Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Margaret Zook

Searching for Sabbath

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by Margaret Zook

“Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation.”

– Exodus 31:13a, NLT 

As a child, I understood sabbath to mean that Sunday was for worship and to rest, in community. After going to church, visiting over dinner and reading were both permitted, but organized sports and shopping were not. Worship was rich with singing, bible stories, and friends. Rest was defined as “not working.”  

Yet, women did the cooking and clean up for whomever would be invited for Sunday dinner. It was a time when daughters were in a transition point, with growing freedom to imagine there could be more. Sabbath was a time to learn about God, not a tradition bound to.   

“On the seventh day God… rested from all his work.”

– Genesis 2:2, NLT 

It was during the middle years of my life that I had the freedom to imagine what Sabbath could be, beyond Sunday attendance in worship and Sunday meal making. During the period of my life that involved education, marriage, children, and career, Sabbath meant a search to discover a personal “vertical” relationship with God. Sabbath was time found–a moment of quiet, a walk, a church in which to belong, a sermon, a talk, a prayer time. Sabbath was to live as someone who belongs to the Lord.  

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath’.”

– Mark 2:27-28, NRSV 

As the years have passed, Sabbath freedom now becomes a recognition of how my time on earth is finite; I’m facing my mortality. I now find Sabbath as delight, grace for reflection, and flexibility for unexpected opportunities. I see Sabbath as an invitation to observances and disciplines that bring God closer, and to discover things that nourish a soul and give respite from the demands of the everyday. Sabbath is to hold and to learn for what God has for today.   

“Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.”

– Exodus 20:8, NRSV 

For all stages of life’s journey, I leave you with a few Sabbath ideas. Plan to set apart time for Sabbath, turn off technology, be present in community worship, engage in restful activities, spend time with loved ones, meditate on all of God’s creation, and make time for thoughtful prayer.  

Margaret Zook

Margaret Zook is the Director of Collaborative Ministries for Mosaic Conference. She and husband, Wib, are members of Salford Mennonite Church and live in Harleysville, PA.

Conference-Related Ministries, Together 

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by Margaret Zook

Mosaic’s Conference-Related Ministries (CRMs) serve their communities through nurture, formation, witness, care and discipling. They are led by individual boards, and are in relationship with each other through Mosaic Conference, grounded in shared Anabaptist values. Mosaic’s CRMs are geographically disbursed, vary in size and scope, and offer a wide variety of ministries.  

The “CRM Together” trips that have taken place over the past year have sought to “create a village” through visiting each other’s spaces, sharing stories, listening to the needs in our communities, learning and praying. These trips have invited CRM leaders to reflect on questions such as, “where can we help each other? What resources and gifts do we possess that can maximize the thriving of our communities?”  

Leaders of CRM Midian Leadership Project (Charleston, WV) with Margaret Zook, right, visit the Mosaic office and Dock Mennonite Academy (Lansdale, PA). 
Leaders of CRM Midian Leadership Project (Charleston, WV) with Margaret Zook, right, visit the Mosaic office and Dock Mennonite Academy (Lansdale, PA). 
CRM leaders, from left, visit Ripple Community, Inc.: Wayne Mugrauer, President, St. Luke’s Penn Foundation; Sarah Bergin, Director, MCC Care and Share Thrift Shoppes (Souderton, PA); Margaret Zook, Mosaic Staff; Ed Brubaker, President & CEO, Living Branches (Souderton PA).
CRM leaders, from left: Dean Stoesz, CEO of Indian Creek Foundation (Souderton, PA); Rich Whitekettle, Board member of Liberty Ministries (Schwenksville, PA); Wayne Mugrauer, President, Saint Luke’s Penn Foundation (Sellersville, PA); with Roy Williams, Mosaic Assistant Moderator. 

During Conference-Related Ministry Together Trips to Bike & Sol (East Greenville, PA), Mennonite Central Committee Material Resource Center (Harleysville, PA), Ripple Community, Inc. (Allentown, PA), a learning trip with Mennonite Historians of Eastern PA (Harleysville), a gathering at North Penn Commons (Lansdale, PA), and a Board & CEO luncheon with Assistant Moderator Roy Williams (North Tampa [FL] Christian Fellowship), CRM Together trips offered a place for sharing organizational beginnings, dreams for the future, and hopes for collective ministry opportunities.   

CRM CEOs and board members gather at the Mennonite Heritage Center (Harleysville, PA) for a talk on faith and culture. From left: Dr. Ron Souder, board chair, St. Luke’s Penn Foundation; Wayne Mugrauer, President, St. Luke’s Penn Foundation; Herman Sagastume, Executive Director, Healthy Ninos Honduras and Mosaic Board member.

“I find it inspirational to learn how members of our faith community are serving and supporting other CRMs in our community,” shared Sarah Bergin, Executive Director, Care & Share Thrift Shoppes (Souderton, PA). “These opportunities provide me with ideas and encouragement in my leadership role.”  

Mukarabe and George Makinto, co-directors of Amahoro International, lead worship during chapel at Dock Academy.    
Ed Brubaker, President & CEO, Living Branches; Edie Landes, board member of MCC Material Resources Center and of Mennonite Historians of Eastern PA.

The last stop on the tour was to North Penn Commons, a vibrant public center that houses four local nonprofit organizations that provide affordable housing, senior services, health and wellness services, job training, and food for those in need.  

Sheldon Good (Salford [Harleysville, PA]), director of Development and Strategic Direction, at Manna on Main Street, one of the four nonprofit organizations co-located at North Penn Commons, shared with the group of CRM leaders gathered, “The collective power of the faith community is both so strong and so underleveraged.”  

The CRM Together trips have sought to harness that collective power to develop deeper relationships across ministries, support one another, and seek to creatively continue to serve needs in our various communities.  

“These visits have reminded us of the diversity, importance, and connection of our community work,” reflected Wayne Mugrauer, President, St. Luke’s Penn Foundation. 

“We have all been inspired by this experience and the opportunity to learn, share, and grow.”  

Assistant Moderator Roy Williams, left, and Scott Roth, director of CRM Bike and Sol.   

Margaret Zook

Margaret Zook is the Director of Collaborative Ministries for Mosaic Conference. She and husband, Wib, are members of Salford Mennonite Church and live in Harleysville, PA.

What is a Mennonite? Sharing our Roots with Conference-Related Ministries

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by Margaret Zook

I was recently tickled to discover that the question, “what is a Mennonite?” can be answered in a two-minute Youtube video.  

But to understand the practical theology which motivates and shapes today’s Conference-Related Ministries (CRMs) and their work of service requires much more.      

CRM St. Luke’s Penn Foundation (SLPF) cabinet members and President Wayne Mugrauer gathered on a recent Monday morning to enter more deeply into the history of Anabaptist Mennonites.     

CRM SLPF cabinet gathers in the MHEP Meetinghouse. Photo by Margaret Zook.
President Wayne Mugrauer & Pastor Sue Conrad Howes share Q&A time at the “What is a Mennonite?” session. Photo by Margaret Zook.

Since 1955, Penn Foundation has been connected to the Anabaptist community as a CRM, reflecting the faith of their founders and the biblical values that influence the organization. In July 2021, Penn Foundation joined St. Luke’s University Health Network, an institution with Catholic roots, creating a fully integrated health network based on shared values. 

To understand the origins of the Anabaptist faith, there is no better place to enter the story than the exhibits and voices of the Mennonite Heritage Center (Harleysville, PA), another CRM. With stories, humor, and depth, Joel Horst Nofziger, Director of the Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania (MHEP), led the group through an interactive tour. 

MHEP’s Director Joel Horst Nofziger, right, and the Mennonite history displays capture attention of SLPF cabinet members. Photo by Margaret Zook.

With curiosity and interest, the group lingered with questions of clarification exploring the connections and uniqueness of Catholic and Anabaptist values.    

It was a rich morning of connections and relationships. I offer thanks to the organizations who invested time and resources to connect faith, beliefs, and works of service.     

Margaret Zook

Margaret Zook is the Director of Collaborative Ministries for Mosaic Conference. She and husband, Wib, are members of Salford Mennonite Church and live in Harleysville, PA.

Signs of Hope and the Butterfly Effect 

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by Margaret Zook

Amid so much violence, loneliness, and deep despair in our world, even in our church communities, I am asked by many, “How are you finding hope this year?”  

My response, usually, is that I have a large, loving family, the work of Mosaic inspires me, the small signs of spring assure me, and my congregation cares for the community. I follow the encouragement of Lizzie Moyer, the matron of Souderton Mennonite Homes (1927-1952), “Look to Jesus.” My trust in the Lord and the choice and freedom to follow in the path of Jesus, all these give me hope.   

But where is the hope in response to the world’s suffering?  

I see the hope in the depth, width, and impact of the Conference-Related Ministries (CRMs) in their communities.:   

  • On the porch of Ripple Community, Inc. in Allentown (PA) where the door opens to all with a snack, a bathroom, a table and a friendly hello.  
  • At the homes of Peaceful Living (Harleysville, PA) where belonging and acceptance are always present for people of all abilities.  
  • At Bike and Sol (East Greenville, PA) where the dedicated service center makes rebuilt bike magic happen. 
  • At Living Branches (Souderton, PA) where a friend is just a door away.  
  • In the village children of Honduras served by Healthy Niños and in the pastors of India accompanied by Peace Proclamation Ministries.  

This is hope in what Dr. Betty Pries calls “the butterfly effect.” The idea that the distant beating of butterfly wings over time and space may produce a whirlwind elsewhere in the world. Making a difference.   

The CRMs beat their wings over the world to bring hope, healing, education, and belonging to their communities.  

Every small act of showing up well for one another, leading with kindness, and sowing small seeds of hope makes a difference. “Make a difference in someone’s life every day,” encouraged Kathryn Kulp, former Administrator at Hatfield Home (1969-1987, now The Willows, part of CRM Living Branches).  

These small acts of love, one person at a time, may be the butterfly wings’ whirlwind. While these acts won’t stop the wars, violence, or climate crisis, they bring peace to the people that they touch.  

Doing their best in what they’ve been called to do, working with what is available, our CRMs create community, connections, and support. They are butterfly wings of caring, loving, and sharing that whisper hope into the community. They give me hope for our church and our future.  

Will you join me in praying for the leaders of our CRMs (from the Voices Together hymnal, #968)?          

God who calls you to this ministry,  

grant you grace, joy and endurance 

Guide and empower you for service 

Fill you with the gifts you need 

And may the one whose love unites us as the body of Christ  
strengthen us to live and proclaim the gospel together.   

voices together hymnal, #968

This reflection was inspired by one written by Dr. Betty Pries in December 2023.  

Margaret Zook

Margaret Zook is the Director of Collaborative Ministries for Mosaic Conference. She and husband, Wib, are members of Salford Mennonite Church and live in Harleysville, PA.

I Keep Learning

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Outside the window of my home office, the bluebird keeps returning to her nest.  I wonder why.  She built the nest, entertained suitors, chose one to share in the feeding of her nestlings, and then sat on the fence and watched her babies fly away.   

Maybe she returns to the comfort of the familiar. Maybe it’s her forever spot.  I could watch all day, thinking of the line, “Nothing but bluebirds all day long,” in the song, “Blue Skies,” by Irving Berlin.  

Perhaps like my bluebird, I tend to return to familiar places, people, and experiences.   There is such a powerful comfort when I align myself more closely with what I already know, especially when I’m tired.   My bluebird was very busy; is she tired and feeling vulnerable?  Tuck in and rest your weary head, my bluebird. It is okay to rest. 

Photo by Marian Brandt on Unsplash

Soon, with wings fluttering, she is off.   Under a bird’s wings are fragile skin and bones easily able to be damaged, but with the wings down, the bird is protected and guarded.   So why would she lift her wings, and why be so vulnerable? What is so important that she takes the risk?

I watch from behind my window, safe and guarded.  During life, it is easy to watch in my comfortable spot and explore less of the unknown. I have had experience of the good and bad times and have less time left to make use of new possibilities.  Why take the risk?

I can either spend time in safety behind my windows, or I can open the door. How do I balance bold risk with wise safety? When self is yelling, “No, no, too risky!”, the Spirit may be whispering, “There is great Christ-exalting joy in this to be had.”  Open the door, and don’t miss the joy.   

I look again. Is that my bird at the feeder?  The flock of birds noisily thrashes around on the feeder, and then the next group heads in for its share.  Then it’s the ground feeders’ turn.       

Who hangs out with whom? Where and what do they like for lunch?  I don’t know, but an Oxford team that studied bird behavior noticed that birds rarely arrive alone. Birds come in groups–for birds, social connection, or community, is a matter of survival.  

Why should I take the risk and join the people groups and the noisy discussion around what is important for survival?  Why should I risk moving beyond the doors, the locks, and my alarm systems?

“Be friends with one another, kind, compassionate and generous.  Serve one another and submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (a paraphrase of Ephesians 4:32 and 5:21). That’s the community of faith: individually and together, we become mature and grow in Christ. To my bird feeder friends, seed, friends, and nourishing social connections are God’s natural gifts for growth and security.  Maybe we humans can risk the call to community.

Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash

What is the price of a bluebird?   Some loose change, right?  God cares what happens to them even more than we do.  God pays greater attention to us, down to the last detail – even numbering the hairs on our aging heads!  So don’t be intimidated.   Go on, rest, risk being vulnerable, and then join the noisy community.  You all are worth more than a million bluebirds (something like Matt. 10:29-31). 

To read more: “Community: God’s design For Growth,” by Howard Macy from NavPress. 

The opinions expressed in this content are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference.

What Really Matters

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by Margaret Zook

What does the Lord require of you? 

We could use more of Mr. Rogers in this world. “It’s not so much what we have in this life that matters,” he said. “It’s what we do with what we have. The alphabet is fine, but it’s what we do with it that matters more. Making words like friend and love. That’s what really matters.” 

Here is an example from a story that may be familiar to us. One evening, a boy on a beach was picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. A passerby asked, “Why do you do this?” 

“The starfish would die if left until the morning sun,” the boy said. 

“But the beach is miles long, and there are millions of starfish. How can your efforts make any difference?” 

“It makes a difference to this one.” And the boy threw the next starfish into the sea—far beyond the breaking point of the waves. 

In Micah 6:8, we learn what God requires of us: He has told you, human one, what is good and what the Lord requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God. 

Walking humbly with God is knowing that we may not have very much. Embracing faithful love is doing our best with what we have, even if it is only one starfish at a time. 

Find the courage to choose what really matters. The Love of God transcends and transforms what the world imposes. 

Let’s imagine at the same beach, a group was throwing starfish back into the sea. “Why do you do this?” asked a puzzled beach walker. 

“Because we’re a faith-based, not-for-profit organization. Our mission is to do as Jesus did,” the group said. 

“But surely you have some requirements of these starfish. Maybe they need to believe the same as you. Do they need to pay you? Must they go to your church?” 

“If you are a starfish on this beach, the only question we ask is, can we help you?” And the group threw the next starfish carefully back into the sea. 

Find the courage to love and do as Jesus did. 

This is the story of Mosaic Conference Related Ministries. It is a story of groups who looked around them, saw a need, and transformed their communities with hope, health, healing, education, and places of safety. Praise be to the Lord. A complete list of Conference Related Ministries and their stories can be found here. 

The love of God transcends and transforms, and transformed people transform the world. 

Margaret Zook

Margaret Zook is the Director of Collaborative Ministries for Mosaic Conference. She and husband, Wib, are members of Salford Mennonite Church and live in Harleysville, PA.

Who Wants to be 91?

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by Margaret Zook

August 21 was National Senior Citizens’ Day.  By 2060, those aged 65 or older will total more than one quarter of the world’s population.  According to the World Health Organization, the number of persons aged 80 and older is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 to reach 426 million.    

Community elders, or those of us who are aging, may be viewed as retired, empty-nesters, babysitters, volunteers, or vacationers spending their children’s inheritance. Others may think of them as forgetful, frumpy, frail, and feeble. 

“Who wants to be 91?” a 19 year-old young man asked with a sneer.  “I do,” replied a ninety-one-year-old man modestly. Most of us want to live a long time, but we don’t want to grow old.  

We start aging the moment we are born.   The first stage of life is filled with learning and growing.  The second stage is focused on production and accomplishment. These years go quickly.

The third stage of life, or the later years, is time for reflection, renewal, relationships, and grace. Author Katie Funk Wiebe writes of the third stage as the “proving ground of whatever one has believed, thought, practiced, and said.”  It is a time to use life-giving skills—those skills developed and practiced during the previous two stages—that will continue to give meaning and strength to life and faith. 

“Can we expect to become brighter and sweeter as the years roll by?” asks Tilman Smith in In Favor of Growing Older. “Not necessarily; it depends on how we live today. You will take your baggage with you as you grow older.”   

Life is complex at all stages. Funk Wiebe recommends in her books Border Crossing: A Spiritual Journey and Bless Me Too, My Father some faith practices for living today and all tomorrows. “It’s never too late to learn,” says Smith, so “develop the resources within … throughout your life.”   

I invite you to, no matter what your age is, join me in some of these faith practices: 

Gratitude: Exercise the “thank you” muscle. Repeat the words “thank you” to God and to those around and watch what happens.  

Generosity: Scientific studies report that giving back and helping others make us feel happier and more content. Create an inward picture of your generosity’s recipients and pray a blessing for and around them.  

Reframing: All of life has its share of reverses, losses, and sorrows.   What makes a difference is the attitude we have towards them.   Practice reframing time and focus on the positive aspects of the present. Be aware of events and persons in the present—give them your attention.   

Flexibility: Things change as we age, and some of those changes are irrevocable.   But with every reversal comes a new opportunity.  Practice never giving up learning, listening, and growing.   

Forgiveness: Anger and payback do not turn into the healing balm of love.  Forgiveness is the therapy of old age that wipes the slate clean and heals.  Practice true forgiveness, for it is more important to the one who forgives than it is to the one who is forgiven. 

As the Apostle Paul reminds us, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me…. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-13, NIV). 

Margaret Zook

Margaret Zook is the Director of Collaborative Ministries for Mosaic Conference. She and husband, Wib, are members of Salford Mennonite Church and live in Harleysville, PA.

Imagine … Conflict as a Gift

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The Space Between Us: Conversations about Transforming Conflict by Betty Pries (Herald Press, 2021)

Image… a church board, a work team, or a congregation engaged in difficult conversations, who disagrees yet does it with respect and intentional listening, and calls conflict “a gift.” Imagine … where conflict is a gift, there is an opportunity to understand ourselves better, to discover empathy for others, to build deeper and more meaningful relationships. Imagine … conflict that leads us toward developing healthier relationships and communities.

Differences exist. Don’t we know it! As a people of peace. with curiosity and acknowledgment of our differences, we hope to build respectful relationships. Of course, it is not easy. Difficult topics, especially those that involve our beliefs, practices, accountability, and policies, are not easy to maneuver. It is challenging to believe that I am one with those whom I continue to fundamentally disagree.

In his book, Daily Meditations, Richard Rohr writes,

“There are three things in life of which we can be assured: The first is that we are beloved. Regardless of what we have done in our lives or what has been done to us, this truth remains: We are beloved. We are worthy. Second, suffering will come. Life does what life does. In one fashion or another suffering will be thrust on us. This includes the suffering of conflict. And finally, third, when we are in our time of suffering a hand will reach toward us to pull us back to life. That hand may be a community, a friend, a stranger in line at the grocery store…”

I believe a book, such as The Space Between Us, can also be a hand that will pull us back to life.

In The Space Between Us: Conversations about Transforming Conflict, author Betty Pries, a mediator and facilitator, guides readers toward seeing conflict as an opportunity for personal growth, deeper self-knowledge, and a way to build resilience. Rooted in the conviction that conflict can strengthen our relationships and deepen our self-knowledge, Pries offers practical skills rooted in Christian practices of mindfulness, connecting with our most authentic selves and deep listening, to uncover new possibilities for engaging conflict and casts a vision for a more joy-filled future.

As we transform conflict, the space between us is transformed just as the space between us is healed.

Imagine … a book that gently guides, leads with helpful examples, and gives practical suggestions. A book to read, keep on your shelf, share with your church board, and reread. A free online study guide by Karen Cornies is also available through Herald Press and might allow for your entire congregation to read the book together. I personally give the book a 5-star recommendation.