Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

intercultural

Creating Spaces

by

Mutual transformation happens when we acknowledge, own, and celebrate our cultural differences, allowing ourselves to be changed by our relationships with God and others.  The theme for the 2021 Mosaic Annual Assembly is “Mutual Transformation,” based on  Romans 12:2-10.   

“Christians are strangers and aliens within all cultures. Yet the church itself is God’s nation, encompassing people who have come from every tribe and nation. Indeed, its mission is to reconcile differing groups, creating one new humanity and providing a preview of that day when all the nations shall stream to the mountain of the Lord and be at peace.” 

from Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, Article 10 

To be mutually transformed, we need to recognize our status as aliens and strangers in this world.  We “do not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, but rather think of ourselves with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of us” (Romans 12:3, NIV). We learn to identify and locate ourselves in cultures, worldviews, families, and systems. Then we decenter ourselves, in order to re-center ourselves in Christ so that we can be reconciled to God and to others. 

Mutual transformation within the framework of Mosaic Conference means that power and equity will shift around the table.  Part of intercultural work is letting go of power and part of the work is empowering others.  

Loosely calculated, in Mosaic Conference, 40% of our staff, 30% of our credentialed leaders, and 20% of our congregations are persons of the Global Majority (a.k.a. people of color) and that number is growing.  (People of the Global Majority (PGM) is an emerging term surrounding race that is arguably the most universally inclusive. Unlike the terms “minority” or “marginalized,” the term People of the Global Majority offers Black, Brown, and Indigenous people – who are numerically in the majority all over the world – an empowering term that encompasses a global solidarity against racial injustice.) 

“the term People of the Global Majority offers Black, Brown, and Indigenous people – who are numerically in the majority all over the world – an empowering term that encompasses a global solidarity against racial injustice.”

One of lesser-known components of fall Assembly is a gathering called, “Nations and Generations,” held for the leaders of the Global Majority (the leaders of color) in our Conference.  Imagine an intercultural space where language, nationality, and cultural differences are recognized and honored.  An “us” emerges from growing relationships and connections as similarities, shared experiences, and unity in Christ result in mutual transformation.  Meeting together is one way for leaders to encourage one another, worship, build vision, and celebrate God’s work.   

This year’s “Nations and Generations” gathering will be held virtually at three different events, in three languages (Spanish, Indonesian, and English).  If you are a person of color/global majority within Mosaic Conference, we invite you to join with other leaders from our Conference, in the language of your choice, to share stories of mutual transformation and empowerment. 

En Español | Dalam Bahasa Indonesia

May God bless us all as we meet together in our Annual Assembly! 

May God continue the intercultural, formational, and missional work of mutual transformation in and among us!   

Introducing the New Intercultural Committee

by

We need another committee!  

What? 

Said who? 

Said the newly formed Mosaic Mennonite Conference.

With the formation of Mosaic Mennonite Conference, the new by-laws included the inclusion and formation of the Intercultural Committee. This committee shall provide leadership in the areas of undoing racism, sexism, and cultural bias, and in facilitating and supporting mutual transformation in intercultural contexts. This committee will be represented on the conference board by its chair as a non-voting member. 

Photo by Marta Castillo

As a conference located in multiple states and with global connections, we believe God’s design is for all people in all places to flourish and be transformed by loving, mutual relationships with God and one another.  To see this become a reality, by the power of the Spirit, we shape our lives and our work together around missional, intercultural, and formational priorities.

We have this intercultural priority: “As human beings made in the image of God, we acknowledge, own, and celebrate our cultural differences, allowing ourselves to be changed by the relationships we build across cultures while we work together for racial justice.”  

With this priority, we purposely bring people of different cultures and ethnicities alongside one another. However, we are committed to something deeper than that. We strive for more than just a distant appreciation of one another, or other cultures accommodating to the dominant white culture. 

An intercultural commitment means we nurture “a deep understanding and respect for all cultures.” This means we work at deep relationships, even if this means uncomfortable conversations, where “no one is left unchanged because everyone learns from one another and grows together” (see Spring Institute for more).

Photo by Marta Castillo

The work has already begun. In the past 3 years, an intercultural staff team of Chantelle Todman, Marta Castillo, Hendy Matahelemual, Aldo Siahaan, and Danilo Sanchez have been assessing and moving current relationships and communities in an intercultural direction. We have been building connections between communities and leaders of the global majority. We have also been educating and coaching congregations and leaders around the themes of racial justice, cultural differences, and mutual transformation. 

During our first meeting with the intercultural board committee in October 2020, staff shared the work that we have done as a team. We look forward to joining and following the lead of this new committee.

Diverse in geography, culture, gender, and age, this new committee represents experience, passion for intercultural work, and desire to see growth in themselves, their congregations, and in the conference.  We ask for your prayers and your support for this committee and for this intercultural work. 

The Mosaic Intercultural Committee members are:

  • Beny Krisbianto, chair, Nations Worship Center, Philadelphia, PA
  • Roy Williams, College Hill Mennonite Church, Tampa, FL
  • Josue Gonzalez, Encuentro de Renovación, Miami, FL
  • Emmauel Mwaipopo, Nueva Vida Norristown New Life, Norristown, PA
  • Jocelyn Clement, Eglise Evangélique Solidarité et Harmonie, Philadelphia, PA
  • Jenna Villatoro, Philadelphia Praise Center, Philadelphia, PA
  • Steve Zacheus, JKI Anugerah congregation, Sierra Madre, CA 
  • Marta Castillo (conference staff)
  • Danilo Sanchez (conference staff)

For further information and resources, please go to https://mosaicmennonites.org/intercultural/.

What is Your Flag?

by

by Hendy Matahelemual, Indonesian Light congregation (Philadelphia, PA)

(Editor’s note: August 17 is Independence Day in Indonesia. This past Monday was the 75th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.)

An Indonesian flag waves on a house in South Philly on August 17, Indonesian Independence Day.

My nationality is Indonesian, so the flag of my country is “Bendera Merah Putih.”  It is a simple red and white flag with two equal horizontal bands. It was introduced and hoisted publicly, 75 years ago during the proclamation of Indonesian independence on August 17, 1945, in Jakarta, Indonesia.

When I was in high school, I was a member of the flag-raising squad. August 17 was the most important day for us. On that day, the squad had one job to do: raise the flag as a part of the ceremony to celebrate Indonesian Independence Day. 

At that time, I was not Mennonite. My parents didn’t teach me Anabaptism values, such as separation of church and state and non-violence. After my introduction to Anabaptism, everything related to Independence Day found new meaning. The way I view the flag also found new meaning.

National flags are patriotic symbols, often associated with the military because of their original use. But as a follower of Christ, our identity as a Child of God is beyond any flag or governmental institution. 

We don’t need to take pride in our own national identity. We don’t need to make our country great (again). We don’t need to pledge our allegiance to the flag. We are God’s people, a holy nation.  

We do need to work together, instead of competing, by working across state and political boundaries. 

Perhaps the only competition that I enjoy between nationalities is the FIFA (soccer) World Cup.  I remember watching the World Cup with my dad and uncles when I was a little boy. Our family never missed it.  The first thing that I noticed as a boy when watching the World Cup was all the colorful flags of the teams. My favorite teams will always be the Netherlands and Argentina. I remember their flags very well.

In the book of Exodus, we find that flags are mentioned. At that time, Moses built an altar to God. He named the altar, “The Lord is my banner” (Exodus 17:15, NIV). I keep wondering what God’s banner looks like. I don’t know, but I will argue that it is not “Bendera merah putih,” nor the Stars and Stripes, Union Jack, or even the flag of Zion. 

I believe God’s flag should unite us as followers of Christ and not divide us. God’s flag needs to represent our victory against principalities and rulers of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil. 

I believe the blood of Jesus is one “spiritual” flag that can unite us. It is not made from a piece of fabric, but it will give us victory from sin and death. It can reach people from a liberal, capitalist, and communist country, crossing continents and geographical boundaries, regardless of nationalities. If we carry this flag as part of our faith, as followers of Christ, we will be effective witnesses who transform life while also being transformed by God.

What Can We Do?

by

How the Shalom Fund Offered Help in Mexico

By Javier Márquez, Conference Communication Intern

There is a crisis happening in Mexico, due to COVID-19. Pastor Oscar Dominguez shared about the situation many people are facing today in Mexico and the work being done by Anabaptist churches to respond to the famine and economic insecurity that families are experiencing.  

A delighted woman in Mexico receives a food bag during COVID-19. Food was provided by Mennonite Churches in Mexico, Mosaic Mennonite Conference Shalom Funds, and Mennonite Central Committee.

In Mexico, the public data regarding the pandemic is being underreported. Data from private, non-profit institutions are showing much higher numbers than data from the Mexican government. Knowing this, the brothers and sisters of the Conference of Evangelical Anabaptist Mennonite Churches of Mexico (CIEAMM) began to take measures of mutual collaboration with the aim of surviving the imminent period of scarcity that was approaching like a wave on their coast.  

Pastor Oscar said, in addition to a time of challenges, it was a moment that allowed them to discover the talents of different people in the churches that are oriented to mutual care and service.  

The first weeks of the pandemic were a period of transition for the churches in Mexico when each one needed to adapt to new technologies, utilize others’ resources, and face their limitations. 

“If the virus didn’t kill them, hunger would kill them. It was important for the church to ask itself how to help and find ways to do it.” – Pastor Oscar Domínguez

Each church started looking for ways to help out by giving baskets of donated food, contacting food banks, and sharing leftover food with other families. In Pastor Oscar´s church, they coordinated monitoring situations among the members of the congregation to determine needs, as some lost jobs, others had more mouths to feed, and some were single parents.  

  “The important thing was to share with love, to take care of each other, but also to share
with those who have the least.  People who are not even part of our churches but are part
of the community need help. We listen –without   any type of religious proselytizing. It
has always been a matter of genuine generosity, an explicit action of love.” – Pastor Oscar
Dominguez.

Members of Mennonite Churches in Mexico give and receive food during the pandemic. Mosaic Mennonite Conference Shalom Funds were used to support this work.

Pastor Oscar highlights that everything has been maintained, thanks to the generosity of church members and donations. Two of these donations, of great worth, were the donation of the Shalom Fund from Mosaic Mennonite Conference and the donation of food pantries by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). Pastor Oscar told the story of Sister Adela, a senior citizen in a wheelchair, who upon receiving a food pantry, sent him a photo of herself with her grandchildren as a thank you.   

“The eyes of those children when they received the bag full of food … how they looked at and contemplated every little thing in the basket… they said to the grandmother, “We are rich,’”  reported Pastor Oscar, as he himself makes an effort not to cry. 

Pastor Oscar also shared about a blind man for whom Sister Eloida, an elderly woman and widow, prepared a box of food with what little she had in her pantry. She asked the blind man to go collect the food, but on the way his cane broke. Faced with this new challenge, another act of generosity was awakened by the members of the church; they bought him a new cane. 

A Village Boy was Chosen

by

by Pastor Joshua Daichor So, San Francisco (CA) Chinese Mennonite Church

I am very thankful to have the opportunity to write my call to ministry story again after 55 years.  It sounds like I should already be retired by now but God still gives me the grace to be part of His story.  I also appreciate the Conference giving me this chance to share.  It was 1965 when I was first asked to write my call to ministry story as part of my entry application to study at The Hong Kong Alliance Bible Seminary.  How can I not be thankful?

I was born in a remote village in Mainland China and was raised in an idol worshiping family.  As the Bible said, “God knits me together in my mother’s womb and I am chosen!”  God had a plan for me!

Our family moved to Hong Kong when I was around 11 years old.  We lived very close to a church and with my curiosity, I stopped in and attended their Sunday school class with my neighbors’ kids for the first time.  From that time on, I became a regular Sunday school attender.  Listening to the Bible stories was always the highlight of each Sunday.  But most of all, receiving awards from the teachers was powerfully motivating to me. 

I accepted Jesus during Sunday school one week and gradually joined a small group.  With my diligent and optimistic character, I was selected to be on the staff of the small group and also serve as a Sunday school teacher.  I was amazed to find blessings and joy from serving the Lord in those roles. Besides attending the small group and Sunday school, I also attended the worship service regularly. The senior pastor, the minister, Sunday school teachers, and brothers and sisters were very proud of me and set me as a role model to other worshippers.  I was also blessed with ample opportunities to serve the Lord at church.

As I remember, I was asked to be the moderator of the Sunday worship when I was only a middle schooler.  I accepted that offer without hesitation.  I strongly believed that serving the Lord is what is pleasing to the Lord and a blessing! I was also in charge of a Sunday evening outreach.

My youth group leader encouraged me to pursue seminary after high school in my last year of middle school.  Even though I was quiet at that time, the Holy Spirit already began to mold me.  Our senior pastor couldn’t be at church regularly and our minister left to further his studies in the US. This left no one in charge of the church.  In my heart, I sensed the urge from the Holy Spirit.  

One day at a school worship service, the preacher invited the audience to accept Jesus’s invitation by using Isaiah 6:8, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?”  I replied, “Here am I, send me!”  After I finished my high school in 1966, I attended Hong Kong Alliance Bible Seminary and graduated in 1970.  This year marks 50 years since I first graduated. 

God called me from Hong Kong to Los Angeles in 1975 and a year later to San Francisco. There I completed a BA in Sociology, an M.Div (Sociology major) at Golden Gate Baptist Seminary, and finished a D. Min (Cross Cultural Study major) at San Francisco Theological Seminary, with God’s grace. I will continue to serve the Chinese in the San Francisco area with my wife (Anita) and daughter (Sharon).  Praise the Lord!

COVID-19 News & Updates

by

Give to the
Shalom Mutual Aid Fund



 

“Keep loving each other like family.”
(Hebrews 13:1, CEB)

What is the Shalom Fund?

Eastern District & Franconia Conference has started a Shalom Fund to support pastors, congregations, and ministries in direct response to the Coronavirus and the ensuing economic crisis.   We are seeking to raise $100,000 to respond to the most vulnerable within our membership and neighborhoods by empowering local ministries to meet real needs with Christ’s love and generosity in a time of fear and anxiety.

Read: Why Support the Eastern District & Franconia Conference Shalom Fund?

Who is being helped?

Our first wave of resources are being shared with Eastern District & Franconia congregations who are already distributing food in their South Philadelphia neighborhoods, beginning with eggs and potatoes to supplement canned meat that has been provided by Mennonite Central Committee.  Shalom Fund distributions are also immediately going to Ripple Community Inc (a Conference Related Ministry (CRM) in Allentown that serves adults who are experiencing homelessness, living with mental illness, or have other conditions or experiences that can leave them isolated and alone), and Crossroad Community Center (a CRM which has been operating for nearly 60 years as a witness to Jesus by providing for the physical and spiritual needs of one of the most difficult neighborhoods in Philadelphia).

Just today, we have received projected initial needs of $50,000 for our congregations and these two CRMs alone to assist pastoral incomes, building mortgages, and mutual aid within the congregation and neighborhoods.  These needs have been identified across our Conference and are immediate.

Who Can Give?

Everyone!  If you have wanted a way to help others during this difficult and confusing time but didn’t know how, this is the fund for you.  Whether you are an individual or family, a business owner, a youth group, someone who likes to run fundraisers, or a congregation with special or endowed funds, your contributions are vital.

Webinar

  • Considerations for Gathering Together Again – Leadership Ministers Scott Roth & Emily Ralph Servant, Dr. Sherri Binder, Executive Director of Ripple Community Inc., and Dr. Mariana Bernui from Drexel University hold a conversation on the possibilities for worship that bears witness of our love for God and our neighbors in a time of pandemic.

Pause and Reflect Before Reopening –  MCUSA

Guidelines for Consideration

Music Considerations


Cleaning and Disinfecting Considerations


Distribution of Food

(Updated: April 21, 10:00 am EST)

Technology:

  Need some personal assistance? Contact one of our staff persons below:

For children & families:

Worship and devotional resources from around MC USA:

Finances:

Online Support:

  • Celebrate Recovery program at Franconia Mennonite Church is now offering online small groups.  Please contact 215-723-3220 or communications@franconiamennonite.org if interested.
  • Alcoholics Anonymous
  • Help for Domestic Violence Victims – sadly, the stress of these times can lead to higher rates of violence. If you are not safe in your home due to domestic violence, there are places to turn to. Call PA Coalition Against Domestic Violence at 1-800-799-7233 or if you’re unable to speak safely, you can log onto thehotline.org or text LOVEIS to 22522.
  • Suicide Prevention Hotline – these can be very lonely times. If you or someone you need to talk or are in crisis, please call 1-888-273-TALK.  In the event of an emergency, dial 911.
  • Mental Health support (YouTube video) – provided by Maureen Gingerich, social worker (Blooming Glen congregation)

How to find volunteer opportunities:

  • Contact a volunteer agency or center directly to inquire about their needs
  • Visit PA211 for volunteer opportunities posted by agencies seeking volunteer help; or
  • Register at ServPa to create a volunteer profile. When prompted, choose “COVID Volunteers” as your “organization”, then follow the links.

Anti-Asian discrimination/racism resources and statements:

Assistance:

UPDATED: May 7, 9:00am EST

We are in a very different time. Join together with other leaders from across our Conference in Zoom conversations and feel free to pass this information on to youth leaders in your congregation.

Are there other conversations that you would like to have? Or like to lead? Please let us know!

Leading and Pastoring in a Time of Social Distancing

Share, brainstorm, and support one another as we pastor during the Coronavirus epidemic. Potential topics for discussion include worship (planning and formats), pastoral care, communication, connection in isolation, self-care, partnership with congregations in the conference and in your community, supporting one another.

  • Every Wednesday, 10-11am EST – led by Mary Nitzsche and Josh Meyer (English)  new Zoom link beginning 5/27: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81324082049 
  • Every other Thursday night – 9pm EST/6pm PST – led by Aldo Siahaan and Hendy Matahelemual (Indonesian).  The Zoom link to join this conversation is: https://zoom.us/j/262849343
  • Every other Wednesday night  – 7pm EST/4pm PST – led by Noel Santiago and Marco Guete (Spanish).  The Zoom link to join this conversation is: https://zoom.us/j/557606813

Spiritual Formation for Youth in a Time of Social Distancing

All youth leaders are welcome, we will be connecting, sharing, and praying for our ministry settings as we work with the Holy Spirit for creative community engagement. We can share ideas and practices and resource one another. We can also all just enjoy some time together.

  • Weekly – Thursday mornings, 9:30 am – led by Brooke Martin
    The Zoom link to join this conversation is: https://zoom.us/j/500032991

Prayer

  • Pray with us through the summer.  Every Wednesday through August 19, 12:00-12:30pm EST/9:00-9:30am PST,  led by Noel Santiago, Marta Castillo and Jeff Wright.  (For info, email nsantiago@mosaicmennonites.org) The Zoom link to join this conversation is: https://zoom.us/j/961945265
  • Centering Prayer in a Time of Disruption – led by Jessica Miller and Franco Salvatori – Tuesdays at 3:00PM EST through the end of May.  Zoom link to join is: https://zoom.us/j/99895914233

We will continue to look for opportunities and conversation together in new ways and formats over the next weeks.

(Updated March 26, 2:00pm EST)

If you know of other reputable sources for information of ways to help, please send them to communication@mosaicmennonites.org.

Shalom Fund

Eastern District & Franconia Conference has started a mutual aid fund to support pastors, congregations, and ministries in direct response to the Coronavirus and the ensuing economic crisis.   We will seek to respond to the most vulnerable within our membership and neighborhoods by empowering local ministries to meet real needs with Christ’s love and generosity in a time of fear and anxiety.  Give now.

Blood Donation

Blood donations are seriously needed as many blood drives have been canceled. To find a blood drive near you follow the links below:

  1. Miller-Keystone Blood Center:  https://www.giveapint.org/blood-donor-center-locations/.  St. Lukes Hospital in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania is sponsoring a blood drive the first week of April (more information here).
  2. American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html.  For those near Lansdale, PA, there is a drive being held this week (last week of March) at Towamencin congregation (Facebook Event Page).

Food Banks

From PBS NewsHour: “Due to panic surrounding the virus, donations to many local food banks are down significantly. This is the case in Washington state, where dozens have already died from the virus, and states like Ohio, where food banks have seen volunteers cancel shifts. Supermarket chain Harris Teeter on Friday said that key items in its stores may be out of stock due to high customer demand, and some food banks in Washington state have reported that people have come to their facilities for the first time because their regular grocery stores don’t have what they’re looking for….  Organizations like Feed America allow you to search for food banks in your area. Many food banks across the U.S. are now putting their resources toward dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak directly.”

  1. Feeding America Directory of Food Banks
  2. A list of organizations offering direct services related to COVID-19.
  3. Donate to Ripple Community, Inc, a Conference Related Ministry that is providing food and services to the homeless in Allentown, PA while other local organizations have closed.

Medical Supply Donations

The St. Lukes Hospital Network in Pennsylvania is one of many hospitals that is currently receiving donations of medical equipment and accepting homemade masks or the supplies to make them.  For the full list of what you can donate and drop-off locations, check out this page.  For instructions on how to sew the masks, download this pdf.

Waiting for Heaven’s “Green Card”

by

(Baca dalam bahasa Indonesia)

by Hendy Matahelemual, Conference Pastor of Formation & Communication

Judah, Hendy’s oldest son at Wall Street, NYC. Photo by Hendy Matahelemual.

One day I asked my 6-year-old son, “Are you Indonesian or American?” He answered, “Both, Daddy, I’m American and also Indonesian.” This is a reasonable response. However, in terms of citizenship, he is not an American citizen, but an Indonesian because we cannot have dual citizenship.

National and political identity cannot be separated in human life. Even when someone leaves the land of their birth or changes citizenship, that identity is still attached. As a newcomer to the USA and as a seminary student, I am interested in learning how we place national and political identities in line with God’s Word.

Hendy and his wife, Marina at tje Indonesian Fair in Little Indonesia, Somersworth, NH. Photo courtesy of icc.inc

I have no problem with national identity, but we must be careful not to go too far into ultra-nationalism, where someone puts the interests of a country and its people above all things. This certainly makes the country at the same level or higher than God. Therefore, as followers of Jesus, we believe that our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).  We rely on God and do not deify the state, citizenship status, or even certain political parties or political figures.

Article 23 of the Confession of Faith in Mennonite Perspective, states:

We believe that the church is God’s “holy nation,” called to give full allegiance to Christ its head and to witness to all nations about God’s saving love. The church is the spiritual, social, and political body that gives its allegiance to God alone. As citizens of God’s kingdom, we trust in the power of God’s love for our defense. The church knows no geographical boundaries and needs no violence for its protection. The only Christian nation is the church of Jesus Christ, made up of people from every tribe and nation, called to witness to God’s glory.

It is common today for someone to rely on the state to give us prosperity, security, and comfort. In most countries, we are taught to sing the national anthem and other patriotic activities. Therefore it is very important that we return to Paul’s words in Romans 12, “Do not be conformed to this world but change with renewal of your mind, so that you understand my will, which is good, pleasing and perfect.”

Flags of nations at St.John Baptist Church Philadelphia where ILC worships every Sunday. Photo by Hendy Matahelemual

As someone who was not born and raised in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition, I feel that I have experienced a new birth in Jesus because I used to misplace my national identity. But now, I am sure that my identity is as a citizen of heaven, and every believer is a co-worker without being limited by national and political identity. As a result, it should not be an exaggerated problem if someone kneels when the national song is sung. And, it should be a big concern for us if there is a problem happening in another country. Because as Christians, we are a holy nation that belongs to God.

A sculpture by French artist Bruno Catalano, in Marseilles, France, is an enigmatic sculpture thought to evoke memories and parts of themselves that every traveler inevitably leaves behind when they leave home for a new shore.

Let’s continue to persevere in our faith, especially in these difficult times. I believe God’s grace is endless.  Love, joy, and peace from God will cure our longing for our hometown, which will also fill the emptiness of our heart. This will convince us of our true identity, as God’s children, heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven.

I also hope that the topic of national and political identity is no longer a taboo topic to be discussed in churches. I believe that each of our voices needs to be able to build up one another, and strengthen the church of God, a holy nation that is spread throughout the world.  After all, we are all still waiting for heaven’s greencard.

(Credentialed leaders: join us May 6 or 7 as our quarterly Faith & Life gatherings focus on National & Political Identity )

Finding the God of Justice: My Spiritual Journey

by

by Lindy Backues, Philadelphia Praise Center

My spiritual story begins just outside of St. Louis, Missouri, on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.

I grew up in a predominantly white, midwestern town of 40,000, where most everyone looked like me.  I did not grow up in a Christian home. My parents espoused what was, at that time, “typical” midwestern values, however, so they were not completely antagonistic to religion.  We simply were not religious.

As a teenager, I applied to the YMCA as a bus counselor in a neighboring city, East St. Louis, Illinois.  This was a historically black, urban area, deeply scarred by decades of systemic and cultural racism. My experiences there drastically altered my perspective on life. I later served as a swim instructor.  I worked almost exclusively with African American kids. By and large, these young children, who wanted little more than to play and to learn to swim, were delightful in their glee as they participated in these programs.  I became quite attached to them and also got to know their families.

The undeniable racism they experienced became obvious to me.  Most young white boys in my area would not have been aware such racism even existed.  My still deeply rooted sense of justice first took shape at that YMCA in East St. Louis.

A side-effect of this was that I developed disdain for local churches in my area, since the racism there was palpable. As a teenager, I was becoming increasingly convinced (primarily by way of my father) that religion was unnecessary and something smart people discarded.  I went through my high school years and onto college with these attitudes.

In 1982, toward the end of my time at the University of Missouri, I experienced an unexpected spiritual conversion.  I attended a church service with my mother (who had recently rediscovered religion and I went along to appease her).  In a miraculous encounter, I became aware that the God of justice – the God of the biblical story – also did not like racism (nor did God like sexism, nor depletion of earth’s resources).  I did not plan for this to happen; it simply did. At the tender age of 22, I found myself ushered into a version of the gospel I still find appealing.

Being given such a radical but limited epiphany of God’s kingdom, I headed off to seminary to deepen my theological understanding.  In 1988, I graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary, receiving a Master of Divinity degree, with a focus on biblical studies and anthropology.

After seminary (and getting married in 1985), my wife and I moved to Indonesia. We lived there for the next 18 years (our daughter and son were born there).  We became deeply involved in economic and community development in a predominantly Muslim area, located in the province of West Java. Along the way, I added a Master’s degree in Economic Development and a PhD in Theology and Development Studies.

In 2008 we relocated to South Philadelphia and I began teaching at Eastern University.  We joined Philadelphia Praise Center (PPC) at that time. A few years later, I felt myself nudged by God to receive official licensure as Outreach Minister for Philadelphia Praise Center, something that has brought my official credentials into line with this long march God had led me on.