Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Emily Ralph Servant

Let’s Just Save Some

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by Emily Ralph Servant, Leadership Minister

My toddlers copy everything I do.  If I splash water on my daughter’s head, pick flowers, or spit food onto my plate, so do they.

They don’t know that I’m trying to get sand out of their hair, removing dead blooms, or spitting out spoiled food.  They just do what Mommy does!  And they should—it’s an important part of child development.

Even as adults we continue taking our cues from the people around us, some of us more than others. The threshold model of collective behavior suggests that people with high thresholds will change their behavior if they see a lot of other people doing something, even if they think it’s wrong, while people with low thresholds will do what they want, regardless of what others are doing.

The Apostle Paul seems to encourage Jesus-followers to be low-threshold people: don’t give in to the peer pressure of the world but stand strong and let your mind and behavior be shaped by God’s way of living (Romans 12:2).  Do the right thing, no matter what anyone else is doing.

At the same time, in 1 Corinthians Paul also seems to encourage Jesus-followers to be a force of change in society by using peer pressure itself.  Knowing that many people will look to see what everyone else is doing, Paul reminded the early Church to be a good example for those around them: yes, you are free, Paul declares, but use your freedom wisely (9:10); don’t just think about yourself but think about others (10:24).

Since I know my toddlers are watching, sometimes I need to modify my behavior.  I shouldn’t drag a chair into the kitchen to get things off the top shelf while they’re in the room.  I shouldn’t climb over the deck railing to pick something off the ground.  I have every right to do those things and I don’t modify my behavior because I’m smarter or better than them.  I do it because I know I influence them, and I love them too much to risk their safety for my rights.

We face a similar situation in our contexts today.  Yes, we have a right to worship together in our buildings.  We have a right to not wear masks, to give hugs, to have Bible studies or pool parties.  But maybe someone else isn’t as ready to meet their Maker as we are.  Maybe someone else isn’t as mindful of keeping a safe distance or doesn’t have as strong an immune system.

Maybe someone else is more likely to do something if they see everyone else doing it, even if it wouldn’t be safe for them.  Maybe they’d feel silly if they were the only one not going, the only one not wearing a mask, the only one who seems to be afraid, the only one who seems to be less confident in the Spirit’s protection.

We indeed have rights, Paul acknowledges, but not everything is beneficial or constructive (1 Corinthians 10:23).  Don’t let anything you do “hinder the gospel” (9:12).  You don’t have to win everyone, he says; Paul was willing to give up his rights if it might even save some (9:22).

Paul summed it up simply: “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble—whether outside or inside of the church. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved” (1 Corinthians 10:32-33, NIV adapted).

Building Connections and Fostering Beauty

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by Jennifer Svetlik, Salford congregation

Taking photos for a Conference event

As a pastor’s kid and, later, a pastor, Leadership Minister, and Interim Director of Communication, Emily Ralph Servant has had a heart for pastors since she was a teenager. “I have a passion for the Church, regardless of the bumps and bruises I’ve experienced in it,” reflects Emily.

Soon after college, she observed the work of conference staff and felt drawn to their ministry of caring for and resourcing pastors and congregations. “Conference ministry was a dream for me long before [then Executive Minister] Ertell Whigham asked me to join the staff [in 2011],” shares Emily. “This particular conference is where I was raised up as a leader, called, and ordained, and I love the spirit of our conference and what God has been and is doing here.”

As Communication Director, Emily is responsible for building community within the conference by sharing stories from congregations, leaders, staff, and Conference Related Ministries. She coordinates the “nitty-gritty work” of communication and shapes the language and media that the conference uses to help live its priorities of being missional, intercultural, and formational.

As a Leadership Minister, Emily serves as a companion and guide to pastors and congregations during both the ordinary rhythms of church life and during times of transition or conflict. In this role she helps church leadership to think strategically as well as pastorally, and she serves as a sounding board for ideas and dreams and as a resource for networking and community-building.

Emily leading worship at Conference Assembly

“I love listening to stories and asking questions that help to shift perspective or lead to ‘a-ha!’ moments,” Emily says. She recently joined the conference’s missional priority team, which allows her to help congregations “live and love like Jesus” in their neighborhoods.

Emily grew up all over southeastern PA after her father entered the ministry when she was in elementary school.  She entered ministry for herself as a young adult. “I saw both the best and the worst of the church,” she reflects. “I observed when things went well and when conflict erupted. That prepared me to work with congregations in conflict, transition, and decline.”

Emily has always been creative, using her vivid imagination to write stories, music, and plays. She started leading music as a teenager and had a vision for “blending” worship in new ways that went beyond mixing traditional hymns with praise songs. While serving as a worship minister of Swamp congregation (Quakertown, PA), she became involved with Conference Assembly worship planning and helped form an intercultural cohort of worship leaders from around the conference who wanted to learn one another’s music and build relationships. Multilingual and intercultural worship is still one of her favorite parts of conference life.

Emily and daughter Maggie share a silly moment.

Emily and her husband, Ryan, parent two toddlers, so she spends a lot of time “reading books, giving kisses, and cleaning food off the floor.” Her family enjoys connecting with their neighbors in northeast Baltimore city. She is on a journey to zero waste, so she cans produce from local farms, cooks mostly from scratch, and sews (very badly).

She also loves to upcycle, reusing discarded objects to create something new. “It allows me to express my creativity and do something with my hands, to lower our impact on the environment, and to connect with neighbors (our local Buy Nothing group is a great source of material for upcycling!)” reflects Emily.  “Upcycling is a reflection of the image of God in me: God can take things from our lives that look and feel like junk and transform them into something useful and, even, beautiful.”

The Old Has Passed Away

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by Emily Ralph Servant, Director of Communication

Way back in 2012, Franconia Conference’s communication was all over the place.

Our website was set up to automatically send out a new article anytime it was posted (sometimes it notified people when a small change to the website was made!) and we sent a separate email for every announcement, event reminder, or broader-church blurb.  This meant that, some weeks, our subscriber list was receiving an email every day and, some weeks, none at all.

We knew it was time to try something different.

Enter “Intersectings” (it was a play on words from our quarterly paper newsletter, “Intersections”), a weekly digest for connecting congregations, pastors, and delegates across the conference. Intersectings’ original tagline was “where our stories meet,” and we included news articles, blogs, social media posts, announcements, and event information—everything together in one place.  We hoped that the predictability of this new publication would make it easier for our pastors and delegates to stay up-to-date on what was happening without getting lost in an avalanche of emails.

The going was rocky at first—it was hard work to find enough content to fill the newsletter each week and we sometimes got complaints from people that they weren’t being kept informed of what was happening.  But as our communication team got used to the rhythms of the newsletter and as members of the conference consistently began opening and reading it, we found that our communication improved.  It was working.

It’s now almost eight years later, and we’ve decided that, once again, it’s time for a change.

This issue is our last Intersectings.  Early in 2020, we’ll roll out something new that reflects the values and needs of our New Conference.

Earlier this year, we began sharing “Bridges,” an email newsletter to keep members of both Franconia and Eastern District Conferences up-to-date on what was happening during the reconciliation process and to help us get to know each another better.  Beginning next week, Bridges will continue weekly through the rest of this year and into the next.  For the time being, watch Bridges for event information, announcements, congregational profiles, and other important information related to the reconciliation process.

Then, once our New Conference has launched, be on the lookout for our new email newsletter.  This newsletter will automatically be distributed to anyone who has subscribed to either Intersectings or Bridges (although you can always unsubscribe if you’re not a credentialed leader or delegate!).  This new newsletter will include the best of both of our email newsletters—news articles, blogs, announcements and event notifications, and getting-to-know-you articles and profiles—as well as new content that reflects our changing times and contexts.

As we prepare for this change, we’ll be laying low for a couple of months, focusing on all the work that goes into building something new—a new website, a new paper newsletter, a new email newsletter, a new social media presence.  We’d appreciate your feedback and suggestions: What have you liked about our communication in the past that you’d like to see continue?  What new elements would you like to see includeed?  What changes do you think would make our communication more effective?  E-mail me at eralphservant@mosaicmennonites.org.

We work hard to bring you interesting and informative content that will help you stay connected to others in our Conference and to the work of our Conference staff, board, and committees.  But we know the secret to good communication lies with you—all this work is for nothing if you don’t read it.

So thanks for reading Intersectings all these years.  The old has passed away, but—behold!  Something new is coming.

Together Once More

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by Sue Conrad Howes, Eastern District Conference (West Swamp congregation), with Emily Ralph Servant, Franconia Conference (Director of Communication)

It was a potentially historic day for two Mennonite conferences that split over 170 years ago. 

Photo by Cindy Angela

On November 2, 2019, delegates from Franconia Mennonite Conference and Eastern District Conference met together at Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church to determine if reconciliation, which seemed unattainable in 1847, would now be possible.

It was hard to imagine that these two groups had been divided at all, as animated conversations and joyful reunions happened throughout the crowded fellowship hall as the delegates arrived. There was even an audible groan when it was announced that the Eastern District Conference delegates needed to move to another gathering room for their morning delegate session.  And so, for the morning, the two groups met separately, with the possibility of reconciliation on the afternoon horizon.

During Eastern District’s morning delegate session, leaders facilitated a discussion over the future and publicly recognized that the vote toward reconciliation was just the beginning of a new journey.  They thanked everyone who had helped to bring them to this point and then led in a time of sharing stories about where delegates were seeing God working in their congregations and ministries. 

Photo by Cindy Angela

Franconia’s morning delegate session included affirming Rose Bender Cook (Whitehall congregation) for a third term and KrisAnne Swartley (Doylestown congregation) for a second term on the Credentials Committee. Chris Nickels (Spring Mount congregation) was affirmed for a third term and Janet Panning (Plains congregation) for a first term on the Ministerial Committee.  Swartley and Panning will serve as committee chairs.  John Goshow (Blooming Glen congregation) and Beny Krisbianto (Nations Worship Center) were thanked for their nine years of service on the Conference Board.

Franconia also welcomed four new Conference Related Ministries: Peace Proclamation Ministries International (out of Plains congregation), Healthy Niños Honduras (birthed out of MAMA Project), Ripple Community Inc (out of Ripple congregation), and Taproot Gap Year (out of Philadelphia Praise Center).  The delegates welcomed a new congregation, Iglesia Menonita Ebenezer (Souderton, PA) and released West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship to transfer to Allegheny Conference.

Photo by Cindy Angela

After a meaningful joint worship in the morning, when credentialed leaders of both conferences who had passed away during the past year were remembered and newly credentialed leaders were introduced, anointed, and then commissioned to anoint others, the two conferences joined together for the afternoon session. Joy Sutter, moderator of Mennonite Church USA (Salford congregation), expressed gratitude to the delegates for demonstrating the path of reconciliation. “You are modeling a new and inspiring path for the future. As you move forward…, may you be blessed,” said Sutter.

The three-year process toward reconciliation, led almost exclusively by conference volunteers, was introduced by the Structure and Identity Task Force.  Sherri Brokopp Binder (Ripple congregation) & Rina Rampogu (Plains congregation) explained the process, the changes proposed, and the next steps, if the delegates voted affirmatively for reconciliation.

The task force had done its work, as few delegates posed questions or expressed any sense of hesitation with the proposal. The two conferences divided, for the last time, to discern and vote.

Photo by Cindy Angela

With the delegates reunited after the vote, John Goshow, Franconia Conference moderator, and Jim Musselman, Eastern District moderator (Zion congregation), shared the results of the historic vote: together, the conferences had voted unanimously for reconciliation.

Spontaneous applause and cheers of affirmation from the delegates erupted while leaders from both conferences shared hugs and broad smiles.  Together, the enthusiastic group sang, “Hosanna, Let Jesus be Lifted Up” and “Praise God from Whom” with gusto and gratitude.

Scott Roth (L) and Steve Kriss (R) lead the Conferences into a time of communion. Photo by Cindy Angela

Following the singing, Steve Kriss, Franconia Conference executive minister, and Scott Roth, Eastern District conference minister, spoke.  “I am rarely speechless,” Kriss admitted. “But we are about to do something that could not happen 150 years ago. We are about to sit together and take communion. For some of you, this split divided families, for some of you this split divided congregations. Today we celebrate the ministry of reconciliation that has been and will continue to be our life’s work.”

Roth reminisced about being charged with the ministry of reconciliation as a youth by adult leaders who knew that the reality of such a merger would be through the work of future generations. Roth shared his joy that the dream he had heard about as a youth was now being realized. “Remember,” Roth said; “although the paperwork is not completed, we are one in the Spirit and we are one in Jesus’ blood.”

Jessica Miller (Perkasie congregation). Photo by Cindy Angela

In the front of the fellowship hall, a pile of rocks had sat all morning, without mention. This column was reminiscent of the Old Testament practice of raising an Ebenezer, commemorating God’s help or celebrating memorable events. This rock structure was not to remain, however.  Instead, each church was instructed to take a rock home, paint it, and return with it to next year’s first assembly as a new conference. The rocks will then be formed into a fountain, representing the new conference, flowing with life.

Conference moderators, John Goshow (Franconia) and Jim Musselman (Eastern District) prepare to celebrate the reconciliation! Photo by Cindy Angela

The day’s events closed with a traditional action, which has been spoken by Franconia delegates to conclude their assemblies for more than a hundred years. On this day, however, delegates of both Franconia and Eastern District made the commitment together, as one gathered body:

“We affirm our desire to continue in and witness to the nonresistant and simple faith in Christ, looking for the blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

“Kami menegaskani keinginan untuk terus ikut dan menjadi saksi kesederhanaan iman dalam Kristus dan menjadi pembawa damai, terus mencari kepada berkat pengharapan serta memperlihatkan kemuliaan dari kebesaran Tuhan dan juru selamat kami, Yesus Kristus.”

“Afirmamos nuestro deseo de seguir testificando con la fe de no resistencia y sencilla en Cristo, mirando a la esperanza bendita y la venida gloriosa de nuestro gran Dios y nuestro Salvador Jesucristo.”

“Chúng tôi xin xác nhận nguyện-vọng của chúng tôi là tiếp tục và làm chứng cho giải pháp ôn-hòa và đức-tin chân thật trong Ðấng Christ, tiềm kiếm sự hy-vọng hạnh phước, và sự vinh quang của Ðức Chúa Trời đại quyền hiện ra và Ðấng Cứu Chuộc của chúng tôi là Ðức Chúa Giê-xu Christ.”

”我們重申我們的意願是繼續以和平及純正信仰去見證基督的生命，懷著美好的盼望，等候我們偉大的神及救主耶穌基督的榮耀顯現。”

Looking to the Future of Conference Related Ministries

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by Margaret Zook, Living Branches, with Emily Ralph Servant

The Conference Related Ministries (CRMs) Task Force has been charged with proposing a plan for new and improved ways of relating to organizations associated with both Eastern District and Franconia Conferences after the two conferences form a new Conference next year.

Both conferences recognize the wealth of services provided by CRMs and the growth and potential of these ministries.    Now, moving toward reconciliation between these two historic Conferences, there is a recognition that now is time to talk about the future.   CRM leadership were invited to participate in three listening sessions, in which they talked with the task force committee and recommended revisions to what had been proposed by the Structure and Identity Task Force.

Anne Kaufman-Weaver leads a conversation on cultural humility at this summer’s Conference Related Ministries resourcing event. Photo by Emily Ralph Servant.

These gatherings provided space to discuss questions like: How has the relationship with the Conferences helped in nurturing established organizations and empowering new ministries in the past?  How can the relationship between Conference Related Ministries and the broader Conference be mutually beneficial?  What are ways to enhance communication, support leaders in the CRMs, and improve relationships between CRMs and the Conference structure?    

What may prove to be most important moving forward is communication.   There are some CRMs who have been ministering for 100 years and others that are just birthing; renewed communication between CRMs, the Conference, congregations, and the community is desired and needed for the future.   Support can better happen if lines of communication are open and encouraged.

The final proposal, which will be shared in Assembly Scattered gatherings in October, will include a new CRM committee with board representation.  This will allow CRM leadership new avenues for building connections within the conference structure and among conference congregations as well as creating a new space for CRMs to speak into our conference’s life together.

Representatives of diverse Conference Related Ministries share stories of where they see the Spirit working in the many cultures of their ministry contexts. Photo by Emily Ralph Servant.

Each CRM has a unique ministry, each has a community, each has responded to a need and has founders or a board of directors who believe in its mission, and each has developed a unique set of skills, professions, and responses.  Many CRMs offer resourcing, workshops, and services to the wider church community on topics such as aging, memory loss, music, mental health issues, welcoming those with disabilities, and parenting.  Others provide opportunities to serve our communities at home and internationally, spreading the Good News through medicine, dental care, humanitarian aid, peace and justice advocacy, evangelism, microloans, and disaster recovery.  Still others offer space for children (and adults) to meet God in classrooms, around campfires, and in stories from the past.

For the new Conference, this is a valued resource.   These organizations and leaders represent a rich variety of missions to share with the broader community, which provide unique opportunities for our Conference to engage in new and creative ways.    We as Anabaptists have been charged to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.”   Our CRMs have brought these words to life.  May it continue to be so.   

 

Standing in the Gap at the Border and at Home

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by Emily Ralph Servant, Director of Communication

For the last month, Philadelphia Praise Center pastor Aldo Siahaan has been reminding his congregation of their rights during each Sunday morning worship service.

In expectation of, and response to, a recent wave of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, immigrants in Philadelphia and other US cities—both documented and not—are living in fear.  “I’ve been like them,” reflects Siahaan, who migrated to the United States in 1998 after riots in Indonesia: “I know what they feel like, living like this.”

Questions and concern around immigration have become increasingly important for members of Franconia Conference, which has seen a increase in immigrant congregations over the past decade.  Currently, close to fifteen percent of the conference are first-generation immigrants, many coming from Indonesia, Mexico, Tanzania, Myanmar, Hong Kong, and India.

Some of Franconia’s Latin brothers and sisters originally entered the US by way of the southern border.  Recent news reports have highlighted tragic conditions in detention camps there, where some families are separated, and others are turned away before they can even apply for asylum.  Many Franconia congregations have been asking what they can do to help.

A Direct Response

MCC is collecting Immigrant Detainee Care Kits with supplies that will provide immigrants who are being released from detainment centers along the US’ southern border with basic hygiene supplies. Photo provided by MCC Central States.

“Having been to the border several years ago to see key Mennonite partners there, I recognize that there are some basic practical needs that people require after they’ve been released from detention,” reflects Franconia’s executive minister Steve Kriss.  Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is meeting some of these needs by making and distributing Immigrant Detainee Care Kits.  “The kit response feels hands-on and important as the kind of thing Mennonites do to directly respond to human needs,” observes Kriss.

In order to provide additional kits, Franconia’s board has allocated a $5000 grant to match contributions from Franconia and Eastern District congregations to the MCC East Coast’s Material Resource Center (MRC) in Harleysville, PA.   The MRC will make the care kits to send for distribution in Texas and New Mexico through MCC Central States.  The grant will also match gifts given by Franconia congregations to MCC West Coast for transporting kits distributed in California and Arizona.  The deadline for matching is August 31.

Already at Work

Even as Franconia and Eastern District congregations raise financial support around the border crisis, we remember that the struggle continues closer to home. “We ARE immigrant communities,” Kriss acknowledges.  “We are communities that are responding on a regular basis to the challenges of receiving people who are seeking safety and asylum in places across the country.”  Many pastors in our congregations are regularly responding to crises of migration, he observes.  In these cases, these are not programs of the church; they are pastoral responses to real needs in our communities.

The border fence between Tijuana and California adjoins a city neighborhood and is covered in lively artwork and graffiti. Photo by Steve Kriss.

When a large migrant caravan began making its way through Mexico in 2018, the Conferencia de Iglesias Evangélicas Anabautistas Menonitas de México (CIEAMM), a Franconia Partner in Ministry, decided to open their arms and hearts to the “temporary refugees” in Mexico by providing aid.  “We take seriously the teaching of Jesus, who invites us to the [kind of] love and solidarity that feeds the hungry, dresses the naked, gives water to the thirsty, protects the helpless, takes care of the sick, and visits the incarcerated,” described moderator Carlos Martínez García at Mennonite World Conference’s Renewal 2019 event in Costa Rica.  “We did a work of compassion, putting ourselves in the place of needy migrants, and acting to bring some accompaniment and comfort.” (Read his full remarks.)

Fernando Loyola and Letty Cortes pastor Centro de Alabanza de Filadelfia, a congregation of Latinx immigrants, and have seen a recent wave of immigrants from Guatemala arriving in their neighborhood.  Their congregation provides food, clothing, funds, and help navigating the new American culture.  They refer families to immigration lawyers and to Juntos, a community-led immigrant non-profit that fights for human rights in South Philly.

Philadelphia Praise Center has been renovating its building to become a sanctuary church, where immigrants fearing deportation can live safely during ICE raids.  Siahaan has walked with many individuals and families who need help navigating the complex legal channels involved in applying for visas or green cards.  Just this last week, he was called to help someone from the community who was picked up in an ICE raid.

Unfortunately, once someone has been detained by ICE, there isn’t much that can be done, he explains—within a couple of weeks, they’ll be deported.  The need is greater before that happens; what immigrants need most, he suggests, is for their Franconia brothers and sisters to be their voice: “Call or write to your congressperson and say, ‘Hey, you need to do something about this situation, these immigration raids!’”

Advocacy to Prevent Tragedy

Advocacy work includes contacting representatives on both state and national levels.  Steve Wilburn, teaching pastor at Covenant Community congregation in Lansdale, PA, has been involved with International Justice Mission (IJM) since he traveled to Cambodia and Vietnam in seminary and saw IJM’s work in battling human trafficking.  Currently, he’s partnering with IJM to advocate for the “Central American Women and Children Protection Act of 2019,” which is legislation that commits US funds, in partnership with the governments of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, to help them restore their justice systems in order to protect women and children from abuse.  Several Franconia Conference leaders have signed a letter in support of this legislation.

Most US government efforts in those countries have been focused on drugs and gang violence, Wilburn explains, but that doesn’t help protect children and women: “Those are some of the reasons that people are leaving and trying to escape violence there, becoming refugees,” he says.  Most would rather stay home if home were a safe place for them and their children.

Real People, Real Suffering

Siahaan recently went on an MCC borderlands tour to meet migrants and see the situation for himself.  On his trip, he met a young mother with two children who were waiting to apply for asylum.  They had fled Colombia after her husband had been shot by a gang.

It was eye-opening for Siahaan.  He had read books and heard stories but meeting real people on the border face-to-face affirmed for him that the work the South Philly congregations were doing mattered.  It encouraged him to keep going.

Beny Krisbianto, pastor of Nations Worship Center in Philadelphia, is a member of the conference executive board.  The decision to allocate the funds for the matching grant was easy for him when he considered the children who are daily affected by both the “border crisis” and the local ICE raids.  It’s not a political issue, he emphasizes, but a call to care for real children who had no control over the decision to come in the first place.  “These are real people, who are already here, who are suffering and may die,” he says.  “These kits will help.”

His congregation supports conference advocacy for migrants at the southern border because they, too, are daily experiencing the fear and uncertainty of the country’s broken immigration system.  It’s not just a story you see on CNN or ABC News, he reminds the conference community; for immigrants in South Philadelphia, “It’s our everyday life.”

Ways to Help

  • Pray for migrants on the southern border, for immigrants living in our communities, and for those who are working alongside them for health, healing, and wholeness. Pray for just immigration laws, merciful immigration practices, and a path to citizenship that will keep families together.
  • To receive a matching grant for the making and/or transporting of Immigrant Detainee Care Kits, send checks labeled “Immigrant Detainee Care Kits” directly to the MCC Material Resource Center of Harleysville, 737 Hagey Center Drive, Unit C, Souderton, PA 18964 OR directly to West Coast MCC Office, 1010 G Street, Reedley, CA 93654. For West Coast donations only: email Conrad Martin (ccmartin@mosaicmennonites.org) at the conference office with the date and amount of the gift.  Deadline for matching funds is August 31.
  • Read the Churchwide Statement on the Abuse of Child Migrants passed at Mennonite Church USA convention in Kansas City (July 2019) and Carlos Martínez García’s full reflection on CIEAMM’s ministry caring for some of the migrants traveling through Mexico.
  • Advocate with your legislators to support asylum seekers and the American Dream and Promise Act and to restrict ICE raids.
  • Sign a faith leaders’ letter of support for the “Central American Women and Children Protection Act of 2019” or become an IJM volunteer by contacting Steve Wilburn at swilburn@ijmvolunteers.org. Register for a 2-day advocacy summit in Washington D.C. in October.
  • A significant focus of MCC East Coast’s domestic work is related to immigration advocacy: in Miami, through the New York Mennonite Immigration Program, and in direct services to those who have been trying to find a legal pathway to stay in the US. Find out more.  West Coast MCC is in the process of offering “Know Your Rights” trainings for Franconia’s West Coast congregations.

Sparking Joy by Letting Go

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by Emily Ralph Servant, Leadership Minister & Interim Director of Communications 

(originally published in The Mennonite)

“Hold each item, one by one,” Marie Kondo instructs families on her Netflix show. Then she says, “Only keep what sparks joy for you.” Everything else can be thanked and let go.

Sparks joy. That concept resonates for me as I have sought to live a whole and abundant life. Yet it’s an idea fraught with danger in a culture that equates happiness with indulgence.

Kondo’s method strikes a chord in me as she practices mindfulness and gratitude. I appreciate the way she gently encourages families to confront their overabundance and to do the hard work of letting go of anything that isn’t life-giving for them.

This technique alone may not be enough to transform American culture, however. I’ve heard stories of people who found the KonMari method life-changing when her book showed up on U.S. bookshelves in 2014 but who discovered that their tidy spaces had already refilled in the years that followed.

Perhaps the act of letting go doesn’t spark enough joy to keep us from accumulating more.

Kondo suggests that most people need practice to recognize what joy feels like. Christian mystics have long agreed that cultivating our awareness of joy can be a spiritual practice, one that draws us closer to the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

Letting go sparks joy for me because it connects to a deeper sense of purpose. God’s dream for our world is that everyone have enough, yet many of us consume more than our fair share of the world’s resources. What would happen if we took Jesus’ teachings seriously, if we truly lived what we say we believe, if we allowed love to drive us to radical, countercultural choices?

Ryan Servant breaks down an old piano. The family plans to repurpose it outside as a flower planter. Photo provided by author.

For my family, this has led to a journey of mindfulness: finding ways to reduce our waste by limiting what we purchase, avoiding packaging when possible, composting, recycling and reusing; prioritizing second-hand purchases, welcoming hand-me-downs and participating in the “gift economy” through local Buy Nothing groups; choosing to live well within our means in a small house; tapping into our creativity by “upcycling” what we have into what we need; and cultivating a lifestyle that wonders if we can do “more with less.”

And yes, this journey has included simplifying what we own and letting go of things that, a few years ago, we never thought we could release. We’ve found that letting go has grown easier as our motivation has emerged: to make space in our home to expand our family through foster care and adoption. Love for the children we have yet to meet overpowers our sense of loss; we have so much to gain by letting go.

Love motivates and sustains me on this journey. Love for the hurting children in our city and for the children of the world. God’s love compels me to care about how my choices affect the poor, the disenfranchised, the oppressed. We live in an interconnected world where our choices matter.

At the same time, I know our ability to choose is a sign of our privilege. We choose to do more with less. We choose to live in a small house. We choose to buy second-hand items. We can also choose to purchase sustainable products and shop at bulk-food stores. We have an overabundance to give away. We aren’t forced into these choices; we have the privilege of a middle-class income, reliable transportation and free time for hobbies, and we benefit from systems that advantage us at the expense of others.

Letting go also means accepting our responsibility to use our privilege to advocate for and alongside others who don’t have access to those choices. It means allocating part of our grocery budget to bring produce to food deserts in our city. It means advocating for the right to repair and for clean-energy incentives. It means working for safe and walkable neighborhoods. It means opening our home to a child who needs a safe, stable and loving family.

This journey is a long one, and it’s one I’m just beginning. It has led me to let go of my need for speed and embrace patience, to let go of my selfishness and learn kindness and generosity, to let go of my impulsiveness as I practice self-control. It’s a struggle, and I don’t always make good choices. But God’s Spirit is present, shaping me into the image of Jesus, who showed humanity how to let go for the sake of love (Philippians 2).

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a little Marie Kondo on Netflix—I certainly do—but we are called to something more than tidy houses. God’s Spirit is inviting us to commit to our neighborhoods and our world, letting go and embracing so that we love deeply and work for justice.

Only then will we truly spark joy.

If Marie Kondo has inspired you to tidy up this spring, consider these tips from Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) … CLICK HERE!

Home for Christmas

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by Emily Ralph Servant, Interim Director of Communication

The house sits on Emily Street, a three-story, red-brick townhouse whose stoop rests directly on the sidewalk along a narrow city street.

Bethany House, which sits on Emily Street in South Philadelphia, will serve as a conference-owned parsonage.

The third floor windows look out over the surrounding blocks, where brand new rowhomes, nestled between century-old houses, bear witness to the creeping gentrification of this densely populated and diverse neighborhood.  Dotted between the rows of houses are lots that won’t long be empty, neighborhood parks, and the occasional sidewalk garden planted in clusters of multicolored pots.

Its name is Bethany House, and soon this house will become a home.

For a number of years, members of the conference community have been concerned about the rising cost of housing in South Philadelphia.  As the city has experienced an influx of immigrants and a renewal of its urban core, the neighborhoods surrounding Franconia’s South Philly congregations have seen a quick and dramatic increase in housing costs.

This gentrification makes living and ministering locally more and more difficult, especially for credentialed leaders who don’t have the resources to purchase a home.  In response to growing support among the conference constituency, the board decided that now was the time to act, while the purchase could still be considered an investment in the rapidly growing housing market.

In December, upon the review and recommendation of the Properties and Finances Committees, Franconia Conference purchased the house on Emily Street to be used as a conference-owned parsonage.  This home will be available for conference congregations in South Philadelphia to use when, and for as long as, needed.

Bethany House’s first residents will be Leticia Cortes and Fernando Loyola.  The pastoral couple of Centro de Alabanza de Filadelfia, Cortes and Loyola have been struggling to find a safe and stable living arrangement for their family for eleven years.  Because Bethany House is close to their congregation’s building, Cortes and Loyola anticipate that living there will open up new possibilities for outreach in their community as they get to know their neighbors better.

This dream is shared by the South Philly congregations.  “My hope is that this house can be a blessing for the neighborhood,” said Melky Tirtasaputra, associate pastor at Nations Worship Center, who also served as an advisor during the search.  “We pray that the people of this house will bring change and peace to the people in that area.”

The purchase of this property not only shows conference support of Philadelphia churches, explained conference moderator John Goshow, but also provides an opportunity for the rest of the conference to partner with our South Philly congregations in building God’s kingdom, as “the entire Franconia Conference community works together to point people to Christ.”

The move will also put Cortes and Loyola closer to their church community—this was one of the appeals of the house, Tirtasaputra explained.  Members of Centro de Alabanza are excited about the move and have already been busily at work on the house, making repairs and painting.

Ten percent of Franconia Conference members live and worship in South Philadelphia, which makes it important to start investing in the neighborhood, suggested executive minister Steve Kriss.  While Centro de Alabanza is currently using the parsonage, Tirtasaputra reflected, it’s a gift to all of the South Philly congregations since, in the future, pastors from other congregations may also find themselves in need of a home.

“The Bethany House continues Franconia Conference’s tradition of mutual care for our pastors,” described Kriss.  “It will ensure healthy leadership for what has been a rapidly growing part of our conference community.”  The house was named after the village where Jesus went for rest, care, and friendship (John 12:1-8), Kriss said, “a place of gracious hospitality.”

The Conference’s decision to purchase a Philadelphia parsonage is more than just a financial gift, according to Cortes and Loyola; it also says something about the relationship that the wider conference has with its South Philadelphia brothers and sisters: “We feel like this investment is an affirmation of Franconia Conference’s confidence in our church ministry and in us.”

The pastoral couple’s hope is to move in by the end of the year and, it’s quite possible, they may even be home for Christmas.

Bethany House has been partially funded by estate gifts and individual contributions, but we still have funds to raise!  You or your congregation are invited to participate in this ministry by making a designated contribution to Franconia Conference online (link closed) or by sending a check with “Bethany House” in the memo line to Franconia Mennonite Conference, 1000 Forty Foot Rd., Lansdale, PA 19446.