by Hendy Matahelemual
The chill of winter’s last stroll through the Midwest did not dim the hope sparked by leaders of color and others invited to participate in Mennonite Church USA’s Hope for the Future Conference at Goshen College in Indiana on Feb. 28-Mar. 2, 2025.
This year, the theme was Celebrating 30 Years of Damascus Road Antiracism Process, now known as Roots of Justice. Around 130 people (including six Mosaic leaders) gathered for the event, which began with an evening reception at a local inn. The following day included worship and various sessions. I was honored and grateful to be part of a panel featuring trainers from Damascus Road/Roots of Justice.
Antiracism is a key element of Mosaic Conference’s intercultural priority. Before we can truly gather as equals in the eyes of the Lord—as described in Revelation 7:9—we must address the elephant in the room: the sin of racism. This sin has divided humanity into two groups—the oppressed and the oppressor, the inferior and the superior, the dominant and the submissive—based on ethnicity, skin color, and race.
Dr. Regina Shands Stoltzfus, the first keynote speaker of the day, reminded us to acknowledge antiracism work in the past and present as we prepare for the future. She is the co-author of Been in the Struggle with Dr. Tobin Miller Shearer. As part of an intercultural book study in 2023, Mosaic Conference invited both authors to lead a webinar discussion on it.
I joined a breakout session on multiracial, cross-ethnic, and transracial identities in the church. This is where I realized that most of us, including myself, carry a mix of identities. Simply acknowledging it—and being acknowledged—was a liberating experience and a spiritual practice.
The second day ended with a gala dinner where, for the first time, I heard the folk song Arirang performed by Korean brothers and sisters. The song symbolizes the sorrow and hope of the Korean people, longing for a unified Korea. The gala was a space for honoring our elders and celebrating, and yes, there was all sorts of dancing involved.
Rev. Suzette Shreffler shared her story on the last day of the conference. As a Native American descendant, she grew up as a product of the Indian boarding school system, which forced her family to assimilate into Euro-American culture with the goal of erasing Indigenous languages, traditions, and identities.
She experienced generational trauma but, thankfully, found peace in Jesus through her ministry at the local Mennonite Church. She became the first Northern Cheyenne woman credentialed by Central Plains Mennonite Conference. Her story of resilience is a beacon of hope for the future, and I believe there are many more stories yet to be told.
The event concluded on Sunday with Dr. Rev. Lerone Martin, who shared one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermons, and I was amazed at how the sermon remains profoundly relevant today.
Dr. King spoke about the three triplets of evil: racism, poverty, and violence. My hope for the future is that we can confront all of these in the way of Jesus. Our conference priorities are set to tackle these forces of evil as we become more intercultural, formational, and missional in the way of Jesus, in a world that is both broken and beautiful.
Hendy Matahelemual
Hendy Matahelemual is the Associate Minister for Community Engagement for Mosaic Conference. Hendy Matahelemual was born and grew up in the city of Bandung, Indonesia. Hendy lives in Philadelphia with his wife Marina and their three boys, Judah, Levi and Asher.