Intersections

Jay Gordon, Jr., Grace

For Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber, learning has always been about much more than reading, writing and arithmetic.

“Education is about relationships,” says Christopher Dock’s new principal. “The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. We’re not about imparting knowledge as much as we are about lighting a fire and getting students excited about the world, about relationships, and about being lifelong learners.”

Dr. Swartzentruber’s administrative style reflects this emphasis on relationships. “It’s important that my door is open, and that people feel welcome to come in and talk with me,” he says. “I like to make decisions as a group rather than as individuals whenever possible. There is always wisdom in seeking the counsel of others, so the focus in my first year will be on listening—hearing ways that we can use our relationships to make this an even better school.”

While he is new to his position—he officially became Christopher Dock’s sixth principal on July 1—Dr. Swartzentruber isn’t exactly new to the school. “I came to Dock the first time on a Mennonite Schools Council exchange with [former principal] Elaine Moyer seven years ago,” he says. “I visited for a day, and my first impression was of the facilities and grounds—the wonderful campus here is amazing, and truly a blessing.”

On a more recent visit, as part of the Mennonite Education Agency and Middle States Association accreditation team that visited Dock last year, Dr. Swartzentruber came away with a new appreciation for the student-faculty relationships at Dock.

“The school’s culture is distinct,” he says. “[The accreditation team] could see that Mennonite and Anabaptist values were important to both faculty and students, and that the faculty cared deeply for students and had very positive relationships with them. There was an appropriate respect, but also very close bonds. We were even invited to play stickball at lunch; that was another great sign of community!”

Several experiences have helped shape Dr. Swartzentruber’s perception of the opportunity here at Dock. The first of these was growing up in Kentucky, where his father pastored a mission church. Another was the 11 years he and his family spent in Asia—three in Bangladesh and eight in Indonesia—on a missions assignment with Mennonite Central Committee.

“Any experience in another culture broadens your perspective, and can change your whole outlook on life,” he says. “When we see how other people work at the same things we’re working at, possibly using a different approach, it informs our journey.” It also helped him develop the ability to think critically—which should be an important part of every student’s education.

“Critical thinking prepares a student to deal with issues that don’t exist yet—to deal with life,” he says. “A school needs to provide an environment where young people learn to apply critical thinking skills; to ask, ‘What are we doing with the information we gather?’”

In addition, both mission experiences “allowed me to come onto the Dock campus with a real sense of how privileged we are to have a school like this. In Asia we lived in a small village where school only happened when the teacher showed up. In Bangladesh, college students weren’t sure how long it would take to finish a degree because the school would close for up to a year at a time due to political unrest. Those things have changed my sense of appreciation for what we have here. We have no disruptions from the outside, and we have tremendous support from the community.”

That support is especially important in times of transition—particularly when one occurs in the midst of a difficult economic time. “A growing school should always be in transition,” he says. “We should be firmly rooted in our values and traditions, but always asking how we can improve.” Transitioning leadership during a difficult economic period “provides an opportunity to rediscover the reason for our existence,” he adds. “We need to continually rediscover and articulate the value of this school. I see this as a time when we can look at the impact Dock has on the lives of students, with teachers who are mentoring and building relationships and becoming friends for a lifetime, and consider the implications of that for our community and the world. Economics will not overshadow the significance of the work that’s happening here.”

click the header to read all stories

• Hopeful vision roots at Indian Creek Farm ~ Sheldon Good
• Embracing God’s mission: Being and becoming people of peace ~ Gay Brunt Miller
• Anabaptist vision series: Practical steps build peace in the neighborhood ~ Dennis Edwards
• Ordination sizzles at Salem ~ Ev Frederick
• Creating Ripples in the Lehigh Valley ~ Elisa Yager
• Constructing partnership in NE Philly: Building relationships with sweat and care ~ Sheldon Good
• Reflections from Columbus: Gathering together to find new questions and new identity ~ Derek Godshall
• Reflections from Columbus: Addressing generational fear ~ Jessica Walter
• Centro de Alabanza begins public worship in South Philadelphia ~ Stephen Kriss
• UK partnerships continue to build: Offering help and building faith together ~ Lora Steiner
• New vision invites generosity and frugality: Franconia Conference revenue rises in the midst of economic downturn ~ Sheldon Good
• An Interview with Elaine Moyer: Reflections on leadership and legacy ~ Jay Gordon, Jr.
• Peaceful Living and Rockhill Mennonite Community: Collaboration brings peace and care ~ Megan Blank
• Discovering God’s plan: Conference fills administrative position ~ Sheldon Good

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Sheldon Good, Salford

In 2005, Phil Bergey, former Franconia Conference executive director, had a dream about the future of the Indian Creek Road Farm. In the May/June 2005 issue of MennoLife, Bergey said that in his dream he imagined the 40-acre Harleysville farm “as a place that would unite the daughters and brothers of Franconia Conference instead of tear them apart.”

More recently, Jill Landes, from the Blooming Glen congregation, has lost sleep envisioning Bergey’s dream.

“I get excited just thinking about the farm,” said Landes, who is currently working on a plan to use the Indian Creek Road Farm as space for a ministry to be called Living Hope Farm. “I sometimes can’t sleep at night because of it.”

Landes has a vision for what the farm might become some day, and in many ways, is already becoming. Her vision explores the possibility of what she calls “a non-profit, sustainable, organic, market farm that grows produce for people and profits for ministry.”

Starting this October, Bergey’s dreams – and Landes’ lack of sleep – will come to fruition.

Living Hope Farm will operate on the land as a non-profit ministry and incorporate many topics that are emerging in contemporary culture, according to Landes, including: sustainable agriculture, land stewardship and preservation, job training and a greater understanding of one’s connection and interdependence to land.

Landes believes the farm will help people rediscover their roots. “Today we have a disconnect,” Landes said, in reference to one’s relationship with food. “We buy any vegetable or fruit year round at our local grocery and do not think twice about who grew it, how it was grown or the distance it traveled to the grocery store.”

Living Hope Farm will allow persons to re-root, re-route and get dirty.

The primary function of the farm will be to operate as a non-profit Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). “A CSA is a model of farming that emphasizes locally grown food, supports the local economy and promotes a safe food system,” said Landes, who works at the Bucks County Branch Creek Farm, which produces food for local restaurants and stores.

Persons who purchase memberships in a CSA sign a contract for the season and agree to pay in advance. CSA shareholders then help with some of the work of harvest and distribution of food. They also pick up a share of whatever is available on the farm each week, which guarantees they receive the freshest produce possible. And the food doesn’t travel 1,300 miles as it ripens.

The Living Hope Farm CSA will create a self-sustaining foundation for the ministry, which will incorporate additional ministries without the burden of outside resources.

Landes also plans to connect with an urban area that has limited access to fresh, local, reasonably priced produce. “It is the ministry part of the farm that has me dreaming,” Landis said. “The potential ministries that have surfaced seem to be as numerous as the spokes on a wheel.”

A few possible ministries include:

• agricultural learning opportunities: for the community, with on-site farming classes
• local camp outreach: combining agriculture, creation study, Bible study and personal development
• work for prison inmates or ex-offenders: providing basic work skills in an outdoor setting related to food production
• urban extensions: partnering with Philadelphia church leaders, congregations and/or schools to explore local community food systems.

For Landes, the sky – or the ground – is the limit. “There are any variety of things that might blossom here,” Landes said.

There are no blossoms at the farm yet. But the farm is currently used for a variety of purposes.

A portion of the 40 acres is farmed by the Knechel family, who operate a dairy farm nextdoor. In the center of the property, Mennonite Central Committee Material Resource Center of Harleysville uses a building that was formerly a group home. Indian Creek Foundation, which began at the farm, runs a group home west of the property barn. The land is also used for the annual Apple Butter Frolic, which benefits the Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania. Additionally, the farmhouse is rented out to a family and a single woman.

This is largely how the farm has operated for some time. But in 2005, the conference formed the Vision and Financial Plan team to determine a new future for the farm. Karen Moyer, chair of the Vision and Financial Plan team and member of the subgroup charged with determining the best direction for the farm, said that turning the space into an organic farm was not the only, or first, idea.

“An original option considered,” Moyer said, “was to sell the property when the market value was extremely high to fund mission initiatives for domestic inner-city work and partnering with our southern hemisphere brothers and sisters rather than just ‘hoarding’ the wealth for the conference. [The planning team] heard a mandate from the local conference constituents to apply for a land preservation grant to retain the use of the farm for agriculture.”

In response to this mandate, the conference applied to sell the development rights of the farm. In 2008, the farm was submitted as a candidate but rejected with the Montgomery County Agricultural Land Preservation Board. According to the board, the farm’s eligibility score was not high enough. Such a registration would legally place the land in farming perpetuity and provide governmental funding to Franconia Conference. The conference will continue to pursue the sale of the farm’s development rights.

Ultimately, the Vision and Financial Plan team decided to transform the land into an operable farm. “Since the grant would not generate the same revenue as an outright sale,” Moyer said, “the team also heard a voice of financial support for any agricultural ministries that would come about with this plan for future use of the land.”

Enter, Landes’ version of Bergey’s dream. But there’s plenty of work to be done before Living Hope Farm becomes reality.

Currently, Landes treks to the farm a few times every week, which is unsustainable for the long-term. “Our family would like to reside on or near the farm as the time for growing draws nearer,” Landes said.

Landes is currently testing soil for possible crop locations. Meanwhile, Henry Rosenberger, from the Plains congregation, and others are finalizing a board of directors and pursuing a 501c3 status for the ministry. Living Hope Farm planners also want the organization to become a Conference Related Ministry.

Going forward, Landes and her team can’t do all the work themselves. “I’m hoping people will help out similar to the Care and Share Shoppes,” said Landes, in reference to the thrift store in Souderton. “We will need to count on a few committed volunteers, though this will be a bit different since tasks will change as the seasons change. And as the farm progresses, we will be looking for donations of time, materials and money as well.”

Landes plans to harvest the first crops in May. Persons interested in purchasing a CSA share can sign up starting at the Apple Butter Frolic on October 3. “Families with children are especially encouraged to participate in all that the farm will have to offer,” said Landes, “including a children’s garden, U-pick areas and weekend gatherings for potluck meals.”

Dennis Edwards, Peace Fellowship

“The third great element in the Anabaptist vision was the ethic of love and nonresistance as applies to all human relationships.”[1]

The Benning Terrace housing development in southeast Washington, DC is yet another of those places in our urban centers where many of the typical challenges are evident, such as: drug dealing and usage, high unemployment, low academic achievement, large numbers of single mother heads-of-households, poor nutrition and low self-esteem. In fact, many years ago this housing development willingly took on the unflattering nickname “Simple City.”

Additionally, the community has frequently felt apparent inequities in the allocation of city resources.Indeed, many of the residents have long complained of how hard it is to get better lighting and general maintenance of the housing project. Until recently, police presence as deterrent (as opposed to response to crimes) seemed scarce, especially when compared to affluent District of Columbia neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill or Georgetown. My family lives around the corner from Benning Terrace and our church, Peace Fellowship, began in our home. Several of our initial attendees lived in Benning Terrace.

One of the families of Peace Fellowship Church, who until recently lived in Benning Terrace, found themselves in a frightening situation when the husband stood up to some local drug dealers. His car got vandalized and after threats were made, he and his family no longer felt safe. But where could this family go? Those living in public housing are there because they do not have much in the way of monetary resources.

Our congregation acted quickly to provide temporary housing for this large family without splitting them up. Several of our members were energized and mobilized to get the family resettled in a different neighborhood, which happened in a few weeks. Our efforts, which required the cooperation of several people, followed our initial response of prayer, the most important “weapon” in the Christian’s arsenal. We believe that it was through prayer that the authorities apprehended some of those who threatened the family.

The biblical call to peacemaking is especially needed in housing developments like Benning Terrace, as well as in other urban communities. Anabaptist theology, although identified and codified in the pre-Industrial era of the Reformation, is relevant even in our contemporary urban centers. Even though Mennonites in America have largely been associated with rural living, the pillars that Harold S. Bender identified –– discipleship, community and nonviolence –– must become shared values in our urban centers as well.

However, responses to threats and violence are not the only ways that peacemaking is pursued in the city. The practice of peace includes growing as a fellowship across lines of race and class.

Peace Fellowship Church has become a cross-cultural fellowship, comprised of people from various ethnic groups. We are also a people who reflect a range of incomes and educational backgrounds. Developing loving relationships is one of our core values. We believe that part of the ethic of love and nonviolence means building relationships with those whose backgrounds are different from our own.

Another aspect of urban peacemaking is building ecumenical relationships. Even though I appreciate and even celebrate Anabaptist theology, I am not chauvinistic about it. I became part of an ecumenical fellowship of Christian workers (not all are pastors) and am currently the convener of the group, setting its agenda and chairing its meetings. Part of our life together means having a few joint worship services throughout the year to which all of the congregations in our part of the city are invited.

In addition, some of us have preached in each other’s churches, which allows for even deeper relationships to develop among our congregants. This aspect of peacemaking has allowed for a growing respect for other believers and an increasing sense of our need to work together for positive changes in our community.

Neighborhood involvement and activism are other ways that peace is practiced in the city. Members of our congregation are active in civic associations, neighborhood clean-up days, mentoring children, efforts to reduce teen violence and other opportunities to be part of solutions to problems in the community. Recently we began a support group for returning residents – those coming back to the community from having served time in prison. We’ve also just started a program to help people who have dropped out of school prepare for and receive their GED.

We have seen that peacemaking is about more than refraining from participation in war. Our congregation not only wants the young people of our city to refrain from violence – through gang participation or otherwise – but to be pursuers of peace (Romans 14:19). This means that we have to build relationships with people to work together as a community of love.

I suspect that most churches in the city want to be agents for positive change. Anabaptist theology makes a significant contribution to all of Christianity by providing a perspective that “the kingdom of God should be set up in the midst of earth, here and now…”[2]

[1]Harold S. Bender, The Anabaptist Vision (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1944) 31.

[2]Ibid, 36.

Ev Frederick, Salem

A few days before the ordination of Bob Helverson, Jr in May, we received a call reminding us that this special day was approaching for “Pastor Bob,” and that it would be a nice thing to dress up for the occasion as this type of thing does not happen very often. This was a reasonable request as we tend to be more casual and this was a dress up occasion.

On this special Sunday, the worship team, led by Pastor Bob, chose songs he liked and that were appropriate for this service. Then it came time for the message and ordination. It seemed rather odd to have a life-size cut out of Bob sitting on a folding chair on the landing from where Pastor Bruce speaks. Also odd was the griddle on the landing that was being pre-heated.

Pastor Bruce took us back to Leviticus and explained what ordination was then and is today – a consecration, setting apart of an individual for God’s service. Leviticus 8 is about the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests. As in a lot of rituals from the Bible, there is a lot of sacrificing of animals. Ordination is no different.

A few things were needed for the ordination–proper ceremonial clothing, anointing oil, a bull, two rams and bread. Those being ordained/consecrated were anointed for their service to God and the animals were the varying burnt offerings needed for this to take place. As Pastor Bruce explained how this consecration ritual took place, we began to understand why he needed a griddle and a cutout “Bob” on stage.

Cutout Bob was then properly dressed, and anointing oil was poured on his head. The bull was the sin offering. Sins were transferred from the consecrated onto the animal. It was then slaughtered. The meat was placed on the altar (griddle) and the rest (in Leviticus) was burned outside the tabernacle. This took place for each animal. The first ram was the peace offering, God reconciling those chosen to himself. The second ram was the ordination ram. The blood from this ram was placed on the right ear, right thumb and right foot to cleanse him so he could then go before God an behalf of the people. The meat from this ram was placed on the altar to be cooked and eaten at the table with God, signifying God’s approval of the service to which the ordained is called.

Pastor Bruce symbolically placed steak on the griddle and soon the aroma wafted throughout the sanctuary. This made the point quite clear of the sweet smelling sacrifice that we are to give and be to God. Not only were we hearing Bob’s ordination, our senses were fully involved. We were now participants, not just spectators. This was not just about Bob being called out and officially recognized, this was about us being part of Bob’s calling.

Elisa Yager, Ripple

What began as a missional “experiment” in January 2007 has created “ripples” in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. Pastor Tom Albright and his wife Carolyn could not be happier.

The experiment, posed by Franconia Conference 2007, challenged pastors to think outside the box to connect with people in the community regarding faith issues. Encountering many unchurched people who had questions about God but would not set foot into a traditional church building, “Ripple Effects” began in the living room of the Albright’s home in Treichlers, an Allentown suburb.

At that first meeting, fundamental questions about God arose. A discussion ensued. For Pastor Tom, his personal challenge following that meeting was to re-think everything that he believed and move away from the language, traditions, and mindset of “Churchianity” in order to connect with those outside the traditional church environment. It seems to be working. “Ripple has grown from four people at our first meeting to a gathering of about 50 people last Christmas,”explained Carolyn. The group moved from the Albright’s living room to other members’ larger living rooms, to the fellowship hall of Whitehall Mennonite Church.

New attendees are encouraged to share their story regarding what brought them to Ripple. For many, the ability to delve further into the Bible, to ask questions about faith and what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, to not be ridiculed for asking what others might consider “eyebrow raising” questions are the reasons people came initially and the reasons they remain.

Some refer to Ripple Effects as “emergent Christianity,” which moves away from the traditional style of worship found in churches today to a more experiential, participative style of worship. At one Ripple gathering a song was written. Another gathering included a memorial service for deceased loved ones, providing closure for those who never had an opportunity to say goodbye. The reverence for life from a “wholeness” perspective is the under-girding philosophy that encourages self-disclosure.

This same reverence for life has brought Ripple to inner-city Allentown. Ripple will begin meeting in September at “The Caring Place,” a youth development center located in the heart of the city. The Caring Place provides after school, evening and summer programs for at-risk, inner-city youth who might otherwise be out wandering the streets.

“Every time Carolyn and I walk through Allentown we, make connections with people,” notes Pastor Tom. It was during one of these walks in February that they met the Executive Director of The Caring Place, Mary Griffin. They struck up a conversation about Tom’s upcoming ordination and “Miss Mary,” as she is known to all, offered her facility for Tom’s use. An unlikely place for an ordination, it brought those who gathered to celebrate Tom’s achievement face-to-face with urban ministry.

“If Jesus walked the earth today, he would be in Allentown. That’s where Ripple needs to be,” Pastor Tom states. Apparently, the rest of the “Ripplers” agree. The group unanimously agreed at the last business meeting in June to begin meeting at The Caring Place beginning in September. Their desire is to be able to offer hope through Jesus to people in the community by meeting the physical needs of the people first, and then the spiritual needs, as Jesus did.

“If you throw a rock into the water. it creates ripples,” notes Carolyn. “Those ripples go outward. That’s what we hope our lives and our actions in Jesus do – create ripples affecting other’s lives in a positive way just as Jesus did.”

Yet this is not where the ripples end. Volunteers from within Ripple are working with The Caring Place to gather food for their community food bank and assist with administrative tasks. more volunteering is planned once Ripple begins meeting there in September. Parenting classes, music programs, and Bible studies are in the planning stages for September.

Sheldon Good, Salford

If you want to build it, they will come. Over the past five months, four Franconia Mennonite Conference congregations have traveled to Philadelphia to help construct Oxford Circle’s new church building: Covenant Community Fellowship, Blooming Glen, Franconia and Salem.

Dan Freed and others at Covenant Community Fellowship know the importance of mutual aid for church building. “Franconia Conference helped us at Covenant purchase our current building,” said Freed, an electrician from Bergey’s Electric. “We see this as an opportunity to give to someone in a similar way.”

Freed has trekked down nine times since spring to help remodel the building, which sits caddy-corner to Oxford Circle’s current facility. “I expressed a commitment at the beginning of the project that we could at least wire the sanctuary,” Freed said, “which has now expanded to include the entire first floor – sanctuary, Sunday school rooms, and so on.” Covenant is also a committed financial sponsor of the building.

Bergey’s Electric has been a valuable partner in Freed’s work. The company has provided tools, time off on short notice and helpful advice. So far, 10 other electricians from Franconia Conference congregations have given 19 days of work toward the building project.

“God has orchestrated this to be possible,” reflects Freed. “God is leading in this and providing all these people to come and get this done.”

Leonard Dow, senior pastor at Oxford Circle who went to Christopher Dock with Freed, agrees, “The large pool of professionals from Franconia Conference congregations have helped establish our strong foundation. These relationships aren’t out of the blue. It’s wonderful to build relationships out of a mutual respect and strength.”

A recent relationship has been formed with youth from the Franconia congregation. Mike Ford, Senior High youth pastor at Franconia, led eight youth and two other adults on a project in June. Ford noted how important it is to consider connections both globally and locally, “I’m excited for our youth to meet a need in their backyard.”

Esther Frustino worked with the Franconia group in June and returned in July. “I thought I didn’t know them, though they are still part of God’s family,” said Frustino, who will be a sophomore at Christopher Dock next year. “I wanted to not only meet them but form new friendships through working together.”

Frustino also formed deeper connections with persons in her youth group. “I didn’t feel particularly close to the youth group,” Frustino said. “It was amazing the connections we made, both spiritually and friend-wise. It took going out of Franconia to do that.”

At first, Jacob Ford wondered why Oxford Circle wouldn’t hire a contractor. He then realized the long-term equipping impact of service groups. “With many crews, many people can learn a new skill that they might not otherwise learn,” said Ford, who will be a sophomore next year at Souderton Area High School.

Thanks to a connection with Fred Kauffman, MCC East Coast representative, five youth from the Salem congregation participated in their first service project. Bruce Eglinton-Woods, pastor at Salem, and ten volunteers set up air mattresses, sleeping bags and crockpots in June. But they didn’t need their crockpots for every meal. “On Wednesday night, a family brought pizza for the kids,” said Eglinton-Woods. “Once the work day was done and we had some food, the youth took water bottles and apples and went bowling in the parking lot. Some of the neighborhood kids came over and played with them.”

Amanda Souder, a Salem youth, led a devotional through song the last day the group volunteered. She noted that people sometimes feel alone in the world. The song was a reminder that no one should feel alone; God is always present. “She observed that we’re building this church so that these area kids can know that God is here and they are not alone,” Eglinton-Woods said.