Mosaic Mennonites

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Wildfires Impact Southern California Mosaic Congregations

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by Jennifer Svetlik

The fires in the Los Angeles, CA area have caused widespread destruction and loss of life since they began over a week ago, including damage to some Anabaptist congregations and members’ properties.  

There are five southern California Mosaic Conference member congregations and around a dozen credentialed pastors in the region. Families from Jemaat Kristen Indonesian Anugerah (JKIA) (Sierra Madre, CA) and International Worship Center (San Gabriel, CA) have both been affected by the evacuations related to the Eaton fire that has devastated parts of Altadena and Pasadena, east of LA. 

At this time, only one pastor remains evacuated, and one family from within a member congregation has reported that their home has been destroyed.  

Video provided by Virgo Handojo.

“In the face of loss, displacement, and struggle, please pray for comfort, resilience, and strength for those affected by Eaton Fire, and support our LA communities through donations, volunteering, and simply being present for us,” encouraged Virgo Handojo, Pastor of JKIA. 

In response to the fire, JKIA has launched three initiatives: Providing resource information on evacuation centers, access to clean water, shelters, FEMA registration, and insurance claim workshops; Raising donations within the congregation and the public to support those affected by the fire; and recruiting and organizing community volunteers to offer hands-on assistance and support. 

Mennonite Disaster Service and Mennonite Church USA have both been in contact with Mosaic Conference leadership to assess needs. Those who wish to contribute financially to disaster response can do so through Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS). 

“Mosaic Conference staff have been in regular contact with our pastors in the LA area to assess needs and responses,” said Stephen Kriss, Executive Minister of Mosaic Conference. “We will work through our member communities, sibling Anabaptist communities, and MDS to facilitate any further responses. We are grateful for the concern for our members in the face of these horrendous fires and the expressions of solidarity that have come from within Mosaic, and from MDS and Mennonite Church USA.” 

Mosaic Conference Leadership has also had contact with Pacific Southwest Conference Minister Stanley Greene to offer support. A few households within Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference have lost their homes.  

About ten percent of Mosaic member congregations are in California. 

“My heart has been shattered by the sights and stories of windstorm and wildfire in the megacity that God has led me to love deeply and to call home for most of my adult life,” shared Jeff Wright, Mosaic Conference Leadership Minister for several California congregations, who is also currently serving as pastor of Blooming Glen (PA) Mennonite but has lived in California for nearly 40 years and maintains a home in the area.  

“I’m also aware that Mennonites, who have worshipped and witnessed in Southern California for over 120 years have, in every generation, faced environmental catastrophes and social crises.” 

He continued, “In previous times of disaster, God united the local Mennonite community, diverse in ethnic identity, economic status, and theological priorities, to act together in love for one another and their neighbors. This latest ecological and public calamity will require a similar commitment to work together across conference, denominational, and agency lines. Calamity does not last, serving in crisis does.” 

Jennifer Svetlik

Jennifer is Editor & Development Coordinator for Mosaic. She grew up near Houston, TX and spent a decade living in intentional community in Washington DC, before moving to Lansdale, PA. She serves as Children’s Faith Formation Director at Salford Mennonite (Harleysville, PA).

Mennnonite Disaster Service responds to Missouri storms

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The storms hit Joplin, MO, Sunday afternoon; on Monday groups of local MDS volunteers were there helping chicken and turkey farmers by clearing access roads to damaged barns and moving live birds to other locations.

April was one of the most deadly months for tornados in years; May could turn out to be nearly as bad. Early reports after storms on Sunday put the death toll at over 80 in Joplin, with Search and Rescue teams still working.

MDS Disaster Response Coordinator, Jerry Klassen, arrived in Joplin on Monday, amid another storm pounding the already damaged area. He joined the MDS Missouri Unit leaders as they investigated how MDS may respond to the devastation.

The Missouri Unit has several trained Early Response Teams (ERT) that will arrive on Tuesday and begin tree removal, clean up and roof repairs in an area at the perimeter of the damage.

A group of volunteers from the Oklahoma MDS Unit will arrive on Friday to assist in the clean up. Joplin is not far from the Oklahoma border.

The MDS Arkansas Unit trained Search and Rescue Team (SART) was invited to the Joplin area to assist in search and rescue efforts there. Klassen reports “Some of the flattened area has been searched, you can tell by the markings. But some areas have not had Search and Rescue teams yet.” The SART will be given an area to search when they arrive.

Klassen noted that as they investigate and talk to survivors “There is a huge amount of shock and disbelief. We talked to one man who was distraught. His wife passed in December, he is disabled and now his house lies in shambles.”

The tornado did not hit only one area, “It hit the downtown area, industrial areas, businesses, big and small, and in rural, farming areas. And it hit a huge, huge amount of homes.”

The Missouri tornado follows a month of deadly tornados all over the US. MDS volunteers have been in Alabama since the April 27 tornados. The tornado takes only minutes to destroy; the clean up and rebuilding will take months or years. Currently MDS has two separate project locations in Alabama.

MDS Storm Aid is staffing a project in Phil Campbell, AL. The work there is clean up and they may begin the rebuilding phase soon.

The MDS project in Birmingham is running at full capacity with 40 volunteers every week. Clean up of trees and debris will be the major focus for some weeks, then repair and rebuilding. The project is expected to be open all summer and into the fall.