formational

Eastern District and Franconia gather on “holy ground”

November 21, 2011 by Emily Ralph Servant

by Stephen Kriss, skriss@mosaicmennonites.org

Gwen Groff, pastor at Bethany Mennonite Church in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont, drove the seven hours south for the joint Franconia and Eastern District Conference Assembly on November 11-12 for what she suggests became a “beautiful cacophony.”

Groff and more than 300 others from across both Conference communities along with Mennonite Church USA representatives gathered Friday night at Penn View Christian School in Souderton, Pa, in the first joint worship service for both Conferences since 1999. The opening worship, which featured a combined cross-conference, multi-ethnic and multilingual worship team, kicked off the gathering switching swiftly back and forth between Creole, English, Indonesian, Spanish and Vietnamese—the worshipping languages of the 60 congregations that make up both conferences.

Groff describes her experience, “I always look forward to the singing at Conference Assembly worship services. Coming from a small congregation, I enjoy the big sound, the full harmony. When I come into an Assembly worship space, if I see that we’ll be using the blue Worship Book hymnals I like to sit in the center of it all to be surrounded by the four part harmony. When I see a screen and projector, instruments and microphones, I usually take a seat on the periphery.

“This year I found myself most moved by the kind of singing I usually hang back from. Singing all together, with some singing in Indonesian, some in Spanish, some in Vietnamese, some in English and some in Creole, was disorienting in a way that was challenging, enlightening and beautiful. In worship there is often an invitation to sing or pray each in our own language, but this year the multicultural worship team was leading in all the different languages, switching languages between verses, between lines, singing in different languages at the same time. There was no right language to be singing in at any particular moment. We all could experience how it felt to be singing new words and not knowing if we were pronouncing them correctly. We all knew how it felt to be a little off balance. It wasn’t about political correctness (or it was what political correctness should be). It was about leveling the ground as we worshipped together, and it was holy ground.”

While energetic music and multiple languages marked the shape of the worship, Rev. Dr. Dennis Edwards, pastor of Peace Fellowship Church in Washington, DC, a Franconia Conference Partner in Mission, focused intensely in an evening message that explored the possibilities of the assembly theme, “Unity and Maturity in Christ” based on Ephesians 4. The whole of the worship gathering was broadcast in five worshipping languages and available online through a live stream. Over a dozen persons from a variety of congregations helped to coordinate technology, translating, and communication for the event.

The spirit of gathered worship was framed further through Saturday’s joint delegate session held around tables that considered the further cooperation between both Conferences in a move toward healing the 1847 historic rift between the groups. Overwhelmingly, representatives from both conferences gave permission by raising green cards that suggested a continuation to explore life together more extensively and collaboratively. Considering the future of the conferences, Sam Claudio, Jr., associate pastor at Christ Fellowship in Allentown said in a time of reporting, “Hopefully we’ll be able to be a positive witness [in a way that people will say], look how they came together after this long division in love, in peace, in charity, in grace.”

After recognizing the affirming move, Dave Hersh, moderator of Eastern District Conference responded, “I’m really excited about what we’ve accomplished. Your direction to us is loud and clear. We’re going to continue working together.”

The conferences divided for business sessions, but re-gathered for lunch and a commissioning worship that recognized each person’s role and contribution in both conference communities. In general business, Eastern District Conference marked the transition of Ron White of Church of the Good Samaritan (Holland, Pa) into the moderator role succeeding Hersh of Grace Mennonite Church (Lansdale, Pa). Marta Castillo of Nueva Vida Norristown (Pa) Mennonite Church was affirmed as assistant moderator for Franconia Conference for a special one year term.

First time Franconia Conference delegate Derek Cooper of the Doylestown (Pa) congregation said, “I appreciated the worshipful tone. Beginning and ending the assembly in worship united the community and guided our interaction throughout the weekend. I also appreciated the prayer ministry. It created a Spirit-led presence that saturated the building.”

View the photo album

Three Bhutanese-Nepali churches emerge across Pa.

October 11, 2011 by Emily Ralph Servant

By Sheldon C. Good, Mennonite Weekly Review
Reprinted by Permission from the Oct. 17 issue

Ser Darji, left, translates from English into Nepali a sermon by Donna Mast, far right, during Darji’s licensing service Sept. 4 at Crafton Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. — Photo by Dale Miller

More than 20 years ago, 13-year-old Ser Darji lay paralyzed in a refugee camp in Nepal. He could barely talk and had an irregular heartbeat and swollen hands and legs.

He had developed beriberi, a disease caused by lack of nutrition, that was killing 30 refugees a day in the camp. Barring a miracle, doctors said, Darji wouldn’t live more than three months.

“I was sent home that day, but the word ‘miracle’ kept ringing in my ears,” said Darji, now 35, speaking to Allegheny Mennonite Conference on Aug. 6.

The story of Darji’s recovery, his journey from Bhutan to India to Nepal to Pittsburgh, and his passion for church planting, are a testimony to his unwavering faith in God and Jesus Christ.

Today, he’s a licensed minister in Allegheny Conference of Mennonite Church USA and pastor of Bhutanese Nepali Church of Pittsburgh. The church is one of three Bhutanese-Nepali Mennonite groups emerging across Pennsylvania.

Darji wasn’t always a Christian. In Bhutan, his home country, he was a deeply religious Hindu boy.

“My family belonged to a Nepali-speaking tribe,” he said. “Buddhism is the official religion of Bhutan, and practicing Christianity was and still is absolutely forbidden in the country.”

After doctors diagnosed Darji with beriberi, the mother of one of his friends — who was a Christian and a nurse — said she would pray to Jesus for healing.

Darji and the woman made a deal.

“If Jesus did not heal me as she claimed he would, she had to become a Hindu. But if Jesus did heal me, then I had to agree to become a faithful follower of Christ for the rest of my life,” he said. “Praise God, I started feeling better the very next day.”

In a month, Darji was almost completely healed.

“Since that day I have tried to live my life following Jesus and being faithful to him,” he said.

In the ensuing two years, his family renounced him, and he was beaten mercilessly, but he “tried to be faithful always.”

Darji, who now lives in Pittsburgh, says he still has a burden for Bhutan.

“I strongly believe that God’s plan in bringing me and other Bhutanese to the United States is so that we can be well-trained to re-enter Bhutan as missionaries,” he said.

That’s partly the role of Bhutanese Nepali Church of Pittsburgh, where Darji pastors. The congregation meets at Crafton Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh and is in the process of joining Allegheny Conference. About 80-100 people attend Sunday worship. All are political asylees.

Darji has translated parts of MC USA’s Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective into Nepalese. He has other plans too.

“We would like to establish a strong church among the Bhutanese-Nepali community in Pittsburgh, that will be able to train and send out missionaries to Bhutan,” Darji said. “It is my desire that any missionary sent through our church will represent the unique Mennonite witness for Christ.”

In August, Donna Mast, conference minister for Allegheny Conference, presented to the conference her dream for the Bhutanese-Nepali congregation.

“I dreamt that the conference would embrace Ser [Darji], and that we would be ale to find it in our hearts to contribute to his salary,” she said Oct. 5.

As a church plant pastor, she said, the conference is working toward supporting his salary.

A voice for the voiceless

Sandeep Thomas, a fellow Allegheny Conference licensed minister, has been working with the Bhutanese-Nepali group since 2007. He helped connect them to Mennonites.

“I was kind of the bridge-builder,” said Thomas, who immigrated with his family to the U.S. from India in 2000.

Thomas hosted a gathering at his home near Pittsburgh that included Darji and conference representatives. Darji, he said, soon “found he was comfortable with and liked Mennonites, especially [their belief in] adult baptism and peace witness.”

Since the church joined Allegheny Conference, Thomas’ bridge-building role now includes navigating the church through the denominational systems.

“I am helping them put together their legal and financial framework,” he said. “That’s not particularly what an immigrant church thinks about when they set up the church.”

Thomas thinks the relationship between the Bhutanese-Nepali congregation and Allegheny Conference can be mutually beneficial.

Like many Mennonites, he said, the Pittsburgh congregation is good at “practicing poverty and justice issues and helping people.”

But the Pittsburgh group also has a strong desire for outreach and evangelism.

“That’s something the denomination has been a bit reticent about,” he said.

Thomas noted the Bhutanese-Nepali group’s vision of sending missionaries back to Asia.

“This is something that could energize the Allegheny conference and get them thinking in ways and challenge them in ways they haven’t been before,” he said.

Overall, Thomas sees a natural connection between Mennonites and persecuted groups like the Bhutanese and Nepalis.

“Mennonites are good at giving a voice to the voiceless,” he said. “This connection is happening because Mennonites are paying attention to people on the margins.”

Spreading statewide

Bhutanese-Nepali Mennonite congregations are also emerging in eastern Pennsylvania.

Aldo Siahaan, pastor of Philadelphia Praise Center, a Franconia Mennonite Conference congregation, is coaching a new church plant in Scranton.

“My friend took [a group of Nepalis] to an Indonesian church, but they want to have their own group, with their own language, so we’re trying to help them,” Siahaan said.

Siahaan is coaching the Scranton group with help from Shankar Rai of Lancaster. Rai is pastor of Bhutanese Nepali Church of Lancaster, which has been gathering since 2009.

The congregation joined Lancaster Mennonite Conference in March. About 50-70 people worship on Saturday at West End Mennonite Fellowship in Lancaster.

Rai, a Bhutanese Lancaster Conference licensed minister, originally connected with Mennonites through a refugee friend sponsored by Mountville (Pa.) Mennonite Church.

Rai said his church is planning a “grand event for all Nepalese-Bhutanese Christians in the U.S.” The event will include worship, speakers and seminars for church leaders, youth and new believers.

He is planning the event for Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2012, somewhere in Lancaster.

Like Darji in Pittsburgh, Rai resonates closely with Mennonite beliefs of adult baptism and a trinitarian God.

“I read the Confession of Faith and realized we believe the things that are in that document,” he said.

Communing with each other and the world

October 11, 2011 by Emily Ralph Servant

by Emily Ralph, eralphservant@mosaicmennonites.org

Every year, followers of Jesus around the world join together in remembering his death and resurrection through the act of communion. World Communion Sunday is a celebration marking that through his death, Jesus broke down the wall of hostility between people groups and that through his resurrection, Christ formed a new family of disciples world-wide.

Swamp’s children walk around the globe — Swamp’s children encircle and walk around the globe singing “I am the Church” on World Communion Sunday. Photo by Abby Mason.

Whether wearing clothes from countries around the world, as they did at Plains in Hatfield, Pa., or sharing a spaghetti dinner with the church down the street, as they did at Ripple in Allentown, Pa., Franconia Conference congregations spent October 2nd remembering this holy communion with the world-wide church.

“This remains one of my favorite services of the year,” said Sharon Ambrose, a member of Swamp (Quakertown, Pa.). “I find it so meaningful to celebrate with Christians around the world.” In addition to sharing communion bread from other countries and reading Scripture in multiple languages, Swamp’s service focused on expanding circles of concern from the congregation to the world, both locally and globally.

Church elders pray behind the communion table at Nueva Vida Norristown New Life. Photo by Emily Ralph.

At Nueva Vida Norristown New Life, Pastor Marta Castillo also encouraged her congregation to evaluate how their actions affected believers around the world. “On World Communion Sunday,” she said, “we need to think about how we commune with the Body of Christ that is hungry . . . with the Body of Christ that is persecuted. . . with the Body of Christ that are immigrants.”

Souderton (Pa.) Mennonite Church celebrated with the theme of hospitality from Acts 2, which describes how the early church worshiped and ate together, sharing their possessions. The congregation used a braided bread of different colors to remind them that people from many nations were celebrating the Lord’s Supper with them. As members of the congregation approached the communion tables, they were joined on the big screen by photos of people celebrating communion around the world.

Souderton--world communion bread — Souderton used a braided bread to remind them that people from many nations were celebrating the Lord’s Supper with them. Photo by Alyssa Kerns.

Ambler celebrated more than World Communion Sunday—the congregation also hosted a regional CROP walk to end hunger that afternoon. Ambler’s preschoolers mixed and bagged trail mix for those who would be “praying on their feet” and, with issues of global hunger on their minds, the congregation worshiped around tables. On each table was a cut-out of the earth with facts and quotes about the condition of the world printed on it, said Pastor Donna Merow. “These became part of our silent confession as we prepared for Communion,” she reflected. “We served one another [around the tables] and then enjoyed an international meal together before heading out to walk to raise funds for global relief efforts.”

On World Communion Sunday and throughout the rest of the year, we are being formed as Jesus-followers, joining God’s world-wide mission to invite all people to participate in God’s kingdom. “Marking this day gives us an invitation to remember our sisters and brothers in places far from us,” said Samantha Lioi, associate pastor at Whitehall Mennonite. “Hearing scripture in three languages and being asked to choose from a variety of breads reminds us we are sojourners as Jesus was, not quite at home but creating welcome places wherever we pitch our tents.”

Managing Conflict from a Christian Perspective

September 26, 2011 by Emily Ralph Servant

by Emily Ralph, eralphservant@mosaicmennonites.org

Harleysville, PA–Pastors and conference leaders gathered at the Mennonite Conference Center for a resourcing time around managing conflict. Rev. Dr. Barbara Moses, the principal of Philadelphia Mennonite High School, encouraged the leaders to take control of conflict situations in the only way possible: by controlling themselves.

“The only way to get the best of an argument is not to enter into it,” Dr. Moses told the group. And entering into an argument includes more than just words, she said–it’s also about body language, tone of voice, and attitude.

Not all conflicts can be resolved, but they can be managed, according to Dr. Moses. To manage them in a way that brings glory to God and benefits those involved, Dr. Moses suggests using the acronym S.A.F.E.R.: a silent tongue, attentive ear, faithful heart, edifying perspective, and respectful response.

And part of that response is to THINK first, she added. This means making sure that your response is true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, and kind.

“Know your triggers,” Dr. Moses encouraged. “A trigger is anything that sets you off.” By identifying your triggers and taking responsibility for them, you can help others to communicate with you in healthy ways, she said.

Ever the educator, Dr. Moses ended her workshop with an interactive exercise in which groups of conference leaders worked on commercials to communicate some of the techniques they had learned.

Hear the commercials and listen to the full podcast:

[podcast]http://www.mosaicmennonites.org/media-uploads/mp3/Managing Conflict Pastors Breakfast.mp3[/podcast]

Franconia Conference launches new website

September 26, 2011 by Emily Ralph Servant

Harleysville, Pa.–Franconia Mennonite Conference has launched a new website design as part of an ongoing restructuring that will provide better communication and a clearer presentation of the purpose and function of the conference.

The new site continues to provide popular features like the conference calendar, photo galleries, and a redesigned directory of conference congregations, conference related ministries, and staff. In addition, it now includes cleaner navigation, localized video and audio pages, an easy-to-search church locator, and integration with conference social media like Twitter and Facebook.

“The new website offers a clear visual and virtual image of the real postures of ministry of Franconia Conference,” says Director of Communication, Steve Kriss.

The new design by graphic artist Tim Moyer (timoyer.com) incorporates the conference’s core values of being formational, missional, and intercultural with rotating photographs on the homepage, submitted by Conference congregations. Clicking on the photos takes web visitors to a feed of articles related to each core value.

Ertell Whigham, Franconia Conference’s Executive Minister, encouraged the design team to draw attention to these values. “It’s for two reasons, really,” he said. “First, so that everyone who is a part of Franconia Conference gets a consistent message and second, so that we all have clarity on the conference’s direction.”

In addition to the beauty and functionality of the new design, the site has also been cleaned up on the back end (the structure of the site that ordinary visitors don’t see), which will lead to improved site performance and security as well as more efficiency for staff. “It will take less time to maintain the site while being easier to keep up to date,” says Emily Ralph, Associate Director of Communication. “That means it’ll be more cost effective in the long-run.”

“It’s been a labor of love, creativity, and persistence,” said Kriss. “We hope that it not only informs and shapes the Conference identity, but also invites into an ongoing conversation through more effective connectivity, equipping, and empowering.”

Continue the conversation:

Submit photos of how your congregation has been formational, missional and intercultural for possible inclusion in the homepage rotation. (eralphservant@mosaicmennonites.org)
Share videos from your congregational life on Vimeo or YouTube. (send suggestions to FranconiaMC)

Franconia Conference empowers young adult leaders through summer ministry initiatives

September 16, 2011 by

Benjamin Sutter, Franconia Conference Communication Intern, benjamins5@goshen.edu

Franconia Conference’s vision is to equip leaders to empower others to embrace God’s mission. This summer ten young adults, pastors and congregations embodied the Franconia Conference vision of equipping leaders to empower others to embrace God’s mission as part of the conference’s ongoing leadership cultivation initiatives. This summer partnerships extended with partners in mission, Philadelphia congregations, Mennonite Central Committee, Eastern Mennonite University and Goshen College—all for the sake of carrying the good news through a new generation and context.

Adrian Suryajaya rediscovered patience as he worked with children this summer. Photo by Aldo Siahaan

Adrian Suryajaya served through Mennonite Central Committee’s summer service worker program. He worked with his home congregation Philadelphia Praise Center and plans to attend Eastern University as a first year student this fall.

“I enjoyed working with the children and my pastor (Aldo Siahaan) during the summer,” said Suryajaya. “I rediscovered the value of patience, flexibility, and humility . . . to seek God’s counsel when I’m in tough situations.”

Suryajaya organized various church events including a free music concert, a block party, and a summer peace program for children.

“The hardest thing I had to do during the summer was to come up with the Peace Program planning,” Suryajaya said. “Once the blueprint was set, it was easy to do the program.”

For now, Suryajaya will continue his education at Eastern and work towards becoming a physician. “The things that I’ve learned during my internship definitely will help me get through the process of becoming a medical doctor,” he said. “For instance, I have to be patient about how long it will take to get my degree and I know that God will always be on my side in any situation.”

Brendon Derstine wanted a taste of every part of ministry while working with his home congregation, Franconia Mennonite Church, in Telford, Pa, this summer.

“I have been joining in a variety of ministries including worship leading, preaching twice this summer, teaching Sunday Schools, . . . visitation, going to church meetings, delegating at Pittsburgh, and helping out in other ministries as well,” said Derstine, who will be a senior at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), Harrisonburg, Va. this fall. “My focus has been intentionally broad so that I could get a big picture of the life of the congregation.”

Over the summer, Derstine connected with the role model of Moses as a leader.

“I liken the pastoral vocation to the character of Moses leading the Israelites throughout the desert wilderness in the Exodus story,” he said. “Like Moses, pastors lead us throughout our lives—we call on them in times of need and harp on them when things don’t go our way. They walk with congregants in the best of times and the worst of times and they are expected to be everything to everyone.”

Moses understood that even though he was a leader, he was human, Derstine said. “High standards are good, but we must remember that pastors are only human, too,” he added. “They lead us toward the Promised Land, but ultimately, they don’t go make that decision for us to follow God—we make it. They remain on the east side of the Jordan.”

For Derstine, serving in his home congregation has been a blessing. “One of the greatest rewards of my time here at Franconia has been reconnecting with my home congregation after being away at school for 3 years. Ministry is a lot about relationships and connecting people to the ways God is already working in their lives.”

Ministry is a constant up and down, according to Derstine, “An ever-changing mix of emotions. It can be messy, but let’s face it, life is messy. And yet in its messiness, God is ever present.”

Derstine will finish his studies to be a sixth to twelfth grade teacher next spring. “I don’t see education and church ministry as that different from each other,” he said. “Whether I teach in a school, or follow God’s call in another direction, I believe that this internship has allowed me to practice teaching and caring for people in a variety of ways—two important components in both church ministry and education.”

Erica Grasse speaks at Blooming Glen congregation on a Sunday morning. Photo by Kreg Ulery

Erica Grasse, a junior at Goshen College, Goshen, Ind., also worked with her home congregation, Blooming Glen (Pa.) Mennonite Church, this summer.

Grasse echoed Derstine’s joys of rediscovering relationships, saying that what she enjoyed most about working at Blooming Glen was returning to her home congregation and reestablishing relationships and coming to appreciate her roots.

“I have been getting opportunities to teach and work with the youth,” she said. “To sit in on various leadership meetings, to see perspectives of layperson ministry; and to look at strengthening the young adult program to better match the needs and resources of the church and community.”

While she enjoyed her summer, she said she recognized the needs of pastors to enjoy themselves as they work. “Pastors are out to have a good time, too,” she said. “The work of ministry is a tiring and daunting task, but sharing humor and food are two ways to keep sane.”

At Blooming Glen, Grasse says she comes away from the program with less certainty about a future occupation. “This internship has confused me even more,” she said. “As someone who is studying biology, environmental science, policy and economics, I have been challenged to see the pursuit of ministry work as a complementary component to my vocational interests. Yet, I have come to realize that my future may consist of things I cannot currently imagine myself doing.”

Grace Parker and Monica Solis interned at New Hope Fellowship in Alexandria, Va. Photo by Grace Parker

Seven other interns also spent their summer working through Franconia Conference contexts:

Monica Solis, a student at Northern Virginia Community College, served at New Hope Fellowship in Alexandria, Va. with Grace Parker, a junior at Goshen College.
Patrick Ressler, from Goshen, served at Germantown Mennonite Church, Philadelphia, through a partnership for supervision from Franconia Conference.
Jamie Hiner, senior, and Bianca Lani Prunes, sophomore, from EMU served with the Oxford Circle Christian Community Development Association in Philadelphia.
Ben Sutter, a junior from Goshen, served with Steve Kriss on the communication team of Franconia Conference.
Joanne Gallardo, EMU Associate Campus Pastor, spent her summer doing a residency at Deep Run Mennonite Church East in Perkasie, Pa.

Hound of heaven in hot pursuit

September 16, 2011 by

Verle Brubaker, Swamp, pastorverle@justswamp.com

I fled Him down the nights and down the days
I fled Him down the arches of the years
I fled Him down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind, and in the midst of tears
I hid from him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped and shot precipitated
Adown titanic glooms of chasmed fears
From those strong feet that followed, followed after
But with unhurrying chase and unperturbed pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat, and a Voice beat,
More instant than the feet:
All things betray thee who betrayest me.
“The Hound of Heaven,” Francis Thompson, 1893

I was from the earliest years called to service. I helped my mother teach Good News Clubs throughout the year, folded bulletins for church, taught Sunday School classes, led summer camps. My dream was to be David Livingstone, Jr., serving in the mission field as a medical doctor.

Growing up in a pastor’s family with three uncles as pastors and three prior generations serving as pastors in the Brethren in Christ Church is quite a legacy to live into. It was overwhelming. The last thing I wanted, growing up in that environment, was to be a pastor.

During my teen years the call came particularly clearly as my father was exiting one of his pastoral assignments. I can remember tearfully hearing the call and anxiously saying to myself, “This can’t be happening.”

Resistance to the call took many of the forms of adolescent rebellion. Like Francis Thompson wrote in The Hound of Heaven, I tried many diversions and pathways that ultimately proved futile.

As I entered college I pursued the dream of medical missions. Yet I could not resist the call. I do not know exactly what triggered the final surrender but it happened in the middle of my sophomore year at Messiah College. At that time I switched my major from pre-med to Bible. An interim pastorate between my sophomore and junior years, seminary experiences, and Voluntary Service assignments further affirmed the call and my response.

I have found joy in learning about God’s church and his call to it. I have a passion for the church to be the church, living out the kingdom of God to a needy world. I have learned that my role as pastor is to help the church become the vehicle of God’s grace to the world, a sign of God’s will for heaven being lived out here on earth.

That sense of call has kept me focused over the more than 30 years I have served the church in the pastoral role. I do not regret the surrender. As Francis Thompson found at the conclusion of his flight from the Hound of Heaven:

All which I took from thee, I did’st but take,
Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might’st seek it in my arms.
All which thy child’s mistake fancies as lost,
I have stored for thee at Home.
Rise, clasp my hand, and come.
Halts by me that Footfall.
Is my gloom, after all,
Shade of His hand, outstretched caressingly?
Ah, Fondest, Blindest, Weakest,
I am He whom thou seekest. . . .

To each according to their need: Ongoing partnership in the Vermont Mountains

September 16, 2011 by

Brandon Bergey, Bethany, brandon@bethanybirches.org

Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged presents ideas that are seemingly opposed to the Reign of God. Ayn Rand’s philosophy on the matter of need suggests that people should get only what they earn, regardless of their needs. If you earn it, it’s yours. If you need it, well, you can’t have it until you earn it. She believed that this would create a society full of contributing individuals. Consider that.

Now, consider Acts 4:32-35 from The Message.

The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them. And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need.

I realize that Ayn Rand may not have seriously considered the Reign of God as a legitimate economic model. That doesn’t mean Bethany Birches Camp (BBC) shouldn’t. While I’m not advocating for communism or even a reversion to the early church, I’m advocating for an acceptance of God’s spirit and way, best viewed through the person of Jesus: a person who sent his followers out to the world with almost no earthly possessions; a person who told his students to give their shirt away to someone who demanded it, rather than put up a fight; a person who taught that if two or three gather in his name and agree, whatever they ask for will be given. Jesus was not a person focused on rights and earnings. He was a person who understood that anything he had was a gift from his Father in Heaven.

Summer campers at Bethany Birches. Photo by Brandon Bergey

Since the beginning of BBC in 1965 we have tried to offer a unique camping experience, creating a community of love with whoever joins and we’ve tried to do this at a low price. While a camping community is a different version of the church than what we see in Acts, there is much similarity.

Obviously, offering something to someone for less than what it costs to provide that something runs up a deficit somewhere. Let’s put this in the context of camp. If it costs us about 400/camper, and we charge $200, there is $200 of expense remaining. Who will pay the remaining $200? Enter: donors. Donors give gifts from the riches they’ve been given.

Bethany Birches was initiated with a donation of land. And since that very first day, our story has been one of people providing money, time and other resources to make the camp possible; an ongoing illustration of God’s provision for kids to have a special, faith-developing experience.

In a board meeting in 2010 we were discussing these issues around the topic of pricing. We talked about the fact that some of our camper families have much resource and some have very little. We developed the idea of tiered pricing.

We are just now finished with the first summer season that used a tiered pricing structure. The highest tier is about what we figure it costs to have a camper at camp (no profit built in). Both of the lower tiers are donor-subsidized rates.

Could we consider this a Kingdom economic model? Or perhaps foolishness? Maybe we can just call it a system built for taking advantage of. Whatever you call it, we’re trusting that the Christ who inspired the craziness in the book of Acts will continue to inspire us and show us a way so that “not a person among them was needy.”

formational

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