone who enters our day center has their temperature taken, is asked some medical questions, and gets doused with hand sanitizer. We do our best to maintain safe physical distancing. Our staff members wear gloves and masks. Being open during the pandemic is how we make sure our friends know they are not forgotten or abandoned.

Even under normal circumstances, our unsheltered friends and neighbors live precarious lives. COVID-19 has shone a bright, public light on cracks in the system through which we have watched our friends fall for years.

One day, Rafael came into our community center as he does most days. He appeared more tired than usual, but his temperature was normal, and he didn’t have any obvious respiratory symptoms. 

Rafael found a chair at an empty table and enjoyed his meal. He usually moves between his table and the coffee station, but today he rested. Later, we noticed he had fallen asleep in his chair. Occasionally, his body jolted from a deep cough. We took his temperature again, and it read 99.5.

Following our COVID-19 protocols, we moved Rafael into a separate room and called the hospital hotline. The nurse on the phone asked Rafael a series of questions. She counseled him to come to the hospital and get tested. We arranged for a medical taxi to transport Rafael. Then we sat with him and waited for the taxi. He didn’t appear to be afraid, but he had a lonely look on his face.

Who was caring about Rafael? We didn’t want him to feel alone. If nothing else, at least he has us. Before Rafael got into the taxi, we made sure his cell phone was fully charged. 

We called him two hours later. Rafael answered, but his voice was strained. He sounded stressed but resigned. He had been tested and told it would be two to three days before he received the results. The hospital staff instructed him to go home and self-isolate until they got the results.

“That’s a little hard to do when you’re homeless, you know?” Rafael said. We asked him to come by the community center the next day. He spent the next three days wandering the streets with a cough and a fever.

Rafael’s story is tragic, infuriating, and quite common these days. We know we can’t fix every problem or meet every need in our community. But we are determined to continue to be a stable, consistent presence. This has always mattered in our community, but it seems particularly important now. Our staff of five has been working harder than ever, with less help than normal, and we are exhausted. Yet we wouldn’t have survived without the support from our local community and churches and conference. Communities will take time to build, but if we all work together, we will be resilient.  

How Shall We Gather?

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by Sue Conrad Howes, West Swamp congregation

Lynne Rush (center), music director at West Swamp Mennonite (Quakertown, PA), leads music during the June 14 drive-in service in the church’s parking lot. Pastor Michael Howes (left) and sound tech Tim Scheetz (right) stand with masks on, at least six feet away. 

In March 2020, many churches were struggling with the need to close their doors for Sunday worship due to COVID-19. Now, three months later, some churches are struggling again: When and how do we begin to gather for corporate worship while still caring for the physical health of our congregation?  Churches throughout the conference are trying a variety of approaches. 

Some, typically smaller, congregations have begun worshiping in their church buildings while taking precautions. Wellspring Church of Skippack (PA) is gathering in person, but with written instructions to participants encouraging physical distancing and other guidelines. Offering is collected in plates at the exits, bulletin announcements are sent via email so there are no handouts, and hand sanitizer and masks are available to all. Persons who use the restrooms are asked to wipe down the surfaces after each use.  

Mennonite Bible Fellowship (Morris, PA), has been meeting together since May 17. Congregants sit in every other pew, wear masks, and don’t shake hands. Pastor John Brodnicki commented that the “most inconvenient part of this arrangement is singing. It’s difficult to sing with a mask on.” They continue to monitor the number of COVID-19 cases in the area (their county has had relatively few). “If COVID cases were to spike, we may reconsider meeting together until the spike subsides,” Brodnicki added. 

Since June 7, Franconia (Telford, PA) congregation has been gathering in its parking lot for worship. Using an outdoor sound system,  FM transmitter, and a large LED screen to display the worship leader, musicians, and preacher (who are inside the church sanctuary), congregants sit in socially-distanced lawn chairs or in their cars.  “The outdoor service,” according to Pastor Mark Wenger, “has been a great experience.  This is the first step of gathering in person.” 

Franconia has also utilized the rental of the LED screen to show family-friendly movies on the weekend, including many movie attendees who were not from the congregation. As a result, the church plans to continue offering movies periodically in the future as an opportunity for outreach. 

Congregants attend drive-in church at West Swamp (Quakertown, PA) via their vehicles. The worship service was available on car stereos via an FM transmitter. 

Pastor Beny Krisbianto shared how his congregation, Nations Worship (Philadelphia, PA), held worship in the park on June 14. When 40 people showed up for worship, church leaders decided to divide the group into two, as area restrictions limited gatherings to 25 people. Congregants wore masks and practiced social distancing while older members were encouraged to stay at home and participate virtually. 

Some congregations are holding two services to limit the numbers in attendance. Perkiomenville (PA) congregation set up chairs in the worship space for appropriate distancing. They implemented a limit of 80 people per service and masks are expected for all who attend. 

Meanwhile, Methacton congregation (Norristown, PA) has decided to wait until their county goes “green” before even considering meeting in person in any form. According to Pastor Sandy Drescher-Lehman, “We don’t have a plan yet for how to re-open since so much changes all the time.” Meanwhile, Methacton’s worship services are emailed to the congregation on Saturday afternoons, inviting people to worship on their own time. For Methacton, the question now is, “How much do we need to gather?” says Drescher-Lehman. “We’re still the church,” she reflects. “Sunday mornings are a great celebration that everyone will be happy to have again when the time is right, but I don’t think anyone is drying up spiritually.”

Bicycles, Fishing, and Bacon – But Mostly Bikes

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by Scott Roth, Leadership Minister

Many of you know I have a passion for bicycles, fishing, and bacon.  These have always been little hobbies of mine and throughout them I have put Jesus at the center.  I know it sounds silly to say bacon and Jesus, but there has been fruitful ministry with bacon over the years.

There is an old phrase that I love, “When life gives you lemons…make bacon.”  Well it seems this phrase has been rewritten during this season of COVID-19 to be, “When life hands you a pandemic…go ride a bicycle!”

There is a bicycle revolution happening right now in the United States.  Bicycle shop sales are up 71% and inventory of new bicycles is scarce.  People are out riding bikes in record numbers!  We have not seen this transportation trend in our culture since the car revolution.

Bicycling ministry has been a passion of mine over the past five years.  As the director of Bike & Sol and a pastor, I have been afforded so many opportunities to enter into people’s lives in deep meaningful ways.  Bicycles can make someone very approachable when riding around. When someone rides a bike, they may be enjoying the natural high that happens when endorphins run through our body, letting us know we are having a good time.

Why do I promote bicycles so much? The answer: Church. If you want a really, really, really easy way to be missional and get to know people in your neighborhood, go ride a bike.  Ride around and say hi to your neighbors.  Find others that want to ride and go connect.  Riding is such a safe and easy way to social distance and get around.

You can ride on trails, roads, or wherever makes sense to ride.  This is a really low hanging fruit way of doing relational ministries.  It’s really simple.  You pedal and talk about your life and ask questions about the people’s lives around you.  How was your week? What was work like? How’s the family?  Listen and engage.  Bicycles create such a neutral ground for us to interact.

What about discipleship ministry?  Just as you can reach out missionally, you can also reach those who are within your own faith community.  Pray for someone that God may be calling you to mentor and disciple and ask them to go for a ride.  Just ride and talk and enjoy the nature around you.  Maybe a peer of yours needs some time with you, or maybe there is someone in your congregation who needs an invitation to ride.

There are so many opportunities that are available right NOW for being Christ-like in a healthy, positive way with a bicycle. But what happens after the pandemic?  We hope that we can keep this momentum going and keep on pedaling with our neighbors and folks in our communities at large.

However you choose to use them, bicycles are an opportunity.  With our bicycles, there are simple ways that we as the church can be relevant and relational in our neighborhoods and our faith communities.  If you have questions or thoughts or want ideas on riding ministries, please contact me directly at scott@bikeandsol.com

Considerations for Community Gathering During a Pandemic

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Many churches are turning to the question of re-gathering in person for worship. How does re-opening, re-gathering, or refraining from gathering express our love of God?

by Steve Kriss, Executive Minister

Two months ago, I wrote an article about why we might postpone, cancel, or shift to online meetings. Now, many of us are approaching months of physical distancing and social/spiritual solidarity.  For most, the time has felt long. We have been challenged in ways we couldn’t have predicted.

Many of us are turning to the question of re-gathering in person.  Throughout this time as a Conference, we have emphasized the “Jesus Creed” of love of God and neighbor.   As we consider possibilities, I suggest several postures while keeping these questions at the center of our discernment:

  • How does our re-opening, re-gathering, or refraining from gathering express our love of God?
  • In our in-person or dispersed acts of community, how do we embody and extend our love for our neighbors?

Posture 1: Consider the vulnerable.

Paul reminds us that, as one body, we honor those who are vulnerable with a heightened sense of care.  Does our gathering together increase our risk?  Yes, inevitably it does.  But how can we release more vulnerable persons from responsibilities in ways that also honor their desire to be in community?

Ripple Community Inc, in Allentown, PA, did this well by introducing new precautions and by shifting staff members who are over the age of 60, to more behind-the-scenes roles. Younger staff remained in forward facing/interactive roles.

Considerations for persons over 65, immuno-compromised, and/or caregivers for vulnerable persons must be in our minds as we think about what it means to gather together again. Jesus promises that he’s present when just two or three of us are together.  How can we create environments that are welcoming, hospitable, and minimize the negatives of risk?

Posture 2: Consider guidance from local public health and government leaders.

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, where Conference offices are located, had requested that religious communities not gather in person. I appreciated that this was a request not a mandate. We are reminded in our gathering of our witness as salt and light in our communities. While we understand the laws of the land do not establish our moral compass, we encourage communities to cooperate with local public health directives and government requests regarding in-person gathering. This means keeping up to date and aware of changing contexts and situations in our local communities.

Posture 3: Consider responsibilities over rights.

Sometimes in the United States, our go-to response is to point to the Bill of Rights.  We have the right to assemble and the privilege of religious freedom.  But as Christians, we know that freedom in Christ also comes with significant responsibility. For some of our congregations, this has meant using our meetinghouses to provide food for neighbors or opening our spaces for blood drives. We have the freedom to not be overcome by fear, but we have the responsibility to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.  We live in tension between seeking the common good and individual conscience.  We recognize that others might make different decisions in discernment of how to live our responsibilities as a witness of Christ’s healing and hope in our communities.

Posture 4: Consider new possibilities.

The pandemic has been an interruption in our regular lives and schedules.  It has indeed been stressful.  However it has also opened new possibilities. Some of us have moved to online worship.  Some of us have planted gardens.  Some of our churches report new faces in worship. There have been new opportunities for witness.  How do we not too quickly jump back to “what was” out of familiarity?  How might the Spirit be inviting us to change and respond?

We believe in a God who sustains, redeems, and brings transformation in the midst of struggle. As we consider how to creatively extend Christ’s peace, we have opportunity to bear witness of God’s love and care for one another, both nearby and around the world.

COVID-19 News & Updates

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Give to the
Shalom Mutual Aid Fund



 

“Keep loving each other like family.”
(Hebrews 13:1, CEB)

What is the Shalom Fund?

Eastern District & Franconia Conference has started a Shalom Fund to support pastors, congregations, and ministries in direct response to the Coronavirus and the ensuing economic crisis.   We are seeking to raise $100,000 to respond to the most vulnerable within our membership and neighborhoods by empowering local ministries to meet real needs with Christ’s love and generosity in a time of fear and anxiety.

Read: Why Support the Eastern District & Franconia Conference Shalom Fund?

Who is being helped?

Our first wave of resources are being shared with Eastern District & Franconia congregations who are already distributing food in their South Philadelphia neighborhoods, beginning with eggs and potatoes to supplement canned meat that has been provided by Mennonite Central Committee.  Shalom Fund distributions are also immediately going to Ripple Community Inc (a Conference Related Ministry (CRM) in Allentown that serves adults who are experiencing homelessness, living with mental illness, or have other conditions or experiences that can leave them isolated and alone), and Crossroad Community Center (a CRM which has been operating for nearly 60 years as a witness to Jesus by providing for the physical and spiritual needs of one of the most difficult neighborhoods in Philadelphia).

Just today, we have received projected initial needs of $50,000 for our congregations and these two CRMs alone to assist pastoral incomes, building mortgages, and mutual aid within the congregation and neighborhoods.  These needs have been identified across our Conference and are immediate.

Who Can Give?

Everyone!  If you have wanted a way to help others during this difficult and confusing time but didn’t know how, this is the fund for you.  Whether you are an individual or family, a business owner, a youth group, someone who likes to run fundraisers, or a congregation with special or endowed funds, your contributions are vital.

Webinar

  • Considerations for Gathering Together Again – Leadership Ministers Scott Roth & Emily Ralph Servant, Dr. Sherri Binder, Executive Director of Ripple Community Inc., and Dr. Mariana Bernui from Drexel University hold a conversation on the possibilities for worship that bears witness of our love for God and our neighbors in a time of pandemic.

Pause and Reflect Before Reopening –  MCUSA

Guidelines for Consideration

Music Considerations


Cleaning and Disinfecting Considerations


Distribution of Food

(Updated: April 21, 10:00 am EST)

Technology:

  Need some personal assistance? Contact one of our staff persons below:

For children & families:

Worship and devotional resources from around MC USA:

Finances:

Online Support:

  • Celebrate Recovery program at Franconia Mennonite Church is now offering online small groups.  Please contact 215-723-3220 or communications@franconiamennonite.org if interested.
  • Alcoholics Anonymous
  • Help for Domestic Violence Victims – sadly, the stress of these times can lead to higher rates of violence. If you are not safe in your home due to domestic violence, there are places to turn to. Call PA Coalition Against Domestic Violence at 1-800-799-7233 or if you’re unable to speak safely, you can log onto thehotline.org or text LOVEIS to 22522.
  • Suicide Prevention Hotline – these can be very lonely times. If you or someone you need to talk or are in crisis, please call 1-888-273-TALK.  In the event of an emergency, dial 911.
  • Mental Health support (YouTube video) – provided by Maureen Gingerich, social worker (Blooming Glen congregation)

How to find volunteer opportunities:

  • Contact a volunteer agency or center directly to inquire about their needs
  • Visit PA211 for volunteer opportunities posted by agencies seeking volunteer help; or
  • Register at ServPa to create a volunteer profile. When prompted, choose “COVID Volunteers” as your “organization”, then follow the links.

Anti-Asian discrimination/racism resources and statements:

Assistance:

UPDATED: May 7, 9:00am EST

We are in a very different time. Join together with other leaders from across our Conference in Zoom conversations and feel free to pass this information on to youth leaders in your congregation.

Are there other conversations that you would like to have? Or like to lead? Please let us know!

Leading and Pastoring in a Time of Social Distancing

Share, brainstorm, and support one another as we pastor during the Coronavirus epidemic. Potential topics for discussion include worship (planning and formats), pastoral care, communication, connection in isolation, self-care, partnership with congregations in the conference and in your community, supporting one another.

  • Every Wednesday, 10-11am EST – led by Mary Nitzsche and Josh Meyer (English)  new Zoom link beginning 5/27: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81324082049 
  • Every other Thursday night – 9pm EST/6pm PST – led by Aldo Siahaan and Hendy Matahelemual (Indonesian).  The Zoom link to join this conversation is: https://zoom.us/j/262849343
  • Every other Wednesday night  – 7pm EST/4pm PST – led by Noel Santiago and Marco Guete (Spanish).  The Zoom link to join this conversation is: https://zoom.us/j/557606813

Spiritual Formation for Youth in a Time of Social Distancing

All youth leaders are welcome, we will be connecting, sharing, and praying for our ministry settings as we work with the Holy Spirit for creative community engagement. We can share ideas and practices and resource one another. We can also all just enjoy some time together.

  • Weekly – Thursday mornings, 9:30 am – led by Brooke Martin
    The Zoom link to join this conversation is: https://zoom.us/j/500032991

Prayer

  • Pray with us through the summer.  Every Wednesday through August 19, 12:00-12:30pm EST/9:00-9:30am PST,  led by Noel Santiago, Marta Castillo and Jeff Wright.  (For info, email nsantiago@mosaicmennonites.org) The Zoom link to join this conversation is: https://zoom.us/j/961945265
  • Centering Prayer in a Time of Disruption – led by Jessica Miller and Franco Salvatori – Tuesdays at 3:00PM EST through the end of May.  Zoom link to join is: https://zoom.us/j/99895914233

We will continue to look for opportunities and conversation together in new ways and formats over the next weeks.

(Updated March 26, 2:00pm EST)

If you know of other reputable sources for information of ways to help, please send them to communication@mosaicmennonites.org.

Shalom Fund

Eastern District & Franconia Conference has started a mutual aid fund to support pastors, congregations, and ministries in direct response to the Coronavirus and the ensuing economic crisis.   We will seek to respond to the most vulnerable within our membership and neighborhoods by empowering local ministries to meet real needs with Christ’s love and generosity in a time of fear and anxiety.  Give now.

Blood Donation

Blood donations are seriously needed as many blood drives have been canceled. To find a blood drive near you follow the links below:

  1. Miller-Keystone Blood Center:  https://www.giveapint.org/blood-donor-center-locations/.  St. Lukes Hospital in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania is sponsoring a blood drive the first week of April (more information here).
  2. American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html.  For those near Lansdale, PA, there is a drive being held this week (last week of March) at Towamencin congregation (Facebook Event Page).

Food Banks

From PBS NewsHour: “Due to panic surrounding the virus, donations to many local food banks are down significantly. This is the case in Washington state, where dozens have already died from the virus, and states like Ohio, where food banks have seen volunteers cancel shifts. Supermarket chain Harris Teeter on Friday said that key items in its stores may be out of stock due to high customer demand, and some food banks in Washington state have reported that people have come to their facilities for the first time because their regular grocery stores don’t have what they’re looking for….  Organizations like Feed America allow you to search for food banks in your area. Many food banks across the U.S. are now putting their resources toward dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak directly.”

  1. Feeding America Directory of Food Banks
  2. A list of organizations offering direct services related to COVID-19.
  3. Donate to Ripple Community, Inc, a Conference Related Ministry that is providing food and services to the homeless in Allentown, PA while other local organizations have closed.

Medical Supply Donations

The St. Lukes Hospital Network in Pennsylvania is one of many hospitals that is currently receiving donations of medical equipment and accepting homemade masks or the supplies to make them.  For the full list of what you can donate and drop-off locations, check out this page.  For instructions on how to sew the masks, download this pdf.