Intersections

Charles A. Ness, Perkiomenville
perkmc@verizon.net

One of the ways I see God working in these times is by connecting persons in relational ways to advance his Kingdom on earth. This is happening in our area between Anabaptists in the United States and in Switzerland.

Since 2003 there have been several reconciliation events involving the Swiss Reformed Church and Anabaptists. In May of 2003 the Franconia Conference Executive Committee commissioned my wife Janet and I to attend a reconciliation conference in Switzerland. An outgrowth of these events is a growing interest in relationships among Swiss and US Anabaptists. In 2007 Amish leaders Ben Girod and Roy Yoder were invited by Swiss Mennonite pastors to meet with them for a time of ministry and understanding. Through those meetings, the Swiss developed a deep interest in connecting with Mennonites and Amish in the US and expressed a desire to come here to explore mutual relations.

In early 2008 it was discerned that Franconia, as the oldest US Mennonite conference, should host the meeting. The gathering was held in September at the Franconia Meetinghouse. In attendance were Pastors Ernest Geiser and Thomas Gyger from Switzerland and Amish and Mennonite persons from Pennsylvania, Montana and Idaho. Representing Franconia were Ray Bergey, Sandy Landes, Scott Landes, John Ruth, Noel Santiago, Ray Yoder and myself.

The purpose of the meeting as said by Noel Santiago was, “To gather Anabaptists/Mennonites from the US and Swiss to hear each others’ stories, pray and discern together some possible next steps that could potentially lead to bringing together a broader group of Anabaptist/Mennonites for continued healing, reconciliation and release into God’s Mission in the World.”

The Swiss shared their history and church life from the persecution years to the present. The US Anabaptists told our story of coming here in the 17th century and the many changes that we have experienced. We share a common history and theology. As we told our stories it became clear that while there are differences, we have had many common experiences in church life. It was a blessed time as we worshiped, prayed, shared our faith stories and formed friendships.

There is a strong interest in connecting heart-to-heart across national and church boundaries that goes beyond tourism and formal church structures. God is moving in apostolic ways, drawing persons together in relationships that releases the spirit in fresh ways. We all want to see our churches positioned to participate in God’s harvest for His Kingdom.

We desire to remain in discussion by creating more settings for listening and develop trust in each other and for God’s will for the churches. We need discernment on how we can help each other release the power of the Holy Spirit and the zeal of the 16th century Anabaptists in the church today. How can the Swiss help some of the US Anabaptists find freedom from legalistic expressions of church life? We affirm the power of unity and the release that reconciliation brings to the church. When and where should there be additional meetings between us?

It is a blessing to have support for and to participate in these historic meetings. Further, it is a great privilege God is giving us to help facilitate the working of the Spirit in our times. Anyone interested in these discussions are welcome to contact me. Please join us in prayer for clarity on the next steps between the two churches.

(click the header to read all stories)

Read the articles online:

• Partners in Mission Invigorate Franconia Conference– Gay Brunt Miller
• Establishing Partners In Mission: Finding ourselves transformed by God as well– Noel Santiago
• A closer look: Cultivating leaders through partnerships– Steve Kriss
• Hearing, responding and exploring God’s sense of call: Summer interns serve across conference congregations and ministries- Steve Kriss
• Interns connected with Franconia Conference in the Summer of 2008
• From mothering to shepherding: For God’s gift and His call are irrevocable– Eva Kratz
• From seeds of Anabaptism: Remembering a “child-like” faith– Chris Nickels
• Global shared convictions series: Welcome to the table in the name of Christ– Blaine Detwiler
• Retired to service in Arizona: Our lives have been enriched– Roland Yoder
• Reflections from Via Verano: Pilgrims on El Camino– Sheldon Good
• Pioneering new frontiers: Believing in miracles– Ron Tinsley
• Peaceful Living hosts conference for area faith communities: Moving toward welcoming people with disabilities and their families– Rich Lindberg
• Celebrating 300 years of heritage: Illuminating our life with hope– Christopher Friesen
• Experiencing the warm embrace of fellow believers– Nelson Shenk

Click to View/download the printable PDF

Gay Brunt Miller, Spring Mount

Dictionary.com defines the words “partner” and “mission” as follows:

Partner [pahrt-ner] noun: a person who shares or is associated with another in some action or endeavor; sharer; associate; a player on the same side or team as another.

Mission [mish-uhn] noun: a group of persons sent by a church to carry on religious work, esp. evangelization in foreign lands, and often to establish schools, hospitals, etc.; an establishment of missionaries in a foreign land; a missionary church or station.

Historically the model of mission featured EuroAmericans going, often internationally, and serving people in need in some way. As the definition above suggests, missions often implied establishing schools, hospitals or other institutions in the name of Christ.

In the last decade the whole concept of missions has been changing. Many countries where we used to “go” and “do” are now sending missionaries, sometimes to the United States.

More recently the word “missional” has crept into our vocabulary. While it comes from the same root, the idea is about realizing that our mission field is here all around us, not an ocean away. We’ve begun to wrestle with what it means to get on board with what God is already doing and reach out to our neighbors who need the hope and Good News of the gospel.

When combined with the word, “partners,” you get a very different connotation. Partners do things together, not for or to one another.

So how did this Partner in Mission (PIM) relationship become part of Franconia Conference?
The concept originally emerged from conversations between the Conference Board Executive Committee and staff as they considered the implications of being a missional conference. With a core value that God’s Spirit “blows where it will,” and wanting to flow with the Spirit wherever and however it happens, the idea was that developing relationships with partners who were different, yet shared some core similarities with us, would enhance our conference life in mission. We were looking for partners where God’s Spirit and movement was clearly evident. It was a “holy experiment,” recognizing that if we truly wanted to be a missional conference, we needed to shape our conference life and activities around what would make us more dynamic and ready to reach beyond our comfort zone.

It was envisioned that Partner in Mission relationships might open new vistas of mission for Franconia Conference, expand our connections and increase our opportunities for ministry in new areas. We may be enriched by discovering the gift of Christian unity that exceeds the usual boundaries that divide God’s people. Conversely, it was suggested that our partners might increase missional vitality from Franconia Mennonite Conference’s rich Anabaptist history and faith, including our holistic view of mission that combines evangelism, service and peacemaking. They might also benefit from certain resources we have to offer, and the relationship may provide the stimulus to further clarify their own congregation’s identity.

Early in 2001, Franconia Conference leaders first shared the concept of developing Partner in Mission relationships with conference congregations, and it was the subject of conferring at the year’s Conference Assembly. While there were lots of questions about whether we would lose our Mennonite distinctives by engaging in these relationships, and whether there would be appropriate accountability for the partners, delegates acted in the spring of 2002 “to affirm Partners in Mission as a positive expression of the missional character of Franconia Mennonite Conference and to ask conference leaders to bring a proposal for formal action to the November 2002 Assembly.” Delegates then took action to approve implementation of the plan for three years, after which an evaluation and a report was to be given to the delegates.

The following value and learnings from these developing relationships were reported in the three-year review of 2005:

Value: We have helped make God’s love in Christ for all people visible as Franconia Conference has worked together with other ministries toward a common project or purpose. These relationships have more adequately revealed the reality of Christ’s Body and witnessed to the gospel of peace. These PIM relationships have enhanced Franconia Conference’s Anabaptist theology by giving us opportunities to share our image of the world and of God. God has been more fully revealed especially through Franconia Conference’s demonstrated partnerships within the Northeast corridor region.

Learnings: Some of the challenges we have experienced include relational challenges like cultural differences, differences in expectations and priorities, difficulties in communication, inadequate time to develop trust and disparities in wealth. Through the publicized moral failure of a Partner In Mission leader we have become acutely aware that our mutual trust in one another’s organizational and personal integrity is vulnerable to human weaknesses.

Delegates affirmed “the continuing ministry between Franconia Mennonite Conference and Partners in Mission into the future, based on our experience over the last three years.”

Partners in Mission are increasingly becoming a vibrant part of our conference and congregational life. If you want to taste and see for yourself the good fruit of these relationships, come and meet many of our partners at this year’s Conference Assembly!