Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Hope for the Future

Courage and Joy: Reflecting on Hope for the Future

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by Cami Dager

In a time when federal directives are challenging diversity and immigration efforts, I expected to sense fear at the recent Hope for the Future conference in Goshen, Indiana. That fear was present—but it was far outshone by courage. 

Photo by Juan Moya, Anabaptist World.

I was deeply moved by the bravery of leaders like Regina Shands Stoltzfus and Tobin Miller Shearer, who, in 1995, developed and led the Damascus Road Anti-Racism Process. Their work came at great personal cost, as they faced resistance from the very Mennonite institutions that had initially encouraged them. Yet they persisted. Their courage was echoed in calls to continue this essential work despite today’s challenges. As one speaker reminded us, courage doesn’t mean the absence of fear. It compels us to speak up in spite of it. 

Likewise, joy is not the absence of hardship. Though we heard painful stories of resistance and exclusion, the conference was also filled with celebration—expressed through vibrant music, dancing and shared hope. The gathering honored the pioneers of anti-racism in MC USA and their lasting impact. As keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Lerone Martin urged us, let’s keep moving forward because, as Miller Shearer pointed out, transformation is not just possible—it is already happening. 

Participants (including Mosaic Leadership Minister Marco Güete, center) enjoy dancing at the evening gala.

Cami Dager

Cami Dager is the chief communication officer for MC USA and is a member of Zion Mennonite Church in Souderton, Pa. 

Hope for the Future: Celebrating 30 Years of Damascus Road

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by Hendy Matahelemual

The chill of winter’s last stroll through the Midwest did not dim the hope sparked by leaders of color and others invited to participate in Mennonite Church USA’s Hope for the Future Conference at Goshen College in Indiana on Feb. 28-Mar. 2, 2025.  

This year, the theme was Celebrating 30 Years of Damascus Road Antiracism Process, now known as Roots of Justice. Around 130 people (including six Mosaic leaders) gathered for the event, which began with an evening reception at a local inn. The following day included worship and various sessions. I was honored and grateful to be part of a panel featuring trainers from Damascus Road/Roots of Justice. 

Hendy Matahelemual on a panel with other current and former Roots of Justice trainers. Photo by Juan Moya, Anabaptist World.

Antiracism is a key element of Mosaic Conference’s intercultural priority. Before we can truly gather as equals in the eyes of the Lord—as described in Revelation 7:9—we must address the elephant in the room: the sin of racism. This sin has divided humanity into two groups—the oppressed and the oppressor, the inferior and the superior, the dominant and the submissive—based on ethnicity, skin color, and race. 

Dr. Regina Shands Stoltzfus, the first keynote speaker of the day, reminded us to acknowledge antiracism work in the past and present as we prepare for the future. She is the co-author of Been in the Struggle with Dr. Tobin Miller Shearer. As part of an intercultural book study in 2023, Mosaic Conference invited both authors to lead a webinar discussion on it.  

Hendy Matahelemual (left) and Mosaic Conference Board Member Maati Yvonne (fourth from left) with the other past and current Roots of Justice trainers present at the Conference. Photo by Juan Moya, Anabaptist World.

I joined a breakout session on multiracial, cross-ethnic, and transracial identities in the church. This is where I realized that most of us, including myself, carry a mix of identities. Simply acknowledging it—and being acknowledged—was a liberating experience and a spiritual practice.  

The second day ended with a gala dinner where, for the first time, I heard the folk song Arirang performed by Korean brothers and sisters. The song symbolizes the sorrow and hope of the Korean people, longing for a unified Korea. The gala was a space for honoring our elders and celebrating, and yes, there was all sorts of dancing involved. 

Rev. Suzette Shreffler shared her story on the last day of the conference. As a Native American descendant, she grew up as a product of the Indian boarding school system, which forced her family to assimilate into Euro-American culture with the goal of erasing Indigenous languages, traditions, and identities. 

She experienced generational trauma but, thankfully, found peace in Jesus through her ministry at the local Mennonite Church. She became the first Northern Cheyenne woman credentialed by Central Plains Mennonite Conference. Her story of resilience is a beacon of hope for the future, and I believe there are many more stories yet to be told. 

Mosaic Mennonite Conference Executive Committee Board Member Maati Yvonne was one of seven elders honored at the 12th annual Hope for the Future celebration. Photo by Juan Moya, Anabaptist World.

The event concluded on Sunday with Dr. Rev. Lerone Martin, who shared one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermons, and I was amazed at how the sermon remains profoundly relevant today. 

Dr. King spoke about the three triplets of evil: racism, poverty, and violence. My hope for the future is that we can confront all of these in the way of Jesus. Our conference priorities are set to tackle these forces of evil as we become more intercultural, formational, and missional in the way of Jesus, in a world that is both broken and beautiful. 

Hendy Matahelemual

Hendy Matahelemual is the Associate Minister for Community Engagement for Mosaic Conference. Hendy Matahelemual was born and grew up in the city of Bandung, Indonesia. Hendy lives in Philadelphia with his wife Marina and their three boys, Judah, Levi and Asher.

Doing Kingdom Work

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By Noel Santiago

Hope for the Future is a unique gathering in that it brings together leaders of color and white leaders who work and serve in MCUSA agencies, institutions and organizations, to intentionally focus the work of intercultural transformation in the church. While it’s primarily focused on the agencies, institutions and organizations of MCUSA, the hope is to eventually impact all parts of the church. This gathering grew out of needs being felt by people of color in church-wide leadership positions who continually encounter systemic racism in a multiplicity of ways.

Franconia Conference leaders of color attendees included Danilo Sanchez, Ertell Whigham, Colleen Whigham-Brockington and Noel Santiago

This year, the sixth Hope for the Future gathering took place February 2-5, 2017 in Hampton, Virginia. Approximately 75 persons gathered from across the United States. Persons of Native American, African American, Asian, Hispanic, and other backgrounds as well as Swiss, Germanic, Dutch, and other ethnicities were present.

The theme of this year’s gathering was “Doing Kingdom Work”. Carlos Romero, Executive Director of Mennonite Education Agency and member of the Hope for the Future planning committee, framed the work for the weekend stating, “We have come together for such a time as this,” speaking to today’s political climate.

These tensions felt today are not new. In the 1970’s, when there seemed to be momentum among people of color in leadership within the denomination, most of the positions of people of color were eliminated under what was called “restructuring.”  This led to a handful of leaders of color in the Mennonite Church feeling the need to meet for mutual support and counsel.  When other leaders of color became aware of this gathering, they voiced an interest in participating in such a forum/conversation.  Out of this grew Hope for the Future.

The purpose for these gatherings was formulated as follows:

  • To gather as a worshiping community of faith to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to the church through the leaders of color within Mennonite Church USA system.
  • To provide a safe setting to assess the present reality and experiences for leaders of color within Mennonite Church USA system.
  • To put forth a plan/strategy/call for deepening awareness and ownership of the ongoing transformation of Mennonite Church USA.
  • To collect learnings from leaders of color to create a forum to bring about the next level of transformation for Mennonite Church USA.

To not have history repeat itself it is important for both people of color and the white culture, to be intentional about inviting and retaining people of color.  Hope for the Future allows space for discussion on how various things impact people in different ways.  This year, discussions focused on what it means to be a peace church in consideration of the lived reality of people of color in this country, how to monitor and change when policies are being implemented inconsistently, and visioning for Hope for the Future.

Because of the work being done through Hope for the Future since 2011, this year’s gathering also called for reporting by MCUSA agencies, institutions and organizations on their progress on policies and practices that address the hiring and retaining of persons of color within their respective organizations. While much progress has been made, there is still much to do.

Hope for the Future is not a one-time event, gathering, conference or what have you. It is about the lived experiential realities people of color encounter on a day to day basis in our church. Our hope is that the ‘kin-dom’ of God will come on earth, in our church, as it is in heaven. To this end, we hope for the future!

For more about the 2017 gathering, check out Hope for the Future: Together For a Time Such as This, in The Mennonite.