Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

missional

Opening new doors in the Poconos

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Grace Nolt, Public Communications Coordinator, Spruce Lake Retreat,  grace@sprucelake.org

For 48 years, Spruce Lodge has been the changeless hub of Spruce Lake Retreat, but a new door to the future has opened!

Spruce Lake has embarked on a visionary yet demanding $8 million “New Horizons” capital campaign to build a new hospitality center. Ribbon-cutting is anticipated for May 19, 2013, in time to celebrateSpruceLake’s 50th anniversary.  Confident of God’s hand in the decision to move forward in spite of the current economy, board and staff see this step as an opportunity God has put into place.

Possibly the oldest building on the grounds, Spruce Lodge is well-loved, like a favorite pair of worn shoes in which we feel comfortable. It’s also a kind of holy place; many who have entered through its doors have been changed forever.

Yet the familiarity—and the patience—is wearing thin. Staff frequently serve meals for 250 people or more in space intended for 140 at best. Guests worm their way through the often crowded lobby to tiny public restrooms. Those who lodge upstairs can hear what their neighbors do or say in the next room. And there are more old boards, leaks and fire hazards than staff would want anyone to know! Spruce Lodge has even been referred to as the Achilles’ heel of Spruce Lake.

Spruce Lake has been inching toward the new dining room for 20 years. Since 1991, five different plans have been proposed. The board believes that now is the time to act on building a new Hospitality Center that will meet Spruce Lake’s program needs while maintaining a responsible budget and meshing fluently with the natural environment.

Chad Davidheiser of Bethlehem, Pa., has attended Joni and Friends Family Camp for nearly 20 years. (Left to right: Chad Davidheiser, Mark Swartley, and Jackie Swartley.) Photo by Grace Nolt

Some guests can hardly wait! Joni and Friends International Disability Center (JAF) is one such group.

“For more than 20 years,” said JAF founder Joni Eareckson Tada, “Joni and Friends has been a partner with Spruce Lake in serving families with disability. The new Hospitality Center means that Joni and Friends will be able to serve 45 more special needs families every summer. That is huge!”

JAF holds three weeklong Family Camps at Spruce Lake each year. All are full, with approximately 40 families each week. As many as 38 families are on waiting lists.

Increased accessibility will enhance Spruce Lake’s long-held commitment to provide facilities suitable for persons with disabilities.  Other features will also allow Spruce Lake to continue honoring guests with an enjoyable, inspiring and quality experience through which God can ease his way into their hearts.

In July, 2011, RIPPLE Allentown, a Franconia Mennonite Conference Partner-in-Mission, held its first church leadership retreat at Spruce Lake. That experience was just what the group needed for listening to the voice of God more clearly.  “Leaving the city to meet elsewhere was new for us,” Pastor Tom Albright said. “Some of our group had never been away from an urban setting.”

“God was present (and) we grew closer to Jesus,” Albright continued, “as we realized that we all are broken, healing, hurting, loved and forgiven people. That breakthrough has brought us to a place where we are listening to God and to each other, while being disciples of Jesus.  Our return to the city has included thanks and praise to God, and the desire to return to Spruce Lake to hear, see, taste, touch and smell that God is so good!”

As Spruce Lake moves through the door that God has opened, the $8 million needed for the New Horizons campaign is indeed a big goal. And it will require the cooperation of many hands and hearts so that future generations can also “hear, see, taste, touch and smell” that God is good!

Young leaders build relationships with Mexico City churches

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Benjamin Sutter, Franconia Conference Communications Intern, benjamins5@goshen.edu

Rockhill Mennonite (Telford, Pa) youth pastor, Angela Moyer, had taken groups of high school youth to Mexico City to do mission work before, but this time was different. This time, Moyer wanted to bring young adults and focus on building relationships. This past July, she traveled with a Franconia Conference-sponsored team to do just that.

(from left to right) Benjamin Sutter, Rachel Spory, Janine Bergey, Oliver, Deanne Delp, Hezrael, and Angela Moyer.

Moyer was joined by Janine Bergey, also from Rockhill, Deanne Delp, from Laurel Street Mennonite in Lancaster, Pa., Rachel Spory, from First Mennonite in Johnstown, Pa., and Benjamin Sutter from Kern Road Mennonite in South Bend, Ind. Although most of the team spent their time at Iglesia Anabauptisa Menonita Fraternidad Christiana Prensa, Moyer and Spory also traveled to Iglesia Anabauptisa Menonita Fraternidad Christiana Espartaco for five days of the trip to assist with a shortened Bible School week there.

“Espartaco was a joyful and kind church,” said Moyer. They even moved the site of their Bible School to a location closer to a community with more children, she said.

While in Prensa, the group connected with Alicia Alvarez Uzcango and Ariel Avila Muñoz, a couple who serve on the Prensa leadership team. Alvarez and Avila, who also organized Bible School, emphasized lives of Christian service, along with the importance of Scripture.

“We understand that we need to have a balance of both the theology and living it out,” said Muñoz, through a translator.

“Service is something that has characterized this church,” Alvarez added through translation. “In spite of not having a lot of money resources, [in the past, the church was] able to hand out food, clothes, and help to refugees. … We’re in the process of helping others [in the church] to understand, to make it part of their lives.”

Hosting a week of Bible School during the summer is one way the church is reaching out to the surrounding neighborhood; only five of the forty kids who participated in Bible School attend the church regularly.

“Bible School is not just for the kids, it’s for the families of the kids,” said Alvarez.

Kids from the bible school color paper cakes to attach to paper aprons and chef hats.

One man who attends the church, Manwell, brought his sobrinos (nephews and nieces) to Bible School for the first time. He told Avila that they sang the Bible School songs at home all evening.

“I told him, ‘God is using you, because you are bringing your sobrinos [to church],’” Avila said. “’What would your life have been like if you would’ve known Jesus as a child? This is your responsibility, so that they won’t go through the same things.’ And he got it!”

Overall, the relationships left an impact on the Franconia Conference group.

“Each time I visit the churches in Mexico City, I’m overwhelmed by their generosity, hospitality, and love for the people in their communities,” Moyer said. “I’m encouraged by their passion for the Anabaptist and Mennonite witness in their communities and world.”

“[Prensa is] a small congregation with much potential for growth, impact and outreach in their community,” added Bergey.

The team, as well as leadership in both churches, is hopeful about future relationships between Franconia Conference and CIEAMM.

“Each conference has gifts that God has given to the people there,” said Delp.

“I’m encouraged that each conference, as a whole, is interested in a continuing relationship with the other,” Bergey added. “There is much to be learned from each other in areas of vision, mission, hospitality, outreach, and more. I’m eager to see what dreams may come from the interactions between the CIEAMM and Franconia Conference.”

“Mi familia es tu familia,” said Avila. “We are all a part of the Body of Christ.”

View the photo album

September 11: A decade later

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Remembering at Salford Mennonite Meetinghouse
6:30 pm; Harleysville, Pa

by Anne Yoder, West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship

Our country is preparing to commemorate the events of September 11, 2001 in a big way. What stories and images will be re-told over and over, what memories will be evoked, what responses will be expected? Will the secular media and the church differ in its handling of these?

Many of us have vivid memories of the destruction we witnessed and heard about on 9/11, when aggression against the United States killed 2,976 persons. We experienced fear and foreboding, and hardly knew how to react to it all. When our country went to war against in the Middle East, most Americans were all right with it, thinking that it would teach the terrorists a lesson they would never forget. Many vowed to never let 9/11/01 fade from their memories.

In the intervening years, life has gone on for us. We have been able to forget 9/11 almost completely, and even forget the war that has been waged in Iraq and Afghanistan ever since 2003. But the cost of this forgetting is very high. The war in Iraq alone has killed over 101,900 civilians and the Afghanistan incursion has cost untold numbers of lives as well.   And then we must consider the cost to the United States and it’s allies in the lives of soldiers and billions of dollars spent every year.

The 10th year anniversary of 9/11/01 provides the followers of Jesus with the opportunity to look back, to examine our response to the events of that day and its aftermath in the light of Christ’s love and mercy, and to commit or recommit ourselves to the reconciliation and shalom that is so much a part of the Good News. A sample worship service was developed for September 11th, which may be used as it is written, or adapted to suit specific congregations. A service of sung and spoken prayer will be held at Salford Mennonite Church at 6:30 p.m. on September 11th, to which all in Eastern District Conference and Franconia Mennonite Conference are welcome.

Proverbs 3:31 reads: “Do not emulate the violent; never model your conduct on theirs.” May the Church take this as its guiding principle for this important anniversary in our history.

Franconia Conference board and staff gather together to listen, dream and heal at Blooming Glen

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by Emily Ralph, eralphservant@mosaicmennonites.org

Blooming Glen, Pa—Franconia Mennonite Conference board and staff gathered at Blooming Glen Mennonite’s pavilion on August 22 for a time of healng prayer, sharing and dreaming for the future.

According to Conference Executive Minister, Ertell Whigham, the retreat was designed to develop a common sense of ownership and understanding of the conference’s purpose.  “Strategy without passion or commitment doesn’t get an organization anywhere,” he told the group, inviting them to share experiences that have excited them about Conference life and direction.

Noah Kolb (right) laughs with Ertell Whigham and Marta Castillo at the Franconia Conference board and staff retreat. Photo by Emily Ralph.

“Part of my deep passion is seeing young leaders develop and do all that God has created them to do,” said Noah Kolb, pastor of ministerial leadership.  He smiled across the room at Joe Hackman of Harleysville, Pa, board member-at-large.  “I look across here and see Joe, who I blessed as a baby—I followed his fascinating growth in leadership.  It’s that kind of thing that just really excites me.”

Finance Committee chair, Randy Nyce of Hatfield, Pa, sees that kind of formation as central to the church’s purpose.  “The core problem in society is our separation from God,” he said.  The role of the church is to “help people to build healthy relationships, both with each other and with God.”

Noel Santiago, LEADership Minister for spiritual transformation, asked each person to imagine that they were walking their dogs and heard someone in the park sharing a testimony of Christ’s transformation in his life.  “That’s John’s story,” he said, smiling broadly.  Just two days before, John and seven others had decided to follow Jesus after hearing the Good News at GodQuest’s Souderton (Pa) Worship in the Park (photo gallery).

And these are only some of the lives that have been touched as Franconia Conference congregations have stepped beyond their walls and entered their communities.

For Philadelphia Praise Center, said Steve Kriss, director of leadership cultivation, being missional means that, “at their block party [last week], vegans were flipping burgers for their neighbors.”

Board member Beny Krisbianto prays blessings over Conference staff. Photo by Emily Ralph.

Many of these kinds of events are made possible through conference missional grants.  Conrad Martin, director of finance, oversees the grant process.  Each grant application includes the congregation’s desired outcomes, he told the group.  “This little grant that we’re giving them,” he said excitedly, “if it’ll end in their ‘expected results,’ was well worth it!”

Rina Rampogu, board member-at-large from Quakertown, Pa, reflected on how apathetic she was to the conference’s work when she was a lay leader.  All that changed when she was nominated to her current position, she said.  “When I became a board member, it became vibrant for me. . . .  God has brought us together to see what congregations are doing.”

The board members have been introduced to congregational activities through individual gatherings with church leadership teams.  “Congregational visits are huge,” agreed Nelson Shenk of Bally, Pa, Ministerial Committee chair.  “Those visits have made us a better board,” added Jim Longacre of Barto, Pa, board member-at-large.

The conference board and staff were particularly struck by the width of cultural differences within the conference, beyond those of ethnicity: cultures of wealth, technology, generation, or theology.  “We have many different paradigms for how we understand God’s work in the world,” said Joe Hackman, “yet we can still partner together.”

“We don’t need to think alike,” pointed out LEADership Minister, Ray Yoder, “but we do need to think together.”  This means open, candid, and often difficult conversations, he added.

The foundation of these conversations is developing a culture of prayer—which could be an intercultural experience in itself, suggested Marta Beidler Castillo of Norristown, Pa, board member-at-large.  “This is a growing cultural edge for us,” she said.

Conference board and staff gather for healing prayer as the sun sets. Photo by Emily Ralph.

Conference board and staff gathered for a prayer of healing and commissioning together as a step toward a hopeful future, recognizing the last months of conflict, struggle and leadership transitions.  As the sun set quietly over Bucks County fields, board member Beny Krisbianto of Philadelphia prayed that the Conference would recognize together that a new day was beginning.  A final blessing included Ertell Whigham’s prayer, which was based in Philippians 1: 9-11: that love would overflow and that knowledge and understanding would increase toward continued fruitfulness in a way that brings glory to God.

Franconia Conference contributes, leads, speaks at Pittsburgh 2011

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by Emily Ralph, eralphservant@mosaicmennonites.org, and Steve Kriss, skriss@mosaicmennonites.org

Members of Franconia Conference descended on Pittsburgh last week for Mennonite Church USA’s Convention, “Bridges to the Cross.”  In addition to participating as delegates and youth groups, Franconia Conference members contributed to important conversations about the life of our church.  A few highlights:

Yvonne Platts, a leader from Nueva Vida Norristown New Life, spoke up at a delegate session on holistic witness. “Usually in Mennonite circles we hear of peace as keeping kids out of the military,” she said. “What I don’t hear is how we keep our kids on the streets from killing one another, from fighting one another.”

The first gathering of the North American Indonesian Mennonite Leaders group from all over the United States met at Franconia Conference member congregation Greensburg (Pa) Worship Center about 30 miles outside of Pittsburgh to fellowship and dream for the future.  When he introduced Franconia Conference (which helped to sponsor the event), LEADership Minister Steve Kriss challenged the California Indonesian churches, “We look forward to the networking and vining of Indonesian Anabaptist congregations that will link from both coasts across the country.   Like the transcontinental railroad, we’re bulding inward from both sides and to our brothers and sisters in California, we hope that we will meet somewhere in the middle.” Conversations included discussion of the possible new congregations in Denver and Birmingham, AL.

Pastor Aldo Siahaan addresses North American Indonesian Mennonite Leaders during Convention. Photo by Emily Ralph.

Jim Ostlund, youth pastor at Blooming Glen, taught a workshop on technology and communication, encouraging teens that the greatest technology ever created is our human body.  “We can use new media to connect,” he said, “but it will not replace face to face in real time.”   The Blooming Glen youth group was the largest at convention this year.

Michael King, member at Salford Mennonite Church and dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, presented on the need for Biblical literacy: “We tend to operate within a Bible that fits our lens. On God’s level, the Bible is big enough for us all.”

Franconia Conference Youth Minister Marlene Frankenfield delighted youth sponsors with goodies and giveaways as part of a workshop she co-led with Merv Stoltzfus on creative ways of using resources to enhance youth ministry.

Michael Bishop, part of the pastoral team at Blooming Glen, helped lead hymns and international music during adult worship and hymn sing.  He led alongside a worship team from the largest Mennonite Church USA congregation– Calvary Community Church of Hampton, Va.

Beny Krisbianto, pastor at Nations Worship Center in Philadelphia, led a workshop on being a relevant church.  “The mission of evangelism is about persuading people to stop, look, and listen,” he said.   Maria Byler and Aldo Siahaan of Philadelphia Praise Center helped to lead a workshop on building healthy intercultural relationships and communication along with Virgo Handoyo, pastor of Jemaat Kristen Indonesia Anugerah (Sierra Madre, CA), a member congregation of Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference.

Franconia Conference Executive Minister Ertell Whigham served on the convention listening committee, providing feedback to the convention’s organizers. “It has been said that with every experience in life we continue to learn.  This is especially true when it comes to the gathering of God’s people.  We learn something about ourselves, other people, and especially about God.”

What other Franconia Conference voices did you hear at Convention?

Community Home Services: Caring in the name of Jesus

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by Mary J. Tidey, Souderton, mtidey@communityhomeservices.org

Community Home Services is now beginning its 17th year of providing home care to those in need in this community. Founded on Anabaptist principles, CHS provides well-trained and supervised staff to meet the needs of the elderly and disabled in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia in their homes.

CHS was founded in 1995 with Ruth Mumbauer as Administrator. Ruth did the initial hard work of hiring workers, establishing policies and procedures and marketing the services offered in local churches and throughout the community. In 1997, Diane Tihansky began to serve as Executive Director. Building on the foundation laid by Ruth, the company saw much growth under Diane’s direction. The scope of services was refined and expanded to meet the changes and challenges of the 21st century.

I joined CHS in 1998 as Operations Director. I was attracted by the Christ-centered mission of the organization which describes CHS as a ministry charged with giving care to elderly and disabled persons in the Mennonite/ Brethren tradition of caring. This felt like a good fit for me from the beginning. When Diane resigned last year, I was happy to take up the reigns as Executive Director.

It has been a busy and challenging first year. CHS employs 100 workers and has provided care to approximately 4000 clients in this area. I am humbled by the task of leading this organization and grateful for a Board of Directors which provides direction and guidance to me and the CHS Management Team.

I am extremely proud of our employees who work so hard to bring the care our clients need to their doors. Our staff can be a bright spot in the day of someone who spends too much time alone or respite for overwhelmed caregivers. Sometimes they are eyes and ears of children who live a distance away. More times than I can count, they have intervened to prevent a true crisis for someone living alone.

I came to faith in a Christian home, raised by parents who were active members of Souderton Mennonite Church and then BranchCreek Community Church. My personal faith was deeply influenced by watching my parents. They were a wonderful example of faith in action. The example they set taught me that doctrine and theology pale in importance when compared to living Christ-like. Allowing others to see Christ in you is being light in a world that can be very dark.

My work experience prior to coming to CHS was with Grand View Hospital as a Registered Nurse for 24 years. Working in various capacities including Emergency Department, nursing management and Hospice gave me many learning opportunities. I have learned that life is very precious and sometimes we do not get to choose our own path. Sometimes, the only control we have is our response to the hand we are dealt.

I have also learned that most people are hurting, even if it’s beneath the surface, most of the time. This is what each of us has in common with every other human being: we are all vulnerable. Knowing this helps us understand those around us and makes us a little more patient. This is why caring in the name of Jesus is the most effective way to reach out to someone.

Celebrating Souderton: A missional direction

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by Scott Hackman, Salford, scott@myohai.com

Celebrate Souderton was a missional faith experiment birthed from the imaginations of the Open Hand Initiative, a group of people who want to help local communities become places of belonging, using generosity and collaboration.

The context of society has shifted over the past several decades and the church has been pushed to the margins. Many people believe this offers an opportunity for the church to reclaim its mission. Celebrate Souderton gave Mennonite leaders the opportunity to take risks and experiment with missional impulses, as we attempted to answer what it might look like to express our faith in a local context during Lent.

The goal of this event was to collaborate with local faith communities, businesses, and non-profits to create space for belonging and opportunities for generosity. On Friday, March 11th we started by hosting a concert and coffee in downtown Souderton. Over 200 people participated in the evening, which included free local music and the opportunity for conversation at Main Street Java. From there, we continued the conversation at Main St. Java with Sunday evening gatherings to share stories about faith in the neighborhood in the context of themes from the Sermon on the Mount. Over 150 unique people came out during these weekly gatherings.

Our final event happened on April 23rd when 12 churches, 13 business sponsors, and several Main Street businesses joined together to celebrate the people in their neighborhood. Over 1,000 neighbors showed up. There were three art galleries displaying art by local high school students, local artists, and those in the community with disabilities (through Peaceful Living). A kids’ station was presented by Salford Mennonite and congregations like Blooming Glen and Souderton Mennonite provided free food. We also took over the main street parking lot for a large KidsZone managed by BranchCreek Community Church, complete with inflatables, hot dogs, cotton candy, and face painting. The youth group of Franconia Mennonite starting things right by dressing up as Scooby-Doo and Elmo to invite the neighbors to join in the fun.

The vision for this faith experiment comes from the underlying impulse to participate in the reign of God by following Jesus. We do this through sharing stories, events, and education. Together we’re exploring the next steps for the common good in the neighborhood whether that’s in Souderton or beyond.

The Worm Project: The power of “one”

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by Diana Gehman, Worm Project, dianagehman@yahoo.com

His forwarded emails had all the intriguing elements of an obscure drug dealing story: ‘international searches for the cheapest manufacturer; purchases of the drug in bulk quantities for lower prices; recruitment and networking with distributors in the United States and third world countries; research for ways to get the drug into countries where customs posed barriers or required monetary bribes; and leaving a paper trail showing 100% of all donations going to a nonprofit charity. I was drawn into the contagious passion that this 80-year-old man breathed into every word, a passion that beckons others to join him.’This inconspicuous man is Claude Good. His passion is The Worm Project.’

That passion started out of a scenario of desperation. While serving as a Franconia Conference missionary in Mexico with the Triqui Indians from 1960 through 1985, Good became increasingly frustrated that children were suffering and dying from malnutrition from intestinal parasites, or “worms.” He set out to find a way to alleviate their condition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), worms ate up to 25% of what little food the already malnourished children could obtain. Infections from intestinal parasites caused stunted growth, weight loss, asthma, diarrhea, low immune systems, learning disabilities, and even death. After diligently searching, Good found a miracle drug called Albendazole, which given every 6 months for 3 years would eradicate the intestinal parasites and enable a child to benefit from the nutritional value of all food eaten. Thus, out of desperation came inspiration: eradicate malnutrition in children in impoverished countries by wiping out worms through the distribution of Abendazole tablets. The Worm Project was born.

The scale of the challenge was formidable. WHO estimates that over 2 billion people around the world are infected with common intestinal worms and over 150,000 are estimated to die every year. Before long, Claude was able to find established nongovernmental organizations that were eagerly looking to form partnerships. These partnerships provided the most efficient method for the distribution of Albendazole and provided necessary education, skills, and other resources to reduce morbidity in these desperate countries.

From The Worm Project’s inception until today, abundant giving has enabled the purchase of over 75 million Albendazole tablets, which roughly equates to 375 million pounds of food saved from worms. During 2011, The Worm Project will purchase 30 million tablets and reach out in some form to approximately 70 countries. Currently The Worm Project is able to purchase one tablet for 1.4 cents. That means 6 tablets given over 3 years costs less than 10 cents. The multiplied power of a contribution can be seen from these World Health Organization figures: $10 will treat 700 children and save 3,500 pounds of food from worms.

Please join us at The Worm Project Banquet held at the Franconia Heritage Restaurant in Franconia, Pa. on Wednesday, September 14 at 6 pm. See for yourself how God uses His power in you and others to change the lives of His hungry children forever. Feast on simple and delicious third world foods. Learn how you can be a part of The Worm Project’s 2012 goal to distribute 60 million tablets. The banquet is free, but please register by contacting Claude Good at (267) 932-6050, ext. 136 or cgood@mosaicmennonites.org. You can also visit WormProject.org.

In the gospels, Jesus commands the disciples to feed 5,000 hungry people in a remote location. Andrew responded: “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” Andrew asks a legitimately human question in response to a seemingly absurd command. Jesus responded to Andrew’s question not with words, but by modeling how to surrender our will to the infinite, miraculous power of God’s love. It is God who does the work through us. One small hungry boy gave all that he had to eat that day. Looking to the Father, Jesus gave thanks, broke the bread, and then gave it away. One boy. One lunch. 5,000 people fed. Be “The Power of One”.