Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

formational

A Combined Call

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Kirby Kingby Kirby King, Minister of Adult Formation at Souderton Mennonite Church

To speak about call in my life for church work requires that I speak about my call to teach at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School (Dock) as well as my call to become a licensed leader of adult formation at Souderton Mennonite Church. Both calls are so intertwined that I cannot separate them.

As a student at Lancaster Mennonite High School in the early ’80s I began to see myself as a person who could possibly have gifts in presentation and publicly leading or teaching a group. This is largely due to several teachers who gave me an opportunity to explore the “stage” of the classroom with presentations. My youth group at Maple Grove Mennonite Church complimented this by opening up leadership roles for me; specifically leading/teaching Bible study. A call was beginning to form inside me from those around me.

Fast-forward a few years, Laura Stoltzfus challenged me to go to college and become a teacher. I shared this with a small group and found support and encouragement. Again, the words from brothers and sisters of the faith sparked an internal call.

At present I have been teaching at Christopher Dock for 19 years. Even though I have completed my Master of Arts in Education, I have enrolled in Eastern Mennonite Seminary (EMS) to work toward a second Master’s degree. I feel an internal call to continue my education but this call is also tested and confirmed by my colleagues at Dock, my professors at EMS, and my peers at church.

Over the past two years, my work in my congregation (Souderton Mennonite Church) has blended smoothly with my professional teaching career. I have been assisting and leading in the adult Sunday School classes as a support person, class room teacher, and mass session leader. I also have added what I can to the preaching rotation; some during the summer months and some during a pastor’s sabbatical leave.

Souderton Mennonite Church recently asked me to accept a call to become our first leader of adult formation. This fits well with my internal call to teach and my full time occupation at Dock. I remain open to God’s leading in this new role. Based on my experience with God’s call, some future calls will stir up within me and some future calls will be clarified or brought to light from those around me. My prayer is that I hear and listen to God’s call as this new role develops.

Why I skipped church on Mother's Day

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by Dawn Ranck, Plains

I don’t normally journal . . . or blog . . . I rarely write anything except sermons. So why am I sitting at Starbucks writing about skipping church on Sunday to spend a day in Philly with seven friends?

First, a bit about me and church. Yes, I am a pastor, so being at church on a Sunday morning is duty, part of my job, an expectation. But, for me, church is much more than that. Sunday morning worship is a spiritual practice; it is as important to me as breathing.  Something is profoundly missing in my week when I don’t worship with God’s people on Sunday morning. I have started to attend church when I am on vacation, often alone as my friends lounge or sleep in.

A part of me–a big part–craves church.  The singing, the scripture reading, the sermon,  the atmosphere, the reality that where 2 or 3 are gathered (even those as imperfect as myself and the others I worship with), God is there!  Something happens to me each Sunday morning–a recharging.  It’s hard to explain, but I know I need it to the depth of my being.

So, Sunday wasn’t an easy decision for me.  But I went to Philly in solidarity with my female “kid-less” friends.

While my church does little to emphasize the non-religious Mother’s Day holiday, my friends share of painful experiences, of feeling excluded, of the painful reminder of an unfulfilled longing. One lamented that her church was emphasizing “Mothers and Others.” We all groaned…oh the perpetual need to rhyme!!!

(A sidebar: this reminds me of a young adult Sunday School class that named themselves “Pairs and Spares.” My friend, the “spare,” soon found another church. How cruel and insensitive we can be in attempting to be clever!)

The last place many kid-less middle-aged women want to be on Mother’s Day is church. How tragic! And so, some of us flee to the city for a lovely brunch at Cuba Libre and a relaxing stroll through Old City.

When I was in my mid 20s, my sister and I opened our home to a 15-year-old girl who lived in the dorm during the week at the local Mennonite high school. Her mother had experienced a stroke and was in a retirement home. Her dad lived at a distance. And so for 2 years she lived with us on weekends and during the summer. Most of the time I felt unfit and too young to know how to care for her. I muddled through.

Late one night we received a call from the retirement home; we stood with Sue by her mother’s bed as she died. The Mother’s Day service shortly following was led by the youth. Sue shared about her three mothers–her biological mother, her mentor Ellie, and ME!! Talk about a holy moment! It still brings tears to my eyes.

As I listen to my friends who are mothers talk about the sleepless nights, the teenage attitudes, the endless piles of wash, the 24/7 being on call, hauling kids here and there, I recognize the need for a day to thank mothers–a day a year isn’t nearly enough for the selfless way in which they love their kids!

And yet, I wonder, should church be a place where we honor specifics which may alienate others? How do churches encourage mothers and fathers while being sensitive to those who yearn to be parents? How do churches strengthen marriages without making singles feel like second-rate citizens?

I would maintain that we (churches) haven’t done a good job at this balance.  Statistics prove that far fewer singles are in churches than are in the population, and,  if my friends are any indication, the church’s handling of Mother’s Day is questionable.

And here is where I confess I get stuck. I don’t know the answers . . . I am simply aware of the questions. And, perhaps that is where each pastor should be . . . aware of the messiness . . . aware of the pain . . . and open to breaking out of the holiness of the Sunday morning service to break bread with friends in Philly.

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AMBS introduces new name and new program

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AMBS--Donella
Donella Clemens, acting chairperson of the AMBS board, asked for God's blessing on the renewed and expanded Chapel of the Sermon on the Mount. Photo provided.

by Donella M. Clemens, Perkasie congregation & vice-chair of AMBS Board

A verse from Isaiah 43 was the focus for the hum of activity at AMBS, a seminary of Mennonite Church USA (Elkhart, IN), the weekend of May 4 and 5—“I am about to do a new thing”!   The weekend recognized a new name and programs and the dedication of new facilities.

Had you walked on the AMBS campus on Friday evening, May 4, you would have been treated to a music extravaganza celebrating the renovated Sermon on the Mount chapel.  A great variety of gospel, classical, folk, brass, piano, and organ musicians played and sang, and yes, the legendary Mary Oyer led the congregation in several rousing hymns of worship.  It was a celebration of “The New” at AMBS!

What is new?

Beginning with the new school year in August, 2012, AMBS will have a new name!  The name “Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary” has had historical meaning since Goshen Biblical Seminary and Mennonite Biblical Seminary merged.

Now as the seminary takes a new look at the present and projects into the future, it is appropriate for a new name, “Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary,” that brings focus to the ownership of the seminary by Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada and signals awareness of a renewed interest in Anabaptist theology by Christians in many denominations around the globe.

In addition to the new name, there are new faculty members.  With the retirement of faculty who have faithfully served AMBS for many years, new, younger faculty members are being hired:

  • Rachel Miller Jacobs, assistant professor of congregational formation
  • Andrew Brubacher Kaethler, assistant professor of faith formation and culture
  • Jamie Pitts, assistant professor of Anabaptist studies

Hearing the voice of pastors and leaders across the church calling for new methods of seminary education, AMBS is unveiling redesigned programs that will include both a community-focused residential program and a program accessible to students at a distance.  These programs will allow pastors and students from our Franconia and Eastern District Conferences to pursue degrees at AMBS without moving from their home communities.

A series of six online, non-credit Anabaptist study courses will be offered for people who have completed seminary education or for those who want to continue seminary education but do not desire credit.

Check out the website (www.ambs.edu) for more information on the exciting new future at AMBS!

Conference focuses leadership and ministry priorities

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by Stephen Kriss, skriss@mosaicmennonites.org

Board and Staff Retreat
Members of Franconia Conference's board and staff discuss vision and priorities at a January 2012 retreat. Photo by Emily Ralph.

Earlier this year, Franconia Conference’s board identified  the fulfillment of its Vision and Financial Plan through the realignment of resources and the movement toward cultivating healthy and growing disciples, leaders, congregations, and connections. In response, the board and Executive Minister Ertell Whigham have discerned continuing priorities for conference staff and ministry.

These priorities are rooted in the intended outcomes of the Vision and Financial Plan along with an emphasis on building formational, missional, and intercultural communities that are witnesses of the peace and love of Jesus Christ.

According to Whigham, “This is not a house cleaning, not a reinventing, this is focusing our work together in a time of needing to more carefully, courageously, and diligently carry out our work of equipping, empowering, and embracing God’s mission from Georgia to Vermont.”

These priorities are an extension of the ongoing work and ministry of Franconia Conference, while recognizing a need to focus ministry and staffing in a way that stewards both financial and human resources.   With this focusing, Conference intends to move toward a reduction in staffing while cultivating further opportunities for ministry within and between conference congregations.

Priority #1: Developing missional initiatives

Over the last years, Franconia Conference has provided Missional Operations Grants for congregations and ministries to promote risk-taking for the sake of the Gospel.  Over the next years, Conference will renew a focus on these initiatives across conference congregations, to build relationships among congregations and to promote the development of leaders toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission.  These grants will be available to all congregations toward creative partnerships and new possibilities for missional engagement both distant and nearby.  These partnerships will be intent on mutuality, rooted in considerations of justice, building on strengths, and calling forth new and next generation leaders.

Priority #2: Networking and cultivating intercultural ministry relationships

This process will include an assessment of current and emerging relationships that work cross-culturally while building further capacity toward mutually beneficial relationships among ministries and congregations.  Increasingly, these relationships will be defined by reciprocity and transformation rather than paternalism and patronization.  Relationships will be built around both work and celebration and both doing and being together.

Priority #3: Building leadership capacities across geographies and generations

Committed people are Franconia Conference’s greatest resources. We are blessed and privileged with a diversity of gifts and high levels of commitment from our congregations and leaders. This is a strength to be further developed toward a goal of creating opportunities for more involvement of leaders from all congregations. Conference will focus on building further capacities in areas of mediation, peace and justice, and other ministries further working toward relevant and excellent venues for training and equipping. Conference staff will be focused toward these considerations with ongoing evaluation and performance reviews in order to be further equipped for future support of the constituent community.  Due to decreased congregational giving, however, conference staffing will likely be reduced.

While the overall projection of priorities includes a reduction in staffing and continued work at careful stewardship of conference human, spiritual, and financial resources, Whigham said when he unveiled the priorities to staff this week, “ultimately our goal is to glorify God and to bring others into a relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Conference leadership will begin implementation of priorities immediately; conversations with staff were initiated earlier this year and will continue through 2012.

In a letter released to all conference delegates and credentialed leaders on May 11, 2012, board chair John Goshow (Blooming Glen congregation) and Whigham wrote:

“We believe that God is capable of fulfilling our prayers beyond our dreams.  At the same time, we believe that God is honored when we listen and lead in a way that invites us to fulfill our mission with excellence and with justice.  This is where it seems God is calling us together, what God is inviting, and where hopefully we’ll have the courage to go in the way of peace.

“We’ll continue to keep you updated as we further develop these priorities.  We plan to set up community conversations in the next few weeks for face-to-face time together. We’re going to learn some things. We’re going to make some mistakes. We’re going to have some successes. And we’re going to continue to be willing to witness of faith in Christ, till the kingdom comes.”

Community children design mural for Plains Park

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Plains Mural Contest
Members of Plans and their community celebrate the mural submissions.

by Alyssa Kerns, Plains

Some blank walls just call out to be painted.

That’s what a group of members from Plains Mennonite Church (Hatfield, Pa.) decided in October 2010 as they walked through Plains Park, located next to the church, discussing how to enhance spirituality in the park. The blank wall of the kitchenette in the park was the perfect place for a mural. Since the wall faces the playground, the group chose the phrase “Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me.’” to guide the design.

Since Plains Park is a “place of peace in the community,” it felt right to invite children from the community to have a hand in the mural. In January 2012, Plains used newspaper ads, posters, and the internet to invite students from Kindergarten through Grade 12 in the North Penn and Souderton School Districts to submit a painting of Jesus with children from around the world to reflect the diversity of our community. In addition to choosing a grand prize, $500 winner for the mural design, Plains offered 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place cash prizes in three age categories.

Not knowing what kind of response to expect, we were excited to receive 19 submissions – all very creative. Renee Di Domizio, an art teacher at Pennbrook Middle School (North Penn), had even turned our mural invitation into an assignment for one of her 9th grade classes.

Plains Mural Contest Winner
Pastor Dawn Ranck presents Ava Fletcher with a $500 Grand Prize check. (Photo by Heather Gingrich)

The artwork was judged by Pastor Dawn Ranck, Debbie McConnell, Joy Sawatzky, and Alyssa Kerns, all members at Plains, and by two art teachers, John Bratina from Penndale Middle School (North Penn) and Lisa Tinneny who lives in the North Penn School district and teaches at Wissahickon High School.

We announced the winners at an art show featuring all of the mural submissions on Saturday, April 28 at the church. One of the first artists to arrive was third grader Ava Fletcher. As she walked into the room with her family, she stopped suddenly, her face glowing with surprise, as she saw her painting with a Grand Prize Winner sign on it.

About 75 people, mostly from the community, enjoyed the art show.

We are looking forward to painting the mural later this summer and hope many of the artists who submitted paintings will join us.

People were bringing little children to [Jesus] in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. . . . And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-14, 16)

Philadelphia Praise Center to host EMU ministry intern

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by Mike Zucconi, EMU

EMU MIP Program
EMU's MIP students, from left to right: (first row) Rose Jantzi, Rebekah Enns, Erika Bollman, (second row) Jossimar Diaz-Castro, Joel Nofziger. Photo by Mike Zucconi.

A group of Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) students will begin summer internships with congregations throughout the U.S. as part of Mennonite Church USA‘s Ministry Inquiry Program (MIP).

Funded in part by Mennonite Church USA, the MIP program gives students an opportunity to explore their gifts for ministry and to test their possible calling to longer term service work for the church.

“The opportunity for students to test their gifts and to be mentored by seasoned pastors is truly invaluable,” said Carmen Schrock-Hurst, instructor in the Bible and religion department and director of MIP at EMU.  “The insights that these students then bring back to the classrooms in the fall will greatly enrich the learning environment on campus.”

Erika Bollman, a second-year student in EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and a member of Emmaus Christian Fellowship in Boise, Id., will intern at Philadelphia Praise Center in Philadelphia, Pa. “The purpose of Erika’s placement is to that she can be a part of the urban immigrant congregation,” said Aldo Siahaan, pastor of Philadelphia Praise Center.  “It will help her to understand our challenges and the function of leaders and the church in our context.”

Other participating students

  • Jossimar Diaz-Castro, a junior philosophy and theology major and a member of the Early Church in Harrisonburg, Va., will intern with Iglesia Discipular Anabautista in Harrisonburg. Diaz-Castro has the opportunity to “go deeper into the areas of teaching, preaching and working with the youth,” said Schrock-Hurst.
  • Rebekah Enns, a junior history, peacebuilding and political studies major and member of River East Mennonite-Brethern Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, will intern at Fourth Street Community Church in Washington, D.C. Enns will be working with the homeless population, providing meals and legal counseling. In addition, Enns will host youth groups from suburban Korean congregations who come to the city for an immersion experience.
  • Rose Jantzi, a sophomore elementary education major and member of Iglesia Discipular Anabautista and Harrisonburg Mennonite Church, will intern with Highland Retreat in Bergton, Va., serving as staff chaplain and Christian nurture coordinator. Jantzi will be involved with pastoral care, teaching and worship planning with both staff and campers.
  • Joel Nofziger, a junior history and peacebuilding major and member of Pilgrims Mennonite Church in Akron, Pa., will intern with the Washington Community Fellowship Center in Washington, D.C. Nofziger will be working with a multi-denominational evangelical congregation affiliated with the Virginia Conference of the Mennonite Church located near the Capitol.

Hands-on experience

At the completion of their 11-week placement, students in the MIP program receive stipends towards their continuing education at a Mennonite college. In addition to Mennonite Church USA, funds come from EMU, the host congregation and conference, and the student’s sending congregation and conference.

“The MIP program is a win-win for the denomination, local congregations, students, participating colleges and for the broader church,” said Schrock-Hurst.

This summer, Mennonite Church USA anticipates having over 20 students in the MIP program from five Mennonite colleges participating in the program.

For more information on the Ministry Inquiry Program visit emu.edu/bible/ministry-inquiry/.

 

Spring Training 2012

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Franconia Conference credentialed leaders from up and down the east coast met on Saturday, April 21, at Towamencin Mennonite Church for the first annual Spring Training, a time of equipping planned by the conference as part of a commitment to continuing education.

The day focused on interculturalism and included times of worship, table conversation, resourcing, and, of course, food!

[tab:Podcast]

Morning Session #1 (1:02:37)

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Spring Training Session 1 (low).mp3[/podcast]

Morning Session #2 (43:29)

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Spring Training Session 2 (low).mp3[/podcast]

Afternoon Session #3 (57:37)

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Spring Training Session 3 (low).mp3[/podcast]

[tab:Photo Gallery]

View the photo gallery

[tab:Video]

‘Tis a gift to be complex

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by Emily Ralph, eralphservant@mosaicmennonites.org

John Rempel preaching at Salford on Sunday. Photo by Ben Wideman.

We’re a simple people, right?

Yes, I’m a seminary student, but I am often frustrated with those who want to find answers for every single question in the Bible or to debate all the ins and outs of theology.  I’m comfortable with a simple faith that learns and accepts, that ponders and lets go, that embraces the ambiguity.  I only need to understand theology as far as it affects the way I live.

I assumed I thought this way because I’m postmodern, but Sunday evening John Rempel suggested that I may just be steeped in a historic Mennonite worldview.

Rempel, professor at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Indiana, gave a presentation at Salford on helping congregations discuss difficult issues theologically.  He said that traditionally, Mennonites haven’t tried to create a theology that answers every possible question.  In fact, the Anabaptist impulse was in response to what seemed to them to be too much theology and not enough practice.

The Mennonite ideal has been to keep the question as simple as possible and get on with living the Christian life.  But questions these days are not so simple—in fact, they are growing in complexity.  Unfortunately for us simple folk, said Rempel, the more complex the challenges, the more complex the answers have to be.

And this calls for serious theological reflection.

As Anabaptists, we believe that every follower of Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit and that God can and will speak through any member of the church.  But we also believe that the Holy Spirit is in community, so we collectively struggle to decide how we are to behave as Christians, Rempel said.  How exciting!

How terrifying.

It suggests that the word of God is living and active.  It suggests that we trust the Holy Spirit in one another to bring us to unity on divisive issues.  It suggests that we struggle and wrestle and persevere.

So where do those of us who are allergic to deep theological reflection start?  First, find a healthy balance between prophetic leadership and the priesthood of all believers, Rempel said.  Then look at biblical themes (also called “trajectories”), especially those of grace, hospitality, covenant, and discipline… and discern solutions that do justice to all of them.  We also need to accept new understandings of the Bible that adapt to our culture, according to Rempel, while still honoring traditional interpretation.

Am I the only one that feels exhausted?  How many balls do we have to keep in the air?

And yet there is freedom in the possibility that our answers don’t have to be simple, that there is room for nuance.  There is hope if we will give ourselves permission to experiment—together.  There is a promise of peace if we simple folk can learn to embrace a little complexity now and again.