Intersections

Joe Landis, Salford
jlandis@peacefulliving.org

In the 1980’s I began to request volunteers from denominational agencies because I noticed a growing need for human services workers in the area. I had gotten into human services by volunteering myself through Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) PAX program. Specifically, I worked with people with disabilities and was an “orderly” in West Berlin, Germany for two years, instead of going to Vietnam. Having experienced a life-influencing time of voluntary service, I thought this would be an excellent opportunity for someone who might be interested in the field. However, this area was considered too wealthy and, with the concept of voluntary service fading in the US, it was increasingly difficult to find volunteers; as a result units were closing and urban area became the focus.

However, about two years ago I was talking to a representative from Christliche Dienste, a German Mennonite agency which is responsible for sending German volunteers around the world, including Peaceful Living, in collaboration with MCC and Mennonite Mission Network’s Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) program, and discovered that volunteers were not always located in economically depressed urban areas. When I approached MVS this time, they informed me of a new approach, “If a congregation will sponsor a unit, so will we.” They also have a new initiative to integrate urban volunteers in the suburbs, which aligns with our approach.

During this time a member of my small group at Salford Mennonite Church brought a new study guide: “Healing Healthcare: A Study and Action Guide on Healthcare Access in the United States” which is a study guide for congregations, published by the Mennonite Church USA, surrounding key issues of healthcare access. We began to talk about this and spun off in all directions, from the 45 million uninsured to Medicaid cuts and limits in the federal budget. We decided that one area we could make a small difference was to try to find volunteers to respond to some of the unmet health care needs in our own neighborhoods. We then sent a recommendation for a MVS Unit to Salford’s Justice and Peace Ministry Team. They in turn recommended it to the church board. In February of this year the congregation voted to accept the proposal.

There are multiple needs and opportunities for volunteers in our area. Around 1,500 people with developmental disabilities are waiting for services in the Montgomery and Bucks Counties. Hundreds of internationals are moving into our area, some refugees from Iraq, needing language training in order to find work. An agency which teaches English as a Second Language is maxed out with 400 people enrolled in their classes and 500 more on its waiting list. Another local human service agency that provides services for troubled youth and families, told me the majority of their staff live out of the area because there is no affordable housing nearby. We have a chronic staff shortage of human services workers in the Bux-mont area. There is already interest expressed from six local agencies, including Peaceful Living, for volunteers from this unit.

While we are waiting for approval from Mennonite Mission Network for this specific MVS unit a committee of members from Salford has formed to begin planning. We have decided to call this the Greater Philadelphia MVS house and aim to attract volunteers from both the US and abroad. The unit will recruit volunteers from six different sources, including Mennonite, Catholic, and Muslim agencies. We want our community to model our Anabaptist values of service and loving reconciliation. The Lord has already blessed us with a gifted committee, prayerful support, and several necessary resources. We hope for continued support as the project moves forward.

photo provided
by Peaceful Living

Nate Clemmer, Souderton
nate.clemmer@thproperties.com

I know all of the written and unwritten rules of being a Mennonite. I know what to say and when to say it. I know when it is appropriate to clap in church and even when it is permissible to say “Amen” without causing the entire congregation to turn around.

I have an “acceptable Mennonite” last name. In fact I have Clemmer blood on both sides of my genetic makeup. Thanks to the financial sacrifices made by my parents I have been blessed to have been educated for seventeen years at Penn View Christian School, Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, and Eastern Mennonite University. These three schools have been referred to as the “Triple Crown” of Mennonite education.

In short, I am like most of you. The rhythm of my song and the language of my story should sound strikingly familiar. However, I am finding all too often that these things are where the similarities end.

During many of the formative years of my life I placed a stronger emphasis on being a “Good Mennonite” then I did on being a passionate follower of Jesus Christ. I appreciate the tradition of the Franconia Conference and enjoy the comfort that comes from knowing I am among friends. But I am learning that comfort can be controlling. I find myself in a constant battle between playing it safe and stepping out in faith, wrestling with the tension between who I am and who I should be, how it is and how it could be.

I am discovering that for many of us church has become a place we come to reconnect with friends and be fed. It has become more about what we can get as opposed to what we can give back. Stewardship has become something that we teach as opposed to an outflow of gratitude that we feel. Outreach and evangelism has become something we leave to the experts. The kingdom of heaven has become a place we seek to go when our time on earth is done as opposed to living out our existence in a manner that strives to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. As a result, I feel that Jesus Christ is being lost in a religion bearing his name.

Please allow me to be clear in saying that if there is any blame to be assigned it should be directed at me, because I am the biggest part of the problem. I have been blessed with the opportunity and ability to influence change and make a difference, but for the majority of my life I have chosen to sit on the sidelines and play it safe. Why rock the boat when you know how to play the game and can play it well. Let me also be clear in saying that I can no longer rationalize with that still small voice and with great fear and trepidation I am attempting to step into the skin I was created to fill.

This is my story and this is my song, but I am convinced that I am not alone. My desire is to use the platform of Delaware Valley MEDA to galvanize those who share a similar passion to see the church restored to the original vehicle Jesus intended it to be. Over the course of the next year our dinner programs will spotlight individuals in the business and professional arena who are battling against the tension of the world and seeking to utilize their God-given talents for the glory of the kingdom. Our hope is that the stories of others will serve to fuel the fire to dig deeper within ourselves.

photo provided
by Nate Clemmer

Wanda Lindsay
with Jennifer Smith

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9

One evening ten years ago, I got tired of reading stories about crime and mental illness. Where were the positive, happy stories? I said to God, “There must be fairness for people with mental illness.” God asked me, “What are you going to do about it?” I replied, “Tell my story.”

Together We Strive
Wanda Lindsay is a woman on a mission. Eleven years ago, she founded “Together We Strive”, an organization with the mission of de-stigmatizing mental illness. Through presentations to area groups, written articles and editorials, and participation in community events, Wanda continually spreads her message of hope with passion and conviction.

I approached Lu Mauro, Director of Penn Foundation’s Wellspring Clubhouse with my idea. With her help, I wrote a grant and the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (Harrisburg, PA) gave me money to begin my work as a mental health community advocate and educator. I’ve shared my story to numerous groups such as churches, schools, and service and civic clubs.

Learning to Trust
Wanda was diagnosed with Schizo-Affective Disorder at the age of 24. A few years prior to her diagnosis, Wanda had lost both her mother and grandmother in the same year. This resulted in her having to move, and she began to drink on the weekends and then at home during the week. Wanda also began to hear voices.

When I came to Grand View Hospital, I believed that I only had one week to live. I left the hospital in 1987 and met Christine Shannon, Director of Residential Services at Penn Foundation. After speaking with Christine, I entered Penn Foundation’s Community Residential Rehabilitation Program. I always credit Chris with the start of my recovery. I learned to trust Penn Foundation, that they would help me, and I needed them to help me understand my illness. They were instrumental in that process.

Power of Hope and Possibility of Recovery
Penn Foundation strongly believes that every individual who comes through its doors has the potential to recover and live a fulfilling life. Mental illness does not have to mean a life sentence of hospitalizations, medications, and being alone. Today, mental illness can empower rather than hinder. To that end, the agency offers numerous rehabilitation programs to help individuals like Wanda live independent, purposeful lives.

The Wellspring Clubhouse, of which Wanda is a member, was started in 1994 to provide social, educational, and vocational opportunities to adults with mental illness and adults with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse issues. Members work side-by-side with staff in three work units – Kitchen & Housekeeping, Member Services & Administration, Employment & Education – to learn basic living skills and accomplish the tasks needed to keep the Clubhouse open and operational.

Call It Life, Call It a Reason to Live
My struggle with mental illness led me to discover my purpose in life – to educate people about mental illness, to help them to realize that mental illness is just like any other illness, to make them understand that people can live “normal” lives despite a mental illness. Five things that truly helped me in my recovery were 1) Faith in God, 2) Trust in myself and others, 3) Friends and family support, 4) Wanting to get better, and 5) Taking responsibility.

Never once at Penn Foundation did I hear, “Wanda, you can’t do this or that because you have a mental illness.” Rather, I heard, “How can we support you? How can we help?” Today, in addition to my work as a speaker on mental illness, I work at the Apple Orchard Café at Souderton Mennonite Home.

The greatest lesson I have learned has been the importance of having purpose, self-esteem, and self-confidence. I received these things through people who believed in me and gave me chances. My greatest hope is that people will continue to help and support me in giving a voice to mental illness.

photo provided by Wanda Lindsay

Lora Steiner
lsteiner@mosaicmennonites.org

Church buildings come in many shapes and sizes, but their purpose is always the same: to provide a space for worship, prayer, and gatherings. This fall, Philadelphia Praise Center used its space to build a bridge. The church, located in South Philadelphia, opened its doors to the local Indonesian Muslim community during Ramadan and shared a feast.

Philadelphia Praise Center (PPC) is a young congregation, just two years old, but it has always had an interest in connecting with the local community. Congregational leader Aldo Siahaan, who coordinated the event, says the church has a desire to reach out to “all nations represented here in Philadelphia.”

Aware that the Indonesian Muslim community had no mosque or space of its own large enough for the holiday gathering, Siahaan originally offered PPC’s building to the group in the fall of 2006, but nothing came of it. This past September, he was contacted by Muslim leaders who asked if they could use the building in October, during Ramadan.

Siahaan shared the request with members of the church, many of whom are Indonesian immigrants themselves. The congregation was supportive, and on the day of the gathering, church members prepared food, helped with the sound system, and even directed people to bathrooms. About 30 Christians and 100 Muslims shared the meal.

For PPC member Andrew Liemon, the event was remarkable because it would have been nearly impossible to have such a gathering in Indonesia.

About 90 percent of Indonesians are Muslim and there’s a long history of conflict between the two groups. Many Indonesian Christians, including about half of the Indonesian community in South Philly, have migrated to the United States because of religious persecution.

For Siahaan, that history makes it all the more important to reach out. “We want to show them Jesus’ love,” he said. “We believe that can affect people in so many different ways.”

Andrew Liemon agreed. “We’re just trying to show our love to them,” said Liemon. “They might have thought that Christians and Muslims would never get along and we just want to break that pattern and let them know that we are here for them.”

Tim Moyer, who attends PPC while he’s at university, was invited to take photos at the gathering. Moyer says he was encouraged to see the church interact with people from another faith.

“It wasn’t necessarily people they agreed with, but they used their space [to show hospitality],” said Moyer, who noted that crossing those barriers can be threatening. “If Christ is inside of us,” he added, “We don’t have to have fear.”

Siahaan says he hopes there will be more opportunities for interaction in the future. “When we become friends, it’s easier for us to show the love of God, it’s easier for us to share the love of Jesus,” he said.

“We just want to do our part,” says Andrew Liemon, “And we pray that God will do his part. There’s nothing more or less than that.”

View the photo album

(click the header to read all stories)

Read the articles online:

• Opening God’s Kingdom: Two leaders share a vision for Franconia Mennonite Conference– Forrest Moyer
• On becoming an open community: Offering light to the world– Noah Kolb
• All are called to minister: On a Sunday morning…– Tom Albright
• From Iowa to Pennsylvania: Ministering along Interstate 80– Firman Gingerich
• Equipping congregations to embrace God’s mission: Two congregational communities seek membership– Lora Steiner
• Learning about God’s creation, in God’s creation: Spruce Lake Outdoor School– Grace Nolt
• What’s in a name? Life With God moves beyond broadcasts– David Kochsmeier
• Blessed are the peacemakers: Finding forgiveness in an unexpected place– Mary Jane Lederach Hershey
• Welcoming the stranger: Opening our homes to international guests– Betsy Moyer

Click to View/download the printable PDF

Forrest Moyer, Blooming Glen
moyerf@mhep.org

Redemptive renewal…a fully-engaged peoplehood…drawing on the best of the Anabaptist tradition…God’s unfolding reign in our midst…opening up to the world…coming together…appreciating differences…a passionate call and gifting…offering ourselves like Jesus did…

These are words used by Franconia Mennonite Conference leaders, Noel Santiago and Blaine Detwiler, to describe a vision for the conference. The two men have recently been appointed to conference leadership roles, and they are united in a desire to see this community follow in the way of Jesus.

Noel Santiago is now serving as Franconia Conference’s Executive Minister. He is responsible for overall leadership of conference staff and operations, oversight of conference ministry, and coordination of missional partnerships with ministries beyond the conference structure. Noel came to Franconia Conference ten years ago to serve as part of a Mission Leadership Team that worked to help the conference develop a missional orientation in its focus and activity.

Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Lancaster County, PA, Noel describes himself as a “Puerto Rican – Dutchman.” Eating shoofly pie in Pennsylvania Dutch country and visiting relatives in Puerto Rico, he grew up “in between” two vibrant cultures, an experience that prepared him at an early age for reaching beyond borders of culture and language. After college, Noel spent time working in Costa Rica through Mennonite Board of Missions and gave leadership to study-and service semesters in Central America for college students from the United States and Canada. From He came to Franconia Mennonite Conference in 1996. Noel says that during his time of work with the conference, he has been blessed to see its community opening itself up to the world and especially the global south and east. Noel and his wife Juanita and their four children are part of the Blooming Glen congregation and live in Souderton, PA.

Blaine Detwiler’s story is different, but also about reaching beyond borders. Blaine was born in Franconia Township, PA, near to Franconia Mennonite Church, where his family attended. In the late 1950s, his parents sold their farm and moved to Susquehanna County, PA, as part of a small migration of farming families from this community who moved to that region and formed Lakeview Mennonite Church. Blaine spent his growing up years far from the geographic center of Franconia Conference and understands what it means to have a peripheral relationship with the conference community. After studying at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, PA, he returned to his home community and worked as a dairy farmer for 18 years, until he sensed a call to study at seminary. In 1992, he sold his interest in the farm and went to school at Eastern Mennonite Seminary. Upon graduation, he was called back to ministry at his home congregation of Lakeview and has served there as pastor for over a decade. He and his wife Connie have two grown children and three grandchildren.

Blaine began a term of service as Assistant Moderator of Franconia Conference in 2006. He serves on the Conference Board, the Faith and Life Advisory Council, the Vision and Financial Plan Team, and as a representative of Franconia Conference to the Mennonite Church USA Constituency Leaders Council. He sees in Franconia Conference great potential for sharing Christ’s love with the world, and he hopes to work for positive growth, as one would work to cultivate a crop or a tree—pruning a bit here, digging around the roots there, “doing what is needful to spur growth.”

Both Blaine and Noel hear the call of God to expand the Kingdom, to include more, to reach beyond what we know and are comfortable with. And with most of the Franconia Conference community situated in a diverse urban/suburban environment, close to urban centers like New York, Washington and Philadelphia and millions of people from all parts of the globe, and with Franconia Conference people living and traveling around the globe on a daily basis, the call to expand our vision becomes all the more compelling.

Franconia Mennonite Conference has a long and rich heritage of Christian faith and witness, but historically the conference has been a closed community that allowed for little diversity in culture, language, and ethnicity. Even in the 20th century, our congregations often remained oriented to a plain Pennsylvania German lifestyle and revolved around extended family relationships. This was a strong culture sometimes difficult for new disciples from varied backgrounds to find a home within and real acceptance.

Nevertheless, Noel has been impressed with the longevity and resilience of the Franconia Conference community. “With its many up and down times, the people of Franconia have adjusted, readjusted, and refocused their efforts on that which they believed God was calling them to. I have seen and experienced this response…I have experienced Franconia opening herself up to the world…in ways that demonstrate the goodness of God in those who came before us.”

Blaine also celebrates the past and the way that Franconia Conference has maintained an Anabaptist witness over the years. He hopes that we can draw from our history the good of Anabaptist faith—for instance, emphasis on practical living of faith and an understanding that we are “Christians first and citizens second”—and leave behind any tendency to work for the status quo or maintain privileged positions.

Blaine speaks of the vision of Christ in Luke 13:29: “People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.” This vision calls us to embrace various origins, cultures, and languages, even here in the Northeast Corridor. It calls us as a conference to expand our vision, to reach beyond our own culture and language and to give ourselves to our neighbors in the way that Christ gave himself to the world.

Noel shares his vision for the conference community in simple form: “That in all we do we end up seeing three things: 1) new believers and, from these, new leaders, 2) freed disciples of Jesus who are passionately living out their call and using their gifts in all arenas of life, and 3) transformed society that has been impacted by the collective engaged alignment of all of God’s people in this region being united in Jesus Christ!”

Surely this is vision for a healthy, growing Christian body, equipped to share good news in a diverse environment. May Franconia Conference, with all her strengths and weaknesses, find a part in this expanding community of God’s Kingdom.

Forrest Moyer is the Project Archivist for the Mennonite Heritage Center. He is a graduate of Kutztown University and grew up attending Finland Mennonite Church.

Tom Albright, Whitehall
traveltip80@hotmail.com

It is 9:00 a.m. on Sunday morning; I am eight years old and walking across the lawn from our house to our church’s Sunday School. Mrs. Dech, my teacher, is playing the worn upright piano – Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy In Jesus, but to trust and obey… Later she will be using the flannel graph and I’ll try to pay attention, but the wall of windows in the folding doors makes me wonder what all the kids out there are doing. Mrs. Dech seems so old, but I believe she loves us despite the fact there are a lot of active boys in this class and we do not always pay attention.

It is 10:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning; I am18 years old and fast asleep at Muhlenberg College. Campus Worship services do not begin until one o’clock in the afternoon, but I will not be going. Our religion professor has made me question much of what I learned of God, the Bible, and faith. He indicates to us that the Bible is a flawed book filled with mythical stories. I wonder…and not wanting to be a hypocrite, I choose to stay in bed until I can figure all of this out.

It is 11:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning; my wife and I are preparing for our baptisms. I am 34 years old. We have two small children and have been attending a Mennonite church, after searching for a place where our children will be able to learn and we’ll be able to grow spiritually.

I accepted Christ as my Savior in college, following an intellectual search for truth and finding that truth in Jesus. We had been active in a large Presbyterian church but were looking for something more personal. We would never have known the Mennonite church in Whitehall existed if a small postcard had not been delivered in the mail. My wife suggested we go, but I informed her you had to be born into that kind of church. Besides Mennonites dress strangely, and I was not even sure of their theology. My wife assured me that one of the ladies in the photo on the card attended a community Bible study and she seemed quite normal. I reluctantly agreed and now, a year later, here we are in a pool celebrating our baptisms.

It is 12:00 p.m. on a Sunday morning; we are meeting in our home with a group of five people from our community. We call this meeting “Ripple Effects”. Lunch has been cleared and we are asking about their week. A young man shares that he went to church when he was small and realized in his teen years it was a place filled with hypocrites. A woman with two children shares her grief over her husband leaving her and asking for a divorce. I wonder, “God, what am I doing here, what are they doing here? Surely you have people who know how to answer, help, and care for these people better than I can.”

No answer except that still, small voice encouraging us to keep going. We listen to their stories, their pain and joy. “How should I point them to you? Maybe I should just tell them my story. All right, Lord, I’ll tell them I had a Sunday school teacher named Mrs. Dech who taught a group of active children…”

I realize that, if ministry is a river, I am standing in the middle of it and wondering how I got out this far. I know I am called to ministry because I believe all followers of Jesus are called to minister. I see my life as preparation leading to this time, place, and calling. I know it is the Holy Spirit’s leading, preparing, and protecting that has gotten me safe this far and I know he will continue to lead. And so through the grace and mercy of God I continue to reach out in his name as pastor of community outreach for Whitehall Mennonite church and its emerging ministry, Ripple Effects