Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Faith and Life Commission

August 2024 Faith and Life Gathering

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by Andrew Zetts

The Faith and Life Commission of Mosaic Conference provides space for pastors and credentialed leaders to build ties of friendship and support. We convene quarterly to discuss scripture and listen to how we might interpret and apply those scriptures. We pray for each other and our congregations in light of our reflections. We seek to develop relationships of mutual trust and accountability, deepening our convictions and  involvement in the congregations we lead. 

It is common for congregants and community members to ask questions of pastors. So, what happens when pastors get together? Who asks the questions? It turns out, they all do.  

At the most recent in-person Faith and Life Gathering that was hosted on August 28 at Swamp (Quakertown, PA) Mennonite, seven Mosaic pastors from different ministry contexts gathered to be formed by scripture and community with each other. The discussion centered around Matthew 16:13-20 and the foundations of the Church.  

While the discussion and interpretation moved in a variety of directions, it was rooted in an important revelation in the text: Jesus is the Son of Man, God among us. 

In a room of well-trained, highly experienced pastors, there was an air of humility and openness at our gathering. Pastors are famous for being verbose and ready to engage an audience. This wasn’t that kind of meeting.  

Rather, it was a room full of questions, curiosity, and vulnerability. Throughout our hour and a half together, I heard things like: “I don’t know, what do you think?”, “What’s it like for you and your congregation?”, “I used to think about it this way, but my years of ministry have led me to think differently…”, and “I’m not really sure, how has your church handled it?”  

At first, I was hesitant to attend. Life in ministry is busy, and the gathering was one of many color-coded rectangles on my Outlook calendar. I confess, I even arrived late.   

But I left the gathering refreshed and renewed. Something transformative happens when we are in each other’s company, open ourselves up to the Spirit and each other, and prepare to be moved. My peers’ posture toward questions rather than certitude made mutual transformation even more likely.  

In divisive times, gathering is essential. One of the participants reflected at the end of our meeting, “I’m glad I came today; this was a really humanizing experience.”  

I’m grateful that Mosaic makes these Faith and Life gatherings possible, and I hope to do my own part in supporting the effort. I hope to be at the next one on November 6 in person or November 7, 2024, on Zoom. See you there! 

Andrew Zetts

Andrew Zetts is Associate Pastor at Salford Mennonite (Harleysville, PA).

Diversity of Gifts, Unity of Spirit

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FAITH AND LIFE GATHERING REPORT

by KrisAnne Swartley

As we gathered on the morning of February 8 at Perkasie (PA) Mennonite Church around tables to read scripture, share, and pray, I was struck by the humanness in the room: some expectant mothers or new parents, some approaching retirement age, some in mid-life juggling the needs of multiple generations as well as congregations. Our humanness means vulnerability.

The table group I participated in brought that vulnerability to the text of Ephesians 4. Whether gifted as apostles or prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers, we acknowledged our limitations to exercise these gifts perfectly. There are times when some of these gifts have not been well-cultivated in historically Mennonite churches. We also recognized the limitations of our conferences or denomination to welcome and bless the diversity of these gifts. 

At the same time, we were also able to celebrate that faithful people exercise these gifts, often in positions not formally recognized by church bodies. In doing so, they have built up the church and equipped believers in powerful ways. Sunday school teachers, youth group volunteers, and kitchen and janitorial volunteers sometimes act as evangelists and pastors to people in surprising and faithful ways. 

In this complexity and diversity, there is unity. Right now, unity is a complex word for Mosaic Conference. Perhaps it always has been, but this feels like a unique and difficult moment for us. Our table noted that there is a difference between unity and uniformity. Unity can exist amidst differences in perspective and practice. Uniformity demands same-ness. We did not come up with any easy answers for living with diversity in unity without uniformity, but as we talked honestly from our different stages of life and ministry context, there was clear humility and a desire for loving conversation. In our human limitation, perhaps that is miracle enough. 

Photo from Unsplash

Paul talks of loving conversation as “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).  Someone around the table remarked how that phrase can be used as a weapon instead of cultivating a spirit of humility as Paul meant here. I wondered aloud, if we don’t have love, are we really speaking truth? If God is love and we recognize God as our source of truth, is it even possible to speak truth without love? We probably could have spent the rest of the day wrestling with our definitions of both love and truth! 

Most powerful for me during the morning was our time of prayer. Each of us prayed for someone else around the table and asked God’s blessing on our sister or brother. We had all briefly shared our hopes, fears, and challenges in life and ministry. The genuine prayers for God’s presence and power in the midst of our vulnerability were tender and faith-filled. The morning was a breath of fresh air in the middle of the demands of the week. We left there, still human, but blessed. 

KrisAnne Swartley

KrisAnne Swartley currently serves as Pastor of Worship and Administration at Doylestown (PA) Mennonite Church. She has served there in various roles since 2011. KrisAnne and her husband, Jon, have two children, Heidi and Ben. She enjoys being out in nature, coloring books, a strong cup of coffee, and hanging out with her cat and dog.

Listening to Wisdom’s Call

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Faith and Life Gathering Reflection

by Charlene Smalls

The August 17 Faith and Life Gathering gave me the opportunity to be the voice of wisdom.  Following introductions, we prayed for the leading of the Holy Spirit to be with us, as we discerned what wisdom had to say. The people at my table asked me to read the scripture, so that we might hear wisdom from a woman’s voice, as personified in Proverbs 8:1-5 (NIRV).

1Doesn’t wisdom call out? 
    Doesn’t understanding raise her voice? 
2 At the highest point along the way, 
    she takes her place where the paths meet. 
3 Beside the gate leading into the city, 
    she cries out at the entrance. She says, 
4 “People, I call out to you. 
    I raise my voice to all human beings. 
5 You who are childish, get some good sense. 
    You who are foolish, set your hearts on getting it. 

As a woman, I was captivated. I sensed the Holy Spirit speaking, saying that wisdom calls and she is like a mother who meets her children at all points. No matter where they are, she is there, beckoning them to safety and assurance. She is bold in her efforts to make sure they receive all that she has to offer, and when they veer off the path, she stands tall like a willow tree blocking their path to destruction. When they call, she answers. 

Does wisdom not point us to a loving God, the one who answers when we call, giving direction? But we don’t always like the answer, so we ignore wisdom’s nudge to turn to God and away from destruction.  

After reading Proverbs 8, we discussed four questions. Below are the questions and a summary of our responses:  

What are the characteristics of wisdom described in this passage?

Some of wisdom’s characteristics are slow, but powerful, and attainable. Wisdom is knowledge and experience correctly applied. Wisdom is the ability to discern what is right and what is wrong. 

What is wisdom’s call or counsel and to whom?

Wisdom’s call and counsel is to all humankind. It calls us to live and share a life centered in Christ, a life lived in light and not darkness. Wisdom invites us to live life at its best.  

How are we to access the needed wisdom to help us know how to proceed?  

To access this wisdom, we need to create safe spaces where we can listen, yield, and be open to receiving wisdom. “Wisdom creates a safe space to share our deepest and hardest questions through a spirit of love that frees us from fear,” said Noel Santiago. 

How can we support one another as we pursue wisdom in our different ministry contexts?  

We need to make ourselves available to one another outside of meetings, conferences, and other formal settings. We must respect our differences and seek understanding of those differences. We need to listen so that we hear in different contexts and pray for a non-anxious spirit as we guide our congregations. We also need to pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance on how deep to go into the issues being addressed at this fall’s Assembly. 

It is our prayer that these conversations will help us to speak clearly and truthfully, lead justly and diligently, and to pursue wisdom before riches, power, status, or anything else.

Charlene Smalls

Charlene Smalls is co-pastor of Ripple in Allentown, PA.

Doing Kingdom Work at the Tables

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Faith & Life Gatherings Report 

The Zoom screens at the Faith & Life Gatherings on February 23 and 24, 2022 were comprised of a beautiful mosaic of different cultures and sentiments. There was a lot of reading as we prepared to discuss the current Mennonite Church USA resolutions before us. Some of the content was heavy, and I thought, “As we continue to journey through this life and sit at these tables, there will be other resolutions to consider, maybe lighter or heavier, but this is kingdom work.”

I sat in appreciation of the conversations that were being formed by pressing and hammering away at our faith and worldviews on accessibility for those with disabilities, repentance and transformation, justice, and membership guidelines. We heard stories that touched our hearts from those who have been at the table with these issues for some time. There were affirmations, concerns, and discussions on how our ministries would be impacted by the possibilities these resolutions presented, or the lack thereof. No one stayed silent; good, bad, or indifferent voices were heard. 

This was a difficult gathering space for some. It challenged many of us to envision how much we could be stretched in order to live out our faith. Our Anabaptist values challenge us to live a life of love, peacemaking, and reconciliation. We are called to be at the table to see that injustice is being overcome by good, to be of a mindset that moral authority is more than political power, and that loving, sacrificial service is the highest expression of faithfulness to Christ.  Every day is an opportunity to live into God’s purpose for humanity.  

The question was asked by a participant, “Are we moving toward Jesus, or are we walking away from Jesus?” It was a question to pause and consider. 

As I pondered the question, Psalm 8:3-4 was screaming at me, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” (NRSV) God is constantly walking towards us, pursuing us so that we might experience His love. He pursues the rich and the poor, the wholehearted and the brokenhearted, and He has called us the do the same. Let us not walk away but rather remain at the table, doing the hard work that exemplifies whom we are as Kingdom people.

Our meeting was productive with lots of affirmations and acknowledgments of the work being forged. People lamented and mourned the losses and harms that have been experienced during this process, and it is not over.  

A new birth is taking place in our faith communities and throughout the world. The work feels like a tug-of-war. There is uncertainty, pushing, and pulling. This will continue until all of the complex pieces fit into place. That fit can only be comfortable when the lion is able to lay down with the lamb in peace. A true picture of God’s kingdom!  

This work is a marathon, not a sprint, lest we trip and fall. There was rich conversation that came out of the small groups. But this reflection does not express it all. So come to the table and remember, the race is not given to the swift or the strong, but to the ones who endure to the end.  

Peace and blessing as we continue to sit at the table and engage one another in meaningful kingdom work.

Diversity in Mission

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This quarter’s Faith and Life gatherings, Diversity in Mission, which met on August 18 and 19, continued our year’s theme of mission. Since the beginning of the year, we have considered mission in relation to culture and with the potential for conflict.  

At these gatherings, we considered diversity in mission as we considered the text of Acts 16 and the choosing of Timothy as a ministry partner, the call of the Macedonian, and Paul’s engagement with Lydia. This gave us the opportunity to ponder how we choose focus and whom we choose to accompany us in our goals.  

This quarter’s gatherings gave us opportunities to share how we might implement these principles in our own churches or tasks, as well as what challenges we are experiencing in our efforts to see our diversity (cultures, attitudes, age groups, etc.) as positive elements in experiencing community. We appreciated hearing what our colleagues are doing and having the opportunity to support each other in prayer. 

Plan now to join together at our next Faith and Life Gathering on November 10 and 11, to discuss Consequences in Mission.  

 If you have found these gatherings helpful and would like to participate in planning, we are in need of another committee member. Contact Penny Naugle at jpnaugle69@gmail.com with your interest. 

The Faith and Life Commission Gathering – Cultural Place, Identity, and Mission

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The Faith and Life Commission of Mosaic Conference provides space for pastors and credentialed leaders to build ties of friendship and support between each other.  We convene quarterly in order to discuss scripture and to hear stories of how we might interpret and apply those scriptures. We also pray for each other and our congregations in light of our reflections. We seek to develop relationships of mutual trust and accountability, deepening our convictions and the involvement we have in the congregations we lead.

Over the course of this past year, we have taken a look at the theme of local mission, breaking it down into several sub-themes: sexuality and gender (February 2020), national and political identities (May 2020), socio-economic status (August 2020), and pastoral identity (November 2020).

This February, we gathered virtually to discuss how local mission relates to our cultural identity and to our positions within our communities. We also examined how our identities might make things more challenging for us to minister effectively there.  

Through Zoom, we broke into groups of 4-5 people and reflected upon John 4:4-26 in light of that topic.  Given Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, we asked ourselves the following questions:

  • How did Jesus’s communal, cultural, and religious identity as a Jew impact his ability to engage with this woman?
  • How might that interaction have been different had they discussed things outside of a Jewish town, instead of a Samaritan town?
  • How can sense of place and identity found in our own ministry contexts bring about unique challenges and opportunities in our attempts at missional involvement?
  • How might we better equip people in our ministry contexts to become more aware of the challenges and opportunities presented by our cultural identities and positions within our communities?

With these questions before us, my group recognized that our ministry sites experienced significant change over these past several decades. Many of us now find ourselves in congregations nested in suburban contexts with a lessened sense of community and an increased capacity toward mobility. Such a context has considerable impact upon how our church members now relate to each other.  

We paused for a fresh look at the idea of “place” and the role it plays for our church members and their identities.  Several in our group noted that they often still consider their locations as agricultural, even though the actual surroundings are increasingly suburban.  Many of our church buildings are located on pieces of land that once were farms, but are now located next to shopping malls, business districts, or within suburban housing developments.  Church members often no longer live near our churches, and many drive significant distances to attend church services.  

Our group noted, however, that things were not so simple: not all of us minister in the same context.  One in our group ministers within a retirement facility, where residents are not mobile but instead come from a variety of cultural and religious traditions.  

Our group noted, however, that things were not so simple: not all of us minister in the same context.

The retirement home is very different from the more mobile, but culturally homogenous, nature of many churches. We wondered how we might better live as Anabaptists, valuing who we have become and our history, given our current contexts.  

In Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman and our discussion, we realized we need to rethink what it means to be church today.  We closed in prayer, provocatively challenged, increasingly aware that we need God’s help with this issue and with the renewed leadership roles it places before us.

Whatever is Mentionable is Manageable

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by Josh Meyer, Leadership Minister

I recently read The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King.  This biography detailed the life and work of Fred Rogers, creator of the children’s television show, Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. The TV show was unlike any other children’s show, due in part to the issues Mr. Rogers addressed. 

The show dealt with topics like death, race relations, and sibling jealousy.  After President Reagan was shot, Mr. Rogers had an entire segment on assassination.  Because he knew the children in his audience were hearing adults talk about what happened, using unfamiliar and scary words, Fred addressed it in an age-appropriate way.  

When asked why he incorporated such weighty issues into a children’s program, Rogers responded, “Whatever is mentionable is manageable.”  If we’re able to name and discuss an issue, it becomes more manageable; we can begin to process it in healthier ways. And the inverse is also true: when we fail to talk about difficult issues, our silence actually gives them more power over us. Whatever is mentionable is manageable.  

Each quarter in our conference, the Faith and Life Commission plans gatherings for pastors and credentialed leaders to discern, study, and pray together.  The focus is on relationship building and expanding perspectives, not decision-making.  

This year’s theme for these gatherings is identity. The February gathering focused on sexual and gender identities. James and Jane Mast (Methacton congregation) shared informatively, rather than directively, as a psychologist and biologist (respectively).  Following their presentation, which offered distinctions between terms like biological sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, we discussed in small groups.  

I was struck by and grateful for what I observed in those small groups. We were a  group of diverse believers from a variety of places, with varied experiences and perspectives,  talking openly about this topic. It wasn’t easy, and we didn’t all agree. But we were there. Together. Talking. Whatever is mentionable is manageable.  

James and Jane Mast lead the presentation.

Of course, each of us will need to interpret what we heard through our own cultural and theological lenses.  But in order for us to respond with grace and truth to the questions so many in our society are asking about gender, sexuality, and identity, we need to be able to talk together about hard things.    

I fear too often we’ve neglected difficult conversations. We are content to retreat into our echo-chambers with like-minded allies and avoid those with whom we disagree. One of the most profound discoveries of my 15 years in pastoral ministry is that there are good, faithful, honest, brilliant, Bible-believing, God-honoring, Jesus-loving, Spirit-filled people all across the theological spectrum.  I am a better person and better pastor when I’m in dialogue with a broad range of people and perspectives.  

I left the Faith and Life gathering last week feeling overwhelmed, confused, and encouraged: overwhelmed by the volume of new information, confused how our Conference can faithfully navigate the complexities of our deepest identities, and ultimately encouraged to have learned something new. I was encouraged to be in a circle with people who disagree profoundly on issues of sexuality but who respected and honored and prayed for one another. I was encouraged that pastors and leaders are willing to engage the hard questions. I was encouraged by the honesty,  vulnerability, and humility demonstrated by my sisters and brothers in that room. And I was encouraged that though we disagree on things, what we do agree on – the Person and Work of Christ – is far more powerful than what divides us.  

Grace to Fail at Faith and Life

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by Sandy Drescher-Lehman, Methacton congregation

As I abandoned my warm cozy couch by the fire on Thursday evening, February 7, to head into the cold and rainy night toward Swamp Mennonite Church, I couldn’t remember anything about why I was doing this except that I had registered for another Faith and Life gathering. The thought of being with other credentialed leaders, whoever would show up, was meaning enough for my heart and soul (think: ENFP, Enneagram 7).

Being the first to arrive, I watched Swamp’s pastor, Nathan Good, putting the final touches on a welcoming table of fruit, cookies, and chocolate bark and then enjoyed the arrival of other pastors.   These were “my people”.

As we settled down around tables and J.R. Briggs, author of the book Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in the Midst of Ministry Failure, began his talk, I finally remembered what the topic was.  I also remembered that when I had registered, I wasn’t sure why I’d need to hear about this, since everything’s been going so well for me and the community at Methacton Mennonite Church.

But that wasn’t the point really.  I had voted a few years ago at conference assembly to affirm a group of pastors to provide quarterly gatherings for study, enrichment, and fellowship around how we practice our faith in life. They have delivered and I’ve never been disappointed.

J.R. Briggs, author of “Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in the Midst of Ministry Failure”.

What I soon realized was that the points the speaker was making were good to be reminded of, because even on my best days, I do make a lot of mistakes.  We all do, of course! What we do with those failures, and the accompanying feelings of rejection—and ultimately shame—was the topic for discussion.  How do we attend to the failures that we should expect and that Jesus does not keep us from, so that we can continue to find joy in our ministries?

After reading 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 & 16-18 several times together, we  shared our definitions of failure and success and vulnerability.  What do we do when we get BLASTed (Bored, Lonely, Anxious/Afraid, Stressed, or Tired)?  We were invited to think about the lies we’re tempted to believe about ourselves when we make mistakes, and the masks we put on to cover them. Instead of defining our success by the 3 Bs (Building, Bodies and Budget), we were encouraged to find freedom in the 4 Fs (Faithfulness, Fruitfulness, Fulfillment and Fellowship).

And those are the words I left the evening with: the good news that God uses people who fail, the good news that is only available to those who have failed, and the good news that freedom is found in nothing to hide, lose, or prove. J.R. and those around my table that night, in honest and vulnerable sharing, renewed my joy of being a pastor, alongside so many other wonderful people, who all fail at times and can then talk and pray about it together.

Thank you to the Faith and Life Commission members, for another good time of study, reflection, and renewal.

Faith & Life gatherings for credentialed leaders are held quarterly.  This year’s topics revolve around issues of leadership.  Our next gathering will be held in several locations around eastern PA and via Zoom on May 8 & 9, focusing on women in leadership with Carolyn Custis James.